I got the opportunity to interview Zach Gill (singer/keyboardist) and Dave Brogan (drummer) of ALO at World Cafe Live recently, and we discussed their new album Sounds Like This, beards, and Andrew WK. Here are the highlights.
Me - I love the band name Animal Liberation Orchestra, do you have a story of where that come from?
Zach - We just chose, we changed names a lot in the early days. (The band has existed in some form since they were in junior high.)
Dave - They used to actually have a horn section, and it was Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns, and ironically we dropped the horns and kept the name.
Zach - It ended up becoming just ALO. We originally were like ‘Were gonna liberate people’s inner animals,’ and as time went on we focused on ALO. It felt simple and memorable.
Me - Before I ask about Sounds Like This which came out 2 or 3 days ago, (2010 album) Man of the World was produced by Jack Johnson. You (Zach) tour with Jack Johnson, other members of the band have worked with Jack Johnson, what was it like having him produce for you? I wasn’t aware that he produced much.
Zach - Yea, a few things here and there, but it was awesome. In a lot of ways it was a relief. Some times with the four of us we have a lot of ideas - “Ok, should we go blue or green? I don’t know.” Instead we can just say ‘Ok Jack, what do you think?” He got to be the 5th member sort of.
Dave - I like that too, not being responsible to make every single choice. Making ever decision by committee every time can just be a lot of extra work. It was cool that everyone in the band felt comfortable deferring to him.
Me - Four full opinions doesn’t always work out perfectly
Zach - Its tricky, can be frustrating. But really good, a lot of dynamic things come out of it, but when you’re in the process it can be intense.
Me - For Sounds Like This was the process different from past albums?
Dave - Yea, we went in with less of a blueprint of a final outcome, so we just went in and started creating and jamming,
Zach - I guess a similarity between Man of the World and Sounds Like This would be that we didn’t have a lot of stuff worked out for Man, but we had Jack as “if he likes it, its in.” With Sounds we kinda took the same approach but we didn’t have somebody besides ourselves to judge.
Me - You just decided as it happened?
Dave - Exactly, and we recorded from the very start. Where in Man we’d come in in the morning rehearse and arrange it and then record it. But on Sounds we just started recording.
Me - Listening to the album the spontaneity definitely shows, and this album features a lot longer songs than usual. Your past songs were consistently 3-6 minutes. Long for pop songs, but not into jam band territory even though you guys do it amazing live. And now on Sounds you’re stretching out 8-9 minutes on some songs.
Zach - Normally we’d end up cutting that stuff out because there’s the song and the jam, but we decided this time to let them both live side by side
Me - When you’re listening to an album, you’re kind of getting to know it and in my mind I can get an idea for what it looks like. So (2008 album) Roses and Clover has a casual beard, nothing overly shaggy. If you had to describe what Sounds Like This looks like, what is its face?
Dave - (Laughs) Oh yea, I think its got a little bit of glitter on it. I think its pretty clean shaven.
Zach - Oh really? I’d almost say its like Gandalf super overgrown but with - maybe its a little Hunger Games-ey like that Seneca Crane thing with like weird- It’s like a Gandalf beard really long but its got some weird stuff shaved in up here (face.)
Me - So its overgrown but meticulous at points
Zach - Exactly
Me - Purposeful, Curves, Lines
Zach - Yes, purposefully overgrown. But with some glitter and then, if it was a painting of an old man with this beard from some other dimension and he’s done weird things like put some pink neon - some weird tribalism.
You heard it here, buy ALO’s new album Sounds Like This now. Uplifting, adventurous funky rock with a glittery painted manscaped Gandalf vibe.
~ Mike Morrongiello
