Orchestra Indigo (Rick Randlett) Interview #5 - The Final on Vinyl Podcast

Once again, I had the honor and pleasure of speaking with Rick Randlett of the project Orchestra Indigo regarding his recent release, Remembering Fireflies.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:03

Hi everyone, this is Keith MuzikMan Hannaleck with the Final Vinyl Podcast, and today we are with Rick Randlett, who is the creator of Orchestra Indigo. And he recently released his new album Um Remembering Fireflies on June twelfth. Welcome back aboard, Rick. Thanks, Keith. Really glad to be back. Thank you for coming and uh always enjoy speaking with you. And um this is uh a very special album for you in regards to looking back in time uh when you were a young boy and you know, catching fireflies and putting them in the jar, something that I did myself, and I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that, how that was inspired and how you went through a process in recording the compositions for this new album you have.

Speaker 0:58

Sure. Uh like like we have talked before, I you know, my brother and I have reached an age where we reminisce quite a bit about our childhood. Um we were fortunate to grow up, we moved into Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1956, and we're literally part of the first American suburban generation. We were those kids who could we would eat breakfast, leave the house at 8 o'clock, and come home in time for supper. Uh and during the day we were free to do whatever we went and go wherever we went. And if our parents had really known what we were doing, they'd have probably lost their minds. But we all survived, and so that's good. But one of the big things during the summertime was in the evenings, all the kids in the neighborhood would congregate in the backyards and play games. Uh, and as it was getting dark, you know, we'd be playing hide and seek and stuff like that, and then the fireflies would come out. So, like you said, we would, you know, you go, Mom, mom, can I have a jar? Can I have a jar? And mom gets an old peanut butter jar or something, pokes holes in the lid, and you go out and try and catch fireflies. Uh and it was just it was a magical time, it really was. We were we did not obviously know how fortunate we were. Uh you know, it's a time that just does not exist anymore. You know, as you know, I teach private music lessons and I have a lot of small kids, and uh, I mean, they do not have, you know, they can't even comprehend the amount of freedom that you know people like me and you that we had growing up as children. They are so closely monitored, and every minute of their day is, you know, is set out for them, and they they just have no idea what it was like. And so we you know, my brother and I started talking about that, and we just you know, I decided to do an album about one summer, one childhood summer. So the songs, if you look at the titles, it basically progresses through, you know, childhood friends, people you meet uh during that summer who you never see again. You know, you run into some kid at a shopping center and you become friends, and then school starts, he goes to one school, you go to another school, you never see the person again. Um, evenings sitting in the backyard looking at stars and things like that. So it was just basically an idea to try to capture one summer of that time.

Speaker 1 3:50

Right. And the progression was there too. You know, you really with instrumental music, you really have to look at the titles and think about that. And at least that's what I do in my process while listening. Uh look at the title, think about the meaning of that title, then listen to the music and how that translates and how that's engaging me, you know. There's like a little internal switch we all have, and uh, you know, and we react to different things, sounds and colors, um, people and all kinds of different things. And with music, it's it's a very special area of engagement, I think, uh, for you entirely as a person, uh, as a soul, you know, um, inside your brain, you know, the pleasure centers. I mean, all those different things I think come into play. And when you're making instrumental music, it's a lot harder to reach a listener if there's not words. So it really has to be impactful, you know.

Speaker 4:55

Yeah, I agree. Uh I'm always thinking about creating a melody that's memorable, and then background that supports that, that uh you know, I want everything to create an emotion. If it doesn't, when I'm working on a piece of music, if it doesn't at some point move me, it's never going to see the light of day. You know, if I don't feel something when I listen to it and go like, yeah, that's and you know, it there's no point playing it for other people, because you're right, it is so hard without words, are so easy. Not writing them, isn't it but you know, expressing if you're good at writing words, you know, here's the song, this is what it's about, okay, and everybody can relate to the experience. When you do instrumental, you have to create an atmosphere that people you know can relate to and that moves them as well. So it you have to be looking at just you know universal type emotions and feelings, uh, in my opinion, to you know, to move people. And so I'm I'm always when I'm picking the titles and for songs is so hard. I will just like as I'm working, sometimes as I'm working on it, I'll say, you know what, this reminds me of, blah, blah, blah. But sometimes I have to really just sit down when I'm done and listen to it over and over again until I really can, you know, coalesce and focus on what emotion, what is what is this reminding me of?

Speaker 1 6:45

Right. And for people who are new to you and uh these interviews we've conducted over the years, um, this is Rick's first um, I'm sorry, fifth album. And our we've had an interview for every single album that he's put out, and he used to be a blues guitar player for many, many years, and uh late in his career decided to form this project called Orchestra Indigo. Uh maybe just a little background on that. What made you decide to do that? What happened in your life where it's like, okay, I'm gonna put down the guitar and I'm gonna go in this direction, which is a radical change, really.

