Morrow’s Band Cry for Help performs April 16  in JC

By Darren Paltrowitz

As the owner of the Hoboken-based record label Bar/None Records, Glenn Morrow has accomplished many amazing things in the music business. Not only the original label for They Might Be Giants, Freedy Johnston and Of Montreal, Bar/None has handled high-profile releases for Yo La Tengo, Puffy Amiyumi, Juliana Hatfield, and Alex Chilton. Founded in 1986, Bar/None celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year, having recently moved back to Hoboken after a few years in Weehawken.

Morrow – whose band Glenn Morrow’s Cry for Help plays Jersey City’s Monty Hall on April 16 with The Waco Brothers – spoke to River View Observer about what’s ahead for both Bar/None and the local music scene as a whole. Immediately following the Q&A, Morrow headed to the recording studio of Elk City drummer Ray Ketchem in Montclair to work on the next Cry for Help album.

RVO: Bar/None recently moved back to Hoboken after some years in Weehawken, what is it that keeps you based in this area?

GM: I’ve been living in Hoboken more or less since the late 70’s, so it really is home. We’re excited to be in the Newman Leather Building, which is constantly surprising me – there are all kinds of interesting artists and musicians working there.

RVO: When someone from New York City expresses surprise that your label operates outside Manhattan, do you have a pro-Hoboken speech ready?

GM: Well I’m certainly pro-Jersey these days. There is lots going on all over the state. I just saw some great bands in a new brewery in Little Ferry last night, Brix City Brewery. Jersey City keeps

opening new places for bands to play, like Porta and the Citizen, and I’ve seen excellent new bands at the revamped Maxwell’s as well. Hoboken is really a borough of Manhattan at this point. The energy level is no different.

RVO: Your band has a show coming up at Monty Hall. How much of your fan base do you think knows you as “Glenn from Bar/None”?

GM: I’ve been doing the label for 30 years, but I was in bands for 10 years before that, so it is probably a combination. I did reunions a few years back with my band The Individuals and “a,” which was a surprise to some people who only knew me as “the Bar/None guy”.

RVO: What’s the latest you’ve heard about a new venue opening up around here? Does Todd from Maxwell’s have something in the works for Jersey City? 

GM: I’m not sure what is up with White Eagle Hall, but Todd is booking shows in Jersey City at Monty Hall. He also has Yo La Tengo at the Loew’s in Journal Square in April. I was driving along listening to his radio show yesterday and I was sorry to have missed a bill he put together with Crazy and the Brains and Dirty Fences last weekend.

RVO: Your name came up when I interviewed Rob from Water Music. Who are some of the other local music business owners that you regularly work with, or at least are regularly in touch with? 

GM: Of course Jim at the Guitar Bar, Chip at Tunes, Gene at Schnackenbergs, Amandas and the Elysian, and Ali at the food truck near the PATH. He still sells a 75-cent cup of coffee!

RVO: Is there someone within the music business that you look to as a mentor, or credit for giving you your start?

GM: Steve Fallon, who started Maxwell’s and Coyote, really gave me my start letting me book bands at Maxwellâ€s in the beginning and later running the Coyote office. Paul Stark at Twin/Tone, who was funding Coyote at the time, taught me a lot about the nuts and bolts of the business. Also, the late Charles Ball, who has recently gotten some recognition for his work with Ork Records. He was the first record man I ever knew. Andy Schwartz, publisher of New York Rocker, hired me right out of college to be the paper’s advertising director. I’d say the sense of camaraderie we had there, and an outsider stance to the music industry, has carried over to Bar/None to this day.

RVO: What’s coming up for Bar/None Records?

GM: Next week we are re-releasing two Feelies albums that have been long out of print, Only Life and Time Fora Witness. We’re working with a young Jersey punk band called The Moms that I first saw at Maxwellâ€s. It’s our 30th year in the business, so we’re going to do some celebrating. The first album on the label was released on March 26, 1986.

RVO: When you’re not busy, how do you like to spend your free time?

