Faint On Call, the new project featuring former members of Counting Crows, Laundry, and Onesidezero has released its new single “Pearl” on streaming platforms recently. What began as a collaboration between friends during lockdown has now manifested into a nearly complete full-length album, in which “Pearl” is the first of new music to be unveiled. The single, along with the album, was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by acclaimed industry vet Sylvia Massy, who is responsible for many of rock’s most iconic albums including Tool’s Undertow amongst countless others.
We had a chance to speak with them as part of our Refrain Interview Series
Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. What’s it called?
Toby: Hello and thank you for giving us the opportunity to answer your questions. We’re honored and super excited to be featured in Refrain Music.
The song is called “Pearl” and it’s out now on all major streaming platforms – yahoo!
RMB: What is the song about?
Toby: Pearl is about a lifetime of challenges and the pain that comes to us all as we struggle to get through day by day, hour to hour. It’s somewhat of a personal story with some metaphors added to express the message. The story is of an existence that seems to be headed for self-destruction—a life overpowered by depression, addiction, and major isolation with a “hero” destined to walk into the sea to end it all. And then something magical happens. The hero is transformed by a spiritual experience he has as he heads into the sea. He is overcome with a shifting perspective, a grand moment of letting go, a reprieve of sorts. Like a pearl, forming from coping with irritants to become a jewel, he comes out of misery into hope. So the message is about letting go and willingness to accept the possibility of hope and change. Change is constant, never give up hope—shit can get good.
RMB: Is this single part of an album?
Toby: The single is part of an album called SWOON. It was recorded in Celaya Mexico with producer Sylvia Massy, who has worked with some of the greatest (Tool / the red hot chili peppers /Prince Johnny Cash) in a 300-year-old hacienda. If you listen closely you can hear the bats flapping around, as well as the psychedelic parrots that were hanging out right outside the studio shrieking their butts off (wait, do parrots have butts?) The songs were created during the whole pandemic lockdown isolation period through shared files and a shitload of persistence from Mexico to the States. We are releasing a series of singles pretty soon. After that, the album should drop. We can’t wait!
How does this single differ from your previous work?
Art: This was probably the first time I’ve ever been involved in a band from its very inception and also being able to contribute from the drums and having a song form around my initial drum beat is fantastic!
Cris: I guess the main difference here is that in this project I’ve become the main writer. In Onesidezero we all wrote, and then after, in later projects, I either took the role of “producer” or just a side man. In Faint On Call I write almost all the music and arrange the songs, with Toby adding lyrics and melodies on his own time.
What’s the story on how it was recorded?
Cris: The whole record came together very fast. Art told me about a program called Spire from Izotope that could facilitate us writing online. After a few songs, Art mentioned he was going to forward them to a friend, Tobias. As soon as I heard his melodies in my music, I knew he was the guy. After that Tobias and I were writing through 2020 and the first half of 2021. That’s when we decided to talk to a producer to help us make the record. Sylvia Massy was into it from the moment we sent her the first demos. We somehow convinced her to come to a hacienda in my hometown of Celaya, Mexico to record there for 3 weeks. I spent like a month before everyone got there gathering gear and wiring it together to turn this 300-year-old house into a functioning studio. I invited my friend David Rodriguez, who I was playing with at the time to come play leads. He had never recorded before, so I thought it would be an awesome experience to be part of our project. Art and Toby arrived in the first days of September 2021 and we got to practicing the songs. A week later Sylvia arrived and we started recording. We turned an old large living room made of adobe and wood floors, full of family heirlooms, into the drum room. I couldn’t believe the tones Sylvia managed to get out of there. Then we did all of the acoustic guitars in the hacienda’s chapel that had reverb for days. You can hear it all over the record. We did some drum overdubs as well and made the loudest sounds ever! Sylvia mixed the album back in her studio in Oregon and we had a finished album by the end of 2021.
Tell us a little about the band?
Art: Tobias Hawkins is our singer, Cristian Hernandez played bass and guitars and David Rodriguez played even more guitars. We formed during the beginning of the lockdown Cristian and I (Art McConnell I play drums) were looking for ways to collaborate now that we had all this extra time on our hands, I had recently discovered an app that allowed me to get workable multi-track recordings of drums because I have zero patience in learning ProTools. I went to work recording some drum ideas I had and then sent them to Cristian and then he wrote some songs to the beats and we were off and running!
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Art: Sunny Day Real Estate, Quicksand, Failure, and a solid diet of classic rock like Black Sabbath, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Joe Jackson etc
Cris: The Beatles have always been in my life. Pink Floyd, Led Zep, STP, Helmet. The players I’ve emulated the most as a bassist have been Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones and John Entwistle.
What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?
Art: This band and the music we have created for our forthcoming album: Swoon. It is a perfect amalgamation of our personalities, taste and experiences.
Cris: This record! Every element about this record I’m so proud of. I got to co-produce with one of the most important producers in the business. I got to rub elbows with Sylvia Massy! And what Art said. We all dope together.
If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?
Art: If you are a fan of great Rock n Roll songs played by real musicians that really enjoy sitting in a room together and creating a crushing yet melodic sound that can turn your heart into mush!
RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?
Toby: I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I have to tell myself this every damn day and it’s a game changer— are you ready for it? …one day at a time!
We can all get overwhelmed about everything that’s happening and get into future-tripping and going back to the past and reflecting on what we should have, could have,would have done. It’s all enough to make one give up hope, live in a constant state of anxiety and fear. But what a difference a day makes. Try your best to do what you can for that one day and just let everything else go— tomorrow is a new chapter, you can make new choices . I don’t know why it takes so long to finally get into the routine of this practice, but when you do it’s pretty cool.
If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?
Art: Take less shit, listen to more music and take more risks. Have all the fun!
Cris: Be patient, be flexible.
What’s coming up next for your musical project?
Art: We have a whole album of music that we are releasing over the next couple of months and are planning for some touring throughout North America in the coming months.
RMB: Anything we haven’t thought of that you want to talk about? Now is the time!
Cris: We recorded strings too!!! But that’s it, I think you covered it all.
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