of Montreal – Jeff Kuykendall

June 6, 2015June 6, 2015

Optical Atlas Interviews with Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor), Sasha Bell (Essex Green), and Derek Almstead (Circulatory System)

Here’s another batch of “6 Questions with…” interviews from my old Optical Atlas website. So much time has passed that a little context is necessary. San Fadyl, drummer in The Ladybug Transistor, passed away on April 25, 2007, a year after my interview with Ladybug’s Gary Olson. Shortly after interviewing Gary I interviewed the wonderful Sasha Bell, who in prior years breathlessly split her singer/songwriter duties among The Ladybug Transistor, The Essex Green, The Sixth Great Lake, and solo project The Finishing School. In the interview she revealed that she had left the Ladybugs to focus on The Essex Green – which, at the time, was enjoying some well-earned praise from the mainstream press thanks to their album Cannibal Sea. These many years later, she’s fronting The Sasha Bell Band. Regarding Derek Almstead’s interview, it should be noted that he has become an integral part of Will Cullen Hart’s Circulatory System, which has been much more active since this piece was first published (the band now regularly tours, including many shows with the reunited Neutral Milk Hotel, and has released the albums Signal Morning and Mosaics Within Mosaics). Fronting Faster Circuits, Derek also released the 2013 album Tunes of Glory. In the interview he mentions M Coast, his project with Andy Gonzales of Marshmallow Coast: Andy has returned to his original moniker and has just released a new Marshmallow Coast album, cheekily titled Vangelis Rides Again.

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Gary Olson/The Ladybug Transistor: April 4, 2006

Gary Olson is the lead singer (and formidable trumpeter) of The Ladybug Transistor, the Brooklyn-based band that first introduced the Marlborough Farms collective to the indie pop world. The Ladybug Transistor‘s first two albums, Marlborough Farms (1995) and Beverly Atonale (1997) contained, as Gary wrote in the debut album’s reissue, “very mid-90’s indie sounds,” but they also had a warmth that became synonymous with the band’s music. The third album, 1999’s The Albemarle Sound, is generally considered the breakthrough. Having enlisted Jeff and Jennifer Baron for his previous album, he now brought along San Fadyl, as well as Sasha Bell and Mike Barrett of The Essex Green. The band’s sound was transformed with lush, pastoral melodies and richly-layered arrangements of strings, trumpet, and guitar. Meanwhile, the songwriting duties were dispersed, democratically, throughout the band. Sasha, who only sang one song on Albemarle Sound, took more prominent vocal duties in their next two albums, Argyle Heir (2001) and The Ladybug Transistor (2003). The latter took their sound at a slightly new angle; recorded in Tucson, Arizona, the flavor and swagger of the American Southwest is distinctive on the record. This year, hopes are high for the imminent return of the Ladybugs. Gary Olson was kind enough to take the time to answer 6 questions for Optical Atlas about the band’s history and their near future.

1) Are you working on a new album, and if so, can you provide any details? Is a tour in sight?

San (Ladybug drummer) just arrived in New York from Zurich where he normally lives. We’ve all been getting together lately for rehearsals and are working on arrangements for new songs. Along with Julia [Rydholm], San and Jeff Baron, we have Ben Crum and Kyle Forester from Great Lakes helping a lot with these sessions. We’ll get a lot of basic tracks done in the coming weeks and build on them throughout the spring. We’re planning on a late 2006 album release and an EP earlier in the year. We have some touring pending for this summer.

San, Jeff, and I also spent a lot of time last year working with Kevin Ayers on his next record which was done at Wavelab in Tucson and at Marlborough Farms. Heather McIntosh and Joe McGinty also contributed a lot to the album. Kevin is in London now working on finishing vocals. I hear they are planning to have it out this autumn.

2) Describe Marlborough Farms if you can, and how it became a home for so many talented musicians. Is it still in use by the Ladybug Transistor?

Marlborough Farms is a big old house in the Victorian Flatbush area of Brooklyn. Most of Ladybug have lived here at one time or another. It was an ideal place to be at the time the group started coming together…with enough room for all of us to live and record. I’ll always call it home and it will always be very much a musical place. Kevin Barker (of Currituck Co.) and Heather McIntosh (of The Instruments) currently reside at the Farm so there is always some interesting happening here. The studio has been busier than ever as I’ve settled into doing a little more freelance recording work these days. Will Hart, John Fernandes, Derek Almstead and Heather of Circulatory System were here in February doing some overdubs for their next record. It was a great experience to finally get to work with them.

3) The style of your music changed dramatically with The Albemarle Sound in 1999, although there were signs of a new direction with the previous album; can you talk about what prompted the shift?

Well, there was no real band on the first two records. Ladybug began as more of a recording project with me and our original drummer Ed Powers playing most of the instruments. I was experimenting a lot with my new 8 track…going in many directions, I’ll confess. We became more of a band once we began to tour properly with the Beverley Atonale album. Around that time Jeff, Jennifer and Sasha became more involved.

We suddenly had four songwriters in the group and wanted to make something that reflected the records we loved at the time (Love, Kinks, Jan and Dean, Byrds) and that was The Albemarle Sound. San also came in to take over on drums and all of this helped Ladybug make that leap. With Julia joining the lineup just after Argyle Heir, we had our first dedicated bass player, which truly rounded out the evolution.

4) The songs are always just credited to The Ladybug Transistor; are the songwriting contributions as creatively democratic as they seem?

I’ll admit it’s a bit vague to credit all of our albums like that. Basically on the last three records, the songwriters (me, Jeff, Sasha and Jennie when she was with us) all contributed the same amount of songs, so I was just listing writing credits as “The Ladybug Transistor.” I think it came from an idea I had when we started about wanting the group to be more collective-like and less about egos. Songs definitely originated from different people though and maybe they should be credited individually for that.

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5) There seem to be a lot of connections with your bandmates and Sweden. How did this come about, and can you describe the connections as they are today?

