By Deborah J. Draisin
We've been following the travails and triumphs
of Fairmont for close to ten years now here
at Jersey Beat, checking in from time to time
with lead singer/founder Neil Sabatino to
see what's new. To help celebrate the release
of the band's fifth full-length CD, Transcendence,
Deb Draisin chatted with the current lineup
to fill in some of the blanks on the group's
long and convoluted history, and take the
pulse of these persevering indie-pop perfectionists.
- Editor
Today, Fairmont is Neil Sabatino (formerly
of Stick Figure Suicide and Pencey Prep) on
guitar and vocals, Andy Applegate on drums
and percussion, Christian Kisala (formerly
of The Finals) on pianet, synths and percussion,
Clancy Flynn (a cellist and violinist who
recently recorded with Ours) on violin, background
vocals and percussion, and Sam Corradori on
backup vocals.
Q: Neil, as the one original member
of Fairmont, can you tell me how you see the
band having evolved over the last, wow, close
to a decade now?
Neil: I think the band overall has evolved
with the times, going from being part of the
whole solo acoustic scene which was popular
back in 2001 because of Dashboard Confessional
all the way through its current lineup today
which is kind of like The Mates Of State but
with guitar, a little bit of punk and a little
bit classic rock thrown in.
When I first started this band, I just wanted
to keep going and going - writing record after
record that explored various genres and themes
lyrically, and I think I have achieved that.
In the beginning, it was more trial by error
that lead to the discovery of what I wanted
Fairmont to be about. When I say this, I am
referring to how Fairmont started as a solo
acoustic project - and I so desperately wanted
it to be my former band Pencey Prep, I built
the band up to being a 5-piece with 2 guitars,
keyboards, bass, drums, vocals and a screamer.
That lineup lasted very briefly, and although
seemed to be well-liked by fans, I had felt
in a way that I was being fake and trying
to write heavy music just to fit in with the
rest of the New Jersey scene of the time.
It was the night before “Anomie”
was to be recorded that an entire lineup quit
on me, all except the keyboard player. This
was pretty traumatic for me, and was the first
step towards Fairmont getting back on track.
I kind of said “Fuck it, I'm going to
do mellow music that has a pop element because
that is what I enjoy playing and that is what
I sound best singing and playing.” The
lineup that we had had for a good 2 to 3 years
that played the songs of “Anomie”
and “Hell is Other People” was
exactly the type of indy pop I had always
wanted to do but just needed the time as a
songwriter to develop to that stage of writing.
I feel that “Hell is Other People”
contained some very good material, although
the band was not particularly happy with that
record. The live material from that era is
some of Fairmont's best stuff. Later when
a key member, Kevin Metz, left, I felt it
handicapped us for a long time. With him leaving
we lost two elements - which were the second
guitar and backing vocals. I believe that
is why “Wait & Hope” took
such a dark turn in writing style. The record
was heavily influenced by John McGuire, our
bassist at the time, who loved bands like
The Replacements and Husker Du, and I feel
like “Wait & Hope” had a very
early 80's punk feel to some of the songs
that probably would have been a lot more pop
had McGuire not been part of the record.
Looking back, this period of Fairmont I think
is when we also tried really hard to up our
game as a live band. I took months of vocal
lessons, Andy learned to play to a click track
and we listened really hard to criticism given
to us about songwriting and structure from
our musician friends/producers Tom Martin,
AJ Tobey, George Collazo and Matt Pelissier.
It was late in 2007 that yet again we were
going through a major lineup change and had
to think of where we wanted to take the band
next. John McGuire had decided to leave the
band, and we weren't sure exactly what to
do at that point. There was always the option
to try going at it as a two-piece with just
Andy and myself, however, having just coming
off finishing “Wait & Hope”
- which I viewed as a very minimal album -
I felt I didn't want to continue doing a super
stripped-down Fairmont. We had few options
and just started placing ads everywhere and
asking everyone we knew if they knew a bass
player or keyboard player that could play
bass on the keys. Luckily, I had been constantly
bothering Christian Kisala of The Finals to
join my band for almost 2 years and this time
when I asked instead of a NO I got a maybe.
So we went from there. We knew it was going
to be really weird to change all the songs
up now that instead of bass we had keys playing
bass as well as other melodies.
All the while, I was writing feverishly for
“Transcendence,” and for some
reason decided to write call and response
girl parts in most of the songs. I had always
wanted to have a female counterpart in the
band doing vocals up against mine sort of
in a Mates of State way, and I think after
hearing how well it worked on “Wait
& Hope” with Teeter Sperber, and
how much fun I had singing on her project
Ladybirds, I knew it was something worth trying.
We did the record with Teeter and another
friend of ours, Suzie Zeldin, contributing
girl parts on nearly every song and I absolutely
loved the dynamic of it. Live we knew this
was something we had to have.
