Interview: The Voyces' Brian Wurschum

I read somewhere that, in your mind, The Voyces have only been around since about 2006. Yet you released CDs in 2000 (The Best Day of My Life), 2002 (Jack Johnson’s Thicker Than Water), and 2003 (The Angels of Fun). What did you mean by that?

In 2006, the band I had always envisioned finally materialized.

That’s when Eric Puente and Jude Kastle joined the group?

Yes.

What about their presence caused such a dramatic shift in your mentality?

Jude is, for lack of a better way to put this, my musical counterpart. We have an identical creative vision. And our personalities complement one another’s, which makes life simple. The exact same things can be said about Eric. Frank and I were already tight, so now we are four peas in a pod. Having a band can be really challenging if that band’s health and survival is your lifeline, and I would honestly describe this situation, creatively and personally, as effortless. Nothing is required except that which comes naturally anyway. This all combines to make it easy to focus on the only thing that really matters, which is the music itself.

Kissing Like It’s Love is a great record.

I like it.

Was that fun to record?

It was. There were a lot of hurdles to climb as far as logistics went. We started recording that album in three studios before it all came together beautifully and we settled into Lofish Studios with Alex Nizich. He co-produced that CD and was not properly credited in a lot of our major press. That still bothers me. He absolutely made that record happen. He worked so hard on it. Rarely slept. Wow, that was an adventure. But it was a fun one.

And the album did well. Better than you had anticipated?

We did not know what to expect, so we had no expectations. One sale would have us high-fiving.

You are working on the songs for your next album, Let Me Die in Southern California. I have been lucky enough to have seen some of the lyrics. As a huge fan, I will tell you that I find them to be your best and most thought-provoking to date.

Thank you.

The title track contains stunning imagery about the Southern Californian’s lifestyle, and the west coast in general. Was this song written in California?

In a way, yes. It’s hard to explain. I felt and sort of heard the song while we were out there on our last tour, while driving to the airport to head back to New York City. I am from California, so it is always a potent experience when I am there. And leaving is always hard. But I found the melody and wrote the lyrics when I got back to New York.

I’m dying to hear the music. Is it as sad as the lyrics?

Well, I do not know. It is a hard rock song. It is a driving song. It alludes to a definite longing. Yes, it is a driving-hard rock-longing type of a song.

What’s your favorite song on the new album?

There is a song on which Jude sings lead. “King of Castle.” It’s gorgeous.

Oh wow, is that a play on her last name?

Not on purpose, no.

And you are re-recording a song from your old band, majority DOG, right?

“Finest Hour.”

Why re-record it?

I love the song, and I think it deserves a new life.

Do you want to talk about your old band?

No thanks.

Another new song you let me read is called, It Never Just Goes. Can you tell me about this one?

It’s the catchiest song on the new album, I think.

The words are pretty.

Thanks.

What Voyces song are you most proud of?

Not including any of the songs that will be on our next album, I would say “Where The Little Girls Still Throw Roses.”

Other favorites?

“The Angels Of Fun” and “Kissing Like It’s Love.”

What songwriters most inspire you?

There are so many. The most influential ones are probably Roger Waters, Randy Newman, Walter Becker, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel. But there are too many to list.

Interview: The Voyces' Bassist Frank Carreno

1.) Tell me about your coming to be a part of The Voyces. How did it happen?

Well, first let me say, Dan, that I am tickled about this blog! I liked your account of encountering The Voyces for the first time. I'll never forget mine...It was the East Village, back when Leshko's was still a diner, and you could smoke with your coffee. I had a job at a recording studio/dupe house overlooking ave. A, when one day, an inconspicuous/peculiar pair came by to have their music remastered and copied to cd. As soon as I heard the opening drum fill of the first track, ( "The End of Everything",) my jaw dropped. I stopped what I was doing, came out and stood still to listen. "This is awesome!", I said. It was an understatement. I thought, "how could this unassuming guy sound like Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Simon, Garfunkel, AND Ozzy?" They needed a bass player, and the rest, as they say...

2.) How would you compare The Voyces with other groups you've played or play with?

I don't know how I could, or why! Except to say that I got the feeling very early on that Brian was a "lifer", if you take my meaning. Also, there has been an extremely unusual absence of drama, bullshit, or any other "weirdness" with The Voyces.

3.) How much creative input do you have during recording?

Plenty. But it has been my experience, for want of good studio etiquette, to speak only when spoken to. There is a fascinating process that transpires between songwriter and producer that requires the air to be uncluttered with the opinions of so many cooks in a kitchen.

4.) What is your favorite Voyces song to play live, and why?

Now that's tough! I could narrow it down to a few: "We Will Kill You in the Long Run" is one of my favorites because it is the longest, and with three part harmonies! "You're In Charge of Driving the Narcotics Trolley, and You're Doing an Excellent Job" and "Lie Down on Me" are both veritable bass solos, and I can, you know, hot dog it a little. I could not truthfully answer this question without listing every single song we play.

5.) How long have you played the bass? What got you started?

I was air guitaring for a very long time, but I had it backwards. At thirteen, I saved up and got a Hagstrom electric guitar, and a rude awakening! After teaching myself awhile, I'd instinctively play the root notes of songs, and for my sixteenth birthday, I got a Fender Precision imitation bass made by Sears & Roebuck. I taught myself using the play-rewind, play-rewind method.

6.) What bassists most inspire you?

