By Craig White, Andrew Swartz, Joseph Yuen
Interview With Strange Mangers Lead Singer/Guitarist Dan Lewicki -
Interview:
C: How do you go about developing a musical idea?
D: In a band setting typically either the bassist or I will come up with a riff or some basic line. We usually have a set of different riffs that we’ll find a way to mold them all together to make them cohesive, even if that means changing the key of one of the riffs or changing the tempo slightly so that they can work together. We’re not into the verse chorus thing. Each song has its own distinct sections of it, so we usually go section by section.
C: Who are some of your influences?
D: Right now, we’re into a lot of late 90s post rock that was going on in, I think, Chicago. There was this whole scene that we didn’t know about until we got a review written about us, which said our sound fits in with the scene. I guess there are bands like Dianogah, Tortoise, American Football, that sort of thing.
C: So you just started playing and then somebody told you?
D: Yea, people were telling us that we fit into the scenes well, and we didn’t even know it existed.
C: How do you work to establish your own sound instead of copying someone else’s?
D: We do have a couple of songs where we do sound like someone else, that is definitely a big concern of ours because our goal of making our music is to be original and show people musical things that have not been shown before. But we do have some odd name songs that are in the works, so we’ll be like “let’s play the blank song, like the song that sounds like these guys.” For me, its frustrating sometimes because I have a pretty good sense of being able to hear a song and know immediately the harmonic structure of it, so it gets frustrating when I write something and I know “oh, here are a list of 10 songs that also have the same progression”. I have to move out of the harmonic part of it and more on the melody.
C: What are you trying to say with your music?
D: Usually, like I said usually we’ll have a beginning riff or something and we’ll usually establish a theme at the beginning of a song not necessarily lyrically but a musical, some sort of theme. Then we have the option of either continuing with the theme for the rest of the song or we’ll totally deviate from it and go somewhere else. I think from song to song, our goal is to make each song either interesting because we carried out the original theme well, or because we did an effective job or starting somewhere and ending somewhere else.
C: So you guys would say you’re more geared towards the musical aspect then instead of trying to say something with your lyrics or poetry?
D: For the most part, as of right now, you’ll notice on the recordings the lyrics are generally pretty low in the mix, and they are there more for the melodic value than anything else. We take a lot of time to make sure the lyrical content is solid, but its not the primary concern. The most important thing is, like you said, the musical aspect of it.
C: What aspects of music do you focus most on?
D: Usually ill have that opening riff, and then I’ll have an implied baseline in my head, so that’s the harmonic part of it. Then we usually build off it, like jam on something for a few minutes. Colin, the drummer, can get the rhythmic aspect of it down. I don’t know, we kind of try all the bases and not leave anything out. I think rhythmically its pretty simple and I think what differentiates us is the harmonic progression. That’s what we focus most on: trying to keep that interesting.
Method of writing:
Dan (guitar) or Nick (bass) will enter a practice session with a few riffs. From these, the band will try to make them work together and develop a more general theme based on these riffs. Dan states that they sometimes must transpose the key of a riff so that it works with another, or within an existing song. This is necessary in order to maintain coherence within a singular composition.
Once the harmonic theme is established, the group will then jam to the theme, create the rhythmic accompaniment and any necessary harmonic deviations. Typically, as Dan says, Colin’s (drums) percussion is “simple.” However, this is not the case with their meter or even tempo. Mixed meter and tempo changes can be heard in several of Strange Mangers’ recordings like “Moths”, sometimes as peculiar as 11/8 or 9/8.
Analysis:
“Bottom of the Bag”
http://strangemangers.bandcamp.com/track/bottom-of-the-bag
C major - Bb maj 9 no 3 – D minor 7 – F major 7 (10X last time through F is a G maj 7)
F maj 7 6/4 – A minor 7 – C maj 6/4 (8X)
F maj 7 - G7 (Fades out)
The song’s most intriguing characteristic is its build. There are several layers throughout the recording, which add tension at times and resolution at others. The focus of the song is clearly the harmonic material rather than the lyrical content, unlike most popular music. Another noteworthy aspect of the recording is the articulation. The guitar evolves from a peaceful, almost hypnotizing trance in the beginning, to chaotic shred at the end. This adds to the build of the song and keeps the listener engaged till the end.
