Singer-songwriter is taking a 'completely different approach from what I've done'
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
February 15, 2007
Pete Yorn's good looks and seemingly effortless ability to churn out engaging pop songs often lead people to take the young songwriter for granted.
The New Jersey-bred, Southern California-based musician has sold records (his debut “Musicforthemorningafter” went gold) and gained critical acclaim (Rolling Stone picked him as one of the “Ten to Watch in 2001”), but Yorn hasn't become a household name one would expect he deserves.
Paste magazine editor Josh Jackson called Yorn's 2006 release “Nightcrawler” one of the year's most overlooked albums. If you haven't heard him, you should. If you have, take another listen.
The singer-songwriter, and now rising pop star, just completed a trilogy of albums, marking his early years as a musician: morning (“Musicforthemorningafter” in 2001), day (“Day I Forgot” in 2004) and night (“Nightcrawler” in 2006). As shown throughout all three releases, his true gift lies in crafting perfect mainstream rock tunes.
As the sun sets on this period of Yorn's life, Yorn took a moment to reflect on his line of business before moving on to his next phase.
“To me, it's a loose trilogy,” said Yorn, standing outside a recording studio in Mar Vista on Los Angeles' Westside, where he's recording his fourth album. “I think after finishing touring for 'Day I Forgot' and halfway through putting songs together for 'Nightcrawler,' I realized that I was exploring a lot of the same themes. From a technical standpoint, I recorded all three records in a similar fashion. So, I saw parallels there.”
The 32-year-old songwriter-guitarist-drummer emerged into the music marketplace with “Musicforthemorningafter,” a collection of 15 songs (including the hidden track “A Girl Like You”) filled with earnest love songs and bubblegum hooks.
“The 'Morning' was the innocence, and I hear it: I hear it in my voice and I hear it in the production,” recalled a now older and wiser Yorn. “When I hear that record – which is rare – but when I do go back and listen, it takes me back to an innocent time. I didn't have any notion of what anybody thought of me. People hadn't put labels on me. I was in it by myself and just going for it. The whole 'Night' thing is just a metaphor for a later period in my life.”
While he's only been in the business less than a decade, his career has reached modest heights.
Yorn followed “Morning” with “Day I Forgot,” a strong yet formulaic set of songs. The album earned the RIAA gold certification, leading to touring gigs with R.E.M., Coldplay and the Foo Fighters, a promising start to a young career.
Despite sounding similar to his previous outings, last year's “Nightcrawler” showcased Yorn's ability to crank out radio-friendly pop songs with substance. Honing his sound into a pop sheen with help from Dave Grohl and Natalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks), any of the album's 14 tracks could have been a radio hit if they had gotten any airplay.
“Nightrawler” made a few “Best Of” lists, but, again, Yorn's abilities were overshadowed by the perception that pretty boys can't be serious artists: “You have to fight to balance out (criticism) and stay pure and focused on what's important to you.”
Today, while he doesn't come out and say it, Yorn hints that he's tired of the same sound and the same process. So, for his fourth album, he's coming at the recording from a different angle.
“It's a completely different approach from what I've done,” said an animated Yorn, energized by his latest work. “Everything is beat-driven, taking things off old obscure records and putting them into the computer and manipulating them. Then taking some of my folkier songs and putting them with the beats. It's creating a really fresh sound. What I'm doing is very different from what I've done in the past.”
Yorn seems to have mastered the three-minute pop song. Now, he's headed for greener pastures, more experimental music and a new day in his career.
“As far as where I am right now, I almost feel like it's a rebirth,” said Yorn. “I went through a phase: (my) mid-20s to early 30s. I'm able to look back on that period and realize this is what it is. And now, you change as a person. I feel like I have an opportunity to create something completely new and fresh.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Discography
“Musicforthemorningafter” (2001, Columbia Records): Reached No. 111 in the U.S. charts. Rock-solid debut disc from Yorn established his ability to write sweet pop songs wrapped in rock 'n' roll. The single “Strange Condition” got a leg up from the Farrelly Brothers when they included the song on the “Me, Myself and Irene” soundtrack. Beware: One listen and the single “For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)” will become a guilty pleasure for even the most jaded hipster. Take my word for it.
“Day I Forgot” (2003, Columbia Records): Reached No. 18 in the U.S. charts. Yorn sidesteps the ubiquitous sophomore slump by sticking to the formula that gave album No. 1 a fan base: short, sharp, shockingly infectious pop songs. But sometimes formulas sound, well, formulaic. The tunes aren't necessarily on par with his first disc, but he manages to assemble a coherent set of ear candies with help from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck.
“Nightcrawler” (2006, Columbia Records): Reached No. 50 in the U.S. charts. The 32-year-old singer-songwriter righted the ship with last year's “Nightcrawler.” Music pundits uttered many “return to form” comments, which are cliché but true in this case. Natalie Maines and Martie Maguire of Dixie Chicks fame lend vocals and fiddles on “The Man.” Like his previous albums, “Nightcrawler” pleasantly slides by without major incident, merging into one long, sweet pop song. The one bump in the road comes in the electronic stomp of “Georgie Boy,” giving fans a glimpse of Yorn's momentum in new directions.
– CHRIS NIXON
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Fiasco: Faith healer
Lupe Fiasco's religious background puts backbone in his rhyme schemes
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
February 8, 2007
Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, chants Lupe Fiasco, his first words on the Chicago native's full-length debut “Food & Liquor.” It's Arabic, and it's the first words in the first chapter (the Al-Fatiha) of the Koran, the holy book of Islam. It means: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Recited five times a day by devout Muslims, the Al-Fatiha is simply a prayer. Fiasco's album “Food & Liquor” – nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards – is a modern prayer: asking forgiveness for his sins of adolescent misogyny, praying for the crackheads and the crooked cops, praying for the outcast skater kids and the pedophile Catholic priests, praying for possibilities beyond drug deals and drive-bys.
Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco to a gourmet chef mother and a musician father in the Southside of Chicago, Lupe's parents raised him – along with his nine siblings – in the Islamic faith. A bright kid prone to skateboarding and daydreaming, Lupe (pronounced “lou-pay”) grew up in a tough neighborhood. He learned life's lessons firsthand, as street kids do, from the characters on his block, as both the righteous and the sinners roamed the cracked sidewalks on his street.
Despite the exterior chaos skulking outside his front door, his parents promoted advancement through education and knowledge. Lupe rhymes in “American Terrorist”: The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr.
The 24-year-old MC still holds his religion near but condemns the use of religion to promote violent actions. Also from “American Terrorist”: Camouflaged Torahs, Bibles and glorious Korans / The books that take you to heaven and let you meet the Lord there / Have become misinterpreted, reasons for warfare / We read 'em with blind eyes, I guarantee you there's more there.
While Islam remains part of his guiding principles, Lupe doesn't want to get branded as “the Muslim MC.”
“I was born Muslim, so Islam plays a part in everything I do, to a certain extent,” said Fiasco in a recent interview with AllHipHop.com. “I'm not like the poster boy for Islam; you know what I'm saying? So it's like I still got my flaws and stuff like that, so I don't really wear that on my sleeve.”
Lupe's education on the streets of Chicago led him to his lyrical prowess, which resounds as his strength throughout “Food & Liquor.” Fiasco's appeal doesn't stem from rhyming style and rhythmic flow, but from his lyrical content and his skilled high-profile collaborators.
Whether teaming with this generation's answer to Ella Fitzgerald (Jill Scott in the beautiful “Daydreamin' ”) or the modern equivalent of Phil Spector (Pharrell Williams, who produced the single “I Gotcha”), Fiasco understands the dynamics of creating an infectious tune with intellectual depth (from the AllHipHop.com interview): “Catch their ear, and then at the same time, teach them something, you know?”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
SAMPLER PLATE
From the early days in the Bronx projects to today's glossy mainstream rap, sampling remains the backbone of hip-hop. Capturing snippets from songs both familiar and obscure, rap's patchwork of assembled clips marks an ingenious recycling of music: using snippets of other songs to create a totally new one.
By teaming with top producers like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig Kallman, Needlz, Soundtrakk, Prolyfic and Brandon Howard, Lupe Fiasco's “Food & Liquor” uses the talents of these producers to reconstitute old songs into fresh creations.
Here's a list of samples used in “Food & Liquor”:
“Real”: “How Does It Feel,” Harvey Mason
“Just Might Be OK”: “Humphrey's Overture,” Paul Humphrey
“Kick, Push”: “Bolero Medley,” Celeste Legaspi
“The Instrumental”: “Nestle,” Far
“He Say She Say”: “The Last One to Be Loved,” Burt Bacharach
“Daydreamin'”: “Daydream in Blue,” I Monster
“The Cool”: “Life on Mars,” Dexter Wansel
“Hurt Me Soul”: “Stay With Me,” Cecil Holmes
“Pressure”: “Pressure Cooker,” Thelma Houston
“American Terrorist”: “The Romantic Warrior,” Return to Forever
“The Emperor's Soundtrack”: “Between the Walls,” UFO
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
February 8, 2007
Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, chants Lupe Fiasco, his first words on the Chicago native's full-length debut “Food & Liquor.” It's Arabic, and it's the first words in the first chapter (the Al-Fatiha) of the Koran, the holy book of Islam. It means: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Recited five times a day by devout Muslims, the Al-Fatiha is simply a prayer. Fiasco's album “Food & Liquor” – nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards – is a modern prayer: asking forgiveness for his sins of adolescent misogyny, praying for the crackheads and the crooked cops, praying for the outcast skater kids and the pedophile Catholic priests, praying for possibilities beyond drug deals and drive-bys.
Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco to a gourmet chef mother and a musician father in the Southside of Chicago, Lupe's parents raised him – along with his nine siblings – in the Islamic faith. A bright kid prone to skateboarding and daydreaming, Lupe (pronounced “lou-pay”) grew up in a tough neighborhood. He learned life's lessons firsthand, as street kids do, from the characters on his block, as both the righteous and the sinners roamed the cracked sidewalks on his street.
Despite the exterior chaos skulking outside his front door, his parents promoted advancement through education and knowledge. Lupe rhymes in “American Terrorist”: The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr.
The 24-year-old MC still holds his religion near but condemns the use of religion to promote violent actions. Also from “American Terrorist”: Camouflaged Torahs, Bibles and glorious Korans / The books that take you to heaven and let you meet the Lord there / Have become misinterpreted, reasons for warfare / We read 'em with blind eyes, I guarantee you there's more there.
While Islam remains part of his guiding principles, Lupe doesn't want to get branded as “the Muslim MC.”
“I was born Muslim, so Islam plays a part in everything I do, to a certain extent,” said Fiasco in a recent interview with AllHipHop.com. “I'm not like the poster boy for Islam; you know what I'm saying? So it's like I still got my flaws and stuff like that, so I don't really wear that on my sleeve.”
Lupe's education on the streets of Chicago led him to his lyrical prowess, which resounds as his strength throughout “Food & Liquor.” Fiasco's appeal doesn't stem from rhyming style and rhythmic flow, but from his lyrical content and his skilled high-profile collaborators.
Whether teaming with this generation's answer to Ella Fitzgerald (Jill Scott in the beautiful “Daydreamin' ”) or the modern equivalent of Phil Spector (Pharrell Williams, who produced the single “I Gotcha”), Fiasco understands the dynamics of creating an infectious tune with intellectual depth (from the AllHipHop.com interview): “Catch their ear, and then at the same time, teach them something, you know?”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
SAMPLER PLATE
From the early days in the Bronx projects to today's glossy mainstream rap, sampling remains the backbone of hip-hop. Capturing snippets from songs both familiar and obscure, rap's patchwork of assembled clips marks an ingenious recycling of music: using snippets of other songs to create a totally new one.
By teaming with top producers like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig Kallman, Needlz, Soundtrakk, Prolyfic and Brandon Howard, Lupe Fiasco's “Food & Liquor” uses the talents of these producers to reconstitute old songs into fresh creations.
Here's a list of samples used in “Food & Liquor”:
“Real”: “How Does It Feel,” Harvey Mason
“Just Might Be OK”: “Humphrey's Overture,” Paul Humphrey
“Kick, Push”: “Bolero Medley,” Celeste Legaspi
“The Instrumental”: “Nestle,” Far
“He Say She Say”: “The Last One to Be Loved,” Burt Bacharach
“Daydreamin'”: “Daydream in Blue,” I Monster
“The Cool”: “Life on Mars,” Dexter Wansel
“Hurt Me Soul”: “Stay With Me,” Cecil Holmes
“Pressure”: “Pressure Cooker,” Thelma Houston
“American Terrorist”: “The Romantic Warrior,” Return to Forever
“The Emperor's Soundtrack”: “Between the Walls,” UFO
– CHRIS NIXON
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Of Montreal in Night&Day
Tips to create: Be 'confused and freaked out'
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
January 25, 2007
A cold dark winter in a small Oslo apartment might not fit neatly into most people's vacation plans, but for singer/multi-instrumentalist Kevin Barnes, the unpleasantness of Norway's stark, dark wintry landscape turned out to be a pleasant place to create art.
Under the moniker Of Montreal, the 32-year-old Barnes spent his winter of discontent writing the 12 songs on his eighth full-length disc “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?”
Tiptoeing between the vocal symphonics of Queen and the early nu-wave pop of Flock of Seagulls or Gary Numan, “Hissing Fauna” is a gorgeously crafted album of pretty pop songs. But take a closer look and the lyrics reveal the pain behind the process: I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway / I felt the darkness of the black metal bands / But being such a faun of a man / I didn't burn down any old churches / Just slept way too much, just slept.
With the release of “Hissing Fauna” on the horizon, Barnes now sits in his cozy living room in his home in Athens, Ga. He's playing with his daughter, Alabee, before embarking on an extensive tour to support the album, including a stop at Soma Tuesday night in San Diego, talking openly about the winters in Norway and his career in music.
“Quality of life is obviously important,” said Barnes. “But the more comfortable and at peace you are, probably the less desire you have to be creative. It's always good from an artistic standpoint to be confused and freaked out.”
Playing almost all the instruments on “Hissing Fauna,” Barnes sequestered himself to piece the album together: “The first half was done in Oslo on a laptop and a MIDI keyboard, just me in a tiny little room working on stuff by myself. Then, I came home to Athens and I had more instruments lying around so I was able to flush things out and do some more interesting stuff.”
The solitude resulted in a stunning pastiche of humming synths and layered vocal harmonies, making “Hissing Fauna” Of Montreal's best effort to date.
You may have heard Of Montreal without knowing it. A few tunes from his 2005 album “Sunlandic Twins” ended up in TV ads for Outback Steakhouse, NASDAQ and Garmin GPS. The album was also a critical success, giving Barnes a broader stage to stand on and a wider audience.
“We definitely reached a larger audience with 'Sunlandic Twins,' but hopefully it will continue to progress,” said Barnes. “I don't really have ambitions to become the next David Bowie or anything, to become a superstar. I just want to make interesting music and be able to support myself that way.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
January 25, 2007
A cold dark winter in a small Oslo apartment might not fit neatly into most people's vacation plans, but for singer/multi-instrumentalist Kevin Barnes, the unpleasantness of Norway's stark, dark wintry landscape turned out to be a pleasant place to create art.
Under the moniker Of Montreal, the 32-year-old Barnes spent his winter of discontent writing the 12 songs on his eighth full-length disc “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?”
Tiptoeing between the vocal symphonics of Queen and the early nu-wave pop of Flock of Seagulls or Gary Numan, “Hissing Fauna” is a gorgeously crafted album of pretty pop songs. But take a closer look and the lyrics reveal the pain behind the process: I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway / I felt the darkness of the black metal bands / But being such a faun of a man / I didn't burn down any old churches / Just slept way too much, just slept.
With the release of “Hissing Fauna” on the horizon, Barnes now sits in his cozy living room in his home in Athens, Ga. He's playing with his daughter, Alabee, before embarking on an extensive tour to support the album, including a stop at Soma Tuesday night in San Diego, talking openly about the winters in Norway and his career in music.
“Quality of life is obviously important,” said Barnes. “But the more comfortable and at peace you are, probably the less desire you have to be creative. It's always good from an artistic standpoint to be confused and freaked out.”
Playing almost all the instruments on “Hissing Fauna,” Barnes sequestered himself to piece the album together: “The first half was done in Oslo on a laptop and a MIDI keyboard, just me in a tiny little room working on stuff by myself. Then, I came home to Athens and I had more instruments lying around so I was able to flush things out and do some more interesting stuff.”
The solitude resulted in a stunning pastiche of humming synths and layered vocal harmonies, making “Hissing Fauna” Of Montreal's best effort to date.
You may have heard Of Montreal without knowing it. A few tunes from his 2005 album “Sunlandic Twins” ended up in TV ads for Outback Steakhouse, NASDAQ and Garmin GPS. The album was also a critical success, giving Barnes a broader stage to stand on and a wider audience.
“We definitely reached a larger audience with 'Sunlandic Twins,' but hopefully it will continue to progress,” said Barnes. “I don't really have ambitions to become the next David Bowie or anything, to become a superstar. I just want to make interesting music and be able to support myself that way.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Up from the ashes
Everclear's Art Alexakis: He can see Everclearly now
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
January 25, 2007
Everybody loves a rock star on the rise: young, rail-thin and good-looking with a guitar slung over the shoulder and an earnest look in the eyes.
But rarely do you hear about the journey to the stage: a father skipping out on his family, poverty in the projects, a teenage brother dying of a heroin overdose, a failed suicide attempt.
You don't hear about the tribulations brewing behind the platinum records and sold-out shows: two divorces and drug abuse. And you certainly don't hear the story when the stage lights dim: bankruptcy and another broken marriage.
You don't hear these stories unless you're talking with Art Alexakis, lead singer of Everclear and rock 'n' roll survivor.
