Cale and the Gravity Well

New York’s relatively new act Cale & The Gravity Well may have been formed, at its core, as the result of a joke when Cale’s sister suggested she start a record label, and Cale said he would be a part of it. Fast forward to now, and he’s the first one to sign to Made In The Shade Records. All joking aside, the man has cultivated a wide range of musical talent, and his debut album – The Age Of Envy – is a twelve track stand out that is worthy of note.

From the first lines of “The Age Of Envy” all the way through fourth track “Toy Store Robbery” and to the end of twelfth track “Lions And Tigers”, Cale’s light, spry vocals carry the album through various sounds and genres. “Toy Store Robbery”, obviously one of our favorites off of the album, boasts a twangy sound to it, highlighting that “it’s the little things that keep you going, like water, food, and space to call your own,” while “If That Ain’t Enough” travels through a a more psychedelic, funky sound and more commanding, vibey vocals.

Check out the album in its entirety below, and then read on for a fun interview with Cale himself.

If you could introduce yourself and your music to our audience in any way, how would you do so?

Ideally I would like to come bursting through their walls late at night, while they were sleeping soundly, wreathed in acrid smoke and flickering lightning, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries blaring in the background, and a cold wind howling through their very bones. Then I would bellow, “REPENT SINNERS! FOR THE END IS NIGH!” And of course after the screaming and sobbing but before the police and insurance investigators showed up, I’d let them know that this was just a millennial with too much time and a brand spanking new album that he chose to market by scaring the bejeezus out of everyone, and that in fact Jesus most loves people who do not press charges.

What is the first album or song you remember listening to, and who introduced it to you?

Now that is a very hard question. The very first song I really remember is “Where is Love?” from the Broadway classic Oliver, which my mother used to sing to me as a child. But assuming you meant “What was the first song/album you chose to listen to?” then the answer is “Bondo’s Greatest Hits.” Don’t bother looking it up, you won’t find it. My dad, a passionate and lifelong music aficionado, used to make these compilation CD’s and hand them out to his friends and family, and yes, that’s really what they were called. I remember listening to (I think) the sixth one for hours at a time. It had “Pretty in Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs, “Couldn’t Get It Right” by the Climax Blues Band, “Bad Company” by Bad Company, and many many more. I really owe my early foray into music to that man.

Was there a specific moment when you knew you wanted to pursue music?

Honestly, no, not a specific moment. This was something I had some small ability in, and that I had always perceived of as being “Something, someday, I might actually do” but even after Zoe offered me a record deal, I don’t think I really took it that seriously. It’s been slowly sinking in ever since.
The Age of Envy is SO SO good. Do you have any fun anecdotes from the recording process?

Thank you so much! I’m pretty proud of it. Fun anecdotes, let’s see. Well, I did all the recording in a basement belonging to one Chris Brooks, the keyboardist for Lionize. I spent months trekking down to DC every other weekend to spend it yelling into this little makeshift vocal booth consisting of two plywood panels covered in foam that Chris hung from the ceiling. My first or second time there, I was doing the vocals for “Charming Devil” and I just really felt like I wasn’t getting some of the Ooomph that I wanted. Chris just pointed to the little bar he has in one corner of the basement and said “That’ll fix you.” Which explains why the second time I sing “F@#& off!” in that song, it’s considerably more aggressive. The whole process went a bit like that.

Do you have a favorite track from the album, or any stories of inspiration?
I think my favorite two are “Lions and Tigers” and “So Many Lashes.” Not for any particular reason, as far as I can tell, but they are both so much fun to sing.
Where do you draw the most inspiration for your work?
Most of the inspiration for my work seems to spring out of seemingly nowhere. I’ll hear a phrase, say, or get a small musical hook stuck in my head, and then I get seized by these kind of creative frenzies, where I’ll just hole up in my apartment for a day or two and crank out a song. Oftentimes it’s basically nonsense. I was sitting around one day, being amazing and handsome and charming and modest as usual, and the phrase “The best thing about the age of envy” just kinda popped into my head. And that doesn’t mean anything, nothing at all. But I’m of the opinion that a lot of great art erupts from concentrated gibberish, so I started working on more words and pretty soon I had the title track, “The Age of Envy.” You kinda figure out the meaning as you go, a kind of art and life inform each other approach.

