DeadJournalist.com Exclusive Interviews:
Alan Semerdjian
Chuck Norton, DeadJournalist.com
09.27.09
Calling lifelong New Yorker Alan Semerdjian a singer-songwriter - while accurate - would be limit his artistic prowess. As a poet, he's been complemented on his work by noted poet Michael Klein. He was called a "Songwriter and Poet to Watch" by Newsday. Combined, he has performed more than 1,000 shows has a poet and singer.
His talent is apparent to anyone who has read, or listened, to his work. As a musician, Semerdjian released the album The Big Beauty on September 1, 2009. The album, which was recorded with Matthew Cullen (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne) at The Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck, NY, was produced by longtime friend and collaborator producer Michael Bloom, who has performed with Rilo Kiley, The Elected and Rachael Yamagata.
Also performing on the album are musicians Franz Nicolay from The Hold Steady, Djivan Gasparian Jr. on duduk, Chris Kuffner (Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor) on bass, Dave Diamond (Zen Tricksters, Shanna McNally) on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Philip A. Jimenez (Wheatus).
In addition to the album, Semerdjian most recent book, In the Architecture of Bone, will be be released in October 2009 via GenPop Books.
Semerdjian, as an artist and lyricist, evokes hope in the process - matching dedication to his craft with the gift of storytelling.
DeadJournalist.com brings you this exclusive interview with Alan Semerdjian.
With the release of your latest album, The Big Beauty, you've put together an album of masterfully crafted songs. What did you draw on as inspiration while writing the album?
AS: Thanks for considering The Big Beauty as “masterfully crafted.” A lot of time and love went into the making of this one. And, actually, it’s also about love … not in a general sense but in a very direct way. It’s all about the idea of the relationship, being in one, the work that it takes, the hard parts and the beauty too, of course.
While I certainly draw on life experiences, it’s not entirely autobiographical. It’s more of a collage of the relationships around me, real and imagined.
Is there a song on the album to which you have a personal attachment?
In terms of personal attachment, I feel pretty close to many of the lyrical sentiments expressed here, especially on "Can’t Wait, Your Love" and "Bad Dreams". One in particular, "Hole in Your Home", I won’t play live at all because … well … it’s just too difficult. It’s like looking at infidelity through a magnifying lens. Plus, the guitar parts that Mike and Brian play are way to intense for me to recreate by myself.
I’m kind of attached to the sound of "You Can Run" too … I think it’s because we used this really old ribbon microphone – something like Bing Crosby would have used. Yes. The sound lingers on that one in the right way.
Talk a bit about your creative process. Is there a structure you follow when writing a song or is each song a unique construction?
AS: I think it’s changed as I’ve matured. I still write with a melody and some chords in mind first, but I’m much more open to letting a lyric dictate things like mood and tempo. I usually record ideas onto some very basic device … lately it’s been my iPhone. Then, after listening and reworking for anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 months - depending on the song - I consider it ready for some sort of serious recording process. I learn a lot when I play these half-cooked ideas out at smaller shows at local cafes and with friends. I’ve been trying to keep my listener in mind a lot these days throughout the process.
Do you find yourself chasing the perfect song? If so, what would you define as the characteristics of the perfect song?
AS: I’m not sure there is a perfect song. It’s probably more like there are songs that are perfect for certain moments. I’m thinking of Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate” and an empty Coney Island boardwalk. Or maybe Radiohead’s “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” on an iPod while walking through a busy part of the city on route to some partially-clandestine meeting. Songs are little interjections into the conversations of our lives.
You worked with Mike Bloom on this album. What did he, as the producer, bring to the album? How did he become involved in the album?
AS: Mike and I have been friends since we were teens … a long, long time. Although we wrote and jammed and made music together off and on for several years, we never really did a true collaboration that was printed and sent out in the world. I guess that’s what he brought to the album - a sense of completion.
He mixed every track and had a huge say in the overall production of The Big Beauty as well as played a bunch of different instruments. I really believe he’s one of the finest guitar players working today in any genre because of how tasteful he is. He’s the sensitivity to my sometimes-coarse delivery. He smooths out the edges and opens up the sound.
When you perform live, do you find that your performance is swayed by the mood and the crowd or do you try to stay true to the songs as they were recorded?
AS: I’ve always felt a kind of kinship to singers like Adam Duritz (and Van Morrison too – a big influence on him), Bono, etc. who attempt to reinvent the song every time they’re on stage. The melody might get altered, new words/phrases thrown in … it’s a kind of tightrope act informed by the people and musicians in the room with you.
