MAY PANG EP | WILD BELLS (debut album)

The May Pang EP will coming out on October 16, 2015! Here's a preview of the title track...

How can 12 minutes of music take a year to record and release? While not on a level of “Chinese Democracy” craziness, the sessions for Wild Bells’ new EP May Pang (& 3 other songs they sang) were a tumultuous and challenging time. Eager to record a follow-up to their 2013 self-titled debut album (produced by Tony Lash of Heatmiser / Elliott Smith & Dandy Warhols fame), the band decided to record a quick EP in August of 2014 to have something out by the end of the year.

But after finishing the initial sessions at Mazinga Studio (run by KIng Black Acid main man Daniel Riddle), the sextet lost two members. Then gained two new members. And then lost another. New parts had to be written and learned. One song was entirely re-arranged from the ground up in the studio. The sessions dragged on, but after 5 months they were ready to mix.

Then disaster struck when a catastrophic hard drive failure destroyed the Pro Tools files for two of the four songs. The band reconvened in the studio to start re-recording the lost songs. “Not only did we have to re-record those two songs”, jokes band leader Pete Ficht, “but in general we kind of forgot we were just doing an EP and put an album’s worth of hooks and guitar tracks into those four songs. So that took forever, too.”

Ficht has a point, as these songs are densely melodic and thick with guitar and keyboard textures and layers of vocal harmonies. It may have “taken forever”, but you can certainly hear the effort put into it.

While Ficht had been the main singer and songwriter on the debut album, here he shares those duties with the rest of the band. All four songs are co-writes between Ficht and other members. Bassist Sean Tichenor takes the lead vocal on “Still Summer”, departed vocalist Ellen Louise Osborn sings “Wimbledon Bardot” while Ficht shares the mic with new singer Rachel Coddington on “May Pang”. And “Shining On” features Ficht on the verses and Tichenor on the bridges.

May Pang kicks things off with a drums and clavinet intro from Scott Pettitt and Sean Farrell before the wall of guitars and FIcht and Coddington’s harmonies enter - evoking summer sweetness, past regrets and ex-Beatle paramours, all in a nifty minute and a half. The wistful paean to John Lennon’s girlfriend during his mid-70s exile in Los Angeles took Ficht somewhat by surprise. “I had the melody and just kept singing ‘May Pang, la la la la’ over and over,” recalls Ficht. “Then Ellen helped me out by writing those really sweet lyrics and fleshing out a story. Halfway through recording the song, it kind of dawned on me that, oh yeah - this song is about a real, living person. Uh… hopefully, she’ll like it!”

No word from May Pang yet. Continuing the seasonal theme, we move onto Still Summer, featuring Tichenor on lead vocal. A dark and moody verse bursts (say that three times fast) into walls of interlocking harmonies, making us wonder if this is what a Nick Cave/Brian Wilson collaboration might sound like. “I always get slightly melancholy at the end of summer and that somehow morphed into a metaphor about accepting death and enjoying the present. The perfect ingredients for a pop song, right?” laughs Ficht. Right.

Up next, we have a change of pace with Wimbledon Bardot - the sound of which only be described as “Pacific NorthWes Anderson”. Fingerpicked guitar, mellotron and harpsichord, along with Osborn’s winsome vocal and lyrics about the late ‘60s Pop Artist Pauline Boty certainly recalls something off the soundtrack of Rushmore. Though Jeff Porter’s pedal steel and mandolin helps to add a new flavor. “We were afraid it was getting a little too precious, so we brought in the pedal steel, mandolin and lead bass to give it a little Portland rootsiness,” Ficht explains. Yup, nothing says Portland like lead bass.

And we finish out the EP with Shining On, an improbable meeting of Krautrock and Cheap Trick (Krautrick?) that the band manages to pull off with aplomb. Ficht and Coddington breathily harmonize on the verses and chorus, while Tichenor snarls through the bridges. Cascading vocals usher us out as the band fades away in the distance, a testament to Daniel Riddle’s engineering skills. “This one really got weird on us. It started out as a kind of quiet fingerpicking tune and then changed on us a few times,” explains Ficht. “But we’re super excited on where it ended up.” And hopefully, so are you. See you next time.

