Tag

Q&A

A Q&A With Clint Black

Clint Black has reasons to celebrate this holiday season. Not only is he on a Christmas tour with his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, but he’s celebrating his first theatrical musical, a new album (“The Clint Black Christmas Collection”) and the 30th anniversary of his chart-topping hit “Killin’ Time.”

Black is a member of country’s music’s fabled Class of ‘89, reaching No. 1 with five consecutive singles from his triple-platinum debut, “Killin’ Time.” He wrote or co-wrote every one of his more than three dozen chart hits, including “A Better Man,” “Where Are You Now,” “ When My Ship Comes In,” “A Good Run of Bad Luck,” “Summer’s Comin’,” “Like the Rain” and “Nothin’ But the Tailights.”

The Grammy Award-winning country music icon has sold more than 20 million records, earned more than a dozen gold and platinum awards in the U.S. and Canada, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Earlier this month, the musical “Looking for Christmas” opened at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Based on music from his 1995 Christmas album of the same title, Black penned a few new songs for the show and worked with James D. Sasser on writing the storyline for the musical. It’s about a military family, loyalty and the magic of Christmas. In the play, Staff Sgt. Mike Randolf returns from Afghanistan and home to his family. But before Mike can open his heart to the joy and spirit of the season, he must make peace with the past and let go of the ghosts of the battlefield. The show continues at the Old Globe through Dec. 31, and Black hopes to take it on the road next year.

More locally, “A Clint Black Christmas” concert tour stops for two shows at The Event Center at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, in Charles Town, West Virginia. Shows are 9 p.m. Dec. 7 and 8 p.m. Dec. 8. Tickets are $45 to $90. Lisa Hartman Black will join him for these two shows.

We caught up with the busy singer/songwriter (and funny guy!) via email this week for an interview:

Frederick Playlist: Last time we “talked” was in March, before your concert in Frederick, which, by the way, was a great show! Now you are bringing “A Clint Black Christmas” to The Event Center at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town. And you will be joined by your lovely wife, Lisa Hartman Black. Give us a snapshot of what this show is like. Do you also work in some of your many country music hits?

Clint Black: It will be mostly hits. We haven’t rehearsed the show yet, so I can’t give much of a snapshot. We will do a bit of the Christmas collection and Lisa will join me on our duets. We also expect to have worked out something special for Lisa to do, solo.

Frederick Playlist: Your holiday musical, “Looking for Christmas,” recently debuted in San Diego. How was it received? When does the national tour launch?

CB: The national tour launches next holiday season. The reception has been great. It was a wonderful experience all the way through. Reviews have just started coming in and we’re very happy with them.

Frederick Playlist: You wrote the music and lyrics, some from your “Looking for Christmas” (1995) album and some new songs. What inspired you to turn the music into a musical and a book? What’s the storyline?

CB: It’s not actually a “book.” That refers to the spoken words in the show. James Sasser wrote the “book” initially and he and I collaborated on all the rewrites as that took about a year to complete. I have always wanted to do something more with my Christmas collection, and he and I were chatting about my interest in writing something for the theater. That led to a meeting about my “five or so” ideas and one of the them — the Christmas collection — resonated with James. We both have a strong passion for our military families and wanted it to be their story.

Frederick Playlist: What’s your role in the musical’s production? Are you (or will you be) a cast member? What’s the experience of producing a theatrical show been like for you?

CB: I won’t appear in the show, although there is a spot where a jolly bearded man comes on stage and I could sneak into that role here and there! Ha! It’s been an absolute joy to write and produce for the theater. I have had to learn a patience in the process, as it’s different from my routine. I left San Diego after opening night and it was hard to leave. I loved it.

Frederick Playlist: Are you working on any other projects, new music perhaps?

CB: I have some new music recorded and a couple of things to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of “Killin’ Time.” I don’t yet know what shape or timeframe it will all take, but I’m excited to share it all and will be pushing that boulder up the hill next!

Frederick Playlist: Back to the Christmas show. How many years have you done the Christmas tour? Is the stage set for the season, too?

CB: I’ve done them every year with only a few exceptions. We’ll have some decoration, but it’s not a “spectacular” by any means. We just like to go back out in December to give us the reason-of-the-season to play some of the Christmas songs.

Frederick Playlist: What is your favorite part(s) of the Christmas tour show?

CB: This year it will be when Lisa joins us on stage! But I also love singing the Christmas songs. No way to add those in in June!

November 28, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A with Dean Dinning of Toad The Wet Sprocket

written by contributor

Having formed in 1986, Toad The Wet Sprocket has celebrated its share of ups and downs throughout its 30-plus year history. In 1991, the band released “Fear,” which was their first platinum-selling set, and it featured the hits “All I Want” and “Walk On The Ocean.” Success continued for Toad when they released “Dulcinea” in 1994, and the album went Gold. But then in 1998, the quartet broke up, only to reunite in 2006. These days, they pride themselves on touring and they’ll be performing at the Weinberg Center Sunday night at 8 p.m. We caught up with the band’s bassist, Dean Dinning, to talk about Frederick being the last date of the tour, the evolution of the music industry and why they know there are certain songs they can’t afford to not play whenever they hit the road.

This, from what I understand, is going to be the final date of the tour — the Frederick date. Is that accurate?

I think. It’s at the end of our touring for the year, that’s for sure.

You guys are on a break right now, I think. I’m assuming that was done on purpose — you knew you would need a break?

Yeah. We were on the road for five weeks straight and when we go out, we work hard. For guys our age, we work harder than a lot of people do. We do about five shows a week. We work Wednesday through Sunday and generally go dark on Monday and Tuesday. We don’t need hotels very often. We get a sleeper coach, a bus, and we drive overnight. After about five weeks, you’re just about ready to strangle everyone, even though you love them to death. And I’m talking about the fans; I’m not talking about the band (laughs). You come home, you hit the reset button, you go out and do it again. Generally, the shows in the second half are better than the shows in the first half. You can go out there and everything’s all dialed in. We refined the set list over the last month so we know what we’re doing. Yeah, it’ll be great.

Speaking of wanting to strangle people, you guys broke up for a few years. Where are things right now? How has the tour been? What is the state of the band these days?

This has been the best tour we’ve done in years. Everyone is getting along great. We don’t really want to strangle each other. This has been the most pleasant tour in years. We were all kind of surprised when it was over because it just went so well. The reason we broke up back at the end of the ‘90s, we got some bad advice. We didn’t really need to break up; we should have taken a break. It was a bad choice and we recognize that, so we’ve been playing together every year again since 2006. I think we’ve been back together longer than we were together the first time. You know, it’s not a bad experience if you learn something from it.

You said you guys got some bad advice — what was that advice?

