Jacob Turnbloom: Embracing Failure

First Wave Hello was a San Diego, CA based band that I first saw during their 2007 tour with former Failure frontman Ken Andrews. Not only did the band open up but also backed Andrews during his headlining set. I immediately picked up their debut LP, The Lord & Its Penguin, and was instantly blown away by the sonic energy and songwriting ability of the band.  Jacob Turnbloom was the force behind that songwriting. Fishpork had a chance to ask him a few questions about his approach to songwriting, how First Wave Hello hooked up with Ken Andrews, as well as what is up next for one of the most talented songwriters around today.

Can you tell me how you formed First Wave Hello?

I was fiddling with audio engineering in late 2003 early 2004. I basically had to record a bunch of demo’s for my classes. So songs like “Portable People” and “Our Best Policy” I had recorded as demos for school. It took some time to find an initial line up. The recordings I had made ended up in local record stores, and in the hands of friends here in San Diego. Our first drummer Dave heard those early recordings and wanted to start a band that was actually serious. Sarah was very encouraging with my song writing at the time and I asked her if she wanted to play synthesizers along side my good friend Eric. We recorded our first EP as a four-piece band. Coner eventually heard our record while he was on tour with Counterfit and joined the band as second guitar as soon as he returned home. After a year, Sarah left the band and was replaced with a good friend of ours, Dan Reed. That was the line up that recorded on our first full-length record. The band kept changing over the years, with our good friend Ryan Flach replacing Dave on the drums when we would go on tour. And eventually our long time friend/producer/engineer Christian Cummings would replace Ryan on the Ken Andrews tour. It was always changing.

“I think failing is a huge influence on me, if everyone embraced failing and embraced the flaws that we all possess, then we’d live in a more honest society. You can’t learn anything if you’re right all the time. How would you progress?”

What were your early musical influences?

Sonic Youth was always a band that I could listen to and hear new things every time. That band changed the way people looked at guitar solo’s and song structure in mainstream alternative music, whether they intended on that or not. That band inspired me from an early age to play what feels right, not what’s gonna work for everyone.

What are your influences outside of music?

It’s hard to say. It’s such a huge part of my life, that it’s really all that ever goes through my mind. But, I think failing is a huge influence on me, if everyone embraced failing and embraced the flaws that we all possess, then we’d live in a more honest society. You can’t learn anything if you’re right all the time. How would you progress?

What was the song-writing process with FWH?

In the beginning, it was a challenge to get everyone to write together. So, I would usually bring in song ideas, like the basic structure and key melodies, usually chorus melodies, and the band would fill in the blanks. It wasn’t until we started writing The Lord and Its Penguin where people stopped holding back so much and started coming up with cool ideas and themes. Like the long ending to “Submarine Decibels” was an idea Coner came up with, and in the studio I thought it was such a good idea I had our drummer add on another measure even though it felt too long. When everything feels right in a song that’s usually when I start to feel like it’s wrong. I liked when the other guys in the band would bring in an idea that I hated, because that usually meant it was going to fit in the song somehow and work well.

When I listen to your work with First Wave Hello, sincerity seems to be a theme. How would you describe your work?

Everyone in FWH came from other bands. And after so long of playing shows in San Diego and touring, you get to a point where you realize you’re never going to be happy doing this if your trying to be the next “big thing” or trying to “make a living”. We’ve all been through the ringer with sleazy managers and slimy handshakes. Dealing with those kind of distorted views of how music works from record industry professionals, who incidentally are almost all out of a job anyway, kind of puts everything into perspective. There is a strong network of DIY bands in San Diego and will be forever, so I think that kind of attitude and honesty slips into the music a little.

How did you initially hook up with Ken Andrews?

We were looking for someone to mix the record that understood what we were trying to accomplish with it. I love the way that guy mixes drums and heavy guitars, but I was really interested in the way he mixed synthesizers. The first ON record is really colorful. The old analog synth sound that reminded me of Gary Numan or Dick Hyman. I wanted all of the synthesizer work to be prominent but also tasteful. There’s a fine line and, believe me, we pulled back a lot on that first record. We took a shot in the dark and just asked him if he would want to work with us. He sent us a quote which was waaaaaay out of our price range. We then politely declined and started looking elsewhere. A few days later, Ken called us saying that he would be willing to mix the record with what we had, which was not a lot. We stayed in contact with him after the record was finished. And by the time his solo record was coming to fruition, he was looking for a band to tour with.

