Paste Studio Live 12/17/2018: About Creating an Album (Transcript) Paste Magazine (Ft. The Happy Fits)
[Applause]
Luke Davis: Thank you.
Host: Dude, that is, I mean, that's a perfect example of you guys traversing the map in terms of genres and styles. I mean it’s got like a little bit of— Sounds like that Del Shannon, like 1950s like that song Silhouettes or something from that era but updated for now. It feels like it would've lived comfortably in both, in either decade, now or then.
Ross Monteith: That's awesome. Yeah, thanks.
Calvin Langman: Thanks. You’re too kind.
Davis: (You [?] just to give us this album review?)
Host: Dude, yeah, I like this job. This is all I do is record these sessions. It's so much fun. I mean yeah, we do the booking as well, so we can book what we look and then just have these little shows here and have a beer and this is what we do.
Can we talk a little bit about the production of the album itself and where'd you guys recorded—was it at Diamond City or am I making that up?
Monteith: Yeah, yeah. So we recorded at Diamond City—well, it was originally in Manhattan—and we recorded with Ayad al Adhamy and Joel Witenberg, and the two of them—it was our first time ever in a real studio with an actual producer—and our first session when we came here, we were in the process of recording this album that's out now, and that was kinda like halfway through recording the album I think and the process really like— Every song we kinda sat down with our producer Ayad and then we sat down amongst ourselves and talked about each and every single song. And you know, you kinda had to compromise in certain ways of how you wanted the song to sound in your head versus how it's gonna come out. And I know Calvin had a pretty strong idea of like—
Langman: Yeah, we fought a lot. We fought.
Monteith: Yeah, yeah. Like the way that the songs would sound and just through like we would all put our inputs in and try to make it as best as possible with what we were happy with, you know? Every song was a different task, but it was so much fun.
Davis: Yeah, there were also a lot more songs. You know, a lot of artists go in the studio and they do like twenty demos. We did nineteen and then we end up with a product of eleven songs. It's like you really go through and find what songs fit with the other ones and how can we make this like a sonic piece as opposed to just jumbling a bunch of songs together. Which is sometimes a concern for us 'cause of the jumping of genres, I guess.
Langman: Yeah, it kinda had like an impossible task 'cause like he— There’s no precedent for a cello in an indie rock band—at least, replacing the bass completely. So it was up to him to just imagine what that sound would sound like and the way he did it we really like. There could’ve been a million other ways to do it but the way that it came out we're really happy with.
Luke Davis: Thank you.
Host: Dude, that is, I mean, that's a perfect example of you guys traversing the map in terms of genres and styles. I mean it’s got like a little bit of— Sounds like that Del Shannon, like 1950s like that song Silhouettes or something from that era but updated for now. It feels like it would've lived comfortably in both, in either decade, now or then.
Ross Monteith: That's awesome. Yeah, thanks.
Calvin Langman: Thanks. You’re too kind.
Davis: (You [?] just to give us this album review?)
Host: Dude, yeah, I like this job. This is all I do is record these sessions. It's so much fun. I mean yeah, we do the booking as well, so we can book what we look and then just have these little shows here and have a beer and this is what we do.
Can we talk a little bit about the production of the album itself and where'd you guys recorded—was it at Diamond City or am I making that up?
Monteith: Yeah, yeah. So we recorded at Diamond City—well, it was originally in Manhattan—and we recorded with Ayad al Adhamy and Joel Witenberg, and the two of them—it was our first time ever in a real studio with an actual producer—and our first session when we came here, we were in the process of recording this album that's out now, and that was kinda like halfway through recording the album I think and the process really like— Every song we kinda sat down with our producer Ayad and then we sat down amongst ourselves and talked about each and every single song. And you know, you kinda had to compromise in certain ways of how you wanted the song to sound in your head versus how it's gonna come out. And I know Calvin had a pretty strong idea of like—
Langman: Yeah, we fought a lot. We fought.
Monteith: Yeah, yeah. Like the way that the songs would sound and just through like we would all put our inputs in and try to make it as best as possible with what we were happy with, you know? Every song was a different task, but it was so much fun.
Davis: Yeah, there were also a lot more songs. You know, a lot of artists go in the studio and they do like twenty demos. We did nineteen and then we end up with a product of eleven songs. It's like you really go through and find what songs fit with the other ones and how can we make this like a sonic piece as opposed to just jumbling a bunch of songs together. Which is sometimes a concern for us 'cause of the jumping of genres, I guess.
Langman: Yeah, it kinda had like an impossible task 'cause like he— There’s no precedent for a cello in an indie rock band—at least, replacing the bass completely. So it was up to him to just imagine what that sound would sound like and the way he did it we really like. There could’ve been a million other ways to do it but the way that it came out we're really happy with.
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