John Massoni | Interview | New Album, ‘Think of Me When You Hear Waves’
John Massoni’s recent album ‘Think of Me When You Hear Waves’ is featuring Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 on four of the tracks, whilst Hunter Lea, Grammy nominated producer, took care of mastering and John Rivers at Woodbine Studio took care of the final cut.
The artwork was curated by Massoni and finalised by David Barker of Glass Records fame. ‘Think of Me When You Hear Waves’ is out via Space Age Recordings. John Massoni fronted goth/post-punk A Western Family in 1983, the more sophisticated Weather Theater thru the 80s, steering towards a more experimental and ambiguous Maxine in early 90s, to solo electronic experiments featuring friend Sonic Boom. This eclectic creative-type continues to explore strange and familiar words…
“I wanted it to be a piece of work people could remember me by”
What kind of record did you want to make with ‘Think of Me When You Hear Waves’?
John Massoni: I wanted to make an album I’d enjoy listening to. I also wanted something that presented myself and my talents in a way that the listener would get a good idea of what I am about. This album has many friends throughout my life who played music with me, and it also includes new interpretations of songs from different periods of my musical life. It could be played at my funeral. Initially, I had no time frame or endgame. I was trying to get all these songs out of my head, trying to reconnect with people I’d lost touch with. When I started, I wasn’t sure if there was anything left in the tank. Apparently, there’s plenty.
How long did you work on it? Do you feel there’s a certain concept you were looking for?
If you include ‘Bridge to Heaven,’ then we’re talking decades. That song was worked on when I first met Sonic, while I was in London. The rest started after a failed Weather Theatre reunion. I formed a new band with David Thierry and Liz Wick from Weather Theatre and Scott Boggan from Room Nine. I was very excited about our prospects. Booked a weekend at Uptone and that was all she wrote. Then I started working with Hunter Lea on some songs. I did a session with Jonathan Marlow, who plays on several tracks and has been a collaborator throughout the years. He played in Maxine and Weather Theatre, on and off. The idea for the album…hm. I remembered this scene in A Star Is Born with Judy Garland and James Mason. Mason is about to run into the ocean and never come back. That’s the ‘Think of Me When You Hear Waves’ bit. These past years I’ve become very reflective and sentimental. You could say I wanted it to be a love letter to my friends still alive and departed. And because I don’t take it for granted. If I’ll ever put another record out, I wanted it to be a piece of work people could remember me by.
How did the collaboration with Sonic Boom come about?
We met in London. I was there to do a show and record an album. Paul Smith asked if I’d like to work with Sonic Boom or Aphex Twin. What a question! There is no correct answer, obviously. I picked Sonic. I loved Spaceman 3 and his solo work. We met at the studio at Mute Records. Spent the day working on ‘Bridge To Heaven’. Got along great. Through the years, he’s stayed at my place while in Seattle. We recorded ‘Sundowner Sessions’ at my house.
Can you share some further details on how your latest album was recorded?
I’m always looking for opportunities to record. It started off with David Thierry, Liz Wick, Scott Boggan and Jonathan Marlow spending a weekend playing live at Uptone. I took those tracks and worked on them with Hunter Lea, the producer. Then I did some sessions with Hunter. Hunter was digging through my catalog and suggesting we try certain songs. ‘Sun’ started at Hunter’s house. A live recording which we continued to work on. I think I finished the vocals at my house during Covid. ‘Where Skies Are Lovelier’ was performed at Uptone with Jonathan. We hadn’t discussed it. We just sat down and did it. Jonathan and I have a special connection. Well, I feel that way with everyone I worked with here. ‘Climb’ was a song I wrote while driving my bus one day. Went to the studio that evening and recorded it. Uptone is primarily vintage gear. Good mics. Nice vibe.
“Try not to be intimidated by limitations or inhibitions”
How do you usually approach songwriting? Was it any different this time around?
I’m pretty spontaneous. Some songs take forever for me and some just happen instantly. I guess the key is I try to be open to receiving the messages being sent from god knows where. And I try not to be intimidated by limitations or inhibitions. I’ve been doing it for quite some time now. It’s just my life, when my life’s in balance. I take the Raymond Carver approach to story writing and never feel a song is done. It’s there for further editing if the urge arises. These songs are mental pictures, after all, and our memory changes throughout time. I guess you could say one thing different was I was patient with each song (within reason) and wanted to be happy with my vocal performances. I also had more than enough recordings so I could put together an album that sounded good thematically, instead of this is all we got.
Have you found the recent isolation creatively challenging or freeing?
