FRINGE PIPES "WHISKEY KISSES" REVIEW

Whisky Kisses blooms with growing slide guitars the moment “Baby I Miss You” opens. Flourishing and vibrant, Fringe Pipes’ new EP has the band cultivating a dew kissed alt-country that flowers brightly with some of the most colorful varieties found inside the genre. Whereas much of Americana is filled with amber waves of breezy prairies, the version found here is dense, grown tall and thick with greenery.
Although the story sprouting between the measures of “Baby I Miss You” is evident in the title of the song, there is a homely hitch. Here it is shown that the pain of a loss is most acute in the mundanities of a life gone on, and, oh, how this hurt creeps in. Both narratively and sonically, “Baby” is reminiscent of “Hate It Here,” by Americana greats Wilco. These twin tracks recount vignettes of missing days, and although Fringe Pipes’ version is more self contained, with thoughts and sounds clustered tighter than Wilco’s longing sprawl, both songs serve as beautifully somber starting points for the sound this band has taken on.
Travelling further into the overgrown sound of hardly touched soil is the enchanting “Follow.” As the listener is drawn by misty horns to “Follow now, follow me,” they’re led into the thick of a virgin forest. Trust in Fringe Pipes is rewarding, and the track peaks with dozens of combating sounds closing in on each other, disorienting the melody before ultimately peeling back into a pristine clearing. Like a nuthatch, river falls, storm front, chickadee, beaver slap, gray squirrel singing together, Fringe Pipes whip up a calmly enchanting song that pulls deep, deeper down a path with no clear end in sight.
Whisky Kisses’ country-western lineage is most heartily embraced in the title track. Using American distilled dark liquors as reflections of the heart is a barrel-aged process that has only taken on more color with time. Although the format may not be novel, its ability to rouse up empathy is unparalleled. Pain and drink go together like nothing else.
The boozily titled “Drinkin’ (About the One I Love Most)” kicks up the speed of the EP from toe-tapper to foot-stomper. Jittery tack-style piano, rollicking basslines, and tightly held harmonies zip along like the classic southern-rock of yore. Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers may be the titans of this sound, but by pulling from the slight blue-grass tinge of The Marshall Tucker Band, the group ramps up the breeze to a mighty blow.
The band leaves most of their rural tendencies behind on closer, “Cruel.” Aimed at a previous partner, the Fringe Pipes strap on a tighter, simpler style of 90s power pop that lands as one-half Radiohead’s downer anthem “Creep” and one-half “Closing Time,” the quintessential kick-out tune by Minneapolis’ own Semisonic. As the final track on Whisky Kisses, “Cruel” sounds like a little too much whisky and not near enough kisses. Although not a bad song in its own right, the song feels out of place on the stunningly colorful landscape the band had previously grown in the proceeding tracks.
With their first project in five years, Fringe Pipes mostly trade the rowdy rock and roll of their previous work for a warm, thick slice of Americana. Though their first album, 2015’s Karma Bricks, hosted a handful of songs in a similar vein, Whisky Kisses commits to a palate that is already well honed despite serving as a lane change. Kisses plays like roadmap, exploring the sprawling biomes found in the vast discographies of staunchly American artists. Fringe Pipes sound at home tracing these spacious templates; hopefully they stick around to see what more these landscapes hold.

<a href="http://fringepipes.bandcamp.com/album/whiskey-kisses">Whiskey Kisses by Fringe Pipes</a>

Fringe Pipes:
Colin Loynachan - he/him - vocals, guitars, bass, keys
Ross Vanderwerf - he/him - vocals, guitars, bass, synth
Jillian Rae - she/her - vocals
Warren Fenzi - he/him - drums
Michael Betz - he/him - keys
Christian Wheeler - he/him - guitars
Nate Knutson - he/him - guitars
Peter Brügg - he/him - pedal steel guitar
Ben Ronning - he/him - guitars

(Melodic Noise) How's your day going?
(Fringe Pipes) It’s going well, all things considered. In the middle of renovating the studio since we have closed for in person sessions with the Covid lockdown.

(MN) What is your formed/origin story?
(FP) We started as a good ol’ fashioned college band playing the local bar and basement gatherings in Northfield MN when I was attending St. Olaf college. In those early days, Jay Carlson and Elliott Tadanier of the band Gather Data Pray For Death were co-collaborators along with Adrian Calderon of Air Is Air and Christian Wheeler. After graduating college the band took a hiatus until 2019 when we reappeared with a new line up and a new sound.

(MN) Genre?
(FP) It’s always so hard to know what to call it. Some kind of rock. Indie folk a bit? Alt country? Whatever Wilco calls themselves. That’s what we are.

(MN) Label?
(FP) I wish!

(MN) What is the story behind the album's name?
(FP) Just the title of my favorite song on the record...

