other PAGE: LEFT: Steve adams; RIGHT: david brogan THIS page: Right, Zach Gill; left, Dan lebowitz
interview: Michael barata photos: joe Longo
Interview with
Steve Adams + Dave Brogan of
ALO
I think jam band and “jamming” sort of imply not really caring, self-indulgent
Michael Barta: How are you both? Dave + Steve: Great! MB: What is inspiring the band at the moment?
When the labels were really strong, and you had something going, you could, if you’re lucky, get picked up, and the label could help you develop your craft or your art. It’s even difficult for older artists to do something new. That’s why you see things like Kickstarter.
Steve: Our fans. Dave: Getting back to our musical roots. MB: What is something that is most challenging about being in a band today? Dave: I think there are a lot of challenges. Shrinking profit margins. Just trying to stay in business. Trying to make enough money to keep it going. It’s harder to sell recordings now; that piece of revenue has gotten a little smaller. At the same time, there are lots of new opportunities, too. It’s a lot more difficult for smaller bands or bands just starting out.
PHOTOS: JOE LONGO 48 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM
MB: What are some opportunities you’re taking advantage of? Steve: Well, a lot of our sustainability comes from our touring. We try to get creative with our tours and brand them a certain way and have special event shows or theme shows. We’re trying to figure out the “live” thing. Because playing out has become more expensive than ever. So, that’s why we’ve been considering a subscription service for fans to have early access to buying tickets for shows and getting access to purchase some of our archived music.
MB: How does the band deal with pain?
type playing,
Dave: ALO has been together a really long time. Steve, Zach, and Lebo have been playing music together for twenty-plus years, and I’ve been with them for ten. It’s very much like a family process for working things out. ALO definitely has its own intrinsic process, and when things come up, it can be rough for a second, but it gets worked out. Everyone really cares about each other, really deeply, and that’s what carries us through all the different issues.
and we’re not
Steve: I agree. I think we try to remain supportive no matter what. It can get like survival mode sometimes. It does get rough, and someone has to take a break for a certain reason or whatever, and the band is sort of left there to figure it out. I think the support network within the band allows for that to happen. I think we encourage each other to
like that. do things we need to do. We try not to hold grudges or be upset about anything. I think we always try to defer to our family bond. Pacing is good, too. If we are super busy, and we know a break is needed to allow people to go home to see their families and recoup, we try to balance our schedules out the best we can. Dave: We know what we want it to feel like when we are playing music. If other issues are getting in the way of that, we want to try to work it out and get back to that feeling when we’re playing: it’s feeling good and free, and everyone is unburdened by [negative] stuff.
MB: What is overlooked or misunderstood about your art? Steve: I think one obvious thing is that when you roll up in a tour bus, people think you’ve made it. It’s a real common misunderstanding. Yes, we’ve made it on a certain level, but it’s still a day on the job. It appears as success, but we are still trying to figure out how to pay the bills. Dave: I think artistically we have been pretty misunderstood because we have been involved a lot with the “jam band scene” and have done a lot of those kinds of festivals, and so everyone is like, “Yeah, ALO is a jam band.” We’re really not. We’re more like a classic rock band and really care a lot about songs and song craft. And so, that can be really frustrating because some people won’t even give it a listen because they think, They’re a jam band, and I don’t like jam bands. Steve: We care a lot about our jams, as well, because we do improvise. Dave: We do. But I think jam band and “jamming” sort of imply not really caring, selfindulgent-type playing, and we’re not like that.
Dave: It just feels so good to do. When I’m doing it, there’s almost no other place I’d rather be. It really is my passion. I get the most fulfillment from it. Steve: Yeah, I agree. It feels like a calling of sorts. I loved music as a kid. I went to college to study music. For some unconscious reason, I happened on that path. It feels right, and I really enjoy it. Seeing how good the band feels and the connection with how good the fans feel — it just feels like you are doing something good.
We try not to hold grudges or be upset about anything. I think we always try to defer to our family bond.
MB: Why do you do what you do?
WWW.alomusic.com ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 49