Since the release of their third album 'Welcome To Discovery
Park' in 2002, next to nothing news wise has emerged from Brad corporation
as the members have spent the better part of the last two years (following
their sporadic touring efforts in 2003) focussing their attentions
on their respective solo careers and various other projects.
But from behind the scenes however, it's a completely
different story, as Brad have been busy readying the release of not
one, but two brand new albums in the coming months.
The first of the two projected new releases from Brad
comes in the form of the compilation of sorts 'Brad Vs Satchel', which
combines four previously unreleased demo tracks from Satchel (recorded
in 1997 - following the release of Satchel's sophomore and final release
'The Family' in 1996) and seven selections leftover from Brad's 2001
recording sessions (which spawned the 'Welcome To Discovery Park'
album).
In a rare move, the quietly spoken and media shy Seattle
based vocalist Shawn Smith was more than willing to chat about his
upcoming new solo release, the impending official follow up album
to 'Welcome To Discovery Park' from Brad, and of course, the band's
new bits and pieces compilation 'Brad Vs Satchel'.
"I wasn't involved in the process of gathering
the songs and putting them together for this release. It was all down
to our drummer Regan Hagar. It's been virtually his pet project since
day one. He asked us all if we would be into him putting together
a new album of unreleased material and releasing it, and we all agreed.
I had to listen to the album myself last night to get ready for this
interview. That's how unfamiliar I am to these songs myself after
all these years. I mean, one third of the album,s tracks (the Satchel
portion of the album) were never really finished. Even the mixes are
rough mixes that I'd put together immediately after recording them.
I think all of the Satchel tracks were recorded in a three-day session
in between a tour in 1997. We did roughs of them, and nobody within
the band gave a shit about them, and they then disappeared! (Laughs)
I think it was supposed to be a Satchel session, but I decided at
that point that I didn't want to do that band anymore. I had hoped
to call it a Brad recording session, even though Stone (Gossard -
Pearl Jam guitarist, and member of Brad) wasn't even there. And in
a way, that's what helped in the naming of the album. Originally we
were going to call the album 'Leftovers', but someone wrote on the
original DAT tape of the Satchel recording sessions 'Brad Vs Satchel'
(which mirrored Smith's conflict over the Satchel/Brad recording session),
and that's where the title ended up coming from."
Even though 'Brad Vs Satchel' is very much an album
of previously unreleased Brad/Satchel material, Smith is quick to
dismiss this as an official album.
"It's a little hard for me to consider this the
follow up to 'Welcome To Discovery Park', because it's simply an album
full of tracks that didn't make it onto other albums. All this album
does is pretty much clean up a lot of the unreleased material we had
lying around in the studio. I mean there might be a few more bits
and pieces here and there, but there wouldn't be much, and that's
more than likely stuff that I have no memory of. We've only ever gone
into the studio when we were ready to make the albums. We never really
got together to produce demos as such. We would simply go into the
studio for a month when we were ready to record a proper album. And
I guess, from my perspective, that's my whole problem with 'Brad Vs
Satchel'. Usually when I'm recording an album, I go through the whole
process of believing in it, and coming through to the other side saying,
'F**k yeah!' I think I wrote every single song on this album with
the exception of 'Roll Over', so they're very much my songs. Usually
I have three or four tracks that I wrote myself, but on this album,
I wrote everything. There's certainly some help on most of the tracks
here and there, but they're my songs. So I should really like this
album, and I think I do for the most part. There's stuff on there
that I'm really proud of, and some stuff that I think could have remained
shelved in the studio forever."
When asked to elaborate on any of the tracks that should
have never seen the light of day, Smith is quick to reply with one
particular stand out.
"'3 O'Clock'! (Laughs) If some people out there
that like it that would be great! But man, that song wasn't even close
to being finished, and I definitely wouldn't have chosen it to be
on there."
When I mentioned that '3 O'Clock' was very reminiscent
of his work with the now defunct Pigeonhed (the project founded by
Smith and renown producer and solo artist Steve Fisk), Smith was quick
to agree.
"Absolutely. I think that's mostly just me on that
track, but I'm not too sure. I'm always trying to make tracks like
that. But like I said, if there's other people out there that like
it, that's fabulous. I don't even know where I was at when that track
was being recorded."
One of the more interesting tracks on 'Brad Vs Satchel
is the opening number 'Looking Forward' (from the Satchel sessions),
which has more than a passing resemblance to Smith's own tune 'On
The Banks', which appeared on Smith's debut solo album 'Let It All
Begin' from 1999.
