Deccatree interview

Keeping a band together through troubling times is certainly not easy. When the band has a recording contract that gets severed prematurely, the likelihood of keeping the team together likely diminishes. Deccatree is no stranger to this sort of strife in the music industry. Natalia Bolanos on bass, Dicki Fliszar on drums, Chris Karn on guitar, and Jesse Nason on keyboards are all a part of the southern California rock band that have succeeded despite themselves. Their music has been featured on many popular television shows, including but not limited to Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother. I spoke briefly with songwriter Chris Karn, who is also the producer, about expressing faith through music, the Atlantic Records debacle, and why it may just be better to work by yourself.

For those who aren’t familiar with Deccatree, how would you describe your sound?

Friends jokingly call our music motivational speaking put to music. It makes me laugh, but there is some truth to that as I tend to want to lift people up more than bring them down and I tend to write songs that (if there is trouble) there is always a way out. So, I would describe Deccatree music as uplifting rock.

The music of Deccatree is described as “forward looking music” on the band’s Myspace page.  Can you explain what that means exactly?

We all own a lot of records, and it’s hard not to emulate music that influences you. We try to look forward and find a new sound that fits us. We are not an art band, not yet at least, but we do have the impulse to look forward beyond what is going on around us to carve our own path.

How does your faith impact the music you create?

Faith is a constant in my life, in my thoughts, in by battles and definitely in the music I create. It is something that is not intentional; I have just always been wired that way, even in my earlier bands. It was not until Deccatree that I finally felt free to express faith as an underlying theme in my music.

What happened with the Atlantic records fiasco?

Fiasco— that is the perfect word for it. I must say that I hold no ill will to the people at Atlantic and I actually have a great relationship with Craig Kallman [Atlantic Records chairman]. [Deccatree] made it through all of the roster cuts, which was unbelievable as there were some artists that we loved that were cut in the beginning. Once all of the cuts were done there was an awkward silence. I took that moment to go engineer a record with Joe Chicorelli (White Stripes, The Shins). This whole time I was getting calls from Kallman. Our conversations were very supportive and friendly, and he was working hard on our behalf. I owe him a lot. We never spoke of the politics of what was going on but I did hear from some staff some shocking claims. As far as what I’ve been told, take it with a grain of salt, there was a huge power struggle going on at the label, and Deccatree was lumped in with a few other artists that were part of one side and some other artists were part of another side. Long story short, one power won, and we were not on that side along with some other talented artists. It is a shame that business has to meet with art, as art will always suffer when it collides with commerce. All I can say is if it were not for the kindness and guidance of Craig Kallman, I would have lost all my rights and songs for [the album] Battle of Life. Craig made sure that did not happen. I believe he is the best and truest person I’ve ever met in the music business.

After what happened, do you think it’s better to be on a major label, an independent label, or unsigned, and why?

I don’t have a definite answer for that question, as every situation is different. I will say, however, that every experience I have had and artists that I have produced have had at major labels has been a mess. It is extremely rare for an artist to succeed on a major label. Don’t get me wrong, I love major labels, they have funded and brought us some amazing records and artists. I do know that you will end up in a better place both personally and successfully if you have success on your own pace and terms, that is why you see bands like Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie having such full careers. They started off slowly and there was no gamble. There are two roads: the easy way and the hard way. In the end, the easy way is always the hardest on your life [and] soul.

Have you worked with any artists that have really taught you something valuable about the music business?

I have learned from everyone I have ever come into contact with. I am lucky to have such a varied group of musicians and friends that I interact with in life. One of the more recent lessons I was taught was from Daniel Lanois. Daniel was addressing a friend of mine and myself in a conversation about contract negotiations and the artists role when things go wrong. He said to keep your cool even if you know you are being wronged. Just say, “Oh, that’s not how I interpreted that and I will have to take a moment to think about it.” Go get council with someone who knows that part of business inside in out, get all your ducks in a row and then politely come back and make them aware of the error. “No one likes to work with a hot head, and reputations get around,” he said. That is great advice for sure.

What is coming up in 2010 for you guys?

More music, more working with friends, and more moving forward. These days are harder for us all, so I’ve found the best thing to do is keep your eyes forward push on, and enjoy the good stuff.

Why should people give your music a listen?

Just for the fact that they will hear something different, something that may surprise and hold a place in their life. Because, really, that is the only reason for doing this, connecting with a person. It could be only one and I’m fine, but that connection is so very important. That connection makes it is all worthwhile.

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