Chromatropic Talks About First Studio Album ‘Abundance’ & Their Eclectic Music
This week, we are thankful for many things, including new music. Okay, okay, ESPECIALLY new music. Last week, we were #blessed with the release of Chromatropic’s new (and first ever!) studio album, Abundance. While their music certainly is eclectic, it is hard to explain other than a blend of dance fusion / neo-psychedelic / funk / jam / rock, so we had an interview with the band so that they could explain their unique sound themselves.
For those of us who are new to your music, can you tell us what brought you together as a band back in 2010? What has kept you guys together all of these years?
Andrew Carton: I think Chromatropic was born out of experiences. We bonded over that feeling you get at a live show when a band pulls something out that surprises you, something that gives you goose bumps or connects with you in a way you didn’t know about until that moment. We wanted to create those moments ourselves.
You guys have a pretty eclectic sound. What would each of you say inspires it? Would you say that any of you have different inspirations?
Mark Potter: Thanks! Our contrasting tastes are a huge factor in our sound, and that’s something we still work on a lot. We use our difference of opinion as fuel in writing songs. Danny may come into the studio with a Latin piano riff, Andrew will throw a fusion style guitar line over it, Moses will play pocket natural tone mixed with super-low sub bass, and I will try to lay a breakbeat under the whole thing. We then listen back and really ask ourselves if it’s cohesive. Sometimes is it, and we continue to develop the tune, and sometimes it’s like chili with corn flakes and Nutella.
Clay, you had to have known I would ask: why are you nicknamed Calamari? Is there a story behind it?
Clay “Calamari” Doggett: I run lights in a completely improvised way — sometimes wishing I had more arms and could press more than two buttons at once. If you watch me for long enough you might see one of them. I don’t even like seafood… haha!
This is your first album; tell me more about the tour that will complement it. Will you be performing at any major festivals this year?
Danny Caridi: We are going to be running through the East coast in the new year! Until then we have gigs in Baltimore on Nov 30th at the 8×10 and Virginia Beach at Doc Taylor’s on December 1st.
If each of you individually could play with any artist, who would you pick and why?
Andrew Carton: This is a tough one, but by a narrow margin, I think playing with Frank Zappa (and any lineup of his band) would be most fulfilling. He was such a prolific composer, crossing so many genres, and, with an unmistakably unique sound, led a rotating cast of world-class musicians for decades that left a huge mark on the canons of 20th-century music. Plus his guitar playing was so badass, and I’d love to hear his thoughts on Trump.
Danny Caridi: I’d play with Robert Glasper. I love his touch on the keys and way he blends genres in such a tasteful way. I could learn a ton from him, plus he seems like a fun dude to hang out with.
Moses Margel: If I could play with any musician it would be playing bass with Herbie Hancock’s “Headhunters.” They inspired me so much as a young bass player; I did not know music like that existed. Herbie’s Headhunters was one of the first fusion albums I got a familiar with, and it totally changed the way I looked at music and what i wanted to play. Paul Jackson on bass and Mike Clark on drums totally blew me away; it was so exciting to hear bass and drums lock up like that, be so syncopated and totally move as a unit. Herbie seems like such an amazing person to play for. I’ve seen him live a few times, and he really brings the best out of his band. I guess that’s what happens when you learn from Miles. A close second would be Tom Waits; what a true original and interesting character, I would love not only to play in his band but to sit down and have lunch with him and shoot the shit.
Mark Potter: Michael Jackson, and I’d actually skip playing the drums if he’d take me on as a backup dancer!
Their album, Abundance, dropped on 11/21/16 and is definitely worth a listen. Can’t wait to hear what they’re about? You can stream their new album here!