We hear you’re “simultaneously trying to learn the fiddle and the banjo.” How’s that going for you?

Well I at least understand the banjo. The violin is just so, so hard. And I sound awful, and there’re no frets, and the bow hold hurts my arm, and why did I even decided to do this oh yeah cause it comes with free beer. Shoutout to Booze Violin, it really is a good time. Perhaps the best answer is this; if there’s a banjo or a violin on my next album I doubt I will be playing them.
What’s your favorite open mic night to play in NYC? (AKA where can we find you?)

By far it is the Monday night open mic at Prohibition, on the upper west side. I haven’t been able to go recently, but the atmosphere is so inviting, the people are talented, and the house band is one of the finest is NYC.
What is your favorite track out right now?
I have been really jamming on “10 dEAThBREasT” off Bon Iver‘s new album. I actually don’t listen to Bon Iver that much, but that song is so weird and expansive musically, and the words are so strange as to be almost coercive (who is The Raker??). I feel like recently there’s been this surge of half-folk-half-electronica music and I’m super into it (Sylvan Esso would be a prime example). I really attach to it emotionally for no reason I can distinguish. Plus there’s Justin Vernon’s ridiculous falsetto. What’s not to love?

If your music were a meal, what would be included in it?
Lot’s of raw asparagus and carrots and prickly pears and pineapples. Only the most nutritious, spiniest fruits and vegetables.
Anything else you’d like to add, sir?

Well I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to say THANK YOU IMPOSE! This has been a blast, and these sort of reviews are the bread and butter for small artists like me. We couldn’t do it without you! And of course, all of my love to my wonderful sister and her boyz at Made in the Shade Records! Thank you for getting me to where I am today! - Impose Magazine

Energy is an important part of any form of music. It can make or break a track or album. When it’s right, it’s always a fantastic journey that keeps a listener coming back for more and more and more. The Age of Envy, the debut album from Cale and the Gravity Well, is an album that knows how to wield energy well.

Each song has a unique texture to it, and it adds a soft connection from song to song without making the album seem like one continuous lump. Filled with beautiful music that drips with energy, the album holds the attention extraordinarily well. Each songs paints a vivid story in the mind, and whisks the listener along a wonderful journey. There’s a vast array of difference between the tracks on the album, but it still feels incredibly cohesive.

This album released back in May, so if you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to it I definitely think that you should. It is incredibly well put together, and each song has a little twist to it that leaves you wondering what you’re going to hear next on this album, all while never straying from a core sound. It’s a wonderful album, and it is well worth an hour out of your day to enjoy it. - Music Unlabeled

Cale and The Gravity Well is one of the most intriguing names in music. And Cale’s picture included in this article reminds me of a Vermeer or Van Eyk. Oh, and his music is unbelievable. Here is a quote from his Bio:

Cale Bonderman started writing music just two years before Cale and the Gravity Well, his indie-alternative project, was formed. However, inexperience wasn’t going to keep him from breaking into the music industry. With help from close friends, DC based rock group Lionize, Cale and the Gravity Well released his debut album, The Age of Envy in May 2016.

You can hear the influence of Fleet Foxes and Modest Mouse with a little Neutral Milk Hotel thrown in. Cale is on his ways to becoming one of the great singer/songwriters. Listen carefully to his lyrics. He has a great way with the turn of a phrase. Great stuff. - Audio Fuzz

Cale and the Gravity Well are marketed as folk rock, and while there are some songs on his debut album The Age of Envy that fit that genre, there is a whole lot more to be discovered that often veers from the set path.

