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Jevon: Cough (okay, who am
I kidding, this was an electronic interview, and the illusion that this
was recorded and transcribed is so much silliness). Cornerstone 2005
is just around the corner - and once again Ping is on the bill. Coinciding
with said appearance you will be releasing The Eleventh Hour Storybook
on CD (as opposed to the delightful, but temporary Songbook from last
year). What made you go back and revisit this project, and don't you
feel a little bit like George Lucas in that you can't leave well enough
alone?
Jeff: Sniff (continuing
the illusion). I do feel a little bit like George Lucas, though I
don't control a major world economy or own my own California County.
Nor did I inflict Jar Jar Binks upon my loyal supporters. But the
Star Wars comparison is inaccurate. I'd compare what I've done to
Lucas reshooting his USC student film version of THX-1138 for theatrical
release.
The Eleventh
Hour Storybook is an official release from Marathon Records to
the world at large. Pro replication, bar code and all. It's ready
for Best Buy, should they manage to beat the Wal-Mart people away
from our doorstep.
 Songbook
was last year's collection of demos. The liner notes say as much.
It was a CD-R release, made so we could bring new music to summer
shows. Anyone who has listened to my recordings or endured my production
technique would know I couldn't leave my arrangements that bare. It
was a fun little project, though. I especially liked having the sleep-deprived,
album-length commentary track, which was definitely an eleventh hour
activity.
Songbook provided
the skeleton for The Eleventh Hour Storybook. I still tried
to exercise restraint. It's not a kitchen sink affair like a Farewell
to Juliet record, or last year's Hopescope album. The guitars and
vocals aren't multitracked, and those proggy atmospherics are gone.
This is a rock and roll record, probably influenced most by the Kinks
and Stones records I've been listening to for the last few years.
For the record, my favorites are Muswell Hillbillies and Exile
on Main Street.
Jevon: You certainly added
flesh to the bones. But it remains a pretty lean album. I'm glad you
knew when to stop; we didn't need you creating a musical version of
John Candy.
Jeff: This is probably
a musical version of Rick Moranis, which would be more substantial
than a musical version of Martin Short, but not as beefed up as a
musical version of Dave Thomas. It's just right.
Jevon: Oh, extra points for
Canadian content - now if you want musical genius, Dave's brother Ian
is the guy you want.
Jeff: I have his
theme song for Strange Brew on vinyl.
Jevon: That is one of the best
soundtrack albums ever; "Give in to the dark side of the force,
you knob!" We digress … I have to say one of the things I
most enjoy about this album is the sense of adult playfulness of the
songs. When I hear this I get the same sensation I got when I first
saw Tom Hanks in Big. You have captured youthful exuberance in 10 tracks.
Jeff: More specifically,
retaining youthful exuberance. Without ever having put a name on it,
that was something I tried to build into the songs. I'm aware of my
age, but don't always want to act it. Or rather, I don't want to succumb
to the expectations of this stage by shedding the things I enjoyed
before. You know, I like fatherhood. I happily accept that more mature
responsibility. I still like rock music, and a good laugh with friends.
Who doesn't?
Songs like "Soul
Destroyer," "Getting Ahead of Myself," and "Goodnight
Rabbit" helped me deal with good old-fashioned thirty-something
ennui, paranoia, and marriage issues. But they're matched by a celebration
of the good things in life, or at least the ridiculous ones. The joyful
chaos of "Engine of Destruction," or the inability to assert
mind control over your neighbors, which resulted in "Bark Along
with Cody."
So much rock and
roll is written down to a perceived "kid level," or for
a college-aged mindset, in an effort to be radio-friendly. As if it's
ever going to get on the radio. I don't believe that kids are stupid,
or that all twenty-somethings are jaded. When I listen to songwriters
I respect, I'm peering into their world. Even if I can't directly
relate, I appreciate. This collection is very much a look into mine.
