Chemic

Louisville band Chemic caught MOKB's attention when they filled our ears with dreamy indie-pop from their debut album Fever On The Forest Floor. This young band is probably one of the best projects to pop up in Louisville in the past couple years. Their songs are honest, earnest and endearing. Sonic layers are often piled high, but most of the songs are still driven by pop mainstays, an acoustic guitar or piano.

The band is prepping for their follow-up release, expected some time this Summer or early Fall, to be released by Crossroads Of America Records.

This can be found here:
http://www.laundromatinee.com/sessions/video_session__chemic - My Old Kentucky Blog

Chemic and Chico Fellini will be sharing the stage tomorrow night at the Pour Haus (with The Instruction), but today we’ve got some questions that Chemic frontman Scott Kirkpatrick asked Chico guitarist/producer extraordinaire Duane Lundy about the band, recording, tennis and — most importantly — haberdashery

Scott Kirkpatrick: Just to get some details out of the way, how did Chico Fellini come about and how long have you all been together?

Duane Lundy: I was looking for a reason to collaborate with Chris Dennison (lead singer), and thought what better way than to put a band around his talents. Following that we were most lucky to have Brandon Judd (drums) join, and then the most lovely and talented Emily Hagihara (bass). Our first gig was with The Heartless Bastards just over 2 years ago

SK: A lot of folks may not be aware that you are one of the most bad-ass producers around and have recorded some great records for folks like Ben Sollee, These United States, Vandaveer and Scourge of the Sea. How is the experience different recording your own band as opposed to other bands?

DL: Thanks for the kind words… Actually this process was quite a bit different. I felt it creatively best to do this project in chapter form to keep perspective. We would work in concentrated periods, and then give it a bit of a breather. I enjoyed that process a great deal, and feel like it allowed me to be both passionate and pragmatic. It’s not the right way to do every project, but I think it was healthy for this effort.

SK: Who are some of your favorite guitar players and some that influence how you play?

DL: Jimmy Page and Daniel Lanois — both are producers and guitarist. I think they’re less interested in proficiency, and more into texture, emotional content and capturing special moments.

SK: I hear you are pretty dominant on the tennis court. Would you say you have a stronger serve or net game?

DL: Ha! That was a while ago, but as I remember it… serve.

SK: You guys (and girl) get on the road quite a bit, what are some of the cool bands that you’ve come across recently?

DL: This is a bit biased, but I have enjoyed sharing the bill with some of the bands that I have had the honor of producing… Mike Mangione/Ben Sollee/Rogue Motel/Scourge…

SK: I have to say that I am a fan of your hat. Is there any chance it is because you are obsessed with Abraham Lincoln almost as much as I am?

DL: Thanks… I wouldn’t say obsessed, but an admirer most certainly….many lessons to be learned.

SK: It’s easy to ask musicians what bands they are into, but judging by your cinematic sound in Chico Fellini and your producing, I have to ask what movies really hit the spot for you.

DL: I love the works of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick… their attention to detail/texture and liberal use of surrealism. I tend to see music very visually, so there work has been a great inspiration.

SK: If you had to choose……Motown or British Invasion?

DL: That is a toughie, my parents played a lot of Motown around the house, but I would have to say British Invasion by the smallest of margins… great question.

SK: A lot of folks would love to do music full-time as a job, and it seems that you have found a way to do that. Any advice on how to do that successfully for the folks reading?

DL: A healthy dose of naivety and persistence. Establish a strong work ethic and realize that you will have to make many sacrifices to do what it is that you love doing. I have found it to be well worth it.

SK: What is one artist, regardless of medium, that you’re totally into right now?

DL: David Lynch — the David Lynch documentary Lynch has been in constant loop lately at the studio. I have enjoyed watching his process and seeing how that translates into his finished work. - Buzzgrinder.com

On their debut, Louisville's Chemic shows themselves to be embracers of established approaches rather than radical reinventors -- no sin at all, but in an era of bands loving their collections not too wisely but too well it's always useful to keep some perspective. This said, Fever on the Forest Floor is an enjoyable listen in the realm of starry-eyed indie-rock that, unlike so many of its contemporaries out to recreate sweeping Flaming Lipsisms again and again, seek a more downbeat approach -- calm acoustic-led arrangements, reflective delivery, an approach more restrained than hyperdramatic. Lead singer and musician Scott Kirkpatrick's high, softly sung voice and his easygoing guitar, matched with the calm backing of his bandmates, is all the more enjoyable for suggesting they could suddenly pour it on but never actually doing so, aside from the appropriately titled "Calm Killers" -- songs don't suddenly burst out into explosive choruses, though occasionally they can kick up their heels like on "Off the List." Even a more jaunty number like the piano-led "War is Over" has its own calming air thanks to his singing, which in the overdubbed harmonies could almost be a bit of ELO-style flair. Certainly there are other more recent models for Chemic's general approach -- not for nothing does the band list acts like Will Oldham and Grandaddy on its Myspace page -- but there are times when Kirkpatrick and company gently step beyond them, as with the dreamy, flowing undercarriage on "Good Mary." Perhaps the most surprising touch in context is the brisk hip-hop beat that kicks off "Don't Go Close" -- not a radical move in general but it shows again that sometimes all that's needed is a little juxtaposition to make something really sharp. - by Ned Raggett - AllMusic.com