We didn’t actually need to break up to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish. We could have taken a couple years off. When we broke up, we lost our record deal. Looking back on it now, we didn’t realize that when you flash-forward to 2018, compact discs wouldn’t be selling anymore. When you think about it, we lost a few years where we could have made some records and actually moved some CDs before the bottom fell out of the music industry.

Boy, I’m glad you said that because I’m really interested in that. Coming back now, compared with when you first started, the industry was so lucrative and as you said, the bottom fell out. What do you think was the biggest contributor? Was it a course-correction? Was it always over-bloated?

I think what happened was that the compact disc format and digital audio in general, after years of LPs and cassettes and eight-tracks and everything else … when people thought that CDs would be the end, and that would be the final thing … well, now, you can hear the music perfectly. So, I’m going to repurchase all my favorite music. If I really, really love it, I’m going to go buy a CD of this, so I’ll have it forever. What no one realized at the time was that CDs would not be the forever format that we thought they would be. I stream things. I have a Spotify Premium account. As someone who works at a studio and is constantly referencing things … there are just huge advantages to that, being able to have your entire library of music on a small mobile device. It’s interesting now because vinyl has made a bit of a comeback and we just remastered and reissued our two most successful records, “Fear” and “Dulcinea,” on vinyl. I went in personally to the guy that we worked with … and we did the whole package. The fans are just flipping out over these vinyl releases. And they really do sound good. People are really enthusiastic about the quality.

I wanted to ask you about that. I know you were pretty involved with the re-releases. Why did you want to do that to begin with and why were you the one to head it up?

I had the relationship with the mastering place. And the reason for that is fairly simple: It was because I lived closest to the place (laughs). So, it was closer for me to drive there than anyone else. We all just hung out and made it a fun day. It took all day to do it because we’d have to cut it on the lay and then go listen to it. In the end, we ended up shortening the time between songs in order to get wider grooves on the whole platter. I learned all kinds of stuff. I guess the main reason why I put myself in charge was because I thought it would be fun (laughs).

You were in a band called Lap Dog?

That was after Toad broke up the first time.

I’m reading a sentence from the Internet: “Dinning quit the band to split his time between recording and producing local music and pursuing his acting career.” I wasn’t aware that you had an acting career. Can you talk a little about that?

It was very brief. It was something I wanted to try because I liked to do character voices. I had friends that talked me into going to a class. And I had taken a lot of improv and a lot of on-camera classes. I just started hanging out in the actor scene in L.A. What I realized was that everyone else I knew was way better at it than I was and I had no business messing around in that area. But I learned a lot of things that I’ve been able to put back into music. When I’m in the studio working with a singer, I handle them a lot like an acting coach would, especially if I’m trying to get them into a certain emotional place for a song. I’m just better at music than I am at acting anyway.

Do you miss acting?

You know, I get to do so much great stuff in other aspects of the film and TV world, so I don’t really miss it. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of post-production work. Scoring, doing songs after the fact, for film and TV. I think that’s more my place.

You had mentioned that the biggest albums you guys put out came in the early ‘90s. That was a very fun time for music. This might be a tough question to nail down, but were there any bands in that era that didn’t get the big break they deserved? Maybe a band you loved that not a lot of people knew about?

Santa Barbara got a lot of attention after we got our record deal. There was a band called Summer Camp — they actually toured with us — and they had a song that was a hit, but it was only a hit overseas. Then, there was Dishwalla, but they managed to get a platinum album. The funny thing about the ‘90s was it seems like it was so much easier to get success then, than it is to get success now. Now, you have to have social media numbers. Think about how much it wasn’t about appearances back then. It was just Pearl Jam going on stage, wearing whatever. Now that everything is so image-based, you can’t really do that. But I’m sure there were some. One of our favorite bands that we ever took out with us was a band called Geggy Tah. And one of the guys in that band was Greg Kurstin, and he’s actually a huge producer now. He wrote “Hello” with Adele. I can’t really say I feel bad for Greg, though, is my point (laughs).

Would you say that now is a better time for music as a whole or was back then a better time?

First, we have to define what a better time means. Is it a better time because anyone can release anything they want? I think there’s a huge problem out there with people releasing things before they’re ready. If we were coming out today, and we made a demo, people would say, “Oh, that’s great, you guys should put that on Spotify or release it on iTunes.” A lot of people didn’t like the old system of A&R and gatekeepers and tastemakers, but now, we still have that, except they are people who curate playlists. Everybody’s focused on how to get their song on certain playlists. The payola that used to be in the music industry — that’s still alive and well. A lot of these playlists that people get on — at least if you’re on a major label — is costing thousands of dollars, just like it cost thousands of dollars to get on certain radio stations back in the day. That type of thing has always been going on. It might be harder and easier to find great music. I can put on a playlist and if I hear something I like, I can add it to a playlist of mine and I can refine my choices. I’m managing to be my age and I’m still hearing new music that excites me every week. But there’s a lot of stuff to wade through. It’s really hard to break through because there’s more stuff now than there was ever before, and a lot of the story is the same: A lot of the stuff that will get noticed is the stuff that has the most money behind it. That’s the way it is.

Do you miss the concept of an album?

I don’t miss the concept of an album. There are certain artists that can definitely pull off an album. The thing is, I’ll hear a single by somebody, and another single and another single. You can’t just drop an album all at once because everything today is about stretching the story out as much as possible. Unless you’re Drake, you drop an album, you throw all 10 songs out there at once. And then a month later, it’s gone. But if you stretch it out … it’s all about telling the story nowadays. If a band gets three great records in a row — I think that’s the hurdle to get over. Then you can have a pretty decent career. For us, we have so many songs right now that we pretty much have to play every night that even if we did put out a new album, we’d only be able to add maybe two or three of those songs to our setlist. When you get to the stage that we’re at, it’s more about the live set than it is making albums. And if you’re lucky, you get to kind of have a show that you get to take around for people. It’s more about how the songs fit together in terms of what you’re presenting every night. For us right now, a song would have to be pretty darn great to be able to make it into the live set because it’s like, “what song are you willing to lose?” And that becomes a harder and harder question. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be Elton John. I mean, that’s ridiculous. You just have to realize that some people are going to be disappointed every night and that’s the way it is. But to bring it back around … no one will be disappointed at our show!

September 26, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A with Kim Schifino of Matt and Kim

written by contributor

Sure, Saturday night’s Summer Sessions concert series installment at Flying Dog Brewery is sold out. But hey: When that show features the always-energetic, ageless and fabulously pumped-up Matt and Kim, we feel it incumbent upon us to at least reach out for at least a few before such an experience comes to town. So, well, we did. Behold five questions with Kim Schifino, the drummer half of the duo, who told us a little about her ACL injury, being in a two-piece band and what kind of beer her and Matt like to drink these days.

