Q & A with ALAN WILKIS

Recently, I was lucky enough to have musician Alan Wilkis send me his solo debut Babies Dream Big (2008) and I've listened to it numerous numerous times since. Because he was so gracious in sending me a free cd, I took the opportunity to conduct an email interview with the man behind the music. I'll follow up with a full album review, but for now it's great to get to know a truly new artist. Enjoy.
Q: Give me a little personal background. Where are you originally from? Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?

I was born and raised in NYC, now living in Brooklyn. I went to Harvard for undergrad.

Q: What were some of your earliest musical influences? Were your parents musical types? What are some of your early music memories?

My influences have been all over the place, but the earliest ones were probably Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys, and Beatles... I used to go on long road trips with my folks, and they basically had two cassette tapes on very heavy rotation in the car: Sgt. Pepper's and the soundtrack to the movie "Stand by Me," so I'd say those two are pretty hard wired in my brain. My first musical memory was totally freaking out to "Thriller" - my parents put it on the stereo and I just ran around the apartment like a maniac!

My parents aren't musicians, but they both love music very much. They used to sing to me quite a bit when I was young... Peter Paul and Mary, Spanish lullabies, a bunch of stuff. My dad is Jewish by way of Baltimore, but is somehow inexplicably obsessed with Motown and Philly soul music. My mom is from Cuba, so i can pretty safely attribute my sense of rhythm to the Latin side of the family!

Q: Were you in any bands (organized or unorganized) growing up?

I played with friends a bit in high school, but i didn't properly join bands until college. I did a fair amount of jazz guitar combo stuff, then I was in a hip hop band called the Witness Protection Plan for about 3 years. We played mostly in NY and Boston - our biggest achievement was opening for Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious for a few thousand people at a college springfest (Amherst, I think)... I got a pound from Chali 2na at the end and pretty much had a heart attack!

After WPP, I started a hard rock duo with my friend Pete (the drummer from WPP). We were called A+P - we were together for about 2 years, total opposite experience from the previous band. WPP was an 8 person thing with attempts (some less successful than others) at a democratic process to songwriting, etc... so it was both challenging and extremely liberating to strip it down to just 2 people. Also it was the first time I fronted a band and sang onstage. Was an extremely rewarding time - really learned how to love singing and feel confident doing it.

Q: How did the record come about?

The record came about after my last band amicably split up. I basically just got into home recording a lot, started investing in more gear and more or less teaching myself how to record/mix/produce/master etc... I'd been writing songs and playing guitar for well over a decade, but I really didn't have the foggiest idea of how to make something SOUND good on tape...

Just kinda kept experimenting, trying out different sounds and arrangements, mic techniques, etc... After quite a bit of... well.... shitty music, to be perfectly honest, I wound up with some sketches of things I was happy with. Found myself in a place where I could hear a sound in my head and figure out a way to at least approximate it on tape.

I think the album was officially born when it dawned on me that I wanted to make something happy and fun. I'd dabbled in mope-y stuff, faux-deep stuff, and then suddenly I was just tired of it... if anybody was going to take the time to listen to my songs, I wanted to put a smile on their face! That realization + the recording experiments turned into a solid year and a few months of work - eventually the babies were dreaming bigly!

Q: I read about some primary influences but was curious if you could be more specific about where you gathered ideas from.

It's definitely a long list, and pretty varied, but the big ones are Stevie Wonder, Prince, Hall and Oates, The Doobie Bros, Steely Dan, Boston, Todd Rundgren, Harry Nilsson, Gary Numan, Frank Zappa... I'm pretty obsessed with this guy Matt Mahaffey - he had a band called Self - he is kind of my hero. Incredible songwriter, can play 1000 instruments (and play them WELL), is a recording guru, and really does the genre-hopping aesthetic pretty flawlessly.

Q: The lyrical content deals with various things, but seems a central focus is on girls/relationships. Are these general emotions or were you trying to exact revenge on some hearts?

Hahaha! I don't want to give too much away, so let's just say they're general emotions...

Q: You shift between falsetto and more of a chest voice over the course of the album. What dictates how you'll sing a song?

I never really thought about that actually! There wasn't really a conscious decision to sing more falsetto at first, and then cruise on over to the chest as the album goes along, but it TOTALLY does! Good call! Really what dictates it more than anything is the key / range of the melody of a given song. Sometimes lyrical content too. Milk and Cookies is a dance jam, and it just kinda demanded that I sing it in falsetto... I didn't have a choice!

Q: Clearly you must also be a big Nintendo fan, how difficult was it learning how to replicate the perfect 8-bit sound?

