When
I recently got in touch with Brian about our interview. He seemed
curious as to why I, or anyone else for that matter, would be
interested in doing or reading an interview with him. To be 110%
truthful, Brian perfectly fits the mold for most of the interviews I've
done or been interested in doing over the years. Getting to know someone
who's inspired me with their music, art or straight up creative nature
interests me more than any upcoming release date, tour or single.
For
me personally, Brian Musikoff fits the bill for the kind of interviews
and exchanges I prefer to approach. As the artist who created the logo
United By Rocket Science and the charismatic bass player for Friends,
Romans & Countryman and Stuyvesant. (A band whose music and live
performances brought me more joy than I could ever wish for. ) So much
so, that whenever I think of or hear their music. I'm brought back to my
time in Hoboken ans well as my nights at Maxwell's. The music venue that first brought me to
the now famed town in the early 90's. I'm very appreciative of Brian's
time and his helping me build a bridge between my current home in New
Jersey to my soon to be new one in Seattle. Here's what he had to share.
(Interview and images by yours truely, James Damion.)
When I found out that I would soon be relocating to Seattle. I took comfort in the fact that I would be able to look up an old friend from the old neighborhood.
What was it that sparked your move to Seattle?
After being fought, fucked, and educated in the NY/NJ area for 45 years of my life I was suddenly overcome by an insatiable desire to tear up my roots; something that (with the exception of a 4 month stint in Newport, Rhode Island in '92) I have never experienced before. I needed a change and I needed to relocate myself to a slower urban environment.
Over the past 20 plus years I have observed a very lame and grotesque
assimilation in the NYC area as far as being a cultural epicenter is
concerned. I'm speaking for no one else other than myself here when I
say that I have been feeling an ever growing increased tension toward
the new generation of entitled and naive people who have outwardly
exhibit a blatant disregard for NYC culture, and toward those who's
basked sense of entitled security which has made them feel comfortable
enough to behave disrespectfully with out consequence. I have seen the
greater wave of social and economic interest entirely shut down the
venues, shops, and restaurants that I hold close to heart.
What were some of your initial impressions of the area? Pros and cons for any East Coasters looking to move there?
As with any metropolitan area, the local true blue natives are going to be understandably defensive against an influx of new comers and their affects on the local economic and social climate. As far as the weather itself, new comers need to be prepared for a long, wet, grey winters. The sun only appears in bursts between November and February and the cold misty rain is frequent. Personally, and to the dismay of many defensive locals, I love the winter weather in Seattle. I see it as "Forrest weather". I'm here to contribute more than I take, and those few who are opposed or uncomfortable with me being here have no choice in the matter.
What do you miss most about New Jersey? In particular, Hoboken.
I miss the pizza, the "mutz", the NYC view along the Hudson, our band Stuyvesant, my immediate circle of dorks, my bartender family, and the proximity to the beach.
Have you had any musical collaborations since you've been out there?
Not yet, but I shall.
(Live from the Barrage podcast.) How did you become involved with "Live from the Barrage" podcast Here? How do you stay involved being out west? What is the key focus of the show?
I knew John and Patrick of LFTB largely through the independent rock community, and not just here in NYC and NJ either. I initially appeared on the the show as a guest and I guess our host John Houlihan and Producer Tömmy Röckstar immediately picked up on my dedication to the mutual interests associated with the show. Since I've moved away from the NYC area I continue to support the show by booking guests, designing the weekly promotional images, and promoting the show on social media. The show is still focused on discussion regarding (but not exclusive to): good music and those who create it, good comedy and those who best understand it, crap/not crap, The Ryan Game, TRNN NOOZ, and Mario Asaro.
You grew up in a few stops from me in Bayside, Queens. Some of my earliest adventures included heading to Flushing's Main St. and eventually Mike's Comic Hut. Can you share some of your early impressions of living in Queens?
I lived in Bayside, Queens until I was 11 years old, where my experiences on my own were limited to nearby destinations along Bell Blvd such as Peter Pan Arcade, White Castle, George's Pizza, the Bayside Batting Range, and Bayside Cinema (where I saw Empire Strikes Back, E.T., Stripes, and Poltergeist). My grandparents lived in Flushing on Main Street so I was there often, and of course this proximity made me a regular attendee at Shea (whether legitimately or vagrantly, heh). My dad moved around a lot but always remained in Queens, so I've resided all over neighborhoods such as Forrest Hills, Woodside, and Astoria.
What initially interested you in art and how did it influence your decision to go to Art school?
As a hyperactive kid, music on the stereo in my ears and a pencil and paper in my hands were the only things that kept my interest as child. By the time I survived the social warfare of a suburban NJ high school (my mom remarried and moved us to Englishtown, NJ in 1983) I knew that a state school, or community college was not for me.
You designed the logo for U.B.R.S. Aside from here and the work you've done for Stuyvesant. Who else have you worked with?
I've designed animation for comedians such as Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn, and my clients include Warner Bros Records and Relapse Records.
The bass has long been my favorite instrument. Was it the first instrument you learned to play? Inspiration?
My first ever instrument learned was bass drum for my grade school band. Moving on to Junior High I wasn't focused enough or disciplined to study drums,so naturally I started piano. (That doesn't require focus or discipline, right?) In High School I fancied myself a Hardcore singer with Wake Up Call, and by college I had taken up bass because the band that I was in at the time (Overeasy with Brandon Stosuy of the website Pitchfork) just had their bassist quit. To this day I can still not play chords. I live for pushing air and fattening riffs.
What was/were some of the first bands you played with?
My first ever band was in 1986, I played Casio keys for a middle school rap group that consisted of two white guys and two black guys called The Funky 4 (no relation to the much more accomplished The Funky Four Plus One of the Bronx), we played talent shows and battle of the bands. In High School I was in a home recording "basement band" with my best friend called Spleverb. Spelverb were reminiscent of Ween (I guess) and by the time of graduation we had evolved to a full 4 piece band. I was in a few punk bands that never got off the ground in the early 90s, and then in 1996 I was introduced to the members of FRC.
I first learned about Friends, Romans, Countryman from Al (Dromedary / Sugarblast). Can you tell me how you met Sean and how the band came to be?
Bill Dolan (American Standard) and I were both at the first big Descendents reunion show at the Stone Pony where he introduced me to F.R.C. members Sean Adams and Dan Murphy who were in need of a bass player. So, we connected really easily being that, after all, we were together at a Descendents show (no pun intended), and we all lived in or around the Hoboken/Jersey City area. I played and recorded with FRC from 1996-2002, and then in 2003 Sean and I joined Ralph Malanga from Footstone to form Stuyvesant.
What started out in earnest as an interview with Detroit Hardcore act quickly began to focus on the band's drummer Matthew Cross. Since seeing the band perform live at a local dive in nearby Montclair. We had exchanged emails and social media. As these exchanges continued to grow began to grow more and more curious about Matthew's background, his time and involvement in New York's Hardcore scene and his life in general. As the progress of the interview began to grind to a halt. We decided to expand our exchanges in to somewhat of series of open ended conversations. Come to think of it. This could end up becoming the blueprint to future interviews. Open conversations about music, art and common interests. Communication without the boundaries we sometimes put on ourselves. James Damion
James: I was under the impression you grew up in New York.
Matthew: I grew up in Warren, MI, one of the many suburbs surrounding Detroit.
When I moved to New York in the early 90s, I first lived in Manhattan – lots of floors, couches, and illegal subletting – and later in Long Island City in Queens.
James: What was your introduction to NYHC? The bands, the people, the clubs you frequented.
Matthew: My first introduction was Agnostic Front’s Victim in Pain LP, and Cro Mags’
The Age of Quarrel LP. I heard AF first, and there was something unmistakably different about their sound, it was so raw and real.
There’s a really exhausting and ridiculous rivalry between east and west coast punk and hardcore (and everything else), in which I refuse to take part. But for whatever reason,
I was always drawn to the east coast sound. Maybe because it was so obviously influenced by Midwest bands like Negative Approach, but also because it felt like Detroit and New York had more in common than Detroit and Los Angeles, you know? Listening to surf punk in Detroit is cool, but listening to
Agnostic Front’s “Last Warning” feels right – like “yeah, this track feels like where I’m at right now.” The atmosphere of that music – the grit, the darkness, the urgency, and rhythms that felt like a factory falling apart around you – felt like home.