Jevon: Thirty something? Man,
just wait until you hit forty - life really accelerates. I totally agree
with your point about the view into the singer's world. It's probably
the reason we latch on to certain artists. Their artistic expression
speaks to us and for us; there's a powerful connection when something
resonates with a listener. I think it's the hallmark of a good writer
when someone will say how a song got them through a tough time.
So, here we have a collection
of ten pop songs that are a bit of a thematic departure for you - I
was always under the impression you had a strong internal editor that
kept your music artistically pure. How did you approach the songs and
arrangements? It's a delicate line between novel and novelty.
Jeff: I fired the
internal editor, and allowed novelty to exist. Before Storybook, that
critic would say, "You can't put something as cornball as 'Bark
Along with Cody' or 'Muffin in the Oven' or 'Time to Leave' on a serious
rock album."
Any songwriter
will tell you that gloom and doom is easy. Those emotions send you
through all your mental arguments and checklists, and can be compiled
into songs on the spot. But a set of those songs would be a very unbalanced
picture of my personality. I think this set is well matched between
ups and downs.
And as silly as
it is, I think that "Time to Leave" tears the roof off!
It began as something along the lines of Talking Heads "Road
to Nowhere" crossed with Dire Straits "Twisting by the Pool,"
and the band really brought the fuego. The solo section sends sparks
down my neck.
Jevon: One thing I've learned
about you over the last couple of years is that you are indeed a delightfully
unbalanced personality. Your grasp of obscure and inane popular culture
references, including the really weird Canadian ones I've thrown at
you is truly unbelievable. Does Dennis Miller approach you for material?
Jeff: If only an
encyclopedic knowledge of obscure pop-culture and music-related trivia
were a marketable skill. Did you ever see Rock and Roll Jeopardy on
MTV? That show drove me insane. I would have utterly destroyed any
contestant they ever had.
Jevon: Wasn't that the one
hosted by Jeff Probst? Thank goodness I don't have cable television.
Hey, since you're naming songs, I'll bite. Let's take the most obvious
ones right off: "Bark Along with Cody," and "Muffin in
the Oven." Both of these songs have received recognition from the
king of novelty, Dr. Demento. How did you get on his radar?
Jeff: I've been
listening to the good Doctor since growing up in rural Illinois. The
show aired after bedtime on a school night, of course. I had to hold
my clock radio overhead, pointing it toward a signal originating on
the far side of the state. I had always wanted to have a song on his
show. It's wild that I've had two!
Once I'd recorded
"Bark Along with Cody," I mailed it to his Culver City address.
Literally two days later, I found out he was going to open a Weird
Al show at the Orange County Fair the next night. My daughter loves
Weird Al, so we all went to the fair, and I brought a spare CD, just
in case. People were approaching Dr. Demento during his set while
songs played. Finally, I went up and said hello, and asked whether
I could give him a CD for consideration. I figured the one I'd mailed
would sit in his mailbag for half a year. He looked at my CD and said,
"I already have this." Then he played it for everyone, right
after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha!"
Dr. D even put
"Cody" on his 2005 Demento Society CD. All those ruined
acoustic guitar takes were worth it. Thanks, Cody! I have nerd cred
forever.
Jevon: More importantly, did
Kim Bretzlaff beat you senseless? "Feel that baby kick those hips
open wide, and say "Hey Mama, I've arrived …" Man, you
were playing with a hormonally charged woman. What are you, nuts?
Jeff: It ain't
subtitled "Insensitive Maternity Song" for nothing. We sprung
this on Kim as a brand new song at Cornerstone last summer. Her daughter
Roxy was due in a month, and she did the big show anyhow. I was watching
for blunt flying objects from stage left, but Kim was too busy howling
with laughter. It was a tough song to rehearse; we had to find excuses
to send Kim off. She had to know something was up. The opportunity
for a public roast was just too great to pass up. The song was also
meant for my sister Ginger, whose daughter Olivia was born two weeks
before Roxy.
