I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing singer-songwriter Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket & Works Progress Administration) via email for the WYEP Music Blog a couple of times. Now you have the opportunity to ask Mr. Phillips a question. Ask Glen Phillips / Toad / WPA – Fan Questions. You will find some interesting questions and even more intriguing answers from Mr. Phillips.
Barb S. – Sunday Mix Host
Glen Phillips will be back in town, this time as part of WPA, on Saturday November 7th (Check out the WYEP Concert Calendar for more info) and WPA will be doing a Studio Session at WYEP on November 7th.
Barb WYEP’s Sunday Mix Host (WYEP): Glen, thanks for taking the time to talk to us again for the WYEP Music Blog.
Glen Phillips (GP): You’re very welcome.
WYEP: You were in Pittsburgh co-headlining a show with Jonatha Brooke in December 2008, then in May 2009 with Toad the Wet Sprocket, now you’re returning with WPA. I asked you in the spring (Toad the Wet Spocket – an interview with Glen Phillips) about transitioning from solo artist to being a part of a group and you said it kept you on your toes and that you enjoyed each style. You also noted that playing with WPA was the most fun you’ve had “…in ages, if not ever.” So now that you are currently focusing mostly on WPA, are your feet firmly on the ground and are you still having a lot of fun?
GP: It’s still pretty wonderful. The biggest problem for me has been having “wedding mouth” after shows from smiling too much. Painful cheeks are a small price to pay, though.
WYEP: “Works Progress Administration”, the first CD from WPA, was released as an independent effort on September 15th. Having creative control has to be great, is it one of those labors of love, where you get what you put into it?
GP: I’ve been spared corporate meddling for most of the last 10 years, and actually for pretty much all of Toad’s career as well. It was shocking to see how much that had changed in the music business by the time I was talking to record companies again. So – I’m used to getting to make the music I want to with the resources at hand. This was a new level of resource, though – really inspiring at a number of levels. It’s definitely a labour of love. Indie is great, but it’s shocking to see how much money and/or luck it takes to break above the noise floor and have an album get some traction. It’s not for the faint of heart. Creatively this has been a great experience. Ask me about the business in a year or two…
WYEP: I have to ask you about the artwork in the booklet that accompanies the “Works Progress Administration” CD. I believe each song title is integrated into a poster from FDR’s 1939 New Deal Initiative era. Where did this idea come from? I particularly like the one from Harrisburg, Penna. They look so authentic. Like mini pieces of art.
GP: As soon as we decided on the band name I knew I wanted to integrate original WPA art. It’s beautiful, and in the public domain, so the idea of remixing some posters came pretty naturally. I did mockups on my laptop and then sent them to some real graphics people to make the fonts match up properly and such. I think about half the posters I used were from syphilis awareness campaigns. Not sure why, but those just seemed to have the right vibe for the songs. I hope it’s not a bad omen…
WYEP: Since February, I’ve had the chance to sample the future first release “Always Have My Love”. In the final product there’s more strings, giving it a fuller more polished sound. The song has really evolved. Will WPA continue to evolve and change?
GP: I think the only difference since February would have been the mastering. We cut the album in five days, and took about five more to mix it. It just took us a couple years to get it out…As far as evolving – yes! We’re excited to be writing for another album, now that we have some better idea of our identity as a band.
WYEP: Along those same lines, WPA has a core group of founding members made up of yourself, Luke Bulla and Sean Watkins, along with “executive board” members. Which members of WPA will be in Pittsburgh for the show? Does the line-up change which songs you play and/or how you play them?
GP: We’ll be a 5 piece in Pittsburgh – Sean, Luke and myself with Sebastian Steinberg on bass and Jerry Roe on drums. We play everything on the record except the songs Sara sings, and play a few from our various previous projects and solo records as well as a handful of covers. I’ve been loving the 5 piece. It’s leaner and meaner, and actually rocks a little more than the 8 piece in a certain way.
WYEP: There’s a broad range of musical styles, genres and backgrounds within the members of WPA and your debut CD. Do you plan to experiment with different sounds in the future and to continue to record and perform together?
GP: We’re looking forward to making the next album and moving forward. I think we’ll concentrate more on the songs than anything – the thing that makes this band work is that no matter how many people we have on board the song is the first priority – there’s a lot of playing ability but nobody’s showboating. That’s the attitude we’ll keep in the future – just playing the best material we can as well as we can, and enjoying the company while we’re at it.
WYEP: Best of luck in the future and much success to you and the members of WPA!
Barb S. – Sunday Mix Host
I have a confession to make. Six months ago I wouldn’t have been able to tell you a song by Toad the Wet Sprocket (TTWS). Nor did I know that Glen Phillips was a member of that group. Since December 2008 I’ve seen Glen Phillips perform four times and had the opportunity to interview him for the WYEP Music Blog http://musicblog.wyep.org/2009/04/24/toad-the-wet-sprocket-an-interview-with-glen-phillips/ and now I just had the chance to see TTWS in concert for the first time. I’m reaping the benefits of volunteering as an on-air host at an independent public radio station, by discovering new music. Grant it, this time the artist first came on the scene some 20 years ago. You really can teach an old DJ new tricks. I’ve always had the ears of a DJ, but only in the last couple of years have they been exposed to what’s often labeled as “alternative” music. I’ve been asking myself over and over why I only now have found the music of TTWS and Glen Phillips.
Mr. Barb wanted to see Jonatha Brooke. She’d been on his list of performers he’d always wanted to see live. She was coming to Pittsburgh with Glen Phillips. Mr. Barb assured me I’d like Glen Phillips, knowing I tend to like male singer-songwriters. For some reason I wasn’t really impressed with Phillips.
