LAPUSH 'Someplace Closer To Here' album

You wouldn’t expect a band from Middle America to list their musical influences as bands like U2, Oasis and The Smiths. You also wouldn’t expect such a band to be one of the bands creating the most chatter in the NYC and L.A. indie rock scene, and yet LAPUSH is quietly winning fans among some of rock’s most critical patrons with their debut album Someplace Closer to Here (Summer 2005/456).

As lead singer and guitarist Thom Donovan says, “We have the mind set that you can say something and be powerful without always being loud/heavy”. On their influences, Donovan adds, “We’ve always been attracted to bands from overseas. Hearing The Verve or Oasis for the first time had a huge impact. We can relate to those bands...they are working class bands saying things that common people can relate to.”

That ‘we” includes Thom, bassist Kevin Bachmann, and drummer Brett Voelker. Thom and Brett had met during session work in the late 90’s with groups like STIR, which Thom did while also touring the world with British rockers Fono as a guitarist. What had begun as a studio project between two friends became a full album project. When the duo decided to bring their sound to the stage, they recruited Kevin, a former co-worker of Thom’s from his days at the local music store.

LAPUSH quickly earned a reputation as one of the hottest bands in their hometown of St. Louis, MO., and they have watched their fan base spread throughout the Midwest. After countless shows, LAPUSH found themselves in the middle of a growing and flourishing scene. As a tremendous testament to the “word of mouth” groundswell that surrounds LAPUSH, the band’s demo made its way to prominent radio programmers, both in their hometown at St. Louis stations The Point and The River, but also to seminal rock stations like Indie 103.1 L.A. and XM Satellite Radio where the band was featured while still unsigned. With such momentum, the band decided to take their music back into the studio and recorded a full album set for release this summer.

The trio recorded Someplace Closer To Here on their own in Thom’s home studio; testing mic-ing techniques with tonal differences in various corners of the house and epitomizing the term “do-it-yourself”. Utilizing Thom’s previous studio experience, Thom produced the album with Brett helping him engineer the project that took almost a year to record, mix and perfect. LAPUSH combined electronic sounds with acoustic instruments, using a combination of synthesizers and pianos to create interweaving layers; even mic-ing a Fender Rhodes piano and running it through Thom’s guitar rig on the track “Hideaway”. Thom adds, “We had total freedom to make the record we wanted to make. If we didn’t like the results, we’d have no one to blame but ourselves…and we like the results!”

While for less-accomplished musicians, an album almost completely recorded at home and relying solely on the mixing abilities of its members instead of A-list producers, as seems to be the current trend among new bands, could have been an uncertain destiny for their debut album. However, the album created by LAPUSH is one of the most fluid, haunting and melodic musical journeys to be recorded independently. Of this musical journey, Thom says “the mood or emotion captured was always more important than the ‘perfect take’…From time to time, we would encounter these beautiful accidents that happen in the studio...certain sounds or melodies that sort of force their way onto the recording.”

Life itself is probably the biggest influence for LAPUSH’s music; the songs seem to have a common thread of yearning. But, in most cases, there is always hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. The inspiration for the tracks on the album come from a variety of sources, everything from the emotionally provocative to late night channel surfing. For example, “Hideaway” was inspired by the musical score of Sofia Coppola’s film Lost in Translation. The soundscape that happens under the acoustic guitar is a combination of ambient guitars and treated pianos influenced by Kevin Shield’s score in that film, while the guitar and vocals were tracked live in one take. “Say Something” deals with the emotions a parent must go through when their children inevitably leave home to start their own lives. The song pleads, “…just give us a sign you’re all right”. “Aurora” was inspired by a 23-year-old Air Force pilot coming to terms with being diagnosed with a terminal disease and that every day of his life will be the biggest battle he will ever endure. “Tout Le Monde” is a modern day blues song that wallows in the emotions that seem to overwhelm everyone at some point in their lives, “lord I’ve tried…to get what I could out of this life…before I die…”

Of LAPUSH’s future, the band are cynically optimistic in knowing that they will continue to grow and evolve, and yet also knowing that the constant in their music will always be their ability to evoke emotion from their audience, who include young “hipsters”, college kids, and a wide range of people who love and are passionate about music. Asked what the band’s goals are musically in terms of their audience, lead singer and writer, Thom, quotes a lyricist to whom he has often looked to for inspiration, Bono… “The goal is soul”.

For a new band committed to the “truth” of music and the emotions it evokes there is no better decree. ”There is no façade…we mean what we say”.

Thom Donovan – vocals / guitar
Brett Voelker - drums
Kevin Bachmann - bass

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LAPUSH - Someplace Closer To Here