GM: I like traveling and walking in foreign cities as well as around New York. Of course, writing songs and playing music. Lately my wife and I have been making batches of crostini crackers from scratch. Flour, yeast, salt and olive oil and careful baking. We make a week’s worth and then start all over again. Man, they are good!

RVO: Finally, Glenn, any last words for the kids?

GM: Making music is one of the most fun things you can do, and with social media and streaming, it’s easier than ever to get your music out there. Don’t quit your day job right away, but have fun with the process of making music. It can be great playing in your living room as well as an arena.

For more info on Morrow and Bar/None, go to www.bar-none.com.

The post GLENN MORROW STILL RECORDING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS first appeared on River View Observer.

 

By Darren Paltrowitz

 A Hudson music business staple along with Bar/None Records and WFMU, Water Music Recorders opened in Hoboken over 30 years ago. Based on Madison Street, Water Music may look like a typical non-descript building, but recording history has been made there, right across the street from Shop-Rite. Beyoncé, Shakira, Ryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, U2, R. Kelly, Taking Back Sunday, and the Dave Matthews Band are among the many artists whose music has been helmed there.

 Owner Rob Grenoble – himself an RCA recording artist before his Water Music life — spoke to RIVER VIEW OBSERVER about his life as a studio owner, which is nowhere near as bleak as music industry critics have led many to believe. In fact, Water Music is currently in discussions to open a satellite studio and artist management firm in 2016.

RVO: What brought you to Hoboken in the first place?
RG: In September 1978, we were dying to get out of Long Branch, where we had moved months before, foolishly thinking it was close to Manhattan. A friend of the band was working as a receptionist at a commercial film production company in Manhattan. One day she turned to Bob Ramos, one of their sales people, and said, “Ramos, my friends want to move to the NY area. They don’t have a lot of money. Where should they go?” Ramos was running out the door. Without missing a beat, over his shoulder he yelled, “Tell them to go to Hoboken. It’s the next big thing.”

We drove down Washington Street a few mornings later. I remember thinking, “What a dump. It’s a good thing I’m only passing through.” Hoboken was down in 1978. Every building had a hose pumping raw sewage out of the basement onto the sidewalk. The first person we met was Rudy, the Hot Dog Man. He was wearing a “Nowhere Else but Hoboken” T-shirt. Rudy is now a fireman. He introduced us to Steve Fallon at Maxwell’s who got us a $250/month apartment.

A year later, when we found the loft at 201 Grand Street that would grow into Water Music, we figured out how Ramos had gotten the inside scoop. Another building on our block was filled with artists; one of them had invited Ramos to a Halloween party. Steve Zane, a photographer, still lives there in a magnificent loft. Steve was way ahead of the curve. When we bought our current building in 1991, Steve took pictures of us removing the “For Sale” sign.

RVO: What was the last session that you personally engineered or produced?
RG: Last week I was involved in a mixing session with the Jim Black Trio. That record had some of the most incredible musicianship I have ever heard. Today I worked with Jaimoe [Johnson] of the Allman Brothers Band. We did the last Allman Brothers Band studio record and then Jaimoe’s solo record. Jaimoe is one of the most wonderful people on the planet. He just had rotator cuff surgery. Ouch. When he walked in, I said, “I’m not going to hug you for fear of ripping your stitches.” Jaimoe looked at me and said, “Just hug the other side.” Is that great or what?

RVO: All these years later, do you have any goals for Water Music Recorders; or is there something you’re still hoping to accomplish with the studio?
RG: A recording studio does a specific thing. It is an “as needed” service. Its role and level of involvement may vary from day to day and from artist to artist, but fundamentally we help people realize a creative dream. That’s basically it. On the other side of the pendulum there is the social and psychological aspects of keeping people focused, happy, confident and moving forward. But at the end of the day, there is a product and we helped build it. Will another multi-platinum record or another Grammy change my life? Probably not.

