sunny day real estate

raygun
oct. 98
by denise sheppard




"It was the first glorious awakening I ever had, so I was willing to throw down my favorite things, I had to free everything in my life in order to serve God, and I Felt that the guys in the band didn't really understand where I was coming from, I was making assumptions."

Wrapped on this warm day in a bulky army jacket, Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk hunches over a cozy Seattle cafe table, rarely moving, save when his cigarette-stained hands rise to wring his furrowed brow. sitting down over tea with guitarist Dan Hoerner (fresh in from his home on the farm, seeming more Grizzly Adams than Guns n Roses) the pair look like anything but music legends- underground or otherwise.

This meeting ought to surprise Sunny Day's many dedicated fans for two fundamental reasons: According to Jeremy Enigk, this is the group's "first official interview" in the history of their career. More importantly it is prompted by the impending release of their third disc, How it Feels to be something on, a recording that was never supposed to happen. After all the band officially broke up three years ago, a harsh reality made even more apparent when drummer William Goldsmith and bassist Nate Mendel quickly resurfaced in Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters.

The most immediate truth that emerges from the attending pair (Goldsmith and new bassist Jeff Palmer are absent) is their genuine love and enthusiasm towards the newly- revamped outfit. "We were all proud of each other," Enigk beams, "and we all respect each other as much as we ever have. I couldn't imagine playing with any other guys." That opinion is a night and day difference from a declaration the singer made in December '94 when Jeremy posted a public response to a band break-up rumor circulating on the internet, providing lengthy detail of Enigk's crossover into Christianity and how that decision affected his musical future.

"Naturally I want to sing about it," he wrote, "but there are mixed feelings about what we could do about me wanting to sing about Christ. one of the members doesn't mind me singing about Christ, another is very uncomfortable with the idea of singing about Jesus, and one didn't mind but now all of the sudden does... Jesus isn't anything thatI want to compromise with, for he is far more important than this music, financial security or popularity could ever be."

"Enigk's new found focus put an immediate halt to Sunny Day Real Estate burgeoning career. Then Pegged as emo-core's next big thing, the group was shut down just as they started to hit their stride. With nearly three years of perspective, Enigk responds to his former zeal a tad sheepishly. "It was one of the biggest decisions I had ever made in my life. I had three other guys who were my friends, we all had big dreams and talked about what we wanted to do and i was the one who had to actually make the actual gesture to get it over."

When co-songwriter/guitarist Hoerner is asked about how it felt at the time to be figuratively left at the altar, his answer comes with mixed emotions. "Was it a surprise?" he asks rhetorically. Just the opposite... it was so obvious. You could just tell that he wasn't there. You know, when you're not getting along with someone, you love them deeply hut the 99 other floors of the tower are filled with anger and resentment. So when Jeremy finally told me," Hoerner adds, "I was overjoyed. I was caught in the trap of needing Sunny Day. When I knew it was going to be over, aside from wanting to make it as profitable as possible, I was totally shedding my skin. Waves of filth were being washed off me, I'm back because the breakup was required to cleanse my soul."

Enigk admits that his compatriots' reactions come as a huge relief. "With Dan, that was wonderful, and when William and Nate went off to work in another band, I was excited for them, i basically felt that i pulled their careers out from under their feet and then here they are going to be doing something for Dave Grohl. All I thought was, "Well good for them!"

Jeremy's own intentions were to cease making music publicly forever. "I was just thinking about being a humble garbage guy or whatever," he says, only half smiling, as his cohort belly laughs in the background, "I would, of course, still write songs to God and to myself. Slowly, i realized that i could perhaps do something for the church, travel and tell my lifelong story at the age of 18." Enigk shakes his head, acknowledging his well intended but naive ways, "It was all just pretty insane."

When the musical itch reemerged, Enigk began working on a solo project. The end result, 1996's The Return of the Frog Queen, was a classically-influenced, Nick Drak-ian grandiose effort of mellow-cholly that impressed some and depressed others -- a 180 degree turn from sunny day's thrashing, crashing anthems. Its creator remains not only unapologetic, he is sincerely proud of his work. "I love it. Sunny Day is Sunny Day and is this insane thing that i love. My solo thing is me, it's not the others encouraging me. I'll do something like that again. I understand that Sunny Day has more of an attack, more of a likable obviousness, a sparkle..." he drifts off, wistfully.

"Make sure you put that I am the likable obviousness of Sunny Day," laughs Dan, with a welcome sardonic break, pointing to the tape recorder.