I know there were a lot of great punk and hardcore bands in NYC before 1984 like Kraut, the Mob, and Cause for Alarm, but that AF record was the first thing I heard.
I went to shows at places in Detroit – The Graystone Hall, Traxx, The Falcon Lounge, Paychecks, and so on – but missed most of the classic NYHC venues and show spaces from the early 80s. I did see and play shows at CBGBs, Wetlands, Coney Island High and
ABC No Rio.
So as an outsider, I came up loving New York Hardcore, but like kids in the 90s who loved Seattle’s grunge rock scene from afar, I wasn’t part of it and probably had a lot of misconceptions about what the scene was like. For example, I remember when I first met Sick of it All, and had to really brace myself to try to appear “hard” and serious, because their Revelation EP was the biggest thing in the world to me, and I just assumed these guys would be really intimidating. And as anyone can tell you, they are four of the sweetest, silliest people you’ll ever meet. As a kid, I was surprised, but also grateful. I didn’t have the energy, or even the desire, to maintain that kind of façade, and it meant a lot to me that they weren’t interested in it either.
As I age and evolve, I’m leaving a lot of that music behind. Part of that is natural.
We grow, and are not moved by the same things we were when we were 18, or not in the same way. It’s very rare that I feel like blasting Breakdown’s “Sick People” or
Sick of it All’s “Pete’s Sake” because that’s how I’m feeling in that moment, you know?
I might reach for other hardcore records, but more often than not I want to hear something else.
But part of it is also that I’m over the masculinity of hardcore. There is so much masculine posturing and posing that is part of hardcore, from the music to the lyrics to the style to the performance. I still love hardcore, and there were a lot of bands from that scene that took different approaches, like Gorilla Biscuits, Token Entry, and Nausea, and I still enjoy those bands today. Actually, the youth crew bands used to confuse me a little, because stylistically they just looked like preppies, or young Republicans. But in general, I think many sects of hardcore cling to really outdated, regressive attitudes about gender. So while I still love and enjoy hardcore, I’m more inclined these days to seek out bands and music representing a wider spectrum of humanity and emotion.
James: I picked up the vinyl reissue of Into Another's Ignarus a few weeks ago. It was the first time I had read the liner notes in over a decade. When I saw your name on the
"Thank You" list....it was like pieces of a puzzle. Can you tell me a little about your relationship with them and your connection to the band?
Matthew: That’s a great record. It’s funny you mentioned that; I had “Maritime Murder” in my head a couple weeks ago, and went and listened to that LP again for the first time in years.
I loved Drew and Richie’s previous bands Youth of Today and Underdog, and so I was excited to hear Into Another when their first record was released. Because I also loved metal and rock, I appreciated the new direction they were trying. Like many other kids, I bought the records and went to their shows, where I struck up an acquaintance with Drew. I worked at a drum and percussion shop at the time, we’d talk drums, and I helped him out from time to time when he needed gear. So my name on the record is because of that help and support. Drew also gifted me the Zildjian 20” ride cymbal he’d used on all those early hardcore records, including Into Another, which I thought was really sweet of him; he could have sold that thing for a lot of money instead. Hell, I would have bid on it.
James: How did the opportunity to join Orange 9mm come about? Had you been in any bands prior to that?
Matthew: I had been in other bands since high school, mostly punk and hardcore. Before I joined Orange 9mm. I was in a band with my brother that was quite different. It was metal influenced, and incorporated a lot of keyboards and industrial-style rhythms and arrangements. So Alan didn’t have a reference for me in terms of bands; in fact, I’m not sure he’d ever heard me play. He probably guessed I knew how to play because I knew a lot about drums, and the band was willing to give me a shot because of Alan’s recommendation, as well as my willingness to pick up and move from Detroit. At the time I was working a couple low-wage jobs in Detroit just to pay rent and bills. I didn’t want to do anything but be a drummer, and when the call from Alan came, I figured this was my chance to step up and do it.
James: It's funny you saying that about evolving and perhaps musically aging out of Hardcore. I've been feeling the same way for years. Honestly, most of that departure is rooted in all the endless nostalgia, reunions and constant reminders of what I've come to consider ancient history. I never cared for the knuckle scraping tough guy ideology that went along with the music. However, your mention of acts such as Token Entry and
Gorilla Biscuits reminds me of the type of music and message I was always drawn to.
What originally drew my to the music was the fact that is was small, intimate and for lack of a better word organic. You paid your five dollars, saw five bands and made a bunch of new friends by the end of the show. Even if I wanted to see my favorite band play.
Chances are I'd have to buy advance tickets and day passes to see them play a festival with forty other bands I could give a shit about.
All rants aside, I'm curious as to how this evolution or change in tastes effects your being in a very good hardcore band. (Collapse) I wanted to get some of your thoughts on the subject and how or if that reflects in what Collapse is creating.
Matthew: I think you’re right about the message of those bands, and that meant as much to me as the music. When you meet someone who absolutely loved the Burn EP, it usually isn’t just about the music, which was phenomenal. It’s because that band, in the best spirit of punk, was about something. “Shall Be Judged” is about a certain kind of injustice, but it’s also about trying to make sense of one’s place in a society entrenched in systems and cultures of violence and oppression. And then that middle breakdown kicks in, Chaka’s doing a somersault off the stage, and you want to throw a chair at the wall.
And these bands also had a different energy onstage. Detroit was full of bands that carried and promoted really negative, hateful masculine energy – yelling at the “pussies” in the back to stop being “soft” and get up front. That shit makes me want to leave the room immediately. That stuff was all over the country in the late 80s and early 90s, it wasn’t just Detroit and New York. But you also had bands like Los Crudos and Nausea playing sonically aggressive, heavy music, yet it was more about healthy human anger, not masculine aggression.
At least that’s what I took from it.
I’m taking the long way answering this question, but this gets into Collapse, and why I’ve spent the past three years writing and playing with them.
I wanted to play aggressive punk, but I wanted to do it with…I guess the best way to say it is with feminists, with people who have a more complex understanding of power. It isn’t enough for me anymore to work at this level with someone who just happens to not be overtly sexist or racist; I want to work with people who are conscious of those dynamics, and intentional about minimizing their impacts. And with Collapse, that’s the kind of band we are; it’s reflected in our lyrics, and we try to live into that in our interactions with other people.
You know, thinking of that Burn song makes me think of other hardcore songs I still love. “Regress No Way” by 7 Seconds, “Sink with Kalifornia” by Youth Brigade, or with punk, “We’ve Got a Bigger Problem Now” by Dead Kennedys or “Poison in a Pretty Pill” by Crass. Those songs are full of meaning and vision, and questions about what kind of world we want to live in. For me, being in Collapse is an opportunity to be a part of that legacy. So many of the issues those bands were addressing – racism, misogyny, militarism, and consumerism – are just as prevalent today as they were in the 1980s. It feels good to be in a band following that tradition of speaking out about injustice and oppression. Our task, and I think it’s the task of every artist who takes these issues seriously, is to move beyond expression to intentional action in community with others.
Whenever choosing an interview subject for this blog or any other outlet. My approach has nothing to do with the agenda of a band, release date or approaching event. Honestly, it's never had anything to do with any deadline or time frame. In doing United By Rocket Science, I've been given the chance to reach out and connect with people on a level that my own shyness or insecurities might not allow otherwise. Approaching Ryan was easy though. Having fronted bands such as The Bushmon, Home 33, Dead Serious and most recently Ache. Ryans aggressive stage presence and vocal approach are intimidating and downright animalistic. In person, it would be hard to find a more approachable, personable and real person. I originally approached Ryan about an interview shortly after I caught his band Dead Serious back in July 2013. For reasons unknown, I just never got around to it. In retrospect, I'm glad I waited. It's given me time to get to know him a bit. Time to step back, observe and learn. In Part 1 of what hopes to be a three part interview. I reached out to learn a bit about the music he's created both past and present. Here's what he had to offer. Thanks Ryan, James Damion
James: My first memories of you was your hanging from the ceiling pipes at The Pyramid Club with Home 33.