Whether speaking candidly about his single parent upbringing in the Mar Vista Gardens housing projects in Los Angeles, his band's startling rise to fame in the late-1990s on the back of three-straight platinum albums or the slow rebuilding of his life after the songs stopped paying the bills, the 44-year-old Alexakis remains a storyteller.
His stories make for an entertaining conversation. More importantly Alexakis' stories give his songs a timeless appeal, pulling the listener into his world.
As with a lot of musicians driven to perform, Alexakis knew early on he had to write songs: “I realized I was never going to be a Wall Street banker. I'm never going to be the guy that's going to be successful the way that the world deems the normal way to do it. I play rock 'n' roll. That's what I do.”
Everclear started as a trio in 1992, after Alexakis, disillusioned with the Bay Area music scene, left San Francisco. Along with bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert, Alexakis penned some of the most memorable singles of the 1990s: “Santa Monica” (from 1995's “Sparkle and Fade”), “I Will Buy You a New Life” from 1998's critical and popular success story “So Much for the Afterflow” and “Wonderful” from 2000's “Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile.”
Everclear provided an accessible alternative to grunge bands, trading the snarling guitar riffs of Soundgarden for Alexakis' crisp, compact songwriting. The threesome received an unfair branding by some critics as Nirvana-lite, but Alexakis' songs simply contained more pop sensibilities than the metal-driven Soundgarden or the punk-influenced Nirvana.
The sudden success caused some emotional jarring for Alexakis, which he had to battle through despite the accolades and dollar bills thrown at him.
“To be honest with you, I grew up poor,” said Alexakis. “I grew up in a housing project. So when all that stuff was going on, it was like a whirlwind and I made a lot of bad choices. I think I was one of the few that got to live the rock 'n' roll dream. And I'm still standing.”
After Everclear's disappointing sixth album, “Slow Motion Daydream,” Capitol Records dropped the band in 2004. Alexakis parted ways with Montoya and Cuthbert, taking a break from recording to reassess his career and his life.
“I still wanted to do Everclear, but I wanted it to change,” said Alexakis. “I knew it was going to be a long process. I didn't know I was going to lose my wife and go through bankruptcy along the way. But looking back now, I couldn't get to where I'm at now if I had still been in that place.”
It took a year or two, but Alexakis rebuilt his life and started the current incarnation of Everclear as a five-piece group. Now, the band returns with a new album, “Welcome to the Drama Club,” finding a wiser Alexakis writing songs on a par with the band's heyday.
“We appeal to a lot of kids as well, but mostly we appeal to people who have grown up with our music or alternative music and have gone on to something else: People who don't listen to alternative radio anymore,” said Alexakis. “People who have lived a lot of life and can connect more with someone who writes songs about failure and hope and heartbreak and trying to make sense of it all.”
Everclear may never reach the dizzying heights of the late-1990s, but the group rolls into San Diego's House of Blues Monday as the headliner of the Van Wilder Tour with a renewed sense of purpose.
“I'm 44 and I get to play guitar in a rock band and I have a healthy kid,” said Alexakis. “I love the music I'm making. I love talking to my fans on Myspace. I just put my heart out there. I have a great job.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ART ALEXAKIS
Even rock stars have chores when they're not on tour. As Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis talked via phone to help preview his upcoming San Diego show, his hometown of Portland was digging out from a rare snowstorm. This complicated his daily schedule, which usually consists of driving his teenage daughter Annabella to high school before settling down to talk with management and press.
“This is what I do in the morning: I take my kid to school, I come home and I do press,” confessed a deadpan Alexakis, poking fun at his non-glamorous lifestyle while not on tour. “Today, I have to take my kid to school because it's a snow day. It snowed in Portland, and when it snows in Portland people loose their minds. The whole city shut down for three days. I have one four-wheel drive vehicle and my girlfriend took that to work. And now I have this rental car, this hoopty Chrysler, and I have to take my kid to school.”
Before skipping out the door into the rain, sleet and snow, the bleach-blond singer admitted that he might consider a change of scenery: “I love San Diego. I almost moved there (when I was younger). When my daughter graduates from high school, I'm probably going to move to San Diego.”
– CHRIS NIXON
DISCOGRAPHY
“World of Noise” (1993)
“Sparkle and Fade” (1995)
“So Much for the Afterglow” (1997)
“Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile” (2000)
“Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude” (2000)
“Slow Motion Daydream” (2003)
“Welcome to the Drama Club” (2006)
LINEUP
Art Alexakis – vocals, guitar
Dave French – guitar
Sam Hudson – bass
Josh Crawley – keyboards
Brett Snyder – drums
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
January 25, 2007
Everybody loves a rock star on the rise: young, rail-thin and good-looking with a guitar slung over the shoulder and an earnest look in the eyes.
But rarely do you hear about the journey to the stage: a father skipping out on his family, poverty in the projects, a teenage brother dying of a heroin overdose, a failed suicide attempt.
You don't hear about the tribulations brewing behind the platinum records and sold-out shows: two divorces and drug abuse. And you certainly don't hear the story when the stage lights dim: bankruptcy and another broken marriage.
You don't hear these stories unless you're talking with Art Alexakis, lead singer of Everclear and rock 'n' roll survivor.
Whether speaking candidly about his single parent upbringing in the Mar Vista Gardens housing projects in Los Angeles, his band's startling rise to fame in the late-1990s on the back of three-straight platinum albums or the slow rebuilding of his life after the songs stopped paying the bills, the 44-year-old Alexakis remains a storyteller.
His stories make for an entertaining conversation. More importantly Alexakis' stories give his songs a timeless appeal, pulling the listener into his world.
As with a lot of musicians driven to perform, Alexakis knew early on he had to write songs: “I realized I was never going to be a Wall Street banker. I'm never going to be the guy that's going to be successful the way that the world deems the normal way to do it. I play rock 'n' roll. That's what I do.”
Everclear started as a trio in 1992, after Alexakis, disillusioned with the Bay Area music scene, left San Francisco. Along with bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert, Alexakis penned some of the most memorable singles of the 1990s: “Santa Monica” (from 1995's “Sparkle and Fade”), “I Will Buy You a New Life” from 1998's critical and popular success story “So Much for the Afterflow” and “Wonderful” from 2000's “Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile.”
Everclear provided an accessible alternative to grunge bands, trading the snarling guitar riffs of Soundgarden for Alexakis' crisp, compact songwriting. The threesome received an unfair branding by some critics as Nirvana-lite, but Alexakis' songs simply contained more pop sensibilities than the metal-driven Soundgarden or the punk-influenced Nirvana.
The sudden success caused some emotional jarring for Alexakis, which he had to battle through despite the accolades and dollar bills thrown at him.
“To be honest with you, I grew up poor,” said Alexakis. “I grew up in a housing project. So when all that stuff was going on, it was like a whirlwind and I made a lot of bad choices. I think I was one of the few that got to live the rock 'n' roll dream. And I'm still standing.”
After Everclear's disappointing sixth album, “Slow Motion Daydream,” Capitol Records dropped the band in 2004. Alexakis parted ways with Montoya and Cuthbert, taking a break from recording to reassess his career and his life.
“I still wanted to do Everclear, but I wanted it to change,” said Alexakis. “I knew it was going to be a long process. I didn't know I was going to lose my wife and go through bankruptcy along the way. But looking back now, I couldn't get to where I'm at now if I had still been in that place.”
It took a year or two, but Alexakis rebuilt his life and started the current incarnation of Everclear as a five-piece group. Now, the band returns with a new album, “Welcome to the Drama Club,” finding a wiser Alexakis writing songs on a par with the band's heyday.
“We appeal to a lot of kids as well, but mostly we appeal to people who have grown up with our music or alternative music and have gone on to something else: People who don't listen to alternative radio anymore,” said Alexakis. “People who have lived a lot of life and can connect more with someone who writes songs about failure and hope and heartbreak and trying to make sense of it all.”
Everclear may never reach the dizzying heights of the late-1990s, but the group rolls into San Diego's House of Blues Monday as the headliner of the Van Wilder Tour with a renewed sense of purpose.
“I'm 44 and I get to play guitar in a rock band and I have a healthy kid,” said Alexakis. “I love the music I'm making. I love talking to my fans on Myspace. I just put my heart out there. I have a great job.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ART ALEXAKIS
Even rock stars have chores when they're not on tour. As Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis talked via phone to help preview his upcoming San Diego show, his hometown of Portland was digging out from a rare snowstorm. This complicated his daily schedule, which usually consists of driving his teenage daughter Annabella to high school before settling down to talk with management and press.
“This is what I do in the morning: I take my kid to school, I come home and I do press,” confessed a deadpan Alexakis, poking fun at his non-glamorous lifestyle while not on tour. “Today, I have to take my kid to school because it's a snow day. It snowed in Portland, and when it snows in Portland people loose their minds. The whole city shut down for three days. I have one four-wheel drive vehicle and my girlfriend took that to work. And now I have this rental car, this hoopty Chrysler, and I have to take my kid to school.”
