Today, it's yet another installment in my ongoing interview series. Today, we have a thorough and in-depth chat with Philadelphia, PA based singer-songwriter Brian Medlin. Brian has been a featured veteran here on the blog a few times before, first with Person L, then with his other project Brian Medlin & The Elk Band, and his most recent effort that was reviewed just last week on the blog, Ghost Away. I caught up with Brian via e-mail to get a sense of what his beginnings were, the multiple bands he's in, and his undying passion for music that is quite evident with the multiple musical hats that he's wearing at any given time. Without further ado, here is the transcript from that interview:
Give us your name and where you're originally from?
Brian Medlin. I live in a town called Ardmore outside of West Philadelphia. I grew up a little further out in the suburbs in a town called Lansdale.
How much of a role or impact did music have on you growing up in PA?
Living near Philadelphia always gave me the opportunity to see any kind of band I was interested in. And in my hometown, there was a growing hardcore and punk scene that I got involved in through playing and attending shows.
What was your earliest recollection of being exposed to music at a young age?
The earliest I can remember really loving a piece of music was when I was 4 years old. It was Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight". I remember running behind a coffee table or something like that, and pretended it was a drum set. Either I had drums in my blood, or that sparked my love of them, because I never sat behind a drum set until I was a teenager. I had no idea what I was doing, but it came to me very naturally. And I picked up the basics very fast.
Tell me about the first band you were in, what type of music it was, and the experience of being in a band?
My first band had only a couple practices. It was something to do during a teacher's strike when I was in middle school. I was the vocalist. We were called Red Ink. I loved Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails, so I probably thought we sounded something like that. Of course we probably sounded nothing like that. The first "serious" band I was in, as in a band that practiced regularly and played shows, was a band called Relapse that later changed its name to Inkling. I played drums in that band when I was in high school. We were a hardcore band but we also incorporated singing parts and odd time signatures. We started off being heavily influenced by The Deftones and even some other melodic bands like Weezer and The Get Up Kids. But we also listened to heavier bands like Coalesce, Converge, and Deadguy. The easiest part about being in that band was that it was with all of my best friends. Not only did we love hanging out with each other, but we all listened to similar music. So it was a blast to create music together. Our practice space was a hangout for our whole circle of friends. For me, playing and touring with your friends has always remained an essential part of making and performing music.
What were some other bands you were involved in and how were they different from your prior musical ventures?
After Inkling, I was in a band called The Minor Times. That band had many of the same members, but we focused strictly on the heavy, aggressive, angular stuff. We were a band for about 7 years. We practiced very very hard, got things incredibly tight. We all had particular tastes in what we liked and didn't like in heavy music. And we took it very seriously. Every year got better and better, signing to bigger labels, writing better songs, performing better. But we were such perfectionists that I feel like we started to wear ourselves out. Plus we were getting older. There's lots that go into it. Towards the end of that band, I started playing drums in Person L. That was a big shift for me because it was a more loose style of playing. And even the practices had a more loose, jamming kind of environment. The hard work part in Person L came with all the touring we did. I toured a bunch with The Minor Times and even Inkling, but nowhere near as much as with Person L. All in all, I enjoyed playing in both bands because of the 2 different schools of thought it gave not only my drumming style, but my attitude towards writing and interacting in a band. One was very regimented, disciplined and rewards you in the end, and the other was relaxed, laid back, and keeps things alive and fun.
Tell me about the recording process of your latest effort with Brian Medlin & The Elk Band and what the recording process was like?