Can you tell me about how you became involved with New York City's underground music scene?
Ryan: I became involved with NYC Punk underground around 1988. My first real band was called Bushmon. We were basically a hardcore & Ska band. We were CBGB regulars from late 1991 until we played our last ever show at CB's in 1993 to a sold out crowd.
One band that always played with Bushmon was a Brilliant hardcore band called Opposition. When Opposition & Bushmon broke up some members from each band formed Home 33. Home 33 was where I really cut my teeth in NYHC. Sharing stages at early shows for bands like H2O, Earth Crisis, Candiria, V.O.D., 108, Downset, Madball, napalm death, NRSV, Fahrenheit 451 & many other greats! It was the 90's and the NYC underground was killing it!!!
James: There's been talk of a reissue of Jody's Coterie. How did the opportunity come about? Will there be bonus material or fun surprises?
Ryan: Yes!! Roger Lian
(who was the original guy who mastered the Home 33
"Jody's Coterie" album in 1995) & Me got into a conversation on Facebook. He told me my old band Home 33 was his first job. He got a lot of work after working on that record. He went on to mastering albums for Slayer, Candiria, Joan Jett, Pantera & countless crazy dope albums. I told him I wanted to make Jody's available as a free download to any one who would want it or remember it. So Roger offered to remaster The album. It's done & it sounds better than ever.
I'm super busy with my current band ACHE so the Jody's Coterie project is slowly but surely going to bleed some ears in the future. I also plan on a few other Home 33 recorded surprises when I get the time.
James: I remember how floored I was the few times I saw Dead Serious live.
The band seemed to have a lot of potential. What led to the demise of the band?
Ryan: Thank you very Much!! I was floored by Dead Serious too! I mean bloody on the floor in the pit!! Lol That was a blast! Raw & Punx as fuck. After the Guitar player Mark had to leave the band & eventually he moved from NYC. It wasn't really the same after that in my opinion. Mark took some of the fun with him. I also think after he left the remaining members started moving in different directions Musically. So we decided to do other bands.
James: While the demise of Dead Serious seemed a bit premature. It was the quick rise of Ache that seemed to take a lot of people by surprise. Can you tell me how the bands personnel came together and how quickly you were able to build the chemistry you seem to share?
Ryan: The Dead Serious drummer Ryan Seit & I wanted to stick together. Mattakins, my Ache guitar player was playing in NYHC band Abject! Matt & I were friends from hanging at his shows. He offered to help out Ryan & I until we found members for a new band. It just so happens Abject! breaks up soon after and Matt decided to stay with us & we all started ACHE. Rey Brutal our bass player has another band. He is the lead singer & guitarist for NYC Thrash band Bomb Scare. Rey & I became friends at Bomb Scare shows. I'm a huge fan of those dudes. So I feel super lucky to be playing with all these dudes in Ache.
All of us are real friends & it's nothing like making music with your real friends.
James: The demo received it's fair share of praise from numerous outlets. How do you feel about the bands official entry into the fray?
Ryan: I think it's solid.
Stoked some people liked it! Hands down any credit for the demo goes to our Drummer Ryan Seit. He recorded & Mixed the demo. Not only is he a bad ass drummer but he's the man in the studio too.
He's currently preparing to record other bands so tell your friends and all that stuff. Word.
James: Is there a chance we'll see an Ache EP or album in early to mid 2015?
Ryan: Yes! We are writing an album & as of right now plan on tracking in January & February of 2015.
James: Unlike a lot of younger bands on the scene. Ache got out of their area code early on and played out of state with some pretty impressive bands. How did those opportunities come about?
Ryan: Mattakins, our guitar player booked us out of state. hands down my Favorite thing out of town so far was Boston for two shows. We played Boston Wreck center with
Opposition Rising & Foulmouth. They were all super nice dudes & everybody danced hard there. I appreciate the energy of the pit. It was a crazy bloody pit at one point. Females too, fucking shit up in the pit. I'm positive this one girl broke her nose. There was a lot of blood on the dance floor. Sick show.
James: Whenever the term Hardcore gets put into use. The talk of family soon comes into play. Can you better explain that dynamic and how it's formed?
Ryan: Hardcore is absolutely my family. They excepted me as family. I was able to grab a Mic say anything on my mind. I had The chance to see other people express themselves in the same way. All the people I met in NYHC early on most of us didn't have a real home or a place that felt like home. We were truly angry outsiders making a home together.
These people became my sisters, Brothers so It's a feeling that you get in the community in the hardcore scene. It feels like family or blood relatives. I think if you haven't had that feeling at least once. I question you being a punk!!! Lol
Since our one and only encounter at a Black Flag show in June of 2013. I've been in steady contact with Walter through social media. Over that time I've often found inspiration in the engaging photographs he posts from local Brooklyn shows and events. Images that make the viewer want to cross that bridge or ride through that tunnel to investigate what's really going on and about on the other side. More than anything, Walter's images serve as an accurate documentation of the thriving and expressive music scene and artistic community happening in our very own backyard. I recently had the chance to talk shop with and have him share some of his favorite images. Here's what he had to share. James Damion
James: For starters, can you introduce yourself and let our readers know who you are and what it is you do?
Walter: My name is Walter Wlodarczyk and I'm a documentary photographer based in Brooklyn. My work focuses primarily on creative life in New York City – music, performance, other forms of art, the people doing the creating, my experiences.
James: When did you originally start bringing your camera to shows and was there anything specific that made you want to capture what you were experiencing?
Walter: Photographing music is a natural part of what I do more generally, which is document creative life in the city. One of the things that most inspired me to take up photography is the art that came out of downtown New York in the 70's and 80's – and not just the music photography.
Hausipungo
The photography that documented the artists and what it meant to live in the city at that time, in a more general sense. Everything I read and saw from that period made me want to create my
own document of life in the city, at this time.
A document of art, music, people, my life, the things I enjoy and think are great and important. All of the things that I'd want to appear in books made in the future about life in the city today.
James: Do you shoot for any of the many music sites, blogs or media outlets out there or are you just doing it for your own selfish passion?
Walter: I do some assignment work, but generally work directly with artists, and on self-directed projects. I focus on subjects that inspire me, knowing that opportunities to publish my work will come (and they do) if I've done a good job in capturing what I see. And it's really not selfish at all.
I love it when someone tells me that they got into a band after seeing my photos and deciding they had to check them out, or when I'm able to get photos published of a band that I love.
Math The Band with Peelander-Z
In terms of specific publications,
I've recently had some work published in Impose Magazine, and Alt Citizen. Those are two publications that I like because they have a vision about what they're sharing with the
world, and a sense of being part of a creative community. That fits with how I work. As a photographer I'm a contributing member of a community of creative people – not someone who takes photos simply to get published.
James: What's your weapon of choice? What's in your bag? Make, Model, Lens, Flash.
Walter: I use a Canon 5D Mark III. Lenses depend on the situation, subject, and lighting.
I like the 24-70 f/2.8 as a good all-around lens. I might go with a wider zoom if the situation is very tight. I also like to use a faster prime lens if it's possible to (again, it just depends on the subject and situation). And I always pack a flash, because you never know.
James: Flash or no Flash? Why?
Walter: The eternal question. If you throw out the obvious situations where you simply can't use flash, or must use flash to get anything usable, I think there's a big middle ground of maybe.
I try to feel those situations out and may use flash to the extent that it'll work with the ambient light and maintain the spirit of what I'm photographing.The other dimension is that I try to be very careful that my use of flash is not disruptive or distracting, because a show is about the performance, not about me taking photos of it. There are the shows where it just doesn't matter – everything is so crazy no one even notices. The trickier spots are those where you need to use flash, but everyone's standing 15 feet from the stage and the energy is maybe tenuous to begin with. I hate to be a distraction with flash in those cases, but sometimes you just need to. I try to be economical if that's the case. But it really just depends.
James: Do you have a certain approach that may differ from others? Is there anything specific you're looking to document or a feel you want to come across in your images?
Walter: I think every photographer's approach is unique by definition, starting with the choice of what to photograph.
