The following is an interview between myself an Nick Zammuto, founding member of the popular experimental group, The Books. Their album, The Lemon of Pink is one of my personal favorite electronic albums, thanks in part to Mr. Downtown Paul Brown.
Zammuto has recently released an eponymously-titled album withan eponymously-titled band. They are currently on a tour in the United States.
1. Who makes up the band, and what are their roles?
Sean Dixon on drums, Gene Back on organ/keys and guitar, Mikey Zammuto on bass, Nick Zammuto (yours truly) on guitar, vocals, and slim Phatty mono synth. There is also a video projection that is almost like a fifth member of the band, that is synced with the show.
2. How would you describe the music of Zammuto to someone who has never heard it before?
From my perspective, it's Zappa meets Paul Simon meets Radiohead. The references are constantly shifting and most people (including me) eventually give up trying to categorize it. I think the sound has kind of a reckless precision. The show also has a sense of humor to it that I think is largely absent from the indie scene these days.
3. In general, how does it compare to the sound of The Books?
In many ways it's a continuation of the Books. I wrote all of the Books material so I think people can hear that it comes from the same place. The biggest difference is that we have a drummer (a ninja badass drummer) who ups the energy of the whole enterprise. The books were more about folksy electronic rhythms, while Zammuto is more of rock configuration, which is reproduced 100% live.
4. What are the logistics of a live Zammuto performance? Specifically, how do you manage to recreate the digitized sounds in a live setting?
Both Sean and Gene have drum triggers and sampling keyboards that we design our own sounds for, and they play in real time. Also the show has a midi brain that is attached to the video which allows us to stay in sync with the visuals in an organic way. Also, all of the vocal effects used on the record are reproduced live through a foot controlled vocal processor with presets I've created for the show.
5. How does Zammuto stand out among the other groups in electronic music today?
I don't think we fit squarely into the electronica category. I'm always looking for that fine balance between organic and digital, acoustic and electronic. The show feels like a comfortable marriage of a lot of different techniques, all in service of the music. Like I said earlier, we have a very particular sense of humor, which seems rare in music these days. We take the performance aspects very seriously, but everything else is in this crazy business is pretty funny to us.
6. What/who are some of the influences that have shaped the sound of the Zammuto album?
I had a lot of pent up IDE and frustrations after a decade of working on the Books, so it was like the floodgates opened when I had a chance to start something new. I just tried to work freely and follow my nose. I have to many influences to name, I think everyone hears something different in the music, and that's part of its design.
7. What can fans expect from Zammuto in the future?
Hopefully another record ASAP. We're on our first tour right now and the shows have been joyous and rowdy, but we need to grow to survive. We're counting on our listeners to keep us alive at this point.
8. Anything else you want to add.
Thanks!
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Thanks for reading and be sure to listen to the unprecedented amalgam of tunes that is Tenseless Sensations this Wednesday at 8 pm.
