Eric of Los Angeles' Winzenried did an email interview with me in June/06.
What do you think it is about this lineup that makes it work?
Eric: I've basically accepted the fact that no one in the band will probably ever enter rehab. Enable and accept that's my motto. We've been together now on and off for about 6 years. So we've got that tight pocket when it comes to playing together. I think we also have a united goal of supporting our new album SWELL. Everyone put their heart and soul into this new album and hope that people will get a chance to hear it along with our other work. Our motives are pretty pure at this point since we really haven't made any financial gains on our projects. 8 months ago 2 of our band members were homeless.
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Tell me about the songwriting behind the new disc, Swell.
Eric: I pretty much write what's going on in my life. It's a cathartic thing for me. I want to tell the truth. I've never felt like an adult. My whole life I've always wondered when am I supposed to get that magic adult feeling. It wasn't when I graduated high school or college. It wasn't when I was first married and divorced. It's an ongoing process. Each year of living is like another block of wisdom. And boy have I has lots of dopey ass blocks of unusable wisdom. Basically, SWELL is a coming of age album for people who are supposed to be adults but don't actually feel like ones.
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Where was the album recorded? How did the recording process go?
Eric: The album was primarily recorded at Headroom Audio in Los Angeles. We recorded a majority of the tracks in 3 days. I wanted to get more of a live feel that captured what we do when we perform. Plus our budget was pretty tight. Then I ruptured my Achilles tendon and had to have surgery which interrupted things for awhile. It took 6 months for me to walk again. But I would hobble to the studio and try to sort through all the material we had accumulated. Luckily, we had an incredible engineer who was well organized. We kept almost everything live even the vocals. Of course, we added backing vocals, percussion and a little nutmeg later but overall we tried to keep everything alive, real, and breathing. And I also had an amazing talented producer and guitarist Llyod Stuart Casson. Super Genious.
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Is there is release date in mind yet?
Eric: We finally have a release date of Friday August 18th. Our release party will be at The Mint in Los Angeles on Friday August 18th. 7 to 9:30. It's gonna be a hootenanny. Don't miss it. People can check our website for details www.winzenried.org or www.hollywooddrunks.com
Promo plans for this release?
Eric: We're going to try everything to get our music heard. We've never been good at promo. But we have to get better. So many bands work there ass off recording an album then don't bother to promote it so no one hears it. We were guilty of that on our last album HOORAY. I've just recently started to promote that album to help the advance promotion of our new album. Promotion is a hard racket. It would be nice to have someone handle it for us but alas we don't have the cash. I keep hoping for a magic promotion fairy to grant us our promotional wishes but none seem to be taking my calls.
Do you feel that you have any specific challenges or advantages being from/based in Los Angeles?
Eric: Los Angeles is hysterical. If we were young and good looking model type guys, this would be our slice of heaven. Unfortunately, for old geezer type trolls like me, it really is more of a disadvantage. We aren't trying to get a record deal so LA doesn't offer much. It is a cool city to live in because it's simply gigantic. There are so many neighborhoods I have yet to check out.
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Eric on being based in Los Angeles
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'We aren't trying to get a record deal so LA doesn't offer much. It is a cool city to live in because it's simply gigantic. There are so many neighborhoods I have yet to check out.'
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What is the independent music scene like in LA?
Eric: Things are hopefully changing. The club scene still blows. There are a lot of pay to play places still in existence which I find disgusting. Usually, a typical LA club night is 4 to 5 bands on a bill. Your fans come to see you play then as soon as your done they leave. The same with the next band. There is not a lot of crossover. There are some cool clubs that are more supportive and are about the music and not about numbers. There are so many bands in LA. Everyone still comes here hoping for that crappy record deal. But musicians in other bands here are very supportive. Everyone, knows what it's like. Hustling for fans. I remember living in Ohio just going out to see live music at some bar just for the sake of seeing live music. That doesn't happen to much in this part of the world. I'm still looking for clubs where people wander in just to sample some live entertainment. It's a magical invisible club in LA that probably doesn't exist yet but I hope to find it.
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Where do you feel you fit within that?
Eric: We don't. We like to put on a show. We're not here to get a record deal. We're here to entertain you. Our shows are like a vaudevillian free for all. I'll wear disguises and greet the crowd and usually people don't know it's me. Sometimes I'll do monologues from various literary sources. I'll adopt a character for the night. We have giveaways. We pretty much make it a theatrical experience. And hopefully, we finish before the bass player becomes to drunk to play. So we usually play at a space that allows us the time to put on our type of show.
Are you looking for label support? What are you looking for in a label?
Eric: It would be nice but I don't look for it or ever expect it. A label wouldn't know what to do with us. We're to eclectic. When you sign with a label they know who they're gonna to market you to. We don't fit into one category. We'd be a giant question mark. Our appeal lies in the messages in our songs. Plus our asses are to old and ugly for a label to want to get into bed with us.
How important is it to you to be hands on about all the non musical aspects of Winzenried? (fliers, cd artwork, web design)
Eric: Very important plus no one else will do it. But I really
like the visual aspect of making flyers and picking out art for the cd's.
I'm defiantly have no drawing talent but I've gotten pretty good at the
layout aspect of it and putting things together. But there is never enough
time. Especially when your trying to write new songs, organizing rehearsals,
etc. I wish I had somebody working for me who I could trust and delegate
other tasks but alas serfdom ended a long time ago.
What do you hope to achieve with Winzenried?
Eric: My biggest goal is to get as many people as possible a chance to listen to our music or at least become aware of who we are and what we're about. I want to go out swinging before I die. When you create art and no one gets to see or hear it, it seems like a crime. That's why you do it. To provoke a response whether it's bad or good. I just want to get the music out there so people can judge for themselves.
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The Playlist
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Eric's Playlist
1. I love The Libertines even though I know they broke up awhile ago.
2. I've also been replaying some old Notorious
B.I.G. especially "Respect". I love that song.
3. And this old Queen song "Keep Yourself Alive" is awesome and I had never heard of it before.
We have a one year old daughter so it seems the only music I get to listen to these days is Justin Roberts.
He's this incredible singer/songwriter. His music appeals to both kids and adults. The lyrics are so spot on about growing up from everything about wanting to get a dog to the tooth fairy to divorce. Our daughter loves it. We have all of his cd's. It's so nice to have more options than the Wiggles. But I've also had a chance to discover other adult music as well.
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