CD released by Fuzzy Pals Records (Japan) LP by Bachelor Records (Austria)
Every once in a while you come across an album where everything falls in place. I first encountered Falling Sugar on a graphic for Mike Rogers' Japan Indies 2024 Music Awards and then heard them on the Todd-o-Phonic Todd WFMU radio show when he played “West Coast.” I'm guessing their band name is most likely inspired by the fantastic Beatlesque ‘60s pop Nugget “Falling Sugar” by the Palace Guard. The continued influence of the '60s looms large on their debut album. They even pay homage to that decade by briefly quoting sections of the Troggs’ “Can’t Control Myself,” and “She’s Got Everything” by the Kinks as points of departure into their own songs.
Falling Sugar are the co-headliners for Mike Rogers' final Japanese Indies Music Awards show
Off the Cuff On their originals, they exude a ramshackle charm with their catchy combination of ‘60s pop and ‘90s indie-pop played with maximum joy. They shape an amalgamated and shambling sound that approaches and lands near the first-rate pop that the Apricots and Dizzy Joghurt whipped up 25 years ago along with Mama Guitar, the Pebbles, Berry, and Tirolean Tape. When they go more into bubblegum mode, they are found somewhere in the same aisle as the Cherry Splits and the Strawberry Zots.
Disk Union display-notice the Each Time by Eiichi Ohtaki promo in the southwest corner.
Listen People
Their self-titled album contains the excitement and exuberance expected in a strong debut. Overall, they achieve a rounded-out sound with propulsive percussive momentum, strummy guitar, prominent bass, and buoyant keyboards-in other words the active ingredients of bubblegum music. They strike upon this captivating sound with Mikko’s keyboard playing providing the requisite bounce that pairs up with her gliding voice that is well-suited for this type of music. Monma’s bold and pronounced bass brings in both mod-ish and Motown elements, while Toyozo Toyoshima’s apt (punch & strum) guitar playing and experience plays a major role in the band. When not with Falling Sugar, you can find him somewhere in the world playing in the Fadeaways, Angel Face, Paul Collins Beat-to name just a few of his many involvements. All the original songs are co-compositions by Toyozo and Mikko.
“Sugar N Honey” brims with vocals reminiscent of the aforementioned Mama Guitar and a ringing Rickenbacker guitar comparable to the McCharmlys. “West Coast” leans in almost an anorak direction with its brisk melodies that would appeal to both Peach Kelli Pop and Pedal Records listeners. Be sure to catch that "Eight Days A Week" riff on the outro. The band is also stellar when they slow things down and incorporate a charming and chiming xylophone on songs like “Take Around” that recalls the best indie-pop featured by Shredding Radio/Magazine 25 years ago. By the way, “Take Around” seems to be a wonderful combination of “You, You, You” the 6th and “Leave all your Old Loves” by the Liverbirds, (later covered by the Shebrews). “Sigh” is overflowing with Herman’s Hermits/Merseybeat influences that will have SFTRI fans recalling the Stool Pigeons. Their rendition of “After Hours” fittingly closes. This Velvet Underground classic pop song was famously sung by Mo Tucker as Lou Reed said the song was too innocent and pure for him to sing himself. They ace the cover by adding a dash of Death By Chocolate, which should not come as a surprise.
Bubbling Under
The quartet displays a deeper understanding that the roots of the bubblegum lie in the cubicles of the Brill Building as their record is immediate, catchy, tuneful and made to endure. While most of the late ‘60s American bubblegum groups were uniformly male, it’s refreshing to have females on the forefront, which has long been a major strength and characteristic of mold-breaking Japanese music. Falling Sugar excel with their originals and overall their debut captures the undeniable and vibrant spirit of the Tokyo garage scene, while putting a new spin on the most welcome sound of strummy Japanese bubblegum garage pop.
As a display of their adventurous approach, they have been known to play the Equals’ classic “Police on my Back” as part of their live sets. I hope they give this song the studio treatment for a future release.
There are really no other equivalents to these three albums brought to the world by Toshi Bando. Perhaps some private press albums recorded in Japan (e.g., Enough, Deep End, Memorial Art, Actors & Pilotis) and maybe recordings by the somewhat popular Japanese band Woodpecker could be the closest comparison points. Surprisingly, all three albums are included in theWonder Ground Record Guide -a Japanese reference work on Japanese private press records. What makes these albums sung in Japanese truly stand apart is that they were recorded by Japanese-Americans in Los Angeles during the late ‘70s, but with an overall out-of-time sound much closer to the ‘60s.