Before skipping out the door into the rain, sleet and snow, the bleach-blond singer admitted that he might consider a change of scenery: “I love San Diego. I almost moved there (when I was younger). When my daughter graduates from high school, I'm probably going to move to San Diego.”
– CHRIS NIXON
DISCOGRAPHY
“World of Noise” (1993)
“Sparkle and Fade” (1995)
“So Much for the Afterglow” (1997)
“Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile” (2000)
“Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude” (2000)
“Slow Motion Daydream” (2003)
“Welcome to the Drama Club” (2006)
LINEUP
Art Alexakis – vocals, guitar
Dave French – guitar
Sam Hudson – bass
Josh Crawley – keyboards
Brett Snyder – drums
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Taking the time to incubate
Incubus came in from years on the road to unwind, reflect and energize itself
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
January 11, 2007
Give us time to shine / Even diamonds start as coal sings Incubus vocalist Brandon Boyd on “Diamonds and Coal,” a track from the band's sixth full-length studio album, “Light Grenades.” Boyd uses the metaphor to describe a burgeoning romantic relationship (and learning to love instead of squabbling), but the 30-year-old singer could be talking about himself.
After 15 years honing his songwriting skills and maintaining a career in music, Boyd fine-tuned his vocal skills to evolve into one of rock's best singers.
“We formed the band in 1991,” recalled Boyd recently, as he prepared to start the band's current tour in Vancouver, B.C. “We started playing concerts shortly after that, playing people's backyards and bar mitzvahs and whatever we could get. When we started, I didn't know what I was doing. I can say that with pure confidence. I just knew that I liked it, and I knew there was an energy there that was very infectious.”
Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas, Incubus fought and clawed for gigs until earning a major-label contract with Immortal/Epic Records (a subsidiary of Sony) in 1996. The band's third studio album, “Make Yourself” (1999), yielded a single in “Pardon Me,” catapulting the five-piece group into the national spotlight. Mixing crunching guitars by Mike Einziger, scratching and samples from turntablist Chris Kilmore and Boyd's riveting melodies, Incubus built a sound all its own: softer than Korn, harder than Pearl Jam.
After five albums, years on the road and a nasty contract renegotiation with Sony, Boyd, Einziger, Kilmore, drummer Jose Pasillas and bassist Ben Kenney were mentally and physically exhausted.
“As a young band we just stayed on the road for 10 years,” said Boyd. “We'd come off to make a record, rest for two weeks and then go right back onto the road. We wanted to build our career by keeping that kind of pace. After doing that for 10 years, we got pretty burnt out with all the traveling and everything.”
Boyd and company ended up taking a year off to reflect on the past and create the material that would develop into “Light Grenades”: “During the break, everybody had a chance to rest and reassess and unpack and get to know families and friends again.”
“We basically let our lives fall apart and put them back together again; all the stuff you have to go through as a human being,” continued Boyd, who spent many weekends with grandparents in Chula Vista growing up. “So when we went back to start writing this album, there was no shortage of things to write about because we actually had a chance to live on the other side again. Touring is an amazing experience, but it's very sheltered and bubble-esque. We needed to break out of that.”
From the opening notes of the trip-hop tune “Quicksand” to the all-out rocking title track, “Light Grenades” shows a young band hitting its stride.
“I feel like this is our strongest record, in that it sounds more multidimensional than it does chaotic,” admitted Boyd. “On our other albums, one of the dark qualities, but also one of the endearing qualities, about us is we're all over the place. We do a little bit of this, little bit of this. On this record, we are still doing that, but it's in more of a mature way. We've found a way to do it that's not scatterbrained.”
By surviving the trials and tribulations of life in the music business, Incubus has emerged as a more cohesive unit. “Over the years we've not only learned restraint, but we've actually learned how to craft a song and how to craft a memorable album and how to put on a memorable concert and how to do it in a sustainable fashion. (And ) In way so we can actually do it every night.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
January 11, 2007
Give us time to shine / Even diamonds start as coal sings Incubus vocalist Brandon Boyd on “Diamonds and Coal,” a track from the band's sixth full-length studio album, “Light Grenades.” Boyd uses the metaphor to describe a burgeoning romantic relationship (and learning to love instead of squabbling), but the 30-year-old singer could be talking about himself.
After 15 years honing his songwriting skills and maintaining a career in music, Boyd fine-tuned his vocal skills to evolve into one of rock's best singers.
“We formed the band in 1991,” recalled Boyd recently, as he prepared to start the band's current tour in Vancouver, B.C. “We started playing concerts shortly after that, playing people's backyards and bar mitzvahs and whatever we could get. When we started, I didn't know what I was doing. I can say that with pure confidence. I just knew that I liked it, and I knew there was an energy there that was very infectious.”
Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas, Incubus fought and clawed for gigs until earning a major-label contract with Immortal/Epic Records (a subsidiary of Sony) in 1996. The band's third studio album, “Make Yourself” (1999), yielded a single in “Pardon Me,” catapulting the five-piece group into the national spotlight. Mixing crunching guitars by Mike Einziger, scratching and samples from turntablist Chris Kilmore and Boyd's riveting melodies, Incubus built a sound all its own: softer than Korn, harder than Pearl Jam.
After five albums, years on the road and a nasty contract renegotiation with Sony, Boyd, Einziger, Kilmore, drummer Jose Pasillas and bassist Ben Kenney were mentally and physically exhausted.
“As a young band we just stayed on the road for 10 years,” said Boyd. “We'd come off to make a record, rest for two weeks and then go right back onto the road. We wanted to build our career by keeping that kind of pace. After doing that for 10 years, we got pretty burnt out with all the traveling and everything.”
Boyd and company ended up taking a year off to reflect on the past and create the material that would develop into “Light Grenades”: “During the break, everybody had a chance to rest and reassess and unpack and get to know families and friends again.”
“We basically let our lives fall apart and put them back together again; all the stuff you have to go through as a human being,” continued Boyd, who spent many weekends with grandparents in Chula Vista growing up. “So when we went back to start writing this album, there was no shortage of things to write about because we actually had a chance to live on the other side again. Touring is an amazing experience, but it's very sheltered and bubble-esque. We needed to break out of that.”
From the opening notes of the trip-hop tune “Quicksand” to the all-out rocking title track, “Light Grenades” shows a young band hitting its stride.
“I feel like this is our strongest record, in that it sounds more multidimensional than it does chaotic,” admitted Boyd. “On our other albums, one of the dark qualities, but also one of the endearing qualities, about us is we're all over the place. We do a little bit of this, little bit of this. On this record, we are still doing that, but it's in more of a mature way. We've found a way to do it that's not scatterbrained.”
By surviving the trials and tribulations of life in the music business, Incubus has emerged as a more cohesive unit. “Over the years we've not only learned restraint, but we've actually learned how to craft a song and how to craft a memorable album and how to put on a memorable concert and how to do it in a sustainable fashion. (And ) In way so we can actually do it every night.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Dead Rock West
Frank Lee Drennen takes another career twist with a new band
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
January 4, 2007
The early days with Christopher Hoffee in a duo called Homer Gunn (named after his grandpa); the gritty country rock of the Hatchet Brothers with friend Gregory Page during a lengthy residency at the Ould Sod; the visceral rock of his on-again, off-again band Loam ... from country troubadour to distortion-driven rocker, former San Diego musician Frank Lee Drennen discovers imaginative ways to reinvent himself with each turn of his multifaceted career.
Dead Rock West features Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennen, a former San Diegan who still fronts the band Loam.
With his new band, Dead Rock West, Drennen finds himself strumming pleasant roots rock with vocalist Cindy Wasserman, multi-instrumentalist Phil Parlapiano (mandolin, organ), drummer Bryan Head and bassist David J. Carpenter.
“I'm definitely one of those people that feels most comfortable doing a lot of different projects,” Drennen said recently from his home in Los Angeles. “But Dead Rock West is easily and by far my priority. Side projects are good for me to help stir my imagination.”
Drennen will be pulling double duty at tonight's show at The Casbah (which also features San Diego's Truckee Brothers), both with Loam (expected to release a new disc in 2007) and Dead Rock West.
His “priority” band is set to issue “Honey and Salt” this month. Driven by the vocal harmonies between Wasserman and Drennen, this beautifully constructed album finds the veteran San Diego musician in rare form.
On the chemistry between Wasserman and himself, Drennen admits: “It just really clicked, the two voices. It was something special that you don't get very often. I learned how to harmonize listening to Byrds' records. I love harmonies.”
Mixed by the well-traveled Richard Dodd, “Honey and Salt” oozes the well-crafted country rock feel of some his former employers: early Wilco, Tom Petty, and The Traveling Wilburys. After recording the album in L.A.'s Echo Park, Drennen cold-called Dodd to gauge his interest in working with a relatively new artist: “I asked if he would ever consider mixing someone who wasn't rich or famous.”
Dodd gives the album a subtle mix, seamlessly blending the harmonies, strings, pedal steel and mandolins into a cohesive whole.
