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When it comes to Americana and folk rock, Farewell Milwaukee is a breathe of fresh air. With smooth flowing harmonies and a steady groove, this Minneapolis based band has been hard at work. GroundSounds recently caught up with the guys to talk about current projects and future goals, check out the exclusive interview below.
For those just discovering Farewell Milwaukee, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how the band came together?
Aaron Markson: – It started with a genuine love of music and a desire to figure out how to go from being on the consumer side of music to the journey of creating, recording, and performing music of our own. Ben and I (Aaron) met in College and Brad, Adam and I (Aaron) have a connection through a summer camp we worked at at different times while in college. The four of us started the process of making music together and eventually formed Farewell Milwaukee in 2008 along with a 5th member that was with us for our first two records. There were several times that it would have been easy to quit for various reasons, but we just can’t. There is something that compels us beyond any conventional wisdom to continue on the path of making music for ourselves and others.
We met both Dave and Joey through the local Twin Cities music scene. Dave started playing shows with us off and on after playing guitar on a couple songs off of our second album “When It Sinks In”. His influence and perspective really added some unknown missing components to the bands overall sound, so it was only natural to add him to the lineup full time. Joey is a songwriter and musician who fronts a band called “Joey Ryan & the Inks”, whom Farewell Milwaukee has shared the stage with several times. When it came to recording Can’t Please, You, Can’t Please Me, we knew we wanted a dedicated bass player to help create and record these songs. Not only did this free up Dave and Adam, who were sharing the bass responsibilities along with their other instruments, to focus on Pedal Steel, Guitar and Keys, but it also allowed for a 6th voice in the creative process of writing and arranging the songs that make up this album. We asked Joey to be that voice, and it paid off in spades. His songwriting background and strong vocal ability helped bring these songs together, and after pre-production in Minneapolis and 10 days of recording in Omaha with the current lineup, it was obvious that Farewell Milwaukee has never been stronger.
Can you tell us a little bit about the Cities Sampler 25? What is it exactly and how does it make you feel to be apart of this project?
Ben Lubeck: The Cities 97 Sampler is a series of albums containing “live in studio” recordings from radio station Cities 97. It has been released annually since 1989, and new volumes appear in November at local Target stores, with proceeds benefiting various charitable organizations. The CD usually generates over $500,000 every year for Minnesota charities. In the last several years, the recordings have sold quickly, disappearing within minutes in many stores. We’ve been honored to have been on the album twice in that last 3 years. It’s a huge deal to us, and we’re thrilled to have a track form CPYCPM on it this year. It’s a twin cites stable and it’s a thrill to be part of the tradition.
What was it like working on your latest album Can’t Please You, Can’t Please Me?
Ben Lubeck: We recorded this record in Omaha Nebraska last December. We wanted to track everything live, and discovered this particular studio through our producer Brad Bivens. We wanted a large open space where we could track live and feel comfortable being ourselves. There was a house next to the studio that we all stayed in which worked out perfectly. We didn’t need to commute or arrange lodging which actually helped the creative process a great deal. We basically lived and worked side by side for ten days, so each morning we’d be discussing the tracks we were going to focus on that day at the breakfast table, and constantly bouncing new ideas off of each other. There were many beautiful moments on CPY CPM that only happened because we were all present, and together throughout the process. There were little to no distractions…we focused entirely on the process and wound down our evenings with Duck Dynasty, cranberry vodkas.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and creative process behind the track and video for ‘True Love Don’t Leave Scars!’.
Ben Lubeck: True Love Don’t Leave Scars’ challenges an entitled love, a birthright presumption. A hand me down love that isn’t questioned or evaluated because doing so would hurt, revisiting old wounds. It’s a personal song that I wrote while contemplating a relationship that I’m currently taking a step back from. Regarding the recording process…It was one of the more memorable moments that I have of tracking CPYCPM. It was actually the last full band song that we tracked, our last day in the studio, and there was a blizzard hitting Minneapolis and half the band was scheduled to get back that night. So we were really under the gun to finish the track…but looking down at your watch while recording is never a great way to get an inspired final take. Everything was feeling forced and uninspired as we laid down take after take…so despite the time crunch we all took a break. It was becoming a drag because this was one of the tracks we were most excited to record and the nerves were piling up as the guys were dreading the snowy drive. After taking a step away we all went back in the studio and played the track two more times…and on the second we knew we had nailed it. It was the “one”, it really “had it.” Once Danger Dave played his solo at the end of the song and the tracking was over…we all starting cheering. Adam got up from the hammond and ran over to Danger and gave him a huge hug which I’m sure made Dave feel incredibly uncomfortable. Then Aaron and I ran over to Dave and took our shirts off and threw them in the air in celebration. It was a great moment and it was a fun way to finish the record.
The video was shot by Daniel Cummings. It was actually our first video we’ve ever shot as a full band. We recorded it at the site of a haunted hayride in Wyoming, MN. It was a great summer day and there was a great vibe amongst the band and crew. It was a super laid back Sunday afternoon in which the cervezas were flowing and we shot a video. It was a great time.
What is one thing that everyone should do or see in Minnesota?
Dave Strahan: Wait until a snowstom hits, then bundle up and walk to your favorite coffee shop, bar, pizzeria or whatever. Try to get a window seat and just let the snow fly.
What music are you guys currently listening to?
Joey Ryan: Between the 6 of us we have a really big and diverse musical catalog. So, on road trips we play a game where we create a playlist on one of our ipods where everyone picks one song and passes it around until we’ve assembled an hour or two of music . It has been a nice way to share old influences and new discoveries between ourselves – not to mention pass the time. Just a few bands that have made full play appearances in the van as of late are: Jason Isbell, Frankie Lee, Big Lake, Dr. Dog & Zeus
What can you reveal about your ‘Actual Glasses Series’?
Aaron Markson: It really started with a series called “Chris Koza Yells”. In this series, we took a photo of fellow MN musician Chris Koza and had him yelling at various people and objects. The photo was taken at a Children’s Hospital benefit show while many of us MN musicians were joining Gabriel Douglas (of 4 on the Floor) on stage to sing “whooo” in the chorus of his song. (think Rick Flair) It was a fun way for us to engage with fans and friends and maybe even bring awareness to the vast talent that resides in this part of the country. That series got the wheels turning for more fun photoshop series like “Twitty Through Time” and led to our current series called “Actual Glasses”. There’s another MN native musician who goes by the name Actual Wolf and in addition to the fantastic music he makes, he’s known for wearing these red rimmed glasses with rose colored lenses. So we thought we’d see what it would look like if others were to adorn the signature red glasses of Actual Wolf.
When you guys aren’t working on music what do you like to do in your free time?
Dave Strahan: We all spend a lot of time massaging and holding our day jobs together. Likely, we all spend time wishing this wasn’t necessary. In terms of hobbies, you might find us catching live music, drinking beer, brewing beer, playing frisbee golf or basketball, and making guitar amps or instruments out of origami paper.
What are you guys currently working on? What’s next?
Adam Lamoureux: Well the biggest thing is making sure as many people hear this new record as possible. We’re working on expanding our reach here in the Midwest, getting to as many cities as possible without stressing out our wives or bosses. There are so many parts of the country we’d like to get to (And we will! We swear!), it’s just a matter of time.
We’ve also been putting together some music videos to accompany the songs from the new album, and we’ll be releasing them in the months to come as well. We’re pretty pumped about all of them, but stay tuned for the video from Dan Cummings for “Can’t Please You, Can’t Please Me”. It was a lot of fun to make, and I think you’ll see that in the final product.
