I’ve been a fan of Chris for a while now and this is another good album from him. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, and as we discuss below, this album is a shift in style, and a good one. Enjoy this interview, and then pick up the album for something different.

Andrea Weiss: Who were your influences for this album?

Chris Church: I started this project with the idea of trying to combine what I hear in the music of The Fixx with Lindsey Buckingham's stuff. Eventually other influences revealed themselves, but those were the two touchstones when I started writing.

AW: Not much new music styled like early 80s new wave that I'm hearing is guitar- based. Why choose that style and not synth pop like, say, The Human League?

CC: I wouldn't have felt comfortable employing quite that much of a style over substance type of choice unless I was purposely doing shtick. As a musician, I'm a guitar player first and foremost, and I wrote these songs on guitar. As a songwriter, I know whether I'm kidding around or not. I think. I hope.

AW: This album is a shift in sound for you, and I like the shift. What prompted it?

CC: I don't see it as a really drastic shift. I just used my Danelectro 12 string electric guitar, which creates a thinner sound, and splashed a bit of synth and keyboard on top. The bass lines do a bit more of the work on some of the riffs, but this isn't a big change from any of the pop rock records I've made. The lack of heavier, more distorted guitar in the mix probably helps to make it seem more accessible. That, and Lindsay Murray's backing vocals and Nick Bertling's drums. Those two people are very talented and make everything on which they perform sound way better. I'm fortunate to have those folks helping me out.

AW: The lyrics still seem the same as your previous work, but did you subtly alter them for the new style?

CC: I've made a lot of albums, a lot of different types of music, and I've never really thought about that. I have done everything from heavy progressive rock to psychedelic punk, to conceptual song sketches, to folky country-ish songs, to experimental, to performance art, and every piece of music I've ever worked on is just what it is, from the germ of the idea all the way through to the finished product. That's the best answer I can give to that question. If I thought about it like that, my music would be very different.

AW: I like that the lyrics seem fun, even playful. Did lyrics like that seem to fit the theme of album?

CC: I had a really good time making the album, so I guess it stands to reason that some of the more playful moods would show in parts of songs.

AW: Was a project like this something you always wanted to do?

CC: I have no idea how to answer that. When I completely finish one thing, and I do mean I have to wait until the album is released, I then sit down with the guitar to see if I can agree within myself on the next thing. So far this seems to eventually yield results. It often feels like I'm just along for the ride. It sounds pretentious, but I get it when artists repeat the cliches about the muse being in control. And a cliche is only a cliche because it's been a truth.

AW: Do you plan to do other albums like this?

CC: I have no idea. And if I did, I probably wouldn't tell anyone. I'm old and crotchety. Get out of my yard. Turn the heat on, it's cold in here. Where are my glasses?

AW: Do you plan to play any concerts for it?

CC: I have no plans. At this point I am a writing and recording entity. I do play occasional shows with The Long Players in Nashville, but I have no desire to tour right now. But as an artist, I will always reserve the right to change my mind. I'm older, but I'm nowhere near ready to hang it up, so who knows? Probably not, though. It seems like work. And f**k that.