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From Point A:
Interview with Rich Lowenberg...
"Point A is called 'Point A' because firstly, it represents the entire CD…Point A is like going back to the beginning," he says, explaining the concept behind his release. "Basically, the CD is themed around dysfunctional relationships," he continues. "And the idea is that the first four songs and most of the fifth song are just general anger - and right at the end, the last lines of the CD, I say, 'So if you let me try again I'd change for good. I swear this won't repeat.' And that's apologizing for the whole CD…apologizing for the bullshit that I've caused on the CD. Most of the songs I'm being antagonistic of the whole situation, so it's apologizing for everything I've said. So the idea is that you apologize, and then you go back to square one. That's like dysfunctional relationships a lot of the time. But nobody's got that, though! Nobody realized that if you've got the [last] song on repeat, it's the intro to the first song…maybe because nobody puts the CD on repeat."
YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Point A plays like a haunting melody, a tune you once heard and can't forget. In this five-song release, Rich bares his soul unabashedly while his guitar accompanies his fervent words, sometimes twanging quietly in the background, sometimes screaming things that he cannot say. On "You Will Never Even Know," which sounds like a Shakespearian sonata, Rich sings, "You're probably sitting right here in this room/Tapping your fingers, enjoying the tunes/Watching and listening, and still unaware/Each word I've been singing I wrote about you." The first time I heard him perform this song, everyone in the room literally turned in their seats, wondering if he was singing about them. The words are poignant, the melody soft. And yet, when he performs "You Will Never Even Know," it resonates across the room. Being the inquisitive reporter that I am, I just had to ask the question: did he write that song with someone in mind? "That's not a question I answer," he laughs. "I get asked that a lot. The part of the point is that it's very ambiguous. I think if you knew the answer, it would spoil it." Damn.
"So I Can Leave," a song about dysfunctional relationships, is also a personal favourite. In the chorus, Rich sings, "The only time I want you is when you're with someone else/When you're seeing some new guy…if you only knew my anger…baby come back/So I can leave." This is the type of song that makes the hairs on your arm stand up. He's doesn't just sing the song - he performs it. But not all the songs are about love. "Tightrope," the second song on the CD, is all about politics. "I wrote ["Tightrope"] because that's what I was thinking about at the time. I strongly believe in self-expression instead of propaganda. And if it's genuinely self-expression I got no problem. But as soon as it starts being propaganda, I get sick."
When we start discussing the recording process of Point A, Rich's eyes light up. The project took two weeks to finish - everything was recorded in one week and mastered the next. "Everything was recorded in exactly the same room, at the same time…there was no corrective editing, no overdubbing. With this, it's very natural and you can hear the interaction between the musicians and you can hear the drum stool squeak every so often. It's much more down-to-earth." Indeed, listening to the CD is almost as good as seeing Rich live, although the CD doesn't quite encompass the passion and jaded yearning that his live shows provide.
By day Rich is a web designer, and sometimes manages photo shoots through his website business. He was responsible for the inception and concept behind his CD, but admits that he always comes back to music. When I ask Rich how he would classify his music, he's quick to correct me. "I think it's totally natural to classify music," he says thoughtfully. "[But] to classify something suggests that you can just encompass it in the same theme that you can encompass a shitload of other stuff. For me, I can't do that because I know everything that's gone into it."
What's his fondest childhood memory? "I bit right through my tongue. I was kicking a soccer ball onto the roof of my house, and it would fall back down. And my knee hit the bottom of my chin, and my tongue was between my teeth, and it all swelled up and I could only eat ice cream for a week. I had a fantastic time," he smiles.
So what's next for this young singer/songwriter? "Maybe try something different…a comedy thing?" he says playfully. "Create different sounds. Electronica maybe. I'm eager to experiment in different styles." And you know, with a talented artist like Rich, something different will always equal something good. ¤ C.Ho.
You can order Rich's very excellent CD, check for upcoming shows, and listen to tracks old and new directly through his website at www.richlowenberg.com.
Photo Gallery:
[ Rich loves music. Part I of the interview. ]