(MN) Lyrically what stands out on the album?
(FP) I think the opener, Baby I Miss You, can seem pretty standard/down-the-middle lyrically on first listen, but after a couple spins it can take on some new meaning. It was co-written with a good friend of mine, Ash Willison, and I think it’s a little bit about a break up I had, but it’s a little bit about one of her break ups too, and it’s about the band going on hiatus, and growing up in general. I also like the lyrics on the second tune, Down The Drain. Some pretty interesting imagery in there- everything from spiritual connections to God to duck hunting.

(MN) What was the inspiration behind the album?
(FP) I think the biggest thing was just that I’ve grown up so much since Karma Bricks was released. I felt like that old record wasn’t really a good representation of where I’m at musically now, and I wanted to start releasing music again that was closer to what I’m listening to these days.

(MN) What do you hope people take away from the album?
(FP) I honestly just hope that they like it enough to listen to it on the merit of the music alone. For me, recording is a social art form, and my dream is to make music that people really WANT to listen to and make a part of their daily lives. I think everyone will have their own interpretation of the lyrics and the meanings of the songs and that’s ok; I just hope they are able to glean some meaning out of it that affects them in a real and deep way.

(MN) Is there something that connects the songs together?
(FP) Well there’s my voice- that’s on all the songs. And there’s my writing. I tend to favor certain harmonies and motifs that are across all of my music regardless of genre. The hard part with this record is there’s such a range of genre, I was worried the EP wouldn’t hang together as a unified piece of art. But in the end, I said screw it and decided to publish it without worrying about that. At a certain point you just have to be done.

(MN) Are you locals or transplants?
(FP) Most of the collaborators are transplants from all over the Midwest. Ross, Michael, and I are all from different parts of Iowa, Jillian and Ben are both from up north, and Warren is from New Mexico. Christian grew up in Eden Prarie, And I’m not actually sure where Peter is from. I met him playing a bar cover band gig and we hit it off. I guess we never talked about where he grew up and it’s not on his Facebook so who knows! I moved to the cities after college in Northfield by the promise of live sound work that paid double what I was making at a small local bagel shop and the rest is history.

(MN) What are some of your influences and Minnesota influences?
(FP) My biggest influences of all time are The Beatles, The Stones, Zeppelin, Beefheart, Hank Sr., Bob Dylan, Son House, Robert Johnson, Wilco, Jack White, and many more. I think the moment that it really clicked for me was seeing a Jack White solo performance at what I believe was the 2012 iTunes festival. I just remember watching him and thinking, “I could hang with that band. I could keep up.” They were playing music about as far away from top 40 as you could get but still had thousands of people coming to their shows. That gave me a lot of faith that rock’n’roll isn’t dead.
As far as Minnesota artists go, I think Prince inspired us all because he proved that you don’t need to be in LA or NY to make it. He proved that it’s STILL about the music. I also really look up to my friend Jillian Rae, who along with her husband, Eric, has built a solid music career here. They have taken me under their wing so many times - really really amazing people. And their dog, Ernie, has made several appearances in the Merriam-Webster as the sole example for the definition of “good boy.”
I also really look up to Bailey Cogan of 26 Bats. They have had such an amazing groundswell of organic support and their music is always powerful and really says something.

(MN) Who are some of your favorite current Twin Cities artists?
(FP) My god, way too many good ones to name. I’m sure I’ll forget some but here we go: Kiss The Tiger, Gully Boys, Lucid Vanguard, 26 Bats, Jillian Rae, Four On The Floor, Al Church, Mark Mallman, The Cactus Blossoms, The White Iron Band, Trailer Trash, Warren Thomas Fenzi, Poolboy, Dayton Hollow, The Key Kids, Joe Kopel, Humbird, The Nunnery, Sawyer’s Dream, The Missing Letters, and many many more. Such a great local scene right now.

(MN) What is your favorite venue to play and see shows at in Twin Cities?
(FP) Well I’m biased because I am a house sound engineer there, but I love The Parkway Theater. It was restored to its original glory last year and it has a great vibe. Good sounding room, a good size, nice sound system and big stage. My favorite part is the ancient airstream trailer parked in the back that serves as the artist green room. Really really fantastic people and a great asset for our community.

(MN) What can fans expect when they come to your shows?
(FP) They can expect some loud tunes and some soft ones. I typically like to throw in a couple covers too. People really like covers. My show is all about energy and dynamics. We try to appeal to everyone even if the folky stuff isn’t everyone’s thing. I’m always trying to find ways to play with our live performance to be more entertaining and more engaging, but the biggest thing we focus on is bringing you a high quality musical product. One thing we are known for is not using a set list. The band knows that I can launch into any song at anytime so it always keeps everyone on their toes and prevents them from going into autopilot mode. I am certainly not in favor of the modern standard of running a click track and backing tracks from a laptop. Too much of a safety blanket! At a Fringe Pipes show you never know what’s going to happen next. Nothing is really planned.

