It’s by no means too late to observe the goals of your youth. The members of Divergent thought they’d put all of it behind them, however the nagging “what ifs” nonetheless lingered. We spoke to James Richards, Mike McAlister, and Paul Richards, from Divergent, about what it’s prefer to make their goals a actuality, their new single, ‘Runnin’ Free‘, and what’s subsequent.
How did you all find yourself reconnecting and deciding to chase these previous goals?
JAMES: Again in 2016, Mike reached out through Fb and requested if we needed to get collectively through the summer time and jam out on all of the previous songs we used to play in Chautauqua Highway Band. In fact, I used to be instantly in. He stated he could be prepared to return out to Iowa from New Jersey to make it occur. I hadn’t talked to Mike in about 25 years and had really misplaced monitor of him. Gregg Messer, one of many founding members of Chatauqua Highway Band, lives within the Des Moines, Iowa space together with Paul and me. Des Moines was the pure place for all of us to get collectively and put the Chautauqua Highway Band again collectively. We requested Paul to hitch us on drums. He slot in so naturally that we have been instantly a band once more. All of us had such a good time that we determined to start out making an attempt to do some gigs.
MIKE: James’ model is that I despatched a message on Fb after I noticed him put up about establishing a house studio, which is true. However from my perspective, I feel that since Gregg Messer, the opposite guitarist within the authentic band, had been in contact with James a bit of through the years, they usually each knew one another had continued to play. As soon as I requested in a Fb message, half joking, if James wanted a bass participant. It wasn’t lengthy after that, Gregg messaged that perhaps he wanted one other guitar participant, too. I’ll have lit the match, however I feel the fireplace was at all times there. The icing on the cake was that James’ brother, Paul, was and is an incredible drummer. Once we determined we might make a 2-3 day reunion work, somebody had the thought of studying 10-12 songs that we might play collectively, as an alternative of simply sitting round and jamming to the identical 3 chords. As soon as we began enjoying a track collectively (Rocky Mountain Method, maybe?) I feel we knew we have been going to make it work.
How did you all meet initially, and who performs what within the band now?
JAMES: My household moved to Crimson Oak, Iowa, from Indiana through the summer time earlier than my eighth-grade 12 months. Crimson Oak was the hometown of my mother and pa, and I used to be born there. I met Mike once I began center college that fall. Mike was excited about music and so was I, so we turned buddies due to that mutual curiosity. We used to hang around at one another’s homes and play music. I urged that he ought to strive enjoying bass since he had lengthy fingers. So he did! The bass is a pure match for Mike and he shortly turned proficient. Along with Mike on bass, I play guitars and keyboards and my brother, Paul, performs drums.
MIKE: James and I have been in junior excessive collectively and I had dabbled in enjoying the guitar earlier than I met James. I knew James was actually good guitar participant and was a terrific singer, as a result of he had gained a neighborhood expertise contest with one other man, Peter Martin, they usually had additionally at carried out in a live performance at the highschool. I ultimately labored my approach into James’ orbit and we turned buddies. We’d play acoustic guitar duets from tutorial books on his porch at his home on Corning Avenue and I ultimately gravitated to enjoying bass with James in varied college productions. James was additionally a superb keyboard participant then, and it’s the identical now. James performs keyboard and guitars of all kinds, and I play the bass. Paul has at all times performed the drums. James sings the lead vocals and Paul sings loads of harmonies with James. I sing some background vocals, normally within the decrease registers.
‘Runnin’ Free’ took nearly 20 years to complete. James you had the chord development sitting round eternally earlier than all of it clicked. What was it like when all of it fell into place?