Outside of the US, Sweden and Norway were the first places that seemed to have some kind scene for what Ladybug were doing. Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel had been over the year before and reported back many good things. We visited the first time and played the Emmaboda Festival. I still meet people who were at that show. On that trip we met people and bands who became good friends over the years…and have even performed at one of their weddings. I’ve been going to Scandinavia every year since then with Ladybug or doing solo shows with friends who live over there, so it’s a special place for me. Ole [Johannes Åleskjær] from Loch Ness Mouse plays with me regularly when I’m there, as well as Wyatt Cusick from Aislers Set who has been living in Gothenburg. I met Jens Lekman last year and had a nice time joining him as a touring musician on his US tour last autumn.

6) Is “The Swimmer” based on the Burt Lancaster picture, and was someone in the band a fan of the film? [In the 1968 film, Lancaster plays a man who deals with a crisis by swimming all the way home through his neighbors’ suburban swimming pools.]

Yeah, we are big Burt fans. I saw that movie during a really bad heatwave one summer, so it was perfect timing. I really liked the concept of swimming home through a network of backyard pools. It also seemed to fit in well with the water themes of Albemarle Sound–“Oceans in the Hall,” “Like a Summer Rain,” “Meadowport Arch.” Those figures on the front cover came from a painting we found in Venice.

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Sasha Bell/The Essex Green: April 18, 2006

Sasha Bell is singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (keyboard, flute, etc.) for The Essex Green, a trio of prolific and talented songwriters–Chris Ziter, Jeff Baron, and Bell–whose latest album, Cannibal Sea, has been receiving glowing reviews since its recent release. She’s been recording with the Green for almost a decade, but has been exhaustively active in other bands as well, most from the creative wellspring of the Marlborough Farms collective (Marlborough Farms being a home in Brooklyn): she’s provided songs and vocals for The Ladybug Transistor, The Sixth Great Lake, and her solo project, The Finishing School, which released a CD and DVD on the Telegraph Company label in 2003. Since then, she’s left both Ladybug and Sixth Great Lake to concentrate her efforts on Essex Green. The concentration has paid off, and Cannibal Sea features some of her purest and most delightful work yet.

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1) How did you first become interested in music? I’m curious what your first instrument was, and how you eventually started playing in bands.

My first instrument was a toy piano that I got for my 4th birthday. I can’t quite remember how the transition came about (I must have taken to it), but next thing I knew that same year I was taking piano lessons. I started playing flute in the 4th grade which was the year that kids in my town could join the band our choir. It was something we all took for granted, that if you wanted to learn music and play an instrument the option was there. If you couldn’t afford an instrument, the school would provide it. And this was a small semi-rural elementary school. This is obviously a dying era in our public school systems.

I started off playing keys in the Ladybug when the first Merge release came out. Gary [Olson] and Jeff [Baron] needed a keyboard player to go on the first Ladybug tour. Voila! Before that it hadn’t occurred to me to traverse the musician/fan divide. Duh. Wish I’d woken up sooner.

2) What was/is Marlborough Farms life like? I have a very mythic picture in my head, painted through CD booklet photos and song lyrics, that’s probably due to be shattered.

I lived at Marlborough Farms for about two years. I remember the first time I had to go there to pick something up, coming from my house in Brooklyn Heights, and it seemed so far away and odd that way. Eventually I moved in there with Jeff, my then boyfriend, and he, Gary, and Gary’s girlfriend (also Jeff’s sister) Jennie, recorded the Ladybug album Albemarle Sound there in the basement that year.

Those were indeed magical times, really exciting and creative and spontaneous. We’d be in the basement every night recording. There was a piano in the house, which was a luxury I hadn’t experienced since living at home.

There’s also a side patio with a grape arbor so I loved hanging out here and tending my plants all day. The park was a stone’s throw away. It really was excellent in so many ways! The drawback to the Farms is that there are (or were anyway) a lot of people living there at once. No privacy whatsoever. After about a year this style of living started wearing thin, and the communal creative hive started to seem more like a compulsory nightmare. So year two was a bit strained, but by and large I have fond memories.

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3) How do you craft a song–from the lyrics to the music, or vice versa? And how do you find inspiration for writing a song?

If I’m lucky I will be inspired lyrically by an event, a book, a person, etc. And then mulling over that event as I sit at the piano will translate into a rhythm or melody. I find it much harder these days to write without any direction though, to sit at the piano cold. I find that the older I get the more distracted I get–the harder it is to sit down and concentrate at the piano without thinking I should be doing a million other things, mundane things like checking my email, straightening up. It’s horrible I must say. I need to find a way to reverse this! Help!

4) Continuing that idea, how do you decide if a song you write should be used for Finishing School, Ladybug Transistor, or Essex Green?

I don’t play in the Ladybug anymore, and Finishing School is inactive until I can come up with another batch of songs. So the decision process is that much easier!

5) I really enjoyed your solo album; will there be more music from the Finishing School in the future?

Well I hope so. I think I need to retreat into the woods again and get writing. I’m hoping this summer I can afford to disappear for a few weeks and get rid of my ADD, get some good writing done. The question is: where do I go?

6) You’re about to spend a lot of time on the road touring; what is life on the road like for a touring band, and do you enjoy it?

Until this past November I hadn’t been on the road in a year and a half almost. So I had a lot of time to recharge and get excited again about traveling this time. There was a period recently where I was on the road quite a bit, and I just started to feel really worn out physically and emotionally to the point where I was questioning playing music at all anymore. I’d made a decision to myself sometime in 2003 that I was going to devote myself to the bands at the expense of any stability at all, and that proposition ultimately backfired. I was so penurious and so exhausted in the end. But once I officially decided to take a “hiatus” from everything, it became eminently clear to me that playing music was what defined me: I did it for love of playing, the love of being creative and love of collaborating with my friends. It defined me more than anything else. I also realized that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing in this life. I can have several harmonious lives at once. Long story short, I do really enjoy touring now. I feel like Chris [Ziter], Jeff and I are closer than ever. We’ve been traveling with our dear friend Julia [Rydholm] (on bass) and the four of us are very tight. We just had an excellent tour in Germany and I enjoyed every second–even the annoying bits you’re supposed to get annoyed at!! I honestly feel so privileged to be able to travel the world with these guys. PLAYING MUSIC! How great is that!!??