Mr. Barb said I would know some of the TTWS songs, like “All I Want” or his personal favorite “Fall Down”. In fact yes indeed I did know “All I Want”, one of those songs I remember from my commercial radio days. Okay, we’re on to something here. I put “All I Want” on my personal list of essential songs for WYEP’s 913 Essential Songs countdown. I was listing songs that lead me to discover certain artists . When Phillips sang an acoustic version of “All I Want” in December at the Rex, it was the only song I recognized in his set.
There would be more chances to experience Glen Phillips live. Glen Phillips was one of the many performers on the Cayamo cruise in March. We somehow ended up at all three of his performances and seemed to run into him (okay I did, really I was not stalking him!) in the Garden Café in the mornings. We had attended the late Brandi Carlile show one night and thought gee, before we head to our cabin let’s check out Phillips’ 12:30 a.m. show; never intending to stay for the full set. Well it was 2:15 a.m. before we got back to our cabin. I did recognize another TTWS song “Walk on the Ocean”, which Phillips did in his sets. It has since become my favorite TTWS track. Something about seeing a performer in the early morning hours not remember all the lyrics, bang his head on the microphone several times and talk about zombies left a positive impression on me. After Phillips’ last scheduled performance on the cruise, I was able to get an autograph and a photo with him. I’m generally not outgoing when it comes to approaching performers, so it took a bit of gumption for me to walk up to him and chat about his music.
When I saw TTWS was coming to Munhall, I thought I better take the plunge and attend the show. Glen Phillips was very gracious to agree to an e-mail interview prior to the concert (trust me they are not easy to do, you don’t have the interaction you would if the performer was there in person, face to face). Since March I’ve bought or downloaded as many TTWS and Glen Phillips CD’s I could find. I feel kind of weird admitting I’m this late in the game on TTWS music. I didn’t realize that Glen Phillips wrote a lot of the lyrics for TTWS. I was intrigued by the video on Phillips first solo recording, “Abulum”. It gave me a little more insight into Phillips’ songwriting process. And I as I kept listening to the music, I kept saying to myself ‘oh he did that one on the cruise’. I was putting two and two together. Plus I wanted to be familiar with the music when I finally saw TTWS perform.
So, I felt I really needed to share some insights on my limited exposure to TTWS, first, before getting to the concert review, so you could understand my vantage point. I’ve had to quickly bring myself up to speed on TTWS. Here’s a link to my review of the TTWS concert (http://musicblog.wyep.org/2009/05/03/toad-the-wet-sprocket-a-concert-review/)
Barb S. – Sunday Mix Host
Glen Phillips will be in town with Toad the Wet Sprocket on Saturday May 2nd at the Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead in Munhall.
Barb WYEP’s Sunday Mix Host (WYEP): Hiya glen. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at WYEP.
Glen Phillips (GP): My pleasure
WYEP: You’re doing some solo gigs before joining Toad the Wet Sprocket in Pittsburgh. How do you make the transition, literally overnight in this case, from a solo act to a group?
GP: I like the shift. It keeps me on my toes, and reminds me of what I enjoy about each style.
WYEP: You were on the Cayamo cruise in March with about 30 other singer-songwriters. As a performer on the cruise tell us about some of your experiences:
GP: Uhhh…There was a lot. My favorite moment was eating conch salad at Potter’s Cay in Nassau. The next was watching Shawn Colvin play. Or maybe Lyle Lovett.
WYEP: How did you stay awake during your 12:30 am show?
GP: I didn’t, really. I think I just managed to channel some kind of dreamstate into a weird extended narrative about zombies. There were supposedly a few songs in there, too.
WYEP: Vienna Teng joined you on stage one night, did you have the opportunity to sit in with any performers?
GP: Sadly, no. Saw some great music, though.
WYEP: During your final show, you did a song you wrote about being present when your father passed away. Can you tell us more about it?
GP: Not right now…It’s all in the song, though (Darkest Hour).
WYEP: Who was your favorite performer and/or favorite performance on the cruise?
GP: Hard to say. It was a pretty amazing collection.
Glen Phillips with Barb S. – Cayamo cruise, March 2009
WYEP: Luke Bulla joined you on the Cayamo cruise and is also a member of Works Progress Administration. As part of W.P.A. is this your first opportunity to perform at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival? It seems like it will be quite an experience with a “festivarian audience”.
GP: It’ll be great. I love playing with Luke and the rest of WPA. It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages, if not ever.
WYEP: What was the biggest crowd you ever played for with Toad the Wet Sprocket?
GP: Half a million or so, at the Capitol Mall in DC.
WYEP: Who were some of the memorable acts that Toad the Wet Sprocket played / co-billed with?
GP: My favorite opening act was Geggy Tah. The audience didn’t always get it, but I thought they were brilliant. Greg Kurstin (Geggy) recently produced the Lily Allen record and is also half of The Bird and The Bee.
WYEP: As a teenager, you achieved a lot of success with Toad the Wet Sprocket. What was that like, at that young age, to attain that level of fame?
GP: Probably not a good thing. It helps to foster unrealistic expectations and feelings of entitlement. It was also a lot of fun.
WYEP: Boxers or briefs? Another way of asking do you like performing as a solo act or with a group?
GP: Boxer briefs, of course. I like being in a band when it’s alive and passionate and full of mutual purpose. I like being solo when I’m alive and passionate and full of purpose.
WYEP: One thing people would be surprised to know about Toad the Wet Sprocket is????
GP: We are all aliens.
WYEP: Thanks!
Barb S. – Sunday Mix Host
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