I read that you had an ACL injury in the past couple years — how has it been touring again? Are there any issues you’re having with performing?

It feels great to be touring again. That year off was horrible. It felt like we were retired and we hated that feeling. We love playing so it was important to me to go hard in rehab so I was strong when we got back on the stage. I still have half a year till I am 100 percent but Matt thinks I go even harder on stage now.

Who are the three artists we can almost always expect to find on your current playlists and why?

Always TI and Meek Mill. I actually have a pre-show warmup I add to every week on Spotify called “Kim’s pre-show warm up.” It’s what I use to get hyped for a show or just going out!

Do you think it’s easier or harder to be in a two-piece band, and why?

I don’t know any other way. This is the only band I’ve ever been in. It works out really well for us so I would never want to change that.

That in mind, what were some of the biggest inspirations behind your band, putting it together style-wise and also the decision to keep it only between the two of you?

We accidentally started the band. I wanted to learn how to play the drums and Matt had this keyboard he was figuring out. A friend of ours forced us to play a show. We didn’t have a band name so they put us down as Matt and Kim. It all just kind of happened. Matt and I see eye to eye on almost everything, so when working on music, it just comes naturally. We like the same stuff which works when writing because we hardly hate what the other writes.

Finally, you guys are playing Flying Dog. If Flying Dog isn’t your favorite brand of beer, what is, and do you have a specific beer that you like the most?

I drink Budweiser. Matt is more flexible and will drink whatever, but right now he is on a tequila kick!

September 13, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

Inn It For The Kids set for Saturday

written by contributor

For six years running now, the guys in local band Silence The Blind have organized something called Inn It For The Kids, which aims to raise money for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Last year, the event raised more than $12,000 to donate to the Inn. This year, the event will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cafe 611 and will feature everyone from The New Reign to Snipers Of Babel, to, of course, Silence The Blind. We caught up with the band’s leader, Danny Boiko, to ask him what goes into the production of the event, what’s new this year, and who he thinks is can’t-miss at Saturday’s fundraiser.

First, how did Silence The Blind get involved with Inn It For The Kids? Have you played it before?

The members of Silence the Blind are the organizers of the event. This will be our sixth year doing the show, and our fifth year in a row holding the event at Cafe 611 on North Market Street.

What drew you to an event like this, personally? Is there a connection you have to the cause that drew you to the event in the first place?

The idea to do an event benefiting the Children’s Inn at NIH came after our own vocalist, Jae Curtis, had gotten cancer. So we threw an event for him, which was fairly successful. It was a basic thing back then — just bands performing and people coming out to support. Nowadays, there’s a lot more involved with the show, like raffling off professional music gear, incredible artwork — including photography — tattoo gift certificates and more.

That said, did you have a role in putting it together or are you just part of the event as a performer? If you are an organizer, how long have you been involved with the event and what drew you to it in the first place?

Well, basically the four of us in Silence the Blind organize the entire show, acquiring the venue, raffle items, promotion and donations. We all do our part. And we also get a lot of help along the way. It’s a yearlong process. As soon as one show is done, we’re already thinking about how can we grow next year.

Getting to Silence The Blind — what’s up with you guys? Do you have any new material on the horizon? Any plans for the rest of the year?

Yes, we are in the middle of recording our second full-length album. We hope to have it finished and released by the end of this year, or early 2019 at the latest. We also have shows booked September and October in Virginia and December in Baltimore.

Finally, if I could check out only one band outside of yours at Inn It For The Kids, who would you suggest and why?

}Well, I would say that every band in the lineup this year is absolutely top notch. I would put them all against any national act and they would all hold their own. But if I had to pick one, I would say Snipers of Babel. They have incredible songwriting and a tight sound. Multiple vocalists bring different moods throughout each song.

August 8, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A With Tomato Dodgers

written by contributor

Saturday night, what’s up? Well, if you’ve got nothin’, we got somethin’ for you. Not only is it a First Saturday, but a fabulous band called Tomato Dodgers, from the D.C. area, are coming to perform for you — yes, you! — at Cafe Nola. It’s a big band. It’s a crazy band. It’s an amazing band. We recently caught up with the group’s leader, Asher Meerovich, to ask him about how they came together, what his dream tour would be, breaking down in Louisiana, playing Japan and his perception of the Frederick music scene. The fun starts at 9:30 p.m., friends. You wouldn’t want to miss it.

First, how did Tomato Dodgers come together? Whose idea was it to start the band? How long have you been together?

I started Tomato Dodgers in my freshman year at the University of Maryland. I was in the habit of finding scattered musicians across campus and convincing them to all get together and play music. At first, we jammed in the university’s music school practice rooms, but we were kicked out by the staff when they discovered us. Our first show was at a school club talent show; we played three covers and won. I’m ashamed to admit that I wore a fedora at that show, setting a precedent for perplexing wardrobe choices at Tomato Dodgers shows forevermore. We recorded a terrible EP at the student radio station, and paid the engineer with a bag of gummy worms. After a period of initial chaos, I started finding bandmates who were serious about exploring the possibilities that the band presented. Our drummer, Pete, walked by me one day while I was playing guitar outside on the lawn. I met our keyboardist and vocalist Tera in a metametaphysics class. We’ve had a series of bassists who’ve disappeared into the ether or moved to Cleveland. The lineup has shifted over the years, but the current orientation is the one that has traveled the furthest and played the most shows together. It was meant to be that Dylan Hinds joined us on bass after years of running sound for us at house shows, and I found our trumpet player and MC Andrew on the glorious Internet. Others have come and gone, and may come again — I like to think that once a Dodger, always a Dodger. YOU — yes, you — you’re in the band, too, you know.

Who were some of your influences when you were beginning the project? Any band or artist you guys were trying to lean on?

We started off playing a lot of covers — Bill Withers, Cake, Disney songs — so we definitely drew from a combination of earnest rock bands and weirdo ‘90s humor. Pete and I share a love for rhythmic psychedelic music, a-la Phish and TAUK. Tera definitely brought a little more of a songwriter aspect to the table, incorporating a Beatlesy element into an otherwise-confusing musical persona. The covers were a big deal. They helped us stay self-aware and having fun — we never wanted to take ourselves too seriously.

As a player, personally, who are some of your influences?

Frank Zappa, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, John Frusciante. For a solid year, I wanted to learn to play the guitar like a saxophone. Still can’t figure out which part to blow into.

I know you guys do a lot of touring. Is there a crazy tour story you could share that comes to mind?

We started a full-on mud-wrestling fight between people equipped with giant papier-mâché alien arms that we passed into the crowd during our set at an outdoor festival outside St. Louis, Missouri.

Alternatively: We broke down on the side of the highway on the godless stretch between Houston and New Orleans, got towed over a hundred miles, and sought shelter in a tiny Louisiana rest stop on a scorchingly hot day only to discover we’d run out of gas.

