Sea Wolf Interview: Leader of the Pack

Sea Wolf
Sun October 28, 2007
The EARL
Atlanta, GA


TALive had the chance to swap e-mails with Sea Wolf star Alex Brown Church before he emarks on his nation-wide tour supporting his new release "Leaves in the River." With sweet, mesmerizing melodies and heartfelt delivery, Church is able to create a memorable sound that helps Sea Wolf stand out amongst all the "wolf" bands dominating the indie scene. We talked with Church about his growth as a musician, from his days playing bass in the band Irving to the current challenges of being part of the wolf pack.

TALive: Congrats on the new record release this week! For a debut record it’s really impressive how much exposure the band has already enjoyed, especially the track “You’re Wolf.” Of course whenever it seems like a band came out of nowhere, in reality there is usually a long back-story. When did your journey as a songwriter begin? How long did it take before you could make this “debut?”

ABC: I've been writing songs for over 10 years now. Started writing songs just before Irving started, and really cut my teeth writing in that band. Irving was a collective, with everyone writing and contributing songs, so I was always trying to write songs that those guys would like and want to do after the first listen, otherwise it wouldn't see the light of day. Eventually I realized I wasn't really happy with the songs I was writing for that band, as I felt like I was always trying to meet their approval and not my own. So I finally starting thinking about doing something else and allowed myself to write songs that I liked, that felt more like me. I think I wrote the first Sea Wolf song in 2002. I spent the next 4 years developing the band into what it became.

TALive: How is Sea Wolf’s sound and style different than what you pursued with Irving?
ABC: Pretty different. Irving was a real pop band, with a 60's rock tinge, lots of harmonies and hooks,. Sea Wolf is moody, brooding at times, and far more personal. Not 60's at all, it's more contemporary, it's been called chamber pop, because we have a cello, but I hesitate to call it that as it has a real dark side.

TALive:What is it like working with a rotating backing band? Is it hard to re-teach as new people come and go, or have you benefited from the fresh blood and new insight?
ABC:I prefer to not switch people out very much, as every time I do it causes the dynamic of the band to shift dramatically. Not just in a sonic sense, but in an inter-personal band relation sense as well. Right now the band that's been playing with me has been doing so since March, and I hope to keep it fairly consistent until we're done touring this record. Fresh blood can be a great great thing, but isn't always.

TALive:Besides the nuisance of having to answer these kind of questions (sorry…), what is it really like being part of the pack of wolf bands? Has the association been frustrating or beneficial? I could imagine some increased exposure when people stumble across your music and want to check it out because the “wolf” name registers some familiarity. At the same time, that could be a disadvantage when you are trying to build your own identity. What is your take? Does the name really have an impact?
ABC:I really have no idea what kind of impact the name has had. Not sure if there's anyway to measure that. But I did go through some stress when all those Wolf bands were coming out. I did think about all of those things, the negative vs. beneficial aspects (mostly I felt it was probably negative). The name for me is very personal, and I really didn't want to give it up, but I also didn't want to seem like I was latching onto any sort of bandwagon. So it was a struggle. In the end I opted to keep it as I felt like the music would hopefully speak for itself, and that hopefully people would just associate the name with the band, and not really think about it too much.

TALive: At what point did you realize you were one of many wolf bands around—were you aware when you decided on Sea Wolf, or was it something that emerged later?
ABC:Well, I think I was recording some stuff in Seattle with Phil Ek in 2005 when he told me about this new Sub Pop band called Wolf Parade. I think there were a couple of others that had just started coming about too, but I rememeber hearing about Wolf Parade really freaked me out. I was pretty bummed because Sea Wolf became Sea Wolf well before that, in early 2003. At that time I only knew about Wolf Colonel, Wolfie, and that did give me pause for about 2 seconds, I didn't feel it really mattered then as there would only be a couple of us, and it fit with me and the music so well, it was like a light bulb went on.

TAlive: The wolf itself carries so much symbolism and imagery. What is it about the wolf that personally appealed to you—whether you relate more to the animal itself or the Jack London story?
ABC: Well, and this might sound a bit corny, but as a kid the wolf was always my favorite animal. I think I was aware of that symbolism, and imagery even at a young age. That sort of, mythology of the wolf. As an imaginative, only child that lived in the country and played in the woods alone a lot, I identified with the wolf. I always had a strong love of animals, and I think I felt like I connected with them more than a lot of the people around me at the time. I think the thing I always liked about them was how intelligent and beautiful they are, and also felt like I related to how misunderstood they were.. I was always a romantic kid, ha! And as for the Jack London thing, I did like that book a lot and Jack London is one of my favorite authors and is from the SF Bay Area, like me.

TAlive: You’ve lived and traveled all over the world…where would be your dream place to visit? To live?
ABC: I really want to visit Iceland and Japan. Those are next on my list of places to go. As for my dream place to live? Well, on the West Coast for sure, as I have close friends and family from L.A. to Vancouver, and I just feel most at home when I'm here. The one thing I've learned is that there is no perfect place, and I think the most important thing is having a strong group of friends and family near you. As long as you have that, it doesn't matter where you are.

TAlive: I first heard Sea Wolf through satellite radio—where do you go to find new music?
ABC:My local independent record store.

TALive: Who will be joining you on stage for the upcoming tour? Is it a set cast for all dates or a rotating lineup?
ABC: These folks will be joining me: Lisa Fendelander, keyboards. Ted Liscinski, Bass. Aniela Perry, Cello. Byron Reynolds, Drums. Aaron Robinson, Electric Guitar.

http://www.seawolfmusic.com/