{image1}When Decibully guitarist and singer William Seidel urges you to call the band's new record, "an interesting pop record," it's hard to argue. That's because "Sing Out America," the band's third full-length disc, is just that.
There's no doubt it's pop because it's got three-to-four-minute songs packed full of melody and hooks which will draw back again and again. And there's no arguing that it's interesting. With its mix of country, rock, emo and other sounds, "Sing Out America" (Polyvinyl Records) is certainly among the most challenging records -- in a good way -- to emerge from the local scene in a long time.
As the band tours the States and beyond, we caught up with Seidel to ask him about the record, the band and more.
OMC: This is a really cohesive record. It sounds complete. Do you feel the same way?
William Seidel: Oh yes, that was the idea, it didn't just happen. Once we agreed on a title, we tailored the songs and themes and artwork to fit like a complete whole. Call it conceptual, but you will find no dragons or wizards on this record, we are saving that for the next one.
OMC: Why do you think it works so well in that sense?
WS: We live in a one-hit world. Mp3 player listeners know that. Obviously we know that there are songs on our record that are more downloadable than others but we didn't want the underdogs getting overlooked. So to fight it we ran the sequence together to give the little guys a chance. Now, you are forced to listen to the entire thing and you see it all makes sense, like a vacation. All the pieces are there: the good times, the bad times, the times you can't quite remember and perhaps some times you'd rather forget. It may not be your favorite vacation, but at least you can appreciate the experience.
OMC: Are you surprised by the great response it's gotten so far? Is it exceeding your expectations for it?
WS: We wrote a great record. The fact that other people are enjoying and getting something from it is amazing. I'm not surprised, but it does feel good.
OMC: I think the band sometimes gets pegged as a sort of rootsy or country-ish kind of band, but that's certainly not the whole picture on this record. Do you think the mix of styles has left some people, especially critics, at a loss for words to describe the band?
WS: Of course it has. I think saying we are a country-ish band is like calling us an emo band with a lap steel, it's the same. Do you hate the record? Don't call it anything. Do you really like it, but can't figure out why? Then keep it vague and just call it an interesting pop record, because that is what it is.
OMC: The tunes have some interesting instrumentation; for example, there's more banjo on the disc than on most recent non-bluegrass records. How faithful is the disc to the band's live performance and how important a connection is that for Decibully?
WS: We wrote the record by trying these songs out live, so in that respect it is well represented on the record. Of course in the studio we could clean up a performance and add some more magic sprinkles to make it sound cool and then mix it for a complete audio experience, but I bet if you see the live show and then go home and listen to the record you can still picture seven guys cramped together in your head.
OMC: What's going on with the band now that the record is out? Exhaustive touring, presumably?
WS: We are on tour right now winding down a four-week East Coast stint and will be heading to Europe next week for a month. I think we'll need to chill this summer for a few weeks before moving onto phase two.
OMC: Does that mean the next record is a long way off?
WS: We already have some ideas floating around.
OMC: Is it our imagination or is Milwaukee sending more successful bands out into the world than ever before? Why do you think that's the case in a city where most people usually agree that the scene stinks due to lack of venues or lack of support or any number of things?
WS: Milwaukee is on top right now ... I think we have some amazing bands, and I'm very happy that there are a lot of us out there representing the city to the rest of the world.
Decibully plays Thursday, April 14 at Onopa with Owen & The Snake The Cross The Crown.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
