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Interviews > Chopper Interview |
(Done for this
website, February, 2001. All copyright laws apply.)
Chopper is the co-founder, with John Croslin, of WCI
Records and is the frontman for the band Kissinger.
John also produced their "Charm" cd. From the Kissinger
website:
An
Aries, Chopper wrote his first song in 1977 at the age
of five. He learned to play organ, trumpet, trombone and
piano before switching to the bass guitar at age 15. He
formed his first rock band at 16 and began playing jazz
professionally at 17. At 21 he took up drums, and recorded
two albums in Texas with local legends Cornhole. In 1994
he moved to DC to join Vertical Horizon as a bassist.
He toured and recorded with them for three years.
After
nearly 1000 shows, he left Vertical Horizon in 1997 and
moved to Austin, TX to write songs for Kissinger. After
one year of live shows and two years working days and
recording at night. Kissinger released their first album,
CHARM, in November, 2000. The album features 10 songs
and a video for "Rock n Roll Asshole."
1)
How did you and John Croslin meet/get in contact and what
led to him producing the Kissinger cd?
Chopper: We looked John up in the white
pages, and asked him to record three songs for a 7" single
that we self produced. The recording went so well that we
began talking about doing more work together. He was already
thinking of starting a label, and we seemed to fit what
he was looking for. After showing him the other material
that we had written, we decided to start recording a full-length.
We worked in the studio that he was then purchasing, working
when other acts cancelled, or when we could fit in some
spare hours. About two-thirds of the way through the project,
he sold the studio and moved to San Francisco. I flew out
there to finish tracking, and he mixed and mastered there.
The entire process took two and a half years. The label
is sort of in my hands now, in terms of promotion and whatnot.
John doesn't care to get involved in that too much. He focuses
on recording and producing, which is fine since he's such
a master at it. I don't care for the promotional work much
either, but it's a necessary evil. It's exciting in that
I can watch the momentum for the record building, but it's
demoralizing in that I spend 12 hours a day working on things
that aren't artistically interesting. I yearn for the opportunity
to pass this work on to others I trust so that I can go
back to spending 12 hours a day writing new material. As
it is, I have to do all my writing in my head while driving
around town, or walking to work. It's better than nothing,
but I can't wait to have my life back.
2) What kinds of music and/or what musicians would you like
to release on WCI in the future?
Chopper: There is a band called Girling that
features Andy Sharp. I play bass in the band (though not
on the recordings) and both John and I are in love with
the songs. They would be the next obvious choice, but we're
having to put all of our resources into the Kissinger record
at present. If the Kissinger record does well, and we're
able to recoup our losses, then the Girling record will
be next. Most of that material has been recorded and can
be downloaded at http://www.mp3.com/girling.
I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys great songwriting.
We aren't scouting for other acts right now, as all of our
energies are already overextended. But if I were to describe
what Girling and Kissinger have in common (besides ing roots)
I would say the ability to tell stories through songs. That's
what interested John in Kissinger, and that's what he helped
me to bring out in my own songwriting. It's also what he
and I both react to in Andy's songs (Girling).
3) What are your goals for the label?
Chopper: Our first goal is to break the Kissinger
record. We're very proud of the work we put into it (two
and a half years is a long time!) We feel that this record
can have a wonderful audience because the songs tell stories,
something that's become rare in pop music. Once we can break
one record, then that will pave the way for others, like
the Girling record, and future Kissinger records, if need
be.
4) I've seen it mentioned that Kissinger was signed to "Croslin's
own label, Irregardless Records". What's the story on Irregardless-
did WCI take its place or is it still in existence?
Chopper: Irregardless was the first name for
WCI Records. The word is quite hilarious in and of itself,
but it was too hard to make a logo, so we switched to WCI,
which instantly adapted itself to art.
5) What's the origin of "Kissinger" as the band name?
Chopper: The name Kissinger is part of the
word play that we like tinker with. It's a subliminal message
to our listeners to Kiss the Singer.
6) Were you familiar with the Reivers' music before working
with John Croslin?
Chopper: No. I had just moved to Austin, and
a friend recommended I get in touch with John once I had
some material I was ready to record. After I initially talked
to John on the phone I went out and bought a Reivers record,
and a Spoon record. Both of them blew me away, and I couldn't
wait to meet him. I was very intrigued by the name of his
band "The Reivers" and one of the first common intrests
we discovered was a mutual love for Faulkner and his writing.
7) What would be your top ten favorite
albums? Your "desert island discs"?
Chopper:
The Girling Record
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Archers of Loaf - Vee Vee
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Suger Sex Magic
The Police - Regatta de Blanc
Chomsky - A Few Possible Selections for the Soundrack of
your Life
Wynton Marsalis - Standards Vol. 2
Pavement - any record
Rod Stewart - Storyteller
AC/DC - Back in Black
(photos courtesy of Chopper, from the Kissinger
website)
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