Alternatively: We left Jeaux-Phred in Kyoto.

Along those same lines, where are your favorite places to play? Do you have certain cities or venues that stand above the rest?

We had a freaking blast at a festival in West Grey, Ontario, this May — we played in a ghost town in the middle of nowhere to a lot of people who were super ready for the weirdness. We’ve routinely had great times in North Carolina. RIP the Kosher Hut, an incredible DIY house. We love Blacksburg, Virginia. Rozz-Tox in Rock Island, Illinois, was very special this last tour. We played an incredible two-story wedding hall in Aoyama, Tokyo, called Moonromantic. It had a gigantic lit-up full moon on the back of the stage. We played there with a Japanese band called Owarythm Benkei that had 35 members and sent out dancers with trays of food into the crowd during their set.

What do you think is the perfect song and why?

It may be a cliche, but I really, really love “The Great Gig In The Sky” by Pink Floyd. In my mind, it’s the ultimate expression of emotion without words. It transcends lyrics. It doesn’t need them. It’s raw and spontaneous, and the chords are simple and beautiful. The instrumentation is dynamic without being overbearing; the samples are placed in just the right spots. It’s just … a perfect song.

Can you give us the name of some local bands we should check out, who we might not already know?

D.C. and College Park have some strong local music scenes, it’s incredible. Humbalaya are our forever homies. Marcus Moody is doing big things with The Hip Hop Orchestra. Box Era, 20NVR. Allthebestkids, Nag Champa, EMOTiO, XK Scenario, Wanted Man, Cat You Dog You (RIP, but dig the bandcamp). FuzzQueen and Black Masala, too. Also, Lies Kill and Canker Blossom out of Baltimore.

If you could book a tour with three other bands — any band, ever — what would that tour be and why?

Probably Prince circa 1985, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention circa 1988, and Snoop Dogg from any era except when he was Snoop Lion. And then us opening every show. Hunter S. Thompson as MC. Zappa, Prince, and I would have guitar-solo battles over “Black Napkins.” Tera and Prince would duet on “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Everyone would come out onstage and play Kiss together. That show would last six hours. We’d make $3,000 a night. You can wake me up now.

I know you guys aren’t from here, but so far, what’s your perception of the Frederick music scene currently? How have you seen it evolve?

Frederick has always been a home-away-from-home to us. Pete is from up here, and from early on he was bringing us to places like Cafe Nola or Vinyl Acres. We bonded with bands like Seaknuckle and Silent Old Mtns. over our mutual love for their music, which has since transitioned into our adoration for incredible local artists like DoubleMotorcycle, The Fun Boys and Time Columns. Frederick has always seemed like a community of hard-working artists who make things happen for themselves. They aren’t just skilled artists, but they represent themselves professionally, and they accomplish terrific things working with the city and media institutions. Few cities have shown as proactive a community as we’ve witnessed in Frederick. The townspeople are good-looking and good dancers. It seems like a dedicated music venue might help things, but hey, where wouldn’t one? The arts community is super supportive of touring acts and are consistently real friendly. We love it here.

And finally, if you could sum it up in five words, what will the Tomato Dodgers show be like at Cafe Nola?

HUMONGOUS. JUBILANCE. UBIQUITOUS. ABDUCTION. PARTY

July 31, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A With Dan Deacon

written by Kate Masters

When it comes to work, Dan Deacon is as restless as the pulsating electronic beats on “Gliss Riffer,” his most recent solo album. The Baltimore-based producer is in the middle of finishing a new record (“Gliss Riffer” dropped in 2015) while simultaneously scoring a feature film. In the past year, he released “Rat Film” — the soundtrack to an indie documentary of the same name — produced an album for Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, and scored yet another documentary, “Time Trial,” a deep look at the decline of pro cycler David Millar.

Deacon’s bringing his experimental sound to Flying Dog Brewery on Saturday for the 2018 Summer Sessions concert series. He called before the show to chat about music, work, and “Rat Film,” a look at how institutional racism has shaped the way Baltimore looks today.

I wanted to start with “Gliss Riffer” because a lot of people said it was one of your most accessible albums yet. Then you turned around and made the soundtrack for “Rat Film,” which is a completely different sound. What was that like for you as a musician — did you have to switch to a completely different mindset?

Deacon: Well, with a soundtrack, it’s almost like a parallel career, kind of. The music has to fit the film more than it does my current trajectory. And I think that’s why I like working on them so much. I can experiment and try other things out. Like, if “Gliss Riffer” didn’t come out and “Rat Film” was the next record, and it wasn’t attached to a film, I think it would have bewildered people. You know what I mean? But in the context of the film, it helps complete the story.

How did you get involved with “Rat Film?”

Deacon: I’ve known Theo [Anthony], the director, for a few years around town in Baltimore. And we had talked about working together on a project, and then this film came up. It started out as a short, and then Theo started seeing all the places it could go and expanded it into a feature. And my role continued to expand into scoring it.

And why did it appeal to you?

Deacon: I liked how it progressed. Like, when we first started, he wanted to make a performance where somehow rats were controlling the environment, controlling the performance. So, he asked me if I could come up with a way where I could make music with rats. And we sort of built it from there.

How did you do that?

Deacon: We built this enclosure, like a large Plexiglass enclosure that had three theremins, one in each corner. A theremin is an electronic instrument that creates different sounds based upon proximity, how close you get to it. So, as the rats ran around this enclosure, they created different pitches and harmonies and textures.

Obviously, “Rat Film” addresses a lot of economic and social issues that Baltimore is still facing. And I was wondering, after 14 years in the city, are those issues something you’ve noticed and picked up on?

Deacon: Oh, 100 percent. I mean, it’s definitely still a very segregated city. There’s corruption, and the systematic, institutional racism is rampant. I feel like Baltimore is a microcosm of the United States in many ways, and you definitely feel it when you live here.

Well, you’ve done a whole album, “America,” that was inspired by your thoughts while traveling across the United States. Did some of those same social issues inspire that record?

Deacon: Well, with “America,” it was more about who I was as an American. Like, realizing that I am American and that I am part of a problem. This was, like, seven years ago now, and when I think about when I was in that mindset, I just kept thinking about how the goal of the political establishment is to make people feel powerless. That their problems are so large they can’t be fixed. And they want people to be apathetic to it.

But, I mean, culture has drastically changed. People are much more politically motivated and outspoken, and artists talk about it. Like, if you go back and read the reviews of America coming out in 2012, people were not into the idea of there being a pop record, an electronic record, that had political overtones and undertones to it. And that seems like 1,000 years ago when you look at today, where if artists aren’t political and don’t include their viewpoints, they’re almost called out for it. At the time, I think I was trying to look at a situation and not think of myself as external to it. Like, I exist in this system and I benefit from some things that I find to be repulsive. So, the only way I can make peace with that is if I try to actively change that system.

