maddog pup Alec Plowman interviews American singer/songwriter and multi-media artist Fredo Viola, famous for his innovative music videos and Bobby McFerrin-esque vocal instrumentation.

MD: Your latest record, ‘The Turn’ has a very cohesive feel to it. Did you envision the album as a whole from the start or did it take shape through the composition of individual tracks?

Fredo: The album was created over the course of several years as I experimented with making music. As a consequence, some of the earlier pieces were much simpler in form, and less ambitious. Several months before mastering I took all the tracks together, which I felt really close to, and focused on bringing them all up to the same level. K thru 6 made the biggest transformation, as it began as a very basic little problematic track and became something more surreal and adventurous. All in all, the album is meant to be a bit of a hopscotch experience.

MD: You list a diverse range of influences including Alfred Schnittke, Boards of Canada, Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson. In what ways do you think these influences shaped the content of your music? Would you list any other significant inspirations for ‘The Turn’?

Fredo: That's a tough one really. I mean, Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson, especially Nilsson, really just had such an influence on my singing style. But equally so has Odetta and a lot of Bluegrass I've listened to. Definitely Kate Bush as well, with her fantastic clusters of voices and imaginative, surreal orchestration and song structures - she had quite an impact. I would also list films as a very large influence. All of my actual training was actually in film making, so I have often used filmic ideas to solve problems. I'd definitely add all of Fellini's middle to late films as huge influences.

MD: At times, your music is almost a capella. At others, your instrument sounds are unconventional. Do you feel restricted by the instrument choices associated with popular music?

Fredo: I guess so. I enjoy listening to music that's done with standard instrumentation, but I have never identified with the sound. I suppose it's the filmmaker in me who wants to make a specific, adventurous experience out of each track. You can certainly do that using just guitar, bass, drums and vocals, but that sound doesn't ignite my imagination. I think if I had a perfect four-piece band it would include me on vocals, a celeste, a sinewave synth and an upright bass.

MD: What are your reflections on contemporary popular music? Do you feel that the prominence of reality/talent programmes has any positive implications for the progression of popular music?

Fredo: First the bitching: I am not a fan of the reality/talent music programmes. It cultivates a fascistic sense of what is good and bad. Often what these programs consider good is invulnerable, perfectly pitched and soul-less to my ears. But I have to admit that I have spent very little time watching, so I might be a bit ignorant of the nuances of such a programme. I'm equally put-off by the rampant use of Autotune on every last vocal. Music to me should have imperfections. The other day I heard what sounded like traditional raga music, and the lead vocalist was obviously Autotuned!

That said! I think there has always been commercial music, and under the surface a bubbling up of creativity. And the internet has made it possible for music fans to find their perfect musicians and vice-versa pretty easily. So I really feel it's a very hopeful environment.

MD: Through your main website, and your interactive site theturn.tv, you have created an album that is also a multimedia package. Do you view concept films, artwork and interactive features as having equal importance to the music itself? Do you consider music your main form of creativity?

Fredo: All of the forms are equally valuable to me, but I hope that the album works just as a piece of music first and foremost. Of the videos the only one that really has a perfect marriage with the music is The Sad Song. I can't imagine the song without the video. Generally I feel that adding visuals or a visual approach to a song is a way of clearing the mind of the listener and showing them a different way into the song. It keeps the experience striking and fresh.

MD: When writing lyrics, where does your inspiration typically come from? Tracks such as “Red States” seem politically motivated, while other tracks on the record seem more introspective. Do you feel that the music is just as important in conveying lyrical messages?

Fredo: I find writing lyrics the most difficult part of the process. For me, writing lyrics is seldom a moment of inspiration, generally it's a great many sessions of concentration and frustration. I just don't trust words. And I feel a bit like I'm going to trap myself in my word choices. That said, The Original Man came to me fully written both musically and lyrically in a dream. I just ran out of bed and recorded it. So apparently somewhere down deep I do have some kind of loving relationship to words. It's just usually an emotional roller coaster. haha. And I do often just leave the songs in gibberish. It's not laziness; it's just that words add a layer of meaning that sometimes dissipates the emotional experience, in my opinion. I like for the music to remain more ambiguous.

MD: How would you go about performing your complex, multi-layered tracks in a live setting?

Fredo: I'm trying a whole bunch of things out. At some point I will do some voice clustering using a series of tape delays. This will mostly be improvised music. Also the songs from my album will be done stripped down, with some of the important backing voices sung by other musicians, and some played prerecorded. I'm really just concentrating on the live experience and need a little more experience to determine where it will take me.

MD: What does the future hold? Where do you intend to go from here?

Fredo: My immediate future is just to get a feel for live performing, which is kind of my last great fear. Once I get over that I hope to finish my second album. Also, I have a lot of interactive ideas and will be working on an EP in the form of an application.

Words > Alec Plowman