Long lazy days and fun-filled starry nights - school's out, backyards and beaches becon, and you've nothing better to do than listen to music soaking up the sun or dancing around a bonfire. Want that feeling all year long? Tune in to Summer Channel the new project from J. Scott G (of Deepsky fame). We did, and popped in a virtual cassette for a little conversation that we'll play back for you right here...
How did you come up with the name?
I had already started on this project a year ago, but hadn't found a name for it yet. One night I was sleeping, and actually dreamt about being in a band called "Summer Channel." When I woke up in the morning, I remembered it and went straight to the internet to see if anyone had already used it. Luckily no one had. I can't think of a more profound reason to name a band something.
What inspired you to start the project?
Mostly because I've become tired of strictly making club tunes. I've been doing that for the last 13 or so years and just don't feel as creatively fulfilled anymore. I've always been inspired by artists like William Orbit, DJ Shadow, U.N.K.L.E., The Art Of Noise and their uncanny ability to make electronic music more than just beats for the dance floor. I've also rediscovered music from the 60's and 70's by bands like Pink Floyd and The Who, and realized *that* generation was probably the greatest collection of songwriters that modern music has ever seen. No one seems to write *songs* anymore. Now it's the "How many stutter edits can I cram into a track to get into the Guinness Book of World Records?" mentality. It seems like people have forgotten that music is supposed to be about something instead of about the technology itself. A wise man once told me (about over-using the 303 during it's heyday) "Use it as your salt and pepper, but don't make your dish out of it." I think the same can be said about music technology in general. Some people use it as a substitute for good songwriting.
Is Deepsky over with?
It's not over, but my main focus has been to finish this album first. We (Deepsky) wrote an album called "Future Perfect" a few years ago that will probably never see the light of day. Nothing was more frustrating to me than to see a record I spent 2 years pouring myself into, get shelved. We've had a couple of singles come out over the last 3 years like "Talk Like A Stranger" (Yoshitoshi), "Lost In The Moment" (Proton Music) and most recently "Ghost" (Release Records) but all those songs are over 3 years old now and it's hard to be excited about songs you've been living with for that long.
How many years were you and Jason partners?
Jason and I have been partners for almost 15 years, and I think we both understand that people change and want to have other life experiences. He's been nothing but happy and supportive about this project.
What has it been like working alone after being part of production team for so long?
The funny thing is that I'm not actually working alone. Yes, Summer Channel is a solo project, but the thing that's made this record amazing so far, are all of the people I've chosen to work with. My guitarist, Cameron Morgan (www.cameronmorgan.com) is a ******* prodigy. He's literally a one stop shop for guitars. I go to him and say "Cam I need a flamenco vibe" and WHAM there it is, or "Cam I need a 70's rock sound" and he knows how to do it. This guy has like, 20 guitars and a collection of pedals, cabinets and mics that would make your head spin. He knows how to put them all together and find the sound and vibe that fits perfectly, and on top of it all his playing ability is beyond most people I've EVER seen. I couldn't have done it without him. He's been the piece of the puzzle in every song that's made it go from just an electronic track to a "live" sounding masterpiece. I've also had the amazing luck of finding astounding vocalists like Kathy Fisher (www.fishertheband.com) who sang on "A Thousand Miles", Rebecca Coseboom who sang on "I Am Persuaded" (www.halou.com), Patrick Scott Aurelio (www.patrickscott.com) who sang on couple of forthcoming Summer Channel tracks youll hear soon called "Soulmate in Every City" and "Undertow." Youll even hear me singing on a couple of tracks. (Yes I *can* sing, I just never found a place for it in Deepsky tunes).
You said "It's tough making a record with 20 or so vocalists and session players with no money." What made you decide to go that route, rather than say a less costly one vocalist and no session players production?
Synthesizers will only ever sound like synthesizers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE electronic sounds. I just think the marriage between live and electronic sounds is the future. Sure I could make another album on nothing but a computer but in the end, that's all it will ever be. That's not what I want to do anymore. So I'm working with guitarists, drummers, string quartets, vocalists and even a gospel choir for one track. It's really quite an endeavor. And since it's not signed, I don't have a budget. This has been all out of pocket, and that certainly has posed it's challenges seeing as that I've been trying to record the live elements using ONLY the best equipment. Thank god for friends! Another thing I decided to do with this record is to have someone else mix it down in a big studio. I'm very lucky to be working with a fantastic engineer named Chris Haynes, who saw the potential in the project early on, and has been helping me since. The plan is to do this record in stereo *and* 5.1 surround, but again, all of that takes money!
Who are some of the singers & musicians (known names and/or what do they play) you'd like to work with?
Originally, I was in touch with Daniel Ash (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets) to sing on "Soulmate in Every City." I'd always wanted to work with him, and his vibe was perfect for that song. He actually called me out of the blue one day, because he'd heard I wanted to work with him. It was pretty surreal. When Bauhaus went back on tour, I never heard from him again. To be honest, I'm glad because Patrick was probably a better choice for that song in the long run. I've been in contact with Depeche Mode's management to try and work with Dave Gahan, but they're on tour until well into next year so that might have to wait until the next Summer Channel album.
You mentioned you're currently trying to get an album deal. How does an independent producer/artist like yourself go about trying to get an album deal?
I know this is going to sound funny, but I think by harnessing the power of Myspace.com a lot can be accomplished these days. Beyond that, I have a ton of contacts that are just waiting to hear the music. Things will work out the way they're supposed to. I'm not worried at all.
Tell me about the two singles you have posted on your myspace website. Who did you work with on them? Describe what they are about and what they sound like.
"A Thousand Miles" is a very personal song to me. It's about figuring out who I was after going thru a ton of bullshit the last few years. The funny thing about this song, is that it sounds exactly the way I planned it out in my head when I first started writing it. It's always amazing when a track turns out the way you planned it. After working with Jes on "Talk Like A Stranger" and "Ghost" I was afraid I would never find someone as good as that again, but I was blessed to find someone even better, in my opinion. I wanted to write a song that still had the movement of a dance tune, but had the power of a rock tune along with the sensuality of Kathy's voice. At first, she asked me "are you sure I'm the right person for this track?" at which point I told her "trust me on this." "I Am Persuaded" is just a good ole' fashion song to **** to. One thing I realized I wanted to do as I got older was write more music that was sexy. I think we nailed it on that one.
You described the sounds as "really not club music I guess... but its still electronic if that makes sense." So where would people listen to them? Will the whole album be like these two songs or are you envisioning some different styles?
This album is eclectic in nature. It's not trying to be anything other than me wanting to write a bunch of songs that make me happy. When you've been writing a certain kind of style for so many years, there tends to be a certain expectation from your audience, and I wanted to get away from that. I threw away everything I knew about making music and started over, trying new methods and approaches. Every song has vocals and guitars on it, but none of them sound the same. "Soulmate In Every City" is a more swanky, dancey tune about being an artist on the road and having all kinds of girls but really having nobody at home. "Undertow" is another dancey song that Patrick wrote about a person he knew once in New York City. "Wake Up" is a song I wrote about my father coming close to fame and fortune with his own music career years ago, but throwing it all away because he didn't follow through, me taking the torch and not ******* it up. It's been wonderful to write about *something* again, instead of making disposable records that DJ's will get rid of in two weeks, when another disposable record takes it's place. I'd rather make music that is more timeless.
SC Interview on www.djfix.com (Oct 2005)
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