Serving the Song with The Church

(Photo Credit - Adam Nicholas)

We had a chance to chat with Ian Haug (guitars/backing vocals) of the legendary Australian six-piece, The Church! Their new LP ‘Lacuna’ drops everywhere tomorrow! Check out what Ian had to say!

You’re entering your fifth decade as a band. With Lacuna, your twenty eighth studio release, your sound is just as fresh as ever. How do you continue to be driven and innovative as a unit?

“I have now been in the band for thirteen years and Lacuna is my fifth with the band. I was a long time fan of the band, and in fact learned how to play guitar in the early 80s by playing Church songs and other bands I loved. Somehow I guess the style and sensibilities crept into my DNA due to this, and so it wasn’t a huge stretch to play earlier catalogue songs when I joined. In a sense I was playing Marty’s role when playing the earlier catalogue music, although I never tried to replicate the parts verbatim. I always put my own spin on things, because I didn’t want to be a poor man's version of what Marty was. From the outset of my joining, we were creating new music, and Further Deeper was created pretty much immediately. At that point the lineup was Peter, Tim, Steve and me in the studio. I guess that the addition of myself brought a different sound to the band, so some people would refer to that as being “fresh,” as you mention in the question. This lineup remained the same for MWLDI which came out after FD. We had toured extensively and had developed a new way of playing together, while somehow still referencing the early church sound. After Peter left, we did the sessions with Ashley Naylor, and Jeffrey Cain who was our new touring “utility guy." Jeffrey is much much more than just a utility man. His multi-instrumentalist skills, and Ash’s prowess on the guitar meant that the three of us could weave quite intricate landscapes both live on the older material and covering previously uncovered territory of the original records…. And then ultimately of The Hypnogogue recording sessions. The Hypnogogue was a concept album which the concept and characters then flowed through into the Eros Zeta record which was recorded incredibly quickly in Australia.”

“This whole lineup then toured extensively with Nicholas Merideth on drum kit while Tim Powles was recovering from an ankle injury. When it came to recording the next album which ended up being titled Lacuna…Nicholas remained on the main drum kit, and Tim switched to percussion and wizardry. All of these gradual lineup changes not only meant a certain “freshness” not just because of the new players musical tasted and abilities, but also because the band and Steve became a tight family unit once again becasuse of the relentless touring that we were doing. The bus was indeed a very happy bus, and that also meant that the crew that we were working with were all positive as well. I think the whole way along we are innovative, because there are no expectations or rules placed on any of the players by. Steve or anyone as to where songs or the whole album may end up heading direction wise. We never go into the studio with pre-conceived ideas or songs. It all takes place and forms out of the ether before our eyes. This is what keeps us “driven” ….because everyone manages to inspire each other during the process, and we never know what we are going to end up with. As musicians, that is not only exciting, but it avoids the horrible scenario of having to replicate “demo” recordings. So far that is how all five records that I have been involved with have worked…and I know that many many of the previous ones have formed like that also. Probably all of them after the first 4 or 5 where Steve wrote everything. Perhaps check with Steve on that fact.”

You’re a six piece that features guitar, bass, keys, drums, percussion, and vocals. There are so many moving parts to your sound but it’s never overwhelming. How does this workout from a songwriting perspective with so many moving parts that you’re able to integrate so well?

“I think the only way that this can work is that we are all listening to each other, and trying to serve the song. There is a certain satisfaction we all get by making everything lock and weave and become its own beast. This is obviously a headache for engineers mixing the material, and has worked to varying degrees over the years to not have it feeling too “busy” or “muddy” or “unfocused”. Darrell Thorpe who has mixed the last three has managed to bring a clarity to the huge amount of stuff going on that we have not heard before. We are all incredibly happy with how he managed to do this.”

You are pioneers in the alt genre, incorporating elements of indie rock, post-punk, dreampop, and more. How do you know when a song has that “The Church” sound that you’re looking for?

“We just let songs go where they feel that they are meant to go. As I mentioned before…There are no real rules, but there is a certain “manifesto” that Ash, Jeffrey, and I all adhere to, because we were all in different parts of the world being blown away by the original Church records….and that has somehow seeped into whatever comes naturally to us. Obviously Steve's vocals are a HUGE part to this sound, and he sounds just as great as he did back 40 years ago - if not better - but I will let him speak about himself. It is an added bonus that he is not chasing the high notes in vocal range that other singers may have to as they get older. His register is easier to achieve. I should also mention that Steve's baselines and actual bass sound are fantastic and just as inventive and fluid as they ever were. That is a HUGE part of the Church “sound”.”

This is a fun one we love to ask artists on our podcast and given your legendary track record, I have to know. Say you’re stranded on a deserted island and get three records to bring with you (because music still works?). No greatest hits albums, what makes the cut?

“I feel that this answer changes daily, and if you help me to it and I got stranded tomorrow…perhaps I will regret this. By here we go.

1. Rodriguez - Cold Fact. I feel that this holds so many memories for me and the lyrics are poetic enough to not get tired of on repeated listens. Equal measures of trippy strings, and simple folk.

2. The Stooges - Raw Power. As I’m building my raft to leave the island, this will give me strength to cut the large pieces of wood using only the nail file that I have with me.

3. Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I might See. Just because its so beautiful….and I can cry myself to sleep on the island because I'm sad and missing my loved ones, but comforted by this.”

Lacuna drops everywhere tomorrow! Don’t miss it!