Jevon: I was recently speaking
with Theo Obrastoff from Andy's Angel's Records, and your name came
up. What's the real story about how you two hooked up? The version he
gave me sounded like internet stalking (not unlike the e-mail abuse
I've subjected you to over the years).
Jeff: Theo had
finished his book and was beginning work on the Come as a Child
or Not at All project. He was discussing its early activity on
the Daniel Amos list, and the impetus for the project. I respected
Theo's desire to raise awareness and support for C.F. research while
honoring the memory of Andrew, while making something good come of
the grieving process. My wife had just experienced her second miscarriage,
so the issues Theo dealt with had some resonance with us.
I first contacted
him to ask whether he was still seeking participation, believing that
it might actually be a helpful thing for me to work on something of
that nature, as well as thinking that I could help to support Andy's
Angels. Theo and I first met personally at Cornerstone a few years
ago, in Terry Taylor's hotel room. The Lost Dogs were having a pow
wow, trying to come up with a list of the schlockiest possible songs
from the 70s. Derri decided to expose his belly and sing "One
Tin Soldier." I thought, "Well, there goes all the mystery
surrounding the Circle Slide album ..." Derri can be such
a jolly fellow among his friends.
Jevon: Ooooh, I didn't need
to picture that! Let's take a little side trip now. I briefly hinted
at your musical resemblance to Waldo. So let's play a little "where's
Jeff." I'll drop a name, since you hate tooting your own horn,
and you give me some top of mind response.
Here we go.
 Reeves
Gabrels: Ten years with Bowie; good work if you can get it! He
actually complimented my singing on No Outlet, and said he
wanted me to sing on his album. That didn't happen, as is typical
of Hollywood opportunities, but it was still a nice compliment. I
did get to play with him once. We did a couple of very strange Gabrels-ified
covers of "Who Do You Love" and "Superstition."
He plays insanely, ear-splittingly loud. Bring earplugs. I can't wait
to hear his record, once he finishes it. Songs like "Leper"
and "Sign from God" were always killers at his club shows.
Mike Roe:
Talent deserving of wider recognition, and he knows it. Roe owes me
a guitar solo that I'm never going to get. I still remember how strange
it felt to be duct-taping sideburns to the face of one of my musical
heroes at the Whisky-a-Go-Go for a Lost Dogs encore. That was a real
"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" moment for me. Gene
[Eugene] was still with us then. I have tuned Roe's guitars, changed
his strings, and sorted through his ridiculous rat's nest of a pedal
board more than once. Nothing beat getting to play bass with him at
a few Lost Dogs shows, though.
Derri Daugherty:
Well, I know he can sing "One Tin Soldier." Chase the Kangaroo
was the album that made me want to make music of my own. I have tuned
his guitars, too. Derri has a sweet collection of instruments. And
a Neumann U67. I need a Neumann U67.
 Brian
Healy: Such a clever mind; if only we could harness it for good.
I always looked forward to his new lyrics, and conversation over Caldo
de Albondigas at Leo's in Lawndale, CA. Mercurial. He'd be the first
to admit to his difficult moments.
Kevin Clay:
A guy who can take his music and use it for the sheer joy of rock,
or use it to pull his heart out of his chest and show everyone the
squishy details. I'd call him a poet. Three cheers for Kevin.
Mike Knott:
I'll always be grateful to Mike for introducing me to Andrew Carter.
 Andrew
Carter: Dear friend and pure spirit. He turns rock guitar solos
into soul music, but that's barely the tip of what he does. Amazing
cook, too. His fiancé is lucky! The people in the Andrewesley
band are the reason that every single day, part of me regrets moving
from California. Well, that, and I miss my local Japanese take-out
shop, Nagahama.
Terry Taylor:
Good ol' Terry.
