Willard Grant Conspiracy

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The Willard Grant Conspiracy (short: WGC) was an American music project from Boston , Massachusetts , around the singer and songwriter Robert Fisher (1957-2017), who worked with temporary guest performers.

history

The musical self-taught artist Robert Neil Fisher (born September 9, 1957) , who came from a family of California Baptists , and the guitarist Paul Austin , who grew up in Portland , Maine , both made music in Portland from 1981, with a few exceptions always in the same band. By 1984 they both moved to a shared apartment in Boston and formed a sought-after duo on the local independent scene. With the groups Laughing Academy and Flower Tamers they also recorded albums, which however were never released.

The Willard Grant Conspiracy was founded by chance at the end of 1995: When Malcolm Travis, the Drummer for the Flower Tamers, was on tour with the band Sugar, Fisher and Austin were invited together to the recording engineer Dana Hollowell, guitarist for the Flower Tamers, to test his new home studio in the Boston suburb of Sudbury . Fisher and Austin recruited guitarist Sean O'Brien to support them. Other musicians present were welcome to contribute to the pieces that Fisher and Austin had designed in the common living room. The recordings were mastered by Jeff Lipton, whose apartment was teeming with music processing equipment and related system software. Willard Grant Conspiracy was chosen as the band name, because the recording session had taken place on Willard Grant Street. After a weekend of recording and some post-production time, the album was finished and received the title 3 on Sunday @ Fortune Otto’s . Fisher released it himself on his specially founded and then dissolved label Dahlia Records.

The German label Glitterhouse Records heard about it and offered a license edition in Europe, which had the side effect that the Willard Grant Conspiracy was soon able to do a European tour. At home, too, a label took hold , namely Slow River Recordings, a then still independent label from Marblehead , Massachusetts, near Boston . It came about because the basic formation of Fisher, Austin and O'Brien, enriched with various like-minded people from the active music scene, gave concerts. Among the guest musicians was George Howard, who was also the owner of Slow River (and later president of the parent company Rykodisc, which was incorporated into Slow River ). So the record deal fell into the lap of Fisher and Co., so to speak. In addition to the takeover of the debut album , the contract also included the right to publish the next three studio albums.

James Apt, who also had a long musical relationship with Fisher, belonged to the circle of close colleagues. Fisher considered himself to be part of a family with such longtime companions. Overall, the band had the character of a relaxed collective , open to anyone who wanted to join. Howe Gelb from Giant Sand was a role model for the success of running a loose music association. The band started on this model and has now simply continued in the same way. Live you would tell the visitors who is there and who is playing.

From the debut album on , the structure of the band changed constantly with around 20 local musicians who gathered every week in different numbers and compositions for informal jam sessions . For the first four albums, Fisher and Austin were the only ones who could be called "regular members". Additional staff depended on both the needs of the group and their own commitments. At studio appointments and live performances, between three and twelve musicians were regularly part of the cast. In later years, when Fisher was often out and about, the input offer even extended to the genesis of the songs. Records were often made in such a way that Fisher only recorded minimalist song structures and left them behind when he went on tour. In the meantime there were studio visits with ideas from musicians friends and when he returned, Fisher was surprised by what had become of his song framework. He let his songs mature for a long time, not least because his budget always had to be sufficient for new recordings.

Guitarist James Apt, violist David Michael Curry, mandolist Erich Groat and bassist Matt Griffin played alongside the core trio Fisher / Austin / O'Brien on the WGC debut Flying Low for Slow River . It was released in 1998. The live recording Weevils in the Captain's Biscuit (1998), which was released by a small label, and the demo collection Radio Free WGC (1999), which was released as an EP by Slow River , preceded the contractual Slow River release Mojave (1999). Furthermore, Glitterhouse Records received approval for the release of the CD The Green Green Grass of Slovenia (2000), before the studio album Everything's Fine concluded the Slow River contract period. Fisher then negotiated a tripartite contract. Loose Music (based in London), which specializes in Americana and Alternative Country , was responsible for Great Britain, Glitterhouse Records for the rest of Europe and Kimchee Records for the United States.

