the time is 5:45 pm. paul belbusti — the songwriter behind the fantastic and ever-evolving Mercy Choir — and i have been driving around new haven for about an hour. we’ve been recording clips for our “carpool karaoke” webseries (you can find it on YouTube soon). i take paul to a local ice cream shop, and we talk about his music. his upcoming album — upturned in everest — is of particular interest to me, but our conversation ranges from his music, his influences, and advice for aspiring musicians. i order the 2-scoop vanilla cup with reese’s pieces; paul orders a 2-scoop toasted almond with graham cracker crust. below you will find our conversation, but first, do yourself a favor and (pre-)order the new mercy choir album by clicking on this link. i’ve already heard it, and it’s great. you will love it. ok — here we go:
all right, let’s get down to brass tacks: where’s your favorite place to be in connecticut?
MC: The closer to the shoreline, the better, I’d say, but there are so many treasures all over the state. My favorite way to see the state is by hiking the trail systems. I once hiked from Guilford to Farmington on the Mattabesett trail. It took over a week, I think. Walking through the woods past streams, lakes, through valleys, on backroads, over the little peaks like Mount Higby. Those are my favorite places to be.
You’ve mentioned on social media your love for guided by voices – what’s your favorite album by bob and the boys?
MC: The obvious answer is Bee Thousand and that is his masterpiece, but Isolation Drills has 5 or 6 of my favorite songs on it. It’s also worth mentioning the run of albums Bob has made with the current GBV lineup (August By Cake — Warp and Woof). They’re all fantastic. It’s going to take years for us to come to terms with what Bob Pollard has done. The easiest thing to do is write him off for putting out too much and favoring quantity over quality, but that misses the point. The truth is, he’s written more good songs than anyone, probably ever, no hyperbole. Making a good album is easy for him. Writing an excellent melody is even easier. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people because it’s such an overwhelming concept. Thinking about the amount of music he’s made is like contemplating the vastness of the universe and therefore your own insignificance.
“Initially, I planned to make an 80’s influenced pop record. And then I scrapped that idea and wanted to do the opposite.” – on the origins of the new album.
you’re playing a very special show on september 14th with the dr. caterwaul’s cadre of clairvoyant claptraps. two questions, and the answers may be related, but why did you plan for this as a one-night-only event? and why dr. caterwaul as your backing band?
MC: I usually like to do a release show and play the new album, one night only. This time around, since I made the album alone, and there’s not really a current Mercy Choir live band, I wanted to work with an existing band. I’ve been wanting to work with The Caterwauls for a long time. They’re one of my favorite bands and they pick things up really quickly and always take things in fascinating directions.
that’d probably make a pretty cool live album…
MC: Yeah, somebody should record it.
upturned in everest feels like a bigger record than your previous ones. the melodies are bigger, the use of noise/improvisation in your backing tracks is more prominent. was this something you thought about when you made the new record?
MC: Thanks for noticing that. Initially, I planned to make an 80’s influenced pop record. And then I scrapped that idea and wanted to do the opposite. Something really loose and vibey like Astral Weeks. I think the result is something in between the two, and that’s okay by me. I really just wanted to make a strong collection of songs that hangs together as a strong album. I have a big birthday coming up and this album holds a certain significance for that reason too.
what does the name of the record mean to you?
MC: Triumphantly confused.
i don’t have to go into work this week – you got any good movie or book recommendations? nothing with stallone, please.
MC: I don’t watch many movies and when I do, I usually forget them as soon as they’re finished. As for books, I would recommend “Scary, No Scary” and “The Man Suit” by Zachary Schomburg.
what is it that you look for in a book?
MC: That depends on the book. I read mostly poetry and I’m embarrassed to say if the poems are not visually appealing on the page, I likely won’t bother. Yeah, I haven’t been able to articulate why (yet) but aesthetics are important in poetry. For fiction, if every sentence isn’t compelling, I have a lot of trouble getting through it. I don’t have the attention span for novels, but I’d like to change that.
“We’re told making and recording music must always be collaborative, but the truth is, you should make your art anyway you like. That’s why it’s yours.” – on making music alone.
i like to think about each artist’s new album as being a response to their last. how is upturned in everest a rebuttal to fair games?
MC: I didn’t think about that, but you may be right. Fair Games was written and recorded in a month and was recorded haphazardly. Upturned In Everest took over a year and is the most meticulous music I’ve ever made.
you wrote, recorded, performed, and mixed their album by yourself – what kinds of feelings does that give you? is it empowering? intensely personal? lonely?
MC: It’s all of those things and that’s mainly why I prefer to work alone. I like feeling empowered and lonely. It’s an unusual combination of emotions that surprisingly goes together well. It’s taken a long time for me to give myself permission to admit I enjoy working alone. We’re told making and recording music must always be collaborative, but the truth is, you should make your art anyway you like. That’s why it’s yours. I would like to put together a small band and play a couple of shows after the release show, but I don’t have anything planned at the moment.
do you learn new things about yourself working so closely with yourself?
MC: My favorite feeling is being finished with a project. The feeling of, “Hey, I did this. I made this. I have the ability to make this” is always fun to learn and feel over and over again. I think I’m addicted to that feeling and that’s why I make so much music and art. It’s an especially satisfying feeling for someone like me who wasn’t a good student and tends to feel inadequate in other ways. When I make a good record, I get to feel like the top banana for a little while.
how great is Lys Guillorn and Kierstin Sieser?! did you write the album with them in mind for the backing vocals?
MC: They are so great. About halfway through making the album, I decided I needed a specific sound and mood for the backing vocals. They’re both my buddies and are two of my favorite musicians so I was glad they could do it. Having them on the album elevates the whole project. Same deal with Erik Elligers who is also all over the record. He recorded his flute, saxophone, and vocal parts in one night.
what does music provide you that your work in visual media or poetry does not? or is that the wrong way to frame it?
MC: The main thing I get from making art, in any medium, is satisfaction and relief. Music provides me with the most satisfying satisfaction and the most relieving relief.
“The idea is to have good songs, and record them with care with a strong creative spirit. That will translate to the listener, regardless of how it was recorded or who it was recorded by.” – on recording DIY style.
are there any up-and-coming Connecticut artists that you think we should have an ear out for?
MC: I don’t know what counts as up-and-coming, but my favorite Connecticut group right now is Tongue Depressor. Also, keep an ear out for The Sawtelles. Those kids are going places, for sure.
do you have any advice for new artists that are taking a similar DIY approach as you, writing, recording, and performing an album on their own?
MC: Trust yourself. There is no “wrong” way to make music. A lot of the gear and technique we’re told we need is a capitalist lie. An album recorded on the voice memo app on your phone is as valid and can sound as good as an album that was recorded in the studio by some bro you pay $10k to who has fancy microphones and a bunch of shiny boxes with blinking lights. The idea is to have good songs, and record them with care with a strong creative spirit. That will translate to the listener, regardless of how it was recorded or who it was recorded by.
are we getting another rivener record, or are y’all going to leave us hanging?
MC: Do people want one? Here’s a tip for music fans: if you like a band, tell them so, buy their stuff, share their music on social media, and go to their shows. Otherwise, they won’t know, and they might just go away. That said, I think there probably will be another Rivener album.