“The thing I'm personally proud of with this record is it doesn't hit you over the head,” Drennen said. “But after you listen to it a few times, it starts grabbing you. My hope in this age of instant gratification is that people will give it the time to sink in. Because musically, we put everything we've got into it. And lyrically, I'm super proud of every song.”
On “Honey and Salt,” Drennen and the rest of Dead Rock West decided to stick with analog recording on 2-inch tape, as opposed to the industry standard of digital recording with programs like ProTools. According to Drennen, you can't hear the difference between analog and digital recording much these days. The primary distinction derives from the recording process.
Drennen explains: “With digital, you don't have to wait for the tape machine to rewind. So it's instantaneous: fast, fast, fast. You've got an unlimited number of tracks. But you could record 24 vocal tracks and edit them all together to make this super-Über Cindy or super-Über Frank.
“Working with tape is a little slower, but it allows you to gather yourself while you're rewinding. The record represents what we're able to do. It's not a fake version of what Dead Rock West is. In this day and age, it really makes us unique.”
On the topic of songwriting, Drennen collaborated with some of San Diego's elite musicians on “Honey and Salt.”
“I've actually done some co-writing with people from San Diego: 'Pretty Disaster' I wrote with Dave Howard; 'Desert Rose' I wrote with Jeff Berkley; 'All I Know' I wrote with Gregory (Page),” Drennen said. “There's a lot of San Diego representation. And just so you know, I live in Los Angeles, but I consider San Diego to be my circle, my original circle. That's where I learned to do what I do, from playing with those guys and going to their shows. That's my touchstone for me, and it still is.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
January 4, 2007
The early days with Christopher Hoffee in a duo called Homer Gunn (named after his grandpa); the gritty country rock of the Hatchet Brothers with friend Gregory Page during a lengthy residency at the Ould Sod; the visceral rock of his on-again, off-again band Loam ... from country troubadour to distortion-driven rocker, former San Diego musician Frank Lee Drennen discovers imaginative ways to reinvent himself with each turn of his multifaceted career.
Dead Rock West features Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennen, a former San Diegan who still fronts the band Loam.
With his new band, Dead Rock West, Drennen finds himself strumming pleasant roots rock with vocalist Cindy Wasserman, multi-instrumentalist Phil Parlapiano (mandolin, organ), drummer Bryan Head and bassist David J. Carpenter.
“I'm definitely one of those people that feels most comfortable doing a lot of different projects,” Drennen said recently from his home in Los Angeles. “But Dead Rock West is easily and by far my priority. Side projects are good for me to help stir my imagination.”
Drennen will be pulling double duty at tonight's show at The Casbah (which also features San Diego's Truckee Brothers), both with Loam (expected to release a new disc in 2007) and Dead Rock West.
His “priority” band is set to issue “Honey and Salt” this month. Driven by the vocal harmonies between Wasserman and Drennen, this beautifully constructed album finds the veteran San Diego musician in rare form.
On the chemistry between Wasserman and himself, Drennen admits: “It just really clicked, the two voices. It was something special that you don't get very often. I learned how to harmonize listening to Byrds' records. I love harmonies.”
Mixed by the well-traveled Richard Dodd, “Honey and Salt” oozes the well-crafted country rock feel of some his former employers: early Wilco, Tom Petty, and The Traveling Wilburys. After recording the album in L.A.'s Echo Park, Drennen cold-called Dodd to gauge his interest in working with a relatively new artist: “I asked if he would ever consider mixing someone who wasn't rich or famous.”
Dodd gives the album a subtle mix, seamlessly blending the harmonies, strings, pedal steel and mandolins into a cohesive whole.
“The thing I'm personally proud of with this record is it doesn't hit you over the head,” Drennen said. “But after you listen to it a few times, it starts grabbing you. My hope in this age of instant gratification is that people will give it the time to sink in. Because musically, we put everything we've got into it. And lyrically, I'm super proud of every song.”
On “Honey and Salt,” Drennen and the rest of Dead Rock West decided to stick with analog recording on 2-inch tape, as opposed to the industry standard of digital recording with programs like ProTools. According to Drennen, you can't hear the difference between analog and digital recording much these days. The primary distinction derives from the recording process.
Drennen explains: “With digital, you don't have to wait for the tape machine to rewind. So it's instantaneous: fast, fast, fast. You've got an unlimited number of tracks. But you could record 24 vocal tracks and edit them all together to make this super-Über Cindy or super-Über Frank.
“Working with tape is a little slower, but it allows you to gather yourself while you're rewinding. The record represents what we're able to do. It's not a fake version of what Dead Rock West is. In this day and age, it really makes us unique.”
On the topic of songwriting, Drennen collaborated with some of San Diego's elite musicians on “Honey and Salt.”
“I've actually done some co-writing with people from San Diego: 'Pretty Disaster' I wrote with Dave Howard; 'Desert Rose' I wrote with Jeff Berkley; 'All I Know' I wrote with Gregory (Page),” Drennen said. “There's a lot of San Diego representation. And just so you know, I live in Los Angeles, but I consider San Diego to be my circle, my original circle. That's where I learned to do what I do, from playing with those guys and going to their shows. That's my touchstone for me, and it still is.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Emerging Markets Index
The point of the Belly Up's new series? 'You want to catch them here before they're too big to play here'
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 28, 2006
At first glance, the Belly Up Tavern's new music series Artists on the Edge evokes an obvious question: Is this just a marketing ploy or is it a music series with substance?
After spending a few minutes with the club's director of marketing and events, Beth Bennett, and talent buyer Chris Goldsmith, it's clear the answer is affirmative in both cases: It's a marketing ploy with an altruistic purpose.
In the interest of attracting a younger audience and rejuvenating the club's image, the 34-year-old establishment in Solana Beach ramped up Artists on the Edge to selectively give exposure to cutting-edge bands making a stop in North County.
“There's definitely been a conscious effort to reconnect with younger audiences,” said Goldsmith, a veteran talent buyer in his second stint with the club. “When I was here in the late '80s and early '90s, I think the club was very in touch with that audience. But, I think then the booking philosophy froze in time and musical tastes didn't.”
Beyond the benefit for young bands and young audiences, series like Artists on the Edge give music lovers a way to experience emerging music without being told “this is the latest thing and you have to listen to it.” Young or old, audiences don't need corporations deciding their musical tastes for them. As Goldsmith put it: “This series is great for people, whether consciously or unconsciously, who are fed up with having their music mashed up and spoon-fed to them.”
Bennett and Goldsmith joined the Belly Up staff at the beginning of 2006, in the wake of new ownership and a new focus on updating the artists booked at the venerable club.
“Since Beth and I have been back, we really tried to readjust and go out of our way to bring in younger music and developing music,” added Goldsmith, speaking by phone from the venue's offices. “As opposed to sitting back and booking the same stuff we've been booking for years, although we still do that as well; we tried to avoid booking exclusively what we've been booking and try new things.”
So the duo set upon the task of revamping the perception of the Belly Up as solely a roots rock venue. Since its inception four months ago, the Artists on the Edge series has highlighted varied artists ranging from the dub reggae cover band the Easy All Stars to the synth-pop scenesters Ladytron.
The one factor uniting this diverse group? Come and see these bands now in a small, intimate setting before they blow up big.
“These artists are on the edge of being discovered, and being discovered by the mainstream,” said Goldsmith. “I think that's our point here. You want to catch them here before they're too big to play here. And these are artists that we think are going to take that trajectory.”
Bennett added: “For example, one of our November artists was Silversun Pickups. We had a great sold-out show here. They just played 94.9's Christmas show at an arena in front of 4,500 people (a few weeks ago). So the people who came to the club got an intimate experience and got to see them close up on a $6 ticket, versus (the band's) next show where you were with 4,500 other people.”
The series' selection process is simple: Goldsmith books the bands, then he and Bennett choose the artists to highlight by including them in the series. In essence, the Belly Up hasn't drastically changed the bands it's booking within the past four months, just the way it promotes them.
The Belly Up's booking of Phoenix – one of the early featured bands – gives a little insight into the thought process behind the Artists on the Edge series.
“A group like Phoenix, we really didn't know how it was going to go one way or another,” admitted Goldsmith. “But we put them in Artists on the Edge. We gave a context to promote with, an additional context beyond just the band. I booked them because they are great. People from Lou's Records and people who saw them at Coachella said they were a great band and you have to get them in.
“Even though they hadn't sold a lot of records and didn't have a lot of radio play, we just wanted to have them in,” adds the club's talent buyer. “We ended up doing 450-500 people, close to selling out. It showed us that we were really on the right track.”
Bennett said the extra promotion for emerging bands seems to be working, drawing crowded rooms for almost the entire series. But beyond the benefit to the club, Bennett and Goldsmith feel they are doing the San Diego music community a service by exposing them to new music.
“There is a lot of corporate spoon-feeding that goes on in the music industry,” said Goldsmith. “I think it's bad for the music industry and it's bad for the music scene.