I’ve grown up playing in coffeehouses on Long island and New York City, so I guess figuring out when to bring it down was a necessity, especially when people were ordering food. There’s nothing worse than an insensitive songwriter. Those early days kind of taught me to be respectful and play with the audience and not to them if you know what I mean.
Which do you enjoy more, performing live or writing and recording?
AS: Lately, I’ve rediscovered the beauty in playing live. Things feel fresh again. I suppose when I’m deep in the recording process though, performing live can be a bit like a vampire on the beach at dawn with no umbrella in sight. A lot of squinting and shriveling …
What is the most challenging aspect of being a professional musician? What are the biggest benefits?
AS: Keeping up with the changes in the industry is probably the most challenging yet exciting part of this business. Doing it with a DIY ethic - on your own for the most part – makes it that much more difficult. To balance your social/emotional/familial life with your music and, in my case, writing and teaching and art … well, it can be rough for sure.
The biggest benefit is, without a doubt, knowing that the music is entering someone else’s life in some way. It’s part of a conversation somewhere in the world. We’re social creatures … we need to know we’re interacting with others to feel whole.
You're noted as being a prolific songwriter - are you working on songs for a new album? If so, when would you anticipate a new album being released?
AS: I’m writing and recording with a few projects right now. Diet Kong, an electronic art rock type outfit is one of them. I also do some recording with Fred Sargolini, an excellent producer/thinker/composer here in NYC.
My partner, Melissa Menake, and I have been penning some songs built for male/female harmonies with an eye toward recording soon too. I just wrote three new ones on my own too, one of which I really dig called “Old Musicians Store,” and I’ve slipping it into recent sets. No release dates set for anything though … not yet anyway.
When did you begin writing songs?
AS: My first song was probably a poem about the running back Tony Dorsett when I was like six or something. Poems are definitely kinds of songs … or, more probably, vice versa. That one was all about the rhyme.
My first rock song was probably with a friend, Josh Linker. We were in high school, I think, and he played piano really well, and I was the chorus kid. We found ourselves in front of a piano one day in an empty auditorium when we were supposed to be in class.
It all may have started there though I imagine what I wrote down that day was pretty ridiculously sentimental and saturated with cheese.
Was there an artist or artists that influenced you most when you were first starting out? Is there someone whose music you now find influential?
AS: I was a child of the 80s – it was all about U2 and R.E.M. and The Cure for me. Alternative rock ruled.
I was mesmerized partly by the incredible flirtation with sentimentality present in some of these bands paired with a fierce desire to be different.
I suppose that kind of mentality follows me into the singer/songwriter world. Now it’s more about Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann, and maybe folks like Ryan Adams. Jeff Tweedy’s songwriting has been blowing me away too recently.
Is there a favorite venue or city that you've played over the years?
AS: I love Casa Del Popolo in Montreal though I hear that it’s not currently booking any music these days. I hope it reopens soon. I could walk around St. Denis street for days at a time … so long as it’s not winter. The Hotel Café in LA is sublime too, but that may be because I love my friends and fans out there very much and it’s super intimate and nostalgic every time I’m out there.
The Living Room here in NYC is, probably, my favorite place to play in the world, especially when Steve Ha is behind the board. Greatest ears in the city that kid.
What is the most bizarre thing that has occurred to you while on tour?
AS: Hmm. Played on a stage and slept on it. Schenectady, NY. Actually, it was more cool then bizarre – the proprietor was awesome for letting me do that.
Is there an artist that you’ve encountered recently that you’ve been recommending to your friends?
AS: I want the world to listen to Mike Bloom’s music. He’s terrific though there’s not much out there if you don’t count the Elected stuff. You can nibble on a few things o YouTube or Myspace though … I also love a Long Island/NYC punky folkster named Rorie Kelly.
What were you listening to in 1999?
AS: Wow. Rough year in rock if I remember correctly. I know there was a lot of hip-hop and processed pop kind of floating around, but I managed to dig into lots of Counting Crows I think. And old Pavement and Morphine. I think I discovered KRS-One around then too. I just recently saw him and was blown away.
Which do you prefer: MP3, CD, Tape or Vinyl?
AS: MP3 on the computer but CD in the car – especially for long trips to nowhere. I, sadly, don’t listen to enough vinyl.
Web site(s) you read regularly?
AS: Besides the typical news feeds and literary magazines/journals, I really visit and post stuff on Miranda July’s little art site of assignments at www.learningtoloveyoumore.com. It’s wonderful.
One Drink; One Movie; One Album:
AS: Red Zinfandel, Il Postino, The White Album - That’s today … ask me tomorrow and who knows …