"You're right! I didn't even really notice that
until I heard the song last night. I think the chorus of 'On The Banks'
is actually the verse to 'Looking Forward', so 'Looking Forward' is
not so much a rough version of 'On The Banks', but similar in a way.
I didn't realise I had have even done that until I heard it again.
Since the first half of this album was recorded in a three-day session
in 1997, and I don't know if I really heard them again for years,
so I really don't have any memory of when I cross-pollinated the two
songs. I suppose that I never really thought that 'Looking Forward'
was ever really going to be released, so the melody must have stayed
with me. Its kind of a mystery to me how that actually happened. I
guess you could say that I subconsciously stole from myself! (Laughs)"
Apart from 'Brad Vs Satchel', Brad also has another
album completed, with its release a mere couple of months away.
"We actually finished the album about a year and
a half ago. There's a part of me that wishes that we really sat on
the 'Brad Vs Satchel' release, and released this new album first,
because the album we've actually finished is actually a proper Brad
album. We went into the studio for a month and actually recorded a
proper album, where as this album is made up of a three day recording
session, and songs that didn't make it onto 'Welcome To Discovery
Park'."
Much like his involvement in the release of 'Brad Vs
Satchel', it would seem that Hagar too has taken the reins in regards
to releasing the new album, along with the title that will accompany
it.
"There's not actually a title yet that I'm aware
of for the new album, but that might not be the case either, because
someone told me recently that the album is actually being printed
now. What's been happening is that I've chosen not to be involved
in Brad while I've been working on my own material for a solo album,
which I've just finished. So it's really Hagar who's taken Brad on
as his pet project in regards to getting these albums released. He
must have titled it, but I don't know what the title is."
Smith is also out of the loop in regards to the direction
of the new album, but he is able to confirm that the album is certainly
stronger than the patchy and inconsistent 'Welcome To Discovery Park'.
"I believe that 'Welcome To Discovery Park' was
a spotty album. The three main bands that I have had over the years
(Pigeonhead, Brad and Satchel) have only ever had two albums in them.
So when it came to Brad's third release, I really didn't feel that
strongly about the album. I think it was also the fact that we had
a producer come in and sort of muck it up. He (Skip Drinkwater) took
some of the fun and spirit out of the album. We had already recorded
most of the album on our own, and then six to eight months later when
we got a label deal (with Redline Entertainment), they wanted us to
have a producer come in and work on some of the tracks, along with
recording some new tracks. Needless to say, we f**ked it up. Even
my mum thought so. She said to me, 'What happened to that album you
sent me a year ago?' If only we had released that original album.
We f**ked it up in my opinion. It would have been a consistent record
if we had put out the original. It's a mistake that I take blame for
in a way too because I allowed the powers that be push me around!
(Laughs) And that's a lesson that I've since learned from. I can't
tell you what the new album sounds like, because I haven't heard it
in a while. But what I can say is that I feel that we managed to record
a very consistent album. We did it on our own. I just don't work well
with an outside producer. I like a good engineer, and they're sometimes
more productive than a producer who's trying to push me into areas
that I don't want to go. I'm an improvisational writer, so I need
real freedom. I don't think we caught that on 'Welcome To Discovery
Park', but I'm sure you'll hear that on the new Brad album."
Apart from releases from Brad, Smith is also due to
release a new solo album (the follow up to 2003's 'Shield Of Thorns'),
but not under his own name.
"I'm actually putting a band together, and the
album will be released as a band name (although Smith recorded the
album himself, with the help of a couple of friends). I have a name,
but it actually hasn't been cleared for use yet. At the moment it's
called The Diamond Hand, with the title of the album called 'Here
Come The Holy Rollers'. I don't know how to compare the album sound
wise to my last couple of albums, but I think it's a logical progression,
while similar sounding to 'Let It All Begin'. I recorded it over a
six-month period whenever I could find time in the studio, and I got
some really amazing people to play on it. At the moment I'm just looking
for a distributor for the album. My last three albums were released
independently on the internet, but that's really only geared towards
the fans who know about it. This time I want to get the album into
the stores for people to find, because I believe so strongly in this
album and the songs. I don't think that I've ever been as excited
about an album I've ever been involved in as much as I am about with
this album."
I would like to thank Shawn Smith for his generous
time, and George Hatzigeorgiou at Shock Records for making the interview
possible.
For more information on Brad, check out - http://www.bradcorporation.com
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
