feature bandX“the young volcanoes”

vol.1

feature bandXZac Clark from “The Young Volcanoes” speaks with us about the band, his history, and the new album.

the young volcanoes

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE BAND...

Since Young Volcanoes as a record was such a rambling, collaborative process, Since Young Volcanoes as a record was such a rambling, collaborative process, recorded in five different states over the course of a few years, that's how the band is shaping up - whichever outrageously talented and energetic follks are around when we happen to be playing. Joe Ballaro and I seem to have taken up the "core" role in the band just by default, and not just because I spend a lot of time crashing on his fiance's couch - it was Joe's insistence that got me finally looking at this long-abandoned solo project as a live band in early 2012 and ultimately breathed new life into the songs and the vibe. In Connecticut, we've found ourselves playing with native son and fellow Queen Killing Kings alumnus Jon Scerbo on drums, and we're always excited to get to Brooklyn and play with our Greenpoint pals Dylan Allen on guitar and Matt Bogdanow on drums. We just got back from a trip to LA, where we got a chance to play with the wonderful Erin "Syd" Sidney, who produced the record with me, on drums, and did a last-minute session in NYC this past week with one of my new favorite drummers, Ian O'Neill- Ian's from Connecticut and can often be found wherever one might find Gavin DeGraw on a stage these days. So, long story found wherever one might find Gavin DeGraw on a stage these days. So, long story short- we're a rambling band and always excited to play these tunes and others with various friends, and thrive on the unique energy a player can bring to the table, personally and musically.

(www.sarahkjelleren.com)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC FOR THE PUBLIC AUDI-ENCE IF THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE?

I'd say you should be prepared to see a bunch of guys who grew up on similar strains of real, live, 70s rock and roll, having a blast playing concise pop songs but feeding off of each others' raw live energy to others' raw live energy to create a one-of-a-kind experience that might find us really meditating on some-thing quiet and beautiful one moment and then building on the intensity of each player's parts to create something loud, heavy and insistent in the next moment.

This band is for fans of pop/rock music and melodic singer/songwriters who have grown tired of how little life there is in the typical modern performance riddled by pre-determined click tracks and pre-recorded overdubs. and pre-recorded overdubs. Each time we play these songs, we try our best to make them new, for ourselves and for the audi-ence, so it's a workout, both emotionally and physically, something I've always loved sharing, whether from the stage or from the crowd. If you are seated or standing in the front row, I may sweat on or around you. I'm sorry / you're welcome.

GIVE US A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR MUSIC CAREER THUS FAR. WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU START? WHAT ALBUMS HAVE YOU RECORDED?

I've been playing music ever since I found a tape I've been playing music ever since I found a tape recorder and a household object to play drums on - I like to think I've been pretending to be a rock star for twenty years now, and I try to remind myself of the blurred line between "practice" and "make-believe"- it makes me feel like a seasoned professional rather than just a crazy dude with a big mouth. I can say with confidence that I am both, though it's not up to me, but confidence that I am both, though it's not up to me, but to each individual listener, to determine the ratio. Joe and I have been playing together since '08 I believe, when he and our good friend Dan Duggins came up to the studio to play drums and bass on what eventually became Young Volcanoes, and it was around then that both Dan and Joe convinced me to come down and meet a guy who'd go on to become one of my best meet a guy who'd go on to become one of my best friends and favorite musical minds in the world, Coley O'Toole. From there we played as The Queen Killing Kings for a couple of years, signed to Wind-up Records for a time, released a record we were all quite proud of, and recorded and toured a fair bit, during which time we learned a whole bunch together- how to put a really energetic and engaging live show night after night, how to survive hilariously horrifying motels and empty clubs, what it was like to have a big label provide clubs, what it was like to have a big label provide financial backing for your dreams and then take it right away. From there, Coley, Joe and I have been blessed to be able to work with some amazingly talented folks out in LA, Rocco DeLuca, Christian Letts of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and Simon Katz of Young-blood Hawke to name a few, in recording a live old-time folk/pop hootenanny of a record we call Smoke Signals. I've also enjoyed being a part of recording and touring with a band from Providence, RI called The Tower & The Fool, featuring members of Boys Like Girls, Hot Rod Circuit and Therefore I Am, which is yet another diverse crew that teaches me new things about myself, music, and the relation between the two every time I play keys and sing with them. Young Volcanoes is the first real record I've made of Young Volcanoes is the first real record I've made of my own- the first thing that I feel really chronicles a period of time and provides an accurate (however harrowing) view of my shifting philosophy and musical perspective over the last few years.