JAMES: Effectively, it felt nice! I don’t know why it took me so lengthy to complete that track. I normally write the music earlier than I write the lyrics. I feel within the case of ‘Runnin’ Free’, I attempted to jot down the lyrics earlier than I had the music completed. I wasn’t proud of the lyrics I used to be developing with, in order that precipitated me to set it apart for a very long time. Nonetheless, I beloved the rhythm and chord development a lot that I saved coming again to it occasionally. Right now in my life, I had no urgency to complete loads of my songs. It was like I informed myself, don’t fear about it till I get again into music in a critical approach. When Mike instigated our reunion again in 2016, that lit a fireplace for my authentic music, and I began writing loads of new music in addition to ending up loads of my older songs. I began a songwriting binge that simply saved going and going and remains to be going to today. Then at some point, I used to be enjoying the ‘Runnin’ Free’ chord development once more for the umpteenth time, and I simply occurred to increase it and I grooved into the refrain and began scatting the phrases runnin’ free. It labored so completely that I knew straight away I had a profitable refrain. As soon as I had the phrases runnin’ free, I knew precisely what course I needed to take the lyrics. I thought of making an attempt to jot down a bridge, however the track has such a terrific groove that I concluded a bridge could be too busy. As soon as I completed the track, I knew instantly that it could be the primary track we might file!
You went from Chautauqua Highway Band doing covers to Divergent specializing in originals – that’s an enormous shift! How do you all work collectively creatively whenever you’re writing?
JAMES: The way in which it really works is that since Paul and I dwell in Iowa, we rehearse new music collectively first after which ship Mike a tough demo in New Jersey. I introduce new songs to Paul and we work out the preparations and make remaining tweaks. Paul is a gifted musician and he makes nice solutions. Since I do my writing on my own, generally my rhythms aren’t technically right since I write by really feel. It’s hilarious generally once I present a track to Paul and he’ll say, “You’re lacking a beat on this measure”. I really like Paul’s drumming, so I’m discovering that once I write new music, I’m at all times desirous about the place Paul can slot in a terrific drum fill. Mike sends us demos of his bass traces after listening to our tough demos. He normally nails it straight away, however generally we discuss backwards and forwards to dial the bass line in a bit of higher. All three of us are open to solutions, and there has by no means been any stress, which is a superb factor.
MIKE: James has at all times had authentic music round, and we even performed 2 or 3 originals again within the Chautauqua Highway Band days. The present artistic course of could also be a bit of unorthodox, primarily as a result of I dwell in New Jersey and James and Paul dwell in Des Moines. James and Paul will work on the songs that James brings into the observe area we lease. They are going to work out the essential components collectively and among the harmonies after which ship me a recording that I’ll take heed to on my setup in my basement. It might take a couple of days, however I normally give you a bassline that is sensible and I’ll file it together with the ‘demo’ they despatched to me, to allow them to form of hear no matter I’m figuring out. We’ll then discuss it, and if I would like to return to the drafting board, which could be very uncommon, then I’ll repeat it and ship it again to them. What we’ve discovered is that although we could rehearse a couple of days collectively earlier than recording, we proceed to create and construct the songs within the studio. It’s ever-evolving…and so enjoyable!
PAUL: Proper now, the songs have all been James’. He and I’ll initially rehearse songs after which as soon as we be ok with it, we file a tough demo and introduce it to Mike to do his factor. We at all times ensure that to work on harmonies proper off the bat, too, since they’re such an integral a part of our sound. Mike sends us again tough demos with bass traces added. This was really how we demoed all of the songs that made it onto the primary EP. We did nearly 30 demos.
The track has this basic 70s and 80s rock anthem really feel, with these hovering harmonies. What have been you listening to that evokes this sound?
JAMES: Mike and I grew up on the Doobies Brothers’ music. I’ve at all times beloved their easy, glassy-sounding harmonies. They undoubtedly have been the inspiration behind the harmonies that we give you on ‘Runnin’ Free’. We informed our producer, Jason Peets, what we have been in search of so far as the combination on these harmonies, and he nailed it.
MIKE: I’ll let James discuss concerning the guitar riff and melody…I feel the vocals on the choruses are impressed by bands just like the Doobie Brothers and perhaps even the Eagles, to some extent. We have been studying songs like ‘Lengthy Prepare Runnin’, and ‘China Grove’ a 12 months or two after the songs have been on the radio within the mid-70s and we beloved 3 and 4-part harmonies.
PAUL: It undoubtedly has a marching really feel to it. It’s quarter notes that sustain the tempo. To me ,it’s actually bought a ’60s sound to it as properly. The Beatles, Queen, The Seaside Boys…harmonies have at all times been an enormous affect on me.
You recorded at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne – that gear heaven will need to have been enjoyable for you guys! What was the recording course of like there?
