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unaf Rayani, the 26-year-old guitarist of Texas instrumental band Explosions in the Sky, is the kind of guy who believes sex always leads to "emotions." He's exceedingly kind to waiters and bums. His only apparent vice is cigarettes. Rayani's uber good-guy disposition may explain why he's been girlfriend-free for two years, but it is also what sets him (and his band) apart from those other musicians who sing about their feelings to scam on girls. For their brand-new album All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone, Rayani and his bandmates brainstormed on the idea of loneliness for more than a year, and thumped away at their guitars, drums and, for the first time, piano, until they hit just the right solitary-sounding notes. The result is a scorchingly beautiful, symphonic album. As the band gears up for a full year on the road, Rayani took a break from twice-daily practices to dish to Nerve about the fear of sucking on tour, fucking to Jawbreaker, and the last time he did something mean (he can't remember). — Elizabeth Cline

What's with the guys at your show who stand in the front room screaming like Elvis fans and throwing their hands in the air?
It's phenomenal. As ridiculous as it may look to someone else, it's overwhelming to think that our playing with sound has these kids in a trance.

I think the album works like movements in a concerto. Are you planning on playing it live as one continuous piece?
No, we're going to mix it up with all the albums every night. Maybe three from the first and four from this one. With this album in particular, we wanted it to stand together as a whole, but we wanted those songs to stand individually as well.

What motivated you to write a thirteen-minute long song for this album ("It's Natural to Be Afraid")?
We always just keep writing until it feels complete, and we finally hit that last note and it felt like "Alright, man, that wraps up that story." When we clocked it, and it was thirteen minutes, it threw us for a loop.

There are only four of you. Why are you so damn loud?
We're fucking dummies. We stand up and look and say "how did it get so loud?" We're just as shocked as everyone else.

You guys scored most of Friday Night Lights and are licensing your music to the NBC spin-off series of the same name. Does the show remind you of your own existence growing up in small-town Texas?
Of course it does. The show came from a movie, that came from a book, that came from real life. And we're from that place. Just the high schools, and the twang, and the focus on football. Yeah, we were there. That's how it was.

What kind of girls did you date in high school?
My girlfriends, just like myself, were out of the norm. We were the punk rock, skater kids. And I was always chasing older girls. I went to prom at fifteen with a nineteen-year-old girl and my next girlfriend was older than me.

So no cheerleaders?
I did, one time on a joke, ask out a cheerleader. It was kind of a dick move because I called her out in front of her friends, and all of her cheerleader friends were standing around staring at her in silence.

You guys are a lot bigger now than the last time you toured this extensively in 2004. Are you nervous about the expectations?
It's kind of overwhelming. Now we're going into a room, and there are all these people waiting for us, and people who've told their friends to come and see this band. If we show up and suck, then what a sham, you know. That's why we've been practicing like crazy because we plan on breaking a number of hearts this year.

Is being in a successful band and having a girlfriend incompatible?
That's a tough life to invite someone into. Saying, "I really want to be your everything, but I've got to go." I had a girlfriend the last time we went out in '04, and it was heavy on us. I think that led to our parting, but so it goes.

No romantic leads since then?
Sometimes unrequieted love got the better of me. There were times when I chased and chased and that person wasn't interested. That girl got the better of me. That can really slow somebody down!

Did you meet this girl on the road?
No, I knew her for a long time. Now, we're just a memory to each other [laughs].

So, what about casual sex?
Not something I've been too involved in. I think sex offers the introduction of emotions and emotions can really mix things up. I think it's a really progressive society where people can just jump into the sack with whomever, but I'm not interested in that.

Your band name and the way your music builds to an earth-shattering climax come across as a metaphor for orgasm. Is it?
No. I mean, it's never been intentional. But more and more people are writing us emails that say me and my wife get down to your music. They don't give us all the details, but they're expressing that it's a backdrop to the sexual realm, and that's fucking beautiful. What an emotion to incite in someone!

If you were going to have sex tonight, what record would you listen to?
Something really fucking beautiful. I've been really crazy about this Claude Debussy piano pieces that are just truly beautiful; where they are just dancing, twinkling, and I feel like they would just match the kisses on the cheek real well.

What would you listen to if you just wanted to bang?
Jawbreaker is pretty upbeat.

How did you lose your virginity?
I was sixteen in Midland, Texas. Do I have to tell this?

Oh, come on.
It was in her house. Her parents were out of town. We'd been hanging out for a little while, and we started kissing, and kissing led to more, and more led to me losing my virginity.
 
How did you get to be such a softy if you grew up in a redneck, football town?
I knew from early on that things got to me a lot more than they would other people, but I was okay with that because the guy next to me was the same way. But don't let me lead you astray. Three of us grew up playing sports too. We were basketball players. I tell my bandmates that had it not been rock music, I would have been destined for the NBA.

Do girls really go for the nice guys?
No, I don't think so. I hope I haven't come across like [a nice guy] because I am a motherfucker. And I am telling you the truth.  

To order All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, click here.

© 2007 Sarah Harrison & Nerve.com