Gordon Gano:
The Femmes were my model for doing the acoustic No Outlet album. You
can hear how close we got. Or rather, didn't; there's not much punk
rock in Ping's style I appreciate that Gano is a person of faith who
gives voice to the urges that most people train themselves to suppress.
He doesn't indulge those darker instincts; he exorcises them. It's
like mocking the devil to watch him flee. And the marimba on "Gone
Daddy Gone" rocks my face.
Jevon: (Snickering) You said,
"Rocks my face!" How cool is that? Rocks my face indeed.
They Might Be
Giants: Originally, I really resented having my voice compared
to John Linell's. I don't think it's that similar, but I've heard
that so many times. Maybe I should cover "Particle Man."
I got over the resentment really quickly. The fact is, after working
with such good singers in Farewell to Juliet and Sunny Day Roses,
I didn't like my own voice. Having people compare mine to such a peculiar
voice seemed to mean everyone knew I didn't have a good voice. The
emperor has no clothes. Now, I use my strange voice the best I can.
And John Linell really has character. I think he's great now, and
have for ages. Of course, I like clever people, and he and Flansburgh
claim that title easily. My favorite TMBG song is "Hi, We're
the Replacements."
Cheap Trick: I
went to junior high and high school 45 minutes from Rockford. You
were issued a copy of Live at Budokan along with your schoolbooks.
I beat Rick Nielsen in a two mile footrace in my hometown on the 4th
of July one year. The previous year, he had cut the course short and
won. Cheap Trick indeed. My favorite Cheap Trick song is their cover
of The Move's "California Man." Or maybe "Eight Miles
Low."
Styx: Their crowning
achievement shall forever be "Plexiglass Toilet," a bonus
cut from the Serpent is Rising cassette. For that, I shall
ever say "domo arigato."
Do you remember
that song "Music Time" that Styx put on their live album?
That was one of the worst ... songs ... EVER. The only one worse I
can currently imagine is "Spies Like Us" by Paul McCartney,
which IS the Worst Song Ever. And it's by the guy who wrote "Yesterday!"
I think it's okay that Paul wrote "Spies Like Us," but not
that he allowed it to be released to the public. You have to weed
out the junk when looking for the treasure.
Okay, that's not
true. I don't think it's okay at all that Paul wrote "Spies Like
Us."
Jevon: You do know that you
sound like John Curulewski don't you? "As Bad as This" is
a great song. Now, as to the worst song ever, are you really putting
"Spies Like Us" as more worster than "The Girl is Mine"
or "Ebony and Ivory"?
Jeff: Unflinchingly,
yes. Those songs are bad, but there is an absolute by which we measure
that badness. And that absolute is "Spies Like Us."
Jevon: How about "I Think
I'm Going Bald" by Rush?
Jeff: A good question.
Yes, "Spies Like Us" is worse than that. Somewhere in the
equation, you factor in that Geddy Lee did not write "Penny Lane."
The Rush catalog does not reach the extremes of the McCartney catalog.
Neither as high, nor as low.
Jevon: Let me try to get back
on topic here. Why not just leave Songbook as it was and concentrate
on a new project? The original, sparse versions were good on their own
- why spend a year tweaking and retooling?
Jeff: Actually,
I spent a year moving my family cross-country, starting a demanding
new day job, assisting at a studio, and tending to the health of a
family member. I only spent about a month tweaking and retooling in
total. But I was determined make the changes, because the songs are
incomplete without John Bretzlaff's guitar parts, Kim's vocal, and
Andrew Oliver's percussion.
John and I have
played together since Farewell to Juliet began in 1992. I imagine
guitar parts the way he plays them, because he has shaped the way
I think about arrangements. Andy surprises me, because we think differently.
Having both those guys involved is pure Heaven for me.
All of the Ping
material has been written with two part harmony in mind. Kim has sung
with us for a long time, but has only recorded one single with Ping.
