TLOBF Interview :: Rogue Wave

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Zach Rogue. Photograph by Gregory Franklin.

Not knowing quite what to expect, TLOBF met with the band that the word ‘unfortunate’ doesn’t quite do justice to describe. For Rogue Wave (Zach Rogue, Pat Spurgeon, Gram LeBron, Patrick Abernathy and new man Dominic East) the idea of playing London’s Scala, alongside Nada Surf, must have seemed somewhat of a distant, if not, irrelevant dream not so long ago.

The last few years would have individually, dismantled each section of any other band (Zach had back surgery, their drummer had a kidney transplant, the guitarist had a bereavement in the family, their ex-bassist died in a house fire and their record deal with Sub Pop came to an end) but for Rogue Wave, they live up to their name and just keep coming back to shore. The band is back up and flying with their new album Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, soon to be released in the UK. But how? It was time for TLOBF to delve a little deeper and take off our hats to such a miraculous comeback.

How did the tour start with Nada Surf in Paris last night?
It went well. We have toured with them in the States before so it‘s cool. The Paris crowd may not have known us too well but were more than courteous. We played in Paris once before, but I think were pretty unknown over there.

Are you looking foreword to storming England?
We have only played London twice, at Barfly. We had to cancel two previous European tours for health reasons; with my back surgery and Pat being on Dialysis (now fully recovered). As for seeing it, so far we saw about a block of Kings Cross but not much of what it’s known for.

A lot of the stories that revolve around the band focus on the troubles that the band have had and they seem to have been trodden on over and over again. Do you find it tough reading and have you ever just wanted to just say; enough is enough?
The press love their drama! I tend not to read the articles on us these days. In the past year it came down to looking at it as survival. I thought that we may stop playing with all the things going on, but once Pat (Spurgeon) had his kidney transplant and came off the Dialysis, we figured that it was a better time as any to forge ahead and try new things. It was an opportunity to make a new record that was more interesting than the other ones. It was kind of like a relationship, when you feel like it’s on the brink of ending, if it’s saved you feel rejuvenated and ready to start over again.

Are you feeling like what is done is done and your moving on from the past?
I think the whole process of art is trying to forget about the things you’ve done and always looking to the next thing. Which is why it’s kind of the frustration of tour as your always playing things you’ve rehearsed and already done so your playing songs that are old, not something you came up with that day.

The new album is called ‘Asleep at Heaven’s Gate’: Inspired by the obvious, or something less personal?
I knew what the title of the next album was going to be just after we finished recording the last one (Descended Like Vultures). With certain things I know what I want them to be and it’s amazing how all of are lives have then fitted into it. There’s many different meanings you can get from it; funny or not so funny, very silly or dead serious, both positive and negative. I like to leave it open, nothing can beat your imagination, nothing I could say would be that interesting compared to it.

Did it allow you to express yourself, hence the title of the first track (Cheaper than Therapy)?
It gave us a freedom, freedom to try anything. We’ve tried to do that on the new record.

So with your freedom in creating the album, are any particular songs dedicated to well known events?
Well it’s not so much songs I think, but different themes and markers run through the album. What we tried to do is have certain melodic lines or melodies that consistently wave in and out of the tracks so it’s not so much a block of songs, but ideas that surface throughout. There’s certainly themes based on inertia, time, death and the afterlife. I think that when you see the end of life (Lebron’s father) and the beginning of life (the birth of Zach’s child) so close together, you see the life cycle as so much deeper and dramatic.

Scala, London. Photograph by Matthew Silver.

With the release of the album in May (in the UK) is your excitement building up or is it just another record?
Yeah, I feel like were a new band all over again, I think we have a lot more to offer, there’s so much energy, we’re better live and it’s much more of a show. It was good that we were patient and didn’t rush it. I’m really happy with it, I feel we didn’t make any compromises on it, we could have had it shorter, but it’s what we wanted to do and we trusted ourselves.

The new album gives a bit more range in it’s sound and instruments compared to a lot of bands in your genre…
Well we wanted to expand so we brought in Dominic (East) as a fifth person so as to make the sound a little fuller, it better suiting the live events at bigger venues too.

So now the band is getting bigger and bigger, what would be the venue to conquer?
We have played every small club known to man in the US over the past four years, but recently we played a place with around 1500 people in Portland, Oregon. The sound with Dominic added on was much better, but I’m not sure were quite the band for 20,000 people though.

Are you a studio or venue man?
I like the studio, it’s anything goes.

Like what?
(Just laughter and a deflecting dip of the head). No, some places and cities in America I like, but you just don’t sleep or see much, it’s just go, go, go! It can be pretty lonesome too.

Has the parent ‘sinking of the heart’ from missing your little one kicked in then?
Well as my baby isn’t travelling with us in Europe it kinda sucks, it’s only been two days!

So you’re signed up with Brushfire Records in the US and Island Records over here (UK). How is the new label treating you? You’re one of three artists, any collaborations lined up?
We had a two album deal with Sub Pop and we finished it so were free to explore. It made sense to go with Brushfire; total economy, great distribution. Jack’s (Johnson) a good friend of mine and has been for a long time and also the other owners of it and that’s how we got to know the label I suppose, it’s kinda nice. But I’ve yet to meet Matt Costa. You always know their being straight with you and you can trust them, Brushfire also let you do things your own way, which doesn’t happen often. There a more modern approach to profits and supporting bands for longer, the labels more progressive and socially conscientious and these factors drew me to it. Any good news on the way? I know that Brushfire have some new blood coming in but I’m not at liberty to say who… it’s not public knowledge.

With comparisons to other bands (e.g. The Shins) constantly being used do you get frustrated with trying to find your own sound?
If it’s used in a derisive way then it bothers me, if they say were just copying other bands then that’s something I don’t care to hear. All bands come from other bands, bands that they’re drawn to. I think it’s popular in journalism today to compare bands to the most similar sounding big indie band, for example; their lyrics are kind of literary – they must sound like The Decemberists, who I do happen to think are a great band, maybe there’s a little similarity. No I think it’s just lazy, I stopped reading press about myself along time ago.

Links
Rogue Wave [myspace] [live review]