Brian Follicle interview
Will Dockery
Jeff Hill: Hello Brian, great to see you
Brian Follicle: Thanks and Hello
Jeff Hill: the "Pop Art" album is very eclectic, mandolin and
therimin together is a new sound for sure. What influenced you to
make music like this? Who are your influences?
Brian Follicle: Bill Monroe,Hawkwind,Bob Harvey,Gabe
Holland,Wisdo,Ian Anderson the list goes on.....
.
Jeff Hill:The intro is a nice lead in to crazy. The therimin work is
awesome and I like the country blues licks on the guitar.Great start
for your album.
Brian Follicle:Crazy is a acoustic song that we recorded on the
Roland 840, We usually use Gabriels Yamaha and work tracks w/ that.
We are getting better w/ the sound. We go to Area 51 Studios and have
Larry Rose help us w/ the sounds and mastering. Our Sound Man Stan
Stephens ,Larry,Gabe and myself mixed the album. We just kinda
rotated and mixed the album. The whole album rolled out and off the
tip of the tounge and worked. Larry rose has Willie Nelsons old
mixing console, some awesome vintage sound. Larry's Studio is a hub
for Southern Rock, Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie) is recording his new album
there now. Gabe really did some great work w/ the therimin. I love
the atmosphere he creates w/ it.
Jeff Hill: Bob Harvey worked on this album w/ you, what was that like
working with Bob again?
Brian Follicle: It is always great to work w/ Bob Harvey. We have
been playing bluegrass and picking some, We recorded a couple demos
and are writing and tossing around ideas. Gabe brought a beat to one
of the sessions and asked me and Bob to record a track, I got on the
Acoustic bass and Bob got on Autoharp and we recorded to Gabes track.
Gabe had his friend JOBE to scratch and I added some more mandolin
and wallah "Serial killer Subculture". Me and Bob have written 15+
songs together and have always helped each others music any way we
could.
Jeff Hill:What are the buzzlighter Series?
Brian Follicle: Pete Knapp of Shuteye Records has compilations that
go out to college radio w/ different Singles of indie Rock Bands. In
Zeitgeist we have those for sale. They have our singles "Haunted"
and "House of No Windows" as well other bands.Buzzlighter 6 will be
available in December w/ our new Single "Only Minds are Worth
Reading". That song is available on 6 lives at www.sfblue.co.uk
Jeff Hill: this will be your 5th album in the last 3 years, how do
you go about writing and coming up with new material?
Brian Follicle: I am fortunate to have people llike Bob Harvey,Dr.
David Wisdo and Gabe Holland who are great writers around me. Gabe is
a excellent writer we almost write a song every time we get together.
Each album has been different and I feel they are sounding better
with each one. That is what I am trying to do.I get by w/ a little
help from my friends.We all write and there is never a shortage of
material.
Jeff Hill: The trumpet is great on the title track "Pop Art" Tell us
more about Master Jimmy Holland?
Brian Follicle: Jimmy is Gabes Father and he really cooks. He has
recorded w/ the Memphis Horns and is a great player. He can play
jazz,space you name it. he really sounds great on "Unchartered By
thieves" as well as "Haunted" He will be a regular on the albums and
a proud member of the Jones Ave. Flying Circus.
Jeff Hill: Jones Ave. did alot of live shows this year, did Superczar
perform live this year?
Brian Fowler : Yes we did a movie premiere of "Chaos god and the sun
monster" which is a 23 minute short movie written by Kreg Thornley.
We went to Atlanta did a WREK live interview promoting the show then
we did a concert after they showed the movie. The movie is available
at www.thunderbubble.com you can download and watch it. They used the
cut Superczar in the film. We may work w/ Kreg again in the future.
His dad was Kerry Thornley who founded the Discordian religion.
interesting stuff for sure.The venue was the EYEDRUM in Atlanta, I
liked the atmosphere and wouldn't mind going back. Currently we are
rehearsing a live show w/ Superczar and have added a few new members
and suprises.
Jeff Hill: Superczar uses alot of proggramming and beats, why don't
you use more live drums?
Brian Fowler: We use alot of different instruments and percussion
Ideas. The beats are mixed in w/ acoustic songs, as well as the
electronic stuff. Stress Signal,6 lives and now pop Art are
completed, one thing for sure when you get music from our camp it
will be different and evolving. The next Superczar album will have
live drums and hardly no programming. Superczar has been a duo, with
jones Ave. backing us up live. Superczar is moving towards having a
full band and being a separate entity. We plan on doing some live
shows this year and promoting Superczar heavily.
Jeff Hill: You have been recieving some airplay lately on college
radio and internet radio overseas do you feel the music of Superczar
is being discovered by more people.
Brian Fowler: We have been getting more and more steam and help from
radio and friends overseas that want to promote our original music.
Shuteye Records has helped us w/ the compilations Buzzlighter 4,6,
and Melodic Marvels. Alot of folks who wouldn't normally hear us have
found us. The internet Radio like Radio Caroline and Aural
Innovations and Alchemical Radio have been very helpful and I thank
them for it.College Radio has picked up and played "Haunted" and that
has been helpful getting us out there to those who don't know about
SUPERCZAR.
Jeff Hill: Where would one buy your cd's and music?
Brian Fowler: We have all our cd's available thru Zeitgeist in
Edinburgh Scotland at the website www.sfblue.co.uk . You can pick
them up at a good price, Any cd sale is important to us, It helps
keep the band w/ equipment and it helps us make more cd's. Song
samples are available at the Zeitgeist MP3 sitel
Jeff Hill: I really enjoyed POP ART the cd and i wish you luck w/ it,
I think it is the strongest album to date.
Brian Fowler: Thanks, We are glad we have 3 albums now and they are
done and out.Those albums are a product of 7 years writing and
playing music together. Gabe, myself and John Joiner founded Jones
Ave. so Gabe has been there since day 1. Gabe co-wrote "Reality
Aroused w/ me on the Idiots Vision album w/ Bob Harvey. Me and Gabe
keep working and trying to make good music. Anyway thanks for the
interview it helps us get the word out..
Jeff Hill: Thanks for the opportunity to do this and good luck with
your future endeavors..!
"Greybeard Cavalier" by Hex/Dockery/Fowler MP3:
http://www.lulu.com/content/26663