All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with bassist, and leader of The Neverlutionaries, Christopher Wells. Among other things, we touch on what he’s been up to during the lockdown, his newest music, his opinion of the music scene today, and what he’s looking forward to the most once COVID-19 breaks.

If you would like to learn more about The Neverlutionaries, head over to their socials, and dig in. Once you’ve done that, check out this interview with Christopher. Cheers.

Andrew:
Christopher, I appreciate you taking the time today. How have you been holding up over the last year or so? What have you been up to?

Christopher:
It has been a very challenging year, and a wonderful year all in the same breath. [Laughs]. Challenging, because of the uncertainty towards the beginning of the pandemic but now it’s relaxed, of course. Like others, I’ve done a lot of soul searching during this time to key on what really matters in my life, and spend more time doing those things. On the music front, I’ve been writing a lot, recording new music, and getting the right players together so I can do the songs justice. I started tracking the new record in San Francisco this past summer at Hyde Street Studio C, and recently finished up recording at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, which was really awesome, as so much wonderful music has come out of there!

Andrew:
Before we dive into your professional career, let’s go back a bit. What first got you hooked on music? What led to you picking up the bass?

Christopher:
I’ve been hooked on music since I was a small child, literally. It’s in my blood both of my grandfathers played, my cousins played, and my father played as well so I get it honestly! [Laughs]. What led me to pick up the bass was hearing the Rush song, “Freewill,” and just hearing Geddy Lee riff the way he does was mind-blowing then, and still is today. I just love that it is the pure root of so much music, and the groove starts there!!

Andrew:
Who were some of your early influences?

Christopher:
Led Zeppelin, The Bad Brains, Cream, Mile Davis, Corrosion of Conformity, The Cure, and P-Funk.

All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

Andrew:
Let’s talk about recent events. Tell us about your new record, The Neverlutionaries. Take me through the album’s creation, and how it came together.

Christopher:
Essentially, I was in San Francisco, and it was around the holiday time of last year, and we were in the studio messing around. I wanted to do a project where I brought great players into kind of finish-up songs in mind that needed some extra energy on them per se. We got a lot of great tracks done, and I ended up flying back east to visit family in North Carolina. Within a week or so, we were on lockdown, and I had to shift my recording plans. I ended up with the help of my label building a little home studio and finishing the tracks there, and having drummer, Nick Baglio, finish the drums at his studio. Then, I would re-record all the tracks to what he laid down. It was actually a bit of a goofy process but necessary,y and I really love how it came out I had the time with a pandemic at hand, to really dig down inside of myself, and write things that were relevant to my spirit, and to what was going on in the world.

Andrew:
Let’s dig into the lyrical themes on your new album. What message, and emotions are you trying to convey? What do you want your listeners to take away from this record?

Christopher:
I attempted to convey a wide array of emotions as life is full of a wide array of things to feel. I’ve always written about love because it’s been a mystery to me. [Laughs]. My intention for the listener is pure. I want them to feel and experience music that comes from a real place not with someone staring at the charts, and trying to figure out the next big thing, and putting all their eggs in that basket. What people will get from this record is a person putting his soul into the songs, and all the comes with that truth.

Andrew:
The Neverlutionaries straddle the line between many genres. How would you best describe your music to a new listener?

Christopher:
The Neverlutionaries music is like life! One day it’s fast and sporadic, one day it’s slow and easy. On other days, air can be trippy and psychedelic, on some days it’s in between, and on other days it’s indescribable. I was very cognizant of the fact of making a record that most people will be able to have some part of it that spoke to them. 

All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

Andrew:
You’re a big fan of both Shoegaze, and Industrial Rock, right? Take me through how much of an influence that music has had on you as a songwriter, and in your current work today.

Christopher:
I’m a big fan of textures within music. That’s what moves me with Shoegaze, you get that otherworldly spaced out feeling with pulls the listener in, and with Industrial, it’s the texture of the sounds, the grittiness of the drums, the crunchiness of the guitar, the subtle delay of the vocal all that stuff really does something to me. [Laughs].

Andrew:
Easy one’s now. What are a few of your favorite albums, and why?

Christopher:
Nothing’s Shocking by James Addiction is a big one for me as it showed me that different vibes, and genres can work together in harmony. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis is another big one for me, and it’s just a masterpiece. You can almost see the colors that he paints with those tones. It’s so transcending and takes you so many beautiful places. Led Zeppelin I is another big one for me as it has many textures, and shades which are something I love in music. I try to do the same with my music. I want to take the listener on a unique sonic journey.

Andrew:
What other passions do you have? How do those passions inform your music, if at all?

Christopher:
I want to make films at some point, as I have a lot of neat ideas that may translate onto the silver screen well. It’s the logical next step for me, as I want to tie music, and film together, and attempt to make something timeless, and hella entertaining. I love the paranormal as well! From ghosts to UFOs, and beyond. Mystery intrigues me, and the world has so many unanswered questions, and mystery’s that I love to explore. I also love to cook!

All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

Andrew:
What sort of equipment do you use in the studio, and the live setting?

Christopher:
For recording we use ProTools and I’ve been really into using Paul Reed Smith Guitars, and literally, they’re all over the last record, and on the new one with maybe me using a Les Paul for one or two tracks. I’ve also been using Fender Jazz Bass’ in Bergantino Bass Heads, Marshall Amps, Taylor guitars, A really rad Milkman Amp for clean tones. I am currently Frankensteining together a cool new live rig now. I have some Blackstar gear in there, but I am always experimenting and searching for that perfect sound. But I must admit, it’s getting close.

Andrew:
Do you collect vinyl? CDs? Cassettes? Or are you all digital now? If you do collect physical media, why is that important to you? Why do you feel keeping physical media alive is important in this day and age?

Christopher:
I was way into vinyl and cassettes for a long time but had the majority of it stolen a few years back. When my collection was stolen, it broke my heart and I have been a digital dude ever since, but I do see a need to collect, and enjoy music across all forms that it can be delivered as long as people are listening, and keeping music alive! It’s important to keep physic media alive because it’s our history, and some recordings sound soooo much better on vinyl.

Andrew:
Last one. What’s next on your docket? What are you looking forward to most in the post-COVID world? Do you plan on hitting the road, or playing any festivals in 2022?

Christopher:
Writing more music, and getting my band, and show as tight as possible. I look forward to reconnecting with friends, and family that I’ve been missing, and making new memories with them all. My plan is to be touring full time by February, and hitting the road with two albums full of tunes in tow, and rocking as many places as I can! The pandemic, if you can picture this example, can be likened to pulling the rubber band of my soul backward, and I am so ready to let go, and do what I was born to do which is entertaining my fellow human beings and aliens if they dig it!

All images courtesy of ReyBee PR

Interested in sampling the work of The Neverlutionaries? Check out the link below:

Dig this interview? Check out the full catalog of VWMusic Interviews, by Andrew Daly, here: www.vinylwritermusic.com/interviews

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