Todd Parker :: Interview

When I “discovered” Tadpoles, they were already into their hiatus after the epic Whirlaway. Starting there was ground zero for me and I worked backwards to make sure I had the whole swirling story. And I’ve continued to work backwards, sideways, horizontally, vertically and frequently diagonally to keep my toes in the same water that Todd Parker and Mike Audino {drummer/collaborator/co-producer} jumped into back in the 80′s. If your into Tadpoles, then you know they never took a straight line between A and B, let alone resign themselves to A and B being final destinations. That right there, to me, is one of the key ingredients to the success of Todd Parker and his muse: there is no finish line, there is no final destination. I think Todd and Mike would agree that they are part of a much bigger story; a story that started a long time ago and keeps being written by countless musicians and artists and the vast army of responsible fans and supporters.

Fast forward … or any other way you took to get here: Todd and Mike are back in the fray with Todd Parker & The Witches‘ Greetings From The Star Chamber {due this Fall on Bakery Records}. They are back in true Parker/Tadpoles fashion: moving forward by going back to where they started — not to begin again, not to rehash their past accomplishments. If you know Tadpoles then that logic makes perfect sense. Some folks might call that coming full-circle. But remember … a circle has no beginning. And it has no end.

:: Squigs :: Greetings From The Star Chamber {Bakery Records, 2010}

It’s been awhile. What was the impetus to get back into play with your muses after the hiatus? For both of you to hook back up?

Todd Parker {TP}: Couple of things, simultaneously happened. One was that my wife bought a piano for our home last Fall. She wanted to start to play again and we wanted to introduce our daughter to the piano, maybe give her lessons. I started to come home in the evening and enjoyed just sitting down and playing. I found myself writing melodies and chord progressions. They were cool. I recorded some on my iPhone recorder and I think that opened up that door again that had been kinda boarded shut.

The other thing was that around the same time, Mike told me he had purchased a new Roland V-drum kit and had been using Garageband to record stuff.

So, after Whirlaway, you consciously walked away?

TP: I consciously walked away in 2000 after the Tadpoles‘ last show. I had put a lot into it and felt like I had said everything I had to say … looking back, I’d just say I was pretty fried and needed time off. I was pretty consumed with creativity for many years and wanted to see what it was like to focus on other things in life … like my wife, starting a family … golfing?

:: Whirlaway :: Whirlaway {Camera Obscura Records, 1999}

It’s a different world I’m sure. When you two decided to get this going in full force, was it picking up right where you left off? I think it’s kind of interesting that you, Mike, were there at the foundation, and now you’re here again. The ongoing continuum … that coming around to keep going in another direction kind of figures in into the loopy logic I always associate with the Tadpoles and Todd …

TP: I’ve been playing music with Mike since about 1985 … grew up in same town, same high school, similar cultural background.

Mike Audino {MA}: Being that we’re living thousands of miles apart we had to figure out a new method to work things out logistically, but the ability to relate musically hadn’t changed.

I guess this would have been a bear back in the stone age compared to today … mailing cassettes, etc … cave paintings …

MA: … plus only having the limitations of a 4-track track cassette.

Is the geographic distance, between Pennsylvania and California, the biggest difference in how you work together? I mean, the actual creative process must be the same … just a different road.

TP: Funny that this album was done in a similar fashion that we did in the 80′s with the 4-track. We would mail cassettes back and forth between New York and Champaign, IL, where I was living, going to school.

MA: … Tadpoles were done differently during my involvement. I would record a drum track without any idea of what Todd would write over it.

I take it then that Greetings From The Star Chamber {GFTSC} wasn’t the same … It sure sounds like you two knew exactly what was going on.

TP: No, it was pretty much the opposite on this album …

MA: For this project Todd would provide me with a song recorded over a loop to get started. Then I would write drum and percussion parts.

TP: And we would send it back and forth with comments, suggestions … sometimes drums would be redone or my parts would be altered or redone based on what was working, each other’s feedback.

MA: Since we have many of the same musical references it was easy to communicate ideas.

I’m sure you two have an impressive shorthand with each other.

TP: Exactly, I started out with the idea that for a solo album, I would be working with different musicians, including drummers … people from my past. After a few songs with Mike, it became evident that we were clicking again and at that point, I knew we should just make this a co-production.