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Derek Almstead/Circulatory System and M Coast: March 15, 2006

Derek Almstead has played, engineered, or toured with just about every band you would call “Elephant 6.” He came to the collective through of Montreal, joining Kevin Barnes in the band’s formative years and served as bass player (as well as drummer, mixer, engineer and various other roles) all the way through 2002’s Aldhil’s Arboretum. Since leaving of Montreal, he’s focused more energy toward mixing and mastering numerous albums in his studio, as well as playing with Elf Power, Circulatory System (whose second album he’s currently mastering), the Instruments, the 63 Crayons,Summer Hymns, Great Lakes, the Visitations, the Sunshine Fix, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t, and many, many others. Derek has also been an on-again, off-again member of Marshmallow Coast, the solo project of Andy Gonzales (who has also left of Montreal). His status in the band has just become a lot more permanent. Say it in Slang is the new album from the band which now calls itself M Coast.

1) What exactly is M Coast? Who’s on the album, and how does this differ from Marshmallow Coast?

M Coast is basically an evolution of Marshmallow Coast. Andy Gonzales and Sara Kirkpatrick are still involved, I’ve returned, my wife Emily Growden has joined, and we have a drummer for our someday live configuration named Carlton Owens. What really makes M Coast different from Marshmallow Coast is the introduction of my songs, and two new voices, mine and Emily’s. Andy and I had been working on the new Marshmallow Coast record and my new solo project at the same time. I was already playing drums and bass on both projects, and Andy was going to be in my band and vice-versa. I was confronted with being in seven bands! It dawned on me that we should consolidate the project into something new. Voila, six bands! We somehow convinced Emily to sing on a few tunes, and the whole thing just came together.

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2) At what stage is the M Coast album? (And are you still looking for a label?)

The album is mixed, I’m waiting a little bit to master it, and the artwork is in the trial stages. We sent the record to Misra for a first crack, but have yet to hear anything back, so we’re trying to compile a list of labels to send it to. Actually, I think Pickled Egg is in.

3) Can we expect the new Circulatory System album in 2006? How far along is it now?

I really think so. It is incredibly difficult to say “done” with this stuff; there is just such a standard to it.

We have several mixes at this point but there is definitely some back and forth (to put it mildly) to go.

4) When mastering another band’s album, what do you consider your role in the relationship? That is, how do you work with them?

One of the funny things about fulfilling all these different roles in the album creation process is that people tend to get really confused about what hat they’re wearing at any given time in the process. It’s amazing how much people think about the final product even when they’re in the middle of a guitar take! Obviously, this is more of an inherent stress the more DIY the project. There’s this John Cage rule I’ve really taken to heart where he says something to the effect of “don’t create and analyze at the same time.” Being on all sides of the equation really challenges you to compartmentalize your viewpoints, one of the reasons I’m waiting to master the M Coast stuff; I need a little perspective. So when I master another band’s record, I’m a mastering engineer, period! What a break, right! It’s one of the reasons I love doing it for other people. Generally, I get a few CD’s in the mail and then send a few CD’s back a few days later! Sometimes there are revisions, sometimes not. Sometimes people like to sit in, either out of curiosity or concern, which is fine too.

Generally people can be as involved or uninvolved as they desire. The bulk of artists I’ve dealt with are just ready to be done at that point; it’s nice to give them a final feeling of excitement when they get back something bigger than they sent away.

5) What kind of mastering equipment do you use in your studio?

I do all digital. Wavelab, Waves mastering tools. My ears. I can rent gear sometimes. One of the reasons mastering is so expensive at other places is because of the gear they have to maintain–much of which gets left out of all digital projects–and worse yet, the “gear mentality” which prevails still even in the face of the DIY movement. If you go to the $1000-plus place you’ll hear the difference, but our end result will be comparable; the bill won’t be! After I’ve mastered my 200th record I’ll raise my rates a little, buy a few fun things, but mainly I like offering cheaper alternative.

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6) Can you talk a little bit about of Montreal? I’m curious how you initially became involved with the band, and what you think of their new direction.

Kevin and I met shortly after I moved to Athens through these girls that we both knew in a band called Spackle. I sat in with their band on bass playing a Bikini Kill and a Minor Threat cover at a house party; Kevin saw it and asked me to play. We got together a few times, and then he ended up joining Elf Power briefly, playing his songs with them. A few months later we ran into each other at a convenience store and he asked if I knew how to play drums. I lied and said I did, and ran home to take a few lessons from my co-worker Carlton (M Coast drummer).

So we got together with this guy Joel Evans on bass, Bryan Poole on guitar and me on drums and started rehearsing. A week before our first show Joel quit and Bryan moved to bass. So that was it for a few years. Bryan was more into Elf Power at the time, so the project at first was really just Kevin and I. It was fun to learn all this recording stuff, to do a lot of playing. It was my first real exposure and I was just into the idea of doing something musically. I always looked at it as kind of a music school, because the songs were challenging and I got to do a lot of varied things. As it went on Kevin got more into the theatrics, which I could care less for, and over time became really sick of. So here I am in all these bands doing so much stuff and one day I just realize that I’m at odds with the leader of one of the groups’ vision. I’ve always considered myself a facilitator in other people’s bands, I’m good at it. So it was just time to be done. Eight years is a long time to be in a band, the longest for me. They’ve really taken off since I left, and that makes sense; everybody’s into the vision and they’ve worked hard on a well-laid foundation. I’m proud to have been a part of it.

