58's & Heartbreaks: Har Mar Superstar Talks New 70's AM Gold-influenced Album Roseville (The Witzard Interview)
Welcome to Roseville, the seventh studio album by Har Mar Superstar. Sean Tillmann's latest collection of songs is a career-defining culmination of life and musical experiences that were heavily influenced by 70's AM Gold/Super Hits artists, including Todd Rundgren, Elton John, Carole King, David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, Genesis, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, and ELO. Roseville came together in the late months of 2020 and is the first true collaborative effort from Har Mar's entire touring band. It was remotely-recorded at social distance by all of the members in their separate home studios and the band's home base, Mid City Studio, located in Minneapolis. It has been described as an "existential homecoming" that chronicles Tillmann's return to life as a Minnesotan over the last five years. Most of the album was produced by bandmates Aaron Baum & Ryan Mach. John Fields (The Jonas Brothers, Andrew W.K. Har Mar's 2004 album The Handler) returned to Team Har Mar producing "Solid Ghost" and "Hearts Have Misspoken," and Ryan Olson (Poliça, GAYNGS, Swamp Dogg) came through to produce "Patchwork Prisms."
Texas musical legends in-the-making Kam Franklin (The Suffers) and Jackie Venson—deemed "one of the greatest guitarists alive!"—popped by to elevate "Another Century" into a Soul duet masterpiece. Denver Dalley (Desaparecidos, Broken Bats) and T. Macey Taylor (Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis) appear on "Where We Began," which they helped write on the road while supporting Afghan Whigs a few years back. The Har Mar Band is Nelson Devereaux, Jake Baldwin, Adam Hurlburt, Ethan Elseth, Aaron Baum, and Ryan Mach and everyone had a hand in co-writing to help make this album a united, genre-hopping masterpiece. Roseville as a whole is a cohesive journey designed to be listened to front-to-back, but each track is strong enough to stand on its own. Har Mar Superstar's Roseville was released this past Friday, March 5, 2021, and is now available in multiple formats, via Love OnLine Records.
I. What would you cite as some of your greatest sources of inspiration and influence behind the overall sound, style, aesthetic, etc. heard across Roseville?
Har Mar Superstar: I am constantly inspired by TV and film soundtracks that make me dig back into my musical archives. For Roseville, I can pinpoint a very specific episode of Six Feet Under, which I was re-watching. They used the Todd Rundgren song "I Saw The Light" in a pivotal scene and it brought back a flood of amazing childhood/developmental memories. I thought right then, "I need to write a bunch of 70's AM Gold-type songs!" After that, I just waited for inspiration to strike, which took three years. Listening to lots of Todd Rundgren, Carole King, Elton John, Meat Loaf, and Betty Davis helped, too.
II. Who plays across Roseville? If I'm not mistaken, there are some old Har Mar Superstar affiliates heard here that long-time fans and supporters might recognize, correct?
Har Mar: Yes! Everyone who tours with me currently is on the album. That core group is Aaron Baum, Ryan Mach, Adam Hurlburt, Nelson Devereaux, Jake Baldwin, and Ethan Elseth. Also, Denver Dalley & Macey Taylor appear on "Where We Began," which we wrote with Jake Baldwin on tour in 2017. Denver & Macey have toured with me many, many times over the years and they will always be Har Mar Band members to me, no matter if they're on a particular tour or not. Also, new to the team are my friends from Texas, Kam Franklin & Jackie Venson, who made "Another Century" an absolute KILLER of a track.
III. Due to COVID-19 related restrictions/limitations, how did the recording process behind this album primarily differ from that of your last few like-minded efforts?
Har Mar: Initially, I wanted to write/record the album with everyone in the room, which would have been a Har Mar Band first, but as The Pandemic shaped up, that became impossible. After we were isolated, I decided to still make an album by writing by myself or with another individual one at a time and once the tracks were written, I sent them around to the whole band to lay down whatever they felt like on each song. Everyone stepped up big time with their home studios and recording skills super-tuned up. Most everyone laid down multi-instrumental tracks all over the album. We had a lot to work with when Ryan Mach started mixing the album. Aaron Baum & Ryan served as incredible [co-producers] and really brought everything together.
IV. I have to admit, I've been a fan of your music since 2004's The Handler, but really got into your music with 2013's Bye Bye 17. Although, I've been curious these past few years... what exactly would you attribute to your noticeable stylistic shift suddenly in with Bye Bye 17?
Har Mar: I think, I grew up a lot by the time I was writing Bye Bye 17. At that point, I was kind of at a point of "no more messing around." I decided I wanted to make exactly the kind of record I wanted to listen to at the time. I love the records before that, but to a certain extent, I was pandering and after I stopped that, the music became more personal. Life experience is the greatest, in that regard.
V. How does it feel to be effectively reunited with Ben "Butcher Bear" Webster, who played across The Handler (2004) as well as your former project, Sean Na Na, after all these years? Ben's label, (iN)Sect Records, is releasing limited edition red/pink cassette tape pressings of Roseville... so, go get 'em while you still can, good people!
