Program-It's A Sign

No major blocks of text this time around, but I just wished to highlight one of the better new records I have heard this year from this Melbourne band as we approach the midway mark of year 24. Overall their sound jumps right out of the speakers somewhere between the Chills, the Clean, the Apples in Stereo, EZTV and early Teenage Fanclub. My favorites are where they pick up the pace and cut down the meanderings and go into a sort of Ramones-mode. “Precious Things” follows Joey back to the “7-11” and the riveting “Live Without” is top level stripped-down rock‘n’roll excellence somewhere between Hunx and His Punx and the Lifeforms.  “Everything & Co.” stomps like the Troggs (on their album with R.E.M.), while flowing along like my favorite current Italian band Hakan.

I did listen to their previous record, 2019’s Show Me and It’s a Sign is meters/miles ahead in production, execution and delivery. I hope they will continue to make every song as propulsive, poppy and catchy as the aforementioned and keep leaning towards the Ramones and step off the Pavement. However, I understand their need for contrast and appeal somewhat to the ‘90s revival. Time will tell where they will go next. For now, they have some standout songs that coincide with my favorite cover art of the year.

Yea-Ming and the Rumours-I Can't Have it All (Review & Interviews with Eóin Galvin & Yea-Ming Chen)

Yea-Ming and the Rumours
Photo by Tiger Lily-JetLag RocknRoll

Musical trends come and go and sometimes return, but Yea-Ming and the Rumours have been playing the long-game and it can be heard with their immediate, yet enduring country & folk-tinged Pacific Coast pop. Their sounds evoke universal moods and feelings usually regulated to the night, fleeting moments and the half-remembered halcyon days of yore. While being mostly unsung, they just keep playing here and there and attracting more listeners and attention with each show they play and record they release. They approach music with an enthusiasm that acknowledges there is a first time for everything and everyone, while addressing life’s continually changing circumstances within a timeless sound.

Besides Yea-Ming's remarkable vocals (which are in high demand among groups recording in the San Francisco Bay Area) the other distinguishing aspects are the befitting lap steel guitar playing of Eóin Galvin along with their intertwined Fender Stratocasters. When it comes to instantly appealing and lasting pop they could be the West Coast equivalent to Cut Worms. Additionally, the economical and catchy nature of the songs seem to parallel the work of fellow Bay Area musician Tony Molina. In fact, a majority of the album was mixed by Jasper Leach, who has played extensively on Tony Molina recordings. Matt Bullimore (the Mantles) once again provided the mastering. 

 

L to R: Luke Robbins (drums), Eóin Galvin (lead guitar, lap steel), Jen Weisberg (bass)
Yea-Ming Chen (vocals, guitar) Photo by Corey Poluk

Spanning the Globe

One could say that Yea-Ming has developed quite the compelling stylistic approach, but it seems like she has always inherently had it.  Most significant is her ability to distill things down to the elements in order to express the essence and in turn create her own world. On their third album, they bring their sound to new hushed and intimate places, while maintaining the overall continuity with the sounds and themes of their two previous albums. Sonically, they retain their overall sunny and ringing sound that contrasts and complements the shrouded, murky and amorphous art-pop cassette sounds of Cindy, Flowertown and Tony Jay. While the Bay Area pop scene is currently thriving (some call it a pop renaissance) with many cross-currents and collaborations, it could be stated that Yea-Ming and the Rumours are still in a realm by themselves somewhat like the Aislers Set were 25 years ago. This approach connects them to ardent listeners both within the Byzantine Bay Area and to lands far beyond.

 

Artwork by Yea-Ming
Layout by Chris Appelgren

The spare “Pretending” starts things off in a Velvet Underground “Sunday Morning” way. While the title track “I Can’t Have it All” is said to be directly inspired by Yo La Tengo’s cover of George McCrae’s “You Can Have it All,” I can also hear a nod to the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands, which seems to be an underlying, if somewhat subliminal influence throughout the album. The uptempo and cheery “Ruby” is definitely not the Kenny Rogers and the First Edition song with its graceful descending melody that belies its very pointed lyrics. Eóin Galvin’s lap steel playing and stellar solo takes center stage on the standout country shuffle “I Tried to Hide.” Thunder rumbles off in the mountainous distance as the percussion summons the forces of nature. The high lonesome number also features effortless backing vocals cascading down by bass player (and visual artist) Jen Weisberg.   