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June 2, 2015June 2, 2015

Optical Atlas Interview with Bryan Poole (The Late B.P. Helium)

This is one of my favorite pieces from Optical Atlas, because Bryan Poole/B.P. Helium – from Elf Power and of Montreal – went all-out, contributing demos and remixes for readers to enjoy. I was hoping this would be an ongoing series called “Liner Notes,” in which artists shared some outtakes and rarities, but I was only able to convince a couple others to go along with it (Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo and Davey Wrathgabar of The Visitations). In fact, I gave Bill Doss the option of doing a “Liner Notes” and providing Olivia Tremor Control or Sunshine Fix outtakes, but he declined, stating all that would be released one day. At least I had the nerve to ask…

Bryan would later ask me to redesign and run of Montreal’s official webpage. He wanted something more flexible for the band’s use, with a blog, and similar to Optical Atlas. He also wanted to ask someone who was a longtime fan of the band. I’d never met Kevin Barnes – an interview almost happened, but didn’t quite – but I had followed of Montreal since The Gay Parade and seen them many times live, including Kevin’s solo “A Pollinaire Rave” tour, with its eclectic mix of skits and songs. I agreed eagerly, and then wondered what I’d gotten myself into, because my web skills were actually pretty limited. Feeling the fraud, I plunged in nonetheless. The most exciting day was when Bryan gave me FTP access to a page containing HUGE digital scans of David Barnes’ beautiful artwork from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? and its various promotional items. I set about taking my favorite images and rearranging them in Photoshop. It was like playing with Spider-Man Colorforms when I was a kid. After hours of work, and having designed what I thought was the most visually attractive website I’d ever produced, I submitted it to Bryan for approval. He didn’t like the teal background. He hated the teal background. He confessed to having a lifetime loathing of teal.

I laughed and cringed at the same time, and worked on something that was black and hot pink. That went over better. In the back of my mind I couldn’t help but feel that the teal belonged to the old of Montreal – the band which critics compared to early Kinks and Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles. But of course Hissing Fauna marked a radical departure for Kevin Barnes’ band. My second design was more 70’s glam, more David Bowie, so it was more appropriate. I quit the of Montreal website after a stressful year or so (or was it even that long?). I felt B.P. should look for someone a bit more website savvy than I was pretending to be. But I was also feeling a little alienated by the new direction of the of Montreal performances. Kevin Barnes was as talented as ever, but I don’t think I knew what to make of Kevin performing naked at a Las Vegas show with porn running behind him (backstage at an Apples show, Bill Doss was laughing about my hesitant blog post on that particular news item – who’d have thought, he said, that it would be Kevin Barnes rocking out naked?). I hung on as long as I could, and faithfully saw the band live whenever they came to town, but my feelings for the band had slipped into a kind of distant admiration. These were good albums – and don’t get me wrong, I love Bowie, Eno, etc. – but I didn’t play Hissing Fauna and the later albums very often. As the band progressed to playing on Letterman, I still found I preferred their earlier material, and retained fond memories of seeing them perform live in the old band configuration, with handmade animation from David Barnes on a TV behind them in accompaniment, and shows that were well attended but in more intimate spaces. My sweet spot was Satanic Panic in the Attic, made right before they began their transformation. And that, too, meant I was probably not the right guy to be running their website anymore.

The following was originally posted on Optical Atlas on May 20, 2006. Thanks very much to Bryan for his blessing in reposting this here!

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The Late B.P. Helium is the band and stage name of Bryan Poole, the former Elf Power bassist who currently tours with his old friend Kevin Barnes and the rest of of Montreal. He’s also played with Olivia Tremor Control, Great Lakes, and numerous other Elephant 6 bands from the Athens area. After Elf Power‘s The Winter is Coming, B.P. left the band to pursue his solo project, issuing a few scattered singles and compilation appearances before releasing the EP Kumquat Mae, first as a tour-only CD-R in 2002 while touring with The Visitations, then as a slightly different CD on Hype City and Orange Twin Records. A full-length CD, Amok, followed in 2004 on Orange Twin, which received positive notice from the likes of The Onion and Splendid Magazine, which called the album “a rich and varied assortment, full of polished, sophisticated sounds and cool little details.”

While B.P. appears on the latest Elf Power album, Back to the Web (he rejoined the band briefly for a tour a few years ago), he’s still serving with of Montreal, only recently taking a break from that band’s rigorous tour schedule by vacationing in Germany. Soon it’s off to work again: he’s preparing a new album, and will tour in July across Canada as The Late B.P. Helium, then join of Montreal onstage at Lollapalooza 2006 and a tour through the States with The Minders. And sometime later this year, Waikiki Records in Japan will release a Late B.P. Helium compilation, featuring tracks from his catalog both familiar and unreleased. From Berlin, he took the time to send along some snapshots, exclusive MP3s, and his thoughts on the conception and recording of 6 songs from his catalog. Optical Atlas got to choose the songs. B.P. was gracious enough to accept the choices, and to provide revealing demos and alternate takes of some of the tracks.

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1) First, let’s talk about “The Ballad of Johnny Rad.” There are actually two versions of this, one on the Kumquat Mae tour CD-R (the “preamble”) and the version on Amok.

Ya know, I’m not so certain that the versions are that different. Did I put the demo on the tour EP? I can’t remember. Ha! [OA: Yes, the tour CD has the demo.] If so, the demo was more straight up rockin’.

Ed Livingood, my old roommate and one half of Jucifer, played the drums. The Amok version owes its main riffage to Ben Crum [Great Lakes]. Ben really added the spark there. Then I had Doug Stanley [The Glands] add some texture and the middle eight solo. Who is Johnny Rad? An old skate punk friend of mine named Benji used to have this persona called “Johnny Rad.” He’d put a suit on with shades and go to shows and just stand there silently. He would never speak, but would try to look stupidly cool. He was a kind performance art character. I kind of morphed the character into a clueless poseur. He’s a guy who wants this cool persona, but is really insecure, gutless and grasping at thin air.

The Ballad of Johnny Rad (Queen Salad Demo)
This was the first demo I made. Well, maybe second…anyways, Ed Livingood is playing the drums.

The Ballad of Johnny Rad (Early Practice)
Ooo…the sounds of a band version coming together…

The Ballad of Johnny Rad (Vocalese Mix)
I made a completely different version with different vocal melodies etc. in this vocal only mix; all of the vocals are placed at random. I like it. 🙂

The Ballad of Johny Rad (Preamble – Tour CD Version)

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2) “Candy for Everyone.” I admit I like the backwards talk and the overall kazoo-like sound.