“I like to think I've been pretending to be a rock star for twenty years now, and I try to remind myself of the blurred line between "practice"

and "make-believe"- it makes me feel like a seasoned professional rather than just a crazy dude with a big mouth”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH MUSIC LIKE? WHAT SONG DO YOU REMEMBER MOST AS A CHILD OR TEEN?

My first experience with music that I can remember is My first experience with music that I can remember is ripping the entire arm off of my family's turntable in the late 80s in my excitement over the sounds I was hearing, effec-tively moving the Clark household into the age of CDs, and leaving us with a scant few Dan Fogelberg albums, Abbey Road, and a promo disc ripped off of a carton of Parliament Lights that featured Eddie Money, Greg Allman and the Hooters. Hooters.

It seems no surprise at this point that I am attracted to outrageously lush production, stacked harmonies and com-plex chord progressions, but also really enjoy a simple, bombastic fist-pumping bar pop song that you might find on a CD your dad got for free with a month's supply of ciga-rettes late in the 20th century. I couldn't pinpoint one song as the one I remember most as a child because I was just so excited about whatever I could get my hands on- most of the greatest influences on my life and writing seem completely random in hindsight. The music that struck me most, handed down to me from my mom, was Dan Fogelberg's- his stuff is almost entirely the basis of my interest in playing and recording music, and I continue to learn a lot about harmony, economy and emocontinue to learn a lot about harmony, economy and emo-tional vulnerability from his work. I remember not having any concept of the musical era I was born into because I was so excited about each "new" record of his that I found- while kids were coming into my first grade classroom with their neon clothes on backward and a copy of their older brother's Kriss Kross tape in hand, I was trying to talk to my teacher about 70s folk-rock and how I wanted to grow my hair long and have a sweet beard. I wish I was kidding. Actually, no, no I don't. My six-year-old self would be so stoked.

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY GREAT MUSIC COMES FROM HEARTBREAK AS OPPOSED TO HAPPI-NESS. YOUR THOUGHTS?

That is a familiar refrain - I've said it and I have many friends who, after getting married or having kids, or simply making it through a rough period of time, say at least once, "Oh God, this feeling is just too nice to write a song about, what the hell do I do?" I don't think great music has as much to do with those polar opposites though, as it does with an eagerness to put your thoughts,

ideas, confusion and great triumphs of self-discovery on display, with all the seams and stuffing exposed in the most realistic way possible. If you're writing a stock song about heartbreak just If you're writing a stock song about heartbreak just because it seems like "the right way to do it," it's never going to hit anyone as hard as your upbeat, sunny song about the simple pleasures and wonderfully informative minor tragedies of your real life. I just read this killer essay by T.R. Hummer called "An I just read this killer essay by T.R. Hummer called "An Audience," where he speaks of a "moment when a line is crossed," when a writer "takes hold of something by the left hand," meaning "nothing more than that [one] understands and respects the strangeness of his or her own life and of the lives of others, and grasps that strangeness by whatever means present themselves, realizing that there is no prophesy and no prophet, but realizing that there is no prophesy and no prophet, but only a desperate humanity staving off death by the things we tell each other."

TELL US ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM.

