Snuttock, the two-decade run duo, has experimented with the expansive variety of electronic music that the genre has to offer. As a press release states it, “they’ve excelled at all of them: dark industrial detours, wigged-out experiments, synthesizer meltdowns and ambient cooldowns, and bleak mechanical fantasies that teeter on the edge of madness.” With their new single, “Stay,” which is also the first single from their upcoming album, they have utilized the classic 80s use and influence of new wave and synthpop.
Snuttock consists of singer Bryan Lee and multi-instrumentalist, Christopher Lee Simmonds, and “Stay” is featured on the bands fourth album, Rituals Redux, a double album featuring the incredible musicality of Bryan and Christopher. Both engineered the help of remixers Marsheaux, Metroland, SITD, Leaether Strip, and may others, re-imagining Snuttock’s songs from their earlier release, Endless Rituals. The music video for “Stay” shows various artistic presentation, featuring the circus and vaudeville, live radio, old-fashioned theater, rock concerts, magic shows, and even oil painting (some the footage plays in a digital frame).
You all have been in the music industry for two-decades and counting. In your opinion, how do you feel electronic music has evolved over the years?
Bryan Lee: Hmm, not sure my opinion is very relevant, as I’m largely stuck in the past from a listening perspective. Not to imply that older music is better, I think I’m just lazy. There’s so much being produced today that it’s easier to stay on top of new releases from artists I’m already acquainted with than find new ones. From a technology standpoint, I love the resurgence of analog equipment paired with all the bells and whistles that modern technology has to offer.
What drew you both to creating music for a living, and what’s your “why”?
Bryan: I was lucky enough to grow up in a musical environment, my mother, a Peabody Institute grad, taught piano in our house and was the organist and choir director at our church. Between piano lessons, singing in choir, and constantly playing my father’s Herb Alpert records while he was at work, music was, in one form or another an everyday occurrence. After starting to write my own music in my 20’s, I was hooked. There was one point where an exceedingly frustrating band experience made me walk away for a few years, I’m sure every musician has gone through that at some point. Eventually, I started singing in an a cappella gospel quartet, and not long after began writing songs that would become Snuttock’s first album.
As a huge fan of 80s and New Wave music, I really enjoy your new single “Stay.” What was the writing process like for it?
Bryan: Thank you for the kind words! For “Stay”, the music was written first. I had just purchased a meticulously refurbished Roland Juno-106 and was scrolling through the presets, improving a bit on each when the main melody just started to develop. Initially, the song was going to be an instrumental, but eventually, the lyrics began to take shape. To me, the verses remained instrumental, a call and response between a synth and a guitar, with a vocal chorus. Thanks to David Andler / Morphius Records we were lucky enough to have guest musicians Billy Gordon (Guitar), Reggie Love (Trumpet), and Michele Bowman (vocals) perform on “Stay” as well. Reggie plays on all three versions of the song that will be on our forthcoming “Stay” EP.
“Stay” comes from your fourth album, Rituals Redux, a very ambitious album, enlisting some of the most talented collaborators. Can you share with us some of the vision behind this project?
Bryan: Happenstance, akin to being out on a Friday night with no idea where to go. You run into old friends that are in town for the weekend, or you wander into a club and a band you’ve heard good things about is on stage about to start their set, and suddenly the night turns out a lot better than you expected. We discussed putting out a 4 or 5 song EP containing remixes from our prior release Endless Rituals, thinking it would be cool to hear how a few other artists would interpret the songs, and it took off from there. I had so much fun thinking about which artists would be good for which songs, contacting them to see if they’d be interested, that eventually we had nearly 20 remixes in the works (2 being bonus tracks on the double CD version).
Ultimately, what was the recording and collaborative process like for Rituals Redux?
Bryan: It was a great experience, all the Artists were very friendly and accommodating. It was also very cool to correspond with musicians from all over the globe, many of which I had been listening to for years. The process itself was fairly straight forward, we’d send them the stem files and off they’d go. The best part was downloading and listening to each remix for the first time, you never knew how they would interpret the song.
I really love the rich and hypnotic visuals and imagery you both use in your videos. Where does the inspiration draw from for these?
Bryan: For “Stay”, the roses and kaleidoscope imagery, that’s all Ernie, there were red rose petals everywhere. I remember we were talking one morning a few weeks after the shoot, and he was excited about a kaleidoscope concept he was working on for the video. There was a lot of other footage shot those two days that will show up on another music video currently in the works.
Speaking of videos, I enjoy the concept of the video for “Stay,” and the kudos to a variety of arts, including the circus, vaudeville, live radio, and much more. How much of the video was you guys’ idea, and what was it like to see the vision come to life with director, Ernie Mosteller?
Bryan: As with all our videos, I had purchased the props, ordered Alisa’s outfit, and had a loose storyline in mind (very different from the final version). The original concept for the video was a love story between two mannequins. The female mannequin that appears briefly in the beginning of the final video was, with Alisa’s help, going to assemble and reanimate her lost love in the form of a male mannequin. Ernie felt the idea was better suited for a short film than a music video for a number of reasons, so we scrapped that concept and let Ernie take it wherever he wanted. Looking back now, it was the right decision. Watching it the first time was great, as other than the band footage, I had no idea what to expect. The announcer at the beginning of the video is my friend Don Rogers. He’s an on-air announcer for an NPR station here in town, who was also on both Rituals Redux CDs. It felt like a natural progression to go from hearing him on Rituals Redux to seeing him on “Stay”.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Bryan: In no particular order: Ministry – With Sympathy, Chris Botti – Slowing Down The World, Depeche Mode – Ultra, David Helpling – Sleeping on the Edge of the World, Chameleons – Strange Times
How have you both been keeping your creativity during the pandemic?
Bryan: I’ve been very fortunate, God blessed me with a job that transitioned seamlessly to work at home. The one puzzling part of working from home is that there seems to be less time for creativity. Other than working with our engineer on final mixes for the Stay EP, I haven’t done much else…that needs to change soon!
What are you currently watching, reading and/or listening to?
Bryan: Funny you ask that, I’ve written out these answers listening to numerous versions of one song: original, extended, instrumental, countless remixes, etc. and I’m not the least bit tired of it…Captain of Her Heart by Double. Lastly, we want to say Thank You to Talent In Borders for taking the time to interview the band!