It was unexpected after all of these years, but not surprising that we could work that way. It felt very good to be able to say “how about trying something like ‘this’“ and Mike would know exactly what “this” is … Definitely different from a band dynamic, working as a creative duo.

I guess you started that way, so that seems natural … Do either of you have a preference for this “new” way of doing things vs. the old studio? I assume they each have their own pros and cons …

MA: I enjoy this approach because it enables me the freedom to be creative within the constraints of the song. I would refer to it as ‘cracking the code’ of the song.

Who’s the one then that would say ‘STOP’ if you can go on forever these days? It seems that these days you can noodle forever.

MA: We both are pretty good at not getting bogged down. I think it’s a matter of knowing aesthetically when to move along … like in Metallica’s Some Kind Of Monster. Lars asked that question. Which I think evidenced they had lost touch with their muse or whatever.

TP: I’m happy I don’t really have the perfectionism curse … and it is most definitely a curse when you are home-recording with no real budget or time constraints. We redid just one song entirely where the original version just didn’t fit the vibe of the album … the opening track, Squigs. It was an early one that was recorded … after we did a bunch of other songs, it stood out … the original one had sort of a New Order-ish vibe. I love New Order, but it didn’t work in context.

When you two got down to really ‘producing,’ was there a goal in mind, sound wise? A target … I mean, I hear it and I know it’s Todd so there’s the Tadpoles vibe, but it’s not. At the same time. It’s an extension, not Tadpoles 2.0.

TP: Well, working with Mike can be motivating for me to stretch my boundaries and limits a bit … He’s got pretty eclectic tastes, so I need to keep him interested.

Don’t bore the drummer. Especially when’s he’s producing, too …

MA: For my part, I looked at each song as its own entity.

Not in the context of an album? Or is the album gone you think, in the classicist sense? The sequencing of GFTSC is great. A lot of artists don’t seem to bother any more with that. GFTSC’s like a story by the end, how you guys laid out the tracks: it’s fun, it’s heady, it’s trippy, it rocks, it gets quiet, it gets odd and quirky … it’s like someone sat you down and told you a great story.

MA: Todd and I discussed that a bit … in terms of the song order. I embrace the virtual music thing. But, I think people’s attention spans, including mine, may be shorter.

TP: We both collaborated on the song order … I think we have similar sensitivities in album sequencing. I’m old school in terms of an album as being a creative statement and experience within itself. So, the song order and flow was very important to me. Disconnect was always going to be the last song. Thematically and sonically, it had that position. Then I did tag on the instrumental teaser as track 12 … it was just meant to be a placeholder on the website … but  ended up really digging it when I heard it … thought it would be nice to space out to after Disconnect … like if you didn’t want to get up. And then it flows right back into track 1, Squigs, with the same sound, if you happen to have it on repeat mode …

:: Disconnect :: Greetings From The Star Chamber {Bakery Records, 2010}

Spacing out … what do you guys think of psychedelic music today? I’m not trying to pigeon-hole you guys into having made a psychedelic record, but …

TP: What I just described is definitely one of those psychedelic music characteristics. I’m still drawn to music that has psychedelic components. But, I was always resistant to that banner in some ways due to associations with hippy, jam band kind of stuff or jokey music. Don’t get me wrong … a sense of humor is immensely important … that’s the other really important thing Mike and I have in common … the need for music to have some humor.

MA: I like hearing unique sounds …

TP: … not to be so precious … Ween just blew me away in the late 90′s. Mike saw them in, like ’98, in NYC and was just raving about their live show … I was like … those two kids with the DAT player? Ween ripped live … combining humor, musicianship, groove, fun, rocking, menace … all in one beautiful package.

I think of Ween as sublimely psychedelic. What sets them apart, or any band that wades in the humor water, is that they can play.

MA: True, they can write in genres and do it legit. One of my all time favorite bands … they’ve moved into a realm beyond music.

With the shorter attention spans you mentioned earlier, do you think it’s more about the acquisition than the listening these days?

MA: Acquisition … you mean like hoarding music? I’m guilty of that …

TP: Same here. I guess I like having my own personal library where I can call up an artist or song at will.

MA: I normally prefer to listen to albums when I upload to my iPod. It depends on the artist … some only warrant mixes.

TP: Actually, I just decided to release this as digital download only — that was a big hump I had to get over.