Definitely a big Nintendo fan. Those 8-bit sounds are also pretty hard-wired in my head! I can't say that I'm a purist - I saw a documentary last year called "8-bit," and there's a huge movement out there of musicians that actually take apart their old Nintendos/Ataris and make music with the original 8-bit sound cards! I'm definitely not that strict, nor would I know where to start on the electrical engineering front, but basically I just played around with synthesizers to replicate those sounds - if you take a simple oscillator, no frills, just a pure saw wave or something and don't treat it too much, you can get a pretty solid Nintendo kind of sound.

Q: I was actually going to ask if you had ever done any hip-hop producing, because you have a great sense of "the beat" as well as guitar lines. Would you ever go back to that?

I've done a teeny bit of hip hop producing for others, as well as with my old hip hop band, just kinda one-off beats, but I've never pursued it too seriously. It's something I'd love to do more of, and I definitely want to do some collaborations on album number 2 (whenever that finally materializes!)

Q: What do you do when you're not creating musical fusion?

Day job (a brother's gotta eat), also doing some freelance film composing and music supervision, yoga, and I practice the drums as much as I can... that's actually been really huge for me... a friend once told me it's really good to pick up a new instrument every 5 years, and he was right! It has really re-invigorated my desire to play and practice, especially after being in recording mode for so long...

Q: Do you have touring plans? If so, when and where can "we" expect to see you? / If you do tour, what kind of live show could people expect to see? You with a laptop and guitar? Or something a little more elaborate?

No concrete tour lined up just yet, but been working out live arrangements with some friends. Trying to plan something more on the elaborate side in NYC in the fall hopefully. In an ideal world, the band would be me on guitar/keys, a synth player, another guitar, bass, drums, 2 or 3 percussionists, and 2 or 3 backup vocals... (i'm a dreamer, what can I say?).

Q: How much do your surroundings influence your music? I'm curious what else you see/hear on a daily basis finds its way into the music.

Surroundings DEFINITELY influence my songwriting. Not always immediately, but you never know when you're gonna notice something that turns into a musical idea later on; on "I love the way," the initial idea came to me probably about 3 or 4 months before I actually started turning it into a song! And the weather definitely affects me too - I'm always much more inspired / productive when it's sunny.

Q: Are you still in song-writing mode? Or purely focusing now on promotional stuff?

Actually just starting to get back into writing finally! Have ideas for 2 new songs, been chipping away at them the past few weeks. I finished mixing BDB in February, and I needed a little time off to promote but also to just decompress - it's so healthy to step away from the creative process when you've been deep in it for a while - gives me fresh perspective, and helps me forget some old habits / hopefully force me to come up with new stuff!

Q: What has gotten you to this point in your career?

Not sure what point I'm at exactly, and the road ahead is certainly a long and windy one, but more than anything else, PRACTICE! Lots and lots of practice!

Fleet Foxes

I haven't come across a new band that I've been genuinely excited about after listening to their debut album in what feels like a number of months. Thankfully, Fleet Foxes came to me after glancing at a review of their Sun Giant EP at Pitchfork (8.7!). I think I've sufficiently documented my rise and fall of emotions associated with Pitchfork through the years, that now I don't even read the content unless the reviewer has given something above a 8.5. Most of the drivel that is written is almost completely incoherent, asinine, and pretentious that it begs to be ignored. In any event, I checked out the Sun Giant EP through various means, and it really took me by surprise. Firstly, the band is comprised of five guys from the Seattle, WA area named Robin Pecknold (vox/guitar), Skye Skjelset (guitars), Nicholas Peterson (drums), Casey Wescott (keys), and Christian Wargo (bass). The immediate comparisons have to be made to Band of Horses and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. All the lead singers' voices sound similar but each have their own unique ways of phrasing and emphasizing their lyrics. The second thing that struck me was the feeling that I was back in my Music History I classroom (well, the tail end of that semester anyway). The class finally got up to the beginning of the Middle Ages and organized Church music and the very beginning of Madrigals. (If you have know idea what I'm talking about I'm sure wikipedia can answer some of your questions). Fleet Floxes start songs with simple melodies and build harmonies on top of them and keep building and adding nuances as the songs goes along, all while maintaining the original musical thought. In fact, Fleet Foxes describe their music as "baroque harmonic pop jams."