“That's why it's important to emphasize new music all the time. The sense of discovery is one of the driving forces in music and it's what sustains it.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
A FEW FAVORITES
The Artists on the Edge series brings attention to such worthy artists as acoustic masters Andrew Bird and DeVotchKa, with their quirky take on Eastern European folk music.
Series organizers Beth Bennett and Chris Goldsmith don't want to play favorites when it comes to past shows, but here are a few shows that stood out in their minds:
Bennett: “I think I would definitely say Phoenix. It was just a really upbeat, rocking show. There were a lot of really good people in the house and everybody was just having a good time with it.
“I would say BT is another one. BT is a DJ who usually does this techno club-vibe thing. But this show was with a live band; it was called 'This Binary Universe' (also the name of his latest album). (The show) also had a lot of visual effects. It was just really interesting and different.”
Goldsmith: “I think seeing Phoenix was the ultimate in what we hope this series accomplishes. For me, another show I loved was the Silversun Pickups, which was just a great show. I just love them and I think they're going to be something to watch.
“We also like to emphasize the local connection and include local stuff. That Greg Laswell show is a great example of that. We try to make it not just about national touring acts. We want to include some of the great local talent as well.”
– CHRIS NIXON
THE INDIE CROWD
The Artists on the Edge series runs four or five times a month at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. To check for upcoming shows at the club, call (858) 481-8140 or log on to www.bellyup.com. Prices per show vary.
Here's a look at bands that have performed under the Artists on the Edge banner since the program began:
September: Phoenix, Rogue Wave, Andrew Bird
October: Ladytron, Mofro, Easy Star All-Stars, Bonnie Prince Billy, Citizen Cope
November: BT, The Aggrolites, Sonya Kitchell & Ben Taylor, The Album Leaf, Silversun Pickups
December: Amos Lee, Shooter Jennings, Vegitation, DeVotchKa
Down the road
Here are January's Artists on the Edge shows:
Jan. 11: Greg Laswell, with Anya Marina and Ryan Calhoun
Backed by cascading guitar riffs and his world-weary vocals, San Diego singer-songwriter Laswell writes beautifully crafted indie pop songs that are gaining an audience beyond the confines of Southern California.
Sounds like: Coldplay on a rainy day
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 day of show
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
Jan. 14: Rhett Miller
Shucking the cow-punk twang of his old band for more traditional songcraft, the Old 97's lead singer heads in his own direction in support of his sophomore solo effort, “The Believer.”
Sounds like: Elliot Smith all pumped up on pop production and mainstream accessibility
Tickets: $18 advance, $20 day of show
Doors: 7 p.m.; show: 8 p.m.
Jan 22: Cold War Kids
Embracing oddball pop wrapped in rock sensibility, this Fullerton-based quartet created its own sound on the 2006 debut “Robbers and Cowards.”
Sounds like: Rock band Spoon fronted by psych-folk artist Devendra Banhart
Tickets: $6
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
Jan. 25: Carbon Leaf
Poised on the edge if mainstream radio airplay on the heels of the cleverly titled “Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat,” this five-piece oozes effortless pop songs.
Sounds like: Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows, a decade after the fact
Tickets: $12 advance, $14 day of show
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 28, 2006
At first glance, the Belly Up Tavern's new music series Artists on the Edge evokes an obvious question: Is this just a marketing ploy or is it a music series with substance?
After spending a few minutes with the club's director of marketing and events, Beth Bennett, and talent buyer Chris Goldsmith, it's clear the answer is affirmative in both cases: It's a marketing ploy with an altruistic purpose.
In the interest of attracting a younger audience and rejuvenating the club's image, the 34-year-old establishment in Solana Beach ramped up Artists on the Edge to selectively give exposure to cutting-edge bands making a stop in North County.
“There's definitely been a conscious effort to reconnect with younger audiences,” said Goldsmith, a veteran talent buyer in his second stint with the club. “When I was here in the late '80s and early '90s, I think the club was very in touch with that audience. But, I think then the booking philosophy froze in time and musical tastes didn't.”
Beyond the benefit for young bands and young audiences, series like Artists on the Edge give music lovers a way to experience emerging music without being told “this is the latest thing and you have to listen to it.” Young or old, audiences don't need corporations deciding their musical tastes for them. As Goldsmith put it: “This series is great for people, whether consciously or unconsciously, who are fed up with having their music mashed up and spoon-fed to them.”
Bennett and Goldsmith joined the Belly Up staff at the beginning of 2006, in the wake of new ownership and a new focus on updating the artists booked at the venerable club.
“Since Beth and I have been back, we really tried to readjust and go out of our way to bring in younger music and developing music,” added Goldsmith, speaking by phone from the venue's offices. “As opposed to sitting back and booking the same stuff we've been booking for years, although we still do that as well; we tried to avoid booking exclusively what we've been booking and try new things.”
So the duo set upon the task of revamping the perception of the Belly Up as solely a roots rock venue. Since its inception four months ago, the Artists on the Edge series has highlighted varied artists ranging from the dub reggae cover band the Easy All Stars to the synth-pop scenesters Ladytron.
The one factor uniting this diverse group? Come and see these bands now in a small, intimate setting before they blow up big.
“These artists are on the edge of being discovered, and being discovered by the mainstream,” said Goldsmith. “I think that's our point here. You want to catch them here before they're too big to play here. And these are artists that we think are going to take that trajectory.”
Bennett added: “For example, one of our November artists was Silversun Pickups. We had a great sold-out show here. They just played 94.9's Christmas show at an arena in front of 4,500 people (a few weeks ago). So the people who came to the club got an intimate experience and got to see them close up on a $6 ticket, versus (the band's) next show where you were with 4,500 other people.”
The series' selection process is simple: Goldsmith books the bands, then he and Bennett choose the artists to highlight by including them in the series. In essence, the Belly Up hasn't drastically changed the bands it's booking within the past four months, just the way it promotes them.
The Belly Up's booking of Phoenix – one of the early featured bands – gives a little insight into the thought process behind the Artists on the Edge series.
“A group like Phoenix, we really didn't know how it was going to go one way or another,” admitted Goldsmith. “But we put them in Artists on the Edge. We gave a context to promote with, an additional context beyond just the band. I booked them because they are great. People from Lou's Records and people who saw them at Coachella said they were a great band and you have to get them in.
“Even though they hadn't sold a lot of records and didn't have a lot of radio play, we just wanted to have them in,” adds the club's talent buyer. “We ended up doing 450-500 people, close to selling out. It showed us that we were really on the right track.”
Bennett said the extra promotion for emerging bands seems to be working, drawing crowded rooms for almost the entire series. But beyond the benefit to the club, Bennett and Goldsmith feel they are doing the San Diego music community a service by exposing them to new music.
“There is a lot of corporate spoon-feeding that goes on in the music industry,” said Goldsmith. “I think it's bad for the music industry and it's bad for the music scene.
“That's why it's important to emphasize new music all the time. The sense of discovery is one of the driving forces in music and it's what sustains it.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
A FEW FAVORITES
The Artists on the Edge series brings attention to such worthy artists as acoustic masters Andrew Bird and DeVotchKa, with their quirky take on Eastern European folk music.
Series organizers Beth Bennett and Chris Goldsmith don't want to play favorites when it comes to past shows, but here are a few shows that stood out in their minds:
Bennett: “I think I would definitely say Phoenix. It was just a really upbeat, rocking show. There were a lot of really good people in the house and everybody was just having a good time with it.
“I would say BT is another one. BT is a DJ who usually does this techno club-vibe thing. But this show was with a live band; it was called 'This Binary Universe' (also the name of his latest album). (The show) also had a lot of visual effects. It was just really interesting and different.”
Goldsmith: “I think seeing Phoenix was the ultimate in what we hope this series accomplishes. For me, another show I loved was the Silversun Pickups, which was just a great show. I just love them and I think they're going to be something to watch.
“We also like to emphasize the local connection and include local stuff. That Greg Laswell show is a great example of that. We try to make it not just about national touring acts. We want to include some of the great local talent as well.”
– CHRIS NIXON
THE INDIE CROWD
The Artists on the Edge series runs four or five times a month at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. To check for upcoming shows at the club, call (858) 481-8140 or log on to www.bellyup.com. Prices per show vary.
Here's a look at bands that have performed under the Artists on the Edge banner since the program began:
September: Phoenix, Rogue Wave, Andrew Bird
October: Ladytron, Mofro, Easy Star All-Stars, Bonnie Prince Billy, Citizen Cope
November: BT, The Aggrolites, Sonya Kitchell & Ben Taylor, The Album Leaf, Silversun Pickups
December: Amos Lee, Shooter Jennings, Vegitation, DeVotchKa
Down the road
Here are January's Artists on the Edge shows:
Jan. 11: Greg Laswell, with Anya Marina and Ryan Calhoun
Backed by cascading guitar riffs and his world-weary vocals, San Diego singer-songwriter Laswell writes beautifully crafted indie pop songs that are gaining an audience beyond the confines of Southern California.
