Interviews: Interview with Alternative Proggers JOLLY
Posted on Saturday, October 03 @ 13:57:16 EDT
Topic: Interviews
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Jolly:
One Thousand Three Hundred Twenty One Words of an Interview
by Tommy “Hashman” Hash
Alternative progressive rock has always reared its head in classy fashion - you have bands such as The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, & Muse gaining mainstream notoriety and success beyond the underground and you also have bands such as The Pineapple Thief, Nosound, & Riverside reinventing the way we listen to complex melodies and dense arrangements, heralding the era of nu-prog and post rock - seeing this music moving beyond the seventies and eighties clichés into something more deeper, and often darker sounding.
New York's JOLLY are among one of the bands that are clearly marked for crossover appeal for both the alt-rock/indie crowd and modem prog-rock connoisseurs, their latest album Forty Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music (Galileo Records) is a testament on how this thinking man's rock has advanced forward similar to the way other new groups such as Liquid Scarlet & Little Atlas have - yet they are an entity unto their own. Fueled by melody, intensity, and brooding atmospheres, the record blends the mystical dark & haunting sounds, sophisticated songwriting, & layered instrumentation, spacious reverb in the production, and technical proggy elements to execute a vibe of their own. The band, guitarist/vocalist Anadale, bassist/vocalist Anthony Rondinone, keyboardist Joe Reilly, & drummer Louis Abramson collectively sat down as JOLLY to speak about what entails upon the band.
Tommy "Hashman" Hash: You guys play to your own formula in progressive rock - how would you guys describe your sound?
JOLLY: "JOLLY is aggressive, ambient, dark, beautiful, heavy rock. The music is always multi-layered, and rich. We put just as much emphasis on the sonic delivery of the songs as we do on the songs themselves. Music is, at it's most basic level, the art of sound."
TH: With the lyrics of 'Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music' having so much depth, what are the inspirations behind them?
JOLLY: "The lyrics on 'Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music' center around the idea of impermanence. All time passes, and everything ends. This is such a basic idea, but a profound one if examined carefully. The album has many references to time and the different ebbs and flows of life with an emphasis on loss and longing."
TH: Moving from your EP 'The Revolutionary Cult Demo Finally Hits the US' to the new full-length record, how do you feel that you guys have evolved musically?
JOLLY: "This first EP release was nothing more than an experiment. We wanted something tangible to reflect on right away. The idea of JOLLY had no specific genre of music in mind, but rather just the ingredients. The most we knew was that we were to create music that is heavy, dark, melodic, beautiful, atmospheric, and groovy. Now we had to see what it was we were creating before we could even begin to classify it. We needed to step back and listen to the sound we were creating from a listeners standpoint. After releasing this EP, containing the first three songs we had ever written and recorded, we realized something extraordinary was happening. Positive reviews began pouring in and we realized that we needed to stay the course and make a full album.
Each song we did represents a mini JOLLY musical revolution. The beauty of 46:12 is that it embodies our very development as a band. Each song was a new discovery. This is probably why every song sounds significantly different from the previous while maintaining a cohesive unity throughout."
TH: How did you guys actually record this record (studio-wise) and how did the recording process go?
JOLLY: "The record was produced by drummer Louis Abramson in his studio in New York City. This was the most ideal recording situation in that there was no pressure, just discovery. Everything was done in house (with the exception of mastering). This allowed for some parts to be written during the recording process without any budget to worry about. The recording of 46:12 was done in an atmosphere completely conducive to creativity; completely controlled by the band, just as a record should be."
TH: Kind of going back to the first question - like many bands such as The Vital Might, Darwin's Radio, Liquid Scarlet & Frost* you guys too fall into a class of bands & artists that are amongst this new wave of groups that are reinventing the progressive rock genre beyond the stereotypes, what is your thoughts about this scene?
JOLLY: "We don't deliberately place ourselves in any particular scene. Even the idea that we are in the prog genre is questionable. Many reviewers ask the question if we belong in the prog category. We do look at our music as progressive, but the genre of “prog” has a whole different connotation. A lot of prog music focuses on technical aspects of music, looking to make an impression on the listener. JOLLY looks more toward making an impact, rather than just an impression. We want the listener to feel as though the music is theirs and only theirs, as opposed to the listener revering our technical ability from a distance. Perhaps this is the same direction the new prog scene is taking."
TH: Being based out of New York City, is there a big scene up there for progressive rock bands up there? What are some other great places/cities in the region that you guys have played or would like to play?
JOLLY: "We played the Rock the Ink festival in Providence, Rhode Island this summer, but besides that, all of our shows have been in New York City. It's hard to pinpoint the rock scene in New York because it is so flooded with music and nightlife of all kinds. There does seem to be a huge amount of metal/screamo bands playing around New York. We are looking more toward Europe for a future tour. We get a lot of attention from countries like Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, and France from reviews to CD sales. Of course we still need to explore the different scenes around the United States."
TH: And the deal with Galileo Records, How did that come about?
JOLLY: "Galileo found us by stumbling upon our Myspace page. They were very impressed with our music and offered us a deal. After a few months of negotiations, we all reached an agreement, and the rest is history."
TH: What can we expect from a follow up to 'Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music'?
JOLLY: "The only thing you can expect from our next album is that it will most definitely take you to a place you've never been before.
Our first album was all about discovering who and what we were as a band. Our next release is going to be a whole new level of JOLLY. The next release will be groovier, heavier, and even more beautiful than 46:12. We are going to burn the name JOLLY into the forehead of millions (literally speaking of course)."
TH: Are there any plans to play some major live dates off this record besides ProgFest?
JOLLY: "Right now we are focusing on fine tuning our craft and writing new material. The idea of touring the end of this year or early next year is not out of the question. We are still deciding the best course of action at this point."
TH: Wrapping things up, I hear that you guys have made a big change on the business end of things, tell me a bit about that.
JOLLY: "We're pleased to announce that Rob Palmen (manager of Riverside, Pineapple Thief, etc.) will be joining the JOLLY team. This means big things for us. We expect to be touring in Europe next year and building our ever growing fan base."
Copyright & Publishing: 2009 Tommy Hash for Ytsejam.com
CLICK HERE to Read a Review of Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music.
Please Visit:
JOLLY Website
JOLLY at MySpace
Galileo Records
Galileo Records at MySpace
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