She did "You Still Believe in Me" from the Brian Wilson
tribute, Making God Smile. Actually, she recorded with John
and I before; she sang "Browning's Pearl" on FTJ's Grace
& Dire Circumstances album. I left her name off the credits
by mistake, and have never lived that down! Her name's right up by
the top this time.
Jevon: There is no fury like
that of a woman left off the credits.
Jeff: You don't
even know ... Nor should you. It's not nice to leave people off the
credits.
Jevon: Why change the title
of "All in the Family" to "Sing it out Loud?"
Jeff: Because there's
another song called "All in All," and the titles seemed
redundant. The phrase "all in the family" only appears once
in that song, and "sing it out loud" finishes each chorus.
It's a much better name. Plus, I couldn't think of that title without
picturing Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers kissing. Not as they were
then, but as they are now.
Jevon: Please stop - first
Derri, now this, although skinny Sally was kind of hot. Speaking of
hot (whoo-weee how's this for a segue) Phil Madeira lends his keyboa
... whoa, just caught myself there, delightful Hammond B3. How big a
scoop was it to get his flourishes on you album?
Jeff: Pretty darned
big. He had to bump a lot of work to record his Ping tracks. Considering
the people he plays for, and what they pay, Phil was really generous
with his time. He should play with us more, though, because his tracks
are smokin'. He sounds good with Ping.
And yes, I think
the distinction between "keyboards" and classic instruments
like Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, and piano is worth making. Storybook
is a very organic record. It's certainly not all acoustic like No
Outlet was, but these are arrangements that can be delivered by a
live rock band.
It's not 100% purist,
though. "All in All" has a cool, 1970's monosynth lead by
Stacey Krejci.
Jevon: It's starting to make
more sense to me ... in typical Ping fashion you have taken your legions
of listeners on an intimate journey. With Storybook you invited
us to witness the transformation from good to great. Most artists who
would have been satisfied to put of a solid collection of songs, and
then move on. I get the sense that you are one who takes a great deal
of pride in what you do.
Jeff: Remember
that SNL sketch with Phil Hartman called "Cooking with the Anal
Retentive Chef?" Yeah. That one was maybe a little too close
to the bone.
Drawing people
into the circle is a huge part of Ping's motivation. Songbook offered
our "community" a look behind the curtain. It was meant
for friends and family, if you know what I mean. People with an emotional
investment would be interested in something like that. Storybook is
for them, too, but I hope to take it to as much of the world at large
as possible. Songbook stays with the in-crowd.
Jevon: It is really good -
you are a hell of a producer (will this get me a PG rating?) your music
is on par with anything commercially available. Sometimes with small
market artists, you have to listen with the forgiveness factor (point
of reference, anything The Banos ever released). I never have to worry
about a sub par product when dealing with Marathon Records. To be quite
frank, I'm amazed you aren't distributed more widely.
Jeff: Distribution
is one thing. People walking off the streets to buy a product is another.
It's a matter of exposure. We're underexposed, and I don't have the
money to change that in any macro sense. I put my available funds
into making good records. Exposure is not a measure of quality. The
more often things like this conversation happen, though, the more
people might consider checking us out.
With regard to
your point of reference, I say that The Banos' "Rock and Roll
Cat" is solid gold.
Jevon: Yeah, the album that
song came from was verified Mud back in 1989. Too bad internal dissention
among the band members cut their career short.
Originally, this was the point
where I was supposed to plug the enhanced elements of the "finished"
project, and convince your aforementioned legions of Pingaholics to
shell out for Storybook. But for whatever reason, the president
of Marathon Records doesn't have the business sense God gave Larry Norman
to repackage and resell his product. So rather than speak to those people,
speak to the Pingaroos (match the notes to make your own songs) who
were sitting on the fence last time. Plug your album. Talk about the
percussion, Kim's angelic voice, Andrew and John's six-string assault
...
Jeff: The songs
themselves are the biggest draw. Some are funny, some are thoughtful,
at least one is paranoid, and somehow, I managed to drag out an honest
to goodness romantic pop song. The songs cover a lot of ground, but
they all add up to real life, and I think people will see themselves
reflected here and there. We can find out what we have in common.