Sounds like: Coldplay on a rainy day
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 day of show
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
Jan. 14: Rhett Miller
Shucking the cow-punk twang of his old band for more traditional songcraft, the Old 97's lead singer heads in his own direction in support of his sophomore solo effort, “The Believer.”
Sounds like: Elliot Smith all pumped up on pop production and mainstream accessibility
Tickets: $18 advance, $20 day of show
Doors: 7 p.m.; show: 8 p.m.
Jan 22: Cold War Kids
Embracing oddball pop wrapped in rock sensibility, this Fullerton-based quartet created its own sound on the 2006 debut “Robbers and Cowards.”
Sounds like: Rock band Spoon fronted by psych-folk artist Devendra Banhart
Tickets: $6
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
Jan. 25: Carbon Leaf
Poised on the edge if mainstream radio airplay on the heels of the cleverly titled “Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat,” this five-piece oozes effortless pop songs.
Sounds like: Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows, a decade after the fact
Tickets: $12 advance, $14 day of show
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.
– CHRIS NIXON
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Psych-folk 101
Joanna Newsom leads a pack of modern dreamers reinventing a genre
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 14, 2006
In pop music, three chords and a catchy chorus just doesn't cut it anymore. If you hadn't been paying attention to folk music these days, a group of musicians is breathing new life into the tired genre with fantastic imagery and an outsider mentality.
Though coming at folk music from different angles, artists such as Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective, Vetiver, DeVotchKa and Faun Fables have been grouped together under an umbrella name: psych-folk.
As opposed to the politically driven music emerging from living rooms during the New York folk scene of the 1960s, the artists of the psych-folk movement are dreamers using fanciful allegory and rich layered compositions to reinvent folk. Also known as New Weird America, these artists provide whimsical escapism instead of cutting political satire.
Enter psych-folk singer Joanna Newsom, with her huge orchestral harp in tow.
Born into a family of musicians, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter grew up in the former gold-rush town of Nevada City in Northern California. She's been playing the harp for almost 20 years, bringing an Appalachian down-home feel to her indie folk sound.
“First of all, the harp has this bad reputation,” said Newsom in a 2003 interview with freewiliamsburg.com. “It's been used for easy schmaltzy crap. The harp is capable of much more expressiveness. It doesn't have to be this sloppy, over-the-top, dramatic instrument. It can be really delicate and yet abrasive at the right time. I am producing sounds that people are not used to hearing from the harp.”
After gaining a national audience touring with singer Will Oldham (aka Bonny “Prince” Billy), Newsom signed to Drag City Records and released her 2004 debut, “The Milk-Eyed Mender.” A beautifully stark album, Newsom shines with her intertwining harp melodies and unique singing style.
Newsom shifted her approach for her sophomore effort “Ys.” Released less than a month ago, “Ys” is an ambitious album replete with epic sprawling song cycles ranging from seven to 16 minutes and compositions thick with strings, accordions, mandolins and banjos.
Famed composer Van Dyke Parks (Brian Wilson's lyric partner on the legendary “Smile” album) lovingly wraps Newsom's warbling vocals and crisply plucked harp melodies with lush orchestration. Producer Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, Fugazi) recorded Newsom's vocal and harp parts, while Jim O'Rourke (Wilco) mixed the album. Albini is a fierce proponent of recording analog instead of digitally, thus “Ys” was recorded completely in analog with mixing taking place at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.
“Ys” is a big album, revealing new complexities with each new listen. Surrounded by such star-studded support, Newsom could have been crushed under the weight of big orchestral compositions and big egos. Instead, she steps up the challenge, revealing artistry that surpasses psych-folk or any other name you could put on it.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 14, 2006
In pop music, three chords and a catchy chorus just doesn't cut it anymore. If you hadn't been paying attention to folk music these days, a group of musicians is breathing new life into the tired genre with fantastic imagery and an outsider mentality.
Though coming at folk music from different angles, artists such as Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective, Vetiver, DeVotchKa and Faun Fables have been grouped together under an umbrella name: psych-folk.
As opposed to the politically driven music emerging from living rooms during the New York folk scene of the 1960s, the artists of the psych-folk movement are dreamers using fanciful allegory and rich layered compositions to reinvent folk. Also known as New Weird America, these artists provide whimsical escapism instead of cutting political satire.
Enter psych-folk singer Joanna Newsom, with her huge orchestral harp in tow.
Born into a family of musicians, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter grew up in the former gold-rush town of Nevada City in Northern California. She's been playing the harp for almost 20 years, bringing an Appalachian down-home feel to her indie folk sound.
“First of all, the harp has this bad reputation,” said Newsom in a 2003 interview with freewiliamsburg.com. “It's been used for easy schmaltzy crap. The harp is capable of much more expressiveness. It doesn't have to be this sloppy, over-the-top, dramatic instrument. It can be really delicate and yet abrasive at the right time. I am producing sounds that people are not used to hearing from the harp.”
After gaining a national audience touring with singer Will Oldham (aka Bonny “Prince” Billy), Newsom signed to Drag City Records and released her 2004 debut, “The Milk-Eyed Mender.” A beautifully stark album, Newsom shines with her intertwining harp melodies and unique singing style.
Newsom shifted her approach for her sophomore effort “Ys.” Released less than a month ago, “Ys” is an ambitious album replete with epic sprawling song cycles ranging from seven to 16 minutes and compositions thick with strings, accordions, mandolins and banjos.
Famed composer Van Dyke Parks (Brian Wilson's lyric partner on the legendary “Smile” album) lovingly wraps Newsom's warbling vocals and crisply plucked harp melodies with lush orchestration. Producer Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, Fugazi) recorded Newsom's vocal and harp parts, while Jim O'Rourke (Wilco) mixed the album. Albini is a fierce proponent of recording analog instead of digitally, thus “Ys” was recorded completely in analog with mixing taking place at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.
“Ys” is a big album, revealing new complexities with each new listen. Surrounded by such star-studded support, Newsom could have been crushed under the weight of big orchestral compositions and big egos. Instead, she steps up the challenge, revealing artistry that surpasses psych-folk or any other name you could put on it.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Panic! At The Disco in N&D
Obscurity to ubiquity: Panic! rides fast track
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 7, 2006
Gothic bearded babes dancing between church pews, dancing men on stilts and a vaudeville master of ceremonies directing the festivities as a jaded groom discovers his newlywed bride is cheating on him.
That's a lot of visual eye candy for a three-minute music video, courtesy of the Los Angeles freak show troupe Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque. And it's the winning formula that propelled Panic! at the Disco's “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” to the top of the charts and won Video of the Year at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.
“We wanted to do something different because it was going to be our first video,” said Panic! at the Disco guitarist Ryan Ross about the breakout video. “We didn't want to do the click back and forth between a band playing in a warehouse to some storyline that doesn't even make any sense because there are only three minutes in a song. For every video we've done, we wanted to make sure it did something for the song, and visually it wasn't something you're seeing on TV right now.”
Raised under the faux sparkle of neon lights in Las Vegas, the four guys in Panic! at the Disco decided they wanted to make music their career. While still in high school, singer Brendon Urie, bassist Jon Walker, drummer Spencer Smith and Ross began to earn a name for themselves through MySpace and the Internet out of necessity more than anything else.
“We had to use the Internet because there really wasn't much going on in Vegas,” said Ross of his hometown music scene. “I guess there are a handful of bands, but it doesn't really feel like much of a community. We'd practice and write songs. Instead of playing a show, we'd record those songs and put them on the Internet.”
Through high-speed Internet connections and word of mouth, Panic! at the Disco's brand of accessible emo-pop began to spread worldwide: “We only had two songs, and we had them on our MySpace page. We were just this little band from Vegas that nobody knew about in Vegas. People all around the world were telling their friends.”
Urie's deft singing and Ross' clever lyrics led Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz to sign the band to his imprint label Decaydance. After only a few years as a Vegas garage band, Panic! at the Disco seemed primed for a breakout with its debut album.
Between attending high school and holding down jobs, Ross and company wrote the songs that would become the backbone of “A Fever You Can't Sweat Out” over a four-month period before journeying to the East Coast to record.
“We recorded in Maryland: five weeks straight, no days off, 12-hour days,” Ross said. “We slept in a one-bedroom apartment on bunk beds and did the whole Top Ramen dinner for a month and a half. It was a lot of work and stress and arguing and no sleep. It was tough, but afterward we were happy that we put the extra time into it, and all the little things that we enjoy about it were worth it to us.”
With the album's platinum sales, Ross joked, “We might get a two-bedroom apartment when we record this album.”
Ross' songwriting skills set Panic! at the Disco apart from the glut of young bands singing emotive pop-rock. Ross and the other members are heavily influenced by writer Chuck Palahniuk (“Fight Club”). Tunes like “Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” and “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” give the album substance and emotional weight. And it's the band's songwriting that will give the group a name in the rock business down the road.
Said Ross, on modern songwriting: “I don't really like a lot of bands' lyrics these days. Adam Duritz is one of my favorite songwriters because of the way he tells stories. Tom Waits, same thing. I like people who paint a picture for you. They include a lot of small details that allow you to really see something.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 7, 2006
Gothic bearded babes dancing between church pews, dancing men on stilts and a vaudeville master of ceremonies directing the festivities as a jaded groom discovers his newlywed bride is cheating on him.
