Dennis Callaci The Domestic Harvester.

Not just any old asshole can cultivate bananas. You have to have a knack for it. For those mellow yellows can be plentiful but volatile. A fruitful harvest requires an ever vigilant eye on ripeness, maturity and color. Picking too early in the green zone will result in nothing less than hard fibrous blandness. Too much hang time on the branch and it's all brown spotted mush. To make matters more complicated some verities produce fruit that is green when ripe or that will fully ripen after being picked from the plant. Becoming familiar with the subtleties of your favored variety is crucial. Knowing the optimal time to pick and the right time to peel is more than a science, it's an art. 

Dennis Callaci is a salty dog musician and songwriter who knows how to spread out a harvest. Whenever Dennis is not working on his own music he's propagating the sounds of other like-minded brethren through his decades old Shrimper label. In a lot of ways Dennis has won the game, defied the odds, for he is an expert at tiptoeing around the confides of conventional rewards. His expectations are exceedingly low while his motivations are heavily fortified by a satisfied-self. This delicate combo of total togetherness deems him exempt from virtually all terms of failure. Dennis' latest focal point is the New Secrets album, a collaboration with longtime friend Simon Joyner. The album is a glorious statement of ripe personality and well persevered independence that is sure to withstand many seasons to come. So folks, don't believe the conspiracy of hollow expectations and long live the bananadine fantasy.

- Do you feel your music is a reflection of true self or an extension of a fictional entity you wish to be? 

     I am incredibly curious about the methods and thoughts of musicians, writers, & artists that I respect or have a deep love of their music, have read far too many auto/biographies on them when I should have been attacking other things (oh Mishima, you are incorrigible), but have seldom, over the course of the 25 yrs or so of releasing music, given much thought to the process of my own songwriting & have generally dodged most interviews as to
escape being self-serving, solipsistic or just tedious. So apologies to the LED screens, abused eye gates and work lost to reading this for any that enter.

     In regard to the question above, even in the most abstract and removed of songs, I do not see any logical way that what is created is not a reflection of who you are. I destroyed some perfectly good vegetables, turmeric, coriander and olive oil trying to make a nice meal last night. Tea leaves read mediocre, folks around my table were kind but there eyes read "nice try". I look at a neighbor of mine that lived in Germany during the early 40's, a bullet braised her hair, just a kiss from the side of her head, she made it out alive and with an incredible outlook on top.  She made something out of darkness. There is nothing in any of my songs that touches that. The reflection of the true self is what you do in your home & on the streets to your friends & enemies. Everyone is an artist, just as everyone is an asshole. I would take the truth any which way I can get it, even when it is painful & messy.

- Can you approximate how many songs you're written in your life thus far?

     So many terrible little songs, the number is a wealth but the quality is dogged. My brother Allen & I wrote a couple of thousand songs in our band that was the precursor to Refrigerator. 20 or so songs a week at times. Was fantastic practice considering that maybe 15 of these songs hold any water today. Over the last decade, I have written much fewer, maybe 200 decent songs, but if you are familiar with any of my songs, then you know
how economical and simple the music is. 
 

- What qualifies as an accomplished song? Is there a certain song that you
are particularly proud of? Why? 

     The only signifier I have as to a song being accomplished is when I share it with either Refrigerator, or in the case of the record that just got released, with Simon Joyner & his band. If a song feels like a sketch that can go somewhere I will share it, but if it feels half cooked or uninspired, it will die on a hard drive or a cassette or a CDR. I spend a lot of time on the initial written lyric and then sometime find a song that it fits into, sometimes not. This is not to say that the music isn't important, but it is easier for me to come by. The writing of the lyrics has always been much more important to me than the music. More usual than not, the lyrics will already exist before any thought as to the music. On the "New Secrets" record, the song "Guitar as Guitar"  is made of 2 short verses that were written prior to the music, the last stretch is mainly stream of consciousness that I put together in the first run through of the song w/ the band, and this verse changed quite a bit on the second and final take. The first verse of the song is sparked from a vague idea of a band breaking up mid song in some high rent studio. Second verse is about a relationship sailing south, and the third verse is an abstraction of a miscarriage suffered by my wife (and I) about 10 yrs ago, but this last part was not apparent to me as the song came together & I was singing these words. I was reading Jonathan Lethem's treatise of John Carpenter's "They Live" in between songs the day that we recorded this song and started to think about how cartoony the aliens are in the film "They Live", but what a succinct and boiled down definition these creatures are if you were to cop a quick sketch from a misanthrope. Monsters, ghosts, tragic figures. So when I sang the last verse, that was what was in my mind's eye anyway.  It wasn't until long after the song was recorded that the lyrics revealed to me that they were dressed up all Halloween, but were rooted in this incredibly personal experience of me taking the remnants of a failed pregnancy into the Pomona Valley Hospital, at the urging of my wife who was also a bit crazed at the time, to see if any tests could be run or anything of that nature to help in the event of our next pregnancy. It wasn't until I listened to a test press of the record that this occurred to me. I do not approach what I do as a confessional or as a place to air grievances or sorrows, but that does not mean that you can divorce yourself, or at least I can't, from your life bleeding into your songs. More often than not, the songs that I write are more of a forecast into the future than a regurgitation of the past. Listen to "Guitar as Guitar" HERE.