Paul Austin moved to Seattle in 2001 , where he married Terri Moeller, a temporary drummer for the folk rock band The Walkabouts (only permanent in 2011) , and these two began a musical time together that culminated in the formation of The Transmissionary Six . The departure of his companion did not discourage or affect Fisher, because although he had relied on Austin's guitar playing and now he was required to play the guitar himself live and also to allow other instruments, the new situation led to further development. In addition, Simon Alpin, who was involved before Austin's departure, got more involved.

The next album, Regard the End , was made similar to the first record: Willard Grant Conspiracy was on a European tour and had just played two festival appearances in Mallorca . The time between the festivals was used to write songs. When it was the turn of two more festivals in Slovenia and there were days off in between, Fisher and Alpin moved into a studio in order to work out the designed songs and record them. Regard the End was released as a fifth studio work in 2003 on the Kimchee label. After its completion, in late 2002 after more than 20 years, Fisher moved back to his youth, the Palmdale / Lancaster area in southern California, where both Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart grew up.

Rykodisc held the rights to the first four albums. To make old material available again, the only option was to have Rykodisc make a compilation of these albums in 2004 . That is how There But for the Grace of God came about . It's not a greatest hits album, but a mix of known and unknown published tracks and unreleased recordings that have been dug up again.

Also Let It Roll of 2006 in Slovenia, in Ljubljana added. Three album recordings and releases later, there was another European tour in 2013, but this time only as a two-man version plus effects pedal and slide projector .

Fisher, who had once overcome his drug and alcohol addiction , was ultimately struck by cancer that caused his death on February 12, 2017. The album in progress Untethered was brought to an end by David Michael Curry and released in early December 2018.

Members

Founding members are Robert Fisher ( acoustic guitar , vocals), Paul Austin (guitar) and Sean O'Brien (also guitar). However, only Fisher can be seen as a permanent and identity-creating member. The WGC hardly played two evenings with the same line-up. Other members (i.e. people who have contributed to studio recordings or concerts) were from the group of at least 30 who could be named (in no particular order):

James Apt (guitar), Simon Alpin (guitar), Erich Groat (mandolin), Yuko Murata ( keyboards ), Josh Hillman ( violin ), Nathan Logus ( drums ), Malcolm Travis (drums), Dennis Cronin ( trumpet ), David Michael Curry ( viola , saw , vocals), Pete Sutton (bass), Matt Griffin (bass), Peter Linnane ( positive ), Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts) (guitar, production ), Jess Klein (vocals), Kristin Hersh (vocals, Guitar), Edith Frost (vocals), Terri Moeller (drums), Mary Lorson (vocals).

In the later phase, especially when it came to appearances abroad, Willard Grant Conspiracy had become an international spontaneous placement company. On the one hand, Fisher was an open-minded, warm person who accepted his fellow musicians like family members, i.e. maintained a long-term close relationship with them, on the other hand he gave them all the freedom they wanted - which is not a contradiction in terms. It was clear to him that a band consisting of young people would operate under the cohesion motto “ One for all, all for one ”. As they get older, everyone soon leads a life of their own by getting married, building a house, having children, paying bills and so on, so that this freedom seems essential for maintaining friendship and cooperation.

Initially, the following slogan was reproduced in the CD booklet : "If anyone tells you that they played on these recordings, they are probably right." The intention was to concentrate on the music, not on who is playing . This was misunderstood and the listeners were preoccupied with finding out who was involved in the songs rather than delving into the music. The musicians also wanted recognition in the form of credits. That is why Fisher later dispensed with the saying and listed "proper performance records", as is customary in the industry.

style

The Flower Tamers played punk according to John Clarkson from pennymusic.co.uk , and noise rock according to Jason Ankeny from allmusic.com . The Willard Grant Conspiracy, on the other hand, according to Clarkson as well as according to the Discogs -classification Alternative Country and according to the Allmusic -classification Alternative Folk, Americana, Adult Alternative Pop and Indie-Rock . The internet platform thequietus.com , the music magazine Eclipsed and the daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel have also decided to use Americana . The band's homepage uses the designation Alternative Country and explains this choice with the fact that the basic structure is country music , but blues and punk sprinkles are present.