A scant few months after the release of Enigks solo album, rumors started to fly on the alt.music.hardcore newsgroup that the band might be working together again. The four did indeed gather together, had a positive experience writing a few songs and then subsequently decided to release an album of previously unreleased material along with three or four newly recorded cuts. A greatest hits from a band with no hits, as it were. According to the Sub Pop web site, however, any other thoughts were hopelessly optimistic. The official word: "they're not a band and will not be touring on this album. They just had some unfinished business." Then contrary to all other previous information, on August 22, 1997, Sub Pop sent out a press release stating that "two and a half years after their untimely demise, Sunny Day Real Estate has reunited and written new material for a third [as yet untitled] album."

When Enigk hears the whole confusing process repeated back to him, he rolls his eyes and laughs at it all, "I don't think about things before i dive in," he admits. "Truthfully," Hoerner interjects, "as soon as we dipped one toe into the water, we were drawn in. We were jamming and then all of a sudden it just snowballed. The momentum was obvious and huge."

The possibilities were raised another notch when Enigk received a phone call from former Sunny Day drummer William Goldsmith, "Will was asking me to do a band thing 'cause things with the Foo Fighters weren't going so good... I think he had already decided to quit. One day I said "alright!" When we knew it was going to be the three of us, we thought "Why don't we just do Sunny Day again?"

There were only two glitches in their near perfect plan: the first was Jeremy's lack of desire to play what he describes as "huge and confusing" music. "I was on this whole 'road to my soul' concept," muses Enigk, " and didn't want this insane loud drum thing. But when i thought of who i wanted to jam with, it always came back to the guys," Fatalistically, according to the pair, that problem seemed to solve itself. As the troupe got together on Foo-hiatus periods, the compositions they created were their "best ever" according to all concerned, and the band, surprisingly , was united in the kind of music that they all wanted to make; a sound born out of their love for East Indian melodies, particularly the work of Qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn. "It's absolutely a completely new thing for me," exclaims Hoerner enthusiastically, "and that definitely worked its way into the new sound. I had come across Nusrat when i first moved out here to the land and it's pretty much exclusively the only thing i listen to. I said, "Dude, you've got to check this guy out!' And Jeremy went out, bought one, and fell in love."

"'Roses In Water' [from the new disc] is the perfect example," he continues. "the guitar phrase at the beginning is something that was directly inspired from Nusrat but at the same time is a little meditation of my own. I had been playing it over and over and then when Jeremy heard it, he played something over top of that and all of a sudden there was the song." Add that influence to their heightened love of acoustic instruments [particularly guitars and strings] and the result is unquestionably the work of a kinder, gentler and more melodically complex Sunny Day.

The group's second, more emotionally taxing problem came to light after the first few practices: bassist Nate Mendel's ongoing commitment to the Foos. "'Waiting for Nate' became the theme to our lives," explains Hoerner, obviously exasperated. "We were waiting for a real person who we so desperately wanted... but Nate could only do it sometimes. The pressure of finding something amazing and not being able to do it... it was like and elastic band pulled back really far, desperate to be let loose."

"In the end." recalls Enigk, "It was us who had to say no because he said, 'Okay, I'll be here then' and wasn't there, and 'Okay then I'll be here then,' and wasn't there. For us, it became 'let's record the album now!' and that is exactly what we prepared ourselves to do. Then you look back and your pride is humbled and you are broken."

Hoerner nods his head furiously in agreement. "Your ego gets the lashing that it deserves. When you think that you are a part of something so grand that it couldn't possibly help but attract everyone who should be a part of it and them someone so clearly says 'not gonna do it...' he trails off, still clearly hurt. At this rather somber moment, Jeremy and Dan's faces suddenly light up and the duo simultaneously yell, "William!" and wave as the drummer saunters in, unexpected. "We always had an 'all original members or nothing' deal," Goldsmith offers, on the topic at hand about a year and a half, we deserved it. It's the same band, the same feeling. It was really hard, though. Nate wanted to play on the record but it was me ultimately that said, ' i don't think it would be a good idea." With a week to go before scheduled recording, the group scrambled to find a suitable replacement. They would find it in the unassuming Jeff Palmer [ex-Geffen artist the Mommyheads]. "We started playing and immediately he and I locked on," recalls Goldsmith.

Before the chance arises to ask any 'second thoughts' questions regarding Williams's decision to leave the Foo Fighters, he makes his situation crystal clear. "When we started playing, there was this huge feeling of relief. I had some good times playing with other people and I have some side projects but as far as my passion, in playing with them this huge weight came off my shoulders and I felt like I could play again. No fear of letting whatever is in here {he points to his heart] out, no fear of letting go."

As far as Enigk is concerned, he too seems to have found what he's been looking for: a balance between his God, his music, and the band of his dreams. "I'm totally passionate about Sunny Day Real Estate. I'm extremely excited at every song, he concludes, intensely and most sincerely. "Im surprised and I'm moved to tears at every song."

thanks to laura "Nexusnixed@aol.com" for typing this article !!!