October's shaping up to be quite the exciting month so far as concerts are concerned, with many of this summer's Lollapalooza acts returning as well as an onslaught of bands making their way to the Midwest in support of their new fall releases. One of these artists is Sea Wolf, who, along with Port O'Brien and Sara Lov, will be helping welcome autumn to Chicago tonight at Schubas.
I got to chat up Alex in anticipation of his show at Schubas about his just released second disc, White Water, White Bloom.
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
This album seems a lot more optimistic and positive than your debut. Was your approach to making this record different than your approach for Leaves in the River?
Yeah, it was actually. With this record, I wanted to make things a little bit more exactly what you said and I'm glad you got that. I wanted to be a little bit more optimistic. Even the dark songs I feel, to me, are optimistic. I think maybe, with this record, that was maybe my outlook. Barack Obama was about to win the election and for whatever reason, my emotional state was more positive for this record and that's what I wanted it to be.
I heard that you wrote most of the record in Montreal instead of New York or LA, so the change of scenery probably had an affect on that, I would think.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was cold. A lot of times in Montreal, it was fall or winter so it was certainly cold and snowy and sort of abysmal but at the same time, it was beautiful and peaceful and because it's not my hometown, I had a lot of solitary time to contemplate and reflect and think about music and my life. Being in a foreign country or city, you tend to reflect on the differences between it and where you're from. All that definitely had an affect on the songs. It was kind of nice to be in my own world in a way and not have my life intrude on my creative process so much.
There is a Jack London book called The Sea Wolf. Is that where your name comes from?
Yes.
I guess so. I don't set out to write songs that are influenced by literature by any means and I wouldn't even consider myself particularly well read. I'm always reading a book but I haven't read all the classics or anything like that but I would say I like to read and always have and when I'm writing words for songs, it kind of has an affect.
You're the core member of Sea Wolf and you have this rotating crew taking over the other slots. Have you ever considering something more permanent for your backing band?
Well, when I first started out doing Sea Wolf, that was the reason I had the band name because I wanted it to be a band. I played a couple shows and I just had my friends who were in other bands play with me at shows and they couldn't commit to the band because they were in a band. I just got used to it being just me, the alpha wolf if you will, and I don't know if I'm going to get to the stage where I'm going to give up the reigns a little bit to somebody else but certainly the guys that are playing with me on the record are in the touring group and I wanted them to have a little more input on their parts. I felt like that would give the record an extra dimension.In terms of full term members, I don't know but I don't see these guys leaving any time soon so who knows?
How long before your first EP were you playing music?
That came out in 2007 so I probably started 3 or 4 years before that. It just started as an idea and I was writing songs for it and I probably didn't play a show for almost a year after I started writing songs for it and then after that I played like two shows, took a break for another year and played two shows, then started to record. It was really a slow process but a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was working a job and was in another band full time so I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to Sea Wolf even though I was working on Sea Wolf whenever I could because that was kind of my baby, my thing. It just took a while.
What were your inspirations when you started?
I was in a band that was a real collaboration with another song writer and I really wanted to have something with more of a singular vision so I think I looked up to any band that had a strong sound or artistic point of view. In terms of specific bands, I can't really think of any but when I first started writing songs, before I started Sea Wolf, I tried to copy people I liked at the time. It was the late '90's so there were Belle and Sebastian and Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel. Eventually I sort of found my voice.
One of your openers of your tour is Sara Lov, who you collaborated with. How did that duet come about?
Well, we're friends and we have the same manager and she asked me to play on the song. I said "of course" because I love her, she's like the best person. She showed me the song and gave me the lyrics and I went in one day and recorded it and that was it.
Yeah, it was actually. With this record, I wanted to make things a little bit more exactly what you said and I'm glad you got that. I wanted to be a little bit more optimistic. Even the dark songs I feel, to me, are optimistic. I think maybe, with this record, that was maybe my outlook. Barack Obama was about to win the election and for whatever reason, my emotional state was more positive for this record and that's what I wanted it to be.
I heard that you wrote most of the record in Montreal instead of New York or LA, so the change of scenery probably had an affect on that, I would think.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was cold. A lot of times in Montreal, it was fall or winter so it was certainly cold and snowy and sort of abysmal but at the same time, it was beautiful and peaceful and because it's not my hometown, I had a lot of solitary time to contemplate and reflect and think about music and my life. Being in a foreign country or city, you tend to reflect on the differences between it and where you're from. All that definitely had an affect on the songs. It was kind of nice to be in my own world in a way and not have my life intrude on my creative process so much.
There is a Jack London book called The Sea Wolf. Is that where your name comes from?
Yes.
Is literature a big inspiration for you?
I guess so. I don't set out to write songs that are influenced by literature by any means and I wouldn't even consider myself particularly well read. I'm always reading a book but I haven't read all the classics or anything like that but I would say I like to read and always have and when I'm writing words for songs, it kind of has an affect.
Your songs do have a real literary quality to them. You tell a story in a lot of them. Is that deliberate?
You're the core member of Sea Wolf and you have this rotating crew taking over the other slots. Have you ever considering something more permanent for your backing band?
Well, when I first started out doing Sea Wolf, that was the reason I had the band name because I wanted it to be a band. I played a couple shows and I just had my friends who were in other bands play with me at shows and they couldn't commit to the band because they were in a band. I just got used to it being just me, the alpha wolf if you will, and I don't know if I'm going to get to the stage where I'm going to give up the reigns a little bit to somebody else but certainly the guys that are playing with me on the record are in the touring group and I wanted them to have a little more input on their parts. I felt like that would give the record an extra dimension.In terms of full term members, I don't know but I don't see these guys leaving any time soon so who knows?
How long before your first EP were you playing music?
That came out in 2007 so I probably started 3 or 4 years before that. It just started as an idea and I was writing songs for it and I probably didn't play a show for almost a year after I started writing songs for it and then after that I played like two shows, took a break for another year and played two shows, then started to record. It was really a slow process but a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was working a job and was in another band full time so I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to Sea Wolf even though I was working on Sea Wolf whenever I could because that was kind of my baby, my thing. It just took a while.
What were your inspirations when you started?
I was in a band that was a real collaboration with another song writer and I really wanted to have something with more of a singular vision so I think I looked up to any band that had a strong sound or artistic point of view. In terms of specific bands, I can't really think of any but when I first started writing songs, before I started Sea Wolf, I tried to copy people I liked at the time. It was the late '90's so there were Belle and Sebastian and Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel. Eventually I sort of found my voice.
One of your openers of your tour is Sara Lov, who you collaborated with. How did that duet come about?
Well, we're friends and we have the same manager and she asked me to play on the song. I said "of course" because I love her, she's like the best person. She showed me the song and gave me the lyrics and I went in one day and recorded it and that was it.
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