The LP works the best in this reviewers opinion when it sticks to its folk rock roots. “Toy Store Robbery” crosses that sound with a bit of a country vibe. The electric guitar suits the tone of the song just fine as Cale sings “Life’s a bitch,” going back and forth between a more manic delivery that keeps listeners on their toes and a slowed down more bluesy feel on parts of the tune. The chorus is downright a head bopping experience in itself and that is probably the strongest part of the structure of the track. It’s not the best on the album, but it is one of the better upbeat numbers that doesn’t stray too far from the genre that Cale and the Gravity Well see themselves as.

“An Angry Blade” is haunting from its instrumentation to its quiet vocals and dark tone. The vocals are chilling and will be sure to give some listeners goosebumps and it is this unassuming low key feel that really showcases what Cale is capable of musically. The lyrics are poetic and vivid, painting the picture of loneliness in a perfect portrait. It’s a long track at over five minutes and it drags a little bit as the song is quite repetitive,e but if one just sits back and let Cale and the Gravity Well take you on their ride it is worth it. “An Angry Blade” is all about the mood and Cale does a superb job of producing and delivering a tune that will captivate listeners from the first note. At times it feels like something Death Cab for Cutie could have released years ago, but Cale certainly makes it his own by adding layers to the track, especially towards the end as it all builds up in volume. It’s one song not to be missed and is definitely a highlight of the album.

Hands down the best track on The Age of Envy is “Interlude (Absalom).” It is the most straightforward folk tune to be found on the debut album and features stunning and dark lyrics such as “old as I am forever disturbed from a slumber I did not intend to leave” which matches note for note the somber guitar instrumentation. Simple and to the point, it is every bit as magical as it is thought provoking, something a good folk song should be. Here, Cale displays that when he wants to he can be a magnificent storyteller, as this particular tune sounds like it is being sung around a fire, passing the message of the track down to others. The bare bones approach of just having a guitar backing Cale up was absolutely the right decision to make and it is a bit of a shame that not more of the tracks reflect Cale’s talent like this song does.

Most of The Age of Envy feels all over the place and doesn’t form a cohesive album. Perhaps individually the songs can work on their own but they don’t always follow that folk rock sound that the artist is being marketed as. There are also times when it feels as if Cale is trying too hard to sound authentic and that just leaves this reviewer feeling disappointed, especially because Cale shows glimpses of genius on the LP. If there’s one thing to take away from Cale’s debut is that he shows promise of better things to come. - Music Existence

Following the new release of the debut album, Age of Envy, we got to sit down with New York based indie artist, Cale and The Gravity Well. This indie, folk-rocker has burst onto the scene with a truly unique sound and unmatched depth with this album. We considered it an honor to pick his brain and get the scoop on this latest multi-layered project!
What does Cale and The Gravity Well bring to rock music? What do you feel are you doing differently that makes you distinct?

Cale: Well I think that I do a couple things pretty differently from the norms. The music on the album plays a lot with genre, without ever really leaving that rock feeling behind, which is important but I think that rock generally could use a little bit of variety. I also like to play with form a little bit, changing tempo, keys, odd outros, things like that. And I think finally, I don’t necessarily feel beholden to conventions of the genre. How many young folk artists write songs about whiskey problems they’ve never had? Similarly, how many young rock artists write about heartbreak? I try to stay away from that convention, it’s been done before, and most often better than I could do it.
“Gravity Well” sounds cool, does it have any special meaning in the name?

Cale: A gravity well is the area surrounding bodies in space that is affected by their gravitational pull. The more massive a body, the more massive the gravity well. So in the sense that the physics of celestial objects is utterly fascinating and serves to define our very place in the universe, yes, the name is special. For us small time (universally speaking) musicians, aside from being a vicious “your momma” joke, I’m afraid that I have no particular reason for having picked the name other than I really thought it would be irresistible for once in my life.

Who do you consider your mentor(s) in the music industry? Who did you listen to as influences?