Success is gratifying, but perhaps not in the way that people think. It looks like Water Music will win another Grammy this year. The piece itself won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Now our recording has been nominated. If we win — and we’ve recorded many Grammy-winning records — I won’t think, “Wow, we won a Grammy.” I’ll think, “What stranger did I stop and help on a dark highway that allows me to work with Julia Wolfe, Kenny Salveson and the other members of Bang on a Can?” I am the luckiest person on the planet. I am so happy to get to work in the morning because I get to work with incredibly talented people. That is the reward, not the Grammy. So to answer your question, as long as we keep attracting great artists and making great records, the studio is fulfilling its business plan.

RVO: Aside from you, who are the people that got Water Music up and running?
RG: The founder of Water Music was Robert Miller, our keyboard player. I didn’t want to open a studio. I correctly viewed it as a sinkhole that would take away from my songwriting time. It didn’t, actually! Robert was the heart and soul of the studio. He named it after a novel by T.G. Boyle. James MacMillan, our bassist, shared engineering duties. It was their baby. I just wanted to write songs. Robert is now the New York-based artist liaison for Avid, the company that makes the Pro Tools recording software.

The old Water Music made a lot of records: Chris Stamey, the dB’s, Marshall Crenshaw, Joe Jackson Band, Pianosaurus, Scruffy The Cat, Antietam. It was a blur. We’d be out playing shows and then have to drive all night to get back for a session. That wasn’t going to work so we hired John Siket as our first employee. John went on to do the first Dave Matthews record, Soul Asylum and many Phish records. One of the Phish records is named The Siket Album. It was Robert, James and John Siket’s juice that got the studio up and running.

RVO: Finally, for someone who’s considering recording or doing any sort of work at your studio, what’s the preferred way for them to reach out?
RG: If you’ve got a great idea or a special talent, please call us.

For more info

www.watermusic.net

The post TALKING WITH ROB GRENOBLE OF WATER MUSIC RECORDERS IN HOBOKEN first appeared on River View Observer.

Successful as a stand-up comic, musician, author and host, Dave Hill is a proven quadruple threat. As a comic, he regularly hosts The Dave Hill Explosion at Upright Citizens Brigade beyond regular appearances on TV. As a musician, he is the voice and lead guitar behind Valley Lodge, whose song “Go” is the theme to HBOâ€s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, beyond playing with a wide array of folks that include Moby, Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Rival Schools†Walter Schreifels. As an author, he had a collection of essays titled Tasteful Nudes published by St. Martinâ€s Press in 2012, with a new title for Blue Rider Press slated for release in 2016. As a host, beyond the acclaimed Dave Hill Podcasting Incident podcast, Dave is the voice behind WFMUâ€s The Goddamn Dave Hill Show. And weirdly enough, those are not all of his credits or projects.

Mr. Hill was very funny in his Q&A for the RIVER VIEW OBSERVER, also proving to be knowledgeable about the Jersey City area. Both original and driven, one cannot help but be in awe of all the work that the guy manages to get done. For more information on Dave Hill in the meantime, click on over to www.davehillonline.com. 

RVO: You’re a comic, a musician, a host on radio and TV, a podcaster and an author. How do you usually identify when someone asks what you do for a living?

DH: I like to think of myself as a song and dance man. But on my tax retur,n I usually write “comedian who is also sweet at ripping guitar solos and stuff.”

RVO: When did you go to Jersey City for the first place?

DH: I was in a band from Cleveland called Cobra Verde and we played live in-studio at WFMU about 15 years ago. I think that was my first time in Jersey City. It was magical and also pouring rain and I really wished I hadnâ€t worn velvet pants that day, but lifeâ€s not perfect.

RVO: Do you have a favorite bar or restaurant in town?

DH: Raval is my favorite restaurant in Jersey City. Go there, and if you donâ€t like it, I will give you free lawncare for the entirety of 2016. And sometimes after my radio show, Iâ€ll grab a drink at Iron Monkey around the corner from WFMU. They have a great beer selection and also two floors. That way if you get bored drinking beer on one floor, you can try drinking beer on the other floor and see how that goes.

RVO: How did you wind up with a show on WFMU?