We had always thought about asking Sam Carradori
to join our band but weren't sure if she would
even be interested. Sam was 16 when we met
her and she had sung on the “Anomie”
and “Hell is Other People” albums,
but she was too young at the time to come
to practices every week and get to shows unless
we wanted to pick her up constantly. We thought
of approaching her again when we saw that
she had taken an ad out on Craigslist looking
for a band. We had no idea what to expect;
she had sung with us maybe two times live,
and on our records over four years ago, but
what we would now be asking of her was to
sing something on every song and really inject
herself into Fairmont's sound. We were very
happily surprised with how well she sang harmonies
and was able to project and sing like she
had been in a band for years.
We first asked Clancy Flynn to join as a violinist
for the summer of 08 because she had played
on “Transcendence.” The summer
schedule was going to be about 40 shows and
it was just a coincidence that she was able
to do all the backing vocals that were on
the record. Clancy joined us for Fairmont's
headlining dates and for the Keith Caputo
tour in August. She was leaving for school
in September and this left us searching for
the icing on the cake that Fairmont needed.
I feel for the first time in Fairmont's career
like we are a strong band with musicians that
all have an individual style but together
create a sum that is greater than its individual
parts. Recently, I think that audiences have
been blown away at the progression of Fairmont
and that they look forward to what future
songs are going to sound like with this lineup.
As we start to work on new material, I feel
we are scrutinizing every aspect of every
song and I think it's a good thing. I feel
like we are writing more and more to our potential,
whereas before we might have just thrown songs
together and not tried to reevaluate the many
different ways in which we could arrange and
play it rhythmically. I think we are getting
much better at writing cohesive records as
well.
Christian: I think that the band is the best
that it's ever been. Nietzche said that we
never evolve, we only become more what we
are, and I find that to be true. Each album
and lineup of Fairmont has reflected (to varying
degrees of effectiveness) the band Fairmont
was at the time and now, with this current
lineup, we've made the album that Fairmont
wanted to make. It feels very now, and I'd
like to think it continues the artistic growth
from “Wait and Hope.”
Q: Clancy, your background is mostly
in classical music - how have you incorporated
that unique perspective into your work on
"Transendence?"
Clancy: My classical training is something
I've needed to unlearn in a lot of ways -
especially when I was working on live arrangements.
I had to try to turn off the mental voices
of my violin teachers and orchestra conductors
going "What are you doing? You play violin,
not guitar!" In that way, "Transcendence"
and Fairmont helped me to just relax, improvise
and experience music as well as analyze it.
That notwithstanding, the ideas of texture
and melodic tension that I learned from playing
with string quartets helped inspire my parts
and determine the role of strings in the band.
Q: Sam, as the newest member of Fairmont,
what direction would you like to shape your
role in this band into?
Sam: I would like to see my role
as adding a freshness to the band. Our music
isn't just pretty melodies; our songs represent
feelings and emotions everyone can relate
to, and I want to release that sort of energy
into the performance.
Q: Christian, you add quite a bit
of spice to Fairmont's live performances,
what energy are you drawing off of that we
see translating onto that stage before us?
Christian: Well, the difference between
listening to an album and going to see a live
show should be the band's performance. There
should be something extra, something almost
magical that occurs during the creation of
music. When there are people watching and
digging it, I get inspired to add another
dimension, and it's not easy, because I can't
run around like the guitarists - my movement
is rather restricted. When the crowd is less
than ideal, it gets tougher to naturally react
to local energy, so we all have to dig a little
deeper to try to draw people in.
Q: Would everyone like to give me
their own take on the message behind "Transcendence"
- what you would like listeners to take away
with them after hearing it?
Neil: I know for me, because I wrote
it, that it's biographical/autobiographical
about events that I lived through and events
that my good friend lived through. The entire
album is supposed to be the story of my friend
Ron who grew up in a spiritualist cult and
is now stuck in a small town working a shit
job and all the while dreaming of the girl
he loved and let go. Some of the songs, such
as “Luck Will Change,” which is
about someone hating their day job, are written
to be cohesive with the album, and although
it totally fits into Ron's story, it was written
from my point of view about my own experiences.
I don't know what the listener will take away
from it; I hope they can relate to the lyrics
- overall it's an album that lyrically is
saying that love prevails. I hope they see
that its main character in the end finds that
love is the only thing that makes our lives
matter and without it we really are floating
around aimless (as the reprise states.)
Clancy: The album speaks to me about the importance
of self-determination, purpose and goals.
I hope that the listener goes away feeling
like they are empowered to create meaning
out of the beauty and love in their lives.
Even if it feels like there's nothing stable
to hold onto or no real purpose to life, there
is always something to live for, potential
unfulfilled. Being born into an unknown fate
and an indeterminate universe is a scary reality
- but it also means that we are free to live,
love, and define for ourselves what is important.