I worked throughout the isolation. So I kept busy. I had a relationship with a woman which I think continued only because of the isolation. We needed each other even though we weren’t good for each other. Wrote a lot of songs about her, which will be on my next record should one ever come out. Yeah, it was challenging. Started doing vocals at home and that took a while for me to figure out. It added more years to the completion of the album for sure. But it also gave me time to think about it ona whole, which was probably a good thing. I was disappointed the ‘Sundowner Sessions’ vinyl came out on a Record Store Day that was virtually non-existent.
Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself, where did you grow up and when did you first get interested in music?
Born in Edmonds, WA. I had two much older brothers who were into music, so I was listening to The Beatles and The Stones as a child. My mom was a librarian and brought home records like The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary. She was also a big Tom Jones fan. My childhood had trauma in it and I think music was a way for me to feel safe or at peace amongst the chaos. I was a big Elton John fan. Was a member of the Styx fan club when I was around 14. Blondie was big for me. Introduced me to Robert Fripp and down the rabbit hole I went! I’ve always been attracted to outsiders and misfits. This guy from Brooklyn who I worked with at a 24 hour convenience store introduced me to The Velvet Underground (1969 LP) when I was 16. Lou Reed had a big impact. My first try at a band was playing drums in a Velvets cover band. I was that kid in high school who listened to a lot of music other kids weren’t. Although, in my day, that could be Duran Duran for a moment. Bowie wasn’t big like he is now. I worked in record stores in my youth. Introduced me to lots of music.
I would love it if you could share how you got in touch with David Thierry and what followed in A Western Family. Tell us about the material you released?
I met David Thierry and Liz Wick through David Kulczyk. David K had answered an ad they put up in The Rocket. He met me outside the Metropolis one night. I was smoking a cigarette. He asked me if I played guitar and I said, “No, but I sing.” This is significant because I never had said that before. I finally owned what I wanted to do. He replied All singers are a pain in the ass. He is essentially right. But I didn’t know then. We still exchanged numbers. We met the next day and he played me ‘It’s Kinda Funny’ by Josef K. Our relationship was cemented. He introduced me to Liz and David T later and we formed A Western Family.
I’ve been playing with those two, on and off, for 40 years. David K was the driving force with A Western Family. He got us recording after only a month. Put out two cassettes. And David K also put out two ‘Sound of Young Seattle’ compilation cassettes. All that plus a live show is available through Space Age Recordings now. All lo-fi. Back then, Seattle bands didn’t ponder being career musicians.
I’m not certain how much was originally released? What else is in the vault?
About a year or so ago, Space Age Recordings asked about putting my past catalog out before releasing an album which I was still working on. So I began digging through my past. Most everything is available to be streamed or downloaded now. The live show has new songs not on the cassette releases and the two songs from the compilation are there with the very last recording studio session which was just a live performance. That’s when we broke up. There may be another live cassette somewhere (or two) but that’s about it.
Have you ever played live?
Yes. All the bands I’ve been in played many, many shows. I did one show in London even as Maxine.
Can you elaborate on the formation of the Weather Theatre?
We formed a little after A Western Family broke up. Initially, it wasn’t expected. But Liz and David and I stuck together and decided to find another guitarist. After some auditions, we chose Eric Burnham who had been in a band called Ministry of Love. They practiced in the same studio, The Dutchman, and we had similar tastes. So it worked.
So it was born out of A Western Family?
Basically, yes. But we felt we formed a new band. We were looking for a different sound.
How did you meet Liz Wick and Eric Burnham?
Liz and David Thierry were a package. I had called Eric to meet me and talk. We seemed to connect. Eric is a strange experience upon first meeting him. He’s unique, in a good way. We set up a practice and we liked him. I‘ve had many good times with Eric. We later did a lot of music together outside of the band.
The band was a strange hybrid of mellow and heavy…impossible to describe it. Tell us about the songs you wrote.
Those were great times for music. Lots were coming out and we were soaking it all in. Each member had a unique style and it meant a lot to us to find our individual voice. I was probably the most mundane out of all of them. ‘Mister Lead Singer With A Deep Voice’. Most of the songs come from a lot of jamming together and getting high. My lyrics. I started playing guitar then. Some started with my simple guitar playing ideas, like ‘Great God’s Gift’. So we had bands like The Swans, Echo and The Bunnymen, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Bauhaus, Felt, 13th Floor Elevators, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Rain Parade, Jesus and Mary Chain, all that and local bands, too, having an impact. As for the writing, lyrics, I am always writing. It’s how I communicate. Each song is a memory now.
In 1988, Weather Theatre released its first single, ‘Bridge to Heaven,’ on Sun & Steel, followed by an EP. What do you remember from it?