These songs make a deliberate effort to invite and engage people to
feel like part of the group.
Simply put, though,
Songbook wasn't the album. Those were the demos. The Eleventh Hour
Storybook is the real thing. I'm my own harshest critic, and I
think Storybook just rocks. There's nowhere on the album that I think,
"this was just better when it was stripped down." We only
added what helped make the songs more catchy and fun. Listen to John
and Andy pinging off each other on "Goodnight Rabbit," and
try telling me that's not some great rock and roll.
Jevon: The whole album has
great chemistry, you could say the thing rocks my face. You should be
quite proud. I think it contains some of your best performances. But
I have to ask, when going from demo to finished, why you left two "introduce
the band" songs on, and didn't put something else on as a bonus
track?
Jeff: Because those
songs mean two different things to me, and I wanted to keep them both.
"Sing it Out Loud" is very sentimental, and it will always
remind me that I am blessed with friends. That's important to remember.
"Time to Leave" represents such a fond, fond memory for
me of a great time with those friends. Plus, that song is pure rock
and roll, cheesy as it is, and I love it. I wouldn't have left it
off the record. If anything, I'd have rewritten the lyric and kept
the arrangement.
Jevon: (about to pretend I'm
leading the discussion) You said you write for two part harmonies; what
is it about a female counter vocal that appeals to you, rather than
doing a Stephen Pearcy and triple tracking your own voice?
Jeff: Ugh. I just
imagined RATT playing "Bark Along with Cody." A horrid picture.
For one thing,
my singing ability is pretty limited. Kim Bretzlaff and Carolyn Kay
are both excellent all-around vocalists. So, in that regard, they
can help the songs sound better than if I multi-tracked my own voice.
For another thing, the female voice is different enough from mine
to allow me to place it in different places in the mix, and have both
voices remain distinct.
Jevon: I'll have you know,
there's nothing wrong with RATT.
Jeff: I took guitar
lessons one summer at Warren DiMartini's guitar shop.
Jevon: Holy crap, er, cow (gotta
watch for the PG police)! That's only two degrees of separation from
Stephen - and three from John Kalodner! See boys and girls, there's
no limit to how far Jeff's name can take you.
Jeff: [Ping bassist]
Clint has played shows with his other group, Belly Love, which were
promoted by Pearcy. So, Clint has a single degree of RATT separation.
For yet another
thing, I can't multi-track myself at a live show without doing an
Ashlee Simpson. There was an old song I remember from Dr. Demento
called "Leader of the Bland" that spoofed Dan Fogelberg.
It had the line "I sing my three part harmonies with Dan and
Dan and Daaaaaaan," each time adding more of the same voice.
In my productions, I submit that whenever possible, the lead singer
should not take part in the backing vocal tracks.
I've hoped to have
Kim on a Ping album from the word go. Carolyn Kay belted out some
fine tracks for the first album; those two together would be a powerful
force. Anyhow, the harmony vocals are an important part of the Ping
vibe, but they're unnecessary for demos. Now we've got them.
Since Cake was
an early Ping influence, the percussion has always played a big role.
Andrew Oliver is a very creative songwriter and arranger in his own
right, and he went outside the norm to provide some different textures.
The percussion is rarely on top of the mix, but Andrew makes the air
move in a totally different way than it would without him. Sometimes
it's almost subliminal. There's a track on "Getting Ahead of
Myself" where Andrew is bashing a trash can lid, which is drenched
in reverb. It's got a really sharp attack, but the dispersion is really
wide. It gives Terrence's snare drum a power boost during the instrumental
sections. In the breakdown, you can hear him slapping the side of
a coffee can with his bare hands.
