Underdog On the Making Of 'Trans Global Amnesia'
How does this 'Trans Global Amnesia' reflect your musical journey and growth as a band?
The wider variety of song styles is probably the most noticeable change, but we also got far more comfortable working with ProTools on this album, and being able to refine the sound. We’re hardly masters of it, but we were able to work a little bit more magic with it this time than we were on the ‘Ether Dome’ album. We kept the song choices a bit more simple on the first album, with the idea in mind that more complex and creative songs would be coming in the future, once we had some of the basics worked out by way of the sound of the band, as well as the DIY recording methods.
Hopefully, we’ve improved as musicians and songwriters as well, but that’s probably for someone else to decide. ‘Trans Global Amnesia’ is definitely more representative of the broad spectrum of influences that Bryn and I each have. Some of them we have in common, but most of them are our own individual ones that can come together in any number of ways, depending on whatever the song may be. Both of us hear different stuff going on in the songs, and pick up on those various things to play off of.
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in this 'Trans Global Amnesia?'
Well, there’s a lot going on, and not sure that there is any sort of underlying or unifying theme, at least not in an intentional way. There’s a pretty wide range of stuff being covered by way of subject matter, the loss of love, the loss of a friend, the pure joy of a summer day, environmental awareness, an ode to the bygone era of air travel, the search for the guilty and persecution of the innocent, that unique space between consciousness and dreaming, dysfunctional relationships, a 4 year old whirling dervish I know, and a little social commentary just for a laugh.
Most of them are based on some sort of personal experience like “Helsinki Airport Blues,” which is a true story, or “You Told Me.” A couple of them were inspired by something I saw or read like “Munchausen By Proxy” and Mallus Maleficarum”, that caught my eye, and when I learned more about them I realized that the basic concepts were relevant to the world around us. Somehow it all seems to work together, a least in my mind. There’s a fair amount of humor sprinkled through out, even on the numbers with more serious subject matter going on. I guess that’s sort of a reflection of ourselves, as we are very serious about the process of songwriting, performance and recording, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously and get caught up in any sort of delusions of grandeur.
What is your personal favorite song from 'Trans Global Amnesia' and why?
From the perspective of the overall finished song being as close as possible to what my Initial concept had been, probably “Blow Your Face Off,” it really has an epic sound, and builds up nicely from the sparse opening to the full-blown cacophony at the end. But there are certain moments in each song that are special for me. Some were happy accidents, like the groovy bridge in “New World Raga,” others are some of the twisted guitar licks that Bryn pulled off on various songs.
“Echo Of A Dream” is probably my favorite in terms of being a cohesive song and performance that is likely to have some appeal, and what is most likely going to be the lead-off single, if there is even such a thing anymore. That said, I’m more curious to hear what are other people’s favorites. It’s always exciting to find out that a song I had dismissed as not being “hit” material, suddenly takes off and radio stations are playing it non-stop.
Can you share a standout moment from one of your live performances that you'll never forget?
Absolutely! Our dear friends, Bryan Palmer and Marie Croarkin, made the superhuman effort to be at our first show, as Bryan’s health was already deteriorating at that time, and they traveled from out of state to be there. Sadly, he passed away last year, and ‘Trans Global Amnesia’ is dedicated to him, as he was our biggest fan. Seeing him was such a surprise, and I know that it really inspired me, and kicked my performance up a few notches that day. We were firing on all cylinders, and there was also the rush you get when you’re playing songs for the first time live to a crowd.
How do you balance the artistic aspects of your music with the business side of the industry?
Honestly, I try not to think about the business side of it too much, but it does take a fair amount of time to deal with all those ins and outs, and the promotion that just becomes part of the daily routine for any DIY artist. I tend to focus on the actual music more, especially if I’m on a roll writing or recording, as those are the real priorities. But these days with the need to keep up on all the social media accounts, and trying to make new contacts with radio stations and publications, I can feel myself being pulled in a bunch of different directions, all at the same time. It helps just to pause for a moment and take a deep breath. Getting a bit of clarity can put things into perspective, and usually the next important thing to be dealt with presents itself, whether it’s the business stuff or the music.
