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Josh Berwanger is a man of many musical ideas--
In the late 1990’s, his indie emo band The Anniversary made significant local waves and a national impact before breaking up, with Berwanger next pivoting to a more alt-country sound with band The Only Children. He followed that with acclaimed solo albums and now, a new multi-genre project (a la Odelay-era Beck) called Gemini Parks.
Debuting last year, they released singles “Up All Night” “Price You Pay”, “Animals” and “Flat Champagne” ahead of their debut full-length,”Why is everyones a Hoe?” with producer Jarod Evans.
We sat down with the singer-songwriter, ahead of a pair of recent weekend gigs (a local record release and a slot at a MF Doom Tribute show) to look back, look ahead, and everything in-between.
WEHEARTMUSIC: I think most people know you from The Anniversary, with some solo work in-between. And that all began in like, 1997-98 ish…?
JOSH BERWANGER: Yeah, like,‘98-99 and then we put out the first record in 2000. And then the second one in 2002, and then broke up in 2003. So it's very short lived, you know.
WHM: I'm sure you remember, there was a bit of a little musical renaissance in the mid-90s when everybody tried to make Lawrence the next Seattle. So there were bands like Paw, Kill Whitey and Stick....Any kind of lesson that you took from that movement before you guys hit the scene?
JB: I don't know if there was a lesson just because we were starting to figure it out, and I think you sort of have to figure it out on your own. Everyone wants to tell you how to do it and what to do these days and that's fine. But I think it was more. Those bands were more influential to us moving towards her, because Justin was a huge Kill Creek fan. We were all huge Vitreous Humor fans, we’ve all been huge Butterglory fans, and they were all from here. So that's kind of why we gravitated to Lawrence. So, they were more influential, not like showing us how to do it. But it’s why we came here, and that style of music influenced what we were writing.
WHM: When you guys got here, how did you interpret the scene? Was it what you thought?
JB: Yeah, I mean, like, you know, I think they called us little brats. Because we were just like, in everyone's business and we're like Fuller (McCallister) from “Home Alone”, the one that eats the cheese pizza. I think we were kind of little annoying, scenester kids - we'd show up to parties and those places, and they’d kick us out. And we’d get kicked out of the Replay (Lounge) a lot, all in good spirit for the most part. So, to answer the question, yeah, that's what we kind of expected, and tried our best to play as many Bottlenecks and Replay shows and hop on bills, and just be present. And work hard.
I think one time we played one time we played a show, and it was opening for one of the local bands. I forgot which one, and then it said “...and Local Pests”.
WHM: So after The Anniversary broke up, was it a couple of solo records after that, or was that the more country inspired band?
JB: The Only Children was forming out of the out of towards the end of The Anniversary and I already had a record deal and I was going to do that regardless of knowing what was happening with The Anniversary, so then we broke up and then went straight to Colorado to record “Change of Living” by The Only Children which is Country or Rock and Roll influenced by kind of the Country Stones era-influenced..
WHM: Like “Wild Horses”, songs like that?
JB: Yeah, Neil Young, and then Tom Petty and just trying to put my own thing to it. And that was cool. We did some really good tours opening for some pretty big bands, but it was also sort of, I don't know… social media was kind of really starting to take off. I didn't piggyback off The Anniversary breaking up. I wanted it to be its own thing, which in hindsight, I probably should have done that.
Anniversary fans were like, “Oh, F**k, no”, I mean, even I think Anniversary fans with Gemini Parks are going on right now, “Oh, F**k no” because it's much different than the last, but it's like, you're in or you're not. If you're In, you get it, and I want you to. If you don't, that's great, too.
WHM: Do you feel it’s important to change up your style of music like, and to keep re-inventing yourself?
JB: I think it's important. Only if it's natural. That's the only way I can answer it. It's natural.
Just kind of do what I feel. And also, it doesn't have to be doing something different, doesn't have to be a complete genre change. Also, I think I could do like when the Stones reinvented themselves all the time, you know, The Beatles. I think all those bands find a way to do it., even though they bring in new genres and make it their own. That's what I'm always trying to do.
WHM: It seems like some of the press outlets are admiring your work after the fact, saying you were just a couple of years ahead of the scale on things. How does that make you feel when older albums are described later as ‘criminally underrated’?
JB: I feel The Anniversary was that, especially the second record, we were going, "so it's not?" I would rather at least be recognized for that, than not ever at all, for any of it. I could be like, Oh, bummer, because, "Where were you?" but thank you for at least acknowledging it.
I just did this poster for this Blues documentary that's coming out. And it really touches on how the Stones took from this. And these guys, Jerry Lee Lewis never got credit. You know, those guys never got credit. They never saw a dime until they're dead. So, it's an actually an interesting question. I've thought about a bit lately, where it's like, would you just have rather never known, then be dead, and then become famous? Or would you rather know that 'oh, I recognize that', right? It's like, well, how about you recognize this next one?
Without early Blues and all, I don't know what it would be actually- it's like two sides of the coin. It could be no one says anything at all. You’re just like a welcome mat, walking into a restaurant.
WHM: So last thing about The Anniversary, was that someone in the press called it a “Fleetwood Mac-like” breakup?
