When I was a kid,
growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel,
the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a
moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It
changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since
then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your
musical epiphany moments?
“I vividly remember being asked in fourth grade what my
favorite band and style of music was, and I had no answer. I had heard a lot of Beatles and U2 growing
up, two bands that I now regard as the all-time greats, but as a young kid I
didn’t seem to get the purpose and sheer joy of popular music. This embarrassing fourth grade experience
triggered a musical obsession in me, and I set out to find what I like. In the last 10 years of my ongoing search for
song, I remember being shaken to the core by the opening guitar riff on Green
Day’s “Holiday,” deeply intrigued by Old 97’s haunting outlaw anthem “Jagged,”
almost moved to tears by the jangly glory of R.E.M.’s “Murmur,” and reminded of
the everlasting power of Rock N’ Roll through Oasis’ “Definitely Maybe.” Though I have experienced many more musical
epiphanies in my 21 years, that infamous day in fourth grade stands above the
rest, as it awakened within me a never-ending drive to listen to, compose, and
create good music.” – Sam Hellman. “I
remember when Rock Band was a really big thing.
Though it didn’t involve the playing of real instruments, I remember it
really inspiring some kids to pick up guitars, during an era where the number
of rock bands in the public eye was dwindling.
I recall specifically liking the song it featured called “Don’t Look
Back in Anger “ by Oasis.” I still love
that song today, and it inspired me to get into other music that ranges from
the Beatles to traditional Irish.” -Mathew
Talk to us about the
song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics?
How does it all fall into place?
Songwriting is my absolute favorite pastime. I never grow tired of the indescribable and
mysterious experience of pulling a new tune out of thin air. With this said, I am compelled to write every
single day. I do not believe in grappling
with songs for extended periods of time until they reach an unattainable level
of perfection, as most often my best songs come pretty much complete in a
matter of minutes or hours. However,
generating a steady output of solid material still requires the discipline of
taking time each day to spend time with your instrument trying out new
ideas. I always start with an appealing
melody and chord progression on my guitar and take it from there. As I have written more and more songs, I
increasingly find the starting place to be a chorus melody that just pops into
my head at any hour of the day. Lyrics
always come last for me, and serve primarily to compliment the melody, allowing
them to be about everything and nothing at the same time.
Who has influenced
you the most?
I think I have been most influenced by my parent’s
appreciation for Rock N’ Roll and Alternative.
They showed me some awesome bands growing up. The bands that have shaped our sound the most
are probably Oasis, R.E.M., The Replacements, Old 97’s, and The Beatles.
Where do you look for
continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
I definitely look outside of myself for more inspiration, as
I firmly believe songs come to me and not from me. I do not think nature or new places shape my
songwriting nearly as much as people and their experiences do. I love Rock N’ Roll the music for its
brutally honest display of humanity that I think other genres lack. While I can write songs about almost anything
(and nothing), I often find new melodic inspiration in hearing about other
people’s lives and experiences, and as a result many of my lyrics tend to tell
a story.
We're all a product
of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in
the music?
Eau Claire is in many ways
the hipster capital of the Midwest, or at
least it tries to be. Ironically, Justin
Vernon’s humble hometown campaign for diverse artistic and musical expression
has created a sea of local acts that sound exactly the same. “For Emma, Forever Ago” was a good album, but
10 years later it feels like so many local bands are trying to replicate
it. Surprisingly, just over an hour
outside of Minneapolis, one of the birthplaces
of Alternative rock, we exist in Eau
Claire as one of the few groups that are interested in
writing catchy songs with our electric guitars.
Though we are thankful for the stage that the unique and prevalent
musical culture of Eau Claire
has provided us, ultimately it has put a chip on our shoulder that drives us to
keep doing our thing regardless of what anyone thinks.
Where'd the band name
come from?
The band name is really a result of brainstorming to think
of something cool. After recording our
first EP without a band name, we really needed to come up with something before
we released it. I remember running the
name “The Over Unders” by my brother, and it stuck.
You have one chance,
what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
I think I’d go with Dazed and Confused, hoping that Matthew
McConaughey would hear the soundtrack and say: “Alright, alright, alright.”
You now write for a
music publication (The Ripple Effect?).
You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be
and why?
I would write a 1,000 word essay on “There She Goes” by The
La’s. In my opinion, it may be the greatest song of all time. While there is nothing remotely complex about
the chord progression or arrangement, it delivers one of the most memorable and
catchy choruses of all time. Though only
2.5 minutes long, I never grow tired of the track, and I think it ultimately
encapsulates everything I love about pop music.
I could talk at length about what particular elements make it a hit for
me.