While the music is front and center, their backstory still remains pretty much a complete mystery. The quest to know more of the historical context and what lies behind the curtains are certainly impelling factors. These vast unknowns may heighten the allure and intrigue, but by and large the reality is always different from the imagined with attendant stories that frequently exceed expectations. It would be an honor to present the perspectives of the participants, but I try to proceed with caution as I wish to respect people's privacy in this current distraction culture where privacy and solitude are given little to no consideration. Sometimes the best (and only) approach may be to “Fly into the Mystery” like the great Modern Lovers song and just write your own perspectives in the larger and continual search for understanding.
Toshi Bando was the prime mover and unifying factor behind these three records under three different group names: Kisetsu-Fu, Flap and Silver Lake. Not only did he compose, play (guitar & blues harp), and sing on these albums, he also produced them as well. Each release featured rotating personnel and the musicians listed on Discogs apparently only ever appeared on these three albums. Meanwhile, I can only fathom which basements or garages in Monterey Park his bands practiced in. Maybe there were other rehearsal places in perhaps Alhambra or Eagle Rock that certainly shifted with the circumstances of the times and individual situations. On a similar note, I can only speculate where they played and what types of venues. Where were the performance stages in Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Little Tokyo or Gardena? Was there any type of Japanese-American music circuit in the late ‘70s? Did they perhaps venture into Madame Wong's in old Chinatown and open for Japanese new wave bands like the Plastics (who did play at Madame Wong's as briefly spotted in this PBS Artbound documentary). Many mysteries abound, but we can be certain that these once buried records can now be heard thanks to enthusiasts transferring their rare vinyl and uploading them to YouTube. The time has come to further explore the sounds of what could be best described as Transpacific folk-rock psych.
All three of Bando’s albums offer highly melodic original songs embodied with Japanese musical inflections and sensibilities. The music converges both Western and Eastern influences to express Bando’s singular vision along with a larger Nisei and Shōwa-era outlook. These most welcomed consistencies flow through all three of these albums that each have their own distinctive aspects. The common thread is these records sound way more ‘60s than the decade they were actually made in, while the music is refreshingly countervailing to the hegemonic arena rock that dominated America during the late ‘70s. To be more specific, Bando enhances his folk framework built upon the bedrock foundation of the Beatles with some well chosen ‘50s & ‘60s rock & pop and blues elements.
1977’s Kisetsu-Fu – Seasonal Wind=季節風 was released only four years after Yellow Pearl (which is considered one of the earliest Asian-American records along with Dakila’s 1972’s self-titled album released on Epic Records and sung in Tagalog). The illuminating record, with a stunning label design, is most indebted to the Beatles and their solo projects, while also reflecting attractive influences ranging from American golden oldies to Japanese campus folk and perhaps traces of Okinawan folk.
Seasonal Wind was recorded & mixed at Dirk Dalton Recording Studio A, in Santa Monica. 土佐の海 (“Sea of Tosa”) is possibly referring to the Tosa Province of Shikoku, which is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. The song is delivered in John Lennon/George Harrison fashion and augmented with a Dylan-esque harmonica. A downcast enka-like song tinged with the blues and flute follows under the apt title 悲しい顔は似合わない (“Sad Face”) and is moody in a good way. そこを行くのは (“Hey is that You?”) rocks out in that Beatles mode when they were trying to go back to basics with “Back in the USSR.” Ken Miyoshi (who would later appear on the Silver Lake record) drives the saxophone before Toshi Bando soon merges on the musical freeway with harmonica playing that catches up to the saxophone-making this sound like a Fleshtones song. 雨が降る (“Rain”) provides more of that solo George Harrison sound filtered through a Japanese sensibility, while the minor keyed and impassioned plea of 福?草が咲いたら(“Pheasant's Eye”) recalls “Now or Never” from Approximately Infinite Universe by Yoko Ono.