JAMES: We first recorded a mattress monitor with all three of us enjoying on the similar time. That was nice as we might see one another, which gave the monitor a extra dynamic and natural really feel. We recorded three mattress tracks after which chosen the perfect one to construct on. From there, we recorded our vocal components, with every of us singing individually. After that, I began recording layers of rhythm guitars. I used a Martin acoustic that the studio had along with my Les Paul. Then I recorded the primary guitar solo that’s in the course of the track utilizing my Les Paul with solely the neck pickup. That gave the solo a pleasant legato really feel. Lastly, I recorded layers of guitar fills and the outro guitar with my Stratocaster. Jason, our producer, urged utilizing my Strat for these components because it gave a lighter really feel, which the track wanted. Jason is at all times nice at making the fitting calls. He’s so good and jived with our sound. It started to really feel like he was a fourth member of the band. The chemistry was undoubtedly there.
MIKE: It was a dream come true. I feel that when we recorded ‘Runnin’ Free’ (the primary track we ever recorded) and heard how good it sounded, we found out we might make it work. An enormous a part of our success is that the workers at Sweetwater Studios and our sound engineer/producer, Jason Peets, made us really feel very snug. I keep in mind coming into the management room the primary time after recording the bottom monitor for ‘Runnin’ Free’ and Jason was bobbing his head to the rhythm of the track…I believed it have to be fairly good if a younger man who could not have been round loads of rock music is catching our groove.
PAUL: So we arrange, rehearsed every tune a bit then tracked it I feel 3 times. Then we’d go and do any reworks if there have been sections that we felt we needed to do one thing totally different or modify drum fill, a cool word or one thing. The producer is such an enormous half in how the album sounds. Jason Peets was superb.
Paul, the press launch mentions your “eager ear” actually gave the monitor the drive it wanted. How do you deal with artistic variations whenever you’re all contributing concepts?
PAUL: I knew the second I heard James play the riff that it wanted to be tight, hard-driving quarter notes. The fills are a throwback to the 60s for me, and it’s nuances like these that give the track its attraction. Within the studio, the percussion solo simply “occurred” after we had the preliminary monitor down. The blokes have been okay with making an attempt it, and it made it onto the ultimate recording. James is the grasp of the last-minute shock, and we’ve come to just accept that. I imply we actually simply discuss issues out, and it makes an enormous distinction in how issues sound ultimately. Communication is essential.
In any case these years of questioning “what if,” what does the assist from followers imply to you as a band now that you simply’re lastly doing this?
JAMES: It means the world to us. There may be nothing like writing and performing music that strikes or evokes followers to expertise significant emotion that enhances their lives for the higher. On the finish of the day, that’s what it’s all about. One in all my goals is to jot down a track that’s so good {that a} stadium filled with followers needs to sing each phrase with me. I don’t know if that may ever occur, but when it does, there will probably be an enormous smile on my face!
MIKE: It’s superb. We’re so very grateful that folks like our music. We get a number of nice feedback from our long-time followers who watched us at the highschool dances within the 70s, they usually love what we’re doing now. We really feel very lucky to be able to make this occur and be capable to create music that’s out on the earth for everybody to listen to.
PAUL: We’re extraordinarily humbled to have the ability to create music that folks need to hear. It means we’ve a brand new journey. We need to unfold like wildfire.
Any remaining ideas to your followers on the market?
JAMES: Keep hanging with us as a result of we’re removed from being completed. In actual fact, we’re simply getting began. We’ve got a number of new music on the best way. We’ll begin dropping singles from our upcoming second album in January of subsequent 12 months. Then later subsequent 12 months, we’ll be again at Sweetwater Studios to file our third album. We are able to’t wait. We could also be later in life, however we’re very a lot younger at coronary heart. I nonetheless get in bother for taking part in too loudly, so I’ve loads of rock in me ready to get out.
MIKE: ‘Runnin’ Free’ is a superb debut track for us, and we all know it means loads of various things for lots of people. We should always all be ‘Runnin’ Free’ to be who we’re or to be our aspirational selves…We hope that our story of maintaining the dream alive and making it occur will encourage our followers to do the identical, no matter their dream could also be.
You’ll be able to watch the music video for ‘Runnin’ Free’ beneath, and discover out extra about Divergent and their music on-line on their official web site, Fb, Instagram, and TikTok.
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