In terms of art and music, I want my photos to capture what inspires me about the subject– the energy, beauty, humor, craziness, freedom. I want to convey the spirit of what I'm documenting and express what I find wonderful about it. I also like for my photos to be a very definite counterpoint to everyone who says New York City is dead. The city may be different
(it always is), too expensive, etc. But it's not dead.
James: What else do you like to shoot? Where does your camera usually take you.
Walter: I've had the privilege of touring with KEN South ROCK in Japan and around the US, and that has been awesome. I love touring and documenting the experience. I also like to visit Miami a few times a year to hang out with my friends the Audio Junkies who I met while on tour there with the ZZZ's. The Miami music scene is great and the Audio Junkies are always putting together great shows – especially during Art Basel and over the 4th of July.
I like documenting all of that madness. And of course, I enjoy documenting New York City and art in general, in addition to music.
James: I have a list of photographers who not only inspired me to pick up a camera and document my surroundings, but one or two that actually helped me get to where I am now. Who are yours? The ones who moved you to shoot?
Walter: Peter Hujar for one – especially his photographs of New York at night. I saw a collection of those photographs in 2005 and that was one of the first experiences that I remember making me really want to pick up a camera and document my New York. Also Zoe Strauss. I saw the last installment of Zoe's ten year I-95 project, which was an outdoor show, her photographs mounted on pillars under an I-95 overpass in her neighborhood in Philadelphia. The photos were arranged with incredibly specific care both up and down, and across the rows. Zoe describes her work as “an epic narrative about the beauty and struggle of everyday life” and that is really a perfect description of her work, and that show. It was epic and then some. It really made something click inside of me about what photography can and should be. Nan Goldin as well – her work also made me want to create my own document of New York City.
James: I think most photographers have their horror stories of getting gear and/or their heads broken at shows. Do you have any battle scars to share?
Walter: Thankfully I've not experienced any truly serious damage to gear or person.
Just normal sorts of thing -- I've had a cigarette put out in my arm, had people fall on me, had my camera punched into my face by a friend who was very “in character” during a performance, been stun gunned. The stun gun thing was not an accident, actually, but it wasn't malicious. I'm pretty good at preventing accidents, actually. In particular, catching falling mic stands. I once received a round of applause for making a one-handed diving catch of a fancy microphone at a jazz party.
Chat Logs
Highlight reel for photographers, maybe.
James: Personally, the thing that draws me to your images is.
I almost never know any of the bands you're sharing images of, but those images inspire me to seek out their music and hear what they're all about. I don't know if that qualifies as a question, but it's an observation that can't go without noting.
Walter: Yes – thank you. That's exactly what I hope for. I've been successful if someone sees one of my images and is inspired to learn more about the subject.
James: The last time I shared the Pit with you was at the Black Flag show at Warsaw.
(A particularly bad show for me personally) I recall Jason House, another local shooter, being there. I always here stories about very unfriendly photographers who don't like sharing the pit, their stories or anything particularly social. Personally, I've been somewhat immune to that stereotype. Do you, yourself have any personal rules of the pit?
Walter: Oh, most of my interactions at shows are totally positive. My personal rule is to try to make the best photographs I can without distracting from the performance or impeding anyone in the audience from enjoying the show as they would if there were not a photographer there. No one wants a camera jammed in their face or flash straight in their eyes – obvious things like that. And I try to share my space with anyone else who is shooting or filming. Common sense and respect. Occasionally there's someone who doesn't get it, but I just try to work around those people. And that can be a photographer/videographer, or an audience member who is intent on clobbering everyone. The best thing is for everyone who goes to shows to collectively let those people know that that kind behavior is really not okay. I think Joe from Big Ups put it pretty well –
“I know we're all animals, but let's be domesticated animals.”
James: Most of what I've seen from you comes out of Brooklyn, particularly Bushwick. Is it safe to say that Brooklyn's more than hipsters, Pabst and clever haberdashery?
Walter: That's really just a function of the fact that I live in the area and that's where we tend to hang out, and see shows. I also shoot plenty downtown and other places, and of course not just music. There's plenty going on all over. New York is so diverse, the generalizations people make are silly. You find out what a place is about by getting out and doing things and meeting people, not by reading the comments on the Internet. I try to ignore all of that. Especially the comments.
James: Very true. Are you originally from New York City?
Walter: I'm from New Jersey. I'm a product of the tristate region.
James: Well then, we're practically related. (In a backwards finish to start kind of way.)
What are some of the bands and music spots worth looking into.
Walter: In terms of venues, everyone should visit Death By Audio lots before
it closes in November. I can't even remember how many great shows I've seen there. I also suggest checking out and supporting our great DIY venues like Shea Stadium and Silent Barn. And Goodbye Blue Monday, which has provided a stage for literally anyone who wanted to play, for so long.
It's hard to fathom that CoolDad Music has only been around for two years. With the amount of content and consistency of which it's delivered. You would think that CDM was a state institution with a history as long as New Jersey treasures Jersey Beat and the Aquarian. After months of getting familiar with CoolDad Music and engaging James in Facebook discussions. I decided to reach out to its creator to talk about the site, staying busy and just what I've been missing on the south side of things.
JD: How did the inspiration for Cool Dad Music come about? Had you written about music before that? Maybe had a fanzine or contributed to someone else's?
JA: I’d never done anything like this before. I just spent a lot of time sharing favorite songs, album recommendations, grainy phone pictures from shows on social media. My friends used to say to me, “You should start a blog.” So I did.
I’d kind of gotten to the point in my professional life where I wasn’t deriving much fulfillment from work, and CoolDad Music turned into an extremely rewarding second job. I joke that I’ve put more work into and gotten more out of running the blog than I ever did from 20-odd years at “real jobs.”
JD: Did you know what you wanted to cover from the get go? What's your focus?
JA: My focus has really evolved. I’ve got the tagline at the top of the blog that says
“Thoughts on mainstream indie music from a cooldad on the Jersey Shore.” At the beginning, I was just writing mostly about the music I was listening to on something like SiriusXMU.
The “Big Indie” like Arcade Fire and The Walkmen and Vampire Weekend. I was also reviewing shows by national touring acts either in Asbury or NYC.
In the search for other stuff to write about, though, I started to open my eyes to things happening locally. I like to say that the half-full can of PBR that King Khan threw from the stage at Asbury Lanes knocked some sense into me when it landed on my head. It was that, plus hooking up with and contributing to a great local webzine here --
Speak Into My Good Eye -- that shifted my focus a bit. Things changed when I realized that there was this whole world of local music right in my backyard. I started to try and make it a point to let people know that, “Hey. You can go out almost every night of the week around here and see something really great.”
Alex Rosen at Asbury Park's Wonder Bar. Photo; James Appio
I’ve also gotten more and more into taking pictures at shows, so there’s a lot of pics at the blog as well.
I’ve done a couple of book reviews. A few movie reviews.
So focus? I’m not sure I’m really that focused. But I’m much more locally tuned in than when I started. Maybe I should change that tagline.
JD: Can you pinpoint something that might set you apart from the other catrillion blog and web slingers covering music in our area?
JA: I think my point of view and my approach set me apart a bit. I like to say that CoolDad Music is a blog not a webzine. What I mean by that is that it’s still really my personal observations on what’s going on. I’m not a journalist or a critic. I would love to have as many people as possible read the blog and let me know what they think, but I’m not trying to “monetize pageviews” or produce “clickable content” or whatever. I just try to write about the way a show or a song or a record makes me feel. What it makes me think about.
How it relates to my experience. And my experience is that of a middle-aged, suburban husband and father of two who has the most wonderful amazing wife in the world. She can tell what makes me happy and encourages me to go for it. So I go out a few nights a week to see bands that I know, or to catch something new; and I try to write about it in a way that’s interesting even if you don’t know or care about the actual music. Sometimes I’m probably guilty of using the music I listen to as an excuse to write about something entirely different with the show or the album as just a stepping stone.
JD: How long before you went from a blog to a .com?
JA: I’ve been CoolDadMusic.com from the beginning. I went and got the domain, figured out how to make it point to Blogger, and went live. I still use Blogger which is both beautiful and frustrating in its simplicity. It doesn’t really take any technical knowledge to get a post on the site, but it’s also limiting in some ways. For example, I’ve developed this whole convoluted workflow to get HTML5 slideshows into my posts so that people can see the pics on their phones. I’ve thought about moving to Wordpress, but I’m a creature of habit and fear change.
