Trans Am's Phil Manley and QOTSA's Jon Theodore turn Life Coach
Trans Am’s Phil Manley welcomes old college pal Jon Theodore into the fold for his second album as Life Coach. Ruthless advice and sublime cosmic jams ensue
“Do stuff,” Jon Theodore instructs The Skinny as he effortlessly slips into his ‘Life Coach’ persona. “And don’t fuck up!” chimes in old college friend Phil Manley, the man who coaxed Theodore into the motivational therapy business in the first place. Of course, they’re not actually turtleneck-wearing medallion men offering pounds-per-minute advice on a more wholesome outlook; Life Coach is a meeting of minds between one of
The origin of the duo’s alliance stretches back some twenty years, when the impressionable young musicians became acquainted at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in
With their third eye prized wide open, the pair joined fellow Oberlin alumni Alex Minoff and Ian Eagleson to earn their stripes as Golden, a peerless experimental outfit that burned brightly over the course of five albums before disappearing (without ever officially disbanding) in 2002. Eagleson, a learned ethnomusicologist, travelled to
Theodore has since proven himself a formidable presence behind the kit for progressive titans The Mars Volta in their most glorious era, later bringing the rhythmic thunder to One Day As A Lion, Zack de la Rocha’s furious rap, keys and drums project, plus gun for hire on the forthcoming
Manley, meanwhile, has form of his own: the founder of future-rock mavericks Trans Am and occasional guitarist for shape-shifting metal instrumentalists The Fucking Champs has also racked up production credits for a multitude of psychedelic crusaders who share his interest in pushing the form forward the old-fashioned way, from Arp to Wooden Shjips. On his 2011 solo debut as Life Coach, Manley paid homage to visionary producer Conny Plank with an ambient trip built by synthesisers, dreamy guitar codas and an old Roland 606 drum machine. Having set himself the goal of bringing a live version of the project to the stage for its sequel, last summer Manley recruited fellow krautrock pilgrim Theodore for the pair’s first collaboration since Golden’s Apollo Stars in 2002.
"I pretty much became the drummer by default!" – Jon Theodore
So what is it about Kosmische Musik that keeps the pair in endless kicks? ”Krautrock was basically German progressive music – not necessarily ‘prog-rock’ in the sense of Yes or Rush, but futuristic sounding music,” Manley clarifies. “Those bands used lots of synths. Song structure was often ignored, favouring long, druggy jams. Maybe it endures because it still sounds modern? It’s a pretty broad genre too, one that includes both Kraftwerk and The Scorpions. My first exposure to it would have been through my older sister. She had a great record collection which included Kraftwerk's Tour de France EP. I remember listening to that over and over again.”
“I was into the more psychedelic stuff like Amon Düül and Can,” says Theodore. “But it was Phil and Seb from Trans Am who first turned me on to Kraftwerk, Neu!, and later Harmonia. The abstract structures and progressive sounds were right up my alley and when I first heard that spectacular Klaus Dinger beat I was riveted. The delicate blend of restraint, balance, precision, and Teutonic steadiness mixed with punk urgency and pure muscle blew my mind on the spot.”
The late Dinger’s influence is easy to hear in Theodore’s measured playing throughout Alphawaves; intuitive, hypnotic and propulsive, Manley’s free-floating compositions clearly played to his strengths. “The record consists of mostly first takes,” Theodore says of the experience. “It was a beautiful summer in LA, I was home with an unemployed amount of time on my hands, and I had a setup in the garage with my tubs and the professional tools, so I happily went to work immediately. I listened to the first tune once, sat down and banged around some ideas, and tracked it down. I tried it a few more times for variation but I felt like the spontaneity and enthusiasm in the first take outclassed the more considered and methodical later takes. It was such a simple and enjoyable workflow that I started the rest of the tunes the next day and put them down in the same fashion. It all happened really fast. I found out later that he'd sent the tracks to a few of our other drumming friends but I finished first so I pretty much became the drummer of Life Coach by default!”
From Manley’s point of view, is there a greater sense of completion with Theodore's participation in the project? ”Definitely, yes. I sent Jon the album with a drum machine on all the tracks. He added his parts and the album became whole. It became 100 times better with his playing on it. It had been 10 years since we had played a show together; it's been a great reunion for us.”
With “no heavy touring planned as of now” for Life Coach, focus turns to the multitude of other projects that perpetually orbit the duo. Manley ponders the possibilities: “Trans Am played some shows for the Thrill Jockey 20th Anniversary celebration recently, and we’re working on a new album. I'm always up for a Golden reunion. We've talked about it, but it hasn't quite happened. Someday I'm sure we'll do it again. Meanwhile it’s doubtful that The Fucking Champs will reunite anytime soon, but Josh Smith, one of the original Champs, has just started making music again, so that's good news.”
Theodore meanwhile is gearing up to finish off the debut by Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, a metal aficionado’s fantasy team featuring Mastodon’s Brent Hinds, Dillinger Escape Plan’s Ben Weinman, and former Jane’s Addiction/current Nine Inch Nails bassist Eric Avery. “We’ve recorded a handful of tunes that we're all really happy with,” he enthuses. “We get together when we can coordinate gaps in our schedules, which is rare, but we're definitely committed to finishing the record.”
It seems that despite having only one EP of recorded material and a short run of live dates under their belts in five years, One Day As A Lion is still an ongoing concern. Does Theodore envisage a full length album seeing the light of day? “Yeah, we have lots of material that is in various stages of completion,” he reveals. “I really love playing with Zack and Joey and it would be a cream dream to make more records.”
Guest Question (Michael Rother, NEU!): Do you enjoy listening to music and receive inspiration from past centuries and/or non-western cultures?
Phil Manley: For music from past centuries, I very much enjoy listening to Bach, particularly his organ works. Life Coach draws heavily from the improvisational element of Indian Classical music. I'm also a big fan of West African guitar pop music from the 60s and 70s.
Jon Theodore: Yes. From the Indonesian Gamelan to Vishwa Mohan Bhatt's Mohan Veena, from Shostakovitch to Stockhausen, from the Persian influence in North Africa to the Melanesian children's choir, and from the mutated freak-out of Fela Kuti to the electro hammer of Die Antwoord, non-western music and culture continues to be a huge inspiration. It's hard not to mention all the western manifestations in the same breath – John Cale and the early Velvets, Terry Riley, John Fahey, Steve Reich, Michael Rother. Lately I've been inspired by the sounds and cultures of India. The beautiful grace in the heavy tanpura drones of Hindustani classical music and the harmonium and cyclic chanting of kirtan bring me great joy and peace.