Interview : That 1 Guy
November 19th 2010 21:04
For those who may have ever seen That 1 Guy, you know he is a unique musician. Not content with the standard musical instruments a man can play, he decided to create his own. With some pipe, buttons and bass strings, That 1 Guy (aka Mike Silverman) created The Magic Pipe. The sounds he creates from it is nothing short of amazing. Out in the country on tour on the back of his new album “Packs A Wallop”, I had a chat to Mike just before he left Las Vegas to jump on a plane out here.
How’s your day been so far?
Good! I’ve been frantically getting ready for this tour in a couple of days.
“Packs A Wallop” is a great record, how did you approach this one compared to previous albums?
With this one it was the first time I went into the studio with nothing finished. The last two records I made, I basically finished the songs live and then it was me going into record with me playing the songs onto the recording machine and never really deviating to much from the original arrangements. You know I found that process to be a bit stale and it makes the whole recording process no very enjoyable. It’s a lot of pressure just trying to perform the songs the best you can without really exploring the possibilities.
This album was really enjoyable for me because I went in there with no real songs finished. I had a lot of basic ideas that me and Billy (producer) worked through in the moment and thats the way I feel music should be. Sort of capturing the moment a little more. Thats what I aimed to capture on this one.
With this album you have a new Magic Pipe, care to tell us a little bit about it?
Yeah, the old Magic Pipe I built 100% myself out of old plumbing pipe and things of the store shelves. With this one, it’s the exact same design but refined by a buddy of mine whose an engineer, a machinist for Phoenix Mars Lander, an out of work NASA and we got together and kind of chiseled away at it and he helped me custom build all the pieces on it. It’s a total custom machine at this point.
How do you go about bringing something like that out on tour. Is it difficult to bring out to Australia?
Oh yeah, it’s alot of work! It’s really hard. It’s a challenge you know with all the Customs, I do a lot of explaining to Customs but you know, it’s alright. I kind of expect it now.
Now with this tour will also be bringing out the Magic Boot and the Magic Saw?
Absolutely. There are two permanent members of the band. I always bring them with me.
Can you explain those instruments a little bit more?
The Magic Boot was initially my attempt to make a sort of acoustic/electric hand drum. The Magic Pipe really takes a lot of strain, you really have to kind of beat that instrument around to get the sound you want, where as I wanted to create an acoustic/electric hand drum that I could play real delicate rhythms with my fingers and the boot worked perfectly for it. So, I built a mechanism in the boot to get all these crazy sounds out of it and it ended up working really well. It’s a fun instrument to play. The saw is something I didn’t actually invent the musical saw, it’s an old adaptation of old mountain jug bands traditional instrument. But the way I use it is quite different. I plug it into my rig. I have it all electrified and I got it going into all my psychedelic sounds. I’ve sort of made it my own original version of a classic instrument.
Where did the concept for these instruments come from?
All were inspired by sounds I was trying to make from other instruments. The Magic Pipe was very much me being frustrated with the upright bass wanting a lot more sound. It was me experimenting and experimenting, trial after trial and just trying a lot of different things until it found it’s shape. The Magic Boot is very much in the same spirit as that, me trying to create an electric/acoustic hand drum and the Magic Saw, there was a timbre and a range that the Saw plays that I find very beautiful, as with the sounds from the Pipe, so I figured the Saw could function in that capacity. It has a very lyrical singing kind of sound.
How long do they take to make?
Well thats been an on going process. The Magic Pipe was ten years in the making and a couple of years planning before I even attempted to build it and when it was built I kept fine tuning it. So it’s an ongoing project, even with the new one, I always feel like I’ve got more work to do on it.
The Boot came together fairly quickly. I had a very strong concept of what I wanted the Boot to be. The boot is what I had chosen and the materials, so it came together pretty quick. The Saw was already an instrument I had been playing since a little kid. But in terms of electrifying, that took me quite a few years to figure out.
You’ve developed a bit of a love for magic tricks as well I found out. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for Australian audiences?
Yeah, I actually do a few magic tricks at the gig now. I’ve doing some playing card manipulations for the crowd. I have a few classic magic tricks now that I have my own versions of that fit perfectly into a couple of the songs, so it’s really fun.