- What are the pros and cons of working alone or as a collaborator?
     Collaborating, for me, is not only the point of making music, but one of the few truly satisfying actions you can take & run with and find wealth at its finish line. I have worked with hundreds of artists over the last 25 years running Shrimper, and am humbled by the innumerable times I have been in the midst of watching minor ideas turn into major pieces.  The seed of demos that I hear of a record, like the forthcoming John Davis record, that morph into something altogether different & richer upon completion, it is one of the only real reasons I still run the label. The record that I recorded years ago w/ John Davis is very similar to the ones that I recorded w/ Simon or Refrigerator. There is not a lot of talk about direction or method. The recording of nearly all of the records I have been involved in have some kind of seat of the pants booby trap fixed into them, improvisational as can be allowed, affairs. I live for the surprise and mistakes and truths that come out of playing, that high that comes when you are in mid stream and lost in the ether. I seldom attain that when I record on my own, which is why I haven't released much solo stuff in the last 20 years. Easiest form to liken the difference to masturbation versus sex. You look soooooo stupid doing either one.

- Who is or would be your ultimate songwriting mentor (dead or living)?

     This question is difficult on so many fronts. Over the years I have fallen in love with nearly every record that I have been able to put out on Shrimper, and what usually draws me in is the quality of the songs. As time stretches, this does not change. Meaning that my peers, the songwriters that I grew up with in my early 20's (Franklin Bruno, Joel Huschle, Mark Givens, John Darnielle, my brother) affect me in the same way that younger artists whose records I have put out of late (John Thill, The Babies, Adam Lipman, Donovan Quinn, Woods) do.  I hear music by them and see possibilities that I did not see previously. Songwriters that I don't know, that move me, there is a plethora from all walks. One incredibly underrated one is Brian Piltin, from Brooklyn, he had a self released CD as "The Piltones" out a few years back. The whole package, great songs, great lyrics, inventive.  

- Care to divulge one of your secret sources of inspiration for song construction? 

     Reversing words/phrases to lyrics, pulling a word out of line 3 & plugging it into line 4, then playing with what is there gets my mind off the tether when I am stuck. I remind myself that some of my favorite lyrics are the ones that are abstract in an absurd way, but a way that rings true. Mickey Newbury or Alex Chilton have a lot of weedy lines that dig right into my sternum.

Eric Johnson The Candlestick Jumper.

Candlestick jumping is a form of fortune telling with a pinch of physical sport thrown in. Lore states that clearing a candle without extinguishing the flame will bring the jumper good luck the following year. If an attempt fails and the flame goes out completely the consequence is shit city revisited. Everyone strives for good fortune but few know what to do once they are granted their every wishes. The trick is to tease out the finer things in life without singeing your ass in the process. Hence, the best way to welcome prosperity is with a modest handshake and a smile of absurdity.

Eric Johnson is an Oakland, CA. songsmith who has had his fair share of flirting with flickering flames. His first notable leap of faith was fronting the bubblegum sass punk outfit The Time Flys. An outwardly brazen band of deliberate persona and fearless irreverence. Time Flys had a fantastic run but after a few years the momentum splintered and they eventually dissolved. As of recent times Eric's efforts have been concentrated on Sir Lord Von Raven. A band consisting and various East Bay mainstays with Eric once again flanking the lead position. Equally as intelligent as vigorous SLVR's sound encapsulates the band's influences; Glam, Power Pop, vintage Rock 'N' Roll and skewed songwriting.

Johnson has consistently shown style and character with an exemplary attention to quality songwriting with every project he has been involved with. Most importantly elements of sarcastic wit and devilish humor have been ever present throughout. Keep jumping those candles and may that flame never go out.

- Preferred instrument for songwriting? 
     Guitar? I've sang with several punk type bands as a youth, but didn't play any instruments (I formed The Cuts with Andy Jordan and Carlos Palacios, but only sang). I realized that I couldn't get by humming shit to people for too long and finally started playing at about 21 years old.