Fleet Foxes is an awesome self-titled debut album. It picks up where the Sun Giant EP left off; me begging to hear more. It's a debut from a band that already has the backing of Über-Indie label Sub-Pop. Their current summer tour is probably the last time you'll be able to see them at 100-200 person venues, because when this album finally comes out on June 3rd it is sure to get them a lot of press. I've honestly listened to the album all the way through at least 10 times in the last week. It hasn't gotten old, stale, or boring. In fact, it's one of those albums that if you listen close enough you may hear something new each time you listen. The music itself is a mix of lush harmonies, acoustic and reverb electric guitar, and folk themed lyrics. All of these elements come together to create tunes that have both a breath of fresh air and old-world charm. So, while they may bear a resemblance to Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, the Band or Neil Young, Fleet Foxes is something unique and I still can't wait to hear even more. Check out a couple songs:

Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Maybe this brings me back to being on the precipice of new releases. Death Cab for Cutie return today with their follow-up to their Grammy-nominated major label debut Plans (2005) called Narrow Stairs. If you're not familiar with "Death Cab" by name you've probably heard of lead singer Ben Gibbard's side project The Postal Service. Either way, the band is back to prove indie bands can be just as credible on major labels. The other closest competition would seem to be The Decemberists, but they haven't put out a follow-up. So, this will be a lesson to see the lay of the land is shaking up. With the might (money) and prowess (advertising) of a major label they are expected to rake in the dollars for their parent company. It must be a hard juggling act for the band since they need to make money but they also need to appeal to their hardcore fans which care much more about the music than how many copies are sold. In addition, the major label would to attract casual listeners who may decide that they like what they hear.

Thankfully, Death Cab doesn't try too hard on this album to reinvent the wheel or grasp at the things that made Plans such a huge hit. While not the runaway great album, Narrow Stairs is a fine listen for a band that is now mature in itself. They know what they do well, and pretty much stick to those things. For example, this album is on the dark side but entirely self-assured. They are still trying to speak to listeners hearts and pull on those strings. Topics of interest are growth and change and how being content may never occur no matter what - not even if you're a rock star, quit your crappy job, or find true love. Some songs are poppier than others, but even those they tend to get right by going with their instincts. Overall, this new album is pretty solid, but less inspired than Plans. It's certainly worth a listen and is sure to keep fans satisfied, but it may not bring in many new ones or convince haters to jump on the bandwagon.

Death Cab for Cutie (Narrow Stairs) - "No Sunlight"

UPDATE: Death Cab on Letterman below

The Black Keys - Attack & Release

The new Black Keys album came out recently and I was excited. They were bringing Danger Mouse into the fold for the production on the album. It would seem to be an interesting choice that would surely bring some new ideas to the table for the Akron, Ohio blues duo. But, along the way there were also some potential red flags. The Black Keys have never recorded in an actual studio before and now they were. Danger Mouse has been known more for his hip-hop work than anything with old-school teeth like blues. Would these things play major factors in what the group produced or would they just be part of the musical story?

After a few listens this much is true of Attack & Release: this isn't the rough around the edges blues-rock the Black Keys have made previously. This album is slick. This album is clean. This album feels polished and buffed. Unfortunately, this album doesn't send chills up your back. To put it another way, Danger Mouse has rubbed off most of the patina to the Black Keys. The music is still recognizable as theirs, but it's lost the dirt and grunge that made it worth so much more. Some things shouldn't be cleaned up and the music of The Black Keys is one of them. The music needs to feel instantaneous like they wrote the song a couple days before recording it. Instead, this album feels deliberate as if they thought, "okay, put crunchy guitar riff here. put shuffle-beat drums here. on second thought let's put this here and maybe this over there." It sounds more premeditated. It sounds like they had too much money and too much time in an actual studio. Don't get me wrong, the album is still quite good, but it's not that vintage Rubber Factory feel. It also doesn't have the same drive as their previous efforts. I don't know if all this can be attributed to the producer and the surroundings, but I like to think it's part of how it happened.

The Black Keys (Attack & Release, 2008) - "I Got Mine"

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Gnarls fuckin' Barkley. Back again for more. The truly unusual pairing of hip-hop/soul crooner Cee-Lo Green and funky DJ Danger Mouse has returned with a follow-up to their hugely successful first album St. Elsewhere. If you don't know who these two characters are by now, you may live under a rock (sorry, Mom). The single off the first album "Crazy" was the hit single of 2006 and spawned cover, after cover, after cover. Usually, collaborations of this magnitude and success are rarely repeated. This was obviously not the case for Gnarls Barkley. You'd think that going back into the studio again they'd put out something even more gnarley and crazy (sorry, that was awful). You'd think they'd want to test the limits of where their influences could take them. You'd think that the second album would be just as good or better than the first. If you thought these things would be true, well, you'd be wrong.