How did it all start in magic. Who inspired you?
In the U.S I always end my tours in Las Vegas and I always end up staying a few extra days and going to magic shows. There’s this really incredible magician here by the name of Paul Veal who became a really good friend of mine, he’s been showing me some tricks. Then another hero of mine is a guy named Jeff McBride who is sort of king of the card manipulation and he’s ended up being a good friend of mine too, so it’s sort of like people I read about and studied their work, they all live out here in Vegas. So I’ve been living out here this summer and just hanging out with them and they become my friends and my teachers too! Then there’s the heroes who are not around anymore like Houdini, the guy who wrote “The Expert At The Card Table” Erdnase, the classic people I find very inspiring too. But you can only read about because they’re not around anymore.
You’ve played down here a few times, what is it about Aussie audiences that you enjoy playing for?
You know, I think it’s just the energy. Audiences there seem to be really tuned into the live music scene. Live music scene there is just so healthy, especially the festivals and stuff, there’s such a strong support. And I find just so inspiring to play to people who love live music. I love live music and i consider my act to be a live music act first and foremost. i feel that the records are just a snapshot of what I was doing at that particular time. For me the focus has always been on the live show itself.
You do play a lot of live shows a year, which do you prefer Festival slots or you’re own headlining shows?
I love them both. I feel the festivals have an amazing energy as everyone is there for the music. You get to play to a lot of new people who are fans of music who may not necessary have heard you before. But I really do like playing my own shows because people know the songs and you can get a little more inside the gig. Both are so different it’s hard to compare but I like to do both often because it keeps the show kind of fresh.
Is there anything you’d like to do in Australia that you haven’t had the chance to do in the past?
I’ve never been to the centre. I really want to explore Alice Springs and Darwin. And I haven’t been up far north much either. I’ve been to Cairns once and Townsville once, so I kind of want to do all of that. I’ve got about a week off when I’m there so I might go exploring.
You should, it’s very beautiful up there, I think you’d like it a lot.
I know I will. I know some people from up there and they say it’s incredible.
Do you have any pre show rituals before going on stage?
I didn’t for a long time then started coming up with a few. But then things get so crazy while touring you don’t have time to do them. I’ve discovered some of my best gigs happen when I’m really distracted and then jump and just play. I used to try and listen to some of my favourite music to get inspired but it’s almost better to be connected to the room, try and get inside the feeling of the room before you get on stage. I have to set up gear very often before I start and I get very preoccupied with my set up but I actually kind of like it because it distracts me from the moment and the pressure of the gig. Once I’m playing sometimes I’m up and playing before I realise it and I can get lost in the music easier when I’m not thinking about it.
What does 2011 hold for That 1 Guy?
I’ve got a big list of things I want to try and do and I usually end up only accomplishing half of it! One of them includes this movie I’ve been wanting to make for long time based on the last record, “The Moon Is Disgusting” and play the live soundtrack to it. Plus I’ve got another album’s worth of material I want to get out which is more atmospheric with some of the new sounds I’ve been experimenting. And I’m going to tour a bunch of course because it keeps me limber so those are the big ones.
What’s the movie going to be about?
It’s sort of a modern folk tale inspired by the songs I had written. It’s going to be pretty abstract, sort of like how my lyrics are. I always wanted a visual interpretation of my lyrics but make it really fun and different.
Are you looking at to be an animated movie?
Initially I wanted to make an animated movie but I’m sort of discovering with the kind of characters I’ve written this for, they’re kind of bizarre so I figured i could do it better if I make them out of puppets and do it live action. I’ve met some incredible camera people and they feel it will hold better that way. But I’m still not 100% on that one. I’ve been a fan of animation all my life so a part of me wants to try it that way to but we’ll have to wait and see.
Finally, what would be the first song you’d put onto a mix tape?
Good question! Mine or anyone else’s?
Whatever you like really, you can put yours on there.
Ok well maybe the first song on my new album, I think it would be a great way to kick off a record. That song ‘Modern Man’ has a really big kick ass intro and I think it would be a good intro to a mix tape.
