David Mussen Interview
By Seamus Gallivan of The Good Neighborhood
David Mussen might be the most prolific Robot Holiday songwriter – he’s developed a knack for serving songs of varied styles that he often doesn’t even perform on himself, able a multi-instrumentalist as he is.
Sometimes peculiar, others profound, always poetic, Dave’s songs capture the spirits of so many characters, relationships and moments that define the holiday season.
Get to know Dave below, and join us on Friday, December 6th, as Robot Holiday headlines the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara!
How did you first get involved with RH?
According to my copy of the police record, Jonathan asked me if I wanted to write something on October 19th, 2005. He showed up at my house at three in the morning, smelling of paint thinner, threatening that if I didn’t write a song he would kill my cat. I didn’t even have a cat, but I wrote “North Star of My Soul” and “Lonely Christmas Eve” anyway.
“Lonely Christmas Eve” was the first song that I wrote for Robot Holiday, and maybe my favorite. I think the acid test for a good song is if it can be played as a bossa nova. I had been carrying around the image of sculptures made by the wind since I was sixteen years old, so I was glad to find it a home.
“North Star of My Soul” was the second song I wrote for Robot Holiday [the original version was recorded in 2005]. The lyrics were originally written for an entirely different song. When Jonathan asked (berated) me to try to come up with something for 2005 I went back to this song, but couldn’t find the music, so I took the lyrics and re-wrote the song.
- Dave Mussen, Joelle Labert & Dee Adams perform during Robot Holiday Live 2011 at the Sportsmens Tavern
Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music?
I like writing songs so I’d be doing that anyway, but Robot Holiday provides a thematic challenge that I enjoy. Because there are so many talented people involved, as a songwriter it’s been great because I feel like I can try my hand at various styles of music without worrying whether or not it can be pulled off.
What’s your favorite RH song – of your own as well as that of another member?
I think my favorite song of my own is probably “Lonely Christmas Eve.” I have a lot of songs by everyone else that I like but I’ll go with “Old Joy” by Jim and Lisa, since I’ve been listening to it lately.
Click here to listen to and download for free Lisa Forrest & Jim Whitford’s “Old Joy”
From Lisa Forrest: “The older I get, the more I’m able to look back at the hard lessons with gratitude instead of sorrow. “Old joy taught me to laugh, and it taught me to weep.” The lyrics are a combination of two of my poems (written 15 years ago), a short journal entry from the water color artist Charles Burchfield (I recalled something he wrote about curling up under two pine trees), and a little bit of wisdom. “All this snow piled out the door/ you did what you knew/ now you know right.” Jim Whitford once again helped me to carry this song off the page — his vocals and guitar playing add such a richness to the lyrics. “Warm winter in my heart….old joy of mine.”
What’s your least favorite holiday song?
Probably “A Politically Correct Holiday Story.” I don’t know why, but I thought it was funny at the time.
- David is slightly out of tune
What’s your favorite robot?
I assume you mean who, not what. I’m going to say V.I.N.CENT (“Vital Information Necessary CENTralized”) from the movie The Black Hole. I’m a short loser just like him.
Is there a holiday subject, new or old, that you feel needs to be addressed still in a RH song?
A four-part instrumental suite that tells the tale of the life of a sled.
What other projects are you involved with throughout the year?
I write all year long, and usually do the RPM challenge in February. I also play clarinet and saxophone in The Stamplickers and the 12/8 Path Band.
Dee Adams Interview
By Seamus Gallivan of The Good Neighborhood
Dee Adams’ delightfully disciplined voice commands a wide range of the Robot Holiday canon over the past five years – her own songs are certain standouts for their distinct structures and subjects, and her harmonizing ability makes her a go-to member of the crew when others are solidifying their songs.
On a personal note, it was Dee who came to me in 2010 when the group decided to take these songs to the stage for the first time, and with our mutual love of and loyalty to the Sportsmens Tavern that’s shared by most members of Robot Holiday, it was the perfect place to bring this show to life. While we’re all thrilled that Larkin Square has since emerged as a much larger and no-less welcoming home for this event, Dee and I are in turn working together on another holiday-themed event at the Sportsmens, to be announced soon…
…In the meantime, get to know Dee below, and join us on Friday, December 6th, as Robot Holiday headlines the second annual Holiday Live at Larkin presented by First Niagara!
How did you first get involved with Robot Holiday?
I had met Jonathan Hughes while singing harmonies for the Rob Falgiano Band in 2009, and told him if he ever needed a backing vocalist for any of his projects that I’d love to work with him. He took me up on it. That year, 2009, was the first time I was involved with Robot Holiday.
Has your work with RH influenced your overall approach to making music?
There are a couple of ways my approach to making music has been broadened working with these folks, having mostly to do with recording. Here’s a secret – I don’t love the recording process; I’m much more comfortable performing live shows. Being able to sing and produce a nice tone is where recording vocals starts, but you have to be consistent, flexible, and not waste anyone’s time when you are in a studio environment.
I’m still sort of customizing my method of learning, practicing, and recording a vocal part, and being given the opportunity to create parts or solidify existing parts means I’m always honing my craft. I’m continuing to learn how to be a better session vocalist because I get the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned, thanks to Robot Holiday.
What’s your favorite RH song – of your own as well as that of another member?
I’m not phoning it in when I say, “I love them all” – I really do. There’s so much unique storytelling among them all, winter and Christmas/holidays being seen through so many different sets of eyes. As for my own songs, I will always believe “Love to Our Hearts” is one of the best songs I’ve ever written, but I think this year’s contribution will be my overall favorite holiday song. “Have A Good Time” has a great hook, and as always, Jonathan assembled the perfect cast of players to bring it to life.
What’s your least favorite holiday song?
“The Christmas Shoes.” Anything by Mariah Carey. And I’m going to catch a lot of flak for this, but I truly can’t stand Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time.”
What’s your favorite robot?
Dot Matrix from Spaceballs.
Are there any strange-to-us holiday customs in your native England that could make for interesting material in a future RH song?
Christmas Crackers are the English tradition that carries on in our family. A Christmas Cracker is a cardboard tube stuffed with goodies, with two ends to pull much like a wishbone, and a firecracker sound that goes off when the two parts are separated. Whoever gets the biggest portion wins the prize inside (usually some silly trinket like a mini-yoyo or a whistle or something), along with a riddle, and a silly paper hat that we wear for the rest of the day. It’s one of our favorite parts of Christmas.
What other projects are you involved with throughout the year?
I keep busy year-round with a few different musical outlets. I curate a weekly songwriter’s circle at the Sportsmen’s Tavern called Dee Plus Three, where I invite different local and regional songwriters to share their music. Come spring, work begins for the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, for which I’m honored to a member of the Performance Committee. I teach introduction to singing lessons to young folks between the ages of 10 and 15 throughout the year, focusing on instilling proper posture and breathing techniques to prepare them for the next stage of vocal training. Over the next year, my big personal project is learning how to play the bass.
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