JB: Well, they're wrong. We didn't have that kind of money, or success, or drugs (laughing). So that's where they're wrong. It was just an implosion of ‘too much too soon’, maybe. And there was a lot of personality in that band with each member. There wasn't just like, oh, that's the lead singer, and then that's the goofy so-and-so, and other guitar player. Each individual really was 20% of that band. And with that, sometimes, it just doesn't work, because of that reason. So, it just was an implosion. Some elements make sense with the “Fleetwood Mac comparison”, and some of them don't.
WHM: You guys didn't walk away forever; you did come back together...
JB: We're not looking to make new music. Honestly, at this point, it's like you realize that there's a very small window to go back to it, 20 years later. And if we're going to do it, the time will be right now. Which is why we're doing a few shows, here and there. Because in ten more years, I just don't want to be “that age” doing it. And honestly, the biggest reason is that's our way to see each other and hang out. If we didn't do that, we would never see each other, and that's the most fun part of it all.
WHM: Let's talk about the present. The new project- GEMINI PARKS. A lot of publications are describing it as funk punk. That kind of shoehorns it a bit. Different sounds are all over the record, is there a central vision in the sound? How would you describe it?
JB: I would just say it's a genre blend of music. And that's really what it is. It plays more kind of like a playlist. Okay, we're also in a time of people who don't listen to full albums. It's a challenge for me in a way- I have a positive challenge to make an album where this plays more like a playlist in a sense. And I think that it's a kind of fun playlist- the sounds.
I think the next record is going to be a lot in the “Rick James wheelhouse”, like strict, not bringing in some of the disco or not bringing in some of the more, you know, elements, I just kind of want to make it as straight “Rick James” as possible.
WHM: Is that a result of recently getting into him?
No, I've always been- if you look at like one of the first Anniversary photos ever, I'm holding a Rick James record, he's always been one of my absolute favorites. But I just think it'd be fun to make a record that's just like a party kind of funk record...
WHM: Didn’t he do that with Eddie Murphy- “Party all the Time”...
JB: Look at the “Up All Night” video- that's typically completely ripped off from that video. The video concept. Yeah, love that song, have it on 45. It's such a good song. And it's also funny because you're like, Eddie Murphy is a really good singer. And he is, but then also Rick James comes on in the video and you're like, ‘Ahhhh, Rick James’.
That's kind of what I want it to be- all 120 BPM on the next record, just the whole thing from front to finish. So, yeah, that's what I want to happen, but it probably won't end up that way.
WHM: The new record is just quite a mixed bag of sounds and that was on purpose, obviously. First, let's get to its title...
JB: Yeah- “Mom, Why is everyones a Hoe?” I was gonna call the record “Sounds of Music”. And partly because it's a bunch of different sounds of the full piece. And people are like, what kind of style is this music, I don't know. But then another part is that both my grandparents had just passed and that was one of their favorite movies, The Sound of Music. So, I was thinking about it. And I kind of got burned from a couple people while making this record, who were gonna help, and they didn't.
I was doing this music video for Eva Gardner she used to, she sometimes still plays in The Mars Volta, and she plays with P!nk now. And we made it in this old grimy, total graffiti place and on the wall, it said, ‘Why is Everyone's Mom a Hoe in Here?’ I took a photo of that, and then I just kind of rearranged the words.
And I was like, this makes more sense for what I'm going through. I went through making this, like, why the problem is everyone, including myself, so I'm not like saying everyone has been made. But you know, if you think about it, why there are those people that are just f**king hoes, you know, you're like, there can be good hoes. But mostly, you know, why is everyone a hoe? So that's kind of the thinking, without getting too personal into it.
WHM: And then the artwork, I assume that’s your own?
JB: Yeah, I did the artwork myself. This is the first record that I didn't send any labels. I just paid for everything myself and so I just wanted to do it all myself. And it's been the most rewarding. Not that it hasn't been rewarding on other levels, but this has been more rewarding because of that, you know. Everything, I've done- I don't have to like second guess anything. I don't have to ask someone's permission. I just do it, which is sometimes tough. Because you don't have anyone else to ask, ‘Is this actually smart?’
I'm in a group thread with a few friends who are musicians. I was like, I think I will call it “Mom, Why is everyones a Hoe?”, what do you think of that? And they said something like, yeah, well, I think like ‘Sh*t Can Diaries’ is a good name, and I was like, I'm not going to the meaning of this. I felt like, you know, and at the end of the day you sleep on it.
That was also making the record. I was like, let's make it in Norman, OK. And I’d record for a week, and then I'd drive home with the songs from the board. And there's no one in the band, it's just me and my friend Jarod (Evans, who’s also worked with The Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, and others) who produced it. He's in Norman. So I'm driving home alone, and no one's here, then I’ll send it to a friend who doesn't listen to the style of music I'm making and I’ll say, “Is this good?” And they're like, “So... what are you up to lately?” (laughing)
I'm very proud of it. I really like it. It's one of the few records that I can actually listen to of mine. I'm like, Hell Yeah. You know, I could listen to other ones, every once in a while, a song here, there. But this one, I'm like, “F**k Yeah!” I'll crank it and drive down the street, and I'm like, this is great.