True, it has very huge sound to it. Thanks very much for a having a chat today Mike and I look forward to you coming out and playing to Aussie audiences very very soon.
Likewise man, I appreciate it. Talk soon.
That 1 Guy is touring nationally right now and his new album "Packs A Wallop" is available now through iTunes.
Mike with his Magic Pipe
How’s your day been so far?
Good! I’ve been frantically getting ready for this tour in a couple of days.
“Packs A Wallop” is a great record, how did you approach this one compared to previous albums?
With this one it was the first time I went into the studio with nothing finished. The last two records I made, I basically finished the songs live and then it was me going into record with me playing the songs onto the recording machine and never really deviating to much from the original arrangements. You know I found that process to be a bit stale and it makes the whole recording process no very enjoyable. It’s a lot of pressure just trying to perform the songs the best you can without really exploring the possibilities.
This album was really enjoyable for me because I went in there with no real songs finished. I had a lot of basic ideas that me and Billy (producer) worked through in the moment and thats the way I feel music should be. Sort of capturing the moment a little more. Thats what I aimed to capture on this one.
With this album you have a new Magic Pipe, care to tell us a little bit about it?
Yeah, the old Magic Pipe I built 100% myself out of old plumbing pipe and things of the store shelves. With this one, it’s the exact same design but refined by a buddy of mine whose an engineer, a machinist for Phoenix Mars Lander, an out of work NASA and we got together and kind of chiseled away at it and he helped me custom build all the pieces on it. It’s a total custom machine at this point.
How do you go about bringing something like that out on tour. Is it difficult to bring out to Australia?
Oh yeah, it’s alot of work! It’s really hard. It’s a challenge you know with all the Customs, I do a lot of explaining to Customs but you know, it’s alright. I kind of expect it now.
Now with this tour will also be bringing out the Magic Boot and the Magic Saw?
Absolutely. There are two permanent members of the band. I always bring them with me.
Can you explain those instruments a little bit more?
The Magic Boot was initially my attempt to make a sort of acoustic/electric hand drum. The Magic Pipe really takes a lot of strain, you really have to kind of beat that instrument around to get the sound you want, where as I wanted to create an acoustic/electric hand drum that I could play real delicate rhythms with my fingers and the boot worked perfectly for it. So, I built a mechanism in the boot to get all these crazy sounds out of it and it ended up working really well. It’s a fun instrument to play. The saw is something I didn’t actually invent the musical saw, it’s an old adaptation of old mountain jug bands traditional instrument. But the way I use it is quite different. I plug it into my rig. I have it all electrified and I got it going into all my psychedelic sounds. I’ve sort of made it my own original version of a classic instrument.
Where did the concept for these instruments come from?
All were inspired by sounds I was trying to make from other instruments. The Magic Pipe was very much me being frustrated with the upright bass wanting a lot more sound. It was me experimenting and experimenting, trial after trial and just trying a lot of different things until it found it’s shape. The Magic Boot is very much in the same spirit as that, me trying to create an electric/acoustic hand drum and the Magic Saw, there was a timbre and a range that the Saw plays that I find very beautiful, as with the sounds from the Pipe, so I figured the Saw could function in that capacity. It has a very lyrical singing kind of sound.
How long do they take to make?
Well thats been an on going process. The Magic Pipe was ten years in the making and a couple of years planning before I even attempted to build it and when it was built I kept fine tuning it. So it’s an ongoing project, even with the new one, I always feel like I’ve got more work to do on it.
The Boot came together fairly quickly. I had a very strong concept of what I wanted the Boot to be. The boot is what I had chosen and the materials, so it came together pretty quick. The Saw was already an instrument I had been playing since a little kid. But in terms of electrifying, that took me quite a few years to figure out.
You’ve developed a bit of a love for magic tricks as well I found out. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for Australian audiences?
Yeah, I actually do a few magic tricks at the gig now. I’ve doing some playing card manipulations for the crowd. I have a few classic magic tricks now that I have my own versions of that fit perfectly into a couple of the songs, so it’s really fun.
How did it all start in magic. Who inspired you?