Sam: All of the songs have a certain story
to them, with a distinct beauty and intelligence
behind their lyrics and melodies. "Transcendence,"
is, itself, a small portal to a storybook
of the average, everyday person. The power
of the songs brings people together and reveals
something for everyone.
Andy : To me, the message behind "Transcendence"
is whatever the listener takes from it. I
don't know if there is a specific message
from the record. It’s definitely a more
positive record than the last - even my girlfriend
likes it, and Neil’s mom really likes
it.
Q: How have these songs colored each
of your lives personally?
Neil: Performing the songs on this record
definitely leave me with more of a feeling
of hope, rather than the depressing songs
of “Wait & Hope,” which left
me feeling angsty after every show. I think
the happy vibe in the newer material shows
on the band members faces, and is moving audiences
more than Fairmont has ever before. I like
this direction and think the angst years are
all now far behind for me.
Clancy: These songs have accompanied major
changes in my life - relationships, locations,
occupations - you name it, it's different
now from when I first worked with Fairmont.
The music on "Transcendence" is
all about hope. The lyrics address tragedy
and disappointment, but there's still a catchy
cheerfulness that pervades the album - it
helped me to stay positive and focused when
other things in my life seemed chaotic.
Christian: Does anyone have any idea why
some people spell it c-o-l-o-u-r? When i was
little, I read all the “Paddington Bear”
books and it was spelt that way, so I learned
to spell it like that. When I was in school,
I'd always get confused as to the "correct"
spelling. I've since learned the difference,
but I do admit to being partial to the "u."
(writer’s note: colour is actually the
British spelling, and the Paddington Bear
books are British.)
Sam: The songs have altered a portion of my
life, which I thought had no meaning. Neil's
lyrics paint pictures to the unique fantasies
and anxieties of everyday life, which I thought
only existed in my mind. They've helped me
to understand that most complex situations
don't really have any real meanings behind
them, giving me a chance to truly breathe
some fresh air and to understand that we're
all in this together.
Q: Neil, the lyrics have begun bordering
on...hopeful? What changes have you made recently
that brought on this new approach to songwriting?
Neil: I was on tour in April 2007,
flying to Seattle to play a few solo shows
on the West Coast; it seemed nothing was going
right with the band at that time. My good
friend, Teeter Sperber, had myself and my
wife as her guests at her home in Cannon Beach,
Oregon and she just kept telling me how much
better my life would be if I was just positive
about everything. She gave me the whole summary
of that book “The Secret,” and
I really didn't believe a word of it, but
I decided to try for once in my life to be
positive about everything that was going on
and concentrate on the things that were bothering
me and think of solutions. Within two days
of returning from that trip, the major issue
that had plagued me for over eight years was
resolved; it was a huge dispute with a former
record label, and I felt like positivity fixed
that situation. I tried this some more, and
felt like everything was going in the direction
I had always wanted it to go in. I let go
of a lot of regrets and hate that I had been
holding onto, because originally I thought
I needed that angst to write good songs. I
never realized that once I had gotten past
all that that I would write music that far
surpassed any previous work (well at least
I hope that is true.)
Christian: Did everyone get that? Neil just
said that Fairmont is directly inspired by
the book "The Secret." Please notify
everyone to include that in our list of influences:
“Fairmont sounds like you're reading
the book 'The Secret.’"
Andy: Well, some of the songs bring back memories
(both good and bad.)
Q: How would each of you describe
what you do to family, friends and the uninitiated?
Neil: I personally think that I drive everyone
crazy with my obsessive compulsiveness - this
goes for friends, family and fans alike. I'm
like that itchy scab that never heals and
never goes away (just ask my enemies.)
Christian: I don't think I have to describe
what I do to them. Like, I try to just treat
everyone fairly, and if someone gets hurt
in the process, I don't consider it "doing"
something to someone, I just think that it's
something that happened. It's not like I'm
running around stabbing people, or anything.
What's this question leading to? Oh... it's
the last question? Weird…
Clancy: Fairmont is the band you should hire
to play at all your postmodern and existential
crises.
Andy: I tell them I play music and they can
figure out the rest on their own.
Where to catch them:
December 4 – 8:00 p.m. – The West
Side – 1145 McBride Avenue, West Paterson,
NJ - $7 (Christian’s Birthday Show)
December 12 – 8:00 p.m. – The
Press Room w/Tim McCoy – Portsmouth,
NH
February 7, 2009 – 8:00 p.m. –
Fontana’s – New York, NY (with
The Stationary Set, The Minus Scale and The
Narrative)
February 21 – 8:00 p.m. – The
Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA (with
Signal to the Ocean Estate)
Read up / Listen Up / Catch A
Vid:
http://youtube.com/user/fairmont76
http://www.myspace.com/fairmont
http://www.fairmontmusic.com/
Read Deb's review
of Transcendence here.
