By Chris Heide
Pickwick is a band with a second chance. In breaking genres and decimating musical styles, Pickwick is quickly becoming one of Seattle’s most promising bands. Through a blending of collaborative writing and experiments with new sounds, Pickwick consistently pushes the limits of self-identity and musical progression. For any follower of Seattle’s independent music scene, Pickwick is certainly a band to watch.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of discussing the origins and sounds of Pickwick with guitarist Michael Parker and lead singer Galen Disston. During our quintessential chat over coffee, Parker and Disston at length discussed the origins and sounds of their beloved group.
A few years ago, Galen Disston followed his girlfriend from California and began writing folk songs on his acoustic guitar. After meeting Colorado import Matt Emmett at a local concert the two men formed a group with Disston on guitar and Emmett on drums. Over time Pickwick grew to become a five-man band, featuring Galen Disston (lead vocalist), Matthew Emmett (drums, background vocals), Cassady Lillstrom (keys, background vocals), Garrett Parker (bass) and Michael Parker (guitar, background vocals).
In its origin, Disston wrote all of the songs himself and was artistically caught up in creating an “ambient folk” sound. For whatever reason, Disston and his fellow band members found this to be a somewhat creatively stifling genre. Through a combination of musical experimentation and a focus on collaborative writing a decision was made to streamline their sound and ultimately lead to the current rebirth of Pickwick.
Through the shedding of their older sound, Pickwick decided to focus on minimalism. Giving each band member more defined roles and the decision to eliminate the use of superfluous instruments allowed Pickwick to create their current, unique and brilliantly stylized sound .
Citing artists such as Sam Cook, Otis Redding, Spoon, The Walkmen and Cold War Kids as influences, Pickwick decided to focus on an “indie rock/R&B fusion type of sound” that would better utilize the power of Disston’s vocals and the band’s rhythm section.
Rebooting themselves into a more mainstream sound, without compromising their uniqueness, has allowed Pickwick to define their voice. In doing so, Pickwick has been able to establish some traction and they have gained crucially positive critical praise. It seems that in today’s entertainment market, a reboot rarely fails to impress. However, despite the risky proposition the possibility of a new creative frontier excited the band.
According to Parker, the risk of writing in a foreign genre was worth taking; “I read once that Beck loves to write in genres where he is not competent and feels out of his comfort zone. It is in the unknown that sometimes you can find the most creative and exciting work. I think that by changing our sound as much as we did we were thinking along those lines. By just going for it in the way that we did I feel like the energy surrounding the risk made it possible for a lot of exciting things to happen creatively. In many ways I think we’re still riding that wave.”
According to Disston, this calculated risk of transition to a new genre worked for Pickwick. “This way everyone collaborates, but in their own unique way. It is a lot more genuine and better reflects who we are as people and as friends.”
I asked both Parker and Disston to describe one of their favorite moments during their time in Pickwick.
According to Galen, “The first time that we were able to play a full set list of our new sound- that was special. Feeling the audiences reactions, seeing how engaged they were in the whole set- that never happened before. It was then that I knew we had made the right decision.”
“Our musical style is now more inclusive. If we are doing our job right, people should be physically moved by our music. It’s an awesome thing to see when the whole audience is incapable of standing still. When there is lots of movement and jumping around, well, it’s easier to be less self-aware. It’s really an asset. Our new sound makes it easier to be ourselves and to just let go,” added Parker.
Both Parker and Disston make it clear that Pickwick is more than a band- it’s their family. Because of this, as with any family, the journey of Pickwick has not always been easy. Parker asserts that it was very disheartening at times to play shows to small, disconnected audiences. Despite this, Parker never faltered in his dedication to Pickwick or to music itself.
“Even if I don’t end up playing music for a living, I still have to play. It’s the only way I can be true to myself. I feel like everyone has those things in life that define them. Music is one of them for me,” asserts Parker.
Pickwick’s debut record was a truly symbolic of the band’s desire to do things on their own terms. Instead of releasing their entire album at once, they have focused on releasing one single at a time and spreading out the release of the course of serial months. At every Seattle based show they headline, Pickwick will release a new single. Interestingly enough, the singles will be released on vinyl with a code for a free digital copy of the album.
“We love the sound of vinyl. 45’s produce such a rich, fuller sound that you can’t necessarily get on a digital copy. It gives the music more life,” says Disston.
Nodding in agreement, Parker adds “This is such a unique tool for us to keep people interested as well. It allows us to do things at our own pace. We can release the music we want to put out when we want and how we want without having to compromise anything. Plus, records are a just cooler than CDs anyways.”
Coolness factor aside, this brilliant marketing campaign is a surefire way to keep people interested and to amplify awareness of the shows.
Through its hard work, Pickwick has gained quite the following in the Seattle music market. Their sharp image, meaningful lyrical content and pure love of the craft have kept pushing Pickwick closer and closer to the notoriety they deserve. In fact, they already have a Grammy nominated music engineer, Kory Kruckenberg, working with them on their upcoming material. After initially being attracted to Pickwick’s sound, Kruckenberg has now become the band’s main producer. Because of their relationship with Kruckenberg, Pickwick feels that their upcoming singles will be better at “hitting the mark.”
“Being in the studio can be an extremely stressful experience. Working with someone whom you trust, such as Kory, makes the whole experience productive and enjoyable. It’s so important to feel comfortable with your producers and engineers. They are really the guys that can help take your sound to the next level,” explains Parker.
“When playing our music, we, as a band, feel totally connected to each other. We can palpably feel that connection. This venue allows the audience to connect with us on that same level and actually be a part of the music,” explains Parker.
Sounds a bit like a musical orgy, no? Whatever the case, through its influenced by grandiose concepts, Pickwick plans on continuing to push boundaries and to continually evolve as they see fit.
For more info about the band, please visit their fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pickwickmusic