How has your current trajectory as an artist evolved since then?

Deacon: Well, that’s a good question. I’m very interested in scoring film. I’m in the middle of scoring another film now. Simultaneously, while finishing up my next record. And I worked with the New York City Ballet recently and that was really fun. I’d love to work on more stage productions and dance productions. It’s just fun to write a wide variety of music. For a few years, I was writing almost exclusively pop music, and then every once in a while, between albums, I would write some experimental music for a standalone performance, like with the Kronos Quartet. But none of that ever got recorded or documented. They’re just very ephemeral, momentary pieces, if that makes any sense. So, with these scores, it allows that [experimental] side of me to expand. And I think because of it, I can dive a little harder into the pop music aspect for my regular albums. Because I’m releasing more esoteric music on the side.

It’s interesting to me to hear you describe your albums as pop. Because I think if people pictured “pop music” and then heard one of your records, they would have visualized something entirely different. It wouldn’t be the same definition.

Deacon: Oh, sure. No, you’re 100 percent right. I mean, speaking in the broadest of terms, I just don’t know how else to describe my music. Some of [my records] have legitimate experiments involved. So, I guess they’d be experimental. But I would say that they would still be in the sphere of pop music. Like, if I were to go to a record store and I saw “Gliss Riffer” in the experimental section, I would think they had a limited experimental section, you know what I mean? There’s music being made that’s just, like, balloon sounds and different chemical reactions and transpositions of radio waves in space. My music is predominantly in a pulse you can dance to and has melodies you can sing along to. That’s the root of pop music. So, I think that’s why I would call “Gliss Riffer” a pop record and “Rat Film” more of a experimental-leaning record.

When you first set out to become a musician, did you envision yourself making some type of pop music? Is that what you set out to do?

Deacon: Kind of. I started making music like this in college, I guess. I toured mostly house shows, and house shows are basically parties where a band plays. And when I was in college, the noise scene was very popular, so there were a lot of just harsh noise acts. Like, no beat, no melody. I really liked being in juxtaposition to that — getting up there and playing songs on a Casio keyboard and trying to get people to dance. But what I actually went to school for was the more experimental composition. So, I did always have that inside of me. But it was much harder to tour that around the country because it takes, like, an orchestra or a string quartet. And I didn’t have any money.

But you have done some pretty high-profile collaborations, right? I read that one of your earlier scores was actually for Francis Ford Coppola.

Deacon: Oh, sure. That was back around 2010 and Francis heard me doing an interview on — I can’t remember which show. I think it was one of the national NPR shows. And I was talking about how music has the benefit of existing as a finalized document that’s set in stone. But then, you can also perform it night after night and the live version is so different from the recorded version. There’s not even a definitive comparison; they’re just completely different things. Or, like, with theatre, you have the written script, but it’s performed differently every single time. But with film, all it is, is the final edit. And once that’s set, it’s set, unless you George Lucas it to death or something.

I guess that created a spark in Francis and he wanted to get together and talk about breaking a breathing, editable, malleable cinema. He sort of picked my brain on that concept, and we started working together. It never really came to fruition with our initial concepts, but it was insane to work with him. He’s definitely one of the great artists of the 20th century and worked in film in what was — in my opinion — one of its heydays. Largely thanks to his vision. So, it was insane. When he emailed me and flew me out to his compound, I was like, ‘Is this an elaborate kidnapping scheme? Like, what the hell is this? Why am I going to meet Francis Ford Coppola?’

And you said the initial concept didn’t really come to fruition, but you did end up scoring his film “Twixt,” didn’t you?

Deacon: I did, yeah. But there was initially a whole live aspect to it. It was going to be a tour where he would edit the film live and I would edit the music live and we would change it from night to night, depending on the audience. That part we never did together.

Have you scored any other films recently?

Deacon: I did. I scored a feature called “Time Trial,” which is in theaters now in the UK and toured the whole festival circuit last year. It’s by a Scottish director, Finlay Pretsell. I guess the other thing I did, now that I’m remembering, is I produced a record by the band Ed Schrader’s Music Beat. I had never produced another band before, so that took an insane amount of time, just writing all the songs together from scratch and sending everything back and forth. But it was a really fun project. I definitely learned a lot and they’re two of my closest friends and I’m really happy with how the record came out.

You’ve had this kind of varied and esoteric career, so I was wondering if there’s ever pressure on you to produce music that’s more mass-market or broadly appealing?

Deacon: I luckily don’t feel any pressure like that. I exist in a weird little pocket and I like living there. I don’t feel any pressure to do anything but follow the river, you know what I mean? I really like where my musical trajectory has brought me and how accepting my fan base is to all the choices and experiments I make. To try to have more mass appeal — I feel like if I tried it, it would be a weird, forced thing. And if it came naturally, it would come naturally.

On the other hand, do you feel like your work is starting to reach a broader audience? Because at this point, you’ve toured with Arcade Fire on their Reflektor tour and Miley Cyrus asked you to join her Dead Petz tour.

Deacon: I don’t know. I kind of feel like that was Miley and the Flaming Lips being like, ‘Let’s see what’s the weirdest thing we could do.’ But yeah, after that tour and the Arcade Fire tour, there are certainly experiences that I didn’t think I’d ever have as a musician and I’m really grateful for both of them taking me on the road. But, I don’t know. I try not to think about it so much. I’m just happy anyone comes to see me. Like, I’m psyched.

Did touring with Miley Cyrus make you wish you had that kind of reach, where your albums are selling millions and millions of copies? Or did it make you grateful that you occupy the niche that you occupy?

Deacon: I don’t think it made me want either. Like I said, I’m happy just to be able to make music. That’s how I define myself and how I provide for myself and my family. I’m very grateful for that. I don’t know what it would be like to sell millions and millions of records. And I guess if I sold millions of records, something crazy would have to happen to the entire world. Like, it’s a pretty weird music for it to all of a sudden be on the radio on a mass level. There would have to be this massive cultural shift. So, I’d be more confused than anything else. But I would gladly welcome it (laughs).

July 26, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A With John Lawton

written by contributor

What’s up Saturday? How about this: Something called the Vibrant Sky Festival. Kicking off at 1 p.m., the first installment of the festival is set to go down at Sky Stage and will feature the likes of Silent Old Mtns., Crooked Hills and Jack Funk. John Lawton, whose band Chèvre will perform at the event, set up the show and we recently caught up with him to talk about how he came up with the lineup, criticisms regarding diversity in the event, and what we can expect from the event as a whole.

First, how did the idea for Vibrant Sky come to be? Who had it and how did you know you wanted to go to Sky Stage for it?

