'The Like' Goes Back to the Future for '60s Sound (Z Interview)

"The Like" are a '60s band with a twist. They're actually from the future --- or the present, depending on how you frame it. The four-women, Los Angeles band recorded their latest disc, "Release Me," with vintage instruments, in a vintage studio, in a land time forgot. Actually, the studio was in Brooklyn, New York. But it was just a single room above a bakery, and Like front woman Z Berg is a vegan. She spoke with Planet Green about recycling instruments, exploring the '60s sound, and concerns over what comes next.

PLANET GREEN: Tell me about Dunham Studios, in Brooklyn, where this disc was recorded with Mark Ronson and the Dap-Kings.

Z BERG: On the bottom floor of the building is a bakery. It smells like a bakery every morning. There was no air conditioning. And we recorded in the dead of summer and the cold of winter. All of us were in one room, playing live ...

We recorded it like we would have in the '60s. We just realized that all the sounds that we loved came from recording in that way.

PG: But you don't eat baked goods as a vegan, right?

Z: Right, but I do like to smell it. We wanted to recreate the warmth (of the 60s). So we used equipment that would have been used back them. At the end of the day, the simplest explanation is usually the right one.

PG: Were there any mishaps along the way?

Z: It was really funny. There were only so many channels we could track with, actually eight channels. When we were overdubbing a solo, there was not enough track to save any takes. Each time we tried to overdub a solo, we would have to delete the last one. It was no frills.

When you're attempting to capture lighting in a bottle, that's what you do. Once you remember what tape sounds like, you remember that digital doesn't sound the same.

Courtesy Downtown Music

PG: Your dad, Tony Berg, is a famous producer. Did you learn anything from him about the old-fashioned recording process?

Z: It was more under the under tutelage of the Dap-Kings (Tommy Brenneck, Homer Steinweiss and Victor Alexrod). The album is chock full of little mistakes and funny parts, but they become your favorite, at least my favorite.

PG: So you're basically recycling instruments on this disc. Are you a re-user and recycler in your daily life?

Z: I think we're all extremely conscious of reusing and recycling in this band. When you're standing at the edge of the world, you've go to do whatever you can.

PG: At the edge of the world?

Z: We live in a scary time. We're all very conscious of how much work needs to be done to try and get the world back on track.

That's part of the cause of my veganism: Greenhouse gas emissions from the red meat industry are a huge, destructive force.

I was a vegetarian. I became a vegan. I used to get sick constantly. My manager said, 'If you stop eating dairy, you'll stop getting sick.' I had a lot of colds and sinus problems, and I totally cured myself.

PG: On another subject, are you someone who prefers vinyl to CDs?

Z: I definitely am. I grew up listening to '60s music. It definitely holds a strong place in my heart. A lot of punk and post rock, too. I think the '60s is what I go back to.

PG: So you were going for a live sound on this record?

Z: Exactly. We realized that before, with our recording, it didn't really sound just like us. Our live show is really fun and it's really energetic and it's really raw. We just wanted to capture that rawness and honesty of a band in a room.

PG: It can be disappointing when you hear a studio track from a great live band.

Z: Yes. I don't want to go to a show and see someone playing live with recorded music playing behind them.

PG: Do you take the old, vintage equipment on the road?

Z: The drums and bass are circa 1970s. I have a pretty good collection of vintage guitars. But what I take on the road is a new Les Paul.

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