Come on, share with
us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Though The Over Unders are still a very young band with only
a handful of live shows under our belt, I have stories to last a lifetime from
my previous cover band. One of the very
best involves a drunken regular at a dive bar with his arm around my neck as he
helped me sing every line of “Jesse’s Girl.”
During our break he explained to me at length how he was supposed to be
home hours ago, but he was just so into our band. Apparently, he used to play guitar himself,
and when I asked him why he stopped, he proceeded to whip out his left hand
where there remained at best three fingers.
Before he finally decided to call it a night, he placed two silver
dollars in my hand and said, “Son, here are your balls, now go play a great
show.” I was only 15. Without a doubt The Over Unders will
eventually experience a plethora of these bizarre moments, but until then we
will be sure to crank it to 11 every night.
Tell us about playing
live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
As I said before, our live shows have been very limited to
this point as we have only recently acquired the additional members to bring
our studio sound to life. However, no matter the size of the audience, there
have always been a few people who are very appreciative of our sound. Being a Rock N’ Roll band, it is easy for
people to hear our music for the first time and get hooked by something. I want people to have fun and move when they
hear our music, and so far, I think that has definitely happened. Several individuals have shared with us that
they think we have the fun, back to basics sound, that our town and scene
needs.
What makes a great
song?
I really do love all kinds of songs and music, but in my
opinion, the songs that will stand the test of time are the three-minute pop
songs that you can sing along to. I am
not referring to today’s top forty dance hits with loads of production, but compositions
with real instruments that capture your attention without making you have to
think about why they do. The Beatles
mastered this, and that’s why they are still being played everyday all over the
world. A great song is simple,
memorable, and fun as hell to play and sing.
Tell us about the
first song you ever wrote?
The first song I ever wrote was probably sometime during my
11th year on this earth. At the time I
could hardly really play a chord, but I managed to come up with a slow plucking
pattern that I placed a rather haunting melody over. We still play the song as a band sometimes
today, and while it may never be recorded, I think it serves as proof that you
don’t need to know anything about music to start writing decent little songs.
What piece of your
music are particularly proud of?
I am particularly proud of our song “Top of the World” off
our new LP One Fine Day. I wrote it at a
time where I was writing a lot of songs, many of them more complex in nature
than usual. However, I kept feeling that
this new batch, which is now most of One Fine Day, needed a grand and simple
anthem to cap it off. Without even
having to try or think, “Top of the World” just happened. To me it feels like an Oasis Britpop anthem
from 1995. I think each part of it
perfectly serves the greater song, which boasts the biggest chorus I have ever
written. I even find the lyrics to be
some of my best work, as they tell the tale of a sarcastic rock star who just
wants to live a normal life. It was the
first single off our record, and for good reason, it seems to be most people’s
favorite of ours’.
Who today, writes
great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Today the underground Alt-Rock scene is arguable the best it
has ever been. Bands like Sunflower
Bean, Twin Peaks, Public Access TV, DMA’s, The
Big Moon, and The Lemon Twigs all write very interesting and melodic power-pop
songs that I cannot get enough of.
Unfortunately there just are not that many people seeking out this kind
of music here in the States. It’s almost
as if these bands are not boring enough for the Indie crowd on this side of the
Atlantic.
Thankfully Europe seems to get it, and
I hope these bands eventually receive the mass acclaim they deserve for their
endless streams of great Rock N’ Roll music.
Vinyl, CD, or
digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl is definitely the best way to listen to a great
band. Nothing is compressed, and the
individual tracks breathe like they were meant to. However, CD is not bad either, it still
provides a high quality sound that you can take on the road, granted, in fewer
and fewer new vehicles. Digital is a
last resort for me, so much is lost, particularly in the bass and cymbals. Plus, the digital middle man is making it
nearly impossible for bands to make a living off of record sales alone, so they
are forced to tour until they drop dead.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
I absolutely love both.
Warming the sole with a good Irish or Bourbon is difficult to beat, but
beer was literally the family business for 30 odd years. Ultimately I have to say beer, as it is more
of a social beverage that can be consumed in much larger quantities. There are also endless craft beers to taste
and enjoy here in the midwest.
We, at the Ripple
Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when
we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
There is really only one record store, and it has a great
feel and variety. You need to stop by
Revival Records.
What's next for the
band?
We are going to play as many shows as we can in the next
year, and hopefully start pushing into the Minneapolis scene. We anticipate recording another album as
well, as our best work is now sitting on the shelf waiting to be heard.
Any final comments or
thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
We cannot thank Ripple Effect enough for giving us this
opportunity! We hope you dig our album,
and feel moved to support some of the other great young Rock N’ Roll bands on
the rise.
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