When I was a senior in high school, I went to go see Calibretto (formerly Calibretto 13) in Marietta, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) at this venue Swayze’s. I had just fallen in love with shooting and editing videos, and when I heard the local opener, Pacifico, I knew I wanted to do a music video for them. Nearly five years later, I’m now interviewing one of the members.
Pacifico has had some off time here and there, but Matt Schwartz just finished up in the studio with producer Jason Martin from Starflyer 59 to follow his self-produced Pacifico EPFacedown. He gave me a copy of Facedown to listen to, and the first thing I noticed was that it was different than the Pacifico I shot a music video for. The Pacifico I saw hinged on balls-to-the-wall rock n roll guitar parts, but the Pacifico I am hearing now has developed into a band with songwriting that doesn’t have to depending on that. This Pacifico has melodies and harmonies that carry the song. Granted, the old Pacifico had this as well, and the new Pacifico still rocks, but his attention to melody has opened up his perception to dynamics, and I like it.
I asked him how this had developed, imagining this must have been a clear decision in the songwriting process.
“Interesting you say that,” Schwartz said. “I have always thought Pacifico was both or maybe I have always wanted it to be both. There wasn't a clear decision to stop making riffs, and on the new album I just recorded with Jason Martin there are a few rock songs with riffs. I think I have decided that I let the songs write themselves. They just are birthed and then I try to cultivate them to where I am, what I am into at the time and mostly into what they are meant to be in my eyes. I want Pacifico to have phases more like Elvis Costello or Beck in the fact that I don't want to be boxed into a mold.”
I don’t know if you’ve ever listened to Starflyer 59, but they were one of the best bands Tooth and Nail put out in the 90s, back when Tooth and Nail was worth something.
“I was so excited to work with him since I have listened to his stuff since I was in high school and the new album will have a real clear, sunny California sound, with some Beach Boys, clean and pretty vocals with a hint of 80's influence. He knew what we wanted. He actually recorded the drums while I was in NC and then I came and we just hacked away at it, but he had a clear sound in his head and it sounds great.”
As a songwriter, I know how hard it is to have someone else tell you how to do something. If you don’t know how hard it is, it has the same emotional impact that a mother telling a child not to do something; either they grudgingly listen or they do it anyway. Sometimes that is what it takes to make a great record. Ask Frank Black circa 1988.
“This is the first time in a while that I have taken a back seat to my recording and it was very hard. He wants everything simple and I like chaos.” When I asked him if working with him will effect how he produces his own material and other bands in the future, he told me “I will pay attention to trying not to overload the song with too many layers.”
The new album won’t come out into Spring 2009, but the Facedown EP should be enough to hold you over until then. In fact, he was nice enough to give you a track to download called “Ruby.”
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