In the U.S I always end my tours in Las Vegas and I always end up staying a few extra days and going to magic shows. There’s this really incredible magician here by the name of Paul Veal who became a really good friend of mine, he’s been showing me some tricks. Then another hero of mine is a guy named Jeff McBride who is sort of king of the card manipulation and he’s ended up being a good friend of mine too, so it’s sort of like people I read about and studied their work, they all live out here in Vegas. So I’ve been living out here this summer and just hanging out with them and they become my friends and my teachers too! Then there’s the heroes who are not around anymore like Houdini, the guy who wrote “The Expert At The Card Table” Erdnase, the classic people I find very inspiring too. But you can only read about because they’re not around anymore.
You’ve played down here a few times, what is it about Aussie audiences that you enjoy playing for?
You know, I think it’s just the energy. Audiences there seem to be really tuned into the live music scene. Live music scene there is just so healthy, especially the festivals and stuff, there’s such a strong support. And I find just so inspiring to play to people who love live music. I love live music and i consider my act to be a live music act first and foremost. i feel that the records are just a snapshot of what I was doing at that particular time. For me the focus has always been on the live show itself.
You do play a lot of live shows a year, which do you prefer Festival slots or you’re own headlining shows?
I love them both. I feel the festivals have an amazing energy as everyone is there for the music. You get to play to a lot of new people who are fans of music who may not necessary have heard you before. But I really do like playing my own shows because people know the songs and you can get a little more inside the gig. Both are so different it’s hard to compare but I like to do both often because it keeps the show kind of fresh.
Is there anything you’d like to do in Australia that you haven’t had the chance to do in the past?
I’ve never been to the centre. I really want to explore Alice Springs and Darwin. And I haven’t been up far north much either. I’ve been to Cairns once and Townsville once, so I kind of want to do all of that. I’ve got about a week off when I’m there so I might go exploring.
You should, it’s very beautiful up there, I think you’d like it a lot.
I know I will. I know some people from up there and they say it’s incredible.
Do you have any pre show rituals before going on stage?
I didn’t for a long time then started coming up with a few. But then things get so crazy while touring you don’t have time to do them. I’ve discovered some of my best gigs happen when I’m really distracted and then jump and just play. I used to try and listen to some of my favourite music to get inspired but it’s almost better to be connected to the room, try and get inside the feeling of the room before you get on stage. I have to set up gear very often before I start and I get very preoccupied with my set up but I actually kind of like it because it distracts me from the moment and the pressure of the gig. Once I’m playing sometimes I’m up and playing before I realise it and I can get lost in the music easier when I’m not thinking about it.
What does 2011 hold for That 1 Guy?
I’ve got a big list of things I want to try and do and I usually end up only accomplishing half of it! One of them includes this movie I’ve been wanting to make for long time based on the last record, “The Moon Is Disgusting” and play the live soundtrack to it. Plus I’ve got another album’s worth of material I want to get out which is more atmospheric with some of the new sounds I’ve been experimenting. And I’m going to tour a bunch of course because it keeps me limber so those are the big ones.
What’s the movie going to be about?
It’s sort of a modern folk tale inspired by the songs I had written. It’s going to be pretty abstract, sort of like how my lyrics are. I always wanted a visual interpretation of my lyrics but make it really fun and different.
Are you looking at to be an animated movie?
Initially I wanted to make an animated movie but I’m sort of discovering with the kind of characters I’ve written this for, they’re kind of bizarre so I figured i could do it better if I make them out of puppets and do it live action. I’ve met some incredible camera people and they feel it will hold better that way. But I’m still not 100% on that one. I’ve been a fan of animation all my life so a part of me wants to try it that way to but we’ll have to wait and see.
Finally, what would be the first song you’d put onto a mix tape?
Good question! Mine or anyone else’s?
Whatever you like really, you can put yours on there.
Ok well maybe the first song on my new album, I think it would be a great way to kick off a record. That song ‘Modern Man’ has a really big kick ass intro and I think it would be a good intro to a mix tape.
True, it has very huge sound to it. Thanks very much for a having a chat today Mike and I look forward to you coming out and playing to Aussie audiences very very soon.
Likewise man, I appreciate it. Talk soon.
That 1 Guy is touring nationally right now and his new album "Packs A Wallop" is available now through iTunes.
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