The Suede Hello | Interview | ‘Soul Offering’
Slipping away from big-wall isolations of city life and mainstream vibrations of conformism, the New York-based rock band, The Suede Hello, introduce their lead single, ‘Soul Offering’, off their forthcoming debut LP accompanied by a mesmerizing vintage style music video.
Joined forces in 2019 by singer-songwriter/guitar player Jonathan Rosado, and keyboardist and percussionist Nicolette Wilkey, the duo reveals a slice of their concept album influenced by 60’s psychedelia and high-powered 70’s art rock of bands such as King Crimson, Yes, and Zappa with an undeniable sound texture inspired by their hometown’s avant-garde and forward-thinking musical approach. Detached from the strings of the material world, the flower children packed their bags to Woodstock for the recording of their new single and upcoming album to harmoniously interact with the counterculture. Due to be released on vinyl later in 2021 on Solar People Records, the track offers a straight-out lyrical theme arguing over the ever-existing indulgence of gold and wine and closing eyes upon what the inner self truly seeks.
“The record is a very expansive concept album”
I’m stoked to be sitting with The Suede Hello today to dive into your musical experience and get to know how it all came about. Throughout 2020, you dropped some tracks like ‘All of the People’, ‘Shame’, and ‘Santa Fe’ which soon drew the attention of the audience worldwide, and you collected them under an EP named ‘Magic Eight Ball’. How did you guys meet and what triggered your musical creativity as a band?
We started out making music together after bonding over our taste in records. At first, we did things under a plethora of different names, and the music was much more experimental and much less structured. Akin to something you’d be more likely to hear at an art gallery exhibition screening or the soundtrack to someone’s Psycho-Thriller, rather than a traditional rock club. It was very uncompromising and we were terribly unpopular, haha.
Tell us about your debut LP! You traveled to Woodstock to stay away from any chaotic atmosphere and immerse yourself in what you are doing. How do you see your progress?
We decided it would be interesting to dedicate each day of the recording sessions to a particular theme- for example: Eno’s Oblique Strategies, satire/comedy, and occultism. One day the theme was Erik Satie, where we rigorously followed his bizarre daily schedule and consumed strictly only white foods. On the topic of progress, I tend to view albums as more of stops along the way than a singular destination for the band. So in that regard, I suppose we’re always progressing. However particularly with this, I feel like we came into our own as more refined and deliberate with our approaches. The record is a very expansive concept album, something the listener can really sink their teeth into.
“The main character’s name is Feather Watts”
A concept album! What are the influences of such an idea? And without divulging all the secrets, what is the concept behind it?
Well, we’ve wanted to do a concept album for as long as we can remember. We’ve always loved records like: ‘Freak Out!,’ ‘Taking Tiger Mountain,’ and ‘Ziggy Stardust.’ I like the idea of a record being indulgent and more than just a set of songs. We wanted to make something truly sophisticated. I can’t say too much at the moment, but it is extremely ornate and surreal. It is not loose in any way and follows a strict storyline that will be written in full within the vinyl release. I’ll give one major detail away for now: the main character’s name is Feather Watts.
How would you describe its sound? What musical equipment are you employing for your recording sessions?
If I had to categorize it, I would say it’s a progressive rock or art rock record. But if I had to describe it, I would say it’s intricate, sprawling, evolved, and beautiful. It’s by far the best thing we’ve ever done. As far as musical equipment, the highlights include: a 70’s Systech Phase Shifter owned only by legendary guitarist of Yes (Steve Howe,) a Sony TC-850 reel to reel, a custom double neck guitar, a pink paisley telecaster we picked up in Woodstock, and an array of vintage synthesizers/organs, analog effects, and percussives.
When did you develop an interest in music? What instruments do you play?
I’m not quite sure, music has always been around and we have both played instruments since childhood. As far as what we play- Nicolette: drums, percussion, piano, organ, and synthesizer. Jonathan: vocalist/lyricist, guitars, bass, synthesizer, and effects. We record and produce everything on our own.
Who are your musical icons and influences? Where do your other inspirations come from?
There’s too many to name, but some that come to mind are: Lou Reed, Yes, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Genesis, Jimi Hendrix, Wendy Carlos, and King Crimson. It’s funny- during the sessions, Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ seemed to keep popping up everywhere. It was really strange- I started thinking I was being followed, haha. That ended up serving as quite a bit of inspiration as well.
What are the ultimate venues or festivals that you wish to perform at?
We would love to play at The Pyramids and Easter Island.
Where is the band name from?
The band name originated from a riverboat captain whom we briefly rubbed elbows with.
What are your hobbies as individuals?
Brooding and loathing respectively.
Any last words for the readers?
Follow the leader, trust the TV, shut up, stand on one foot, touch your head.
Armin Enayat
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