I still like the physical product. Even if I have to burn it myself, print out the art, etc …. I got to have something hard and physical. I guess I’m old enough to remember a world without all … this. Gadgets weren’t taken for granted when we didn’t have all of this Buck Roger stuff … so it’s still amazing to me. A bit … but old habits die hard.

TP: When I buy a CD these days … I end up ripping it to my computer or iPod and putting the CD in a box. I may spend a couple of minutes reading credits or whatever, but then it goes away. I have an assumption that if people of our age bracket are doing that, the “kids” must view CDs as dead technology overall. In the 80′s, the cassette was a legitimate format for an indie band, in the 90′s CD’s became affordable to manufacture and became the standard … now, it seems to be clearly the digital download.

A CD is just kind of a plastic holder for digital information anyway. The artwork is cool to see, though nothing tops vinyl for that experience. I’m figuring that we can have more artwork and stuff, lyrics, etc … on the website than a CD could have.

You can tell I’m still attempting to convince myself that digital-download only is the way to go, right?

I’m still pretty attached to the idea of a physical representation of an album, though. It’s kind of one of those things where if I was doing this with another label and they wanted to produce CDs, then I’d have no problem with it. My gold standard is still the vinyl album. But, when it comes to basically self-releasing as your own label … there ends up being the practicalities of cost, etc … what is the best impact for limited budget.

In the ’90′s, Tadpoles and Bakery Records ended up getting a very healthy pipeline of indie distributors on board. Following the review of Far Out in Rolling Stone, it was much easier to obtain distribution. So, we had anywhere from 6-8 distributors at a time, worldwide, taking physical CD product from us. Not that we ever sold a ton … but we certainly shipped out the vast majority of the CDs that were manufactured and got them in stores. Most of the time, the distributors paid us, ordered more product. Eventually, things tapered off a bit and we got some returns. It was tremendously important then to have a CD in stores or at least available by mail order when you’re getting college radio play and international reviews since there was no significant digital download system in place at that point.

:: At Least I’m Not Like Jonathan Carver :: Far Out {Bakery Records, 1996}

Now, that has obviously changed as anyone, anywhere can download at will, no matter where they are. So, the CD as the vessel to get stuff “out there” is unnecessary.

The problem comes in that now basically anybody with a computer and an internet connection can produce a piece of “music” and “release it” … so, the value or perception of value in music, and especially downloaded files, has decreased. Because of this, I have had a hard time coming to grasps with the idea that a digital-only release is “legit.” But, the more I read and research what other artists and indie labels are doing, I’m feeling like I need to look forward, rather than back, for the sake of my own artistic future. There is something very “freeing” about not needing to go through the whole manufacturing process and all that entails … I guess that, as an artist who also functions as the record label, it’s a different perspective since making the art and being in the “business” of manufacturing product are intimately intertwined.

As long as it gets out … and speaking of, is there a hard and fast release date? I know you’re still all working on it … but, have to ask.

TP: I’d like to make the official date, October 31 … you know, with the Witches and all … {ed. note: official release date is now Sept. 14.; ‘pre-release’ available at BandCamp}

Sounds logical. No better day to unleash ear candy … and head candy. Speaking of head candy … You two made some trippy stuff, but it seems like Todd’s love of pop and just a good pop song really got pushed to the forefront on this one. It’s still loopy and heady, but some of it reminds me of sort of pre-Smoke Ghost Tadpoles, going back the “odd” touches, some of the quirkiness, the sonic flourishes … well, the Elf returned on this one, so …

TP: Maybe Mike should take that …

MA: We were in a different place back then, in more ways than one. Part of it was what we were listening to as well.

TP: Yeah, this is much more like a follow-up to the Tadpoles William’s Doll cassette-only album from 1990 than a followup to the Tadpoles last studio album, Whirlaway.

You said what I was trying to say … like Judas Priest’s Angel of Retribution follow-up to Sad Wings of Destiny a couple of years ago.

MA: Heh!

TP: Well, that one {William’s Doll} was important as it was really the last total collaboration between the “duo” Tadpoles, Mike and myself.

MA: I’d say.

