Dave, what’s your take on the song “She Had A Hammer”?
For me the hammer is symbolic – I find it incredibly inspiring that, in the face of severe poverty, Alexandra Duguay took things into her own hands, literally, and started to make a positive change. Inspiration like that goes well beyond any logical explanation. She gave her life when the tragic earthquake struck. The hammer symbolizes helping others less fortunate, and the song is dedicated to Alexandra and the quarter-million people who lost their lives in that terrible earthquake in Haiti. It’s a song of life and happiness, with a very festive – island influence sound.
How long did it take you to finish the album?
We started the pre-production process with long rehearsals in September 2010. We booked studio time sporadically November 2010 through February 2011. We were actually sharing time in between Jose Feliciano and Lou Pallo! We had the record in our hands a few days ago so the entire process took about nine months. It’s our baby, so that’s appropriate! Some of the “days” we spent in the studio were eighteen-hour marathons, with the session starting about noon and ending at dawn the next day. It takes a long time to rewind those big tapes!
Dave, you mention “I Am So Alive” as a song that is very emotional for you on the record: can you elaborate on that?
I think every musician might relate to an older role model that turns them on to great music as a kid. In my case that man is my uncle, Rich Holpp. It makes me smile recalling the countless hours we spent together listening to his Cream and Zeppelin records when I was a teenager. He passed away tragically young in 2005, and that changed my life forever. A few years ago another uncle, Scott Williams, died much too young, and that night I poured my heart out into the music for “I Am So Alive”. I met Teddy and we completed the demo the very next day. How you hear it on the album is intentionally very faithful to the original demo. It’s a song that celebrates life and emotion, and the ever-evolving moment of now.
Did your all-analog approach present any problems?
It required us to have the material rock solid, and the band playing super tight as a unit. That’s not a problem, that’s the way every band loves to be! The two-inch twenty four track studio tape length is relatively short, and the tape reels are quite expensive, so you have to get it right. Many of the tracks you hear on the record are first takes, and all of the takes were recorded live in the studio, with all of the band members playing off each other, and improvising over the song structure. That’s the way we do it at our live shows, so we didn’t want our album to be any different.
Did you use any effects on the record at all?
One effect that we used a bit was tape delay – that’s where you hook up the signal you want a delay (echo) on and feed it into a tape recorder, and the repeats come back through the playback heads. It’s a very warm, natural sounding echo. We adjusted the varispeed (a unit that controls the tape speed, to change pitch) for the guitars on one song, something the Beatles and George Martin used to play around with all the time. That, and a very old MXR Phaser, was about as complicated as we chose to get.
Chuck, how do you feel about playing and recording in LIVIN?
Playing and recording with LIVIN is a totally rewarding experience. I love to watch people the first time they see or hear us perform since they are all groovin’ to the beat and smiling!! What’s great about our songs is that not only is the music catchy, and at times nearly intoxicating, but at the same time the lyrics tell a story. We worked really hard in the studio to ensure the lyrics and vocals would be easy to hear for that reason.
How did you come up with the band name, LIVIN?
That’s a line from a movie we love, Dazed and Confused. Matt McConaughey’s character says “You just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N.” Matt has such a great spirit. For us, that line is all about following your own path, and just enjoying your life. A lot of people might spend too much time reflecting on the way things used to be, or wanting things they really don’t need, rather than being present in each moment, and being happy with what they have. As a wise man once said, “we’re not here for a long time – we’re here for a good time!” That sums up our philosophy about music, love, relationships and life.
To be continued…