I recently had the chance to talk to Jonathan Visger of Mason Proper to discuss the new album, his solo project, and touring.1. You nestled into a town called Alpena in your home state of Michigan to write Mason Proper’s sophomore album “Olly Oxen Free”, can you describe your writing process and what inspired you this time around?
Jonathan Visger: I like to write quickly in isolation. Just try to get at least one idea out in a day. Sometimes they aren’t good, but sometimes they are. You can’t tell when you’re writing it. Sometimes you can’t tell at all. That was why when it came time to actually choose the songs
to go on the album, we went into full democratic mode and the other guys weighed in on what they liked and pretty much chose the track listing. We got very into Edward Gorey and David Lynch during the creation of There is a Moth in Your Chest, and that influence came out more strongly on this album I think. We’ve internalized the sense of humor and mood a lot more since then.
2. Olly Olly Oxen Free has a more refined, spare sound to it when compared with your previous album “There is a Moth in Your Chest”, was there a conscious decision to approach a second album from a more minimalist perspective?
JV: Absolutely. On the first album, it was kind of an “all in” approach. If something wasn’t working, we’d add something else along with it until it did. With this album, we decided to take the opposite approach. It’s less dense, but the instruments that are there have breathing room and can sound more natural and full-bodied.
3. Engineer/Producer Chris Coady produced the album; can you talk about working with him and his contribution to the album?
JV: We did four days of pre-production with him when we were choosing the songs and designing out the album. It was still very liquid at that point… There was lots of loose hypothetical discussion going on. Everyone just getting on the same wavelength. Then he took off to
work on Dear Science for a little while, and in that month we rented ahouse and recorded/produced the whole album. Then I flew to Carriage House studios in Connecticut and Chris and I mixed the album and added the finishing touches to it.
4. He’s known for working in interesting ways with vocal tracks, particularly with TV on the Radio, and there are some interesting effects present on “Olly Olly Oxen Free”, did he have you record vocals in a different way than you had in the past?
JV: We did all the vocal recording ourselves, but the basis of our approach was to keep the demo vocals whenever possible, to preserve the original intent. In a few places that means the final vocals on the album were recorded into the noisy internal microphone on my laptop. Other than that it’s our vocal editing process, which involves trying to strike a balance between the takes with the most character and the ones that express the melodies the best.
5. In “Olly Olly Oxen Free” there are samples and strange instruments peppered throughout the songs. Where did the idea come from to sample little kids and use a slide whistle? (If that is a slide whistle on “Lock and Key”)
JV: We do all of that stuff intuitively. You just hear a sound, it resonates for some reason, and you use it. Everything we do gets measured against if it feels right, instinctively. It’s all about
trying to tap into a deeper part of yourself to make decisions than your overly analytical internal monologue will allow. I hope that doesn’t seem like a cop-out answer, but it’s true of how things
operate for us these days. (The whistle noise was Jonathan whistling into his lap top and playing it back out through a guitar amp).
6. The song “The Fog” talks about using a crystal ball and a TV to find out where someone is and “Olly Oxen Free” is a term that roughly means “It’s safe to come out”; are these ideas a continuation of the theme of a rift or perhaps reconciliation with friends that you touched on with
“Friendship” off of your Shorthand EP?
JV: They might be… this kind of relates to the “acting intuitively” part of the last question. It could be that those are issues I don’t even realize are that major for me, but they keep springing up. I keep writing things like that, but if someone asked me if I felt an especially huge rift between me and my friends, I would be inclined to say no. Now that you mention it though, maybe I do.
7. You’ve toured with a bunch of up and coming indie bands including Mobius Band, Cloud Cult, and Upstate New York’s own Ra Ra Riot, do you have any cool or funny stories about sharing a stage and a tour with another band?
JV: Other than some random inter-band dance parties involving Cloud Cult and Ra Ra Riot, nothing immediately springs to mind that would be easily explained in text. I did get a kick out of this though… When we were driving towards Pittsburgh, before we met up with Cloud Cult on this tour, I saw a white van with a big trailer ahead, and I said, in a sarcastic voice, “Hey guys, watch out, we’ve got a band up here.” It’s always a fun thing to do, because you can usually look at the people in the van and you realize how ridiculous people in bands usually are. They always look the part, in some way or another, and it’s very silly (we’re no different). When we drove by, it was Craig from Cloud Cult, which blew my mind. I immediately tried to call them. And the next day, when we stopped for gas, we randomly pulled right up alongside them at the pumps. It’s funny when you realize how few major roads there are, and how likely you are to pass by people you know if you drive on them enough.
8. Your old touring van broke down not too long ago; did you guys find a
worthy substitute? If so, did you christen it with a name?
JV: The old van was Van Diesel (though it was not a diesel engine). The worthy substitute this time was a rental. We paid a little more for the day-to-day, but at least you know you’re not likely to break down for the 4000th time, and when you get home you don’t have to pay for $700 in repairs and figure out where to store the thing.
9. You’re working on a solo EP titled “North South”, what can you tell us about that?
JV: Oh, it’s done and out! I released it in February. It’s available at www.secrettunnelgroup.com for $3. I have finished a new EP called ‘Trilobite Trash’ that should be out by the end of the year. North South is kind of Mason Proper run through hip hop production style, and I’ve been told the new EP has a dub flair to it.
10. What’s next for Mason Proper?
JV: Not touring in the winter! We’ve made that mistake every year and it’s hell. New albums, new tours, trying to continually improve what we’re doing.
AZLTRON: Thanks so much for doing this interview and best of luck with your future endeavors.
JV: Thanks!
I was also fortunate enough to record a brief interview on the street outside The Bug Jar where Mason Proper was playing. There was even an old guy who jumped right into the interview.
AZLTRON – Jonathan Visger of Mason Proper Interview
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Olly Olly Oxen Free yet, you should.