The sources disagreed on the comparisons used and the influences identified. Were called Bob Dylan , American Music Club, The Velvet Underground , Sonic Youth , Hank Williams and Kris Kristofferson , John Cale and Johnny Cash , Van Morrison , Nick Cave , Lambchop and the (young) Bad Seeds .

Fisher resorted to many traditionals . This explains the frequent occurrence of the name " Mary " in the titles and the texts and the narrative depth and length. The content often revolves around existential topics such as mortality, loneliness, despair, otherworldly grief and / or redemption . River in the Pines , for example, is a melodramatic traditional, the lyrics and melody of which are strongly reminiscent of Irish folk tunes that thematize cruel deaths . For Carsten Agthe, the band was therefore “our favorite sad Americana folk act”, whose songs “guaranteed to feel a bit sadder in melancholy moments”.

Regarding Fisher's performance on Let It Roll noted the reviewer of the Berliner Morgenpost firmly, "that his mood on the plate of effusive euphoric to elegiac -melancholisch varies." In Eclipsed , Sascha Seiler wrote of a "gloomy urgency", while in the Tagesspiegel a change from " epic wide-screen Americana slow-motion sounds" to rocky "leaden weight" was noted. According to Martin Makolies from plattentests.de , the untethered , under the impression of Fisher's illness, is “a laconic testimony to a tiredness that is deeply rooted in the fundamentals”, a musical delicacy and sentiment of a fading of being here and a “comfortable coming in” into finitude ".

Quotes on the band concept

“Logistically it's a lot more difficult to put together this kind of a thing than it is if you just have four dedicated members. But the benefits of it are tremendous, because you have this ever-changing, refreshing cast of musicians to work with, and every experience is a new experience. [...] Because the songs are very simple, there's a commitment in the band to a certain level of openness, in terms of what people play. I guess the mentality is sort of jazz in a way, it's the improvisation aspect. It's not, obviously, jazz, but we allow for things to be played that haven't been played before. And it's a great thing for me every night because I hear things I've never heard before. "

“From a logistical point of view, it is much more difficult to put such a [loose] thing together than if you only have four permanent members. The benefits are enormous, however, as there are constantly changing, refreshing musicians to work with, and every experience is a new experience. […] Since the songs are very simple, there is an obligation in the band to be open to some degree of what the performers contribute. I would say it's a kind of jazz mentality, namely the improvisational aspect . It's obviously not jazz, but we allow everyone to freely shape their part, as it has not been performed before. And it's a great thing for me every evening because I hear things that I've never heard before. "

- Robert Neil Fisher : puremusic.com

“I have never seen a reason to organize it more traditionally since then. It is tempting I have to say to have a more secure band sometimes because it would make planning and recording a little easier. The reality of things, however, is this band doesn't make enough money to pay people a salary, and to be waiting for my call. "

“I've never seen a reason to organize it more traditionally since then. I have to admit, the idea of ​​having to resort to a safer band at times is tempting because it would make planning and recording a little easier. The reality, however, is that this band doesn't make enough money to pay people a salary and wait for my call. "