I came up with the idea for Vibrant Sky. I felt that more of the community needed access to the great original music scene we have here in Frederick and thought the best way to do that was through a festival. Sky Stage has been bridging the gap between the arts and community the last couple years and having played there last year, I knew the space had a great sound and was close enough to Market Street and Carroll Creek to pull people in.

Who picked the bands and how did you come up with the lineup? Anyone you really wanted to get on that you couldn’t because it just didn’t work out?

I picked the bands and the idea behind the lineup was to keep things interesting, and not have too much of one particular genre at once. With this being the first year of the festival, I wanted to keep things fairly local to Frederick (with the exception being Heavy Wire, who are from Westminster/Baltimore but really hit a sweet spot between heavier rock and melodic pop). Thankfully all the bands I asked said yes, and hopefully, we will be able to expand and pull talent from the surrounding areas in the future.

There has been some criticism for the festival due to a lack of diversity in the lineup. What would you say to that?

I understand that diversity can mean different things to people. In my mind it meant diversity in original music. Hopefully people will come out and decide for themselves, and any criticism will be used in planning the next Vibrant Sky.

Are there any sets you’re looking forward to the most at the festival?

I think I’m looking forward to seeing how the crowd reacts from set to set the most. I enjoy all the bands that will be playing.

And finally, what can we expect from the festival and do you think there will be a Vibrant Sky 2 next year?

You can expect a high level of musicality from the bands playing, and a comfortable environment with the ability to come and go as you please (if you’re from out of town, I hope that you will take a walk around the city and take in all that it has to offer). I certainly plan on trying to put together another Vibrant Sky installment next year — hopefully it will grow along with the original music scene in this area!

July 11, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

Langhorne Slim opens up before Flying Dog performance

written by Kate Masters

When I call Langhorne Slim, he’s driving down a rural road in Iowa, trying to make it to his next gig. The 37-year-old singer-songwriter (real name: Sean Scolnick) has been touring the country to promote his latest album, “Lost at Last, Vol. 1,” a melodic paean to disconnecting from superficial pleasures and reconnecting with yourself.

Slim is bringing his particular brand of folksy Americana to Flying Dog on Sunday for the Summer Sessions outdoor concert series. Before the show, we discussed his stage name, hometown, and his experiences with sobriety and mental illness.

To start, tell me about the name Langhorne Slim. Where does that come from?

Slim: I’ve used Langhorne as sort of a nickname/stage name as long as I’ve been Sean. When I was starting to play music, I took that name as a nod to a lot of the old blues music guys I was listening to at the time. Where a guy or gal would often take the place they were from and tack it onto Slim, or something like that. And Langhorne is the name of the town I’m from in Pennsylvania.

Tell me about Langhorne. What was it like growing up there?

Slim: Well, it’s a small town outside Philadelphia. It was, for me, a place where I felt a bit like an outsider. I looked forward to getting out when I was a kid. I didn’t have music quite yet in my life, but I had a deep feeling that I wanted to get out.

Now my mother and my grandmother live there and I go back and I love the place. Growing up there, it had some cool things as far as being a small town with a bunch of kids on the same street. My best friend to this day, we grew up on the same street. But, as far as feeling completely at home — I felt like I didn’t find home until I started playing music and traveling with it.

That’s interesting to hear, because I was going to ask if growing up in such a small town inspired your music at all.

Slim: I would imagine that there’s a sense of boredom, perhaps a sense of alienation, that inspires one, as a kid, to seek out books or guitars or whatever it is that moves you. I know for sure that I asked my mother to fix up this old, broken guitar that sat in the corner for a few years, and it changed my life.

Who knows what it would have been like if I grew up in a big city. But maybe having time to myself and some of those feelings [of boredom] drove me to rock and roll. And using it to release some of what I was feeling, which at that time, was getting me into some trouble.

Do you remember how you got into trouble?

Slim: I remember in elementary school, I was kicked out of normal class and put into a class called ‘learning disabled.’ And to even think there’s a class called ‘learning disabled’ blows my mind and breaks my heart. And then, I had read somewhere that on a multiple-choice type test, if you circle a bunch of “Cs,” you can achieve a very high score. And I thought that sounded like some kind of B.S., but I did that, and through pure cosmic luck, I wound up scoring the best score in the county.

So, they took me out of learning disabled and put me into another class called ‘mentally gifted.’ Equally as troubling a title, in my opinion. And then later they took me out of that class and they said, ‘You don’t belong here, either.’ And I said to them, ‘I think that y’all are crazy. We’re all learning disabled and mentally gifted and you guys should get your s— together.’ And they didn’t find that to be wise or charming and I think called my mother and asked her to pick me up and take me home.

And you were even asked to leave school at one point, right? Why did that happen?

Slim: You’ll have to ask them. I think that they thought I was insubordinate. I learned that word because one of the disciplinarians called me that. My mother came and picked me up and she told them, ‘If you’re going to call my kid something, at least teach him the definition of the word first.’

I think I’ve always had a bit of a rebellious streak that I’m not ashamed of. I think that it was me speaking up to the authority figures, the teachers and principals, and telling them my thoughts on things that weren’t appreciated. I think that’s how a lot of artists are born and made. They don’t fit that mold exactly, and it creates some feelings at a young age of — not to be overly dramatic, but of despair or a little bit of alienation, a little bit of anger. And so, if you’re good at drawing pictures, you start drawing pictures. If you’re good at cooking, you start chopping an onion. If you love rock and roll, you learn Nirvana. And that’s what I did.

Is that how you got into music? Nirvana and a broken-down guitar?

Slim: I think music got into me before I ever learned how to strum a guitar or play a chord. My grandma, she used to listen to Barbra Streisand and she would just start bawling. She would turn to me and say, ‘I hope someday music can touch you in such a way that you feel emotional.’ And I look back on that as very significant, her telling that to a young boy. That’s a lesson in vulnerability, or sensitivity, being a strength as opposed to a weakness.

I think my response to my grandmother at the time was, ‘Music already does that to me but it’s not necessarily this kind of music.’ When Nirvana hit, I think for my generation, that must have been close to The Beatles or something. I learned those chords and started to dissect them with my cousin, who was in a punk rock band in New Jersey. I used to go out there and watch them rehearse and just — there are feelings that we do not have words for in the English language, and I would feel like I was dancing with the spirits or something. When I was taught those chords, it opened up a new dimension for me. A new land where I thought, ‘This is where I belong. This is where I want to stay.’ And I haven’t left since.

You mentioned Nirvana as an influence, but as far as your music now, how would you describe it to someone?

Slim: I would not. I don’t like to. But I can say that Nirvana is still an influence as much as Michael Hurley, as much as Neil Young, as much as Otis Redding. What I love is music. It’s not a particular kind of music or genre. I tend to gravitate towards the beginnings of each form of music, whether it’s jazz, hip-hop, blues. I like the early stuff because I feel that’s where it’s at its most wild and free.