Wow. That was kind of a boring answer. Sorry.
JD: No worries, we're old.
JD: Do you feel being a .com makes you come off looking more legit. Get you more review submissions and traffic?
JA: Like I said, I’ve been a .com since the beginning, so I’m not sure how being a .com vs a .blogspot.com affects traffic. But, for me, the biggest positive influencer of traffic and readership is actually getting out and meeting people in real life. It’s funny. We’re so plugged into social media and the Internet. And I have some hermit-like, anti-social tendencies that could really be exacerbated by our disconnected electronic world. But it’s the real connections with real people that make the most difference, at least on the scale that I’m operating at now.
JD: I'm currently wracking my brain trying to remember who put me on to the term
"Dad Rock". When I picture the term, I can't help but picture fat, balding men wearing
Dad jeans. Would that be an accurate description of Dad Rock and does it relate to the term "Cool Dad Music"?
JA: Dad Rock to me is guitar-based rock music played, mostly, by men over the age of about 35. It’s pretty conventional and usually based on “classic rock.” I think of bands like
The National, The Walkmen, The Hold Steady, and Wilco as Dad Rock. I know it’s used as a negative and a joke, but I like a lot of those bands. But I am a dad.
CoolDad Music is more about my being a cooldad -- a guy who’s reached a point in life where many people think you kind of stop evolving your tastes. Instead, I do stuff like go to FYF Fest in LA to traipse around in the dirt and dust with a bunch of twentysomethings. It’s kind of a dig at myself, like a joke about how all those kids must see me when I’m out there with them. Funny thing is, though, most of them don’t care and have just welcomed me and accepted me like any other music lover. Also, in the old days when I was just posting stuff to Twitter and Facebook, I would hashtag it #cooldad to kind of say, “Yeah. I’m a dad and I like hipster music.”
I’ve expanded CoolDad Music from a purely one-man operation by adding fellow cooldad Scotch LaRock as another columnist. We met through the blog, and it turns out he’s just like me when it comes to his love of music. It’s nice to know there are more of us out there.
JD: I often kid myself about going to more shows at places like The Saint, Brighton Bar, Asbury Lanes and the Stone Pony. Truth is, I can rarely deal with driving both ways and I hate public transportation. Aside from that. I'm flat out lazy. Tell me a little bit about what's happening on your side of the tracks.
JA: It seems like so much. Like I said, it’s possible to see some quality show just about every single night of the week.
Asbury Lanes is just a unique and wonderful place with one of the friendliest, most welcoming staffs around. Jenn, Mike, Sam, and everybody there really care about what they’re doing. Same goes for Scott and Meg over at The Saint. Plus, The Saint may be my favorite place to take pictures. The Brighton gets lots of interesting and venerable bands through, almost always paired with some local acts. I saw Jonathan Richman at The Brighton this year, and it may have been my favorite live experience all year. The Stone Pony is the big name venue in the area, but it’s still small enough that it’s great when you can see one of your heroes there. Ensuring that you end up with a good spot can take some planning and preparation, though.
In addition to those places, there are some new-ish things happening. There are a bunch of free shows every week. Christine Feola who runs Dark City Entertainment down here puts on a free show at The Wonder Bar every, single Monday. “Happy Mondays” has grown into one of the major events of the week. Thursday through Saturday see a bunch of free shows on the boardwalk at the Langosta Lounge / Asbury Park Yacht Club complex. And there’s also a growing DIY scene at places like the Wunderloft, Red Bank Rehearsal Studios, and dens and basements all around the area.
Asbury’s Little Dickman Records is a great rock and roll label run by two of the coolest people around, Chris Yaniak and Amy Earixson.
The Battery Electric, Hot Blood, Corrina Corrina, T.V. Tramps, Inspecter 7, Wolfcock are all on the label; and they all care about fostering music here in the area.
You may not have to travel too far to see some of the bands from down here. I think Hot Blood and The Vansaders are going to stop at
The Lamp Post in Jersey City and The Gutter in Brooklyn on their current tour. You should definitely go see them.
JD: I think it's safe to say that we are an aging breed. We're past our high school, college and mid to continually late 20's. What is it that still motivates you to leave the house, cover live music and buy records?
JA: It’s just my favorite thing to do in the world, it turns out. I was having just a crappy day at work earlier this year. I managed to wrangle myself an invite to a Sharon Van Etten lunchtime taping for the A.V. Club at the Stone Pony. I got off of my conference call and went inside to hear her do Springsteen’s “Drive All Night,” and I was transported. Everything for the rest of the day was better.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been up front at a show and just stopped to close my eyes and let everything wash over me. Or how many times, confronted with some situation or moment, I’ve thought of a song that plays over it like a movie soundtrack.
People tell me that it’s kind of funny the way I always manage to bring every conversation back to music or relate everything to an experience at a show or to an album I like, but that’s me. My wife recognized that music is what makes me happy, so she has encouraged me every step of the way.
Sometimes I wish I had found all this out sooner -- or acted on it, anyway. But I am having a blast now.
Dentist (The Band) performing at Asbury Park's The Saint. Photo; James Appio
JD: I recall you mentioning Dentist as your current favorites. What is it about them that you love so much. Any other favorites that can't go without mention?
(past and present)
JA: Dentist are definitely one of my local favorites around here. They just hit on a lot of things that I really like. Reverb, fuzz, surf, hooks, pop. And no other Asbury-based bands are really doing what they do now, so there’s a freshness to them.
I mentioned the Little Dickman bands. Hot Blood and The Battery Electric, especially, do a lot to try and grow the local music scene. Not only are they really good bands in their own right, but they also try to bring bands from other areas to Asbury. Corrina, Corrina are a band of under-20-somethings that I can see going onto bigger things if they stick with it.
Smalltalk is a relatively new band made up of Zak Kaplan, Jamie Goldfarb, Tara Jones, John Chladniček, and Pete Steinkopf of The Bouncing Souls.
They do late 80s, British-sounding stuff like The Jesus and Mary Chain or
The Wedding Present. Black Wine are one of a couple of bands maybe associated a little more with New Brunswick that I think of as local. They’re a great band (they call themselves no-core) who are based down here now. Brick Mower are another New Brunswick via Monmouth County pop punky band I like.
Then there’s the eclectic prog of Accidental Seabirds or the drone-y noise of Wreaths. There’s garage rock from The Von Mons and Ba Babes. Bob Paulos and Nick Cucci of GayGuy / StraightGuy are one of the loudest, hardest rocking two-pieces around.
River City Extension have a new album coming next year. Oh, and Dollys. Another indie pop band. They’re from New Brunswick, too; but they’ve kind of made Asbury a second home.
I’m not trying to name drop. These are all good bands. There are more that I’m forgetting, but that’s why you’ve got to get down here and see for yourself or keep on the lookout for them in case they show up closer to you.
My all-time favorites are artists like Bob Mould, The Replacements, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Billy Bragg, The Clash, Neutral Milk Hotel, Built to Spill, Pavement. For the last few years, I’ve loved Titus Andronicus, Screaming Females,
The Men, Shellshag, Waxahatchee, Swearin’. I’ve also been kind of into some of these 90s revival bands like California X, Milk Music, Diarrhea Planet. And I just heard this band, Further, who are actually a 90s band that never really made it big. I’ve been loving the compilation they’re putting out in a few weeks.
Thanks for all of the questions. Get yourself down here and tell some of the bands you like to come down here and play. I’m always up for something new, and I don’t like driving much either.
Overlake's highly anticipated debut LP "Sighs" has been one of 2014's most treasured and praised releases. The band, featuring Tom Barrett (guitar/vocals), Lysa Opfer (bass/vocals) and Scotty Imp (drums), formed in Jersey City, NJ in early 2012, and since forming they've built a loyal and growing fan base through intimate gatherings at local clubs and watering holes. As the trio returned from touring, I decided to reach out to Tom to talk about the band, their tour and their very impressive debut Lp "Sighs". Here's what transpired. JD (Interview and Images by James Damion)
James: In recalling a recent conversation outside the Bat Cave. I mentioned when we first met. (During an interview with No Pasaran) You seemed the least likely person to be fronting a band. The most unlikely to become this multi instrumental singer song writer.