TP: Once we got the live group together with Nick {guitar}, David {bass} and Andrew {guitar} … things changed as far as the approach to songwriting and the focus of the group. At the time Nick, Dave and Andrew were really just fledgling musicians … could only play simple parts, a few chords. They had the right attitude and we really wanted to take the Tadpoles live … so, the songwriting changed, became more focused on the space-rock genre … less of the eclectic and weird … since that is what they could play best at the time. David played 6-string bass on 3 tunes off of GFTSC and I think provides some of the fabric connecting this new stuff with the sound of the post-Mike Tadpoles … kind of bringing it all full-circle again. Or full spiral.

MA: I used to try to move things in a more abstract direction back then. I consider this Todd’s solo album so I was interested in trying to provide anything that served the song.

TP: As I said, Mike’s tastes were always eclectic … Mike is a big Beefheart fan, old metal … all of which I also enjoyed.

MA: I guess for my part, Beefheart is normal.

Screw the normals.

MA: I agree … and the Bug Eyed Bowlegged Normal Man.

TP: I think Tadpoles changed more out of necessity than aesthetics.

MA: Not weird for weirdness sake.

TP: So, now … working just with Mike … the method of writing just went back to what we were doing back in the William’s Doll days … as far as the approach goes. Anything goes … However, you know … I’m older … in a different place. Mellower?

MA: I dunno ’bout that …

TP: Ha! … was waiting for you to catch that.

Is there going to be a fight?

MA: No … but we’ve had royal battles over the years, but remain good friends.

TP: Oh man, even in the making of this album … we almost came to blows, 3,000 miles apart. Just like the old days, except we were 3 feet apart then.

MA: It happens, but because we’re so …

TP: It’s kind of like a brotherly relationship, I would say. As I don’t have a brother, I value Mike’s friendship and collaboration a lot. It’s very gratifying to be able to work together again in this way. The other weird thing is that we actually started out working together on this secret metal project initially.

Then are you going to keep working together on the metal project? Fill us in.

TP: Mike should talk about “the metal” … that was the initial thing we thought was “safe” for us to collaborate on.

MA: Wölfbröwn. Even the name was a collaboration. ‘Wolf’ because wolves kick ass … and ‘brown’ as a nod to Ween.

TP: There was baggage associated with Tadpoles, I’d say. We thought an angry metal band would be the way to go. I proposed that we attempt to do something like the Dukes of Stratosphear of metal … so, there you have Wölfbröwn.

We had a huge fight about what makes up a metal song … riffs or beats. But I’m not touching that.

MA: I’ve been metal fan since I was a pup … Sabbath, Sepultura, etc …

I take it then this is a project of love, and not the dreaded winking hipster irony?

MA: Shit no, I made Todd promise no parody.

TP: Not a parody … but it is a faux band. We have a bunch of characters designed already. Mike told me about … what’s that band?

MA: Dethklok. We play all the parts in Wölfbröwn.

TP: Including roadies, managers, … I think I started writing guitar riffs and bass lines and sent those over to Mike, who played some kick ass Magnus drums to the riffs. I believe these are all now songs, yet they are awaiting the singer to finish words and vocals. The songs that have been started are pretty cool … problem is that I don’t shred or play leads like that … we need a ringer. Mike is vocalist … are we telling him the names yet?

MA: Sure. Ronnie Liddell, vocals.

TP: Well, they’re all there at wolfbrownrocks.com.

It’s funny, metal used to be a dirty word there for while, and now it’s not. Kind of like prog was for a long, long time.

TP: The metal was Tadpoles secret ingredient I think.

I certainly I think so. I think too many bands have forgotten how to just rock for rocking’s sake. I mean that seriously. Jack Black doesn’t seem so funny anymore.

MA: Agreed.

TP: Mike’s influence early on was important … kept us rocking. David Max was a big Kiss fan … always enjoyed rocking. Later, with Adam on drums, we continued with the metally-heavy influence as he was a Jersey suburb kid into Rage and stuff like that. I tried to make sure we had some of that on this solo album as it remains one of my influences as well. Chelsea Roses started out as a Wölfbröwn song … but wasn’t metal enough.

:: Chelsea Roses :: Greetings From The Star Chamber {Bakery Records, 2010}

MA: I refused.

TP: So, I took over writing words and singing on that and it worked very well for this context.

MA: It was a much better song for it.

TP: I think Chelsea Roses had more of a Kiss kind of riff pattern … and you know … Kiss is really kind of pop metal, if metal at all.

MA: I’d agree, though they scared the shit out of parents. The theatrics were metal.