I wrote this on a tour with The Visitations in 2002 I believe. Candy=Love. And love is what? The physical, hedonistic side and also the deeper one at the core. I wanted to write something a bit positive like a Sly and the Family Stone song. So ya know…love is all around. I really identified with the phrase and idea, “I stand in love.” And I like to add to that the word “now!” Derek [Almstead/Elf Power] is playing the funky bassline. Dottie [Alexander/of Montreal] some “vintage keys.” Casper [Fandango/Casper & the Cookies], Eric [Harris/Olivia Tremor Control] and myself had lot of fun doing the kazoo solos.

Candy for Everyone (Early Mix)
This was an early mix before I added the “she’s gonna love” break and the backwards stuff. The vocal is a “scratch vocal.” That means I did it just to have a vocal to work with. I didn’t think it was going to be the used for the final vocal! Here it is unedited.

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3) “They Broke the Speed of Light.” My favorite of your work.

This song is one of many I have where I’m looking for what I feel I’ve lost. It’s the deep, dark, sad part of me. And it’s the reason I call myself “The Late B.P. Helium.” I felt so god-like as a child. I really believed that I had special powers and insight. I was emboldened. I used to have “tricks” to put myself into trances where time seemed to race. I’d ponder and concentrate and achieve what now seem to have been out of body experiences.

I was über confident. But of course, as puberty hit and nerdom arose and the torture of social interactions deteriorated my confidence, I slowly lost this grand light. Also, around the time I was 18, I was put on a medication I was told was for depression. Later in my mid-twenties I found out it was for people whose minds are racing. I’ve never felt the same since. I can’t concentrate the way I used to. And that realm inside my head seems but a memory.

The title refers to a story I heard on NPR about scientists being able to freeze light and also to accelerate light past the known limit. It seemed fitting. The drums on the original were played again by old roommate, Ed Livingood. I was trying to help Adrian Finch [Masters of the Hemisphere] record some songs and he came up with the drumbeat, but neither of us could play it. So I grabbed Ed and he bashed out this beat. Adrian ditched the song. I stole the drum bit for myself and wrote the song. I find beats are a door to different songs for me. Drones are another door.

They Broke the Speed of Light (Original Version)
This appeared on HHBTM’s Happy Happy Birthday To Me compilation, volume 2. Ed Livingood is playing the drums. I love playing the moog!

They Broke the Speed of Light (The Longest Journey Mix)
A 13 minute version! Are you prepared to take the journey? I thought this was way too indulgent and made a shorter version for the album. I think I could’ve chopped off some more!

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4) “Raisa Raisa.” Because the fans would kill me if I didn’t bring it up.

“Raisa Raisa” is based on a true story I heard on NPR early one Sunday morning. While I was driving around Athens, I heard the story of Raisa, a mail-order bride from the Siberian coast. Her family was paid a fair amount and Raisa was whisked away to Oklahoma with her new husband, a Vietnam vet. For two years, Raisa was trapped inside this man’s home. She was not allowed to leave the house, not allowed to learn English. He beat her. Once he separated her shoulder and refused to take her to the hospital. Eventually, she found a way to escape this man. I was extremely touched by her story and decided to write a song for her that morning.

I feel I didn’t really get her message across in the song. It seems a bit of a failure to me. When we play it live, I take on the character on the Vietnam vet. I become very violent and misogynistic. I think I’ve confused most audiences with this. Matt Dawson [of Montreal] regularly regales people with the story of me playing this song at a BreastFest benefit. It was at about 5pm in the afternoon. Little kids are running around with their moms and grandmoms. And then I launch into my Vietnam vet character. And there is shock in the room. Ask Matt about it. He paints the picture well. Anyways so Raisa’s elders come and mourn for her loss. Those are the old men in the middle section. And the song ends. Blah blah… (smirk)

In the NPR story, Raisa has a new boyfriend and works at Wal-Mart. I didn’t include that part. But hey, that’s part of the American dream, yeah? (wink)

Raisa Raisa (Siberia to Oklahoma Mix)
This was a possible mix for a while. The lapping water is the lull of the Siberian shoreline. Then the wind picks up and the sounds of the Siberian canning factory come in…Raisa’s plane flight to Oklahoma…and then Oklahoma is chopped up and made disorienting. I also wanted to have the sound of Raisa being attacked and thrown against a wall…not in this version. Casper thought it was too scary. 🙂

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5) “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long.” Did you resurrect George to play for you? It’s amazing how you capture that famous Harrison guitar.

Casper and I busted this one out very quickly. I needed a song for the EP and we finished this one in about a day and a half. Casper actually had to coach me away from sounding even more Georgey. The slide solo’s about 2/5 me and 3/5 Casper. It was like 4 or 5 in the morning and I was muffing this one bit and just made Casper finish it. He thought his were bad too, but then we were heard them together we were kind of stunned. It sounded pretty darn good! So yeah, the slide guitars are doubled.

That was a lot of fun and I think that recorded song alone has convinced a lot of people to record with Casper at his studio. I hope so at least!

Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long (George Harrison cover – Kumquat Mae version)

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6) “Chant for the Birth of a Rising Sun.”

This one has its genesis with me being infatuated with Tom Waits‘ The Black Rider. I love this album. There’s a song near the end called ‘”Oily Night” which is just percussive beating on bones with bones and the dark chant of “oily night.” So I decided to make something similar. I was living with Andy Baker [The Glands] at the time and just picked up every instrument in the house and just started making noise with it. A few days later I think John [Fernandes, Olivia Tremor Control] came over and we did an overdub where he plays an African water drum. I have a couple of OTC credits playing this thing. It used to be my ace in the hole for freakouts.

Anyways, luckily John wanted to make a mix for himself to possibly use it for the Black Swan Network or whatever. My master cassette disappeared and it was only years later that John found his mix copy. I wish my screeching violin was louder, but I’m just happy this exists. It needs a good editing I think though.