Can you fill me in on all the reasons I was wrong?
Tom: You're not wrong for thinking that. Up until just a few years ago, I'd sort of accepted that I'd always be anything but a lead singer in a band, despite having a constant desire to do my own thing since I was 19 or 20, when I was obsessing over bands like Sebadoh and Pavement. I had and still have a lot of confidence issues, but I'm also not getting any younger so I have to do this now, while I only look partially ridiculous, haha.
James: Was there anything specific that make you go from the back beat to the front seat?
Tom: Nothing specific, just feeling the pressures of time and age, you know?
I'd also reached a point where some major life changes were starting to occur, my girlfriend
(now fiancée) and I moving to Jersey City together at the end of 2011 being the most major one. Shortly after, I just decided that it was the right time to start focusing on something more reflective of my own personality.
James: So did NO Pasaran run it's course? I think it's safe to say, the band left a lasting impression on a lot of people.
Tom keeping the beat with No Pasaran.
Tom: Yeah, that band ran its course. We talked very fleetingly about getting together and maybe playing a couple of shows, but we all agree that we wouldn't want to do it unless we were at 100 percent, and no one in the band has the time to bring it back up to that number. Eric is also about to get married and devotes so much of his time to his educational career, Romel has a job and a family and plays in Life Eaters, and I have all of my own nonsense. We'd only end up half-assing things and we don't want things to happen that way.
James: How did you and Lysa bond. How long before you realized you wanted to make music together?
Lysa rocking out at The Batcave.
Tom: Lysa and I played together in WJ and the Sweet Sacrifice.
I was on drums, she played keys. Before then, we knew each other only in passing, but in that band we came to realize we had all these different tastes in common, primarily shoegaze bands and some post-rock stuff. One of our first hangs was seeing Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall. She had been working on her solo record (Big Lake) and asked if I'd play drums on it, so I did and it turned out alright. Later on, we just sort of started exchanging song ideas that we'd been working on. This was three years ago or so. The initial idea of forming a band together came shortly after, but I was reluctant only because I'd had all these other musical endeavors I'd been entertaining and/or fantasizing about, plus I was still playing drums in No Pasaran. It was only when our drummer friend Michael DiTullio posted a Facebook status looking for people to play with that Lysa and I came together and the
band was formed. The ideas for first three songs on the record were hatched from those sessions.
James: Can you take me through the song writing process like for Overlake?
What inspires what your writing? Where does it come from?
Tom: There isn't one set process, there's a multitude. The songs on the record are the results of a variety of different processes. There are the aforementioned first three songs which came from jams and songs still can happen that way, but everything else on the record came from demos I'd done by myself on the old Tascam 4-track. "Our Sky" and "We'll Never Sleep" came literally from nowhere. They were just floating around out there in the ether and managed to find me somehow. "Fell Too Far" and "Is This Something"
I struggled with a bit. There was a period when we thought "Fell Too Far" wouldn't make the final cut. A lot of nitpicking and fine-tuning went into that one. It's not my favorite,
but Lysa's vocals sound great. I wrote the lion's share of the lyrics on this record, but that song was a fifty-fifty split; Lysa wrote her part and I wrote mine. "Back to the Water" was a song from 2008 that just played well with the others. "Your KS" is literally just a demo.
James: I have this terrible habit of telling bands what influences I hear in their music. I hate it, but I always find myself thinking "They remind me of..." or "I hear a heavy ... influence there." The first time I saw you live, I definitely felt a My Bloody Valentine vibe.
However, Elliot Smith seemed to dominate my thoughts. Would my kooky comparisons hold any weight?
TB: They do. I personally don't hear it, but Elliott is one of my all-timers. I could never come close to approaching anything that possesses the majesty of an Elliott Smith song.
He's as singular as singular comes. It's still so upsetting because he should be here, making music or not. It's nice to hear that's what you take from it, though. Everyone's got their own set of ears.
James: What are some of the bands key influences? Inspirations musically?
Tom: My favorite period of music is the American indie rock of the mid-90's: Pavement, Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, etc. My two favorite bands of all time are Dinosaur Jr.
and Sonic Youth. I wasn't really having a lot of British music that was happening back then,
but would later fall in love with bands like Ride, Slowdive, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, obviously. I try not to cop other guitar styles too much, but I can't help myself.
Some sounds are just too much fun to make on an electric guitar with some distortion and delay thrown on top. Watch out for the Bendies, they're very addictive.
James: What do you like to listen to at home when you're by yourself?
Tom: The War on Drugs' latest is my current go-to. It's nearly a perfect record. I think about it when I'm not at home, how I can't wait to get there and throw that delicious-looking purple record on the turntable and just soak in all the sonics. It's epic-sounding. And it is delicious-looking. Like a giant piece of raspberry-flavored hard candy. Same with the last Kurt Vile record, except it's blue. I also recommend the new Big Ups and Dead Stars records.
And Sharon Van Etten, of course.
James: I keep hearing about The War on Drugs. What draws you in as a listener?
Tom: I just love them. Their music is so visual and dreamlike. I wish I could rattle off words as effortlessly as Adam Granduciel does, or at least that's how it seems. He's up there with Stephen Malkmus or Isaac Brock as far as being a truly singular and fluid vocalist.
There's a lyric in the song "Best Night" where he says "I'm a thousand miles behind with a million more to climb." How can you not connect with that? His band also manages to sound futuristic while harkening back to old classic rock reliables like Dylan or Tom Petty.
They bridge a generation gap. People of all ages are into them which is cool.
James: There' been a lot of praise for "Sigh's"..... I'm certain it will make a lot of "Best of 2014" Lists.
How do you feel about the finished product.
Tom: I feel great about it, ultimately. I can't allow myself to listen to it too much because I'll eventually tear it to shreds, but I've honestly never been more proud of a recording that I've done. Just taking in everything that led up to it,
you know? A lot of sweat and sleepless nights went into this record. We're monumentally happy with the end result. There are some things I would change, but that's what second records are for.
James: Have you been writing new material since it's release?
Tom: Yes. I've got a batch of songs I'm trying to finish, and Lysa has some ideas she plans on bringing into the fold. The goal is album number two. Since this record is sort of mysterious and in B&W, I'd like the next one to be a bit more direct lyrically, and bursting forth with all kinds of fantastic bright colors. If the first record sort of quietly eases its way through the crack of an unclosed door, then the next one should just push it wide open without knocking. It'll probably be a while before we start playing new songs live, though.
We haven't even started learning them yet. Maybe a new song here and there down the line, but we don't want to give too much away so far in advance of the record becoming a materialized thing.
James: You just recently went out on tour to support "Sighs". Where did you go?
What were some of the highlights and specific spots worth noting?
Tom: Philly, Columbus, Nashville, Memphis, Lawrence, Denver, Lincoln, Des Moines, Chicago, and Morgantown, WV. The performances themselves were all pretty solid.
By the end we were kind of on autopilot, in the best way. Attendance was pretty light most of the time, but those who did come out all responded positively. Highlights... Well, we had some time to kill in Nashville, so we went and visited Third Man Records where Scotty, our drummer, recorded a birthday song for his son in Jack White's recording booth. It costs fifteen bucks and you get your record pressed then and there. That was sweet. A personal highlight for me was getting to meet Bob Nastanovich from Pavement in Des Moines, where he and his wife Whitney live. They came and greeted us not long after we arrived, he unfortunately couldn't stay because of work, so we just hung out with Whitney all night.
She was super-gracious and took really great care of us. Just one of a whole lot of folks we
met out there who were all just very welcoming and made you feel completely at home.
Lysa and I also got to reconnect with some folks out at the Lion's Lair in Denver, which was probably the tour highlight. Good stage, good sound, lots of people.
James: Like most people, the thrill of getting out and exploring different cities, town and cultures is addictive. Yet, there always come a point when you look forward to going home. What were the things you missed most?
Tom: I missed my lady. I missed my cats. I missed my friends. There were also a couple of local shows that happened that I'd read about on Facebook and be like,
"Damn, I wish I could be there," like the Wax Darts show at Lamp Post, or that metal show at Moonlight Mile. That looked like a real hot and sweaty time. Also, Mikey from
The Everymen got engaged onstage at Pianos while we were away. I was seriously bummed to have missed that. And Nick Cave.