Their familiar blanketing sound expands out to include some new subtle shifts and inflection points. Pastoral and lovely lyrics of canyons and trees adorn the stirring “Big Blue Sea.” Yea-Ming’s transporting vocals float over churning layers of strummy jangle still resonating from Softies records. Underneath the sun-lit melodies and the rolling waves of percussion is an appeal for the human obligation to help and assist those crying out to us in myriad ways.

The big production number “Can We Meet in the Middle” brings to mind the Shangri-Las, the Gentle Waves and the aforementioned Darklands-era Jesus and Mary Chain. The incorporation of strings also recall those lavishly orchestrated Marianne Faithfull mid-60s albums like Faithfull Forever. The rustic, yet snappy “Before I Make It Home” is a hidden gem buried midway through side 2 of the album. The twangy guitar and organ embellishments evoke those searing September & October days when summer refuses to fade away in California. Luke Robbins' rollicking drumming kicks up the fallen leaves along with literal and figurative notions of home. The forlorn protagonist is at a significant crossroads, (aka out to sea or the wilderness years) in a Lady Bird-like movie of the mind.

Regeneration Their current live set closer “Somebody’s Daughter” is one of their thickest sounding-recordings, however it does not relinquish any of the exquisite charm that imbues their sound. The song rides the rails of the pedal steel guitar towards a big ending of buoyant backing vocals worthy of Stereolab combined with the famous rhythmic pattern that announce the arrival of “Be My Baby.” It’s a strong arrangement led by irresistible melodies calling to return to the world anew with an open heart. This approach may require reapproaching life with fewer expectations, many less assumptions and appreciating things along the way. Connecting the prosaic to the otherworldly, “Alice Sings” contains a languid guitar solo reminiscent of “Pale Blue Eyes”-era Velvet Underground, while the lyrics gently remind of the calm that may descend when pursuing the arts. “Pretending Reprise” echoes the ethereal side of the Velvet Underground once again. This time around the tune is played acoustically and the tempo is slowed to a “I’m Sticking With You” rate. Delicate Dance With the reprise of "Pretending," Yea-Ming has reached the other shore. Her music speaks to the present moment, while also courageouly seeking understanding. Between the musical layers are lyrics expressing the continual reconciliation of competing priorities as well as acknowledging disillusionment in order to avoid being overtaken by seemingly Sisyphean tasks. Accordingly, these experiences may provide the perspective and fortitude to approach oncoming challenges with finesse, wisdom and equanimity. While getting from here to there does not happen overnight, these reckonings have spurred their most cohesive album of heartfelt songs about heartbreak. I Can't Have It All is the captivating and human-scaled soundtrack to these ongoing efforts.

Interviews

Reaching Out to Eóin Galvin (Lead Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar)