Recording this album was a dream come true for me. With every solo release, I have always wanted to record in this fashion. I wrote and recorded demos of all the songs, plus a few more that didn't make the cut, with an acoustic guitar and vocals. I selected a group of people I wanted to record the songs with, which I dubbed "The Elk Band". My friend Andrew Torre had recorded the songs for the Person L split with Weatherbox, and he had mastered a single I released called "Hey Koda". At the time, he was building his own studio with help from Nate Vaeth (keys/guitar in Person L). Both Nate and Andrew were trading, collecting, and restoring vintage gear for a couple years, and it is a lot of this gear that made up the studio. This was right up my alley because I wanted the album to have a warm, classic feel. Other than a few guitars, all the instruments and amps on this album are from the 60s and 70s. Andrew is a great drummer, so I asked him if he would be interested in recording and playing on the album. Nate had recorded organ for a couple songs on my previous full length, but I knew I wanted him to play on this whole record, with his BEAUTIFUL Hammond B2. Then I asked Charlie from Person L to play bass and my friend Nick to play guitar because I was familiar with their styles, and I knew they would be a perfect fit. I had met Vince before from a show Person L played with his band Cheap Seats. Andrew recommended he join, and Vince said he was interested in playing piano. I'm not sure how it worked out but I'm glad it did. The piano was the last addition I needed in making this sound that I wanted. I listen to a lot of classic rock from singer-songwriters like Neil Young and Bob Dylan, to bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. You know, all the obvious ones, I guess you could say. But I also had modern influences that were influencing me immensely when writing these songs like Dawes and Wilco. All of the aforementioned bands recorded many of their albums live and it's something we attempted to do. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, we didn't get to do it that way. Only the 3 acoustic songs "Beacon of Light", "Sink or Swim", and "Making a Change" remained live. With the other songs, we would just listen to the acoustic demo, then work it out together as a band, then track it. It was incredibly freeing to just hand over my demo idea of a song, and just see where a group of people take it. I trusted the musicians I was playing with immensely, and I wish I could always play with them. I just can't thank those guys enough for putting the time into making it without getting anything in return, other than a great sounding record, an album I am incredibly proud of.
What other interests do you have besides music, any hobbies/special interests/sports?
I grew up with a family of film buffs and I think I became one myself. Movies are almost as a big an influence on my life as music is. And just like music, I don't stay within a particular genre. I watch and enjoy everything. I also enjoy reading and learning about film history. I am into directors the same way I am into bands. I definitely have my favorites: Stanley Kubrick, The Cohen Brothers, Ingmar Bergman, Terrance Malick. I could go on and on.
How much of an impact has music had on your life up until this point?
It's had a major impact on my life because it's defined my life. I have a full-time job where I spend every weekday, essentially 9 to 5, but music is where my heart is. I've always got multiple projects I'm working on. I'm always listening and being inspired by it. It's what I think about, it's what I read about, it's what I talk about. It's the center of the majority of my social life. All of the friends I have are because we have a common interest and passion for music. I always want to be playing it, performing it, and listening to it. I can't imagine my life without it.
What other bands and/or projects are you involved in and what else can we expect from you in the coming year?
Well, very recently, my band/recording project Ghost Away released our 2nd full length titled "We Didn't Ask For This". It's a 2-man project I have with my friend Eric Haag. It's something we work on very casually, in the sense that it takes us years to finally release something. We are both crazy about Radiohead. They aren't the only influence, but definitely play a big part. You can download the album for free at
www.wedidntaskforthis.com
I have a noisy punk rock band called Wives that plays out occasionally. Right now, we are recording a follow-up to our self-titled EP, which at the time was also a 2-man recording project. After that EP, we were asked to play shows and decided to form a full band. We've played together ever since and wrote a bunch of new stuff together. It should be out in the next few months. You can download the old EP for free at
thepinktriangle.bandcamp.com
I'm playing drums in a couple projects. It's too early to know what, if anything, will come of them. The one with the most progress so far is with Brendan, guitarist from Circa Survive. We're playing heavy stuff. And since 2005, I have released a solo effort at least once a year. I don't expect that to change this year. As always, you can get all of my releases for free at
www.brianmedlinmusic.com
Thanks once again to my friend Brian Medlin for taking some time out to do this interview! Brian is an immensely fascinating, talented, and creative individual whose undying passion for music speaks volumes about his craft and just how unique he is. Take some time and check out his music from his various projects from the aforementioned links above.