Side two starts with yang energy. 君さえいれば (“As Long as You Are Here”) hits hard with its bluesy edges and evokes the Japanese GS (Group Sounds) bands when they started going heavy. Synthesizer and electric guitar player Yutaka Uda comes to the fore with some copious wah-wah. 春はもうすぐ (“Spring Will Come Soon”) is top-tier first-rate pop that takes off on a dash driven by a chanking rhythm guitar and Beatles-esque harmonica fills. Next, 秋は淋しい(“Lonely is the Autumn”) is a yearning campus folk number at its foundation, embellished with blues runs and topped with a lovely flute solo. There is a real Eiichi Ohtaki/Niagara slant to 砂に書いたイニシャル (“Initials Written in the Sand”)-a lovely ‘50s styled song complete with triplets that would sound perfect coming from Sony pocket transistor radio. The album closes with 誕生日 (“Birthday”) that has Bando channeling his inner-John Lennon and some subdued blues guitar playing before Ken Miyoshi adds the exclamation marks of xylophone and recorder.
Flap (1978) is a much more succinct and spartan affair presented with a much clearer production. In fact, the fidelity soars above the somewhat submerged sounding Seasonal Wind. On an interesting sidetrack, Flap was recorded at Ascot Recording Studios in Hollywood by Jim Rayton, which was where Instant Orange also recorded two of their EPs with the same engineer. (Instant Orange were an exceptional yet unsung folk-rock band from San Bernardino, California, who were influenced by the Byrds and Love!) The studio appears to still be active today in Burbank with Jim Rayton remaining at the helm. The group had truly come into its own to offer a truly distinctive sound on Flap (TBP-02).
The biggest difference is the inclusion of female vocals with the arrival of Kikuko Murakami who brought in an entirely new dimension to their sound. Murakami’s lead vocals are like the sun shining through the marine layer on their poppier songs and also lend a dreamy quality and otherworldly feel on the slower building numbers. From the limited information I could gather, her previous singing experience was with the Alhambra High School choir. She transitions well to the pop-rock idiom and proves competent singing in a variety of styles. The album starts strong and only gets better with its mostly sunny, bright and catchy melodic songs. Murakami’s vocals grace the lovely “Summer Day” that blends well with the ‘50s percolating guitar. From this number, it does sound like Bando was definitely familiar with the legendary Eiichi Ohtaki and Niagara (f)all stars. Yoko Ono and her greatest album Approximately Infinite Universe are evoked once again in the song “Letter” with its stark arrangement and strident tone. “We Can’t Go Back” brings the fuzz in a way that deserves to be heard by musician, author and Japanophile Julian Cope. The instrumental innovations of Eleki, Takeshi Terauchi and the Ventures also figure into their guitar tones and sounds. “Blue Sky” is a lovely strummy instrumental that seems to draw from the hushed third Velvet Underground album emerging from the Shadows.
Arriving like the first brisk winds of autumn, “Red Umbrella” is probably their poppiest number and falls somewhere along the folk-pop parade as the We Five, the Seekers, the Red Birds. “Love Song” showcases Murakami’s vocals before giving way to a “Pale Blue Eyes”-like epic guitar solo that lingers on like the sun setting over the Pacific. Coincidentally the album ends with a spiraling song titled “Sunset.” It’s an epic closer that reflects the indelible impact of “House of the Rising Sun” with intertwined guitars that crunch, bend and sting. Flap is my favorite of Bando’s three albums for the arrival of Murakami, the austere production and spare, but sweeping folk-pop-rock songs. Overall, it’s an attractive display of Bando’s ultra-melodic sensibilities with the ‘50s pop & rock and early ‘60s folk and instrumental elements coming to the fore.
