Jazz musician Josh Redman once talked about his musical influences that range from rock and jazz to hip hop, classic soul and R&B; and how such exposure has expanded his improvisational repertoire, "I think the fact that I listen to so many different kinds of music gives me a wider perspective and more fuel for the fire, more ideas and inspirations. As a jazz musician you're being called upon to improvise to create something in the moment from scratch and I think the more you've listened to in a certain sense, the more material you have to work with."
Combining musical styles is something the instrumental band Particle knows all too well with inspirations derived in numerous genres that creep into the distinct sound of the group, making for a diverse musical gumbo of sorts.
The members of Particle - bassist Eric Gould, keyboardist Steve Molitz, drummer Darren Pujalet and guitarist Charlie Hitchcock - are musicians in love with the art of the live show. They played for five hours straight once, they have fans called Particle People, and they've been together for about 3-1/2 years and just recently finished their first studio work. They spend a good deal of time on the road because they know that's where the heart and soul of the group's music lies: in the live jamming and in the energy of the audience.
The new album is a strong reflection of the band's sound; and the often-used term "space porn," which is used by music critics, characterizes the music of Particle.
Particle's goal was to capture the live setting on the new album, and does so by incorporating divergent sounds, including that of electronica, Middle Eastern melodies, rock riffs and soul grooves.
The opening song and title track "Launchpad," which is in 4/8 time and comes with a set of amusing breaks, is a musical welcome note to the land of Particle and exemplifies the quartet's appreciation for electronic beats. The group specializes in developing expansive and simple melodies that allow each member to stretch out across a groove and use a lot of different improvisational options that allow them to experiment with sonic textures from many genres in the same way Redman or most musicians do.
The Beach Reporter this week sat down with Pujalet, a Manhattan Beach resident, and talked about the theme of the new debut album due out next week.
The Beach Reporter: Since your songs have no vocals or lyrics, how does Particle come up with the titles to its songs?
Pujalet: Well, much like jazz artists do. It's a feeling at that given moment or a place in time that you're trying to describe.
In your opinion, how would you characterize the environments of a live effort vs. a studio effort?
In the studio, you have to be much more concise and direct in what you're trying to communicate to the listener. In a live setting, you might have a chance to create a chapter, whereas in the studio you only have a paragraph to get your point across. You have to communicate the music in a quicker amount of time, but at the same time you can actually think about what you want to communicate more than you can when you're in a live setting. When playing live, you have the experience of recycled energy, which is like a pingpong effect that you have between the audience and yourself. The musician and the audience are mirroring one another to create something at that moment. In the studio, it's more of a one-way presentation, but live, you can kind of craft and create as the night goes on. In the studio, you really don't have the luxury to create the same way.
Did the band want to capture that live energy on the record?
Definitely, one of our strongest points as a band is our energy. For us to do something that would have been a departure from that in the context of a studio recording wouldn't have been true to what we are all about. We tried to capture the live energy and use the tools that we have in the studio at the same time.
The band has been together for nearly four years, and this is the first studio effort, so what took you guys so long?
It's funny that you should say that because The New York Times just printed an article about our business model. One of the things it mentions and we believe as well, is that the signature of our band is our live performance. There's only so much you can capture on a studio album but you can hear our unique tone and feel the energy that we do convey live on this album. I also think that because we've toured so much, we've never had a month or two months to make an album. The idea of playing live was working so well for us and things were moving forward so fast that we didn't have time to stop. We finally came to a fork in the road where we had a chance to make an album, and so being a band after 3-1/2 years, we finally have a product. We've taken on the grass roots approach and that's basically what the article in the Times focused on. We are a band that uses a different model by first building an audience then recording an album. It's a unique approach and we are being recognized for it.
At what age did you pick up the drums and are you formally trained?
I began stealing my mom's Tupperware and her spoons, and playing on my friends' kits about the age of 14. I went to a school called Drummer's Collective in New York, and a place in Hollywood called Musicians Institute. I also studied at San Diego State University, which is where I graduated.
Did you major in music there?
No, I actually majored in marketing, ironically enough. It's really come in handy, too.
Being that Particle is a band that's spent so much time on the road with a wide collection of songs, how did you select the 10 songs for the record?
We really tried to think what would record well and what we wanted to record to capture the first phase of the band. We could have recorded five more albums with the material we have but we wanted to document things in chronological order to show the evolution of the band. It won't be another 3-1/2 years before another album, though. We already have in mind to record another album in the fall.
The band has played a ton of shows over the years. How would you characterize your relationship with the road and touring?
You sort of live in dog years when you're on the road. Every week there's just so much that happens and when you come back from being on the road for a month or six weeks, it feels like it's been six months, but at the same time you meet so many new people and so many different cultures. We traveled the world and it's just been really fun to see these different cultures all revolve around music, this art that we call music.
Fifty years from now, how would you like people to remember Particle?
I think for the experience. Being entertained and the experience people share with us on those nights when we pull into their towns is sometimes really dramatic. I would say as a musician, my job is to take people away from their normal everyday lives if even for five minutes, let alone three hours, and if I can do that then I've been successful.
Almost every musician has a relationship with his or her respective instruments. How would you describe your relationship with the drums?
I would say much like a painter has a brush and a canvas, the drums are my vehicle to paint different sounds for an audience. I'm very passionate about playing the drums and I think it's a great way to express feelings and a lot of time I lose myself within the music much like a yogi would in meditation.
What are your top five albums?
Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon"
Herbie Hancock, "Thrust"
Santana, "Greatest Hits"
James Brown, "Greatest Hits"
Sting, "Ten Summoner's Tales"
Who are your top five drummers?
Jeff Sipe (a.k.a. The Apartment Q-258)
Horacio Hernandez (independent drummer who has recorded with Steve Winwood, Santana, and jazz artists McCoy Tyner and Michel Camilo)
John Bonham (drummer of the rock group Led Zeppelin)
Bill Stewart (jazz drummer who has recorded with jazz artists such as John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Peter Bernstein and funk saxman Maceo Parker)
Manu Katch/ (rock drummer who has recorded with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Gypsy Kings and Tori Amos)
What are five albums or artists that you really dig at the moment?
Radiohead, "Hail to the Thief"
The Roots, "Phrenology"
The Steve Kimock Band
Kinky
Ozric Tentacles
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