| Interviews: | Q&A
- Feb '00 Q&A - June '98 Q&A - Dec '97 |
|
|
||
| Interviews | ||
Q&A with David Schelzel - June 1998 |
||
|
Now that you are working on a new album and the See The Ocean Blue chapter has closed, how do you look back on the STOB album? |
||
|
Boy, you know I still really like most of that record. I listened to it the other day for the first time in a long time. I was pleasantly surprised and if I don't say so myself, impressed with some of the stuff. I love the way alot of it sounds. That and Cerulean are by far our most interesting sounding records. STOB probably is more of a "song record" than Cerulean... And I should add that I just wish more people had heard it. |
||
| It's hard to believe but it's been 10 years (or so) since your first record. How is the rehearsing/recording process different now from then? | ||
| The rehearsing/ recording process is entirely different. We rehearsed most of the first record in Bobby's basement (when he was in high school and living at home). For the following records we had various rehearsal spaces, but did alot of recording in each other's home's and never stepped into the big studio until the actual record was being made. Ironically, we are talking about doing much of this new record "at home." Technology allows for alot more of that now than ten years ago. | ||
| In the same vein, how about your songwriting...does the "older, wiser" David write music differently than 10 (or 15) years ago? Have your lyrical concepts or subject matter changed as well? | ||
| Yes, and No. If you listen to STOB and the first record, you can certainly hear a difference. I was certainly a different person. On the first record you hear, and I was, a kid. I am obviously no longer a kid, so as I change, the music does as well. But it is a stream, not a kid phase-adult phase. In other words, I didn't one day wake up ten years older. Each of the records (particularly the songs) reflects me at the time of life I was at when the record was being made. It's actually a very public diary. Scary thought... | ||
| Most of us can only imagine what it's like to be in a band, rehearsing for a new album. Could you describe a typical rehearsal day? | ||
| Well, our rehearsals are really just the odd day/days here and there. Most of the time I spend on my own writing and figuring out songs. When I think I have a few together, I will assemble the band and we will work on them together and make some demos of them. | ||
| Do you record your rehearsals? Do you have any demos from the band's earliest days? | ||
| I make a lot of recordings of rehearsals from a small cassette recorder I have, but they are mostly for my own reference and consist predominantly of loud drums and the rest of band somewhere in the background. We have many many old demos though, mostly that Rob has recorded from the day he joined the band. And even a few pre Rob things. They served as sketches of songs to consider for a record. Some of them I think are quite good- some even better than what went on the actual records. And this is the reason we tried to put an album of them out last year. Mercury was cool to the idea, but I believe it will happen some day. | ||
| Have you chosen a producer? How do you arrive at the choice of the producer? | ||
| The producer of the next record will probably be ourselves. I believe it is only worth having a producer if he is leagues better than you. Right now those producers are out of our price range or would most likely not be interested in us. At this point, we have learned alot about making records, and so long as we can all get along, we are perfectly capable of doing one ourselves. | ||
| Are there any new sounds or effects you are experimenting with (loops, ambient sounds, kazoos...)? | ||
| I have been making a lot of demos with loops, mostly because I can have a hard time getting Rob when I need him, so it is practical. But I can really like this sound. I am a big fan of Beck. I love how he uses loops/samples- how he puts things together that he just finds or likes. He's a sonic Rauchenberg | ||
| A lot of fans are wondering what the next album will sound like, whether it will continue the "harder" STOB sound or the more lush TOB sound (a la Cerulean). Have the rehearsals given any early indication which musical direction the band is taking? | ||
| Gosh, I don't even know how we are sounding. And man, if I don't.... | ||
| Some bands--U2 and REM spring to mind--nowadays make albums with a specific style in mind, e.g. a techno sound, or a heavy guitar album, or folky, or whatever. What do you think of this calculated approach? | ||
|
Calculated approaches seldom work if the calculation is too calculated. Now, I love a thoughtful or artistic approach, and an approach doesn't have to be spontaneous or completely organic. Records do not happen through osmosis. But sometimes calculated approaches can overshadow content. You can have a great theme for a novel and forget to pay attention to the plot, the character development, the language, etc. By the way, when's the last time you bought a REM or U2 record you loved? [Out of Time was the last REM album I cared for, and the spontaneously-recorded Zooropa is the only post-Joshua Tree album by U2 that really grabbed me--Brian] |
||
| What is the mix of newly written songs to songs from previous sessions? Any chance that some of the songs from the ill-fated "Unreleased Tracks" record might show up? (I'm dying to hear a recorded version of "Ayn.") | ||
| A great demo of "Ayn" exists but probably won't be on the new record. There are however, two songs that we wanted on the last record that Dennis (our last producer) did not like. We agreed to leave them off when we decided to work with him. If they still sound good with the new tunes, they will be on the next record. | ||
| We've heard there will be a cover song on the record. Up until now you've only done originals on your albums--why did you choose to do one now? | ||
| We have only been experimenting with some covers. I don't know if they will be making the record. I seem to be the one most into the idea, but the guys are less than enthusiastic about my particular renditions....the solo record I guess... | ||
| Oed wrote two songs on STOB. Is he contributing any for the new album? | ||
| Oed has written some amazing songs lately, but they are very very Oed and I don't know if they will be right for a TOB record. I tell you though, I am a fan. | ||
| Do you have a working album title, or any themes or ideas for the album cover? | ||
| Funny enough I have a great idea for the album cover, but I can't tell you. I will say it does involve the group and an interesting locale. | ||
| And finally...Many of us are of course anxious to hear you play some of the new material live. What is your schedule for the summer? Will you go right into the studio to record or will you have enough of a break to possibly shake out some of the songs in front of an audience? | ||
| We have had a few offers to play this summer, I am not sure if we will, but you'll certainly know if we do. | ||
Please do not reprint or reproduce any portion of this page without express written permission. |
||
Deep Into The Ocean Blue is an unofficial fan site for The Ocean Blue, created and maintained by Brian Pianalto.
This site makes extensive use
of Macromedia Flash and stylesheets. 4.0 (or higher) browers are highly
recommended.
Best viewed in 800x600 resolution.