Greater Pacific - The warm swells of the soul

Let's start from the beginning of your musical journey: when and how did you realize you wanted to be a musician?

I've always loved listening to music and playing it. But before around 2005 I didn't know I could write songs that people would like. It's been a fun journey.

The Greater Pacific emerged from an earlier experience, under the name Travel By Sea. Can you tell us something about that band and how it differs from the current one?

I Travel By Sea was formed in early 2006, founded by me and a friend of mine, Brian Kraft. We finished the first album without ever meeting in person. Everything was done by email or text. After completing our second LP, we were lucky enough to have John Phinney and Mike Cusick in the band, who are now in Greater Pacific.

John and I decided in 2010 to record some songs under that name. We weren't sure how it would turn out, but now it's our main project and something we really enjoy.

You chose, like other artists on your label, a name that evokes a specific place, the “Greater Pacific”. Is it a personal choice, or a way to visually express the poetics – or, more simply, the atmosphere – of your music?

Honestly, the name just came to me one day and I liked how it sounded. It seemed to describe well the sound we had chosen, so we kept it. We live in Southern California, which is close to the Pacific Ocean, and it's always inspired my life and my songwriting.

The classic elements of Americana come through in your music, especially in your choice of instruments. At the same time, though, you've managed to build around them our own peculiar, hazy sound. How did you do it?

John Phinney: A key part of the concept behind the sound is minimalism. Giving space to the musical parts and not being afraid to have fewer players on the field. I really try to complement the vocal parts, building the instrumentation around them. My approach to pedal steel and banjo was dictated by the sound I had chosen and by Kyle's songwriting, which is rooted in American folk.

I love and respect more country-leaning pedal steel and banjo played in bluegrass style, but I didn't think those styles could fully bring out the emotion of the songs (with the exception of “Someday Soon”, where I actually indulge in a more country-style pedal steel arrangement). Kyle has a special voice, and to me it has the greatest impact when it stands out against the instruments. I try to use the instruments to accompany the waves of feeling that come from his parts.

Since your Ep “Rainfall”, you've taken decisive steps toward a better production, while still keeping the distinctive traits, the warmth of your sound. Can you tell us something about the recording and production of “Incandescent”?

John: Kyle and I record separately, most of the time. He does his vocal and acoustic guitar parts in his own studio and sends them to me over the Internet. I recorded and mixed “Rainfall” using Pro Tools with a DIGI 001 and a Blue & White G3 Mac. There were limits to what that system could do, in terms of track count and processing power. “Rainfall” was also more of an exploration of styles, blending our Americana with modern elements, like touches of synthesizer, shoegaze guitars, Maj7 chords à la Bacharach, sound collages, dub delay, etc. I took each track and produced it individually, without much of a band concept behind it, because at the time that was still very vague. It was fun approaching these things from different production angles and experimenting. The band's sound evolved out of that experimentation and the shows that followed.

For “Incandescent” I had slightly better recording gear (my G3 died right as we started recording) and a clearer idea of the band's sound. After producing “Rainfall”, there were areas where I wanted to improve the sound quality compared to the idea of a sparser sound – so I did a more informed and consistent job. My approach, as producer for Greater Pacific, is to let the song dictate the arrangement. I usually try to create little musical moments of beauty and yearning, but I never really know beforehand which instruments will work best on a given song. I might start working on a song with certain instruments in mind, but it doesn't always turn out the way I imagined.

Generally our working process went like this: Kyle would send me a demo, then we'd discuss the arrangement, and I'd send him a pilot track. Kyle would send me his vocal and acoustic guitar parts, and from there I'd build the other instruments, the musical parts, to send Kyle a mix “in progress” to see if he liked what I was doing. Once we decided we had something we liked, I'd bring in the other musicians (Gretchen Lieberum for female harmonies, Rob Smaw for male harmonies or bass, Tomas Croucier for bass and Mike Cusick for drums).

The cover of “Incandescent” features a painting by Karl Haglund. Why did you choose it and what does it mean to you?

I've known Karl for a long time and I love his work. I asked him if he'd be willing to do something for our album's artwork. I sent him the songs and he came up with the painting you now see on the record. I didn't give him any direction whatsoever… And we really love how it turned out. I think it works well with the record's sound, and I'm really glad he's part of it.

Your lyrical themes explore everyday situations, small epiphanies, something deeply rooted in Anglo-Saxon culture, especially American culture. Have you ever asked yourself why, if you agree with that?

I try to write songs that touch the listener in whatever context makes sense to them. To give them some form of feeling that relates to their own lives. I try to avoid writing songs that make too obvious what I'm trying to say. I'd rather leave them open to interpretation.

Most of my songs start from a few words thrown out there, around which I build something. I rarely go back and correct what I write — usually the song is finished after five minutes. If I have to come back to it, it generally won't survive the cuts.

What do you think of the current folk/Americana scene? Do you feel part of it? Are there any artists you particularly admire?

I think there are a few great bands playing folk/Americana music, but it's a tough scene to break into. It seems like if you're not already a known name, you get ignored. In fact, I can't really think of any folk/Americana names that have emerged recently. There's this whole Mumford And Sons thing going on, but I don't really see them as belonging to the scene. They're more of a pop band.

My favorite bands right now are: Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel, Elephant Micah, AA Bondy, Dolorean, Jeffery Foucalt, Phosphorescent and Richard Buckner.

In 2007, you took part as Travel By Sea in the Sparklehorse tribute album "That Horse Yonder". Do you think Mark Linkous's songs had an influence on your songwriting?

Yes, without a doubt, Mark has always been an inspiration to me and my songs. We were honored to take part in that album. Brian Kraft did a great job making that song our own. I think it's one of the best things Travel By Sea ever recorded.

How do you experience your relationship with live performance?

We've put together a great band for live shows (Kyle – vocals and guitar, John – pedal steel, ukulele, guitar and keyboards, Rob – vocals, bass and guitar, Shannon Hurley – vocals and keyboards, and Mike – drums), so if someone has heard our music on record and comes to see us live, they won't be disappointed.

Ride the wave of great music

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