James: You mentioned missing that Everymen show at Pianos. Did you have any prior knowledge to the engagement announcement?
Tom: Haha, I did. I was so bummed to not be there for that, but I seriously would've been a hot mess. It would've been embarrassing.
Tom spreading the positive with The Everymen
James: Looking back, I think I really began to notice somewhat of an evolution, both musically and socially during your time with the band. Was it a hard decision to leave the band? I would assume they left the door open for a possible return in the near to distant future.
Tom: Exactly. The door is open. Mikey just asked if I'd be able to play the Hopscotch festival down in Raleigh, NC with them again. I don't know if I can yet, but I'd like to make it work. I do miss touring with those guys, but I want Overlake to achieve the same goals that those guys seem to be. They're putting out records, touring a lot and reaching all kinds of different people all over the country. I need to stick around and focus on making these things happen with my band.
Scotty puts a lid on it at The Batcave.
James: What's next for Overlake and in particular, Thomas Barrett.
Tom: More and more touring for Overlake, hopefully. We have a West Coast jaunt happening in October, we're planning some weekend jaunts in November and maybe December, and then a two- or three-week trip in the spring. Like I said, we've been working on some new songs, but it'll be a while before we start playing them live. I've also got a solo album coming out very soon that I'd like to do some things with, maybe some short tours if I can. I posted it very briefly on Soundcloud and people seemed to enjoy it. It's very stripped-down, just acoustic guitar, my voice and some piano. They're songs I've been playing around for a few years, but it's nice to finally have a document that I'm happy with and put it out there for folks. We'll see what happens.
Hi again. This is Frank DeFranco of Holy City Zoo and NGHTCRWLRS. I’ve done this once before for this blog and I’ve been given the opportunity once again to blabber away with a kick ass band who fortunately also happen to be buddies of mine. Dollys (New Brunswick, NJ) are a four piece vintage pop band with a breath of fresh air. They’ve currently finished recording their first full length album and have some fundraising going on to press it on vinyl. Below you’ll hear some jibber jabber on this and a fair share of other things. Enjoy or send me hate mail, either works.
Interview with Jeff Lane and Natalie Newbold of Dollys (8/10/14)
Frank: So lets start with…so you guys want to say the name of the new record?
Jeff: It’s called “Oh Please.”
Frank: Okay, so “Oh Please,” where’d you guys get the name for that? Like what was uhhh, howd’ you go about that?
Natalie: Interesting question.
Jeff: Well, it was an interesting thing for me because I realized that it’s one of those weird phrases that people say all the time, kind of like sarcastically, but you know, you could also take it seriously. Just thought it was an interesting concept because it could be taken more than one way.
Natalie: Yeah, it can kind of be like, ya know “ohhh pleeeasse” or like “oh please buy this record.”
(Lots of room laughter)
Natalie: It’s like, it can be taken either way.
Frank: Oh please keep me alive!
Jeff: I mean, it pretty much always comes down to Paul McCartney. I watched an interview with him and he was talking about how all the early Beatles songs came about, like
“Please Please Me,” “Help,” and stuff like that…he said a lot of that stuff was directly to the fans and I thought that was really interesting. “Please Please Me” is the first Beatles record or whatever, so it’s a little reference to that, but we just thought it was a nice thought.
Frank: That’s cool. No, no, that’s really cool. Mind if I snag another one of these
(pointing to beers).
Jeff & Natalie: Take as many as you want!
Frank: Thank you.
Natalie: That’s what we got them for!
Frank: Well muchas gracious. Okay, so with this record, you did everything to tape, right? I’m curious to hear about that experience, I know you have a lot of affiliation with
Lake House (Recording Studio), so kind of just go off with it, what’s the run down on that one?
(Frank cracks open beer)
Photo Credit; Andrew Holtz
Jeff: We really like the Beach Boys and the Beatles and all the records from the 60s and 70s and it always kind of fascinated me how much pop music has changed, and rock music too because back then it was like go in the studio and be a fuckin’ band. And that’s awesome.
Frank: And you had to be good.
Jeff: And you had to be good, because if you sucked everyone knew it and no one bought your record. Or they bought it and then they burned it in hot fire.
(More room laughter)
Jeff: Because it sucked. And we were like “well, lets see how good we are. Ya know?
Lets see if we can do something that is important to us that sounds good but doesn’t make us want to puke.
Natalie: And I think that Lake House was kind of this perfect fit for us because
John, the owner, loves vintage gear. Like so much. He has incredible stuff that is all super old and they wanted to get a tape machine and we just wanted to record to tape really bad, so it just made sense that we went there to record to tape.
Jeff: And Eric (bass player) working there and always saying “yo, you should buy this thing, the Beatles liked it.” And so John would buy it. So we were like, well we like that too, so lets record there.
Natalie: It just was obvious that we were going to do it there.
Jeff: I don’t know where we’ll really end up in the future, but right now it seems like the logical place for us. We’re super comfortable there.
Natalie: We all work there for the most part.
(Chuckles)
Photo Courtesy of Cool Dad Music
Frank: Well it’s always nice to feel comfortable in the recording process.
I’m sure you both know that there’s sometimes when you’re recording and you feel like this strenuous pressure and other times you’re just there just being yourself and feeling it, ya know? So do you have that added pressure, even though you’re in a comfortable place, knowing that you’re doing it to tape, because you have to play it good? Or was it comfortable enough at Lake House that you could kind of let loose and be yourselves?
Natalie: I think that when we first started recording, we did this one song, like seven or eight takes of it. It was getting up there.
Jeff: It was shameful, but it was also one of the more complicated ones.
Natalie: Yeah, and I think we would listen back to it and would be like “no, no, no, no, no, that’s not it.” And then something happened, we just clicked that no matter how many times we do it, it’s going to sound like us and that’s why we’re doing this to tape, ya know?
That’s why we’re doing this, because all the records that we love from the 60s and 70s have those weird George Harrison guitar mistakes.
Jeff: It’s always George.
Natalie: (continuing) that we love! (More chuckles)
Frank: Yeah, I think it’s those things that add character to the record that have kind of been lost or are flaws in the digital era. Like sometimes you hear one of those. (makes fart noise)
Jeff: Like that guitar hero noise.
Frank: Exactly.
Jeff: That’s exactly what it is.
Frank: But like all the weird little hums and guitar hisses.
Natalie: And not so perfect vocals, those vocal takes that give you chills but aren’t exactly like computerized, on point. Ya know?
Jeff: I mean, anyone who knows anything about music wants to hear real.
Frank: The human element.
Jeff: Yeah, not like the bullshit computer synthesized crap. Because it’s just weird.
It doesn’t sound real.
Frank: Totally. So with this album, you have pursued this Indiegogo campaign. So I’d like to hear about how your experience has been with that, how you feel about Indiegogo, and any advice for bands who plan to go about it the way that you have.
Jeff: And tell people beforehand and then hope for the best. Keep pushing it, keep telling people, keep working. But don’t let it control you’re wanting to be a musician or artist or however you see yourself, because worrying about money sucks. It can really suck away a lot of your creativity. So I’ve tried to do a good balance of like saying on facebook,
“why hasn’t my mom bought anything yet?” Just kidding, she put money in yesterday.
(I’m not sure if we’re laughing more or talking at this point)
Jeff: She waited long enough to give me the sweats but yeah, I don’t know, it’s hard, you have to do a lot of work.
Natalie: I would say just in terms of advice. If you think you’re going to do it, tell everyone about it before you do it. Like all your friends and family and get them on board with it.
That was something we didn’t realize we needed to do. We kind of decided in the band this was something we were going to do. We made it and made a video and within two weeks of it being up, my mom didn’t even know it was. She was like “what is that, I don’t know what that is!?! You keep posting about it, what is it?”
(Mom quote in Staten Island accent)
Natalie: So its something you kind of have to explain to people. It’s been a very interesting process and the fact that we’ve raised $2000 astounds me, that people
Frank: That’s pretty amazing.
Natalie: Yeah, it makes you feel good about what you do and gives you hope that you can do it.