Silver Lake-Affection (TBP-03)
The first aspect that jumps out is one of the most striking and intriguing color covers ever. Could it be emblematic of the band feeling displaced and marginalized in the transient culture of Los Angeles? Appropriately, the album was recorded at 302 Recording Studio, in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles from February to December 1979 and released in 1980. Interspersed are atmospheric sounds (e.g., crashing thunder to start the album, seagulls & surf, winter winds) lending a mysterious undercurrent that there may be a seasonal concept and/or a thematic statement on the cycles of life coursing throught the record. The songs alternate between male and female vocals that would later be employed on Double Fantasy. The musician line-up is reconfigured (except for the vocalists and the drumming & keyboard work of Ken Miyoshi, who also contributed to the Kisetsu Fu album). The songs are presented with an overall thickened and murkier sound (in comparison to the sparkling clear production of Flap) with the vocals for the most part engulfed and subsumed by the music. Overall, the album casts a more solemn and melancholy tone than the two previous albums. “Mou Hikitomerarenai” is a vehicle for Kikuko Murakami with fuzz runs that rival the biker instrumentals of Davie Allan & the Arrows or the aforementioned Takeshi Terauchi. Songs like “Shashin” (Picture) are delivered with overall blusier hues and smokier tones that seemingly indicate that the group had moved on from coffee cafes and Obon festivals to cabarets and nightclubs. Murakami’s smoldering vocals lean more towards blues rocking Maki Asakawa than poppy Seiko Matsuda, while demonstrating her adeptness with singing in a variety of styles. On one of their rare duets “Dakedo Emily,” Bando and Murakami achieve a stirring vocal blend that commands attention. “Aoi Kaze” is an acoustic driven number with baroque acoustical runs that seem inspired by “Classical Gas.” The pronounced fuzz returns on the dashing “Owari Soshite” along with the appearance of trumpet. Jazzy chord changes, blues bends and heartfelt singing from Bando of “Kigatsukeba Itsumo Ashita” brings the album to a strong finish. Message in a C.C. Lemon Bottle
With their deep ‘60s influences and somewhat mysterious origins, these records live up to their private press designation, current reputation and stratospheric prices. Fittingly, Toshi Bando remains an enigmatic figure who remains busy with his gardening. It is fortunate that the records can be easily accessed on YouTube, as now more people can hear them than ever before. Still, many questions abound that could help fill in gaps. I would love to hear first-person primary accounts and recollections from any of the participants to clear up some major blind spots on the history of the groups and gain an overall better understanding of the context of the times. Keeping the mystery intact does heighten the allure, intrigue and perhaps the prices of these three obscure records, which were limited to begin with in their initial press runs.
Nonetheless, the music speaks for itself and close listening will reveal Bando’s attempts to reconcile and express both the melancholic and the glorious aspects of life as well as the chasms between. On a larger level, Bando was able to sonically connect the Far East with the Far West on these three groundbreaking records. The recordings do represent a significant achievement as Bando and the musicians helped usher in a new era of music for Los Angeles and Japanese-Americans. Whether Bando receives belated historical recognition is still to be determined, however he definitely made waves as these could even be considered the most remarkable Japanese-American records ever recorded between the mountains, freeways and the vast Pacific.
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)
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)
~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)
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.
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.
For some reason, Human Switchboard has eluded me in that I had not previously heard their music until 2024. Despite reading good things about them, I was somehow under the impression they were much more of a new wave synth rock outfit that played with a cold detachment...like a more arty Human League or a more melodic Human Sexual Response. I recently happened upon their first and only album Who's Landing in My Hangar? in a stack of donated records that actually included reissued White Light/White Heat by the Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart’s Safe As Milk. Their prominent use of the Fafisa struck me hard and fast like hearing live Modern Lovers for the first time on Precise Modern Lovers Order. Not only present were the Lou Reed-ish vocals that reminded me also of those of Brother JT from the Original Sins, but also the most welcomed counterbalancing female vocals in the realm between Maureen Tucker and Chrissie Hynde. I also thought they were born and bred in the skyscraper canyons of New York City and shared sidewalks with Warhol. While they made their waves on the live front both opening for the likes of Alex Chilton and headlining in the New York City area (e.g.., CBGB’s Danceteria, Hurrah, Maxwell’s, Max’s Kansas City, Peppermint Lounge) their time spent growing up and living in industrial Northeast Ohio and snowy Syracuse were just as much an integral influence upon their sound. In their case, they embodied a good type of scrappy Midwestern resourcefulness coupled with the fortitude to make it happen against the prevailing headwinds. Overall, they generated a record that both reflects and transcends their era and continues to endure.
Worth the Excitement
Who's Landing in My Hangar? displays not only their vast versatility, but also their command to cast moods across the record, along with expressing a spillway of emotions within the songs themselves. While their sound touches upon street rock, art punk, soul, garage and power-pop, they are ultimately singular, complex and uncategorizable. In other words, despite the genre hopscotching, they retained their consistent character across their recordings.
From the Other Music documentary
Another View
Most of all, they drew from the depths of the Velvet Underground and made an exalted sound of their own that connected to the stripped down, yet not thin or threadbare essence that I frequently value in music. Behind the wall of guitars and brimming keyboards, their rhythm section also exhibited the push-and-pull of the early Talking Heads.
Who Put the Bomp?
Additionally, Human Switchboard appeared on the 1979 Bomp compilation Waves (An Anthology Of New Music Vol.1) and reminded me of being on a similar wavelength of what the Last were doing on their second album Look Again when Vitus Matare’s Farfisa keyboards rose to the forefront. Perhaps only Seymour Stein could match Bomp’s Greg Shaw when it came to prospecting powerful and lasting pop during the ‘70s.