Har Mar: It's so great! Ben & I have remained very close throughout the years. He is still one of my best friends and favorite people ever. When he offered to release the cassette, I said "YES!" immediately. No-brainer! We just support each other, plain and simple. I've learned a lot from Ben and continue to. I love him!
VI. Can you tell us a little bit about what in the world motivated you to apply for a job as a Minneapolis mail carrier amidst a global pandemic prior to your seventh studio album roll-out? Thank you for you for your service as an essential worker during these trying times, Har Mar!
Har Mar: I needed something to keep me active through The Winter and I've always admired mail carriers. As The Pandemic developed, I knew I wanted to, tangibly, help my community and eliminate money freak-outs, so getting a job with [the] USPS was a logical next step for me. I really enjoy the job and I hope to continue working while being able to tour a month or two a year. Honestly, The Pandemic just fast-forwarded my mid-life crisis and here we are!
VII. Once the world finally gets back to "normal" (whatever that may be...) do you have any immediate plans to tour, either in-person or virtually, in support of Roseville? Better yet, in an ideal world, if this pandemic were to just magically "go away" tomorrow, how would you prefer to tour behind Roseville?
Har Mar: I'll only go back to touring when it feels safe for everyone who chooses to attend. I don't want to be one of the first ones back, but I could see getting back on the road in 2022. I definitely want to play Roseville for people. I've never been more proud of an album and I can't wait to hear reactions once people have heard the whole thing. We worked really hard and I'm blown away by what we achieved.
VIII. In addition to the aforementioned members of your band, who else appears as featured artists across Roseville? Where might listeners/readers recognize said musicians from previously?
Har Mar: You might recognize Kam Franklin as the brilliant singer of The Suffers from Houston, TX and Jackie Venson is one of the best guitarists alive. She lives in Austin, TX and is already a legend. Ryan Olson (Poliça, GAYNGS, Swamp Dogg) produced "Patchwork Prisms," and John Fields (The Handler) is back producing "Solid Ghost" & "Hearts Have Misspoken!"
IX. If you could pick 10 songs for an all-covers album, what would you choose and why for each?
Har Mar: I kind of already did this with Sabrina [Ellis] when we introduced Heart Bones to the world by doing the entire Dirty Dancing Soundtrack live on tour. That was one of the most insane, hilarious, and rewarding undertakings of all-time. I learned so much about song-writing by figuring out all of those songs and performing with Sabrina. I am so proud of the album we made together after that. Check out Hot Dish, if you haven't!
X. Granted it was fully recorded during a global pandemic, what did the writing, recording, creation, etc. processes behind a track for a Roseville typically entail?
Har Mar: Some tracks, I wrote on my own at the piano I grew up learning to play on. My parents gave [my fiancée] Laura & I the piano about a year ago after we bought our house. It was so nice to be back at that instrument. I know it so well.
I wrote "Sleight of Hand" & "Hit and Run" with Nelson Devereaux. On ["Sleight of Hand,"] I was playing bass and he was playing a synth in my basement and on ["Hit and Run."] he played the keyboard, while I played drums and yelled. We were able to get together one-on-one more when free 24-hour COVID-19 tests became commonplace in The Twin Cities [Minneapolis] by the end of 2020. Jake Baldwin wrote the chords for "Where We Began" and that all fell in place at Sonic Ranch in 2017 when we had a day off from The Afghan Whigs' tour. Aaron Baum had tracks for "Hello, Mr. Sandman" & "Neon Aglow" ready to go and I wrote lyrics/melodies to those. "Another Century" was a pre-Pandemic jam I had with Aaron Baum, Ryan Mach, and Adam Hurlburt. Kam [Franklin] re-wrote her verse lyrics and made it infinitely cooler. "Patchwork Prisms" came together after Ryan Olson and decided we should write "a lullaby." I just played a lot of chord progressions, while Ryan edited. It was a blast. I love writing with Ryan. The process is never the same twice. John Fields & I just get into a room and start playing every instrument we can get our hands on. We did that pre-Pandemic for "Hearts Have Misspoken" and post-Pandemic, I sent him the piano and vocals of "Sold Ghost," which he produced out in a matter of hours. It's not uncommon for us to completely finish recording a song two or three hours after starting to write it.
XI. Now, that the album is out into the terribly unsuspecting world, what else do you have planned for the Roseville roll-out?
Har Mar: I'm in the process of putting together a variety show-style stream for Roseville. I don't want it to just be us in a room performing; I'm hoping for dance routines, sketches, fake commercials, some live performance, and anything/everything that'll make it fun, while representing each track on the album, plus, a few Har Mar classics. I'm [hoping] to have that out in the world by May or June. Right now, I'm just working out locations and production ideas.
XII. Who are some of your current favorite new musical artists you would suggest our readers check out immediately?
Har Mar: Check out Gully Boys, Nur-D, and Static Panic from The Twin Cities. They are all fantastic. I've been listening to a lot of Squid lately. Excited for their album. If you haven't discovered Velvet Negroni yet DO IT! His album NEON BROWN is one of my favorites of all-time.