Chant for the Birth of a Rising Sun (from U.S. Pop Life Vol. 10)

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June 1, 2015May 31, 2015

Optical Atlas Interviews: Great Lakes, of Montreal, Dressy Bessy, Marshmallow Coast, Elf Power

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When I first started Optical Atlas, it was just a MySpace page! I started reaching out to Elephant 6 artists for interviews, and when Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo agreed, I quickly realized that it was a bit embarrassing to just post his interview on MySpace, and that I should set up a proper blog. Most of my early interviews with those in and around the E6 collective were in the format of “6 Questions With…” Since I didn’t live in Athens, Lexington, Brooklyn, etc., and didn’t have a landline (thus, no phone interviews at first), it seemed easier to just provide someone with 6 questions over email. Any more than that might seem like homework. With just 6 questions – often not very good questions, because I was new at the game – the rest was in the hands of the artist. Some responded with very brief answers, and I found that my format gave me no room for follow-up. Others had either the time or the inclination to respond in greater detail, like the 2006 Bill Doss interview I posted last Friday. Regardless, I was thrilled to be interacting with musicians I had followed for many years. And, as it turned out, many would become advocates and supporters of Optical Atlas, none more than Robert Schneider, who would even contribute a theme song for the site…but more on that later. Here are some “6 Questions With” responses from the early Optical Atlas days. I’ll post more, including Robert’s, in the days ahead.

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Ben Crum/Great Lakes: March 15, 2006

Great Lakes has hit its tenth anniversary. The band–Ben Crum and Dan Donahue–formed in 1996 in Athens, although Ben and Dan had known each other since high school. As a trio (with Jamey Huggins from of Montreal), they released a self-titled first album during Kindercore’s peak period, an album that still stands out as one of the most distinguished in that label’s catalog, an addictive selection of psychedelic pop songs that flow together cohesively. Their sophomore album (released on Orange Twin around the time of Kindercore’s collapse), The Distance Between, collected singles, rarities, and cover songs, and has a greater emphasis on rock, notably on the energetic “Sister City” and the extended jam that closes the album, “Conquistadors.” The band has since relocated to Brooklyn, and are about to release an eagerly-anticipated third album, Diamond Times. Ben Crum agreed to answer 6 questions about the new album, his creative relationship with Dan, and an aloof painting.

1) All I know about your new album is that Empyrean is releasing it this year. I’m curious who appears on the record and how the music compares with your previous work.

These people appear on the new album: Dottie Alexander, Jeff Baron, Kevin Barnes, Tim Barnes, Dave Carey, Matt Crowe, Anne Cunningham, BP Helium, Jamey Huggins, Jay Israelson, Heather McIntosh, Gary Olson, Brian Slattery, Matt Stoessel, Jeff Winesett, and Chris Ziter.

The main difference in “who played what” with this album is that Jeff Baron [The Essex Green] played probably 2/3 of the lead guitar on the record. In the past that would have been pretty much 99% me. I like his playing a lot and I think it gives the record a more “accomplished” sound.

But as to how the record sounds stylistically–with the first record I was going for something more 60s pop and more psychedelic, but with this one I tried to make it more organic and natural sounding. Or, I didn’t so much try as it was just a natural thing for me.

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2) Can you describe how you and Dan became involved with Elephant 6, and your thoughts on the collective in general?

Well, we were living in Athens, in the midst of all that stuff. And we just fell in with that. It fit with what we were doing and we were influenced by it at the same time. It was hard not to be. Plus Robert Schneider helped mix our first record, and he was a big proponent of having us “on the team” or whatever. But I don’t think Great Lakes has ever been considered a true Elephant 6 band by your average die-hard Elephant 6 fan, or even by those of us in the band.

3) How does your collaboration with Dan work? On your last album, he’s credited for the lyrics, while you have lead vocals, so I’m wondering how clear-cut are the boundaries when you’re assembling the music.

Well, Dan is purely a lyricist. He doesn’t really write or play music, or sing. We’re both 32 now, and we’ve been writing songs together since we were 16. Half our lives. He writes lyrics and I put them to music. Sometimes I’ll bring him a piece of music and he’ll write lyrics for it, or vice versa. But these days we’ll hang out and he’ll show me some lyrics he’s come up with and I’ll try to put them to music on the spot, with him there. We’ve realized over the years that that tends to work best for us. That way we can communicate during the process. I don’t necessarily like to talk to him too much about what the lyrics “mean.” Or what he means by them. I find it’s better for me to sing them from a personal interpretation. That way it means something for him, for me, and for the listener–which may all be the same, or may be totally different.

4) How long do you work on a song before you know it’s finished?

I feel like the music I write that I like the most usually comes really fast. And a lot of times the lyrics too. But, also, there have been many times when Dan was revising and editing right up to the moment when I recorded the vocal. So it varies.

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5) “Virgl” is one of my favorite Great Lakes songs, so indulge me. I remember on the old Kindercore website there was an actual Virgl painting shown, which the song describes perfectly. Which came first, and can you talk about the origins of the song, if not the production, which seems pretty elaborate?

Dan bought that painting at a flea market and we all just flipped out about it. It hung in our house on Ruth Street for a long time. That song is the one Great Lakes song which Jamey Huggins wrote the music for. He and Dan collaborated on the lyrics. I think Jamey had been working on that music for a long time, stringing all the parts together. He was always writing these long, epic pieces of music, and he never really finished them or made real recordings of a lot of them. I’m glad we got this one down, though.

Production-wise, that was done right at the end of the first album. I’d been using a TASCAM 38 8-track, but towards the end of recording the first album we added a beautiful-sounding TEAC 40-4 reel-to-reel 4-track to the studio. By the time we were recording “Virgl” we’d gotten pretty good at experimenting with compression and with hitting the tape at certain levels to get certain sounds during the submixing process. I think it shows in that recording.

6) The Distance Between has a number of cover songs, which span a wide variety of music; is this a fair glimpse of your influences? Certainly the band reminds me of the Zombies.

Yeah, there are three covers on there. I just recorded some songs I liked because Dan and I weren’t writing a lot of songs at that time. I guess they do say something about our influences. The Bee Gees I like a lot. I’ve always liked the Linda Ronstadt version of that Michael Nesmith song [“Some of Shelley’s Blues”]. And, yes, the Zombies were definitely a big influence. But my biggest influence is probably The Band. I’m not sure you always hear it in the music, but it’s there. It’s mostly a feel thing.