Andrew's got a
great sense of pop melody. His own material falls along the lines
of things by Brian Wilson, the Eels, and Granddaddy. I'm going to
help make him a household name someday. It would be cool if Ping could
reach that category, but really, we all consider ourselves pretty
lucky to do this at the level we do it now. "All in all, it's
a good life ..."
Jevon: It is indeed. You do
have a pretty solid core, and you have a recurring gig at Cornerstone.
You always seem to have something new that coincides with your annual
appearance. How big a deal is this for you?
Jeff: Cornerstone?
It's homecoming. I love it, warts and all. I'd like to be playing
more shows like it, but it's a favorite for the opportunity to see
familiar faces, if nothing else.
Jevon: I kind of figured you
had a soft spot there, since you've mentioned it more than once in song
on various albums. Do you think that kind of blatant sucking up has
had anything to do with you getting invited back year after year?
Jeff: Have I mentioned
it more than once? "Holiday on Ice," and what else?
Jevon: I could have sworn it
was more than once. I must be confusing the live albums recorded at
Cornerstone.
 Jeff:
The Loyal to You live CD does include "Holiday on Ice."
We were playing at Cornerstone, so Cornerstone is mentioned in the
"your town here" position. "We may not play at (ka-chunk)
Cornerstone (ka-chunk) again, but that won't bother me." The
song is about denial. I would change the name of the town or event
depending upon where the song was performed.
But no, I don't
think that has anything to do with being invited back, because I seriously
doubt anyone, including the couple of friends I have living in the
community, bother listening to the Farewell to Juliet records. Why
bother, when there are so many Glen Kaiser records to choose from?
That's a joke,
eh?
 It
could be that my volunteer help over the years has put us in the festival's
good graces. I haven't asked, though, so I don't know. Whatever the
case, it's a fun place to spend a few days and play a rock show. But
you raise a good point. My next album is going to be include songs
about Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks and Wembley Arena.
Jevon: Uh, they tore down Wembley
... Red Rocks with you and John Tesh has potential for a PBS special.
Jeff: I'll say
one thing for John Tesh; he sells a lot more records than I do.
Jevon: That may be, but he's
John Tesh, he's a blond Yanni ... actually I really like John Tesh,
you know he's tall, eh? And Connie Selleca is hotter than Sally Struthers!
Jeff: Since I'm
usually planted behind a mixing console working on my studio tan,
I don't see much television. I'll have to take your word for it. But
I could tell you all about the Six Million Dollar Man, which I utterly
absorbed as a little kid.
Jevon: You don't fit into the
typical rock star mold. It seems like you really love doing what you
do, and connect with your listeners in a way I haven't come across very
often.
Jeff: I would like
to have the opportunity to become a bona fide world class rock star,
so I could prove that the same attitude and desire to connect that
I have right now could be maintained. I'm convinced it could be done,
and it would give me a lot more time to write new songs. Appreciation
is a matter of perspective. Show me where to sign up.
Jevon: Me, I don't ever want
to be famous, infamous you bet. You see I fart a lot, and it would make
for bad press. If I got famous I'd have fans coming up to me wanting
to pull my finger all the time, and I'm pretty sure that after a while
I'd get arthritis in my index fingers or that really unsightly calcium
buildup. Not to mention the risk of an accidental public health emergency.
Jeff: The price
of glory, my friend. The price of glory.
Jevon: Le Petomane I am not.
When is the official release of Storybook?
Jeff: July 5, 2005
is the official street date. I expect to have CDs in hand for the
Cornerstone Festival, which is the weekend prior. Our Gallery Stage
performance will be the release party for The Eleventh Hour Storybook.
We're going to have presents for everyone who comes to the show.
Jevon: Man you are a classy
guy. You really do need to be famous. Would you settle for rich?
Jeff: I suppose
that if I were rich, I could buy enough friends to consider myself
famous.
Jevon: You know, we've been
talking and talking about the album, but really haven't given people
any indication as to what this sounds like. Your legions of Pingalings
know, but what about those who know your name from the people you've
worked with. What can they expect? If you were to put together one of
those Sesame Street quadrants, what other bands would fit in there with
you?
