Don Breithaupt goes in depth with Preston Frazier on Monkey House’s ‘Remember the Audio,’ how the band has evolved over 30 years and the brilliance of guitarist Drew Zingg:
PRESTON FRAZIER:I was listening to the entire Monkey House catalog in anticipation of the new album, Remember the Audio, and I am trying to put my finger on the evolution of Monkey House. How would you describe the change from True Winter to Remember the Audio?
DON BREITHAUPT: The way I see it, Monkey House has become more and more itself, unapologetically, over the years. When I hear things from the first couple of albums [Welcome to the Club and True Winter], I hear us trying to find our spot on the musical compass. It can be a long process — we’re definitely there now. The other thing I notice with the older stuff is how dependent on sampling and sequencing we were. The demos and the masters were often pretty similar. That’s no longer true, mostly because of all the live recording we do now: full band tracks off the floor, live strings and horns. This band has now existed for 30 years, so you’re talking about a lot of evolution! I certainly think the new album is uncut, unadulterated Monkey House.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Besides the change in how the music was delivered as you moved from programmed tracks to a full band, how has the production changed?
DON BREITHAUPT: That has to do with two things. First, because of my co-producer Peter Cardinali and the resources of his label, ALMA Records, we have real album budgets now. We make decisions based on what would be right musically, not “can we afford this?” Second, if you hang in long enough, you find your tribe. Our Grammy-winning engineer John Bailey is the reason we’re in the big leagues sonically. Our core quartet is now a well-oiled machine, too. We talk in shorthand, and at this point we often get final takes within minutes. Also, when we want a big-name guest now, we can usually get them! That’s a nice luxury.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Your previous album, Friday, was a critical success and had the most significant buzz of any Monkey House project. Did the success of the album impact the approach to Remember the Audio?
DON BREITHAUPT: Friday topped the iTunes jazz chart in a bunch of countries, got to No. 11 in Billboard, and got us nominated for a Juno Award. That was a big shot in the arm. But the truth is, all we’re trying to do every time out is beat the previous album. I don’t stop writing until I’ve got a batch I’m proud of, and the band knows the mission statement is always to make our best album yet. My process doesn’t change, certainly not because of commercial pressure. I’m just trying to make a record I would want to hear as a listener.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Please discuss the timeline around Remember the Audio.
DON BREITHAUPT: I started “The Future Is Almost Gone” the day Friday came out, which is about three years ago now. I’m always writing, always thinking about the next record. By the time the world locked down in the spring of 2020, this whole album was written and demoed. Then I had to sit on the material for over a year waiting to get back into the studio with my homies. I don’t do concept albums, but there’s a hint of end times in the lyrics to several of the songs. The cover we did, Mose Allison’s “Ever Since the World Ended,” is a tip of the hat to that theme.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Would you discuss the themes on some other songs?
DON BREITHAUPT: I’m really proud of “New York Owes You Nothing.” It’s an exception to the normal Monkey House methodology in a way, because you can fully get it across with just voice and piano. Michael Leonhart is the secret weapon on that track. “Last Days of Pompeii” is another favorite of mine, from a lyrical standpoint, arrangement standpoint, and I also think it’s one of the tightest performances the band has ever done. The solo on that one is the great Randy Brecker, which blows my mind. “Skin in the Game” is sort of a New Orleans thing; that one grew out of a drum groove I heard our drummer Mark Kelso playing at sound check one day. “Major Minor” came out great too; I’ve had the idea for that one kicking around for at least a decade.
PRESTON FRAZIER: The vinyl release of Friday was brilliant. Do you anticipate the same treatment for Remember the Audio?
DON BREITHAUPT: Thank you. Everyone — band, label, distributor, fans — is hoping for high-res vinyl again, but the wait time for vinyl at this point is over a year, so that’ll be down the road.
PRESTON FRAZIER: You recorded a live performance of Friday. Do you anticipate the band touring North America and or recording another live performance of the band for the new album?
DON BREITHAUPT: Oh, there will be more live clips, for sure. But touring with Monkey House is always a break-even proposition at best, mainly because we need at least seven or eight musicians to put our music across live. But the will is there!
PRESTON FRAZIER: Tell us about the gear you used this time to record the album and play in the studio.
DON BREITHAUPT: We recorded Remember the Audio at Noble Street Studios, which is one of the big rooms in Toronto. It’s a phenomenal facility. For me, one of the main attractions is their Fazioli piano. It’s such a magic instrument: You just breathe on it and it plays! It’s got the best action, best low end, best dynamic range. There’s a lot of Rhodes on the record too, as well as Wurlitzer, synth and organ.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Any other fun facts?
DON BREITHAUPT: It’s impossible to overstate the contribution guitarist Drew Zingg has made to this band. He’s been on the last four albums, and he’s the soloist on the first two tracks on the new one. He’s a veteran of Steely Dan, and Boz Scaggs’ band too, so I certainly don’t have to explain anything to him. He plays through changes like nobody I know, and never sacrifices grit or bluesiness to do it. If music were purely merit-based, Drew Zingg would be a household name.
PRESTON FRAZIER: You’ve also done some fascinating collaborations recently.
DON BREITHAUPT: I’m doing a lot of co-writing these days, although most of what ends up on Monkey House albums tends to be my own invention. Barney Hurley [of Samuel Purdey] and I wrote a nice R&B song for this album, and I’m writing in an ongoing way with Jay Graydon, Rik Emmett, my brother Jeff, and my pal Neil Donell, who is now the lead singer of Chicago. Neil and I wrote “All Over the World,” which was the single from Chicago’s Christmas album a couple of years ago. There are songs underway now that will find their way onto the next Monkey House album, I’m sure.
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