That's a lot of visual eye candy for a three-minute music video, courtesy of the Los Angeles freak show troupe Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque. And it's the winning formula that propelled Panic! at the Disco's “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” to the top of the charts and won Video of the Year at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.
“We wanted to do something different because it was going to be our first video,” said Panic! at the Disco guitarist Ryan Ross about the breakout video. “We didn't want to do the click back and forth between a band playing in a warehouse to some storyline that doesn't even make any sense because there are only three minutes in a song. For every video we've done, we wanted to make sure it did something for the song, and visually it wasn't something you're seeing on TV right now.”
Raised under the faux sparkle of neon lights in Las Vegas, the four guys in Panic! at the Disco decided they wanted to make music their career. While still in high school, singer Brendon Urie, bassist Jon Walker, drummer Spencer Smith and Ross began to earn a name for themselves through MySpace and the Internet out of necessity more than anything else.
“We had to use the Internet because there really wasn't much going on in Vegas,” said Ross of his hometown music scene. “I guess there are a handful of bands, but it doesn't really feel like much of a community. We'd practice and write songs. Instead of playing a show, we'd record those songs and put them on the Internet.”
Through high-speed Internet connections and word of mouth, Panic! at the Disco's brand of accessible emo-pop began to spread worldwide: “We only had two songs, and we had them on our MySpace page. We were just this little band from Vegas that nobody knew about in Vegas. People all around the world were telling their friends.”
Urie's deft singing and Ross' clever lyrics led Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz to sign the band to his imprint label Decaydance. After only a few years as a Vegas garage band, Panic! at the Disco seemed primed for a breakout with its debut album.
Between attending high school and holding down jobs, Ross and company wrote the songs that would become the backbone of “A Fever You Can't Sweat Out” over a four-month period before journeying to the East Coast to record.
“We recorded in Maryland: five weeks straight, no days off, 12-hour days,” Ross said. “We slept in a one-bedroom apartment on bunk beds and did the whole Top Ramen dinner for a month and a half. It was a lot of work and stress and arguing and no sleep. It was tough, but afterward we were happy that we put the extra time into it, and all the little things that we enjoy about it were worth it to us.”
With the album's platinum sales, Ross joked, “We might get a two-bedroom apartment when we record this album.”
Ross' songwriting skills set Panic! at the Disco apart from the glut of young bands singing emotive pop-rock. Ross and the other members are heavily influenced by writer Chuck Palahniuk (“Fight Club”). Tunes like “Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” and “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” give the album substance and emotional weight. And it's the band's songwriting that will give the group a name in the rock business down the road.
Said Ross, on modern songwriting: “I don't really like a lot of bands' lyrics these days. Adam Duritz is one of my favorite songwriters because of the way he tells stories. Tom Waits, same thing. I like people who paint a picture for you. They include a lot of small details that allow you to really see something.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Emo on steroids
My Chemical Romance expands the repertoire, and blows past the critics
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 7, 2006
From the opening beeps of a heart monitor on “The Black Parade's” opening track “The End,” My Chemical Romance's third studio album marks a creative pinnacle for the five guys from Jersey.
With a tip of the cap to epic albums like Pink Floyd's “The Wall” and Queen's most orchestral masterpieces, MCR tackles the rock opera with its emotive rock. Call it an “emopera.”
“This is without a doubt that record for this band,” said lead singer Gerard Way via phone after a sound check during a tour stop in North Carolina. “It's that one record by a dark-horse band that created a knee-jerk reaction, and having it causes a big cultural thing among a younger audience. There has been some skepticism toward the band largely on a critical level. That's common when you have a group that's speaking to the youth.”
Emerging from the area of New Jersey just outside of New York City (traditionally the territory of Bruce Spingsteen, Bon Jovi and Southside Johnny), Way – along with bassist and brother Mikey Way, drummer Bob Bryar and guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro – faced an uphill battle when they started in 2001.
“We never wanted to be trapped in a local band, local hero type of thing,” recalled Way on the band's early years. “There were some very big fish in a very small pond in Jersey. We just got in a van and left. We had ambitions that were much larger than conquering a county. We did what's really risky and really hard to do. We got in a van with no money, a van that doesn't really even work, and just start driving places you've never been to play, sometimes for eight kids.”
Traveling the country led them to release 2002's “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love,” which subsequently led them to sign with Reprise (a division of Warner Music Group). “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” followed in 2004, a solid set of emo tunes mixing pop balladry and biting guitar riffage. The album went platinum and connected with mostly younger audiences.
By adding flourishes of classic rock orchestration, “The Black Parade,” critically praised and commercially a hot seller, seems to be changing all of that now: “This is the record that pushes us through (to the public). I meet people now who are in their 40s and 50s who are fans. Not because of their kids, but because they heard a song on the radio and they remember what it was like listening to Queen.”
Most rock operas follow a storyline. But My Chemical Romance chose to follow a theme, a theme that could be misconstrued, according to Way.
“I think the theme for me is 'life,' ” he said. “I know it seems like a dark record. That's what people try to dwell on. To me, the record is about triumph, victory and the strong desire to live. The record is really about survival and truth.”
While lyrically strong, the album's orchestral elements stand out as an achievement among emo-pop bands.
“Even though there are sometimes hundreds of layers happening, not one of those layers is arbitrary,” said Way of the record's thick production. “None of those layers is just us trying to be cool or trying to confuse people. It's all very thought out. It's the result of leaving no stone unturned.”
Standout tracks like the demented Gypsy music of “Mama” (Mama we're all going to hell) and the ballad “Cancer” really show a band finding new expression in the tired confines of emo and modern rock.
“That's basically the way we approached this record: Nothing was taboo,” said Way. “Nothing was uncool. There was nothing to be ashamed of. It was about pulling your skin off and getting really naked with it.
“It doesn't necessarily mean it was going to be stripped-down raw. Getting naked with this material meant exposing yourself in a very large way.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
December 7, 2006
From the opening beeps of a heart monitor on “The Black Parade's” opening track “The End,” My Chemical Romance's third studio album marks a creative pinnacle for the five guys from Jersey.
With a tip of the cap to epic albums like Pink Floyd's “The Wall” and Queen's most orchestral masterpieces, MCR tackles the rock opera with its emotive rock. Call it an “emopera.”
“This is without a doubt that record for this band,” said lead singer Gerard Way via phone after a sound check during a tour stop in North Carolina. “It's that one record by a dark-horse band that created a knee-jerk reaction, and having it causes a big cultural thing among a younger audience. There has been some skepticism toward the band largely on a critical level. That's common when you have a group that's speaking to the youth.”
Emerging from the area of New Jersey just outside of New York City (traditionally the territory of Bruce Spingsteen, Bon Jovi and Southside Johnny), Way – along with bassist and brother Mikey Way, drummer Bob Bryar and guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro – faced an uphill battle when they started in 2001.
“We never wanted to be trapped in a local band, local hero type of thing,” recalled Way on the band's early years. “There were some very big fish in a very small pond in Jersey. We just got in a van and left. We had ambitions that were much larger than conquering a county. We did what's really risky and really hard to do. We got in a van with no money, a van that doesn't really even work, and just start driving places you've never been to play, sometimes for eight kids.”
Traveling the country led them to release 2002's “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love,” which subsequently led them to sign with Reprise (a division of Warner Music Group). “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” followed in 2004, a solid set of emo tunes mixing pop balladry and biting guitar riffage. The album went platinum and connected with mostly younger audiences.
By adding flourishes of classic rock orchestration, “The Black Parade,” critically praised and commercially a hot seller, seems to be changing all of that now: “This is the record that pushes us through (to the public). I meet people now who are in their 40s and 50s who are fans. Not because of their kids, but because they heard a song on the radio and they remember what it was like listening to Queen.”
Most rock operas follow a storyline. But My Chemical Romance chose to follow a theme, a theme that could be misconstrued, according to Way.
“I think the theme for me is 'life,' ” he said. “I know it seems like a dark record. That's what people try to dwell on. To me, the record is about triumph, victory and the strong desire to live. The record is really about survival and truth.”
While lyrically strong, the album's orchestral elements stand out as an achievement among emo-pop bands.
“Even though there are sometimes hundreds of layers happening, not one of those layers is arbitrary,” said Way of the record's thick production. “None of those layers is just us trying to be cool or trying to confuse people. It's all very thought out. It's the result of leaving no stone unturned.”
Standout tracks like the demented Gypsy music of “Mama” (Mama we're all going to hell) and the ballad “Cancer” really show a band finding new expression in the tired confines of emo and modern rock.
“That's basically the way we approached this record: Nothing was taboo,” said Way. “Nothing was uncool. There was nothing to be ashamed of. It was about pulling your skin off and getting really naked with it.
“It doesn't necessarily mean it was going to be stripped-down raw. Getting naked with this material meant exposing yourself in a very large way.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
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