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1. Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
The Struggle continues, Comrade!
2. After a decade-long hiatus, Firewater returns with Bad Jazz. What ultimately brought you back to the project, and when did you realize you had the right collection of songs to make a new album feel worthwhile?
I decided to stop touring so that I could raise my daughter. I don’t regret it one bit. But she’s now old enough to be a Firewater fan and has been encouraging to get back into the game.
3. You mentioned that you never stopped writing during the break and had a big collection of material to draw from. What helped you narrow that down to the songs that became Bad Jazz? Was there a particular quality you were looking for when deciding what belonged on the record?
I signed with our new label, PRAVDA, largely due to the fact that a dear friend and long-time Firewater supporter, Scott Schaefer, is now working there alongside label founder Kenn Goodman. I sent them all 50 demos and let them decide which ones they liked. After a little back and forth, we decided to record this batch of songs. There are many more simmering on the back burner for the next record.
4. The first single, “Stick Your Guns Where The Sun Don’t Shine,” sounds like a particularly direct statement to introduce this new chapter. Why did you choose it as the album’s first single, and does it capture the attitude or spirit of Bad Jazz as a whole?
‘Guns’ is a song I should have written a long time ago. But sometimes you need to wait until lightning strikes. The intro to the song is an iPhone recording of when the words and melody first popped into my head (in a chicken shack, in southern Turkey, strangely enough). This doesn’t happen often for me. Usually a song requires a lot more blood, sweat and tears. But this one basically wrote itself. I think it’s pretty catchy. And I fully stand behind the message.
5. The band has always been about bringing seemingly different musical traditions together, from punk and klezmer to ska, jazz, folk, and sounds from around the world. How did you approach that musical mixture on Bad Jazz, and were there any new directions you wanted to explore this time around?
Ironically, ‘Bad Jazz’ is probably the most straight-up ‘rock’ record we’ve ever done. The title is a tongue in cheek reference to early rock’n’roll, which was basically a stripped-down jazzy groove made by broke musicians on lots of pep-pills. On this record, I thought much less about style, and more about songwriting structure. The strongest songs made the cut.
6. Having spent considerable time based in Istanbul, you mentioned that some of the album’s grooves carry a Turkish flavor, while the overall record represents something of a return to your New York punk roots. How did those two sides of your musical identity come together during the writing and recording process?
I’ve been hanging my hat in Istanbul for 13 years now. It’s natural that the cultural influence of where you live seeps into the music. I used to be more of a vagrant, and I never planned to be here for quite so long. But Istanbul is not a bad place to be stranded, all things considered. Much cheaper and cleaner than NYC, for a start.
7. The album was recorded at Space Mountain, the remote Spanish studio built by Martin “Youth” Glover. What was the experience of working in that environment like, and how did the location and Youth’s production approach influence the sound of Bad Jazz?
Youth built and owns the studio, but did not produce the record. I did. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet him, because I’m a huge Killing Joke fan. I guess he spends most of his time in the UK. Maybe we will cross paths the next time I work there.
The studio was great. In the middle of fucking nowhere. It was a great place to focus and get down to business. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we worked pretty long days.The recording engineer, Ivan Moreno Romero, was such a pleasure to work with, even when we were all short on sleep. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
8. You reunited with longtime Firewater drummer Yoni Halevy and welcomed Oren Kaplan on guitar, while also rediscovering the bass after many years away from the instrument. How did this trio-based foundation shape the album, and did returning to bass change the way you approached the songwriting?
Oren Kaplan has been living near Granada since he left Gogol Bordello. It was actually thanks to him that we wound up recording at Space Mountain. Oren is a bloody trooper, a singular talent and I’m very grateful to him for all he contributed to the record.
Yoni Halevy was the one who encouraged me to pick up the bass again. I am glad he did. Yoni and I had worked on several demos together from afar, so the grooves were pretty well established by the time we finally got into the studio together. It was just a matter of capturing the best takes.
9. Bad Jazz also features an impressive group of collaborators, including Jennifer Charles, Jaro Milko, Assaf Talmudi, and Marlysse Simmons. How did you decide which musicians and instruments each song needed, and was there a particular collaboration that took the music somewhere unexpected?
I’ve always seen myself as more of a songwriter (or maybe a propagandist?) than a musician. I sussed out a long time ago that you always get the best results by collaborating with people who are better than yourself. Work with cool people that you like, who you respect, and give them the freedom to express themselves. You learn a lot along the way, and usually have fun doing it. I’m so privilaged to work with all of these fine people.
10. You guys often balanced exuberant, danceable arrangements with lyrics steeped in cynicism, mortality, and political unease. Does that contrast remain central to Bad Jazz, and how do you approach finding the right balance between the music’s celebratory energy and its darker lyrical perspective?
I’m more a dissappointed optimist than a cynic. I think humor, even dark humor, is the best way to get through dark times. And these are dark times. Music has always been my therapy. Hopefully Firewater’s music can bring some joy to others as well.
11. From Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood for the Fire to International Orange, Firewater has continually reinvented its sound while maintaining a distinctive identity. Where do you see Bad Jazz fitting into that evolution, and does this return feel like the beginning of another chapter rather than simply a long-awaited reunion?
There is no master plan. I just try to be honest in what I create, and let the music journalists figure it out.
Thanks for your support, Comrade!
Tod A
Istanbul