So, when I’m at home and I’m putting on records, it’s early rock and roll, it’s early country music, it’s early folk music. That’s the kind of stuff that, to me, is the most raw. To my heart, it’s the most pure.

In ‘Lost at Last,’ you really focus on taking away distractions and focusing on human connections, and I was wondering why you wanted to make that the focus of the album.

Slim: I think the question should be, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to focus on that?’ There has always been a need for me, with my music, to achieve a connection with my audience. That’s truly what it’s all about. At this particular point, it’s never been as profoundly important for me to feel that connection.

And I think the more connectivity that we can achieve, the better. When you switch on your television or your radio on or whatever it is, there’s an awful lot of fear being spewed, and divisiveness and negativity. And I do not believe that that is a positive way forward for any of us.

You’ve also talked a lot about your decision to get sober a few years ago, and I was hoping you could tell me more about that.

Slim: Well, I don’t think anybody stops drinking or taking drugs because they necessarily want to. I felt like I was killing myself. I had gone about 16 years as hard as I could, and at some point, I felt as though I had reached the pinnacle. My body hurt. My brain hurt. My spirit hurt. It was on my 33rd birthday that I had my last glass of whiskey. And I decided I was done.

It got to a point where it was no longer doable. When you live that way, you pour so much energy into getting messed up and worrying where you’re going to get your next drink or next drug or whatever. So, it finally clicked for me — what a revelation it would be to dedicate a big chunk of time to seeing life with new eyes. Which you can do if you’re not f—ed up all the time.

How do you balance sobriety with the reality of your life, then, which is a lot of touring and performing in bars and clubs?

Slim: Well, I’m fortunate in the sense that I live in bars. I was essentially born in a bar. My father and my grandparents owned a bar. Most likely I’ll die playing in a bar somewhere. So, being around alcohol, or being around people who might be drinking, it doesn’t awaken the creature for me, per se. But there are times when I’m alone, when I’m feeling lonely, maybe I’m writing and I’m in my head but I want to feel more in my heart. Alcohol and drugs, there’s no doubt, have helped to soften and lubricate the heart and soul so you get out of your head. And those are dangerous times, there.

But I’ve opened up to the people who love me. I feel I know what’s at stake, and there’s too much at risk to go back. And you find other ways. I uncovered a form of meditation that helped. Music helps, yoga helps.

If I’ve figured anything out, it’s not how to feel happy all the time, by any means. It’s that happiness doesn’t come from without. It isn’t in a bottle, it isn’t in a bed, it isn’t anything exterior. It’s from within. It’s working on your own crazy ass. And that’s a day-to-day thing.

What was it like to record your first album after you had gotten clean?

Slim: It was terrifying and also very fulfilling and empowering. Most of the people I was hanging out with, I don’t think they realized the extent of what I was up to. But my band did. My girlfriends throughout the years did. My family did. And so, when I quit, I was embraced mightily by my band and my closest friends and family because they had been put through a lot, being around that. They sent me a lot of strength and a lot of love.

I ain’t going to lie. There’s a real fear for any creative person that maybe you won’t create without alcohol, or maybe you won’t be able to go out to a party and feel comfortable. But you just throw yourself into it. And I found that the shows were better. The connection that I felt with the audience was much stronger. The connection I felt with the band was much stronger. I stepped out of the shadow and became more open.

To be honest with you, it had gotten to the point, with me, where I wasn’t going to wake up alive. You can’t do what I was doing every day. Sure, there’s Keith Richards or some of these other people who we love and romanticize, but 99.9 percent of people — they don’t make it. It isn’t this beautiful story of how you’ve been able to live this rock-and-roll lifestyle.

Yeah, and the issue of addiction has become so dominant in the national conversation that maybe people are ready to stop romanticizing it or stop vilifying it.

Slim: I hope we are getting to the point where we stop vilifying it. That we get rid of the stigma and start to try to understand the connection with mental health and mental illness. Anxiety, depression, things that all of us deal with to some extent. Some more than others. And when you’re taking copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, it’s probably to mask something that is deep-rooted within yourself.

Are mental health issues something that you’ve struggled with?

Slim: It is something that I struggle with. I struggle with anxiety. I thought that I was more depressed than I am — we all know that alcohol is a depressant. I was depressed far more when I was drinking. But I still get low. We all get low.

Not to joke about it, but I’m a neurotic Jew from outside of Philly. I definitely deal with my version of anxiety, with my version of depression, which I think is probably very similar to a lot of other people’s. It’s not an unusual or unique battle, but if we keep it in the shadows, if we stigmatize it, if we consider it to be a weakness, it only gets harder. I think my drinking and my drug use was most certainly to cope with my uncomfortability — if that’s a word — with this world or dimension that we’re living in. After I put the drinking and drug use away, I found, to my surprise, that I feel far more comfortable in this world. And far more comfortable just being the freak that I am.

You’ve mentioned yoga and you’ve mentioned meditation, but is there anything else you do to unwind?

Slim: I do enjoy a steam room. I enjoy the company of my friends. I enjoy being out in nature. I enjoy the same things that you and probably everybody else does. I enjoy romantic connections. I enjoy a great song. I enjoy a great meal. I like when I feel where I’m at when I’m there, and that’s something I have trouble with in my life.

June 28, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A with Frederick Jazz Festival organizers

written by contributor

For the second year in a row, John Maestri and Kenny Darby are heading up the Frederick Jazz Festival. Set for Saturday afternoon at the Carroll Creek Amphitheater, the event will feature the Eric Byrd Trio, Darryl Brenzel and headliner Carolyn Malachi. We caught up with Maestri and Darby to talk about what they learned from last year, what to expect this year, and whom we should check out, if only had time for one of this year’s artists.

What was the biggest lesson you learned from the first Frederick Jazz Festival in 2017?

John Maestri: The biggest lesson learned was that attendees wanted beer, not just wine. So this year, we hooked up with Rockwell Brewery, a local craft beer company. Those guys are awesome and will provide a variety of their summer brews on tap this year. Linagnore Winecellars will be on site again, too. Last year, we asked ourselves, ‘OK, so what do we need to pull off a music festival?’ Along the way, we learned who, what, when, where and how much. Good life lessons in general.

Kenny Darby: The biggest lesson learned for me was attention to detail and understanding our audience and how we can implement our mission with the community to whom we are presenting a music festival.

How did you go about picking and then booking the artists for this year’s festival?

John Maestri: We have a proprietary computer software program that objectively rates an artist’s talent and value. Just kidding. We take a hard look and listen to artists from all over the DMV and negotiate with their management. We work with musicians from different jazz traditions — not just who perform bebop or ‘90s smooth jazz or neo-soul jazz — to create a lineup that has something for everyone. That’s what our audience expects and what keeps us motivated to put on the best event we can. We’re serious about booking serious talent.