- Robert Neil Fisher : pennyblackmusic.co.uk

Discography

Albums

  • 1996: 3 am Sunday @ Fortune Otto’s (album, Dahlia Records [US], Slow River Records [UK])
  • 1998: Flying Low (album, Slow River Records)
  • 1998: Weevils in the Captain's Biscuit (limited live album, Return to Sender)
  • 1999: Mojave (album, Slow River Records)
  • 2000: The Green, Green Grass of Slovenia (live album, originally produced for Radio Slovenia International , Glitterhouse Records )
  • 2000: Everything's Fine (album, Slow River Records)
  • 2001: Live 2001 - Amsterdam and Aberdeen (live album / authorized bootleg album for direct sale on tour, self-published)
  • 2002: In the Fishtank 8 ( collaboration album with Telefunk, competitor)
  • 2003: Regard the End (2003 album, Kimchee Records [US], other various labels [including Glitterhouse Records for Germany])
  • 2004: From a Distant Shore: Live in the Netherlands (Live-Album, Glitterhouse Records)
  • 2004: At Rockpalast-Crossroads (live album, originally a TV appearance recording as part of the WDR - Rockpalast , Mucchio Extra, available as a supplement, band gift and by mail order)
  • 2006: Let It Roll (album, Glitterhouse Records)
  • 2008: Pilgrim Road (Album, Glitterhouse Records)
  • 2009: Paper Covers Stone (album, Glitterhouse Records)
  • 2013: Ghost Republic (Album, Loose Music)
  • 2013: Dwelltime (CDr live album for direct sales on tour, self-published)
  • 2016: Song (Split 12 "album with The Kitchen Cynics, Micah P. Hinson, Tissø Lake, Toad Records)
  • 2018: Untethered (Album, Loose Music)

Compilations and media combinations

  • 2004: There But for the Grace of God ( Best-of Album , Glitterhouse Records)
  • 2007: Bear Wittness (DVD with recordings Rockpalast , 2004, and Orange Blossom Special , 2005, plus CD with Radio Bremen Sessions, 2006, Glitterhouse Records)

Singles and EPs

  • 1997: Wake Me when I'm Under (Split 7 "single with Chris & Carla , Dahlia Records)
  • 1999: Color of the Sun (EP, Slow River Records)
  • 1999: Radio Free WGC (EP, Slow River Records)
  • 2003: Soft Hand (Single, UXB Recordings)
  • 2009: Trunk in the Attic (EP, Glitterhouse Records)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x John Clarkson: Interview with Robert Fisher. In: pennyblackmusic.co.uk. November 18, 2004, accessed March 6, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Welcome to WGC. In: willardgrantconspiracy.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Frank Goodman: Puremusic Interview with Robert Fisher of Willard Grant Conspiracy. A Conversation with Robert Fisher of WGC. In: puremusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Jason Ankeny: Willard Grant Conspiracy. Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny. In: allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b c Obituary for Robert Neil Fisher. In: obittree.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  6. ^ Loose Music. In: discogs.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b master of feeling. Willard Grant Conspiracy . In: Berliner Morgenpost . April 13, 2006.
  8. ^ A b c d Grant McDougall: Live Report: Willard Grant Conspiracy. Grant McDougall sees over the Americana borders at a night with Willard Grant Conspiracy. In: thequietus.com. October 31, 2013, accessed March 6, 2019 .
  9. ↑ a b Martin Makolies: Overly tired. In: plattentests.de. Armin Linder, accessed March 6, 2019 .
  10. ^ Willard Grant Conspiracy. Profile. In: discogs.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  11. ^ Willard Grant Conspiracy. Overview. In: allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b c C [arsten] A [gthe]: Willard Grant Conspiracy. "There but for the Grace of God" . In: Eclipsed . Rock magazine. Art Progressive Psychedelic Classic Hard Rock. 68, December 2004 / January 2005, December 2004, CD reviews, pp. 52 (“Dec / Jan 2004” on the booklet is misleading).
  13. ^ A b c Willard Grant Conspiracy . In: Der Tagesspiegel . April 13, 2006.
  14. ↑ a b Sa [scha] S [eiler]: Willard Grant Conspiracy. "Let It Roll" . In: Eclipsed . Rock magazine. Art Progressive Psychedelic Classic Hard Rock. No. 80 , March 2006, CD reviews, p. 57 .
  15. ↑ Michael Wentworth: River Songs . In: Ray B, Browne, Pat Browne (Eds.): The Guide to United States Popular Culture . The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin 2001, ISBN 0-87972-821-3 , pp. 683 .

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