Mad Painter is a new band in the Boston area, deeply rooted in the melodic rock tradition of the 1970s. They play mostly original music, ranging from Woodstock-era psychedelic rock to glam-tinged rock'n'roll a-la Mott the Hoople and the Faces and to epic heavy anthems in the vein of Uriah Heep. It consists of four individuals with wildly ranging backgrounds. At the center of Mad Painter is Alex Gitlin, the songwriter and creator of the concept. He is backed capably by drummer Al Hendry (Bubba Loaf, Tokyo Tramps), as well as bassist Kenne Highland, a true veteran of the Boston rock scene (ex-Gizmos, Hopelessly Obscure, Johnny & The Jumper Cables, Africa Corps.) and the newest addition is guitarist Al Naha (Thighscrapers), who plays with Kenne in Kenne Highland Airforce.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Mad Painter. Can you tell us about your early career? Where did you get the idea for the music industry?
When you are in your teens, the mere concept of the music industry is very vague and abstract. It’s about record labels, management and recording contracts and touring bands, whose faces you see on posters when you visit a record store. It’s not real life, your life anyway. I was 17 when I came to the US with my parents, carrying with me a coveted dream of becoming “one of them”. In my mind it was pretty loose, too, cause “them” could be anything from AC/DC to Jethro Tull. I came here at the height of glam metal, then the watershed moment was 1991, when grunge took over. I disliked MTV, hair metal and grunge / alternative equally and as early as spring 1990 knew I would have to follow my own path. The music I was listening to, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Nazareth, Rory Gallagher, Sweet and Thin Lizzy, was nothing at all like what was popular both here and in Europe at the time. So there was this conscious discrepancy, a cognitive dissonance, as the world around me and I couldn’t see eye to eye on what rock music is.
My early efforts included getting my chops as a keyboard player at a local blues jam, then graduating to the house band. A couple of years later I joined a band, which, after several name changes, became Silver Star, and it was my dream band. Together we recorded an EP, Foot Stomping Music, and the song Kindness (which you can find on YouTube) is still to this day something I’m immensely proud of. But it didn’t last.
Throughout the 90s, I bounced from group to group, trying out different genres, from metal to funk and blues, but nothing felt right. Jumping a little bit ahead, I’ve tried working with a couple of tribute bands, same thing, I felt out of place. It seems, to be happy and at peace with myself, I had to spearhead my own project, concept, dream, and make that dream a reality on my own terms. That’s how Mad Painter came to be, although the idea of forming my own band and calling it Mad Painter does date back to 1990. A quarter of a century later it came true, albeit not without growing pains.
Here we are in the third decade of the 21st century and I still haven’t come any closer to the proverbial “industry”. What is music industry, anyway? Does it still exist? Can you still make money selling records? I highly doubt it, unless you’re a mega star. Seems like the “industry” is somewhere out there like a mystical constellation, you can gaze at it at night, but you can never get close enough to touch it.
Where do you start when producing songs?
I’m not a producer, but I work with one, a brilliant man, Tom Hamilton, and there’s no one else I would ever trust my music with. He knows exactly what is right for the song and what to do. There’s a lot of trickery involved in the mixing process. I don’t always understand all the filters and effects, but I know I can always cite a couple of examples to convey the desired effects, be it drums, vocal reverb or what have you. Our approach is very organic and natural. We take cues from our favorite period, 1960s and 70s. Whatever we do, a song has to breathe, it must have an orchestral quality to it, the arrangement should consist of just the right instruments, from the rhythm section to flutes, violas, cellos and bassoons (of course the latter is done on a synthesizer) with each one playing a part and clearly audible. It’s like a salad, just the right amount of ingredients and seasonings, and I believe, complex as it may sound, we’ve got it down to a science.
Your latest song is 'Rock and Roll Samurai'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
My friend Dmitry Epstein, a great lyricist and author of lyrics for several of our numbers, initially wrote it for someone else, but never heard back from that person. Unbeknownst to him, I looked at the lyrics and the melody and the arrangement came to mind instantly. It had to be dark, brooding, but at the same time epic, anthemic, or, as he likes to say, heroic. The middle part and the drum solo sprang to mind just as instantly. Good songs tend to write themselves, without much fuss, labour or suffering. But I am a much better melodist than a lyricist.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
Do you mean in life or during the recording of this single? Samurai, just like Illusion, our first single and also featuring Dmitry’s lyrics, was written in 2017 and recorded as a demo by the previous lineup, but it was half baked. It took the current lineup and the current producer to complete these two numbers and do them justice. The jigsaw pieces just fell into place. It felt like a miracle. Then we did promotional videos for both, you can see them on YouTube, and again, the experience was nothing short of miraculous.
What is your goal in artistic activities?
To bring people the feeling of joy and exhilaration, whether they witness our show live or listening to one of our songs.
How do you know when a work is finished?
When you’ve committed what everyone feels are the best takes on each instrument and vocals, and, after a few revisions, the mix is just right. When it’s not, the bad parts will stick out like a sore thumb. Whether the vocals aren’t loud enough or don’t have the right amount of echo and reverb, or if the cymbals sound too abrasive, which is fixed through equalization, and so forth. More complicated of course if we’re dealing with a multi-part orchestral arrangement, so it takes more work to get it right.
What is your trademark? It's about unique sounds or behaviors on stage.
It’s the Hammond organ - guitar interplay, which leads people to compare us to Deep Purple, the organ-dominated heavy melodic numbers similar to Uriah Heep, and of course we dress the part on stage. With every show we create a complete timewarp experience for our audience. It has to be authentic.
What are your biggest achievements so far as an artist, but also personally?
As an artist, to date, my biggest achievement is, without a doubt, the forthcoming album, Splashed. I can’t wait for the release date, which is soon. I never knew I would get this far, Painter’s sophomore album. But it absolutely wouldn’t have been possible without my bandmates, Alan, Al, Julie and Kenne. We’re not just bandmates, we’re friends, and each member knows how to do our songs justice, give it the patented Painter treatment. Although Splashed is a bit of a “schizo” album, stylistically all over the map, I do believe we have developed our own style, created the unique Painter universe, the future being more brave and brazen melodic heavy rock in the best of the 70s traditions.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Artisti Online, an Italian fanzine/blog, wrote a humorous piece about Illusion. They compared me to Austin Powers. It is one of my favorite movies, made me laugh.
And a few years ago, when we gigged without guitar, going into Beware Of The Dream, a downright heavy metal number, I noticed the audience started dancing. And it repeated again and again, gig after gig. I was surprised, how do you dance to Heavy Metal? But they did. It was a visceral reaction.
And, last but not least, when we played at the Winter Tanglefest in Kingston, NY last February, it felt like all hell was breaking loose. Easily the biggest audience we’ve ever had. And they were just going nuts! I was overjoyed, Kenne called it Paintermania.
What are your plans for the future?
Write more songs, release more albums, play more and better gigs, but who knows, the future is not written yet. After all these years, there’s still a great divide between the reality of the daily doldrums and the music. It is the same for us as it is for our listeners and followers. The music is a welcome escape route.