The Wars of 1812’s Bobby Maher: thecheappop.com interview
Past, Present and Foreseeable Future for The Wars of 1812
By Nell Alk
The Midwest is a stellar source for amazing music. Think Bon Iver, Wilco, Brother Ali, The Hold Steady, and Atmosphere. The Wars of 1812 are no exception. This “indie-rock-Americana” foursome hails from St. Paul, Minnesota and plans to make an East Coast cameo in late June. Check out their MySpace page for scheduled venues and, if you’re in the Manhattan area, plan on penciling them in for Wednesday, June 25th at Rehab Club on the Lower East Side. While you probably won’t see them on TRL anytime soon, their distinct sound separates them from the pack. Chockfull of originality and talent, The Wars are on the rise. Especially noteworthy are “Radios Unsigned” and “New York City”, my two favorite songs off of their 9-track album Status Quo Anti Bellum.
We recently caught up with humble and articulate percussionist Bobby Maher who was gracious enough to dish about everything 1812.
So, who does what in The Wars?
I play drums and sing, Mei-Ling Anderson is our wonderful bassist and singer, Peter Rosewall is our keyboard player, singer, and one of our primary songwriters, and Peter Pisano is our guitarist and lead vocalist, as well as songwriter. Pisano has this remarkable skill to just sort of sing and have words fall out of his mouth to actually make a shockingly cohesive song.
What comes first, lyrics or music?
It really depends on the song, but I would have to say, more often than not, it is the music. A chord progression, usually, but maybe a melody, or just a riff of some kind. But we really take the idea of reinventing seriously, so as we write new songs, or even play around with some old ones, our creative process will change.
How long have you been playing the drums? What else do you play?
I began playing drums at the very end of middle school and went on to play jazz all throughout my high school years. I don’t play anything [else] seriously, but I can play the piano, and other keyboard instruments, and I love to mess around with lots of things. I know my theory from studying jazz, so it gives me a little bit of freedom.
Where did you each meet?
We met a number of different ways. I went to high school with Rosewall; we played a lot of jazz, recorded some indie rock albums, wrote and produced plays. Then, as geeky as it sounds, we met Mei at a jazz camp in Shell Lake, WI. I stayed in touch with Mei throughout college and met Peter Pisano at St. Norbert where we were both students. We played a few shows together, recorded our album, and then I brought Mei into the mix. We knew we wanted to do another album, so we approached Rosewall to play with us and help us to record the album. That album was Status Quo. So, really, we had no plans to be a band. Everything turned out so well, though, and we all really gelled as people. It became something we all knew we needed to do or would end up looking back on and regretting not jumping on this opportunity. Last summer, we all moved to St. Paul/Minneapolis together and haven’t looked back since.
I understand the band lives together; how does this work? As chaotic as one might imagine or…?
Probably more so, but it has really been a great experience. We all moved up to Minneapolis together, and living together gave us the unique opportunity to grow closer together as people as well as musicians. Being able to just climb the stairs to our rehearsal room has been an advantage we never would have had otherwise, and as we often say, we really are family. Not in the happy-go-lucky way, but in the way you love your brothers and sisters and would do anything for them, but you will also fight with them in a way only brothers and sisters can. It’s a great thing.
Let’s talk about your albums…
Well, really we only have one album to date, Status Quo Ante Bellum, which we released this year. Peter Pisano and I did an album together previously called Here Are My Black Clothes and the band has adopted some of those songs into our set. I guess you could say it was kinda the first incarnation of the band. But I have recorded albums with Peter Rosewall as well. Status Quo is really our only album to date and was recorded almost two years ago now. Really it was how the band began.
Why the title of your band?
The honest answer is that there is no good answer as to why other than it just kinda fit. We considered a lot of names, for about a day we thought maybe “Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin.” But “The Wars of 1812” had come up years before during an earlier recording project of Peter Rosewall and myself and was inspired by “The” band names of the time coming out like The Strokes, The Vines, The Hives, The White Stripes, etc. We just tried to find the most nonsensical “The” name, but in the end it stuck. And by the time the album was finished I think we all felt like we sounded like The Wars of 1812.
You consider yourselves “indie,” correct?
Yeah, I think “indie” is an accurate term for describing our do-it-yourself attitude and our sound, which we will sometimes refer to as bedroom pop. “Indie,” though, has quickly become the new pop music, and while it might not chart the same on billboards, serious musicians seem to have adopted the term “indie” to mean legitimate music, or legitimate contemporary music. To me it means writing good songs and not being afraid to be a complete musician in the arrangement and playing of those songs, and I suppose doing so “inde”-pendently of music merely for profit.
Who are your musical influences? What other non-musical influences impact your band?
I think our influences are actually pretty diverse. We all grew up loving The Beatles and, more than any other influence, that one is probably the most significant. But, musically, we also enjoy a range of artists from Beach Boys to The Black Keys, to M. Ward, to Wilco, to The Zombies, to David Bowie, to Ligeti, Jeff Buckley, Dr. Dog and a lot of local artists here, like Jeremy Messersmith, Chris Koza, our good friends Laarks. And one of our personal new favorite bands Zoo Animal. As far as non-musical influences, I think media in general is a big one. We all are pretty big TV fans: Arrested Development, The Office (UK/US), Peep Show – and I certainly wish Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was still on the air. I don’t know that all these things directly influence our lyrics or our sound, but movies in general, poetry, and other sources certainly creep into our creative process. It’s all stolen and reinterpreted unconsciously.
Who do people say you sound like? Who do you think you sound like?
We get Wilco and Spoon a lot, as well as the Beatles. I’m sure we sound like a lot of bands, because we all love listening to music so much, but the only one I’ve heard lately that I say “yeah, you’re right we do sort of sound like that” is Dr. Dog.
If you were all Sesame Street characters, which would you each be?
[Laughs] Great question, but far, far too difficult to answer. I will just cop out and go The Muppets route and say we could always make a good substitute for The Electric Mayhem, and they for us.
So, essentially, you’re Animal?
I suppose that would make me Animal. I may not hit that hardest of any drummer, but if you catch us play one of our songs, “Sheriff Buck,” originally from our Here Are My Black Clothes album, I think I prove I can freak out a bit.
Let’s talk about your tattoo. Surely that adds to badass band status. Does it help with the ladies?
My tattoo. Hmm. I can’t imagine an argyle tattoo adds to anyone’s badass status, it just makes me the rock and roll English professor of the band. And, while a lady may have played a hand in helping to talk me into getting it, I can’t say I have seen it pay off in that department…but I suppose it still could yet.
And, what do you do in your spare time? You know, the real life 9-5 stuff?
Well most of us all have day jobs as systems analysts, schoolteachers, or selling annuities, I however, am unemployed. So my 9-5 is looking for work.
What would bring you most gratification and validation at this point?
I think we are all abundantly aware that we are still a relatively new band, so all validation, even the smallest kind, is greatly appreciated at this point. We have definitely set out with the idea of being a band’s band and I think, by and large, we have succeeded in doing that in Minneapolis. So, I guess being recognized as musician’s musicians on a national scale and being respected for our work would both be great sources of validation. If we can play with great bands, for increasingly appreciative and larger groups, then great.
When can we expect another album?
Well, considering this album is almost two years old now we are all itching desperately to get into a studio, but, really, we know it is more important to us to do things the right way with our next album than to do just anything. We would like to work with other creative people, producers, and musicians, and want to really take the time to make the album we believe the most in, so we will have to see. After the summer months though, I can definitely see us taking some time to do some recording.
For more, visit the band’s official site.
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