TP: Not to be the huge Kiss nerd, but really, 73-76, they were as metal as anyone … after that, they were and continue to be an entertainment corporation.

Some of the bands that were springing up when you guys were laying the foundation obviously loved the hard stuff, even before punk and metal felt the need to part ways.

TP: Yeah, I mean….the Butthole Surfers and Flaming Lips are the prime examples of the heavy combination of metal, hard-rock, psychedelia … probably no bigger influences on what Tadpoles became than those two.

What are you guys into these days? I have to ask because … GFTSC is very … self-contained. I don’t mean it sounds of a time or anachronistic, but it’s very … I dunno, it’s itself without relying heavily on any period … or pigeon-hole …

MA: Grinderman, Cavalera Conspiracy, Black Keys …

TP: Typically, when I’m in a recording/writing intensive phase, I shy away from playing much of anything that might influence me. So, I listen to classical, jazz, chill stations on XM. Also bought a ukulele, which worried Mike.

Why would that cause worry?

MA: He’s covering Battlestar Galactica …

TP: No, that’s the “Force” theme from Star Wars I was working on … I think he thought the uke would find its way into Star Chamber …

MA: I’m just trying to stay on mission.

TP: But, it’s a fun little happy instrument … my retirement plan: Hawaii, long white beard … playing the best of the Tads and psychedelic music from the 90′s at my Kona Coffee Shack by the beach.

Is GFTSC sounding like a happy album to you?

It does. Not that the ‘poles work was dour, but this has more of a uppness to it, than being dark or moody. Your take on sinister comes in a top-hat and waistcoat. It’s like the demented circus thing, rather than the tortured thing.

MA: I don’t go for angst.

TP: Wasn’t particularly conscious … but, the Tads definitely became headier and heavier in the post-Mike era. I think the post-Mike Tads did stay more focused on a melancholic, moody bliss out kind of thing. We did kind of lose the humor component … something that became very apparent to me after seeing that late 90′s era of Ween.

Happy Feet from Smoke Ghost was light-hearted. I suppose there was a snarky quality to some of my tunes, particularly.

The first song we did for GFTSC was the remake of Give It To The Elf … something we did back in ’91 on a cassette EP called Ride The Soul. That was kind of the reunion of Mike and me. That tune is just kind of a funny inside joke story about the house in Staten Island where we lived at the time, rehearsing with the ‘poles and all of the people and things that went on there. I always wanted to redo it, record it better. It had a good feeling to it … like an old Syd Barrett song or something. Gerald mouse makes an appearance. In my retirement I thought it might make a good children’s music genre song.

:: Give It To The Elf :: Greetings From The Star Chamber {Bakery Records, 2010}

MA: It’s a fun song. Syd was a huge influence on both of us. Elf wasn’t fully realized on the Ride the Soul E.P., though. But many of the 4-track songs were definitive versions, so why go back?

TP: I never thought it would fit with the post-Mike ‘poles due to the humorous component … maybe that was just my own self-imposed limitation. But, I’m glad we waited … Mike wrote the drums, some of the words … its about our life back then, so it’s only right that we should do it together. We even got the bass player, Josh Bracken, to come back to play on it … he was in Tadpoles for a little bit back then, living in that house (the house of Avis Davis) and played on the original recording from ’91.

Disconnect was a demo from that same era … I had never presented it to the band for some reason. Don’t See Me was culled from an unrealized attempt at a song from then … had a totally different beat, no words … but the chord progression is exactly the same.

Back to ground zero, so to speak … Disconnect seems a fitting place to … disconnect myself, and let you both get back to business. I know you’re busy ramping up for the final countdown to Greetings From The Star Chamber.

Welcome back to the fray.

MA: Todd’s and my having digital home recording gear has removed some of the limitations creatively for both of us compared to the early years. We also have alot more sonic tools at our disposal. As a first step back into working on an album together I’m really pleased with how GFTSC turned out … I feel it may be Todd’s best songwriting to date.

TP: GFTSC was an unexpected and unplanned return of the muse after a decade off for me. Who am I to argue with the muse? The synchronicity of this and Mike being in the creative place to collaborate with me was very invigorating. What do they call that in movies? A series reboot? I’m hoping that comes through on the album. And I hope we continue to make more.

 

:: See and hear more at Todd Parker & The Witches

:: Pre-release available at BandCamp

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