Cale: There are certainly a lot. I tend to go through music crazes where I’ll listen to one person pretty much constantly for two months straight. As far back as I can remember, this includes, in no particular order, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Warren Zevon, The Shins, Doc Watson, The Black Keys, The Clash, CCR, Fleetwood Mac, Modest Mouse, Paul Simon. I like to think they’re all influential in some way or another, though I think fusing all of those things into one would be basically impossible.

What does it mean to you that your debut album is out? Does it feel like your “foot is in the door” now?

Cale: Nope! It feels a lot more like a jump start for the rest of starting a career than a career itself. There’s just so much groundwork to be done. Finding producers, writing new music, assembling a band, assembling a tour, managing social media, trying to do music videos, better headshots, it all has to get done, and it’s all basically being done all at once, and my only consolation is that I actually have something to play already, which is a big check, but people have also started with less, so it’s not like I’m complaining.

Is there meaning behind the title, the Age of Envy? If so what does it mean?

Cale: Well the song is sort of an abstract mediation on the way we as a culture and I personally interact with technology these days, and the warped perceptions that come along with that, but that’s specifically in reference to the song. As the title of the album, it’s a little bit of column A, column B: On the one hand, I thought that was kind of appropriate given that the songs kind of summarizes a lot of the feelings I was having whilst writing the album, and on the other, one of my friends was like “Man that would be such a good name for the album,” and it was hard to say no to that.

The artwork is amazing! Is there any special significance in it?

Cale: It could be, though honestly I’m not totally sure. I was online and saw this amazing picture of a fox head done in the same style, and suddenly I had this flash in my mind’s eye of this picture, the abstract bits and bobs, all flowing into one of my eyes, which had been transformed into a black hole. It had the benefit of being really in keeping with the band name and being very aesthetically pleasing, but I was just kind of transfixed by the image, and I knew I had to have it. I couldn’t tell you why it was so, but it was.

What is the narrative behind “Charming Devil”?

Cale: Charming Devil was written when I was back home after having finished college, but just before I was moving to New York, and as with any great life upheaval, I was feeling kind of strange and lost about the decision, adrift on an ocean that was plenty full of islands, but with no observable ports. So I wrote it as a reflection of that particular moment of my life, ruminating a little on the past and the future as well. Here’s a guy who’s leaving home, looking back at how far he’s come, as well as how far he has to go.

“Interlude (Absalom)” is an interesting track. Why did you guys choose to make a song on that particular biblical figure? What did your music add to the tale?

Cale: You’re the first publication to have asked me about this one specifically, and I’m terribly sorry to say, I have to pass on this one. Of the twelve songs on the album, this is the most personal, and I’m going to keep its specificities a tantalizing secret. Suffice it to say though, it is not really about Absalom. But I think you probably knew that already.

Was the Wizard of Oz a possible influence in this album? It sounds like you drew inspiration from the story for a couple of songs on here.

Cale: Hey what give me away? Yeah First Storm and Lions and Tigers are probably the only two songs that have nothing at all to do with me. And yes, they are heavily influenced by The Wizard of Oz, and probably even more so the Wicked series by Gregory Macguire, which was one of my favorites growing up. It’s a fantasy about an alternate reality where the Witch is just a figment of Dorothy’s imagination, and I suppose a metaphor for internal struggle, but that’s coming from the English teacher buried somewhere deep down inside me, and you should feel free to ignore it.

What would you say is the takeaway for a listener of this album? What do you want people to say about Cale and The Gravity Well now that you have made a debut on the scene?

Cale: Well I would hope that people enjoy it, and I hope that they tell others that they enjoy it, but beyond that I cannot say. This the the thing about music, and art generally, everyone gets something else out of it, and it’s totally unique and it’s totally theirs. I wrote the songs, but they become meaningful through their own consumption, not because of anything I put into it. The takeaway depends on whatever happens to the listener, not the other way around.
Thank you Cale for giving us the great opportunity to interview you and we are really excited about this album! Readers, if you have not listened to Age of Envy yet check it out! - Audible Addixion