Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Alex Maiolo of Fan Modine

Orchestral, alt-pop wiz Gordon Zacharias of Fan Modine is at the great advantage of having a wealth of ideas and a deep bench of local talent at the ready to spin them into beautiful reality. The slow build of the band from solo project to collaborative crew has always depended on a collusion of whip-smart arrangements and passionate players.  Now having released a new hook-happy, texturally rich production, Gratitude for the Shipper, the band set to let that dynamic shine yet again.

So, sure, they’ve got a way with making music, but can guitarist Alex Maiolo handle our five questions? See for yourself after the jump.

1. If you band were a restaurant, what sort would it be?
I think it’s safe to say it would be Asian. We are all nuts for Asian food and it has to affect the music is some way. I don’t think we’ve used a Sueng on any songs yet, but you never know what will happen. Everyone in the band is equally comfortable with both street food and “food experience” type meals, which also seems like a particularly Asian trait to me. While doing shows in NYC, Gordon has been known to disappear and come back from Korea Town with a cornucopia of food for the band, like some sort of Bimbap Santa.

2. What inspired the band name?
There are many legends and myths surrounding the name. Even as a member of the band, these have neither been confirmed nor denied for me. Naturally the “actor question” comes up. Maybe it’s a reference to the famous HVAC manufacturing company, revered the world over for their Hot Dawg® Garage Heater? They have fans in them, presumably. I prefer to go with the story about Gordon combining the name of his cat, with a brand of Chinese medicated soap that is sold by the Lucky Mojo Curio Company. I mean, they claim it’s “jinx breaking,” right?

3. Describe your typical band practice.
The vibes are great. There’s none of this “we hate each other so much but we just can’t quit because the music’s so good” stuff. It’s incredibly social and has a club house feel to it. We either practice at my studio, Seriously Adequate, or sometimes at a barn owned by our label shaman, Jefferson. Generally it goes like this: arrival, hugs, The Opening Of The Beers, set list run through, major mistake leading to epic solo with a surprising amount of fuzz on one of the guitars, resolution, satisfied nods, sitting on large rocks to debrief. Usually there is a prog rock joke in there which leads me to believe we are all secretly fans, but too cool to admit it.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
There have been so many players in this band lending ingredients to the sonic stew that it would be hard to say for sure. The common thread seems to be British Pop from various time periods, or bands that are convinced they are British, even though they were doomed to be born and raised in the US, like The Left Banke. Gordon and I meet at bands like XTC, The Zombies, and Belle & Sebastian. All of us, particularly Missy, love Eno’s pop records. Nobody knows this yet, but Joah has been tapped to be the bass player in the not yet announced Smiths reunion. Every good newspaper loves a “scoop,” right?

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how ’d that turn out?)
When I was 13 I wanted to grow up to be a Peter Buck. And the Coast Guard had an odd appeal for me for about 10 minutes. The Coast Guard doesn’t involve Rickenbackers though, so being a Peter Buck won. Through His guidance (capitalization intended), I got deeper into psych pop and garage rock, when I had only been a Byrds fan up to that point. Being a Marty Willson-Piper (of the band The Church), or a Dave Gregory (XTC) was an option too. If it involved paisley, velvet, 12 strings, or skinny ties, it was for me. What I ended up being was a local, small business owner who also works for a musician’s non-profit and advocates for healthcare reform. I’m not so sure that’s in the job description of being a Peter Buck, but I’m only 43, and still on the path to achieving absolute Buckian enlightenment, in the most
Willson-Piperian and Gregorian sense, of course.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Bound on over to The Nightlight this Sunday, November 20th to hear Fan Modine in action. And by all means, give Alex a high five when you see him!