01. May Pang
(words: Ellen Louise Osborn / music: Pete Ficht)
02. Still Summer
(words/music: Pete Ficht & Sean Tichenor)
03. Wimbledon Bardot
(words: Ellen Louise Osborn / music: Sean Farrell & Pete Ficht)
04. Shining On
(words: Pete Ficht / music: Sean Farrell & Pete Ficht)

Produced by Pete Ficht and Daniel Riddle
Engineered and mixed by Daniel Riddle
Recorded at Mazinga Studio in Portland, Oregon, August 2014 - June 2015
Mastered by Jeff Stuart Saltzman
Artwork by Eric Coddington

WILD BELLS:
Rachel Coddington: vocals
Pete Ficht: vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
Scott Pettitt: drums and percussion
Jeff Porter: lead guitar, mandolin and pedal steel
Sean Tichenor: vocals, bass

Ex-Bells and guests:
Sean Farrell: keyboards (1, 2, 3, 4)
Frank Huston: lead guitar (2, 4)
Ellen Louise Osborn: vocals (2, 3)
Mark Pickett: lead guitar (2, 3)
Daniel Riddle: vocals (1) and acoustic guitar (4)

Copyright 2015 Pasture Records. All rights reserved.

The WIld Bells album was released on 0ctober 15, 2013.The artwork was created by the fine folks at Jolby & Friends.

Also available on:
iTunes
Amazon
eMusic
Spotify
Soundcloud
Dateline Portland: Fresh from the land of beer, beards, and puckish hipster satire, comes Wild Bells, a thoroughly enchanting (and sorely needed) sextet of veteran musicians that thankfully fell together from a host of crucial and influential local bands. King Black Acid, State Flowers, James Angell, The Quags, Mission 5, Big Daddy Meatstraw and The She Bee Gees are just a smattering of the notable Northwest names that helped birth this bunch.

Just as the band’s pop smarts and marvelous battery of songs come from every nook and cranny across the sonic spectrum, Wild Bells, its self-titled debut album (which drops October 15), is a laser light show of esoteric daring seasoned with sincerity and superior craftsmanship. Produced by longtime Elliott Smith collaborator Tony Lash, with some studio assistance from King Black Acid mastermind Daniel Riddle, the album was funded by a well-armed Kickstarter campaign. And true to its we-the-people roots, the 11 tunes on Wild Bells truly represent—they’re as singular and adventurous as the madcap citizens of this fair metropolis.

So whether you’re lolling your noggin to the heavenly psychedelic chorus of “Skyscraper” or getting misty over “Parasite,” a devastating love-gone-wrong song, the blazing collective pedigree of Wild Bells shines through on every note.

Guitarist, songwriter, and primary singer Pete Ficht has juggled everything from folk-punk to power pop to trailer-park twang during his three-decade career. Bassist/singer Sean Tichenor (he sings “Parasite” and “Lunchbox”) and keyboardist Sean Farrell were called upon to invent mad spontaneous sounds and rigorously avoid clichés during their tenure with King Black Acid, a group that was as inventive and anti-formula as any in Northwest rock history.

Drummer Scott Pettitt brings the timekeeping precision of a studio stud, but shows time and again that he’s not afraid to get his toms dirty; check out the irresistible tribal boom-boom on “Carrion” or his loose-groove finesse on “Housewarming Party.”

Craig Stahr has served as guitar hero-for-hire in groups like The Quags and Mission 5 and his thorough knowledge of riffs is evident on “The Light” where he kicks up a genuine country ruckus. And on the last minute and a half of the towering “Skyscraper” the nimble picker has a glorious, mind-blowing meltdown that lights up the night.

Former She Bee Gees singer Ellen Louise adds her own pillowy voice to an already formidable array of harmonies and takes a gently mocking lead vocal on “Golden Boy” a sardonic gem about youth wasted on the young.

Considering the combined experience and wisdom of the players involved, it’s not terribly surprising that time and regret are recurring themes on this album. Look no further than “Precious Time” a whip-crack power-pop anthem about making the most of your minutes here on this mudball. And without coming right and saying so, Wild Bells want you to know that complete immersion into this album is time well spent.