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Dottie Alexander/of Montreal: March 16, 2006

Dottie Alexander is the resident keyboardist at of Montreal.

1) How did you initially become involved with of Montreal?

of Montreal initially began as a 3 piece in 1997 with Kevin (of course), Derek Almstead on drums, and Bryan Poole on bass. In ’98 Bryan left to play full-time with Elf Power (he’s since made his glorious return to us) and Derek moved to bass. The band’s sound was expanding a bit and Kev needed someone to play keyboards as well as a new drummer. Jamey and I were playing shows around Athens as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly which was just the two of us on drums and keyboards. Not only were we a ready-made package deal, but we were so darn cute back then! The two of us joined up to play this big E6 festival thing in Florida and never looked back.

2) Has anything interesting happened on the most recent tour that you’d like to share?

Well, something interesting happens every day, but what sticks out? Hmm…Matt Dawson knocked himself out stage diving in Virginia. That’s kind of interesting. I saw the world’s largest hairball in the basement of a monastery in Oregon. It was cut from the stomach of a 300 pound pig. That was interesting as well.

3) What are your thoughts on the band’s increasing popularity of late?

Well, it’s all a bit hard to process at the moment. (I’m writing this from SXSW.) Of course it’s great to see so many people at the shows–it’s just not fully sunken in yet.

4) Which do you prefer, performing live or recording?

Both, but if I had to choose I’d say performing live.

5) Barbara Walters-style personal, probing question: Your MySpace blog mentions that you recently tried to quit smoking; how’s that going?

Terrible. Smoking right now, actually.

6) When do we get a My First Keyboard album?

Hmmm. Never? Yeah. Probably never. (But thanks for asking.)

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Tammy Ealom/Dressy Bessy: April 18, 2006

Tammy Ealom is the lead singer/songwriter of Dressy Bessy, the Denver-based band that’s been rocking indie pop fans since their debut EP in 1997. Four albums later, the band’s received considerable exposure and wide critical acclaim. The band’s most recent album is Electrified, released on Transdreamer Records.

1) What’s next for Dressy Bessy? Is a new album in the works, or anything else on the horizon?

Yeah, I’ve been demoing new songs for the past eight months or so. We’re looking at possibly releasing an EP in the fall, new album 2007! Until then, on and off touring…we head to the U.K. and Sweden next week, can’t wait!

2) What was it like to play Late Night with Conan O’Brien, versus playing any other venue? Anything interesting happen?

Playing Conan was awesome…very different than playing a club. (1) You show up at the studio around 9am…wait around a bit…sound check…wait around a bit more and then boom one shot and you’re done. (2) It’s not everyday that you play a song six feet away from Max Weinberg and his band. 🙂

3) When looking back at the history of the band, has the approach to the music or the focus of the band ever shifted? In other words, do you see the band as having gone through any significant changes that affected the music?

Only that we’ve become a better BAND over the years; it takes time for a group to really get to know what makes each other tick and to respect/accept each person’s role in the band…we’ve had our ups and downs over the past eight or so years, but I can truly say we are better than ever, musically & personally! 🙂 True love always ~ long live DB!

4) You’ve provided some amazing artwork for the albums; have you had any training and have you always been interested in art?

Yeah, I often say I’m more into crafts and that the main reason I began writing songs was so I could start a band and make band-related stuff…paper, scissors, glue…Photoshop has been a blessing for my busybody ways as well. I always HAVE to be doing/making something whether it be writing/recording music, cutting pasting paper, sewing a new trim onto a new dress, crocheting or transforming photographs. I blame my mother for this, she’d always involve me in her crafts as a kid…yay, mom! (I became interested in photography some fourteen years ago and made a living shooting fashion for eleven…I still shoot tons for the band.)

5) I understand you make and sell your own clothing, correct? Can you explain what it is you do?

I collect/wear vintage 60’s/70’s clothing and have for years. Due to lack of space and constantly buying things that don’t quite fit, I decided to start an eBay shop…I’ll take a longish thrift store granny dress, cut it off into a spunky mini and use the remaining fabric for a matching hat, belt etc. I haven’t had much time for this sort of thing lately, but hope to get back into it soon.

6) What was the inspiration for the “Electrified” music video?

We just wanted something simple, colorful and fun shot within John and my living room. It was a blast!

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Andy Gonzales/Marshmallow Coast: March 15, 2006

Andy Gonzales is behind Marshmallow Coast, which has crossed three labels, five albums and numerous singles with a very particular mix of melody and absurdist humor. After moving to Athens, Andy joined of Montreal for an extended period, while still putting out solo work to a growing circle of fans, and even, for a certain time, writing and recording songs on commission for anyone who wanted a personalized Marshmallow Coast song. While his once-prolific output has slowed down a bit as he’s entered nursing school, he recently launched a new project with Derek Almstead, Sara Kirkpatrick, Emily Growden, and Carlton Owens: M Coast, the first album from which will be called Say it in Slang.

1) Why did you decide to turn the Marshmallow Coast into the M Coast?

Well, after five albums with marginal success, you gotta try tweaking things a little bit! I have been thinking about changing the name forever, and this will have the least amount of confusion. I am thinking about putting on the CD “M (marshmallow) Coast.” Also, having Emily singing and Derek singing kinda makes it a different thing all together.

2) Although you’ve collaborated in the past, Marshmallow Coast has always seemed like your solo project. How has the creative process changed now that that there are multiple perspectives shaping a song?

Well, I started out doing another Andy record, and I was really happy with that. THEN! Derek started laying the pressure on me big time, he was all like, “Andy, man, let’s put our records together (’cause he was already making his own masterpiece). And I was like, “Dude, that’s your shit and this is my shit, you don’t mix shit.” Then he was all like, “well, either you take my songs or I delete the files for your record!” and I guess that’s what won me over…

It is nice, because in the future, we can just put about six great songs on there apiece and make a whole record rather than having to rack my brain to write more. Derek and I have always thought along the same lines; even though we occasionally butt heads, it has always worked out. I also want to say that it was great having input from Sara, Emily, and Derek with stuff like lyrics, because I would have an almost complete section, and they added nice touches that worked well. This is also the first time Sara has helped mix, and she made excellent suggestions; we just need to get more Emily input, which I think will come once she feels more a part of it all.

