It is with a tinge of sadness that I write this post today…
Phonofield is now three.
Both Dan (drums) and Usman (keys/piano) have decided to part ways with us.
With the rigors of writing new material, pushing ourselves
constantly in the creative process to break out of our comfortable
molds, we have created a beast of a project which, as a result,
requires pretty much total commitment. Add on top of that the fact that
we haven’t played a show since March, this has made things even harder
and, sometimes, less enjoyable.
During rehearsals, often times we’ve come across difficult musical
issues. We’ve found ourselves wondering if it would be too easy to
throw in a particular chord here, a smooth riff there, or an
atmospheric, delayed/reverbed guitar trip-out line to top it all off.
Can something that sounds good really be wrong? Our answer was a
definite, “Yes.”
From the beginning, I have always wanted our band to be in touch
with the roots we have as musicians, to not forget the accessible,
hooky, simple music that shaped our sounds and styles, but at the same
time, to stretch towards what is yet to be cliche, that which
challenges us to takes risks and explore, in order for us to find a way
to be in the moment, here and now. To not innovate and evolve in music
to me meant death. The status quo is death.
With the departure of two of our five members, Brian, Nick, and I are forced now to step up our game.
Lots of questions: What will a trio sound like? Will we be able to
hang without a full-time drummer? Will we use a laptop in every song?
Will we just press play and jam along to a track we’ve composed? Which
songs from our catalog still apply to this new context?
But with as many questions, many realizations come into play as
well: We can practice ANYWHERE (no studio required!), we are more FREE
in terms of how to structure our sound, we are more naked (sort of a
good thing!), we can take some chances we never would have taken before
with regard to experimentation, we can play shows in smaller venues,
our sound setup can be simpler, we can coordinate schedules easier,
we’ll have an easier time communicating…
Perhaps a new chapter is a good thing for everyone.
As before, our goal was never just to play nice songs. It was to
find a form of expression that was raw, delicate, dynamic, devastating,
and uplifting. Visceral and cerebral; acoustic and electric and
electronic; some strange hybrid of old and new, familiar and strange.
Always sincere, always honest, always intense.
Dan, a longtime friend (of Nick’s) and an extremely talented
drummer, has been known to have his hand in a few things at once, so we
wish him the best in everything. We still see him as a resource, and
wouldn’t be surprised to see him appear as a guest drummer in one of
our future performances…
Usman, a brave soul who took a dive by responding to my crazy,
ranting Craigslist post, stared right in the face of uncertainty, and
stuck it through for nearly a year before we knew the slightest bit
about what we were doing. When it was clear, he committed all the more,
and brought the humor, the reliable work ethic, and willing spirit that
makes any project easier to work on.
We will miss you. God, this sounds like a breakup.
In the meantime, stay tuned. The status quo has been destroyed. Things have been shaken.