Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.40 06/02)
excerpts from an interview with Jody Park (Keyboards)
Well, Henry Bones and Scott Ratchford left after the first album to pursue other interests. About a year later we collaborated with drummer Mike Kite to record the song "Laudanum" for the Italian compilation album "E Tu Vivrai Nel Terrore" which was a tribute to horror films. It is available on Black Widow records.
There was even a re-ignition of Somnambulist in 1999 with two ex-Volaré members. Why did this musical combination not work in the end and what happened to the recordings from that time?
After recording "Laudanum" with Mike, we were again in search of new players. Ken Golden suggested we collaborate with two Volaré members to record our second album. It seemed like a great idea at the time, since we enjoyed their latest album, "The Uncertainty Principle" They lived several hundred miles away and had to commute to rehearse and record. Looking back, I'm surprised we were able to get anything decent recorded. The recordings sounded thrown together and did not live up to our or the record label's standards. The album was shelved.
Were there even times, when you thought about given up and stopping Somnambulist?
Yes. After not being able to release the second album, and the difficulty in solidifying a complete band, I was ready to stop. I believed in the music but the inability to find collaborators was maddening. It seemed Terry and I were beating our heads against a brick wall. I was tired. But you don't walk out in the middle of a great movie just because you ran out of popcorn, do you? You might miss something exciting. Turns out I would have missed Charlie Shelton and Joe Whitaker. I saw Charlie playing at a club and liked what I heard. Terry and I asked him to join the band. We had played with Joe in the band Privy Member, and I think Terry or Charlie called him and asked him to join. Charlie was working at a local bar and met Peter Cornell, who was touring the country as a solo artist, and gave him a tape of our most recent recordings. He liked what he heard. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Peter recorded the vocals in New York and we mixed them with the music here in Chattanooga.
Even though there were six years between your first album and "The paranormal humidor", some of the typical elements survived, like e.g. the vintage 70's progressive rock sounds and a kind of dark sombre atmosphere. Do you see "The paranormal humidor" as a continuation of your style or is it something completely new?
Both. It's a continuation of our vision of the band and our approach to the music. But itÕs also new for several reasons. Terry and I weren't relying as much on backlog material and ideas from our musical past. We were working on mostly fresh ideas with our first complete band since 1996. Charlie's guitar playing along with Joe's drumming gave us a more muscular sound. And Peter, being a prolific lyricist and emotional singer, allowed us to explore a more vocally oriented style.
The biggest changes and improvements in your sound are the addition of Peter Cornell's expressive voice and I also have the feeling that the guitar took over more or less the leading role.
Peter's voice is another instrument providing additional melody, counter melody and texture. His lyrics are very personal and real. Charlie has added the guitar crunch and virtuosity we've wanted since the beginning of Somnambulist. The first album was so densely keyboard laden. On this album I wanted to leave room for Charlie's guitar to shine, and it does. And Joe's drumming is so confident and propulsive. I can't praise our new band members enough. It excites me. I can't wait to hear what we do next.
Can you give a short overview over the songs of the new album, e.g. which one's the most important song for you, are there any special stories which lead to one or the other composition?
I like all of the songs equally. They are kind of like our children, so you wouldn't want to play favorites. The title song, "Paranormal humidor" was written by Terry and was presented to me as a demo. All I did was help in the editing process. It is recorded on the album almost exactly as it is on the demo except for the added vocals. We realized that such an epic song would be the cornerstone of the new album. "In the Mindwarp Pavillion" began as another of Terry's demos with the rest of the band adding various parts. "Pathos of least resistance" and "Destroy...she said" are very special because they were the first songs written by the new band. Charlie had just become a father and wrote "Infant" for his son. "Troy built Helen" was a song cowritten with Scott Ratchford before he left the band in 1996. I always think of him when we play it. "Died and gone" was one of the first songs Terry and I had ever written together. It's from the Privy Member days, pre 1996. We actually recorded it with Joe - who was one of the Privy Members - with different lyrics and another singer. This version is much better. Although this is a new album performed and predominantly written by the new incarnation of the band, it still has a great deal of history.
Who had the idea of including a short passage of The Who's "See me, feel me" into "Destroy…she said"?
That was completely Peter Cornell's idea. We had no idea he was going to do that. I like to think of it as a tip of the hat to one of the greatest bands of all time. A tribute.
Unfortunately you aren't able to play on NEARfest. Will there be other chances to see Somnambulist playing live in the near future?
Yes, that was a big disappointment. Because of geography and conflicting schedules Peter was unable to commit to the NEARfest dates. We felt it was best to go ahead and bow out gracefully instead of pulling out at the last minute. The band is looking forward to doing some live shows as soon as it's possible. We love writing and recording albums, but there is nothing like playing in front of a crowd. Nothing else gives you that rush. That's about all there is to tell right now. We are in the process of writing the next album. Charlie has come up with some songs that are definitely pushing the prog envelope. I think the next album will be a continuation and a progression of our sound. We've got the perfect lineup now. All we want is to grow as musicians and artists and put out the best product that we are capable of.
Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2002