Eóin Galvin
Photo by Tiger Lily - JetLag RocknRoll

What make and model of lap steel guitar do you play? I play a Teisco H-8S (backwards in a made-up tuning). It's a Japanese 8-string lap steel from the 1960s. It is strung right-handed but played left-handed (that is, left hand plucks, right hand holds the steel bar with lower pitched strings farther away, higher pitched strings nearer). The tuning is (low to high) E - B - C# - E - G# - B - E - G. As far as I know, I am the only one who uses this particular tuning. I wanted to have two different major and minor triads without slanting the bar. (That said, I immediately started slanting the bar, having no one to teach me otherwise.) The slide I use is a Shubb-Pearse SP-1 steel (double-cut, semi-bullet tip, pre-2011 chromed brass) It's a bit longer than other steels, to cover all 8 strings. I do not use finger picks. It’s hard to tell from live video recordings, but it appears that you don’t plug in your lap steel and/or it does not have an output. I take it that the overhead mic is sufficient to amplify the sound in a clattering live setting? Any elaboration on your set-up would be appreciated. I will take that as a compliment about the tone sounding natural and dynamic! Since I play a right-handed instrument left-handed, the output may be hard to see beneath my left hand. These days I play directly (i.e., - no pedals or other effects) through a Fender Blues Deluxe, though for many years I played through a Roland KC-100 keyboard amp. I have the amp set pretty cleanly with a bit of reverb to allow for dynamics and tone in the playing to come through. For years I have debated adding a volume pedal, but have so far resisted. Local pedal steel player Jacob Aranda advised me against a volume pedal, saying it was a crutch I didn't need. When did you start playing the lap steel guitar? It also appears that you might also have a jazz guitar and/or classical guitar background. Is there any validity to this assumption? AllMusic (Mark Deming) stated that you played with the B-Sides along with Readyville (who Yea-Ming cited in our 2020 interview).

I started playing lap steel around 2002 in the band Readyville. My friend and longtime collaborator Nick Palatucci had been writing songs and I was helping arrange them. The idea was that country music had a tradition of complex, clever, emotional lyrics that might be out of place in other genres. I found my lap steel in a used music store in Berkeley, CA for $200. I was not able to find anyone giving lessons (and YouTube was some years away) so I made up a tuning and started playing. As a duo, there was no room to hide, so the choices had to be thoughtful, definite, and fit the song. I felt comfortable on lap steel very quickly - I was writing parts and performing within the first two months. More broadly, I am from a large, musical family and grew up with piano lessons and singing in the school choir. For my 12th birthday, I begged for a guitar and took weekly lessons, starting with Nirvana's Unplugged in New York. In high school, I started playing in the school's excellent jazz band and in a series of very short-lived indie and punk bands with friends. The highpoints of my guitar "background", such as it is, were high school summers at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. It was the kind of place that shows you exactly where you are as a musician. I had a good ear, solid music theory, and decidedly less virtuosity than, say, the second best guitar player from Danville (who was excellent). Among all that talent, commitment, and drive, I got a glimpse of what it would really take to play jazz at a professional level and saw that I was not sufficiently passionate about jazz to continue on to a music school. This also freed me from an unconscious, nebulous standard of what a "real" musician is. I started to trust my own taste and not worry about demonstrating some imagined required prowess.

With apologies to Mark Deming, I was NOT in the B-sides. I suspect the confusion comes from my overlap with other bands and musicians. In high school, my friends and I started a pop-punk band - the Kablamies. Two of the Kablamies, Nick Palatucci and Tim "Tym" Barber, played in the B-Sides, though I did not. Later, Nick and I played as a duo called Readyville. My best guess is that Nick and my prior bands were conflated at some point.

For what it's worth, the main timeline for my bands*:

~1997 - 1999 -- The Kablamies (vocals, harmony vocals, guitar)

~2001 - 2006 -- Readyville (harmony vocals, guitar, organaire, lap steel, bass)

~2009 - present -- Hoxton Mob (vocals, harmony vocals, guitar, organaire)

~2013 - present -- Yea-Ming and the Rumours (harmony vocals, guitar, lap steel)

*more than 10x performances, recordings released in some format

I started performing with Yea-Ming as a duo under her name for a year or two before a full band was added and the name became "Yea-Ming and the Rumours." I consider myself the first Rumour. I would like to mention that all the Rumours, past and present, have led their own bands. Besides the quality of the musicians, I think players leading their own projects, counter-intuitively, contributes to the unified sound Yea-Ming achieves. Having other outlets allows our work in the Rumours to better focus on Yea-Ming's intentions. As song-writers and band leaders, Yea-Ming chose musicians who all play to the song rather than themselves. The real trick Yea-Ming has mastered is managing a band of strongly opinionated musicians with clarity and grace. For more than a decade she has balanced collaboration with clear authority while remaining a joy to work with.

Advice and/or beginners tips to those who are interested in learning the steel guitar?