(MN) Do you have a favorite or crazy memory of playing a show?
(FP) I think the most exciting show I ever played was with another band I used to be in years ago called Air Is Air. During our sophomore year of college we released an album and had established quite a reputation for wild antics and debauchery. The release show was in the basement of one of the college’s honor houses and I think that we had about 300 people in attendance. This created a hilarious situation in which we couldn’t really make our way downstairs to play because it was so packed. When we finally started our set the crowd started getting pretty rowdy and we were getting pushed up against the back wall. I remember Adrian, who was on keys, desperately holding his keyboard on the stand with one hand to prevent the audience from knocking it over. For that one set, I think we all felt like real rock stars and that was pretty cool. It was just fun to be in a packed room where everyone was into it. That doesn’t happen as much as it should.

(MN) Who are your dream tour-mates?
(FP) I would love to be on the road with Wilco. By all accounts they are really really nice guys and have had such a profound influence on my writing. I have so many questions I’d love to ask Jeff or Nels. I’ve also always dreamed of opening up for Jack White. He basically wrote the text book for what an engaging rock performance looks like in the 21st century. I’d love to just take notes night after night. Other artists that come to mind are Chris Stapleton, The Alabama Shakes, Willie Nelson, and of course The Stones.

(MN) Other hobbies?
(FP) I have an old Toyota pickup truck that I love fixing myself when I can. The drivetrain could last forever if I keep fixing little things here and there. My goal is to get it to 400k miles on the clock. I think that’s realistic... I also am known to enjoy a relaxing evening of fishing up at the lake, buying ancient microphones, and on occasion cracking open a cold one with a good friend or two.

(MN) What do you like about living in the Twin Cities?
(FP) I like the changing of the seasons, I like the progressive political attitudes of the folks who live here, I love the recording studio community here; it feels like we’re all supporting each other instead of competing. I like fact that the twin cities give me access to a decent sized national media market without the ridiculous cost of living that exists out on the coasts. But I think most of all, my friends live here, and I like my friends.

(MN) Is there anything that sets the Twin Cities scene apart from places you've toured?
(FP) I think there is a sense of community that is hard to find elsewhere. I don’t think people typically move here to “make it,” so there isn’t that ubiquitous self promotion that you find in bigger markets. It seems like most folks want to create good art for arts sake, and that’s the way I think it should be. Also it’s hard for me to think of another region that is known for such a breadth of genres and styles. We have everything here. Irish folk punk to underground hip hop. If you look hard enough you can find whatever you’re looking for.

(MN) What are your favorite places to grab food or drink in the Twin Cities?
(FP) Tappers in West St. Paul, The Dubliner, and Schuller’s in Golden Valley have all been personal haunts of mine throughout the years I’ve lived here. As far as good goes, it’s hard to beat Red Rabbit. I love Fat Nat’s for breakfast. And I can’t forget the fantastic Mexican places in West St. Paul. I was so spoiled when I used to live there. So many amazing authentic places. I think best burger award goes to Acadia who has a burger with goat cheese. Life changing burger. Favorite pizza is Latuff’s in Plymouth. Really great food and a co family owned business.

(MN) What are the band's plans for the future?
(FP) I’m hoping that this record puts me on the map a little bit more in the twin cities scene. I own and operate a recording studio and I’m always looking for new collaborations and new projects to work on. I also studied classical composition and orchestration back in the day, and I’d love some opportunities to do string or horn arrangements for local artists. Producing records too; there’s so many people around us love a chance to make a record with. Who knows maybe I’ll even be able to do another Fringe Pipes release if folks like this record and support us financially. Right now I do a lot of live sound work to pay the bills and I’d love the opportunity to focus more on my music and studio work. If this record can help afford me those opportunities, I’m happy.

(MN) Is there anyone you'd like to thank or shout out?
(FP) Huge shout out and thank you to everyone who has been part of the Fringe Pipes journey since day one: Jay Carlson, Elliott Tadanier, Sam Benson, Christian Wheeler, John Kronlokken, Zach Harris, Ben Ronning, and Adrian Calderon. Thanks to my current collaborators: Ross Vanderwerf, Jillian Rae, Warren Fenzi, Michael Betz, Christian Wheeler, Peter Brügg, and Nate Knutson. Thanks to Zaq Baker who is helping out with publicity stuff, and to Eric Martin who did a beautiful job mastering the record. Also huge thank you to all my amazing teachers and professors who help sculpt me into the man I am today, and most important my folks, who always supported my musical endeavors and raised me right.

You can check out more from Fringe Pipes on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Review by: Eric Martin, Writer @eamartin95

Interview and edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner @PlaylistTC