I'm really not a "player's player", not one of these guys into Jaco or John Pattatucci. Great players though they are, I'm more of the show up & "where do I plug in?" type. I think all bass players unanimously put Sir Paul McCartney at the top of their list. Bernard Edwards (Chic) is another one of my favorites. James Jamerson, who played on most of the old Motown hits is up there, too. Brian Wurschum is actually a monster bass player!

7.) Is there any playing you have done on a Voyces record you are most proud of? Which moments or songs? Why?

Hand-claps are always my favorite part of recording! Everyone present huddles around the mic and claps slightly off from each other, and there's this infectious silliness, and everybody is giddy and trying not to laugh too loud! Anybody that's ever done this knows exactly what I'm talking about!

Interview: Voyces' Drummer Eric Puente

1.) Tell me about your coming to be a part of The Voyces. How did it happen?

Brian put up a a very funny and unusual post looking for a drummer. One thing was that made me appreciate the post was: someone who loves music as much as we do; who is about "the song" and not "the fills."

I had plenty of time to prepare for the audition, so I downloaded every album to saturate myself in their style. Brian sent me a list of about 5 songs for the audition and I ended up learning more like 10 songs. Preparation was everything - i charted out every song, and worked on all the tempos, changes, etc. after that, i went back and *really* focused on the groove and feel of each song. *really* listened to play the best part for each tune - much of which was a play less, but more feel.

Do you always come to auditions so prepared?

If I have time, yes. I always chart out and learn the individual song parts, changes, dynamics. For The Voyces, I had the luxury of doing that, and then going back, and almost start all over.....just focusing on different "feels" for each song, until one felt right.

2.) How would you compare The Voyces with other groups you've played or play with?

No comparison. Period.

3.) How much creative input do you have during recording?

Brian also plays drums, which is a HUGE plus. So when he has an idea in mind for a particular groove, he can just sit down and play it for me, and I get it instantly. He and I have a comprehension of what each other is thinking of musically. Again, it is all driven by each particular song - some songs need to be laid down more simply, and on others I have the freedom to improvise and be more free-form.

4.) What is your favorite Voyces song to play live, and why?

I love playing them all. It all depends on the particular night, the venue, how we are all feeling. Some of my fav's are 'Top of My Lungs', 'Rebby's Song', and 'Daydream'. Of course, new material is being written right now, so those will soon become my fav's as well.

5.) How long have you played the drums? What got you started?

My mom has a picture of me playing drums as a 1 year old, so I think it was in me from the start. Rhythm makes my heart beat and I love banging on things, I guess. When I hear music (especially live), I stop in my tracks to go watch and, if lucky, participate somehow. I officially started lessons when I was 10 years old, and have been playing, in one form or another, ever since. I have played in classical orchestras, marching bands, punk, hardcore, pop, jazz, and hand percussion. I think all of this prepared me for The Voyces.

6.) What drummers most inspire you?

Steve Gadd and Peter Erskine are probably the two biggest influences for me. Both of these guys know how to really work hard and get serious about the music they are playing - they both LISTEN to a song first, and then lay down the drums SECOND. They also happen to be extremely gifted drummers with amazing skills. I grew up listening to Bill Bruford, Phil Collins in the Gabriel days of Genesis, Stewart Copeland, Terry Bozzio, and Bonham.

Since you are so songs themselves, who are some of your favorite songwriters?

Some of my favorite songwriters (or favorite bands recently) are Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Band of Horses, Ryan Adams, and especially Ray Lamontagne,

7.) Is there any playing you have done on a Voyces record you are most proud of? Which moments or songs? Why?

There is an un-released song (you can hear it on http://www.myspace.com/thevoycesmusic) named 'You Can Never Know'. This is a song that Brian brought into the studio one late night - probably around 12:30AM. I had never heard it before this night, and I charted as Brian played a scratch track on acoustic and scratch vocals. It was one of those magical nights where we started with absolutely nothing, heard it for the first time, got completely immersed and inspired, and captured it on the recording moments later. By 2AM, we had most of the song done, and as I drove home, listening in my car, I could not stop smiling the entire ride.

Ode to The Voyces

Impeccably harmonic indie rock band The Voyces have been one of my ipod's only constants for the better part of the past six years. My haphazard discovery of this fulfilling entity came one lonely night way back when at Arlene Grocery in the Lower East Side in New York City. I was only there to please a wishes of a woman I no longer know. And it was on this night that my relationship with her came to a bittersweet conclusion. I sat in the crowded bar completely alone. She had just dumped my sorry ass. A band was getting set to play and I wanted nothing to do with the noise I was certain would ensue. A guy began playing his guitar, the room silenced, and the light dimmed. Soon the band behind him began performing and what I heard that night brought about all kinds of changes in my life. One original song flowed into another. Who are these people? I was lost in their songs in a way that was highly unusual for me and I needed to own everything they released. Why have I never heard of them before? I asked someone sitting at a table next to mine who they were and he shrugged.

"We laughed so hard in that courtyard, were you high that day?
How could someone know perfection, turn, and walk away?"

The song that grabbed me and turned me into a lifelong fan was Were You High That Day? and when the song was finished I could not move for a long time.

I learned all about the group that was on stage that night and have followed them rigorously ever since. At the time of this writing they are not playing live, which is a shame, because they are recording a new cd of music, which is great news. But their hiatus has prompted this lifelong fan to create a blog about them.

I will add much much more to this site as time allows. In the meantime anyone interested should look at their own website: http://www.thevoyces.net