During the second chord progression, a series of tenths are played by the higher guitar voice. Strange Mangers manages to use un-traditional chord progressions and voicing to create a unique sound, unexpected of the masses.
Activities Done:
The three of us, Craig, Andrew, and Joe met with Dan Lewicki, the lead guitarist and vocalist for the local band Strange Mangers. We discussed with him the process that he and his band mates go through when they are looking to write new material. We tried to get inside the mind of this songwriter and see what drives him to produce music and what elements of music are the ones that he focuses on most. After chit-chatting about influences, musical ideas, and establishing their own sound, we got down to business and had Dan play the guitar part to a song that he wrote. We were quite impressed to hear the music after initially discussing the elements that drive it. We met back up with him the next night and asked him a few additional questions about where he performs, pre-show rituals, and the instrumentation of the band. After that, we collected a lead sheet for their song “Bottom of the Bag.” Andrew previously had an MP3 of this song and we will post the studio-recorded version to the blogspot. We did a basic analysis of the song and got another shot of the artist at work under the city night’s sky. After collecting all this material, we met as a group again and worked to put it all together and post it to the blog on time. The interview was transcribed and the video was edited to the best of our ability.
Learn from the musician?
We were pleased to learn that there are a continuing number of young songwriters that are devoted to bringing their audience the very best and most original harmonic structures. Dan and his band are trying to make a name for themselves by continuing their ambitious ways and striving for true originality. They are not focused on mainstream lyrics and tacky poems, but instead on innovating the use of underlying chords and creating unique melodic lines that keeps the listener guessing.
Critical commentary:
After listening to just a few seconds of one of Strange Mangers songs, we became entranced with the airy, open, Explosions In the Sky-like guitar sound. The band displays killer timing when it comes to dynamic changes. The rise and anticipation that many of their compositions create makes the listener very eager to hear the end when they finally break through both harmonically and in sonority. The vast majority of their pieces are harmonically and melodically driven with little emphasis on the vocals. The vocals are always low in the mix. Despite this, the bands underlying vocal harmonies help to balance out their perpetual need for harmonic expansion. Subtle drums that develop into fierce rhythmic noise are a great component as well to their sonority. If there was one area in which we were critical, it would be the lack of rhythmic change and room for potential expansion within this area. The band could work to keep the listener guessing as to what may be coming next.
C: How do you go about developing a musical idea?
D: In a band setting typically either the bassist or I will come up with a riff or some basic line. We usually have a set of different riffs that we’ll find a way to mold them all together to make them cohesive, even if that means changing the key of one of the riffs or changing the tempo slightly so that they can work together. We’re not into the verse chorus thing. Each song has its own distinct sections of it, so we usually go section by section.
C: Who are some of your influences?
D: Right now, we’re into a lot of late 90s post rock that was going on in, I think, Chicago. There was this whole scene that we didn’t know about until we got a review written about us, which said our sound fits in with the scene. I guess there are bands like Dianogah, Tortoise, American Football, that sort of thing.
C: So you just started playing and then somebody told you?
D: Yea, people were telling us that we fit into the scenes well, and we didn’t even know it existed.
C: How do you work to establish your own sound instead of copying someone else’s?
D: We do have a couple of songs where we do sound like someone else, that is definitely a big concern of ours because our goal of making our music is to be original and show people musical things that have not been shown before. But we do have some odd name songs that are in the works, so we’ll be like “let’s play the blank song, like the song that sounds like these guys.” For me, its frustrating sometimes because I have a pretty good sense of being able to hear a song and know immediately the harmonic structure of it, so it gets frustrating when I write something and I know “oh, here are a list of 10 songs that also have the same progression”. I have to move out of the harmonic part of it and more on the melody.
C: What are you trying to say with your music?
D: Usually, like I said usually we’ll have a beginning riff or something and we’ll usually establish a theme at the beginning of a song not necessarily lyrically but a musical, some sort of theme. Then we have the option of either continuing with the theme for the rest of the song or we’ll totally deviate from it and go somewhere else. I think from song to song, our goal is to make each song either interesting because we carried out the original theme well, or because we did an effective job or starting somewhere and ending somewhere else.
C: So you guys would say you’re more geared towards the musical aspect then instead of trying to say something with your lyrics or poetry?
D: For the most part, as of right now, you’ll notice on the recordings the lyrics are generally pretty low in the mix, and they are there more for the melodic value than anything else. We take a lot of time to make sure the lyrical content is solid, but its not the primary concern. The most important thing is, like you said, the musical aspect of it.