“Kurt Cobain once said, ‘the dinosaurs in the industry will die.’ I believe we’re almost there, but it really doesn’t matter. The young industry yuppies are far more despicable.”

Your records with FWH have such a fine clarity for the multifaceted layers of your music. How long did it take to record The Lord and Its Penguin and what can you tell me about the recording process for this record?

The whole recording process took about two months. We recorded a lot of synth on that record, most of which you can’t even tell is there. Synth bass is such a pain in the ass to mix in contrast with the other instruments. We recorded half of the record with our friend Bill Nephew at his home studio in an isolated area of San Diego and the other half at Capricorn Studios with Christian Cummings in a busy downtown area of San Diego. We first tracked the drums at Capricorn and headed up to Bill’s studio to finish up the rest of the instruments. After we finished tracking with Bill, Capricorn was booked by the time we needed to record vocals, so we created a vocal booth in Eric’s apartment bathroom. It actually worked out pretty well, with the natural slap back from the linoleum tile. I wish i had pictures. We had to silence the wall because of the over abundant echo so half of the bathroom was covered in pillows, blankets, shirts, socks, papers towels . . . whatever we had.

Can you tell me about the decision to release the record on your own?

We set up a tour with our friends Hot Like a Robot, and we didn’t want to tour solely on the EP that we put out in 2004. So we decided to press the full length in hopes an indie would pick it up later.

What are you currently listening to?

Isao Tomita’s Firebird, The Residents’ Commercial Album, and Neurosis’ Pain of Mind are in rotation at the moment. The new Mogwai is pretty incredible as well.

What are your thoughts on the musical industry today?

Kurt Cobain once said, “the dinosaurs in the industry will die.” I believe we’re almost there, but it really doesn’t matter. The young industry yuppies are far more despicable. Every label will screw you. It’s just who is gonna be more upfront about screwing you. It’s a business no matter what major or indie is telling you it’s not. There are rad labels out there like Dischord, Desoto, Suicide Squeeze,Three One G, who all have integrity, but so many labels today disguise themselves as being just as honest and dedicated to their bands as those kind of labels, when in fact they are being run by people who have no idea what they are doing. And sometimes sharks that were weeded out my mainstream labels pop up as the president of new indie labels. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in being involved with major corporate monster labels, if that’s what you’re going for. Being an independent artist isn’t what it was 20 years ago or even 10. everything is totally different now, with new mediums and basically just a new and different overall agenda for mainstream pop culture and sub cultures. Everything is pretty gray. The black and white fine lines of “bad major label, saint indie label” have been forever blurred with today’s instant gratification, mind-numbing Internet generation. There seems to be less concern with where the music is coming from, just as long as it’s “right now!” and it fits nicely and neatly in your pocket. The term “sell out” is a joke, because no one knows what the hell it means anymore.

What brought an end to FWH?

I think everyone just wanted to do other things, play with other people, and focus on different types of music.

What accomplishment with FWH are you most proud of?

Touring with my best friends was an accomplishment.

What can you tell me about Jacob & the Forces?

It’s an ongoing solo thing. Maybe one day I will release something under it. A lot of the songs I wrote for it are going towards my new band though.

Is this going to be a complete solo effort? Do you plan to release a record or play any shows?

No, I’m actually not to into strictly doing solo stuff. I like playing in bands. I’ve recently started a band called “The Heavens” with some friends/ex members of Hot Like a Robot, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, and Manuok. We are definitely going to release a record and tour very soon, so that’s exciting.

How would you define the word “success”?

Putting in good solid honest hard work into whatever you’re doing and being proud of it despite the outcome.

What are you currently reading?

Family Outing by Troy Johnson

Any thought provoking reflections looking at your career so far?

When I first started that band, I had zero confidence in my song writing abilities, simply for the fact that, in previous bands i had been in, my songs were always shot down. But the people I was lucky enough to play with in First Wave Hello made me feel like I could write a symphony. I know that sounds lame, but I guess that’s why I would never want to do a “solo” thing. It seems arrogant and egotystical. I do need others to help write and create. That’s what excites me about playing music . . . is taking the best ideas from everyone and trying to make something powerful. And I think we did that in FWH.

http://www.myspace.com/firstwavehello
http://www.myspace.com/jacobturnbloom