- Can you approximate how many songs you're written in your life thus far? 
     Do you count the ones that never see the light of day? A couple hundred.

- Is songwriting a spontaneous affair or do you have a ritual for conjuring ideas? 

     It's completely spontaneous, but I have to make time to create it (since I'm raising a little boy and making sure our house doesn't fall down). Its magic when the songs write themselves and you seem to be a vessel for it.  

- Can you chronicle or explain the typical process in which you go about transforming a spark of an idea into a complete song?

     Usually I will have a phrase of desired text or phrase that impresses me. A lot of humor is involved most of the time ( "Bare Bottom Time"- I'm sure you could guess what that's about,.... etc.) Then I just hit the guitar looking for either a hook and a riff that match. I'm pretty limited in within my capabilities, but I try not to let that stop me. Sometimes I will write a song and play it back another day and recognize a melody or other that sounds like an existing song from an old charting hit hit from the past, Then I'll freakout and try to correct it by changing the key or tempo and what not. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Then you trash it and start over. Sometimes if a riff or hook doesn't work with what I'm doing at the time I will then stow them away and use them later in mix and match method. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Who cares?! Because its all worth it when you sit down to write and the motherfucker writes it self. Sometimes the song will even be super simple and compact, which actually helps for pop sensibility. I feel there isn't really a right a wrong way do it!

- Do you feel your music is a refection of true self or an extension of a fictional entity you wish to be?   

     It is both. You naturally write about what you know and what you strive to be. I sometimes include a theme from books that I read and include characters from within. I recently read "Gulliver's Travels" and just finished a song entitled " I can't Sit Still",  which references Gulliver and I get  to sing, "The Yahoos are after me!". I like digging through any history and referencing that. I also like poking fun at religion the current stat of humanity.

- What qualifies as an accomplished song?

     It helps when people say they dig it.

- Songs are like children and it's hard to play favorites. However is there a certain song that you are particularly proud of? Why? 

     Georgy Boy-I don't mean to seem vain, but I feel like if you told someone Ray Davies wrote that song it would be believable. Although, I had no intention of biting the Kinks vibe at all.   The lyrics have to do with my teenage years and And early adult years, being a long hair and being confused with being a girl in public (believe it or not!). Listen HERE. 

Jeremy Barnes The Journeyman.

The role of the conduit tends to be a righteous one. The trailblazer might gain satisfaction in leading the way but it's usually an unlikely predecessor who reaps the major rewards. Luckily for us less adventurous types there are selfless vanguards like Jeremy Barnes who are more willing to share their findings rather than keep them locked away in a dungeon of self-obsession. 

There is no denying that Barnes has a discerning appetite for exotic sounds from unlikely corners of the world, particularly gypsy music from the Carpathian region. Banes has done his homework. I can only imagine to what extent he has traveled in order to satiate his desire for authenticity. Surely Barnes has ventured to many mother countries to observe the masters at work. For at times you must let down your safeguards and insert yourself directly into the game in order achieve true knowledge. Firsthand heavenly states are far more valuable than any book learned compliance.

Barnes' love for the traditional arcane has culminated into the musical project A Hawk and a Hacksaw, which is a collaboration with his violinist wife Heather Trost. Their developed approach to songs can not be easily bagged and tagged. Rather it's a patchwork of dexterous ethic jamming mixed with tasteful touches of modern composition. Basically everything and anything beyond the confides of the Western scale played intuitively, with humility, and with the brilliance of mastered musicianship. It's gritty and it's academic yet somehow neither overpowers the other. Banes' music experience will never bore you, only inspire you to join the journey. So let the Tuica flow and the glissandi glide on.

- Preferred instrument for songwriting? 
     I enjoy going over rhythms in my head, and attaching melodies to them.

- Can you approximate how many songs you're written in your life thus far? 
     Hmmmm. I suppose it would be over a hundred, under two hundred.

- Is songwriting a spontaneous affair or do you have a ritual for conjuring ideas? 
     It helps to have more than one approach.  Singing in my head is one, and then there is sitting at the table and playing accordion for hours... or playing drums and singing in my head.  One of the best approaches which is sadly hard to control, is walking around and having a melody pop in the head, and then going home and working out chords to it.

- Can you chronicle or explain the typical process in which you go about transforming a spark of an idea into a complete song? 
     Recording rough versions, playing it live, messing with multiple arrangements, sometimes changing the rhythms completely.

