Rowdy shows at the Fox Theatre, tours throughout the United States and recording albums are what aspiring musicians dream of. Jet Edison and Springdale Quartet did just that. Both bands soaked in these opportunities as Boulder mainstays in the early years of the 2010’s. Coming up together at the same time and solidifying themselves as two of Boulder’s premier college rock bands certainly had its perks. Each outfit had the good fortune of building a loyal fanbase in Colorado, touring the country and recording albums with some of the best in the business. Jet Edison released their debut album, Adopt a Highway in 2010 and Springdale Quartet debuted NoiseFactory in 2011 followed by their sophomore album Heist, a record produced by Soulive’s Alan Evans.
“Everything was done organically,” explained keyboardist Phil Johnson of Jet Edison in a recent interview with Listen Up Denver!, “we got to learn a lot of about writing, touring, and recording by just doing it ourselves.” Riding around the country in a van that ran on vegetable oil and playing festivals and shows with Midwest jambands like UV Hippo and The Werks sounds like a college-hippie utopia. But the college high inevitably comes to an end. As soon as students don their graduation gowns and walk across the stage, the rock n’ roll lifestyle gets tested. “I think that half of Jet Edison got the thrill of touring and recording out of their system and were ready to move on,” recalls Johnson. “I had to make a conscious decision that I wanted to make playing music my profession.” Ben Waligoske of Springdale Quartet echoed a similar sentiment. “While Springdale Quartet is far from finished, life has caused us to slow down a bit. People get married, have kids and priorities shift.”
With Springdale Quartet slowing down and Jet Edison formally calling it quits in February 2014, the members of Springdale and Jet Edison were looking forward to some down time. “I don’t think it was even 48 hours after our last show that Jonah Wisneski comes calling,” recalled Johnson. Guitarist Jonah Wisneski of Denver-based The Whales had gone through the dissolution of his former project and was biding his time picking up gigs around Denver and playing with Andy Palmer and Grub Street Writer. But Jonah was itching to get started on his next musical venture. “I was sick and tired of waiting around for something to come my way. I saw the opportunity and called those guys up,” Wisneski remembered. “I knew Ben as well as Phil and Alex from Jet Edison and was eager to play with them. I knew we had the same taste in music and serious commitment to playing professionally.” Wisneski summoned Ben Waligoske (guitar), Phil Johnson (keys), Logan Muckler (bass) and Alex Johnson (drums) in for a recording session. The idea was to go into the studio and lay down a few tracks that Wisneski had written. Anything beyond that was off-limits.
Initially, “band” was a four-letter word. “Phil came in with a list of things he did NOT want to do,” laughed Wisneski. On that list was the rule that there would be no talk of touring and no scheduling of shows and discussion of the project with friends, family or girlfriends. This recording session was to be top-secret.
The five headed to the foothills and into Brad Smalling’s Evergroove Studios to start recording. “I had worked with Brad before on Springdale’s Heist and loved the space and the way he worked,” recalled Waligoske. Wisneski echoed Waligoske adding that “Evergroove Studios was the perfect place to disconnect. Our phones didn’t get reception up there and we could really focus on writing and recording together.” Joined by their collective love of recent releases from the likes of Wilco and My Morning Jacket, the sonic weirdness that fills those records was something that the group was dying to explore. “Jonah and I were drawn to the soundscapes created on many of our favorite records and we wanted to try and capture some of that in the studio,” said Waligoske. “Phil is also a huge fan of George Martin and the production mastery he brought to The Beatles’ records.” Wisneski credits much of the production to the time that they spend in pre-production with the vision of the records’ sound in mind.
Inevitably, word started to leak out that something was happening. All the time spent at Evergroove Studios was becoming noticeable. Soon friends and family got wind that everyone was working on something. The group held true to their rule of not talking about the record and the moniker of Secret Band started to make it’s way around the Denver and Boulder music scenes. “All I could say was ‘what we are doing is nothing like any of us have done before,’” smirked Waligoske. “Staying mum on what we were doing started to become promotion in itself. Everyone started to get really curious about it.”
After ten weeks in the studio, a collection of songs started to formulate themselves into a full-fledged record entitled Weather Patterns. What can be heard is a mature record that has a magically full sound. The record is a collective step forward for all involved. While each previous project had gotten the chance to put out a record, this record has much more impressive production than all previous efforts. One quintessential example is seen on the opening tracks of “Visuals” with a seamless transition into “Sandfly.” Both have all the qualities of great songs with intelligent songwriting and catchy hooks but it is what is going on in the background that is truly ear-catching. “Visuals” is textured with mellotron, Moog bass synth and a haunting pedal steel which resonates throughout the song as well as the rest of the record. “We experimented with so many effects and noises to really texture the record,” explained Wisneski. “We would take a song and think ‘An organ would usually go here, let’s use something else.’ It was a conscious effort to make Weather Patterns sound unique.”
The title track to Weather Patterns gives the listener an idea of the production work that went into the record. The track is not so much an instrumental song as it serves as a spacey transition between the folk-rocker of Waligoske’s “Morning Song (Home)” and the straight ahead country ballad of “Forgive Me.” “Weather Patterns” is at the heart of what the group was trying to explore sonically during the recording process.
The album is rounded out by Wisneski’s Fender Rhodes-driven rocker, “Save it for Tomorrow.” A testament to Wisneski’s ability to write heartfelt lyrics over a straight-ahead chord progression that culminates in the hard-driven chorus of the song. “The Wayfarer” is another Wisneski number that holds true to his songwriting prowess with one of the catchiest choruses on the record and the uplifting message of “seeking brighter days in a golden age.” The final track is Ben Waligoske’s “Your Only Worth What You Love;” a soulful, acoustic landing after a sonic exploration to other worlds and back.
As word started to spread and the record began to come together, the next logical step was to book just one show, no more. That show was booked for Thursday, May 12th at Lost Lake Lounge in Denver. “We really wanted to put all of our focus on the CD release show and not have to worry about trying to book any shows after that,” Johnson explained. The group that went from not being able to utter the b-word, to Secret Band, needed come to terms that they were indeed a band that was going to put on a show and needed a name. After toying with a smorgasbord of names, as most bands do, they finally looked at the record that they had just made to find inspiration and landed on Other Worlds. “Ben came up with that one,” recalled Wisneski, “It’s a reference from a sci-fi / western novel from the 80’s. We thought that is summed up the sound of the band.”
The CD Release party at Lost Lake on May 12th will be the first time anyone has heard a note from the former Secret Band. Excitement and curiosity remain high as friends and fans of each member’s former project are eager to hear what has come together in the last ten months. “We wanted to do this right,” insisted Waligoske. “This is our record, we have all worked extremely hard on making it the best it can be and we are finally ready for others to hear it. We can’t wait.”
OTHER WORLDS
Lost Lake Lounge
Thurdsay, May 12th
Tickets: $10 ADV | $12 DoS
PURCHASE HERE
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