Speaker 7:27

Yeah. Uh the in one word, COVID. Um I had just I had just released uh a blues album called Night Songs, and I did the album release party in January of that year, 2020, I guess it was, and the world closed down the next month. Um I had bookings in Alabama all over the South to go and promote it, and I couldn't leave my house. Uh and I live alone, so it was even more you know confining. I was teaching lessons on Zoom. Um, and you know, I I did, you know, I went to school for music and I did do graduate work in composition. There was a time when I wanted to teach in a college and be a composer, and then rock and roll kind of got the better of me, and I was off. Uh, so I have keyboards and stuff and recording equipment here. Excuse me. Um, and so you know I'm bored. I'm sitting around, I got nothing to do, um, band can't get together and play. So I just started messing around with the keyboard and stuff, and it was fun, and it was so so different. I could express myself differently than blues, and so I just started writing stuff and writing stuff, and then it just kind of snowballed from there.

Speaker 1 9:03

So everything's meant to be, I guess.

Speaker 9:08

So yeah, I guess. I mean it's nice because you know, as I get older, being out, you know, s hanging out in clubs until one o'clock in the morning and then having to drive home or drive off to a motel or something, you know, it starts to lose its charm after a while. Yeah, I imagine really quick too, yeah. You know, I've been doing it since the 70s, you know, and it's uh it's nice. I don't even have to get out of my pajamas now. You know, just walk in there, make a cup of coffee, walk in there and start working.

Speaker 1 9:45

Yeah, I I worked remotely for for many years, so I know the advantages of that. So um recently, have you heard any new music that you've really were inspired by or thought that was a new emerging artist that you'd like to hear again? Or have you bought any vinyl?

Speaker 10:08

I mean what I don't know that he's emerging, but I wasn't aware of, and I know I'm gonna mess this name up. Um Snorri Halverson, he's a Icelandic composer. Um I've been listening to him a lot. Um he's got some really, really nice stuff. Um I always like uh what's you know, like Tom Eaton is a great one that I love to listen to. Um always go back to like Brian Eno, and I don't know if you know Brian Eno's brother Roger Eno. They use stuff together, and I, you know, Roger, I really like some of his compositions also. Um and just to go totally off the wall, uh I'm sure you've heard Hermano's Gutierrez, the Guitar Brothers.

Speaker 1 11:13

I haven't actually, no. Oh, you gotta check them out.

Speaker 11:17

You will absolutely love it. Uh it's sort of surfy, just the two of them playing guitar instrumentals.

Speaker 1 11:27

Oh, nice. I love something.

Speaker 11:29

Yeah, you could yeah, you'll love it. Yeah, you should definitely check it out. They they I love listening to their stuff, it is great. Uh so yeah, that's the mostly what I've been listening to is all that that assortment right there.

Speaker 1 11:44

Wow. That is quite a wide range of listening.

Speaker 11:48

Yes, it is.

Speaker 1 11:50

Yeah. So what are you gonna do going forward besides you know promoting your new album? Do you go right back into the studio and start creating for the next one? Or yeah, I'm gonna go.

Speaker 12:01

Yeah, I've already been working on a few more. Uh I'm always trying to improve the quality of what I'm doing. Right now, I'm trying I'm this is kind of bizarre, but I'm trying to be more complex in the music without it appearing more complex. Um a lot of new age ambient type stuff, the chord progressions are very, very minimal. It's a lot of two and three, four chords back and forth. So I'm trying to expand that a little more, but still keep the the ambient pads and stuff going so that you don't always notice that it's a little more harmonically complex. Uh whether I'm successful or not, we'll find out when you talk to me for the next album.

Speaker 1 13:01

So, in other words, are you talking about adding more layers of music?

Speaker 13:06

No, I'm talking about making the the chord progressions more comp more move more movement in the voices is probably the best way to say it. Not necessarily more layers, but more the vo the voice the in the voice is doing more underneath the melody and less just supporting chords.

Speaker 1 13:31

I see. So not necessarily more um instruments per se, just no. Okay, gotcha.

Speaker 13:39

Yeah, yeah, not uh yeah. Uh I mean if it takes more, it takes more, but basically just um I'm trying I like what I've been doing this week and last month or so is trying to lay out like a piano roadmap and then build from there. Um we'll see how successful it is. Like I said, you'll if it's successful, you'll know. If it's not, you won't.

Speaker 1 14:08

Well, Rick, it's always a pleasure to speak to you, and uh it's an honor for me to have followed you right from the very beginning and have these conversations about your your albums and your process. It's always eye-opening for me, and uh hopefully a lot of people will give this a listen and check out your album, and uh we'll be doing this again probably at some point next year, right?

Speaker 14:31

Yep, absolutely. So thank you too. I really appreciate everything you do. Uh all us independent musicians, we need all the help from people like you that we can get, and we really do appreciate because people don't realize how hard you and other people doing podcasts and websites and things, how hard you guys all work, and we really do appreciate it.

Speaker 1 14:58

Well, thank you. The feeling's definitely mutual. Thanks. Um take care, Rick.

Speaker 15:05

You too, Keith.

Speaker 1 15:06

Nice talking to you. You too, bye-bye.