- Do you feel your music is a refection of true self or an extension of a fictional entity you wish to be? 
     In some ways it is both. As a musician, my true self is based in rhythm, so it is only natural for me to work with rhythm as the basis for a song.  I am not as interested in song lyrics or modulation or interesting chord changes... that all comes later.  But then there is the "extension of a fictional entity" as you say, and music can become an escape from the self... the idea of losing yourself in music is very attractive.

- What qualifies as an accomplished song? 
     I don't need to see progress in my songwriting to feel that I have succeeded, and sometimes the easiest songs to write are the best.  But I believe first in the process, and that is the important part. The doing is the accomplishment.

- Songs are like children and it's hard to play favorites. However is there a certain song that you are particularly proud of? Why? 
     The first song on the first AHAAH record, "Maremaillette" was a breakthrough for my rhythmically and melodically.  It is not my favorite song that I have written but I learned quite a bit while working on it.

Zachary Cale The Survivalist

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The song remains the same. Daily life tends to be an uncompromising son-of-a-bitch. A majority of us surrender our precious time and energy to mundane tasks in exchange for a modest existence. Some are content with just riding the tracks that are laid out while others strive for a higher significance greater than any form of traditional reward. Signifiers come in many shapes and sizes and don't necessarily have to be grandiose to be profound. We can never completely escape the teasing taunting restraints of reality, however from time to time we can temporarily disappear into a song. The simple act of listening to a trusted tune can inspire hope, give meaning and/or serve justification to the tribulations we endure.

Zachary Cale is lone rider who has mastered the art of spinning gold from nothing. Through deterministic song writing and self-releasing is own music he has managed to build himself an outpost of purpose in an otherwise barren tundra of obscurity. He invests a lot into his work yet he openly invites strangers into his private sanctuary with little need for exchange. Zachary has even taken it a step further by releasing material from like-minded artists (Illuminations, Plates Of Cake, etc.) on his own record label All Hands Electric. Essentially Zachary has created a satellite universe, assembled a family, invented is own form of currency by independent means. Cale's manufactured realm could be considered escapism but to me it's just a wondrous path of survival.

- Preferred instrument for songwriting? 
     Guitar is my main instrument and I've done most of all my writing with it.  I gravitate towards my Martin Acoustic but different guitars will spark new ideas so it's good to move around and try different ones.  Lately I've been getting into piano and finding it easy to write with.  My brain just works differently when I play it, and I find I reach for things I never would with a guitar.  It's kinda blowing my mind actually.  

- Can you approximate how many songs you're written in your life thus far? 
     Including all the bad ones I'd say around 300 but there's probably more.

- Is songwriting a spontaneous affair or do you have a ritual for conjuring ideas? 
     I'd say it's pretty spontaneous, can't say I have any rituals.  Honestly just being alone for a long period of time with no distractions is really the the surefire way for me to write a bunch.  I write with melody, never with ideas so for me it's all about being alone with a guitar.  Though I've definitely written songs without an instrument as well, those are usually the lightning bolt moments.

- Can you chronicle or explain the typical process in which you go about transforming a spark of an idea into a complete song? 
     When I have a good first line then then it usually just all comes rolling out.  If it doesn't I tread lightly around it.  I don't like to force things so I usually just let it lie for a bit, come back to it later and by that time a new idea will help finish it off.  If for some reason nothing's happening at all then I usually just file it away in hope that I'll know what to do with it later.  I don't record demos either, my philosophy is if the melody is strong enough then I'll remember it.  If not then it probably wasn't great to begin with.  When I have a new song it happens often that the first couple lines I write will end up somewhere in the middle of the song, so I end up writing from the middle out.  It varies though.  First lines are really important to me.  If I land a good one then I know that song will be written in one sitting.  I believe that the best one's write themselves.

- Do you feel your music is a refection of true self or an extension of a fictional entity you wish to be? 
     I'm sure it's both.  Even the characters I invent in songs I know in some way are me, or at least a side of me.  I don't know if I believe songwriters who claim they aren't in their songs.  If it came from your imagination then clearly that has to figure somewhere in your life.

- What qualifies as an accomplished song? 
     That heart stopping spine tingling thing that happens when you hear it.

- Songs are like children and it's hard to play favorites. However is there a certain song that you are particularly proud of? Why? 
     I have a song called "Green Screen" that hasn't been recorded yet.  It's been one of my favorites for the past year or so.  It came really easy and usually my favorites are  like that.  The phrasing of the lyric sits perfectly in the music so it sings really well, that's always an indicator of a good song for me.  I like what it's about even if it's slightly abstract.  To me it's a song that mostly anyone could project themselves onto or see something of themselves in.  The lyrics evoke strong images and resonate on an emotional level I think most of us can relate to, and musically it shifts keys twice.  I wrote it with the voice dictating the chord changes rather than the guitar, I think songs written that way are usually the most arresting melodically. Even though there's multiple sections it plays like one long chorus.  For me it's on the clever side and that's not usually my style.  Clever in the way Harry Nilsson was; somehow understated and grand at the same time. (since "Green Screen" is yet to be recorded "Hello Oblivion" off Zachary's third full-length Noise of Welcome is a splendid runner up. - B.C.U.)