Jeff: And to answer your first question, Indiegogo is great because they take the least percentage of what you earned. I’d say the only problem with it is that it is not as immediately recognizable as Kickstarter.
Frank: Well I think that’s because Kickstarter was the first of that kind of thing, unless I’m totally wrong about that.
Natalie: No I think they were the first ones.
Jeff: They were the first one to go ya know.
Frank: Viral?
Jeff: Yeah, whatever that means. It’s like Kickstarter is like Starbucks…you could see a store that says coffee and if it’s next to a Starbucks, it’s like Coffee whatever, Starbucks,
I know they coffee.
Frank: And I know what their coffee tastes like.
Jeff: Exactly. But yeah Indiegogo is cool. Everything makes sense on their site.
Natalie: I think one thing that we did differently than a lot of the bands and people we’ve seen use it is that we set it up so that it’s more of a pre-order. It’s not so much of a
“oh donate to us.”
Frank: So we can do this
Jeff: Or else it won’t happen. Because it’s going to happen anyway, we just figured, it would help us get a jump start on it if people can help put money down on it.
Natalie: Yeah, because it’s done. We’ve already put in all the money to record it. A lot of bands will have an Indiegogo to fund the entire project. We already did that.
Frank: We just want that wax baby.
Natalie: Yeah, we set a really high precedent getting our first EP done to Vinyl.
Jeff: And know we’re broke.
Natalie: We probably should do that again for the record. It probably deserves that.
Frank: Cool, cool. I personally know some roots about this band, but for the people who will be hearing about you for the first time, just throw me a little bit about the background of how Dollys came to be and what has guided you to where you are now.
Jeff: Oh man. That’s all you dawg.
Natalie: So we were recording a record as Green Paper and things weren’t really panning out the way that we wanted them to.
Jeff: There were a lot of differences creatively.
Natalie: A lot of creative differences, arguing about where the record should have gone. When you’re in a band and not everyone has the same goals, obviously at some point you’re going to have some differences that aren’t going to be fixed. So, Eric, who was engineering the record, and was our close friend at the time.
Jeff: He’s a sick bass player.
Natalie: He’s a sick bass player and an awesome musician.
Jeff: He gets along with us really well, and it seemed like the logical choice.
Natalie: And it was the right thing to do. We were like “hey do you want to start a band?” We really wanted to take this band in a different direction than Green Paper. Green Paper was a lot more Garage Rock, kind of psychedelic elements and we kind of wanted to do this very poppy but still a little modern interpretation of the Beatles and the Beach Boys.
Jeff: I think the Garagy kind of feel to it was mostly just inexperience, ya know? I had never recorded actually, and then when we started doing Water I was like “I kind of get like a good feel for this, I want to work with someone who can translate my terrible ideas.”
(More good time hang laughs)
Frank: I don’t know if I’d call them terrible.
Jeff: Well, like weird like “I want it to sound like trees shaving” ya know what I mean? I want that to actually make sense to someone and Eric for some reason seemed like the logical person, probably because he’d be like “whatever dude, I’m just going to make it sound good, okay?” But yeah, it was a long weird trip in Green Paper. We didn’t try to do anything too poppy, we just wanted to write a really good record that felt right and made people happy instead of sad, that’s kind of what we shot for.
Frank: I mean I loved “Fire” (Green Paper full length) and I enjoyed the singles and stuff, and then I heard the Dollys EP and when I heard it, it had this chilling feeling because it was something that felt familiar, but there was also this kind of fire (whoops) behind it, like this is born out of the ashes of something else and we need to do this. It had that sense of urgency to it, and it was really cool. You can feel the emotion that was put into that record.
Jeff: It was a bummer.
Natalie: Having Green Paper break up was probably one of the worst things that ever happened to me.
Jeff: It was one of those things where the band falling apart was pretty sour…it was one of those things that you have to be devastated and not let anybody know.
Natalie: But because of that happening, now I am a much happier person. I love the music that we are making and I’m so excited for the future.
Frank: That’s where it’s at.
Natalie: Yeah. For us to get to this point, that had to happen.
Jeff: I don’t even like music.
(Insert you know what goes in the parenthesis here)
Natalie: Just end the interview with that.
Jeff: My boss says that all the time and he owns a music store.
Frank: Soooo you kind of covered this partially in what we were just talking about, but is there a general message you are trying to send as Dollys, or with this record…
Jeff: 4:20 weed everyday. Just kidding. I don’t know. What message did the Beatles send?
Natalie: Peace, love, understanding?
Jeff: Not even, because like John Lennon beat wives.
Frank: I love John Lennon as a songwriter.
Jeff: Oh hell yeah.
Frank: But everyone is always like John Lennon, Hair Peace, this hippie man…back in his Liverpool days, you cross him the wrong way, that guy would fuck you up.
Jeff: Yeah. But, umm, I don’t think we particularly have a message yet?
Natalie: I think that one thing we’re trying to bring back is
Jeff: Is write good music?
Natalie: Is getting back to this idea of great songwriting or just always trying to write the best songs that you can and this idea of real musicianship again. Having pop music not be the thing that people think about and be like “pop music sucks” because it’s bad or because it’s easy or because it’s not technically difficult because those things don’t equate. Like we’ve all heard “I Want You Back” and that is CRAZY! From start to finish I’m like “what’s happening?!?” ya know?
Jeff: One time I was working at a place and this guy came up to me and was like “I really like Lady Gaga” because this one song she used a diminished chord. And I was like you could use a diminished chord any fucking time you want, you just got to do it right. And fuck you because you’re stupid.
(Beer belly laughter)
Jeff: I mean, I think that being in the right band and having the right attitude and being cool is important and is something you should work on. And ya know, playing your instrument well and being able to shred the gnar is important and you should practice that, but I think the most important thing, and this is time tested and proven, is just writing songs that are good. And are approachable but not fucking lame, like Monkees or something. Even though the Monkees are cool now, back in the day they were not because they were so bubble gum.
Frank: Okay, I’m almost done here. Have you figured out where/when you will be doing the listening party and release show or anything like that yet?
Jeff: I think Eric did, but we have no idea. We were actually doing interview questions the other day and Eric was saying that we should probably do some of this stuff early 2015.
Natalie: Uh, yeah, we’re timing how it’s going to take it to get mastered and pressed so we’re either thinking early 2015 or towards the end of 2014.
Jeff: And really the most important thing is making sure that everyone who is invited to the listening party can make it. Because that would be really stupid if they couldn’t.
Natalie: Listening party is at Lake House. Release show is probably going to be at the
Court Tavern.
Jeff: It makes the most sense for us because that’s where I feel like people know us from since the Beach Boys cover set.
Frank: Which by the way that was fantastic. Actually, lets talk about that a sec. What was it like paying tribute to a band that you love so much?
Jeff: It was great. It was really hard.
Frank: Now I love my fair share of the Beach Boys. I’m definitely not on your level but...
Jeff: We’re stupid about it. I’ve read stupid books on Amazon, like this book is stupid, but I should read it anyway. I’m sure there’s some information in it that’s important.
Natalie: We had a really great time.
Jeff: It had it’s ups and downs practicing it.
Natalie: For me personally, at that point in time, I was still a little unsure of myself vocally. The transition between Green Paper and Dollys was partly me becoming more of a lead singer and there was still a lot of confidence issues I was tackling in doing so, but that Beach Boys set made me practice, practice, practice on vocals, so much that it made me so much more confident in our own material, singing backups, singing leads, whatever it may be, and playing the drums. So it really helped me personally.
Jeff: I had more fun fucking up those songs, than fucking up any other thing. It was like really fun just being like I practiced this for three months which is waaayyy more than I’d spend writing everything. And then you know I just go on playing “Good Vibrations” and I’m like a whole step off and everyone’s like “Hello” and I’m like “Yeaaaahhhhh” and then all of a sudden I snap into it and I’m like, oh I can actually hear my guitar now, the cymbals have died out, oh I’m totally wrong, cool, this is the last part of the set and I blew it. And I just found it hilarious instead of like panicking and being like “god you’re awful.” It was a fun show.
Frank: Jeff, Natalie, thank you for your time. It’s been excellent to catch up with ya.
