Tonight, The Armchair Generals are storming the Discovery Gallery, located at 245 W. Broadway Ave, and will be performing their jazz-infused chill electronica. There is a $5 admission before 10 PM, and $10 after. Aaron Elimelech, aka General Osoosi7, took some time to talk about the band.
Aaron: We knew each other for years, and would hang out and discuss music all the time. Eventually we decided to rent a rehearsal space and have a jam session. The first one felt like we had been playing together for years. We continued these sessions on and on for years and called them Lemonade sessions because we would put together these crazy mixes of musicians and try to extract a positive outcome every time. From these sessions we established the core, which is now myself, Pernicia Jaye (General Oyani9) and Raymond Comer III (General Bebo6).
Sander: For the CD, did you involve other players, or approach things as a band?
Aaron: Our CD’s have a mixture of both. Some of our songs started as rough ideas years ago that we recently polished up and added the right blend of musicians. Some songs were from actual jam sessions we recorded that we later added more instrumentation to in the studio. For the EP, and our upcoming full length, we are and have been approaching things from a band standpoint and trying to write songs with more structure and detail.
Sander:: Can you give me a specific example?
Aaron: Most of the material on our Lunchbox album is instrumental, or has very sparse vocals. The songs also may not have bridges or designated hooks. Although we love that side of our music, for the EP we wanted to have more lyrical material, songs people can sing to. We also wanted to beef up the musicianship and add a saxophonist, jazz guitar, emcees, etc. to step up our musical contents.
I think we also learned to refine our recording process and pay attention to the details of our process. How could it be recorded better or cleaner? Jam sessions are great, but now we prefer to be able to record all members on separate channels so that it is not so hard to edit later.
Sander:: How does the lyric writing process work in the group?
Aaron: Pernicia Jaye is our lead vocalist and has written most of the lyrics for our songs. However, we have a very collaborative and democratic approach and operate on a “follow the lead” system, where whomever has the idea we support that direction fully and contribute ideas where we can. Sometimes we have three different directions, but we like to allow that individual to see their idea through. Then we evaluate them honestly and decide which to go with.
Sander:: You came from a live setting, moved to a recorded setting… Have there been challenges in moving these produced songs back to a live, trio setting?
Aaron: Certainly. One of our most significant challenges has been transferring the energy onto the studio recording. Live sessions have so much raw energy and chemistry that it is tough to then sit down and reproduce it in a different setting. And do the parts meet the standard that we are looking for? We have also been dealing with the limits of our current situation, we don’t have the facilities to be able to record a live session the “right” way, so we have to adapt and make it happen regardless.
Sander:: Do you feel that your live performances as a trio capture the more ‘produced’ recordings you’ve made?
Aaron: That has been the work, but we have been very honest and realistic in our approach. Recorded music has so many layers and sounds that are hard to produce with just three people and six hands. Bringing in Danny V has been a tremendous asset, as he is able to sample some of our recorded parts and play them as a live musician would, on stage. It is hard work, and we are our own tough critics. If a song isn’t sounding 100% for us then we scrap it from the performance list and work on it in the lab until it is ready.
Sander:: Are you planning to tour outside the LA scene?
Aaron: We would like to get into the festival scene and perform at the Miami Electronic music conference, or Detroit’s Electronic music festival. We know our sound is more for the scene in Europe, but would also do well in NY, DC, and ATL where the average listener is more open and willing to break free of the strict pop radio programming that is here in Cali.
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The show kicks off at 8 PM and runs until Midnight. They will be performing along side DJs Mojaux Spencer and S.O.U.L.O. They will be doing some new music, and collaborating with Sarah Cruse and Chad Bishop.
They will also be performing at Viento Y Agua Cafe and Art Gallery in October.
Please visit their website at www.armchairgeneralsmusic.com for more information.