In the spring of 2001, I received a promotional copy of The Churchills’ major label debut album, You Are Here. I had never heard of the band, but I was quite familiar with some of the ventures the band members occupied themselves with. The band performed on the Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City” and their music was featured in the Mira Sorvino movie “Too Tired To Die.” Singer/guitarist Ron Haney had worked in the wardrobe department of “The Sopranos” and he managed to persuade Meadow Soprano, played by Jamie Lynn Sigler to wear a Churchills T-shirt on the show.
Back then, the band consisted of Haney, bassist/vocalist Bart Schoudel, guitarist/vocalist Kim Henry and drummer Phil Bloom. You Are Here marked the band’s major calling card to the world. It was a playful album that was emotional at times, but always careful not to take itself too seriously. It was a marriage of savvy songwriting and lush melodies with an early ’90s soft grunge flair.
But oh, what a difference a day makes, let alone 18 months. Henry and Bloom are out and drummer Alex Smolinski is in. The band’s new album Big Ideas is a dramatic shift from the retro pop/rock feel of You Are Here.
Big Ideas is a much edgier album, stocked with slamming rockers like “Lights Are On But No One’s Home” and “One Foot In The Grave” that borrow a page from the Foo Fighters playbook.
Other tunes like “Sugar Daddy” and “Ordinary” spiral out of control with dizzying guitar chords and mesmerizing beats. Other ditties like “Na Na” and “Me And My Big Ideas” simply stroll in comparison, but are every bit as edgy with Schoudel’s pummeling bass lines and Haney’s guitar chords that sparkle one minute and explode the next.
But just when Big Ideas seems like it’s about to spontaneously combust, it takes a moment to indulge on a few heart-tugging ballads like “Please Carolyn” and “Dear John.”
Like You Are Here, the strength of Big Ideas lies in its witty songwriting and harmonies that mesh so smoothly, it is hard to tell when Schoudel takes over duties as lead singer. The guys may miss Henry’s vocal talent and her Les Paul input, but Smolinski seems to compensate well for the absence of her songwriting.
But no matter how well I may have familiarized myself with The Churchills, I am no exception to the rule that critics never know music as well as the artists who create them. Thus, I present to you once again, The Churchills…
The Reflector: It’s been about a year and a half since I saw you guys. What’s been up with you since then?
Haney: Quite a bit. We made a new record called Big Ideas, toured Europe and the United States twice and signed deals in Japan, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
Schoudel: And watched “Waiting For Guffman” and “Spinal Tap” 157 times.
The Reflector: What happened to Kim and Phil?
Schoudel: They hated “Spinal Tap!”
Haney: That’s always such a tough question to answer. The Cliff Notes version is that it was hard for them to tour because of family obligations. With Phil, there were some musical differences that necessitated a drummer change. Kim was one of the original members, so parting ways was bittersweet. We are still friends, though.
Schoudel: Not with Phil.
The Reflector: Ron, are you still dating that blond chick?
Haney: Well, since she dyed her hair blue we can no longer refer to her as “that blond chick.” She calls you “that nice guy Matt from the Alabama show.” She will be crushed to learn your name for her. (laughs)
Schoudel: I guess that answers THAT question!
The Reflector: Alex, how do you like working with Bart and Ron?
Smolinski: Ron and Bart are incredibly energetic and driven. When I first met them, I couldn’t believe how much they filled in the empty spaces that I had been missing in every musical endeavor up to that point in my life. I felt very connected with them from the beginning. We all have a similar artistic vision, and everyone does arrangement and production. Ron has so many ideas for parts, that we could never use them all, but that’s a good problem to have.
The Reflector: I noticed that the new album strays a little from the retro pop/rock feel of You Are Here. Was it important to make an album that shifts in a new direction?
Smolinski: The last album was retro/pop? I never would have joined had I known that. (laughs)
Schoudel: No, not really. It was more a reflection of the experiences we had over the last 18 months. Both lyrically and musically we were pushed to an edgier place because of our surroundings and events…
Haney: Like living through 9/11 in NYC and going to battle with our label over our crappy handling. We also lost some people close to us and we didn’t feel like retro pop/rocking.
The Reflector: Are you guys on a different label now?
Schoudel: Yes. We left our major label deal and made this really cool record on our own. We have licensed Big Ideas in other countries with different labels and have put it out on the Corporate Greed label here.
Haney: It’s a super cool indie, but we are looking to move up to a bigger label.
The Reflector: Has the new look affected the songwriting process at all?
Haney: Immensely. We find ourselves writing more for a three piece so everything is concise.
Schoudel: We somehow became more collaborative as well. Everyone’s input matters more when there are only three.
The Reflector: Who is the song “Please Carolyn” about?
Smolinski: Depends on who you ask.
Haney: An ex-girlfriend who moved away to The Great White North.
Schoudel: That’s a cheap way out. Ron fell in love with a famous girl who dissed him and only the names have been changed to protect the guilty.
The Reflector:Who came up with the “Office Space” theme for the new album?
Schoudel: We thought we had an honest to goodness hard work ethic and we wanted to reflect that in a traditional American 9 to 5 work setting.
Haney: The titles and themes of the record are a full song cycle of boredom and yearning. The record starts with “Lights Are On But No One’s Home” which is how so many people view themselves as they waste away in their cubicle. Next is “One Foot In The Grave” which is a continuation of that theme. Then “Run Out Of Things To Say” is a metaphor for the inability to communicate on any meaningful, personal level. Then “Sugar Daddy” is the hope that you can quit working like a dog and have someone fund your dreams.
Smolinski: The song “Me And My Big Ideas” talks about what you’re thinking about when you’re there and “Close My Eyes” is the person you’re daydreaming about. There is even an intermission song of elevator office music to bring you back into the doldrums of work.
The Reflector: Ron, do you and Jamie Lynn still talk?
Haney: We have emailed but our schedules have prevented us from being the couple we were meant to be.
Schoudel: Besides, Tony Soprano would kick your ass.
Smolinski: Actually, Bart, he doesn’t physically do the ass kicking although he could have someone do it.
The Reflector: After being in “Spin City” and “Too Tired to Die,” have there been any other TV/movie offers?
Schoudel: Yes, thankfully. We have had our songs on the WB show “Everwood,” the Lifetime Television show “The Division” and the new Comedy Central movie “Porn & Chicken.” You can see all the stuff on our Web site http://www.thechurchills.net.
Haney: With more to come soon.
Smolinski: Also our stickers were featured in that movie “Swimfan.”
Schoudel: That doesn’t count.
The Reflector: What are your favorite songs on the album?
Haney: I like “Buddy Holly.”
Schoudel: That’s not on our album.
Haney: Oh yeah. I like “Run Out Of Things To Say.” We are doing a video for that one.
Smolinski: I like “Na Na” and “Ordinary.”
Schoudel: I like “All Apologies.”
Haney: That’s not on our album.
Schoudel: Oh yeah. Well I like “One Foot In The Grave.” That one rocks like hell.
The Reflector: If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
Haney: Bart.
Schoudel: Carrot Top.
Smolinski: Katie Holmes.