Jeff: You know
that's not a fair question. You're supposed to tell me who I sound
like.
Jevon: I know that. I learned
that it was a question I should answer from some guy I know who pointed
out the lack of analytical depth I go to in my reviews. So I figured,
"Hey, that Jeff guy is smart, I'll bet he knows who he sounds like."
I'd probably blow it and say Ping sounds like U2 or something, without
the great bass playing. I'd put Ping somewhere in between TMBG and Violent
Femmes but with more rock.
Jeff: Clint would
take issue with that dig; I like U2 as much as anyone, but Clint is
a much better bassist, and Adam Clayton would probably agree. Your
comparison sounds good to me, though. I can tell you the bands on
Ping's RIYL list: Cake, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Wilco, Adam Again,
King's X, Vigilantes of Love. You should probably add Big Star to
get a sense of the pop element from the new album. You'd apparently
have to imagine John Linell of They Might Be Giants singing for each
of these groups. How does that strike you? It's also worth noting
that the stories are a big draw for some people.
Jevon: Side bar:
Dear Clint,
You are a great bass
player. I meant to say "like U2 with BETTER bass playing."
If I was looking for a bass player I'd hire you before getting Jeff
to play bass. You are a bass god. I'd bet that if you wore platform
shoes and could spit fire you would be unstoppable.
Back to your regularly
scheduled interview with rock star Jeff Elbel:
You tell stories? What kind
of stories? Is there no end to your artist depths?
Jeff: Heck, I'm
practically the Garrison Keillor of rock and roll.
Jevon: Your fans. You have
great fans, and as I've said before you really include them into the
family as it were. Have you ever thought of giving them a label? I've
been thinking about that for you.
What about: Pingaholics / Pingaroos
/ Pingalings / Pingalongs
Jeff: It would
be inappropriate for me to give a cutesy name to my peers. These folk
must attain such massive numbers that they feel a need to choose a
name for themselves, around which to rally a self-sustaining community
or nation state.
That said, I like
"Pingaroos." Or perhaps "Pongs." "Pingalings"
reminds me of that Chuck Berry song, full of gender-specific innuendo.
That would never do.
Jevon: Which kind of brings
me to the hardest of all questions. In terms of band names, Ping? Why
Ping? Don't go on about packet loss ... were you hoping to put out an
album called Pong?
Jeff: I was hoping
to set up a tour of Japan with a band called Pong. The truth is that
after choosing "Farewell to Juliet" and "Sunny Day
Roses," I wanted a short band name. My friend John showed me
a list of band names he had, and one of them was "Sonar Ping."
I'm not sure why he thought that one would be a cool band name, but
I asked whether I could steal the second half from his list. He said
yes, as long as he got to take credit for naming the band. Which he
does.
The name has a
vaguely Asian sensibility, which I find interesting. I thought we
could establish the Ping Dynasty. And the computer reference figures
in, in that we're trying to establish a connection, or see whether
anyone is listening.
Jevon: Well, my fellow Pingaroos,
this is the end of the line. And so concludes another exciting episode
of Interview with a Rock Star. My sincere thanks to Mister (respect!)
Jeff Elbel, who is without a doubt one of the coolest guys you've not
heard of. So fix that right now, go to Marathon
Records and order something by this talented band. I'd recommend
starting with the new album which rocks, thank you very much, and then
getting No Outlet.
Jeff: Thanks, Jevon.
I appreciate your time and interest.
Jevon: The pressure was all
mine. Oh, anything you'd like to add before I turn off my computer?
Jeff: Try a nectarine;
you'll love it.
Jevon: Did once, it gave me
gas.
Until next time, always pack
an extra pair just in case.
Jevon the Tall
banopernalia.com
June 2005
"Thank
you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love
it enough." - Garrison Keillor
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