WHM: It is a mixed bag of different sounds, different influences, and whatnot. But it's held all together- you’ve got an introduction, and it flows from beginning to end. Hearing the album, somehow the dots are connected.
JB: Yeah, I think lyrically. It stays through some central themes, and the lyrics are very dark, even if the music is very poppy. I think that might be a thing that helps the listeners hold it together throughout - It ends up going to a hip-hop song or kind of like a quick rock and roll song, then back to like, you know, Euro disco funk.
WHM: I gotta ask you about “Snake Charmer” (which features J. Arrr (Wilson, NC) and Backwood Sweetie (DMV). It's the middle of the album and all of a sudden, you’ve got a couple of guest rappers on there. Talk about how that came together and how that fits what you're trying to do.
JB: I love all music, almost all music. And so the producer and I were talking, there's so much different hip hop, a lot of it is samples, what we're doing on the whole record, there's very little live drums. And so, we took our time on it, we'd come up with, ‘What if there was a MC on this?’, so we started like talking more about like lyrics for hip hop.
And I think it's the greatest thing around because you can just do- there's no rules, really with hip hop versus other genres of music. There's 'this verse has to tie into this verse', or else, it doesn't work. In hip hop, this doesn't really even have to tie into that at all. It does though, most of the time, but sometimes it's just ‘Wait, why was this not okay?’, but it works.
I was a fan of J. Arrr out of NC, and I was a fan of Christina (Backwood Sweetie) out of Baltimore / DC and I was sending her a few tracks. I was just thinking she was gonna do a couple songs. And then it wasn't working exactly like what we're doing. Then “Snake Charmer” came up, and I was, 'what about this?', and she was like, yeah, this one. And then J. Arrr, I reached out to him and he hooked up those first two verses on, and since then, I've been really wanting to do like a hip hop record and just do the music. And so, with Christina, I've been kind of going back and forth on hopefully doing something in the future, I’m sending her some new tracks. She's just so great, I think she's phenomenal lyricist.
WHM: When you first envisioned the song, you weren't thinking guest rappers, you were just trying to compose?
JB: Yeah, a lot of that stuff, even like “Flat Champagne”. That was the first thing we started working on and then the last thing we ended up finishing, just because we couldn't figure it out. Jared would have a beat and then we would have this, sort of music to it. And then we'd be like, oh, there's some 90s How do we get away from that, but then keep it there. But also, you know, make it work.
With “Snake Charmer”, we had the chorus and the beats and stuff. And I was like, this is the track if we did it, and it worked out like that. Some of the songs were 'we had it, it was there', but other ones... we took a long time making the record. It was a lot of me going back and forth to Norman (OK).
WHM: Gotta ask you about the video for “Animals”- filmed here in the KU Museum of Natural History. It seems like an obvious idea, but were there a lot of hoops to jump through to get permission?
JB: Not really, it was way easier than I thought it was gonna be- we did it up at that place on campus. So I was talking to someone and they were like, “Oh, I know the curator” And then I was like, Hey, can I do this? And he was awesome. But my original idea was to do it in the main room where it kind of makes us sort of like half circle and there's just hundreds of animals in there. I wanted us to be playing in there and people would be coming and looking at the animals and looking at us, and not liking what we were doing.
So we showed up and I was ‘So how do we get in there? ‘ And he was like, ‘Oh no, you're not going in.’ This is the day of the video – we had tons of extras coming. He says, ‘If someone goes in there, they have to have a hazmat suit on, because of all the chemicals for the animals are so intense’.
Shawn Brackbill, who lives in town, he and I made the video together, he’s director of photography. And I just came up with, ‘Okay, this is what's gonna happen. I'll be walking through the halls’, so we had to change the idea.
WHM: You've done a handful of shows, this spring in Midwest- Chicago, Minneapolis. How's the vibe been? How do you see yourself as an artist, presenting yourself now in this new project?
JB: Yeah, I love it. Because for many reasons, we've played with almost every style of band, and we fit in. The first shows we played with some pop artists, and we went to Chicago and played with a total punk show. And then we played with rock bands, and we played with pop bands, and it just works. And the fans dig it, because it's different enough to just not be the average opening band.
And the punk rock kids like it because we just look like freaks, for the most part. And I really like that, That's exactly what I want to be involved with.
And, also, it's kind of cool, because the highest percentage of my friends, of all the stuff I've done, this is the thing they've liked the least, it seems, and I like it. But I think maybe like two of them do. You know, whatever. And I like that, in a sense, because it's very honest about it but also, they don't come to the local shows. So it kind of is cool. It's also cool to see like people there who want to be there. And I would rather have that than anything else.
This is a project where if you want to be here, great, if you don't, great. I'd rather play to five people want to be there than 50 people don't want to be there. And the first release show in KC, I didn't know anyone there, and it was awesome.
That's what I want with this, it's not part of any scene, I don't really want to be part of any scene. I just want it to be its own thing. Don't come if you don’t dig it, if you don't, I still like you.
Those are the two things- It can fit in with just about any style and come if you like it.
| John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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