DH: Tom Scharpling was leaving his Tuesday night Best Show slot, which created an opening in the schedule. I had been a big fan of WFMU and had appeared on a few shows like The Best Show, Seven Second Delay, and Evan “Funk” Davies†show. Somehow my name came up and station manager Ken offered me the Tuesday night 9pm-to-midnight slot. The rest is either radio history, a decision station manager Ken deeply regrets, or perhaps some combination of both.

RVO: Did you grow up listening to a lot of free-form radio?

DH: Not really. Growing up in Cleveland, I listened to a lot of commercial rock radio as a kid and gradually got into college and public radio. And I grew up at a time when the Internet was just an abstract idea that only a few guys in lab coats were discussing in private somewhere, Iâ€m guessing, so I couldnâ€t just stream crazy stuff from all over the world. I had to live with whatever I could pick up on my radio in the wilds of suburban Cleveland. We didnâ€t have anything like WFMU back in Cleveland, at least not that I was aware of. But then again, there isnâ€t anything quite like WFMU anywhere, really. Itâ€s its own beast.

RVO: When is Valley Lodge next playing in the area? Any chance of a show at Monty Hall?

DH: I imagine weâ€ll play somewhere in New York soon, Mercury Lounge or somewhere. Iâ€d love to play at Monty Hall but I donâ€t think that would happen as I think that would qualify as a conflict of interest since I have a show on WFMU. I could be wrong, though. But Valley Lodge played live on Evan “Funk” Davies a couple of times before I had my own show on the station.

RVO: Is there any hope for a reunion of Diamondsnake?

DH: I would love to, but itâ€s unlikely now that Moby lives in Los Angeles. Nash Kato from Urge Overkill played with us a few times after Moby moved, which was fun. He has some of the best rock moves of anyone Iâ€ve ever seen. Theyâ€re not even moves, really, he just stands there looking cooler than everyone else. But as far as the “classic” Diamondsnake lineup goes, that could be tough.

RVO: Might there ever be a follow-up book to 2012’s Tasteful Nudes?

DH: Yes. In fact, I just turned it in today. It will be out on May 10, 2016 and will be published by Blue Rider Press, a Penguin imprint. Iâ€m still scrambling to decide on a title.

RVO: Do you have a favorite album of 2015?

DH: I really like Might & Magic by this German metal band called Iron Kobra and also Ghostâ€s new album Meliora. I also like the new stuff by King Parrot, Author & Punisher, and Sleaford Mods. But mostly Iâ€m still working on 2014. My favorite albums from last year are the self-titled Eyehategod album, Best of Boiler Room Classics by Mike Adams at His Honest Weight, and Johnny Marrâ€s Playland. Thereâ€s so much music over the last 60 or so years that Iâ€ve missed though, I tend to dig into the past more than I check out whatâ€s coming out now as most new stuff lately tends to either bore me or not sound enough like Slade to hold my interest. And now that I have access to the WFMU library, itâ€s an embarrassment of riches. I was just thinking the other day that one thing I know I can count on in life, other than the fact that I look great in a pant suit, is there will always be an endless amount of scorching hot jams for me to check out. Give me that and maybe a nice cheese plate and Iâ€ll be fine.

RVO: Finally, what’s the best way that a person can support Dave Hill?

DH: Send me money (laughs). I am kidding. This is just one more example of the ease with which I am able to make a humorous joke. Unless you want to send money. Then I am deeply serious. In lieu of that, though, just check out what Iâ€m doing on my website or wherever else and see if it might be up your alley. There are live shows all over the world, books, albums, radio shows, articles, this one weird thing I can do with a donkey, and other stuff too. Oh, and I sell T-shirts and other items that are priced-to-move on my website. And if for whatever reason, you donâ€t want anything to do with any of it, thatâ€s totally cool and I got no beef with you. Iâ€m able to make a living doing the stuff I love and my dog and I have the best time together pretty much 24/7, which makes me the luckiest guy in the world. The rest is gravy.

The post COMIC, MUSICIAN, AUTHOR & WFMU RADIO HOST DAVE HILL TALKS JERSEY CITY, THE FUTURE & MORE first appeared on River View Observer.