Kenny Darby: We try to look at the jazz genre as a whole and not just one dimension. The one thing that we understand is that music is universal and that jazz is an awesome representative of that, as John mentioned in his answer. As far as the lineup, we wanted to stick to the same formula we had last year.

What’s the biggest change for this year’s event, compared with last year’s?

John Maestri: Many new attendees and interest from the community this year! We’re much larger in terms of ticket sales and vendor and sponsor participation. That’s a great thing for Frederick and the musicians.

Kenny Darby: The buzz is bigger this year then last year and we implemented more vendors than last year.

What is your long-term plan for the festival? Are there certain goals you have to meet this year in order to try it again for a third year?

John Maestri: Our long-term plan is to continue booking the best artists we can. And we’re always working toward goals for increased marketing and advertising. That’s the tough part and it’s costly.

Kenny Darby: Well, we want to improve every year and get better. We look to find the good and bad in every year and learn from it so that the next year we’ll be bigger and better.

And finally, if someone can check out only one artist this year, whom should they check out and why?

John Maestri: If you only have time to see one artist at the festival this year, I suggest seeing the Eric Byrd Trio. They’re sure to bring a set list that touches on gospel, standards and a few of their own unique compositions. They’re also local, but they performed with some of the greats like Wynton Marsalis. We’ll see, but they may end up bringing us to church!

Kenny Darby: Oh, wow, if someone can only check out one artist this year. Well, I would have to say it would be everyone. You want to stay for the whole thing so you won’t be disappointed.

June 26, 2018 0 comment

Uncategorized

A Q&A With Night Watch Paradox

written by contributor

Have you ever wanted to write a steampunk rock opera? Ambitious, we know. Well, as it turns out, Night Watch Paradox is filled with ambitious people because they wrote “Magnificent Machines and Astonishing Tales,” which is what? You guessed it: a steampunk rock opera. They are releasing it in double-disc form Saturday night at The Blue Side. We recently caught up with Andy Hunt, co-founder of the band, to talk about how the band got together, what goes into making a steampunk rock opera and who some of their biggest influences tend to be when they sit down to write.

First, how did Night Watch Paradox get together?

Andj Stainer and Andy Hunt began playing guitar and writing songs together in 2006 as part of an alternative rock band in Maryland called The Treading Lemmings. When the group disbanded in mid-2013, Stainer wanted to do something completely different and pitched the idea to develop a musical project based on steampunk. Hunt eagerly jumped into the project and agreed to switch from playing rhythm guitar to primarily bass guitar. The pair set out a vision for a group that would engage audiences musically and visually. When they began writing songs for what would become Night Watch Paradox in late 2013, they agreed not to feel compelled to write music in a particular style, but use a variety of styles to help tell the story of the song.

It was also decided that since most steampunk fiction is either centered around 19th-century London, or the Wild West, this group would take a different location as their setting and inspiration. They would center their world on a steampunk/alternative history version of 19th-century Baltimore. Thus began the inspiration for a series of songs written by Hunt and Stainer about a steam-powered, time-traveling airship with a crew of privateers and inspired by Baltimore history and characters. In October 2013, the pair assembled a band and began to rehearse and develop original songs. The group has gone through several iterations, most notably with different drummers and female vocalists between 2014 and 2017.The group’s current lineup features vocalist Kaya Kismet, Andj Stainer on guitar and ukulele, Captain Andy Hunt on bass and acoustic guitar, Jeff Sasser on drum, Kim Eloshway on flute, Joe Weber on harmonica and Dani Maynard on cello.

What went into the making of “Magnificent Machines and Astonishing Tales?” How did the idea come up to make a “steampunk rock opera?”

From 2013 to 2017, Night Watch Paradox played a variety of small venues and also a few large festivals and events as an opening act. The creative duo of Hunt and Stainer wanted to move the group beyond simply being a band that plays music in clubs. Because each of their songs told a story in itself, the two wanted to take a more theatrical approach to the songs and weave them into a cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end. An opportunity to present a show at the Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival in early 2016 was the birth of the idea for their steampunk rock opera “Magnificent Machines and Astonishing Tales.” Hunt and Stainer began drafting a script and vision for the show in late 2015 and made a variety of revisions to the script over the course of performing the show at different festivals (Charm City Fringe Fest, ArtScape, The Steampunk World’s Fair) over the course of 2016-18.

“Magnificent Machines and Astonishing Tales” is a rock opera where the story is told primarily through the music and lyrics of each song, with some narration and dialogue between songs. This approach to the art form is inspired more by The Who’s groundbreaking rock opera “Tommy” than by a classical opera/musical theater format with a cast of actors singing. This rock opera centers around the steam-powered, time-traveling airship Night Watch Paradox and its crew of Baltimore-based privateers. The story follows the crew members’ heroic journey as they encounter characters, face challenges and help defeat the British during the War of 1812, before returning home to celebrate victory. The music ranges from ballads, to all-out rockers with a mix of styles including Americana, cabaret, klezmer, jazz, country and more.

Who are some of your biggest influences and why?

We have a wide variety of musical influences between all of the members of the band. Our flute and cello players are both classically trained, and others are “schooled” over decades of playing in a variety of rock, blues and country bands. Hunt and Stainer have a variety of influences in their songwriting, but they have slightly different approaches to the art. Hunt says his primary influence is Pete Townshend and The Who, and Stainer often sites XTC and the Beatles as his. The storytelling, mix of styles and ground-breaking creativity of those groups are inspiring.

What do you think is the greatest song ever written and why?

You’re probably going to get a different answer from each member of the band on this question. So, to avoid arguing, we don’t think there is a definitive answer to the single greatest song ever written.

And finally, what can we expect from your show this weekend at The Blue Side?

The evening will begin with an opening set by Wanderlight, a great original group from Maryland. The main attraction for the evening is Night Watch Paradox celebrating the release of our double disc album version of the rock opera. You may expect to see some of the hardcore fans completely decked out in steampunk attire, but attending the show in regular clothes is perfectly acceptable. If you come to the show, you’ll hear all of the songs from the upcoming album, such as “The Admiral Fell” about a steam-powered airship that helps defeat the British Navy in the War of 1812; “Mobtown Riot,” which tells the story of the Pratt Street Riots of 1861; and “The Ballad of Henry Clemm,” which speculates about the mysterious death of Edgar Allen Poe’s young cousin. You will find yourself tapping your toes, clapping and singing along with these catchy songs. So, whether you are fully initiated in the steampunk world, or you are a complete novice to the concept, you are guaranteed to have fun and be entertained. If you play your cards right, there may even be an opportunity to help give more cowbell.

May 23, 2018 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts