Feature: Suburban Bicycle Gang Decodes “The Council Of Rats”
What inspired you to write the lyrics/music for "The Council Of Rats?"
Jerry: I was fortunate to have Eric bring a great song to me. With any great song, it becomes easy to add music to it. I wanted the drums to have a chaotic feel, like rats scurrying about. For the backing vocals, I tried to match the energy Eric brought to this song.
Eric: I was toying with the idea of writing a concept album with all the songs about particular fairy tales. I read a French fairy tale titled "The Council of Rats." The fairy tale was about a young man seeking the hand of a princess. To do so, he was meant to complete various tasks. I was not compelled to write a song about it after reading. However, I found that I was particularly struck by the title more so than the content of the fairy tale.
I thought it was an amazing song title. So, I essentially described my view on modern politics with the council of rats as an allegory. I set out to depict a world full of intrigue and power struggle, where a secret council of rats ruled a kingdom with fear, just as Machiavelli described in his book "The Prince." With that concept, the song followed out of me.
In terms of production, I was really inspired by a garage rocker I had recently found on YouTube named Mario DiSanto. The keep-it-simple recording techniques really stuck with me in his videos. I was already a fan of getting a whole performance in a single take. But I was inspired by Mario to record the lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and drums all in one take with a single microphone.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this single?
Jerry: For me, it was recording the backing vocals. It was funny because I just couldn't get the energy required for the song. We had to just stop and jam the song so I could sing the part properly. I'm sure Eric chuckled at the struggles I had with that.
Eric: It was the most amount of lyrics I was able to shove into such a brief song. Initially, when I wrote the lyrics, I thought the song would have been four or five minutes. However, when I started to find a rhythm for it, the pacing just spoke to me.
I was also blown away by how well the recording turned out by recording the most important elements with one mic all played together. 90% of the mixing was adjusting the microphone, our positioning, and our performance dynamics. “The Council of Rats” was the easiest song I've ever had to mix after recording.
How does "The Council Of Rats" fit into your overall artistic vision?
Jerry: I think we've always had the idea that the song trumps all. By that, I mean regardless of how we might want a song to sound or feel, it ultimately will dictate to us where we go, if we listen. So, like any song we've done, Council took us to a very aggressive fast-paced rhythm, which I think we achieved. As for our overall vision, I think it shows another genre that we can play, and we always want to expand our sound.
Initially, I wanted to explore an aggressive garage rock sound. We ended up shooting past the moon and ended up with a great punk sound instead. Jerry's superbly talented hand on the drums really pushed the song in a very aggressive direction. I could not imagine it any other way.
Can you tell us more about you as a duo?
Jerry: Eric and I have been through a lot in a short time. I think it's created a cohesiveness that we might not have achieved or certainly not as quickly as we have. When I met Eric, he was a producer extraordinaire, and I marveled at his abilities. For me, it was very easy and exciting to get to work with someone who has endless amounts of energy.
Eric: I remember fondly Jerry bringing me into record and produce Suburban Bicycle Gang's debut album Soft Balls Are Too Hard. It was the first time I really got a band to record rhythm sections live off the floor and was really impressed by Jerry's ability to pull it off with the line-up of that time. As I was helping produce the sophomore album In The Cosmos, I got brought into Suburban Bicycle Gang as a musician as well as a producer. Around the time we were finishing the album, our friend and bandmate Dave Fox could no longer join us on our journey.
It certainly changed the dynamics quite a bit and got me to hit the ground running. “The Council of Rats” is our first foray into producing music as a duo. The results speak for themselves. We have really hit the ground running over the past year and show no sign of slowing.
Before joining Suburban Bicycle Gang, I would have never considered myself a drummer. As a duo, it was essential to pick up the sticks. Jerry has really helped me come along as a drummer in the past year. I look forward to being behind the kit for some future gigs and releases.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Jerry: There is nothing better. To have the opportunity to see visceral reactions to songs you've created, loved, and let go to the wild is beyond words. Good or bad, I love any and all reactions. We've been fortunate enough to have amazing venues and people to play for. There might not be anything better than connecting live with music fans.
Eric: Playing live is something I had missed doing for years. As mostly a studio rat in the past, getting to perform live with Jerry has been fantastic. It's been a great way to gauge the reaction to certain songs and an even better way to directly engage with audiences.
