Roland, along with Yani Martinelli, are my new collaborators on Smellicopter. Each is a huge reason this album is likely my best. Roland's contributions came first chronologically, but I've already forgotten specific dates. He turned a simple folk tune, "Tim E. Redmond," into a full-blown country pop masterpiece with little input from me, contributed heavily to the Wilson sound on "Summer's Two Weeks Notice" and provided significant parts for three other songs. Let's hear what he has to say for and about himself in the following interview.
First, let’s have a little recap
of your musical career. What have been the high points so far?
The success we had with Riviera
(his excellent pop duo with sister Julia) was a high point. I remember I was on
an all time low in 2000, nothing happened, I quit my studies at University and
stayed in bed until noon when Julia jumped into my room to tell me that there’s
a Japanese label that wants to offer us a 3 album record deal.
Another highlight was singing
"Love & Mercy" with Brian Wilson at the encores of a show in
Mainz. Probyn and Billy (Hinsche) brought me on stage. The sound was horrible
and I remember Probyn saying:"just sing whatever comes to your mind. It
will be alright!"
When did Riviera really take off?
That was in 2001 when we signed
that 3 album deal with Philter, a small indie label with Sony Music as
distributor.
I remember a point at which you
were “treated like rock stars” in Japan. Was there Roland Wolff music before Riviera?
Sure there was. Me and my sister
Julia played in a brit-pop band called My Flavour Jasmine. Our highlight was a
UK tour in 1993. But we never signed with a label.
What has come after?
I have a new band "The
Riviera Brothers". It’s more Brit style, guitar driven pop music.
Where do you live?
I live in Moenchengladbach, a
smaller city in Germany, mostly famous for its glorious football (soccer) team.
Do you have a job that involves
music?
Yes, I teach music at a music
school.
Where do you record?
I have my own studio.
When did you first become aware
of your musical talent and do you come from a musical family?
I was always aware of my musical
talent. In our family, music was crucial. We played a lot together. My parents
gave house concerts, my dad played the organ, my mom used to be a great singer.
Would you say your hometown is
musical?
When I was a kid I remember that
there were lots of activities in our hometown. Many bigger names played here.
Due to my parents activities I was always part of the musical scene. I also had
great music teachers at school. Our hometown, Huckelhoven, was a coal mining
city, very working class.
I think you and I “met” on
MySpace and shared a kindred spirit of having both recorded our first albums on
ADAT-XTs. Is that right or am I misremembering?
That’s correct, sir. I used to
record on 7-track ADAT (one track was broken and I never got it fixed).
What do you recall about the time
during which you were laying down tracks for the Smellicopter album?
I don't have too fond memories of
that time. We got dropped by our Japanese label after our latest album bombed.
Julia [had] just recently moved to LA. I
didn't really know what to do. Kinda clueless about the next step.
What other projects were you
working on at the time?
I can't really remember. I always
work on some songs and decide later what to do with them. I have tons of stuff
on my hard disk that never got released.
What was going on in your life?
Two trips to LA. A dear friend
died and left us in a state of shock. A lot of every day routine, working in
the studio, trying to be inventive.
What do you recall about your
role as arranger of “Tim E. Redmond”?
Although I felt our career was at
a full stop I still received big pay checks from our publisher. I bought a lot
of gear and instruments. Tim E. Redmond is full of that new stuff, Baritone
guitar and banjo.
Most of the released version is
actually you. I play a usually inaudible guide track acoustic guitar and sing
lead, with some harmony vocals. The simple piano lines are me. Everything else,
other than drums, is you. My own recollection of writing the song is of a
miserable time, our very worst trip to the beach as a family. Lots of slamming
and yelling. I remember sketching out this amazingly simple tune about a real
kid I remembered and finishing the words later. You really transformed the
song. Do you recall anything about your process of contributing so much to it?
For instance, did one part occur to your first?
I loved the lyrics, those stories
inspire me. I pictured this scenery, early 70ies, that kid Tim stealing all
these vintage bikes. The station wagon with the fake wooden panels. All that
kinda stuff.
Did the simpleness of my song
help or hinder your process?
It definitely helped.
Mixing “Summer’s Two Weeks
Notice” held up the Smellicopter
release for some time. This was very frustrating for me and there are still
unresolved issues in the released version. I’m not sure who we actually hear on
drums in the released mix, but other than my piano, lead vocals and one of the
electric guitar riffs, the rest is, again, you. The glorious pile of vocals at
the end is all you, in fact. What do you recall about working on this song?
I could comprehend the vibe of
the song. It’s pure summer, with a little twist that only a grown-up could
think of. It’s like a tongue-in-cheek Beach Boys tune. I laid down most of the
tracks in a few hours. Everything was obvious; there was no pondering or doubt
about parts. I remember that you had problems with the drums. They could swing
a little more, right?
I remember your initial enthusiasm about
working on such a Wilsonian number. What are you proudest of here and are there
any regrets?
I love the bass sound, I loved my
recorder and the backing vocals at the ad libs. I also loved your little guitar
lick in the verse. You can be very proud of that idea, Scott. Overall, I was
happy that I could do the Pet Sounds thing all over a track.
You did so many tracks on the
first two songs, we agreed that you’d be listed as arranger. Your other
contributions to Smellicopter (“Daisy
Von Zeppelin,” “Iceberglar” and “To Find Your Happiness”) are very important,
but more along the lines of standard collaboration. Listening back now, what
are the favorite moments of your input on these songs?
I liked that prep[ared]-piano
part that should be reminiscent of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", I liked
that guitar solo that was a little tacky. I played cornet or french horn on one
of those songs although I can’t play that instrument at all. I was having a
tough time learning how to play those 4 notes and then gave the instrument to
my brother in law Probyn.
I learned a lot in recording this
album. For instance, I relearned that less is more. I had worked out all these
fancy piano arrangements for the three songs above and had to abandon them all
when it came time to record using Palmer Wilkins’ upright.It’s not that I couldn’t play the
parts, it just became obvious that each part was too busy, too in the way. We
did take after take, and each time I subtracted notes and played on fewer and
fewer beats. I forget which song, but I remember laying on his couch in the
control room and getting really mad at myself, letting out a big sigh, and
saying, “Okay, scrap all that. I know what to do.” The result is leaner and
better. Did you learn anything in doing this project?
Recording is a constant process
of learning. Sorry that sounds like Chinese cookie wisdom but it’s true.
Chinese cookies for musicians, we should bridge that gap in the market, Scott!
Can you smell the bucks? [You know I can!]
And to close out what projects
are you working on these days?
I am working on new Riviera
stuff, editing a video clip for Riviera, and my band The Riviera Brothers is
going to tour this spring, so we rehearse a lot. I am also working on some
friends’ songs, very sweet Carpenters like material! Ah - and I will release a
solo album. Besides that….nothing special.