Just start. Don't worry about gear, just get your hands on something with strings and a smooth object to slide along them. If a lap steel is not an option, a regular guitar can be converted with an extension nut for a few dollars. These days there are tons of videos and materials for common tunings, if that is how you learn. If not, feel free to make up a tuning that works for you. For me, a working understanding of basic music theory is immensely helpful. Knowing how intervals and chords work will save you time and trouble.

Do you also play pedal steel?

I wish! As a left handed guitar player, pedal steel would require either switching my hands for rhythm and pitch or a custom made guitar. The pedals and levers are on the wrong side for me and can not easily be reversed. That said, I appreciate the limits of a lap steel and would not trade my experience so far.

Who are your favorite lap steel guitar players (both current and past)?
(They can also be pedal steel players:)

If I'm honest, I have only very basic knowledge of steel players in general - please forgive anyone I am overlooking. For greats of the past, the first few I heard (and loved) were probably the same ones everyone has heard, whether they realize it or not.

Jerry Byrd (lap and pedal steel giant in both country and Hawaiian music)
Don Helms (Hank Williams' pedal steel player)
Frank Ferera (Hawaiian/jazz guitar legend I found through his work with Annette Hanshaw)
Ralph Mooney (the "Bakersfield Sound" innovator who played with everyone in California from Buck Owens through Merle Haggard).
Alvino Ray (the inventor and jazz/experimental pedal steel player I found through his work with Esquivel!)

Sadly, I am especially bad at keeping up with current music.The three that come to mind are Melvin Duffy (pedal steel player for First Aid Kit), Junior Brown (the only 8-string lap steel player on these lists), local players Jacob Aranda and Vic Wong. Among non-steel guitar players, I most admire David Rawling (Gillian Welch's guitar player).

What are some of your favorite recordings that feature the lap steel as lead and/or accompaniment?

Another tricky question. Here are some examples to start:
"Nobody's Fool But Yours" by Buck Owens (Ralph Mooney on steel)
"Emmylou" by First Aid Kit (Melvin Duffy on steel)
"Wailana Waltz" by Frank Ferera
"April in Paris" covered by Vic Wong
Checking in with Yea-Ming Chen (Guitar, Vocals, Keys)

Yea-Ming Chen
Photo by: Tiger Lily -  JetLag RocknRoll

Congratulations on your third full-length record and more than 10 years together as a band. Approximately what month/season and year did the Rumours begin in your estimation? Thank you, Ted! Haha! I hate thinking about how long something has lasted but since you ask, according to my Gmail account, I started playing with Eóin Galvin in March of 2013 when I decided to “go solo” and was looking for an outlet to play some of my quieter folkier songs. But as my brain works, that need to play only quiet songs never lasts long, and a full band was formed quickly after that to help play the faster songs. Can you briefly introduce your new rhythm section? Yes! Jen Weisberg is our current bass player for the live band and has a beautiful, unique and extremely special voice and I just love singing with her. Her memory for melody is insane. She fronts a band called Hits and is an amazing songwriter herself. She also happens to be my favorite visual artist/painter. I am very moved by all the work that she does. Luke Robbins is a great songwriter and fast learning multi-instrumentalist playing in a bunch of local bands like R.E. Seraphin, Latitude, Aerosols as well as one of my new projects called RYLI. He is currently playing drums for the Rumours’ live line-up but first showed up in the Rumours right after Jen was recruited to be the new bass player but was unavailable for the next show. Luke stepped in to play bass for that show which is also when I wrote “Pretending” and I loved what he was doing so much, I asked him to play bass on “Pretending” and “Pretending Reprise” on the new record. I liked playing with him so much that when our original drummer Sonia moved to Sacramento, it only made sense to ask him how he felt about playing drums. He shows up on the record as a drummer on “I Tried To Hide” (featuring Jen’s beautiful vocals) and “Before I Make It Home” and nails them both, but I especially love the energy he brings to the latter. The track sequencing is especially effective on the new album. Is this something you decide individually or collectively as a group? Thank you so much! I’m so glad you appreciate it. Honestly, I usually let someone else do it for me, but on this one, I worked it out obsessively on my own which might have taken way too many days. However, I did ask Luke to take a listen to the sequence and confirm on whether or not it was okay. When he approved it was when I felt 100% sure it was correct. Did you have an aha moment and/or turning point in the making of this album? Yes! My aha moment was when I wrote “Pretending.” Though short, that song describes the turning point in my mental state, a sudden understanding of my unhealthy habits, and how I want to live my life going forward. Was this past January (2024) the band’s first time playing at Gilman Street? Yes! It was not the first time I played Gilman but the first time the band played at Gilman. Unfortunately, Eóin was on a camping trip and Bobby who runs Dandy Boy Records (the show was a Dandy Boy Records showcase) insisted we play anyway as a trio. It was super fun, but there definitely felt like an essential element was missing because Eóin wasn’t there. I vow never to be that “naked” on stage again.