The Odd Couple should have been titled St. Elsewhere 1.5. It shows very little progression, and sounds mostly the same as the first album without the super smash hit. These facts are indisputable when you listen to the albums close together. One flows into the other. Back and forth. This is not to say the album is no good. The album is actually quite solid. It's better than much of the other drivel that is pressed onto a CD. With that said, when I was done listening to The Odd Couple I thought to myself they're good enough to just go through the motions and get away with it. Most people will be sufficiently happy with listening to this new album. There are catchy shows, some great beats and repeatable melodies. But don't you think they could have push a little more? They're massively creative artists content to just kinda cruise along. That is a waste; even if their bank accounts have exploded. I'm not sure you can blame one or the other for concocting a record that is almost the same as it's predecessor. But you have to wonder whether or not they'll go back to the well in another couple years for the completion of the trilogy with the working title of Strange Bedfellows.

Gnarls Barkley - Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static

Jack Johnson approached his fourth studio album in seven years differently than in years and albums past. He was carrying a melancholy heart after personal travails and the loss of a close cousin (Danny Riley); to whom the album Sleep Through the Static is dedicated. The album had also been talked about for it's change in tone and mood musically speaking. The title is meant to give a warning that long gone are the days off pleasantly strummed acoustic folky-bluesy-pop songs and in their place are rough around the edges electric guitar solos and crunchier melodies. That is at least what was advertised. Unfortunately, those dreams of a different side to Jack Johnson are still hidden in his buddy Ben Harper's closet.

Sleep Through the Static wants you to believe Jack Johnson is all of a sudden going to let loose with nasty guitar chops, or at least some electric solo lines. If you guessed this would actually happen you'd be terribly wrong. It's the same laid back Jack Johnson, strummin' on his acoustic, sweet melodies and everything in a nice slow shuffle. The only difference to be had is if you read the lyrics off a piece of paper or listened very, very closely. The actual music is very much in keeping with everything that has come previously from Jack Johnson. This isn't surprising but it is slightly disappointing. The only "static" comes from him strumming the electric guitar instead of his trusty acoustic (n.b. it took multiple Google searches to even find a picture of him holding an electric guitar. It's a press photo from the shoot for the record cover. Could he look more uncomfortable holding it?). That's about it. While I liked him when I first heard his music back in 2001 and thought it was progressing, he now seems to be stagnant. He's happy writing his Hawaiian influenced pop tunes and not really venturing beyond that. As an artist, it's hard to keep challenging yourself when something has become your brand or your bread & butter. It's not that this album is bad or awful it's just mediocre and somewhat forgettable. The tunes are nice background music for hanging out at a pool in the summer, but other than that these tunes aren't going to reach that far. His early work was refreshing and somewhat new, now his music is predictable and semi-forgettable.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

The backstory to Bon Iver's (Justin Vernon) debut album For Emma, Forever Ago is nearly as good as the album itself. Vernon began recording under the pseudonym Bon Iver after the breakup of DeYarmond Edison which was a group similar to Iron & Wine and Little Wings and sort of like Bonny "Prince" Billy. Vernon moved back to Wisconsin and took residence out at his father's hunting cabin deep in the woods. In the dead of winter. For 3 months. Alone. He wrote and recorded music in 12 hour spurts. What he produced was a nine song debut album by spring time. For the French majors 'Bon Iver' is an intentional misspelling of the French for 'good winter'. He polished the album off in a studio in North Carolina to add some horns and drums, but mostly left it very stripped down.

For Emma, Forever Ago is truly a stunning debut. (So stunning, that even The Fork gave it an 8.1.) It is an album that begs to be listened to curled up in front of a fireplace on a snowy night with some hot chocolate. While that's not how I first listened to it, I wish it had been. The album is very intimate and subtly powerful. Bon Iver draws you in with pristine falsetto tones that are disarming and songs that well constructed and very moving. The first thing you have to notice is Bon Iver's voice. There is no question it's what anyone would talk to you about first. His soaring falsetto is breathtaking and when he drops down the register and adds a mass of harmony vocals it is something special. Built around his voice are lightly strummed guitars, the occasional electric guitar, horns, light drums, and slide guitar. All of which never impede on his voice as the heart and soul of the music. They offer exactly what they should: accompaniment. His voice ebbs and flows. He knows how to build a song toward a climax and delivers each and every time. It is a debut whose songs are sure to be heard in emotion spaces in TV/Film for years to come. For Emma, Forever Ago captures the feeling of quiet isolation where the only sounds are snow falling gently on trees, the occasional crackle of firewood, and your own beating heart.

Bon Iver - Flume