Joe Wong – Nite Creatures

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

Q) I noticed that while listening to the currently released singles on Nite Creatures, there is a lot of instrumentation reminiscent of bands like The Beatles or The Beach Boys during their experimental period. Who would you consider some of your greatest musical influences for this album?

A) Partially because I work with orchestras when I compose for film and TV, I was hearing strings and horns when writing the album. Some of the artists I was listening to when recording the album include: Love, The Walker Brothers, Fairport Convention and The Zombies.

Q) Tell me the story behind your latest single “Day After Day.”

A) I often wonder how much agency (if any) we have over our lives. The song was written after I read an article that posited that experiential trauma alters our genes and is passed down from generation to generation.

Q) Which song would you consider your favorite to record for Nite Creatures?

A) “Dreams Wash Away” was the final song we recorded for the album. By that time, I’d largely gotten beyond my crippling self-doubt; and the momentum of the album was carrying us forward. Mary Timony and I recorded the basic tracks at Gatos Trail near Joshua Tree and afterward we drove to Palm Springs where I recorded a live episode of my podcast with The Zombies. As we were driving to Palm Springs, I started to hear the vocal melody for the verses, which was the final piece to the song.

Q) Nite Creatures is set to be released this year through Decca Records. How did you come to sign on with them for this album?

A) Decca has released records by many of my favorite artists–The Zombies, Marianne Faithful, T2, Giles & Fripp, The Who, etc., but I never even considered that signing to the label would be a possibility. I was introduced to Holly Adams, my A&R rep, with the intention of potentially working with the label to release some soundtracks, but she heard some rough mixes of my album and thought it could make a good addition to the catalog.

Q) Utilizing this much orchestration for your music, what would you consider the best go-to instruments for your music?

A) I tend to write the songs with just bass and voice, the idea being that if they work with such minimal instrumentation that they will work with larger scale orchestration. When writing, I was aiming for short, tight pop songs with big arrangements.

Q) For the upcoming album, is there potential for a tour or possible virtual concert in the future?

A) We’re planning a tour for next year! It’s important to me that we can play the songs with the same arrangements that we used on the album, which means there are twenty people on stage. The live band includes Mary Timony, Mary Lattimore, Matt Cameron, Crisanta Baker, Chad Molter–all artists whose music has meant a lot to me over the years.

Q) You created the podcast “The Trap Set” back in 2015. What inspired you to start the podcast?

A) I was on tour with Marnie Stern and listening to lots of podcasts in transit from place to place. At the end of tour, we were invited to go back stage for a taping of “SNL.” It happened that Brendan Canty was also back stage and I ended up spending the night talking with him. I’ve always been impressed by his ability to balance an active, diverse creative life with raising a family. I was going through some difficulty at the time and he gave me lots of great life advice. It occurred to me that our conversation could make a great podcast, so the next time he was in Los Angeles we recorded Episode One.

Q) To date, what has been one of your favorite episodes to record?

A) More than any single episode, I’ve enjoyed the practice of having substantial conversations – often with artists I greatly admire – every week. I’m a naturally social creature and it seems like technology often serves as an unwanted mediator in modern interactions. It’s been incredibly inspiring and life-affirming to have the privilege of regularly sitting face to face with another human and asking about his/her life.

Q) Is there anyone that you would consider your dream guest to have on “The Trap Set?”

A) I’ve had many of my dream guests already, but the current “white whale” is Kate Bush.

Q) Who are you currently listening to?

A) I’m currently obsessed with T2’s incredible 1970 Decca album It’ll All Work Out in Boomland.

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

A) Thank you!