At Gilman Street
Photo by: Tiger Lily - JetLag RocknRoll

Any words of wisdom/advice/encouragement that you would like to offer younger musicians just getting started? Don’t let perfectionism (and the negativity that comes with it) get in the way of putting your stuff out there. I feel like I spent a lot of my former years not giving myself permission because I wasn’t SOMETHING enough. F*CK THAT. Surround yourself with supportive people and gracefully ignore the ones that don’t. In a recent podcast interview you mentioned Teenage Fanclub, What is your favorite Teenage Fanclub song? My favorite TFC song is "Baby Lee" off of Shadows which I think may or may not be a “deep cut.” I just love the simplicity of the song and the desperateness and purity in the line: “They had me in mind when they designed you.” That line kills me every time! What are some of the other groups/albums/songs that directly or indirectly influenced this album (besides Yo La Tengo and Camera Obscura listed in press materials)? Hmmm there is so much and I generally gravitate to really great songwriting, but the bands/artists that have probably most influenced my songwriting are:

Velvet Underground (always), all of Greg Cartwright’s projects (Compulsive Gamblers/Reigning Sound), Belle and Sebastian, Camera Obscura’s side project TracyAnne and Danny, Broadcast, Guided By Voices, Jeff Tweedy and Wilco, Bill Callahan, all of David Berman’s projects, Cate Le Bon, Kevin Morby, Cass McCombs, Tony Molina, Big Thief and Mitski. Also, I’m not too snobby to stay that I still love The Beatles and go back to my love for them and their individual solo projects ALL THE TIME.

What has been inspiring you outside of music? I’m still obsessed with the anti-heroine story that is rarely told in fiction. I ravage those stories. I’m currently obsessed with Sally Rooney’s writing and books and can’t wait for her new book to arrive on my bookshelf. A lot of people hate shows like Girls because they “can’t stand the characters.” But I feel like society has been obsessed with bad/imperfect men forever, and the “bad female” character story is never told except as auxiliary characters. There is something sexist about that, I’m not sure what it is. I think we want our women to fit in a neat polite box or a neat sexy box, etc and men are constantly being adored for being shitty in stories (e.g., Don Draper in Mad Men). I think being shitty happens and is human and part of a lot of people’s journeys. I’m not saying we should be unkind people (we should certainly be kind)… but if we are going into the depths of someone’s character, can we do it everywhere? Some people hate Sally Rooney’s stories for the same reasons as the above, but I adore them and am willing to admit to being inspired by them. I love a human story of imperfections; probably because I live with so much regret. Any aspirations or goals to play in Taiwan/Japan/South Korea/Philippines since these countries are only an airline flight away from San Francisco? I would love to play in Taiwan/Japan/South Korea/Phillipines but especially Taiwan since that is where my family is from. It’s definitely a dream of mine, but financially it’s not something I’m sure I can do and feels very far off. If the perfect opportunity ever arises tho, I would not hesitate to take it.

Yea-Ming Chen & Jen Weisberg

Photo by Tiger Lily - JetLag RocknRoll