Sunday Service: Phonograph
February 2007, (para)Normal, IL:
Phonograph spend an overnight with bassist John Davis's friend, Scott Callan, a local music engineer. Callan and his wife reside in the back half of a haunted house on temporary watch. (Today is October 28th. Go ahead and accuse me of festivity.) The front half of the property is now a museum with "all the furnishings typical of your 20-something recording engineer... 600 year old Persian rugs, religious texts over 1000 years old... you know, that sort of thing," John says. The museum-residence was the childhood home of Adlai Stevenson, who ran for President against Eisenhower in 1952 and again in '56. (If I fail to provide you with a ghost story, acknowledge this creepy fact about America that acutely haunts us today: Stevenson lost by a landslide in both elections. He was popularly ridiculed for being too intelligent). The museum houses artifacts including furniture rumored to have been used by Abraham Lincoln. Upon entering the mansion, visitors are greeted by an early 20th-century Hiawatha Victrola. Herein lies the title of Phonograph's currently released EP: Hiawatha Talking Machine.
Lisa: Rumor has it Scott Callan was temporarily dwelling in a haunted house when you stayed with him. How long were you there? In what ways does that place/experience inform the songs on Hiawatha Talking Machine?
John: We were only there for one night, but the contents of the house and the decor and vibe had a lot to do with the direction of the EP. Aesthetically speaking, the house was half museum and half house... so being around a contemporary living space that happened to share the roof with a weird haunted museum definitely affected us recording the songs. The contrast between new and old and urban and rural is a source of much inspiration for the band.
Lisa: Any occurrences while you were there that one could construe as proof of the supernatural?
John: Scott did tell us that the house is haunted, however, we didn't see or hear anything that couldn't be blamed on the three cats and one rabbit.
Lisa: I have to ask. What was it like the first time you opened up for Wilco? How long did it take to settle into playing with such distinguished musicians?
John: The first time opening for Wilco was amazing. We had already met and hung out with John Stirratt, but pulling up our little black 15 passenger rental van between their two 65 foot tour buses was totally surreal. They are all wonderful people, and it didn't take long to feel like we were just hanging out with old friends. As far as opening for them, it was a bit intimidating hearing their first sound-check and being blown away at how good they sounded and realizing we had to set up and play when they were done.... But it went really well, and everyone had a great time. Playing opposite such a great band of talented musicians is inspiring, and meeting really nice people is even better.
Lisa: You guys blew up fast. Your first self-titled LP,
John: Well... I don't know that I would call it 'success'... We all still have to work hard at jobs to make ends meet! But, it has been really great to receive a bunch of positive reinforcement for our first record. The first record was recorded very early in the band's career. It was only weeks before we started tracking that the lineup for that album was solidified. We worked really hard on that one... We recorded it over about a month in my apartment. It was a really wonderful surprise to receive as much praise as we did for that record, but I don't think it has affected our creative process, other than making us want to make a much better product each time we record. Hiawatha Talking Machine was, in contrast to the LP, much more of a live affair, with most of the tracks performed live together. I think that our basic writing process will remain the same: someone has a nice simple song, and then we deconstruct and extrapolate it together into something greater.
Lisa: How did your CMJ show at Fontana's in NYC go this week?
John: It was fun... CMJ is kind of a nightmare, with thousands of bands from all over America you've never heard of wandering around the Lower East Side really drunk trying to look cool.... But we had a good set and it is always fun to play.
Lisa: Are you guys native New Yorkers?
John: None of us are natives... Matt is from Maryland, I am from Connecticut, Abe is from Pennsylvania, Dave is from Idaho and Phil is from Iowa.
Lisa: Do you still reside in Brooklyn?
John: Dave and Abe live in Williamsburgh, Phil lives in Bushwick, I live in Greenpoint and Matt lives in Lower Manhattan.
Lisa: You play The Mercury Lounge on Oct. 30th. Have you played that venue before?
John: We have played there a few times. Mercury is always a great time. The stage is great, the sound is great, the staff is great... definitely the best medium sized venue in NYC.
Lisa: Do you have a favorite venue?
John: There are so many venues that we have had a great time at all over the country, so it is hard to pick a 'favorite'... The Living Room is great, Mercury is great, The Hideout in Chicago is great, Paradise in Boston is great... Rock and Roll Hotel in D.C.... The list goes on and on... Picking any one venue as a favorite makes me feel as though I am putting down all the others, so... We have lots of favorites!
Lisa: Before you get back to NYC for shows at Crash Mansion in late November and The Living Room in December, you'll be touring throughout the Midwest. Any expectations? Have you played those regions before?
John: We have had a few really great Midwestern tours. Our take on Americana seems to resonate with music fans out there really well, particularly in the greater Chicago area. This tour will be a bit different as it will be strictly a duo tour featuring Matt and Phil, supporting Backyard Tire Fire. We had a great time hanging out with the BTF guys at the Wanee Festival in Florida last year, and I am sure that Matt and Phil will have way too much fun and get our music out to a new audience.
Lisa: At your current live shows are you playing a lot of the songs off your new EP?
John: Yeah, we have been playing all of the songs from the new EP for a while now... We tend to spend a bit of time 'road testing' new material before it gets released, so people who have heard us in the last year or so will definitely recognize some of the songs from the shows.
Lisa: Did Matt (Matthew Welsh) write all the songs?
John: All of the Phonograph material is pretty much a five way collaboration. Usually any given song will be brought to the table by one member, but we will all work together on the parts and arrangement. It is not uncommon for most of the songs to be almost entirely re-written by the band by the time the songs are played live or recorded. The songs need to be right for everyone in the band before they are right for the public.
Lisa: Any interesting personal background information that informs your unique sound? What is the derivation of those deep Americana roots?
John: I think that the sound we present is a product of our diverse musical history. Matt comes from a rootsy songwriter background but has also played in spacey shoegaze bands. Abe, Dave, and I went to music school for jazz and have all been involved in different styles like country, electronica, dance music and indie rock, and Phil studied classical percussion. However, I think that we all share a love of classic rock and folk music and try to incorporate our different experiences into the 'Phonograph' sound.
Lisa: How do your songs break new ground over time as you play them for audiences?
John: We are an improvisational band, so all the songs keep evolving and growing over time. We perform the songs from the LP with lots of new nuances and parts that have been developed on the road.
Lisa: Your sound thus far, though dynamic, is distinct. Are you aware of any influences or interests that, in the relative newness of your band, you've yet to explore?
John: There are just too many things.... I think we all have a ton of things that we like that are just waiting for the right song to come out in the music.... Personally, I have been listening to a ton of dub reggae and psych, but there is no telling how that will manifest itself in our music.
tour schedule, contacts and info available at phonographny.com and myspace.com/phonographny.