It's definitely my favorite thing I've ever done- but It's definitely my favorite thing I've ever done- but getting to a point where I'm able to say that with confi-dence and relief has been a long road. When I was 17 I put out what I thought was my first solo record, self-produced with me playing everything, and, as could be expected, hilariously awkward to listen to. Before I could even do much with it, I met Mike Poorman, and we essentially started working on bits and pieces of what would become Young Volcanoes the following year. We tracked a bunch of demos at his studio in Vermont, put an EP out and I played everywhere for a couple of years, while chipping away at new songs at Mike's new digs, the now-defunct Strangeways Recording in Provi-dence, RI and various studios throughout the east coast. Then I just got extremely disillusioned with the process of "being a singer/songwriter" and really felt myself drawn toward playing in bands- I was so over the idea of drawn toward playing in bands- I was so over the idea of promoting these ideas that were so close to my heart, and I just wanted to play piano, you know? So I played with the Queen Killing Kings full-time for a while, got an English degree for no real reason other than liking read-ing and arguing with authority, and did a bunch of session work - finally, at the end of a tour playing keys with my friend Syd, I played a bunch of the Young Volcanoes demos for the band, and Syd convinced me to take another crack at the record, give it a fresh start with a couple weeks of sessions in the most incredible setting, rural Vermont in the fall. I wish I could say it all fell into place perfectly then and there, but we spent a fair bit of time doing that whole "is it time?" routine, and finally the wonderful and brilliant Brian Scheuble, who's done records with John Mayer, Tom Petty and more, came on board to mix the whole four years into 37 minutes or so, which really put things in perspective. We just finished some incredible artwork with one of my good friends and favorite artists, Sam with one of my good friends and favorite artists, Sam Smith, and the whole thing feels right- a collection of stories that make up a portrait of a bunch of good friends trying to get their voices heard, in any way possible.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR SONG WRITING INSPIRATION FROM?

I get inspiration from the strangest sources- a snippet of overheard conversation that strikes me as lyrical and/or inspiring, a bit of melody that floats nonchalantly into my head and seems to beg for attention, a simple feeling that I'm dying to find a way to articulate.

To put it most simply, my inspiration comes from continuing to concentrate on the question, "Who am I, both as an individual, and as part of a greater whole?" Songs are just the best way I've found so far to make that conversation public, in hopes that I might be able to elicit some thought-provoking responses.

WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW?

I've been pretty hooked on the latest record our I've been pretty hooked on the latest record our Chicago-based friends Company of Thieves put out last year, called "Running From a Gamble." Gen-evieve and Marc are unbelievably talented song-writers and performers who we've had the pleasure of touring with a few times now, and this record is so inspiring to me, having seen them go through so much as a band over the years and emerge with a record of what their energy is like in a live setting. The songs are great, Genevieve's voice is like nothing I've ever heard, and most of all, there's that intangible, undefinable spirit that's woven through the whole thing that reminds you that a record is not a product someone makes- it's an experience that a group of people has, that they're opening up enough to share with you. I also can't stop listening to Ben Kweller's latest record, "Go Fly a Kite," and to Ben Kweller's latest record, "Go Fly a Kite," and recently found a copy of a Richard Marx album I hadn't heard in a while... I'm weird.

BESIDES WRITING AND PLAYING MUSIC, ARE THERE ANY OTHER TALENTS YOU HAVE THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT?

I really like design work and photography, and had I really like design work and photography, and had a blast being able to share in the experience of putting the album artwork together for Young Volcanoes, as well as slaving away over a booklet with a bunch of my polaroids, lyrics and notes (both handwritten and hacked away on an old Smith Corona) that'll be available with the record when it's officially out.officially out. Other than that, I'm told I make a mean homemade mac and cheese, but all the credit for that goes to my Uncle Jerry. I also like to run, and have been told that the experience of witnessing me in the act is like seeing a live velociraptor for the first time since the Creta-ceous period. So there's that. 1