Sun and Steel were one of many labels starting out then. It initially had some money in the bank. They wanted to make an impression with the single. Put way too much money into the cover and not enough into the vinyl quality. But we didn’t know what we were doing. The EP was a good experience, I never liked the cover. But we got a lot of positive responses to it. Things were looking up for a while there.
What’s the story behind your debut album ‘Dusk’?
‘Dusk’ was when things fell apart for the label. Owner was doing coke. Running out of money. He basically left town in the middle of the night. We finished the album on a hairstring budget. I’ve always wanted to remix it. Some labels in Germany put it out. I think he said he thought we were cursed.
Did you do any promo shows? What are some bands that you shared stages with?
We did a show at the Rebar for it. That show is available to stream. Rough recording. Lots of new songs we were trying out. We easily could’ve recorded another album. But the band was going through growing pains. David, Liz and I never really stopped playing since we were 18. We played with so many bands! Pure Joy, Feast of Friends (later Feast), H-Hour (featuring Tad on drums), Bundle of Hiss, Crypt Kicker 5, Soundgarden (a very early stage), Faith and Disease, Hippy Big Buckle, that’s just off the top of my head. We opened for Low’s first Seattle show at one of our reunions, too.
Weather Theatre split up in 1989 and you left for London. What occupied your life there?
My friend, the photographer Kevin Westenberg, invited me to stay with him there. I handed out some Maxine and Weather Theatre demos. Mostly was into my Maxine project by that time. Handed out some Jessamine singles, who were friends. Labels didn’t know what to do with Maxine back then. They wanted a more obvious package to sell. Hung out with a girl friend in York, with her friends. Probably had the best hash high ever there.
How did your project Maxine come about?
I just needed to do something different. I started going to Rich Hinklin’s house and doing different things with him. I didn’t really want to be a lead singer dude anymore. I wanted something hard to categorize musically and sexually. The first EP was done there. It was liberating. I was playing a lot of guitar by then.
‘The Sundowner Sessions’ was done with Sonic Boom.
He’d stay with me when in Seattle. One trip he suggested he fiddle around with some of my tapes which I’m fond of making. I was going through a very rough time with my marriage. Drugs were involved. Sonic was one of those people who helped me realize what a mess things had become and I needed to save myself. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. After the day was done and we had some music. I looked at a book on my shelf called The Sundowners and that’s how we got the name. He took the music with him and later told me it was coming out. I think by then I had moved out and was starting my life over again, with my daughter. My existence, musically, was hanging by a thread back then. He really kept that dream alive for me.
So now you are working together again.
Yes, like other friends on this record, it was a what goes around comes around kind of thing. We’ve all experienced many things since way back when. It’s quite heartwarming. This album is a thank you to all of them. And, hopefully, Sonic and I will find a way to do more down the road.
What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?
Hmmm. Tough one. Lou Reed and the Velvets. Their darkness, noise and drones. Early Virgin Prunes got me to think more loosely. Throbbing Gristle. Joy Division’s ‘Closer’ for mood. Scott Walker, Lee Hazlewood, Johnny Cash, Bobbie Gentry, Glen Campbell, Billie Holiday, Jim Morrison, Deborah Harry, for vocal inspiration. All new wave and post punk is in there in various degrees. Love Robert Fripp and Eno and Cluster and Bill Nelson. Neu! And Suicide. And, Sonic has had an impact on me in all his incarnations. He also had a big impact on how I should listen to music.
What are some future plans?
Well, if the gods allow, I’d love to record another album in the studio. I have the songs. Just been slow to do too much because I’m not sure how this album will be received. Studio recording is expensive. But I just finished an electronic album while waiting for ‘Waves’ to come out. I have a handful of projects I’m tinkering with. I keep writing and want people to hear my music. I’ve also been putting together a live set with hopes to perform again.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
I like the new Lane Del Rey record, Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Cool It Down’. Been listening to Edgar Froese ‘Solo (1974-1983) The Virgin Years,’ ‘Eastern Sounds’ by Yusef Lateef, ‘An Italian Story’ by Daniele Luppi, ‘When The Wind Forgets Your Name’ by Built To Spill, ‘Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill’ by Grouper is one of my favorite records of all time. ‘Out of Season’ by Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man is wonderful. Looking forward to hearing the new Swans album. I’m just constantly soaking it up. Friends recommend things all the time. A friend turned me on to Kikagaku Moyo recently and I totally dug them.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
I will quote Charles Bukowski “It has been a beautiful fight. Still is.”
I know music is a personal and emotional experience for people. It certainly is for me. I feel blessed to share a piece of my soul with this record. I hope whoever listens to it will feel that.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: John Massoni (Maxine period) | Photo by KW
John Massoni Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Space Age Recordings Official Website / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