C: What aspects of music do you focus most on?
D: Usually ill have that opening riff, and then I’ll have an implied baseline in my head, so that’s the harmonic part of it. Then we usually build off it, like jam on something for a few minutes. Colin, the drummer, can get the rhythmic aspect of it down. I don’t know, we kind of try all the bases and not leave anything out. I think rhythmically its pretty simple and I think what differentiates us is the harmonic progression. That’s what we focus most on: trying to keep that interesting.
Method of writing:
Dan (guitar) or Nick (bass) will enter a practice session with a few riffs. From these, the band will try to make them work together and develop a more general theme based on these riffs. Dan states that they sometimes must transpose the key of a riff so that it works with another, or within an existing song. This is necessary in order to maintain coherence within a singular composition.
Once the harmonic theme is established, the group will then jam to the theme, create the rhythmic accompaniment and any necessary harmonic deviations. Typically, as Dan says, Colin’s (drums) percussion is “simple.” However, this is not the case with their meter or even tempo. Mixed meter and tempo changes can be heard in several of Strange Mangers’ recordings like “Moths”, sometimes as peculiar as 11/8 or 9/8.
Analysis:
“Bottom of the Bag”
http://strangemangers.bandcamp.com/track/bottom-of-the-bag
C major - Bb maj 9 no 3 – D minor 7 – F major 7 (10X last time through F is a G maj 7)
F maj 7 6/4 – A minor 7 – C maj 6/4 (8X)
F maj 7 - G7 (Fades out)
The song’s most intriguing characteristic is its build. There are several layers throughout the recording, which add tension at times and resolution at others. The focus of the song is clearly the harmonic material rather than the lyrical content, unlike most popular music. Another noteworthy aspect of the recording is the articulation. The guitar evolves from a peaceful, almost hypnotizing trance in the beginning, to chaotic shred at the end. This adds to the build of the song and keeps the listener engaged till the end.
During the second chord progression, a series of tenths are played by the higher guitar voice. Strange Mangers manages to use un-traditional chord progressions and voicing to create a unique sound, unexpected of the masses.
Activities Done:
The three of us, Craig, Andrew, and Joe met with Dan Lewicki, the lead guitarist and vocalist for the local band Strange Mangers. We discussed with him the process that he and his band mates go through when they are looking to write new material. We tried to get inside the mind of this songwriter and see what drives him to produce music and what elements of music are the ones that he focuses on most. After chit-chatting about influences, musical ideas, and establishing their own sound, we got down to business and had Dan play the guitar part to a song that he wrote. We were quite impressed to hear the music after initially discussing the elements that drive it. We met back up with him the next night and asked him a few additional questions about where he performs, pre-show rituals, and the instrumentation of the band. After that, we collected a lead sheet for their song “Bottom of the Bag.” Andrew previously had an MP3 of this song and we will post the studio-recorded version to the blogspot. We did a basic analysis of the song and got another shot of the artist at work under the city night’s sky. After collecting all this material, we met as a group again and worked to put it all together and post it to the blog on time. The interview was transcribed and the video was edited to the best of our ability.
Learn from the musician?
We were pleased to learn that there are a continuing number of young songwriters that are devoted to bringing their audience the very best and most original harmonic structures. Dan and his band are trying to make a name for themselves by continuing their ambitious ways and striving for true originality. They are not focused on mainstream lyrics and tacky poems, but instead on innovating the use of underlying chords and creating unique melodic lines that keeps the listener guessing.
Critical commentary:
After listening to just a few seconds of one of Strange Mangers songs, we became entranced with the airy, open, Explosions In the Sky-like guitar sound. The band displays killer timing when it comes to dynamic changes. The rise and anticipation that many of their compositions create makes the listener very eager to hear the end when they finally break through both harmonically and in sonority. The vast majority of their pieces are harmonically and melodically driven with little emphasis on the vocals. The vocals are always low in the mix. Despite this, the bands underlying vocal harmonies help to balance out their perpetual need for harmonic expansion. Subtle drums that develop into fierce rhythmic noise are a great component as well to their sonority. If there was one area in which we were critical, it would be the lack of rhythmic change and room for potential expansion within this area. The band could work to keep the listener guessing as to what may be coming next.
No comments:
Post a Comment