Ben Chasny The Sympathetic Magician.

It seems only fitting to christen this project with an interview with my old friend Ben Chasny of Six Organs Of Admittance and various other projects. I did the math recently and deducted that I've been following Ben's musical evolution for nearly two decades. Apart from being an exceptional guitar player and songsmith what I admire most about Ben is the consistent amount of integrity he has applied to his work over the years. The man has a saintly work ethic with a impeccable track record. Just sample any given song (instrumental or vocal) off any of his 18 or so releases and you are immediately struck with a sense that what is presented carries the weight of something deeply personal and meaningful. Ben's purity path invokes a special kind of sympathetic magic which instantly translates to the listener. It's easy to trust Ben's music, it's easy to believe in his words. Or simply, the shit is real. What I find most amazing of all is that from the early days of home recorded cassette releases to the fully accomplished studio albums of recent years Ben's dedication to purpose has never faltered. The degree of magic has been a constant throughout. So lets get into it..... 

- Preferred instrument for songwriting? 
     I almost always write on an acoustic guitar, even songs that I know will later turn into electric songs. There's something about the timbre that I find very open, as if there are more possibilities with an acoustic guitar. Then again, guitar is my only instrument, so that probably has something to do with it. 

- Can you approximate how many songs you're written in your life thus far? 
     I haven't really thought about it but looking back I think probably about 100 for Six Organs, so that would be totally by myself. I've written more with other people as well. 

- Is songwriting a spontaneous affair or do you have a ritual for conjuring ideas for music? 
     Songs come in all sorts of ways for me. I used to collect fragments of music and fragments of lyrics and then try to see what parts might go together and then flesh the song out from there. Lately I work on a song and the lyrics all together from beginning to end. I have songs that I wrote years ago that continually have the lyrics change, which is one reason why I never record them. I tend to write the lyrics very fast and then do a little editing at the end. I guess I've always been inspired by that vision of Van Morrison in a trance just sort of singing to the music for Astral Weeks. Often the words have a cryptic nature but I know the exact code to reveal what the song is about. 

- Can you chronicle or explain the typical process in which you go about transforming a spark of an idea into a complete song? 
     I almost always start with the music. I just tend to be more musically oriented than lyrically. I suppose that explains why I don't have the best singing voice. But when I do write lyrics they always mean something. There is no sense in having throw-away lyrics. I can always do an instrumental. So lyrics are important to me. One thing I have been doing lately is recording the music and then taking a drive and listening to the music in the car. Since I like to sing in the car to other music it sort of sets up a nice horizon for melodies and words. Another thing I do is listen to the music with headphones half-cocked with my guitar in my lap and write the melodies on the guitar as I listen. I've been doing that for a long time.

- Do you feel your music is a refection of true self or an extension of a fictional entity you wish to be? 
     I feel that my music, and everyone's music, reveals worlds. There are different worlds for everyone. Some people have more than one world that they create. In this way, sometimes our lives have a greater similitude to a particular world that is revealed, and sometimes less. I never feel as if any of my music is really an extension of anything in my day to day life. In fact, I see different stages in the person who is typing this now, the person who writes the music, and the music. I don't know if any of those stages exist on the same plane. They are related but perhaps more refracted then reflected. 

- Songs are like children and it's hard to play favorites. However is there a certain song that you are particularly proud of? Why? 
     Right now I think I would answer Light Of The Light. It seems to be pretty self contained and it has some sort of coded references that make me smile. 

Opening Night With The Creatures.

An introduction. We are all gods. We are all creatures who love music. I believe that all humans are capable of carrying a tune, creating music and/or constructing a song. Some of us pursue these interests, most choose not to. Yet with the best or the worst intentions there is an endless amount of songs floating and fluttering out in the ether. Billions upon billions of them and the tally just keeps on growing. My idea behind this blog is to get a better understanding of what inspires the conception of songs through short seven question interviews with friends and songwriters I admire. I aim to capture unfiltered details of the writing process along with the basics of what motivates the internal ritual of making music. If anything I hope to be briefly entertained by some very talented and interesting people. Hopefully you will be too. The door is officially open. Enjoy, B.C.U.