- John Chandler, October 2013. Download the PDF here.01. Precious Time
02. Carrion
03. Parasite
04. Housewarming Party
05. Skyscraper
06. Beauty Mark
07. Lunchbox
08. The Light
09. Golden Boy
10. Never Learn (Not to Learn)
11. Curtain Call

Sean Farrell: keyboards
Pete Ficht: lead vocals, rhythm & acoustic guitars
Ellen Louise: harmony vocals, lead vocal on "Golden Boy", co-lead vocal on "Precious Time"
Scott Pettitt: drums & percussion
Craig Stahr: lead guitar
Sean Tichenor: bass & harmony vocals, lead vocals on "Lunchbox" and "Parasite"

All songs by Pete Ficht, except "Beauty Mark" (Lyrics: Pete Ficht / Music: Wild Bells) and "Golden Boy" (Lyrics: Pete Ficht & Paul Custodio / Music: Pete Ficht).

Produced, mixed and mastered by Tony Lash

Tracks 1 - 8 recorded and engineered by Tony Lash at The Magic Closet and Daniel Riddle at Mazinga Studio, June - August 2013. Track 9 recorded and engineered by Daniel Riddle.

Tracks 10 & 11 recorded and engineered by Tony Lash at The Magic Closet and Mandible Studio, January - March 2012. Performed by Pete Ficht, Scott Pettitt and Craig Stahr, with backing vocals by Ezra Holbrook and Jen Bernard and percussion by Tony Lash.

A massive thanks to our friends and family, especially Heather, Sabine and Sofia Ficht; Jonas, Lois and Vigo; Laura Tauber; Nicole Kramer, Dahlia, Solomon and Beatrice; Steph and Dash Tichenor. Also many thanks to Tony Lash and Daniel Riddle for the wild sounds, Josh Kenyon & Colby Nichols at Jolby for the beautiful artwork, Eric Maxen for the many awesome band photos and Kickstarter video, Mom n Pop Tichenor, Doug and Carolyn Pettitt, Shannon Kruger, Tony Esperanza @ Soundcheck, Jake Endicott, Tim Ennis, the Drummer Breakfast Gang, Blake Jefferson, Ezra Holbrook, Rob Scrivner, Jasper Daniels, AgesandAges, KZME, Bruce Lee, Darth Vader.

Super special thanks to our Kickstarter backers who made this all possible: Hilary Spray, J.A.B., Michael White, Ez, Steve Fall, Beth Barnett, December Carson, Anthony Austin, George Pabis, Grant Curry, Heather Savoy, Natalya Faden, Michael Hargis, Paul Custodio, Keith, Toby Poser, Hugh Lester, The Stahrs, Stanton Hall, Jane Cowan Sullivan and Thom Sullivan, Matt Sherman, Bubba Lumpkis "Ryan" Williams, PCD Group, Diane Goshay, Kingsley Garden Music, Lisa Morrell, Joanna Cowan, Geri Custodio, David Custodio, The best sister ever, Sue Bond, Ricky Bruckner, Rex Flowers, Nick and Penelope, kt fallon, Peter Uchytil, Alexandra Smith, Ed Huiskamp, Anne Coburn, Karen Von Clezie, Nabil Kassam, Joe Janes, James N. Clark, SN Alzaid, Mathieu Formisano, Chimelle, Anne H L Coleman, Clark Knowles, Jonah Caplan, Ulf Steineke, Lawrence Stahr, Lorraine, Raj Sapru, Paul R. Oeser III, The Coddingtons, Jörg Boehme, Arianna Bond, Joey Nelson, Doug & Carolyn, James Bond, John W. Potter, Carla Rupp, Richard E.D. Jones, Jeremy Thiessen, Kevin Byram, Barbara and Richard Tauber, Sylvie Lill Paulsen, Chris Poché, Ned Folkerth, Sterling Roig, Blake Johnson, Nicole Kramer, Lori A. Hendrickson, Jay David Yeager, Kimberly Cornell Huber, Ursula Ficht.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved.