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Pop CultureJuly 31, 2017

Neil Finn on why he’s taping his new album in front of a global internet audience

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Neil Finn talks to Henry Oliver about his forthcoming album Out of Silence, likely the first studio album ever to be recorded live in front of a livestreaming audience.

Last week I spent an afternoon watching Neil Finn, the cool dad of New Zealand music, and twelve singers rehearse two songs from the album he will record at the end of August in front of a livestreaming audience. Finn, who has been experimenting with livestreaming since the early-2000s, when he had to borrow large computers to broadcast his music over dial-up, and his band are preparing four livestreaming events – one every Friday evening for the month of August. The first three will be in front of a live, in-person audience, and the fourth, on 25 August, will be the recording of Finn’s new solo album Out Of Silence, to be released just a week later on 1 September.

The idea, Finn tells me once the singers have clocked out for the day, is to have the songs so thoroughly rehearsed that Finn’s fans can watch the songs grow and develop over the first three sessions and then, at the end of the month, can see a studio album being recorded in real time, with each song being played no more than twice.

In his Roundhead Studios, all wood, rugs and windows with instruments and analog equipment sprawled in every corner, Finn sings from behind his piano, teaching the new songs to his “singing group” made up of Don McGlashan; Amelia Murray (Fazerdaze); Sean Donnelly (SJD); James Milne (Lawrence Arabia); Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins); Sam Flynn Scott (The Phoenix Foundation); Sandy Mill; EJ Barnes (Jimmy’s daughter); Jimmy Metherell; Harper Finn (Tim Finn’s son); Reb Fountain; and Victoria Kelly (who is co-writing the album’s string parts).

AT ROUNDHEAD STUDIOS (SUPPLIED)

It’s early in the process and most of the singers are hearing these songs for the first time, but it’s amazing to me how quickly they pick them up and find new and unexpected ways for their voices to twist around, under and above Finn’s. After a single, straight run-through, they are pushing his songs where he may not have intended them to go, sometimes to his delight, sometimes not.

“If it works, it works,” Finn tells a singer who is simultaneously experimenting the most and doubting their own choices. “That high note needs to be angelic, not forced,” he tells another. “I think we should just try all the ideas anyone’s got,” he says to the group.

“They’ve all got quirks and foibles and characteristics that you don’t want to squash – that’s why I want them here,” Finn tells me afterwards. “The way that Sam [Scott] will wrap his voice around a phrase – I love the way he does it on Phoenix Foundation records. I want that quality. I don’t want to bend him into some kind of version of me.

“I relate it to an amazing, kick-ass campfire singalong. And I think it’ll be better than that. But when you end up, late at night around a campfire with really good singers, and I have had the pleasure of that a few times in my life, and people are just singing for the love of it and you get harmonies going absolutely nuts, it’s one of the most joyous feelings on Earth, so I’d love it to feel like that’s the vibe – a glorious campfire singalong.”

While he’s been playing music live over the internet since 2001, last year’s livestreamed Crowded House rehearsal kicked things up a notch. The rehearsal was preparation for their reunion show on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, where, 20 years earlier, the band concluded its farewell tour in front of 100,000 people. “That went really well and cemented my enthusiasm for doing them out of here [Roundhead Studios] as a regular thing,” he says. “You can run it yourself. It feels very different to TV. It doesn’t feel like the main people are the cameras and the director and you’re there waiting to be told what when to play. It feels like you’re putting on some kind of happening and there are no middlemen. You go straight to the internet and you can communicate with the audience directly. I try and keep them pretty loose and kind of like you’re in a lounge room which suits my kind of performing. So webcasting just seems like a natural place to be.”

But, from what I’ve heard, Out Of Silence won’t be be loose or loungy. The two songs I saw rehearsed were serious with assertive melodies, tender harmonies and searching, questioning lyrics. And, as Finn says, it may be recorded ‘live’ in front of an internet audience (there will be no in-person audience for the recorded session) but will not sound like a ‘live in studio’ record. “What I think is going to be cool about this is rather than getting a more causal, stripped down performance, an acoustic performance perhaps, I’m making probably my most complex record. Arrangement wise it will be the most sophisticated thing I’ve ever done.

“It’s been years since I’ve had extensive rehearsals so the minute you walk into the studio, the song’s ready to go. I normally start recording when the song’s half finished and you’re building the song as a recording. It’s got its merits but it drives you mad as well. That process had become a little bit too regular and too maddening.”

The purpose of the first three sessions (4, 11 and 18 August) is to hone the songs, get the group used to the space and rehearse the process of recording the group in a single take. For the Neil Finn faithful and curious, it’s an unprecedented opportunity to see his music evolve from week to week as Finn and the band listens to and expands on each week’s work. “ I like the sense that you can see the songs develop a little bit,” he says. “There might be an opportunity to let the songs be exposed in less than finished form so people see them unfolding and by the time we get to the last one, everything’s super well arranged and good, people will already know the songs a little bit and will enjoy seeing them get to that stage.”

The whole process shows Finn’s continued interest in the way music production and consumption are changing on the internet. For someone like him, who achieved the highest levels of critical and commercial success in some of the best years to be successful in music (the ‘80s and ‘90s), it’d be easy to continue working within the music industry model he grew up with, but Finn is excited about the ever-changing potentials the internet offers musicians. “I think music is served well by the internet generally,” he says. “Because it at least gives everyone an even chance of getting noticed if they’ve got something really good. There are things wrong with it – there are things wrong with every technology – but I think the webcasting thing is really under-explored. The feeling of being connected directly to your favourite artist and him or her talking to you directly through the internet is underdone.

“I’m hoping that the idea is strong in itself. The more you go on, particularly with music the way it is at the moment, you realise you have to be thoroughly excited by the path you take and make it distinctive in its own way from anything you’ve done and anything else that’s been done. Then you get a really good feeling in you that no matter what happens to it, it was fucking worth it. The minute you try and buy into what is the conventional wisdom of the day and suppress your own instincts or your own desire to do things differently, the more disappointed you are when it doesn’t work, because it wasn’t your idea. If it doesn’t catch on or people don’t get it, I’ll still feel really pleased about it because it’s a glorious idea. It has a wonderful collective spirit about it.”

The first song I heard rehearsed, ‘Chameleon Days’, seems to sum up his willingness to push the boundaries of how he gets his music to the people who might want to hear it and the beauty of the fleeting moments that the internet can deliver better than traditional methods of distributing music ever could: “That must be how the music’s meant to be played / One rush of blood / Then it’s gone / As fast as it came.”


The Spinoff’s music content is brought to you by our friends at Spark. The Out Of Silence livestreaming sessions can be viewed at Neil Finn’s Facebook page 7pm NZT on 4, 11, 18 and 25 August. To win tickets to the 18 August session, presented by Spark and Spotify, watch this video and answer a simple question.

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Pop CultureJuly 31, 2017

The concert producer who gives Nintendo music the world stage it deserves

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Nintendo fan Eugenia Woo talks to Jason Michael Paul, the mind behind The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, about producing a world-renowned video game music concert.

In games, as in film, music is the great unseen signifier. The right soundtrack adds significance or emotion, contrasts themes, emphasises, diminishes, and even manipulates meaning – consider major keys and ominous strings in the context of a toddler running down the street. And, as in film, video game scores often outlive and outlast the project that birthed them. Some even go on to be performed stand-alone on stage.

Jason Michael Paul is perhaps the most authoritative expert on midwifing that transition. The producer of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, he’s also the genius behind The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – not to mention around 350 other shows. We spoke two weeks out from Symphony of the Goddesses, a one-night-only event in Auckland on 14 August.

So Jason, you’re well-known for producing not only Symphony of the Goddesses but also other video game concerts. The most iconic of those is probably PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, which ran for years before being replaced by Heroes.

That’s right, Heroes was performed at the Sydney Opera House in 2014. It’s a wonderful show. 

That concert obviously draws from a larger variety of music material, while Symphony of the Goddesses is obviously drawn from a single franchise. Which concert format do you prefer, and why? 

I like to be able to go back and forth; that truly satisfies my vision. The Legend of Zelda show, from the Overture to the Finale, is jam-packed with music and visual goodness. It’s a very tight production wholly focused on The Legend of Zelda. Then of course you have Heroes, which has a little of everything, including storytelling with narration provided by Nigel Carrington of Dear Esther fame. Using Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey as the overarching theme, we have carefully chosen the games to represent that chapter in the story. In addition to the two titles already mentioned, we included songs from: Castlevania, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls, Guild Wars, BioShock, God of War, Dragon Age, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid, Halo and so much more.

What are the challenges associated with the different formats?

I think we have a well-oiled machine. Having produced over 350 concerts in my career, many of which with video game music, I am very apt to handle either format and like going back and forth. 

What was your introduction to the video game concert business? 

I was in Tokyo and had the opportunity to attend a Koichi Sugiyama Dragon Quest concert. I was also able to listen to one of the Tokyo recordings from a Final Fantasy concert. Keep in mind, this was before I implemented visuals into my performances. At this point, it was 100% music with no visual support. 

Was there a particular turning point in your career that made you decide to focus on these concerts? 

The initial success of the premier in Los Angeles of Dear Friends – Music from FINAL FANTASY in 2004 and the successive tour helped me to see the future. 

What has motivated you to stick to it all these years?

The fans are the biggest motivation and my goal since day one has been to bring video game music and my brand of concerts to as many people and places as possible around the globe. 

There is obviously an underlying struggle in terms of video game music being considered palatable or “worthy” of reverence by some mainstream musical audiences nowadays. People are still coming around to the fact that games have this sort of musical artistic value, and these concerts can act a little bit like vehicles to get people into the genre and into those games. What are your thoughts on the place of video game concerts and their place in orchestral canon going forward?

Video game music is as relevant as any other music. I have been dealing with this for years from naysayers and persons who are close minded. You don’t have to be a Legend of Zelda fan to appreciate the storytelling, visuals, and especially the music – they are beautiful works of creative expression. We’re just getting started in terms of the potential and scope of video game concerts!

Can you walk me through what is involved in the production of a concert like Symphony of the Goddesses?

So many moving parts. Getting Nintendo to work with me was the first step. After that, I put together a team of talented creatives to work for my company and we worked to create a touring production utilising the assets from Nintendo’s catalogue. 

Symphony of the Goddesses is very unique because for the first time in the history of video game music, we have created a four-movement symphony focusing on a specific title. As a springboard, I considered both the Wind Waker Movement and the Twilight Princess Movement both as my favourite pieces. Working forward from there, the music is created and approved, and then we storyboard and create the visual accompaniment. Once the visuals and the music are both ticked off, we create a click track so that the entire program is in sync, from the Overture to the Intermezzo to then to the Finale. 

We also have a proprietary wireless click track system and wireless HD cameras so that we can capture the orchestra, choir and conductor on stage. After the show is created, we throw it into our system. Once this is tested, we book dates and locations. This show has been all over the world! 

How much creative licence do you have as a producer to interpret the work of Nintendo’s composers when it comes to the music from Legend of Zelda? Is it a faithful adaptation from the sound in terms of notes, or do you try and incorporate different sound effects based on the levels or scenes in the game that the songs are derived from?

We have some freedom, but for the most part we are constrained by time, so we try to keep it as close as possible to the originals. Of course, we add a Hollywood sound to it with some of the best arrangers and composers from all over the world.

Do you have a favourite arrangement or performance from Symphony of the Goddesses?

I am really liking the new Breath of the Wild piece that we put together. Without giving too much away, it was the first time that we were able to create sound effects in a live concert environment. It truly works and I am so proud. 

Is there a particular title in the Zelda franchise that you would consider producing an entire concert for?

I haven’t thought about that. We have a lot of great pieces from The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. 

Why are you drawn to this particular franchise? Does it have any emotional significance?

Zelda was one of the first titles I played on NES. To be able to perform this concert for the Zelda fans all over the world is a dream come true. And honestly, the Triforce is a symbol for many, including myself. 

The work in Symphony of the Goddesses is largely orchestral adaptations of soundtracks that were, at their time, 8 or 16 bit in terms of production. Now with the soundtracks in the latest games being orchestral already, Breath of the Wild springs to mind immediately here, do you think that it limits the scope of the work that you’ll be able to do in the future re adaptations?

Not at all. Come to the shows and take a listen. We are having a great time creating arrangements based off of the originals to be performed for a live concert. These are two different processes. Each one requires an expertise and each can be complemented. 

What’s on the 2018 agenda for producing more video game concerts? 

Do you like The Elder Scrolls

Is there a particular country or city that you’d like to bring Symphony of the Goddesses to?

I would have liked to hit up more Asian countries this tour, and Adelaide and Sydney, but for this particular tour we will only begin in Auckland (August 14), Perth (August 24), Singapore (August 26) and Melbourne (September 3). 

Last question – which would be your mount of choice: Epona or wolfed-out Link from Twilight Princess: and why?

I am really feeling the Wolfed-out Link from TP:HD. The fact that you can unlock its use in the new Legend of Zelda game is awesome. 

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is heading to ASB Theatre for one night only, August 14. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.