Call in Artillery – This Is Temporary

By starrymag | November 7, 2017

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) My sound is synth-y pop rock with 90s alternative influences.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Green Day, Third Eye Blind, Gin Blossoms and (I hate to say it) but all that late 90s and early 2000s female pop rock and country…Michelle Branch, Liz Phair, Alanis Morissette and even Faith Hill and Shania Twain. Love me some of those vibes!

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “little things.”

A) I wanted to write a timeless song everyone could relate too, having a good one-night stand, but bring out the feelings behind it and what you go through letting someone go that you really clicked with. Basically, behind the scenes of what your friends and others phrase as “getting laid bro!” I spent a really long time trying to feel loved for a second, but never woke up feeling any better than I did before the night started. It’s those same little things we do over and over for instant gratification because we can’t let someone in to be there for the long run.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) Everyone these days wants to fall in love fast without letting themselves be vulnerable or letting their walls down. No one knows the real anybody anymore.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

A) The video right now is the cover art for the single. The model is my beautiful wife.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) I need a melodic rhythm and a good topic. Then, I write. It’s all poetry from there. Words are my real strength. After I get the song perfect with some guitar, I go into the studio with my team and we create.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) Ha! This is a juicy interview, I like it. I have an awesome team of guys. We all have our own part. I’m more of the “project manager” once I write the song. I bring the people together. I’m in everyone’s ear. I run the show, but I need everyone at their highest level of creativity. I guide. I’m a multi-instrumentalist for almost twenty years (starting at eight years old). I can play the heck out of a guitar, piano, synthesizer, MPC and I even scratch some records from time to time. I know exactly what I want, but it’s my team’s creativity that makes Call in Artillery. My producer, Jon Heisserer, makes it all work at the end of the day. Big props to him! He is the tightest guitarist I’ve ever met. He also sings back-up and harmonies and, boy, can he write and sing a good harmony and just sing in general! We connect very well musically and as friends. Kyle Mueller can listen to a barebones song and write drums for a giant production. Nick Watland is such a talented programmer that he instantly hears ideas we would have never thought of to add energy to the production and take the song in his own creative direction with synths, drum loops and other effects. Kai Jokiaho will replay and reengineer the exact drum tracks with drum tones and grooves he feels add character. Then, Jon and I will go back in and ice the cake. Nori Sakamoto is a godly mix/mastering engineer with a very seasoned set of ears. He brings out the best elements in the mix taking the song to another level of sonic cohesion.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Call In Artillery performance?

A) Pure energy

 

Q) What songs off your debut album This Is Temporary do you really enjoy performing live?

A) “BlackOut.” I think when I preform live, I portray the song’s meaning better than I do on the recording.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to This is Temporary as a whole?

A) Time heals all.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) My favorite place to play is The Heavy Anchor, an Indie Rock venue/bar in South City, Saint Louis. It’s ran by a young husband and wife that dig punk rock, craft beer and good times. It’s where my wife and I had our first date.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Jack Daley for sure. He really knows how to lay down some bass for a hit song.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) Ramshackle Glory – Live the Dream. In my opinion, Pat the Bunny really showed he could write pop music while still screaming at you so poetically about how you don’t get it.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s not. Social media is dead. Everyone and their mother has thousands of followers, likes, shares and comments. And they smash that LIKE button just as fast as others do on their page. After 10+ years of that promo dance, everyone’s numbers are so big they have become obsolete and now just play into the game (for whoever still thinks a big number next your page makes you creditable) of who’s got a bigger penis. I don’t believe posting music on social media draws people’s attention anymore.  Likes, comments, views, etc. do not equate success or even the bottom line – money. At least like they used to. Social media is flooded. It’s hit a wall. Promotions can’t go any further on it. It’s become a show off game with no real benefit. Everyone’s trying to be a “Social Artist” – a term once known as “MySpace Famous.” No matter what you call it or how you go about promoting on your socials, it’s really just the same as what artist were doing back then that killed that site. Honestly, the whole era is over. Those who gain interest in you most likely stumbled upon you through blogs, websites, internet radio, Spotify playlist, etc. Then, those fans google you for updates. They might throw you a LIKE on Twitter or Facebook, but they most likely will never visit your page or keep up with it. They’re going to go back to the streaming services to listen, but social media is not going to help you gain new fans or even keep old ones. Bottom line is social media has come to a point where it’s like hundreds of thousands of folks in a giant room all yelling out how cool they are and no one in there is listening or paying attention to anybody but themselves. Press, website traffic, monthly blog subscribers and having great SEO are the new “platforms” because that is the new way people actively and consciously seek out and receive information they might be interested in.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I’m also a working ASCAP songwriter teaming with other artists.

 

 

ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY LEAD SINGER CHRIS SCHWAN

 

 

Watch the video for “little things”

 

https://youtu.be/b85mDn4LLDc