3) Please spill all you can about the Bizarre Classical album, of which I know very little.

Well, this is essentially an instrumental record. It is comprised largely of the songs Derek wrote for his solo record, that we couldn’t fit on Say it in Slang. I had some instrumentals too, and I need to record more because now it is largely Derek’s stuff. I think Cloud Records is releasing it, and they are 100% respect. Basically, I have been away from the game for a couple of years, and Derek is making his big debut, so we are just trying to get all the music that has been stockpiling out there. I also want to add that I have been bugging Derek for years to release his stuff, so I am very excited in that regard.

4) Pitchfork recently posted a long list of “bad” album covers, and a number of your fans took umbrage when Ride the Lightning made the list. Please vent.

There’s not much to say. I wish they enjoyed our stuff, because it is high quality musicianship. Really, I don’t believe having bad press hurts you. The simple fact that you mention them in your interview says that they are an influental website, so I hope they will review the new CD. The funny thing is that they didn’t even review Ride the Lightning, probably because they kind of liked it! Clearly, it is taking time for M Coast and my sense of humor to reach certain people. I don’t think anyone out there writes songs like mine, and I would think that they would pick up on that.

5) Will your earlier, out of print albums be reissued anytime soon?

Well, to the best of my knowledge Happy Happy Birthday to Me will be doing this. It is a strange case, because in a sense I had to grow up in front of an audience. Did I know what I was doing as a teenager, recording wise? No. But I put it out there, and can only hope that people will look at the whole spectrum. Though, I do have a desire to re-record Seniors and Juniors using better gear, while keeping it faithful note for note. If George Lucas can do it…
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6) Who and what is Ice Bunny?

That is my comic character that I am working on. He was a normal (talking, human-like) rabbit who got changed into something akin to Ice Man (because I always liked him). I am selling issue 1 on my website, and I have written #2 but am still working on the art. I like comics…

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Andrew Rieger/Elf Power: August 29, 2006

Andrew Rieger has fronted the folk/psychedelic/rock band Elf Power since 1993, when he was a student at the University of Georgia. Through eight albums and a handful of singles and EPs, the band has become a staple representative of Elephant 6, and appropriately Andrew has appeared on albums by Olivia Tremor Control, of Montreal, Fablefactory, Circulatory System, and others. While Elf Power‘s classic When the Red King Comes is a concept album set in another world, most of their work is straightforward rock and roll with dream-like lyrics, and albums such as A Dream in Sound, The Winter is Coming, and Walking with the Beggar Boys have garnered considerable critical acclaim. Elf Power‘s most recent releases are Treasures from the Trash Heap, a tour-only rarities compilation covering the band’s entire history, and Back to the Web, of which the Onion A.V. Club wrote, “Rieger surrounds images from nature and recalled dreams with compact, layered folk-pop songs that mingle joy and fear in equal measure…he proves the band’s ability to thrive with age.” In anticipation of the band’s massive tour this fall of the East Coast and Midwest, and fresh off an appearance on the children’s TV show Pancake Mountain, Rieger submitted himself to Optical Atlas’ 6-question interview.

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1) How did the Pancake Mountain appearance go, and what can we expect when we see what was taped?

It was a blast…we acted out some skits with the kids, had a dance party, went swimming, lots of little kids jumping around going apeshit, twas a good ol’ time! Not sure when the show will be airing…

2) You also shot a video for “All the World is Waiting” this year, and it’s terrific work. Basically two very long takes, and in the second take, it looks like the camera is attached at your waist. Is there anything you can tell us about the shooting?

It was done by our friends Nick Canada and Jay Nakashi. Nick has done a lot of our videos over the years, and I think we all agree this is the best one. It was shot in our friend Jeremy Ayers’ garden, with lots of friends assuming various guises and characters. To get the wobbly psychedelic look we lip-synched to the song running at a much faster speed than normal, then slowed down the tape.

3) Your songs often center around dream imagery, either explicitly referenced or just dreamlike and stream-of-consciousness. Do you ever actually describe dreams you’ve had in song, or is it just a recurring Elf Power theme?

Some actual dreams make appearances. The other night I had a dream that I was riding a giant crocodile around like a surfboard; don’t know if that one will make it to tape or not. I’ve also been having more lucid dreams lately where I realize I’m dreaming and take control…usually involves flying or pursuing otherwordly nymphs.

4) Whose idea was it for the artwork of Back to the Web? It seems to be a collage-tour through Elf Power‘s past. And is there any photo or drawing of the bunch that you’d like to draw our attention to?

That was my idea that Henry Owings helped me to realize. There’s lots of friends and icons from our past. Inside cover, bottom middle square is a hitchhiker we picked up in Nashville years ago. He was a crazed-looking 7-foot-tall hippie freak who went by the name of “Big Bird” and who was jumping trains and travelling all over the country. We were travelling in a Winnebago at that time and we took him in for about an 8-hour ride and had many wild and grand discussions. We’ve always hoped he’d resurface at a show, but alas we’ve never seen him again.

5) I’d like to ask about some side projects. First, according to Sloan Simpson you recently played with Will Cullen Hart and John Fernandes at Heather McIntosh’s AUX festival as Vortex of Withering, correct? Can you describe what Vortex of Withering is, and if you’ve played together in this incarnation before?

Vortex of Withering is an impov free-form heavy noise jam that Will and I get together every few years…I think this was our 4th performance in the last 10 years!

6) Would you describe how you became involved with the Major Organ and the Adding Machine album? It seems like the album was an experiment to have various members of the “Elephant 6 Orchestra” write songs for others, sing others’ songs, or play around with tracks that others had recorded, but there’s a cloud of mystery over the project. One thing’s for certain–that’s you singing on “Francisco’s Victory”!

I’m not at liberty to discuss the inner workings of the Major’s body of work, but I will tell you that the Major Organ movie is coming soon and it will be a twisted masterpiece…and Francisco will be seen in all his glory and splendor!

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