Myrna Marcarian (keyboards) & Bob Pfeifer (guitar)
Complementary Contrasts
One of their innate abilities was their ability to make discontent flow seemingly. This particular ability could be said to be the highest fulfillment of the promise of the new wave movement. Behind this musical dichotomy are the dueling identities of Myrna Marcarian and Robert Pfeifer. Combinations of absence/presence, straightforwardness/circuitousness and clarity/dissonance are some of the dynamics at play. It works like the epiphany when an art teacher imparts the concept of negative space and the physical and spiritual world momentarily snaps into place.
Urban Core
Leading off is the majestic “(Say No to) Saturday’s Girl” that is almost a response song to Blondie’s “Sunday Girl” mixed in with some Lulu and Lesley Gore loveliness. The frantic “Who’s Landing In My Hangar?” features Marcarian’s pronounced organ stabbing in a good way as she takes it to the edge against the rush of Pfeifer’s “New York Subway” spiraling guitar. “In This Town” is their Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra moment, albeit with lyrics expressing the cold indifference of the city. Further, their songs retain their insurgency, while capturing the ominous feelings of an unraveling New York and the bleak drabness of Cleveland of the time. To start side 2, Marcarian steps back up to take lead vocals on “I Can Walk Alone.” The sweeping song is a personal manifesto and declaration of fortitude set to an indelible melody.
Despite all the Computations
In retrospect, the full focus should have been on Myrna Marcarian as she co-composed their two best standalone songs ”(Say No to) Saturday Girl” and “I Can Walk Alone.” However, to fully appreciate the light, one must obviously have contrast with the darkness. While “Don’t Follow Me Home” does hinge to the Doors a little too closely, it does resolve with sweetness and light courtesy of countervailing backing vocals from Marcarian. The jaunty “Book on Looks” tilts towards the superrock of the Fleshtones. Pfeifer continues to deliver his confessionals and character studies with deadpan vocals that hover between art skronk, bursts of squalling sax and perpetual motion to where the light breaks.
Casting Their Spell
Live video footage shows their conviction and compassion for what they did as Myrna Marcarian is beyond convincing with her strident vocals and arresting keyboard playing. She is indeed a colorful focal point who brought in an advanced pop awareness and humane presence that clashed and converged with the street level sensibility of Bob and the sparks and shards flying off his guitar. He certainly knew his way around the guitar and the interplay with Marcarian’s Farfisa organ is an essential element to their amalgamated sound. Live footage also reveals drummer Ron Metz played in a similar rangy fashion as John Dugan of Chisel.
Future Shock
Their sound did get glossier as the ‘80s ensued and 1983 Polydor demos revealed somebody (that is John Stainze) was trying to possibly shine them up to be an American answer to Culture Club. (For the record, I do enjoy Culture Club.) Still, “A Lot Of Things” is an all-around captivating pop song that benefits from the studio polish as well as being reminiscent of the Bangles at their best. On these later recordings, Pfifers’ quavering voice goes less Lou Reed and more in the direction of solo Mick Jagger or solo David Johansen. Your mileage may vary as some listeners do indeed enjoy this late phase in which Marcarian’s signature Farfisa sound is replaced by a Korg.
Ripple Effect
The 1981 album caught them at the peak of powers in a run that spanned from 1977 to 1984. Be sure to check out some of their compelling early garagey material that appeared on Who's Landing in My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984 CD from 2011. The slinky “I Gotta Know” and “San Francisco Nights” deserve special mention as the former features Myrna on the glockenspiel and connects Girl Group pop to Paul Revere & the Raiders, while the latter is a Robert Pfeifer standout inspired by the Pickwick Poet Lou Reed.
Making the Connection
They were also the little band that got raved about by big acts like Lenny Kaye, Elvis Costello, the Beastie Boys, and Kurt Cobain (how did he hear so many records in his short 27 years?). Their sound would go on to influence not only the Feelies, Yo La Tengo and indie-popsters like Saturday Looks Good to Me and Lewsberg, but also the multitudes of garage bands now treated with indifference like the Kent 3. Living up to the promise of new wave is what sets this group and record apart from so many others. Consequently, Who's Landing in My Hangar? will reveal itself to the listener in its own time-even if it takes 42 years.
Ron Metz (drums), Myrna Marcarian (keyboards) & Bob Pfifer (guitar)
