Live on our homepage today, our new Holiday Collection video is soundtracked by Nashville fuzz-bomb Magic Wands, the distorted, snuggly result of two hopeless romantics making hopelessly romantic music. A couple onstage and off, Chris and Dexy Valentine (seriously. Valentine.) have a detached cool that’s a sharp contrast to their starkly amorous lyrics. Innocent puppy-love sentiments like “Meet me down by the soda machine/Show me now what our love means” are given a unique rock 'n' roll tint when filtered through brittle drum machines, suffocating guitar scuzz and their ubiquitous sunglasses.
We waved down Magic Wands to talk about the influence of Chuck Berry, their stuffed-lion band mascot and the pros and cons of sharing a hotel room with your tour manager (turns out it’s mostly cons).
Download the song “Black Magic” and our Holiday Collection video, and get our interview with the band after the jump.
Rugby: You two lean towards swirling, fuzzed-out guitars—what does this particular sound mean to you? When and how did you fall in love with it?
Chris: I like when guitars or instruments sound like waves, like if you imagine the sound of an electric ocean. One of the first records I ever had was Chuck Berry, and I always like how his guitar sounded like it was talking without any words.
Dexy: I like my guitar to sound spaced out. Plugging straight in to the amp sounds a bit bland for my taste, so I run my guitar through lots of effects.
R: You guys are photographed almost exclusively in sunglasses—what up? Do you have any sunglass-wearing idols?
Chris: We have the same sunglasses as the guy in that John Carpenter horror movie They Live. They let us see the zombies and inter-dimensional reptillians without them knowing we can see them.
R: We read that your name came from a magic wand that Chris sent Dexy during your long-distance correspondence. Where do you keep the magic wand now?
Dexy: Chris mailed it to me before we met up. It's a magical toy.
Chris: We actually have the wand here in the studio where we are recording.
R: What are the best and worst things about being a couple in a touring situation?
Chris: The best thing is we get to share the experience of seeing the world together, and we have a pretty impressive photo album. Probably the worst is having to share a hotel room with our tour manager.
Dexy: It's really easy. We get to stop off at cool shops and collect stuff we like and explore new places together. The worst thing would probably be fighting over who has to drive when our tour manager gets too drunk.
R: Are there any downsides to playing such nakedly romantic music?
Chris: I don't think so. There is something very satisfying about making music that has love at its core.
R: We’re curious: little lion mascot. Please explain.
Chris: His name is Sylvester and he's about five feet long. Dexy brought him home one day when we were in Nashville.
Dexy: I rescued him from a toy store and he's been around ever since.
The Magic Wands' EP Magic, Love & Dreamsis available on itunes.