Sooyoung Park
Still Driving You Crazy
»
One of the stalwarts of the early '90s indie rock explosion -- which also yielded kindred spirits Superchunk, Codeine and Versus -- Seam ply a brand of tension/release rock that tugs firmly on the heartstrings.
Initially based in Chapel Hill, NC, the band moved through a host of lineups before settling in Chicago and unleashing 1993's The Problem With Me, an extraordinarily cathartic and emotional record. The slightly more polished but similarly affecting Are You Driving Me Crazy? followed in 1995, amid rumors that major labels were courting Seam to join the corporate rock militia.
Although three years passed before the band released last fall's somewhat disappointing The Pace Is Glacial, recent live performances have ensured that there's still plenty of kick left in the Seam can.
Frontman Sooyoung Park answered some queries from Nude As The News Associate Editor Jonathan Cohen, reflecting on Seam's status as indie rock veterans and the unconventional inspiration he draws from living in Chicago.
NATN: If you had to sum it up in a few sentences, how would you describe the primary differences of The Pace Is Glacial compared to the last records? This would encompass perhaps the tone of the record, the ways in which the songs were written, etc.
Sooyoung Park: I guess production-wise The Pace Is Glacial has a darker, more claustrophobic sound than our other records, which is kind of a Brian Paulson trademark. It doesn't work that well on some songs, but I like that production style on the sparser stuff like "Kanawha" and "Aloha Spirit." Overall I'm happier with the songwriting than I was with Are You Driving Me Crazy? The lyrics flow better. We also fooled around in the studio with some stuff I wrote and recorded at home on my PC. That was fun.
NATN: I understand there were some technical difficulties in the studio with this record. Can you elaborate on that at all? Something about the original master tape being rendered unusable?
SP: The first 6-song session we did for this record was unusable. Something was horribly out of whack with the tape machine, so there was all this hiss we couldn't get rid of. We ended up starting over at Electrical Audio in Chicago.
NATN: How does the band approach touring? From what I understand, all of you guys have day jobs, which must make it hard to get away for more than a few days at a time.
SP: Touring now isn't what it used to be for us. We just play on weekends, usually out of town but sometimes in Chicago. It's very bizarre, flying into a city for a show, playing, and crawling back into work the next Monday. We'd prefer playing in two-week stretches but that's tough to arrange now since everyone is Seam has some kind of job. But I can't really say I miss playing music full-time. It just gets to be a job then and you end up doing things you might not want to do because you need the money.
NATN: Is there another Seam album in the works?
SP: We're going to record more stuff, but I don't know what form it'll be released in. Maybe one song at a time.
NATN: What is the status of your record label, Fortune4?
SP: Fortune4 isn't really happening right now as a label. The three of us (me, William Shin from Seam, and Ben Kim) program the Chicago Asian American Showcase, which is a film festival, so that's become our main thing. But I'm still putting records out on my own label, Currycore. There's an EP by this band Miss Wormwood which should be out later this summer.
NATN: Is the song "Bunch" really about getting high?
SP: No, but "Get Higher" is.
NATN: If you had to pinpoint some key differences in the band's current lineup versus the lineup that made The Problem With Me, what would they be? Could this current lineup have made an album like The Problem With Me?
SP: The lineup that made The Problem With Me was never a tight group. Everyone was always fighting, which made touring a real drag. Musically it all seemed to click for a while, but anyone who saw the one tour we did with that lineup can tell you that by the end it all fell apart just as quick as it came together.
The current lineup would've made a different record, but I can't tell you how. People really like The Problem With Me, but overall I'm a lot happier with the way Crazy? came out. At first I was bummed on the production, I guess it just took me a while to get used to that natural sound Brad [Wood] was going for.
NATN: Who are some of your favorite bands?
SP: Right now I'm listening to Built To Spill, Talvin Singh, The Carnies, Art Blakey, The Roots, Ladybug, Sun Ra, the new Faye Wong single.
NATN: At one point there was a lot of speculation that Seam might jump to a major label. In light of the recent mergers, and the proliferation of smaller bands who were dropped, are you satisfied with your decision to remain on Touch And Go?
SP: We checked out that major-label scene, but I don't think we could've gotten the kind of deal we wanted. Of course everyone wants to sell more records and make money and stuff, but Touch And Go does a good job of reaching the people who are interested in our band, and they don't make us do any humiliating stuff. So we're basically happy with the arrangement we have.
NATN: Are there any particular songs from the last couple of records that are no longer performed live?
SP: We haven't done "The Wild Cat" in a long time, but everything else on those records is still in rotation. "Autopilot" was off limits until recently. Now we've got the technology.
NATN: Who would win in a wrestling match: Bob Weston vs. Jim O'Rourke ?
SP: Dude, I could kick both of their asses.
NATN: What was the worst gig Seam ever played, perhaps taking into account a crappy venue, bad road trip experience or oddball opening act.
SP: Kirby's beer store in Wichita, Kansas would take that prize. The venue itself was fine (around 25 people showed up, which is pretty much a sold-out show there) and we had great Vietnamese food before the show. But [drummer] Chris [Manfrin] and I were really too drunk to be on stage, which pretty much never happens. I played all these songs in the wrong key. It was ugly. We've since cut out the booze.
NATN:Are any of the band members heavy Internet users? Any plans for a more official Seam site?
SP: Everyone except Reg is into that. But not enough to maintain our own site. Kerwin does a good job with our current site. We leave it all to him.
NATN: What's the best place to see a concert in Chicago? How about the worst?
SP: I like seeing shows at Lounge Ax, but they're booking less and less stuff that I like. The sound at Double Door is good. Bad venues are around but they don't book bands I'm into.
NATN: Joan Of Arc recently wrote an entire album about living in Chicago. Do you think such a fact of life could ever serve as that kind of inspiration to Seam?
SP: The Problem With Me is pretty much all about living in Chicago. A lot of those songs deal with my ambivalent feelings about this city, specifically with regards to the way people of color interact in an ugly, tense, urban environment like Chicago.
My brother lives in San Francisco and when he comes to visit he always tells me that he can feel the negative energy in the air here. And I know what he's talking about. That's one thing I really don't like about Chicago. But without it I'm not sure our music would sound the same. I'm not even sure where that energy comes from.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"