Latest News from … WitnessesNYC
- 12 Mar 2024 -In this interview, Elizabeth catches up with Greg Schwan about his forthcoming full-length album, Joy, whose single “Beyond the Sound of my Voice” was released on 26 January 2024.
Image: WitnessesNYC, Greg Schwan, from New York
First of all, Greg, when were you first introduced to music?
As a kid I remember my older brother playing saxophone. That was pretty formative. For me it was piano. Otherwise, my Dad listened to stuff like the Eagles and Chuck Berry. I remember those the best, and a massive record player console that my parents had. It must have weighed a ton. I feel like my Mom was fond of Elton John. The music I listen to most regularly these days I wouldn’t really discover or be exposed to until high school and later.
Who’s been the greatest influence on your sound?
I don’t do a single genre in this project. It also isn’t just about other music. I find a lot of inspiration in TV and film. Books as well. It’s really a big mix of things and it’s hard to say what comes out on top in the end.
When did you start work on your new album? How was the process?
2022 seems right. For better or worse I tend to always be writing. I hate practicing, so if I start playing guitar or keys it’s going to quickly become writing. This obviously means a lot gets thrown away, but that’s a feature not a bug. The repetition and focus required for developing technique is a real challenge for me. My mind just goes anywhere else it can as soon as possible.
Can you sum up the album musically?
I’m starting to just welcome the label of post-metal. I have no idea what it means, but everyone keeps saying it, so OK! It’s heavy but very melodic. Lots of vocal harmonies, mid-pace and slow. Never really fast. Some keys where appropriate.
How does it develop on your previous work?
A few key things here. Guitars are more active. There are some parts with 4-6 guitars I think. The songs are nearly completely linear with a few exceptions. Drums are more involved. Vocals are also a lot more traditional for this type of music. “Traditional” of course does not mean boring or cliché. Quite the opposite here, the vocals are stellar.
Who have you collaborated with on this album?
On vocals, Simon Bibby. Drums are by Angel Hernandez. Live cello is by Arianna Mahsayeh. Otherwise, Gabbi Coenen and Matt Kozar are back with some vocal and guitar additions, respectively. On the artwork side, I’m working with Welder Wings. I’ve licensed a really great piece that suits particularly well. We’ll have it all put together by Andreas Levers, who I’ve been working with since day one. Last, I’m not mastering this; rather, I’m working with Erik Peabody, who has a very good ear and knows his stuff, so it’s been great both in terms of results and also I’ve learned some new tricks from him.
Tell us about the creative development of the album
I wrote all the guitar (and bass guitar) parts in my DAW and programmed some drums quickly for the writing process. From there I found Angel Hernandez on Twitter. It was a good collaboration. I didn’t want the overall feel to change anywhere, but I really wanted Angel to have leeway with embellishments and transitions, the details. I think that played out really well. At some point Simon Bibby joined in and started tracking vocal parts. His project Thy Listless Heart put out a phenomenal debut a couple years ago now. That said, I write all the lyrics on Witnesses, but I don’t structure them. They’re more like poems and I ask the vocalist to just fit them however they see fit. Arianna Mahsayeh joined to do cellos on the opening track. Much like drums, samples have come an extremely long way over the years but nothing beats the real thing. Longtime friend and collaborator Matt Kozar added some guitar harmonies on the first track as well, right as the song gets into gear. Last, another longtime collaborator, Gabbi Coenen, added some brief vocals that close out the last song on the album.
If it’s not obvious, everything was done virtually. Simon and Arianna are based in the UK, Angel in Florida, and Matt in Maryland. Nobody in NY. Oh, and this all started out with the vision of being an EP. But that changed and it turned out to be a short album instead.
How did the title come about?
There are a lot of clichés in heavy music. Far too many, I think. I felt the need to cover some different subject matter, or perhaps similar subject matter from a different lens. So an album about “joy” was pretty compelling. Incidentally, many people have said they hear hope in Witnesses’ music, so perhaps this is just quite fitting. But I guess more substantively, there is a certain self-acceptance I’ve experienced while writing this, and it came out in the words.
What’s been the reaction from listeners so far?
Well the fanbase is pretty small, but those who have heard it are responding positively. I think there is consensus that Simon was a good choice on vocals and that having live drums again made for a big improvement. But all that’s out so far is a single. We’ll see how it goes when the full album is out.
What’s next for WitnessesNYC in 2024?
Finishing up Joy and starting to write V. That should certainly be enough.
Image: Joy album cover
LINKS:
Bandcamp: https://witnesses-nyc.bandcamp.com/music
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witnesses.nyc/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6jBOdFUBc8jbvRDRDNy8x6