Alex G performs in The Current studio
December 02, 2022
Philadelphia musician Alex Giannascoli — better known as Alex G — released his latest album, God Save The Animals, on September 23.
Shortly afterwards, Alex G went on tour in support of the album. While in the Twin Cities for a show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Alex G and his band — guitarist Sam Acchione, drummer Tom Kelly and bassist John Heywood — visited The Current studio for a session hosted by Ayisha Jaffer.
In the interview that followed, Alex G spoke with Ayisha about the making of God Save The Animals. There’s also talk about Alex G’s work scoring a horror film … and Alex G shares his own rather spooky story.
Watch and listen to the complete session above, and read a transcript below.
Interview Transcript
Edited for clarity.
Ayisha Jaffer: Well, hello, everybody! I'm Ayisha Jaffer, your weekday host here at The Current, and I'm here with Alex G. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Alex G: Thanks for having me.
Ayisha Jaffer: Well, you have this new record, God Save The Animals, and I want to say, it's like it's almost a habit to say like, "This is your ninth studio record," but it's not. It's your first record that you kind of explored and dived into the world of studios outside of your home.
Alex G: Yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: And so, like, what was that process like?
Alex G: Basically I got to record at the studio, and then had them send me all the stems of everything I recorded. And then I could edit it on my own time at home, which was nice, because I guess that's 90% of my process is, like, chopping stuff up and moving it around. So it was nice being able to maintain that.
Ayisha Jaffer: Do you think you'll like incorporate, like going to the studio, bringing it home, like more in your future process?
Alex G: I think so. Yeah. Because having an engineer, who's, you know — having an engineer was great; someone who could like, get the best sound out of every instrument — instead of I usually engineer it myself and I would do it haphazardly. And sometimes I get a good take. But the mic would be in the wrong place.
Ayisha Jaffer: Right.
Alex G: So it's nice having a pro do it.
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah. It's always nice to have like a second pair of eyes or something — or ears, really! — in this case.
Alex G: Yeah, exactly!
Ayisha Jaffer: Which is pretty cool.
Alex G: Yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: So, and I also read that somewhere that you worked with Jake Portrait from Unknown Mortal Orchestra. And so I was wondering how you guys connected and like what that collaboration process was.
Alex G: So this is the fourth time I've worked with him. The first time I worked with him was my first record with Domino, Beach Music, and I hired him to mix it. And then we've worked — he's mixed my first three records with Domino. And then for this fourth one, we collaborated on the production. I think I relied on him with... I guess, dealing with studio sounds and stuff, there's like a new level of like, there's a lot of different things that could go wrong, I guess, when the sound's higher quality versus like, trying to get it myself with these low fi sounds. So it was nice having his ears and his experience with that, like, telling me when it's a good take, when it's a bad take, or when I should use this synth instead of this synthesizer, or like, you know, this bass instead of this bass. Stuff like that, you know what I mean?
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah.
Alex G: I mean, like, he just has way more experience than me in that department, so. And with vocal takes, it was really valuable working with him because, you know, just having someone else be like, "Just do that again," you know, "You didn't get it perfect that time," so.
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah, it's like your coach.
Alex G: Yeah, it is. That's cool! Yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: I would argue you always had hi-fi sounds even with, you know, from home to studio.
Alex G: So I feel like that, too; but I guess ... I guess it's different because the studio, like — like, when I recorded myself, the drums would be like one or two tracks. And in the studio, I get like 10 tracks back for the drums. "And so I'm just like, I don't even know where to start with this."
Ayisha Jaffer: But now you've got it; I mean, it comes through in this record, which is, it's so much fun. I feel like I'm going on a journey, which I absolutely love. But I have to start with the title. I know it's a simple question, but I used to be a park ranger, so it's got my attention: God Save The Animals. So I'm just curious the inspiration behind that title.
Alex G: I wish I had a good answer. But it was a song I was working on that didn't end up on the record, but that was one of the lyrics, and I liked the way it sounded. So it just felt like it aligned somehow with the rest of the songs. And I didn't think very hard about what it means.
Ayisha Jaffer: Usually, those are the best titles, though.
Alex G: Cool — I'm glad you think so!
Ayisha Jaffer: Well, and that kind of, I mean, God Save The Animals, so I noticed there's some like faith and forgiveness themes, I think, throughout the record; that's my interpretation. Is that subconscious or conscious?
Alex G: Oh, I guess it's conscious. I mean, it's tough answering stuff like this, because I think the whole process is, like, really going off in my gut, you know? And not trying to set out what I'm going to do before I do it. But then, yeah, like, obviously looking at the record, I think those themes are in there. So yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah, that's fun, though. That's kind of fun when it just kind of like — so maybe it's a little bit of both really, because you just kind of if you'd gone on instinct, like—
Alex G: Yeah!
Ayisha Jaffer: ... it flows through it. And I know that sometimes it's ambiguous like, with being like, "What? I mean, like, what is the song, what is a song about?" or "What is inspired by?" But I actually have a fun question for you because I know that your fans, like, they like to interpret the songs. And so I was just curious, like, do you have like a favorite interpretation that you've heard from a fan or a listener of the record? Because it's always fun to dive into that.
Alex G: To be honest at this time, I haven't heard any like interpretations about this record. I've been avoiding, like, I've been avoiding reading stuff online because I'm just trying to keep it positive while we're touring, so I don't want to look on the internet!
Ayisha Jaffer: That's fair!
Alex G: But I do love seeing that stuff sometimes. But yeah, I haven't seen any for this record.
Ayisha Jaffer: Okay, well, that's good. That will be like, hopefully a positive. Like, if you ever go to it, like a journey that you go on, you know? Well, that's, I mean, and to say that, you're on the road now. And it's a mostly sold-out tour, which is awesome. So what does that feel like now? Because there's been this time of, like, forced stillness. So what does it feel like to be back on the road?
Alex G: It feels good. This is our first tour with a bus, which has been awesome, because we have a more regular sleep schedule, you know? So I think everyone's in a better mood. I mean, we all, my band, who just played with me, that's Sam playing guitar, Tom playing drums and John playing the bass, and we've been touring together for years. And you know, they're like my closest friends, you know? But yeah, it's great that we have all this new level of, like, stability on the road, which is really nice, yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: Do you have phones in your bunks?
Alex G: Phones?
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah!
Alex G: Oh, like this kind of phone? No, no, no, we have our cell phones in there! I'm sorry, I was confused by what you had.
Ayisha Jaffer: No, I just know there's those old-school ones, and your tour manager I met seems so fun that it'd be fun to just, you'd have the main phone and just keep calling him.
Alex G: I've heard of that. Like some bunks have like a phone; like one bunk will have a phone directly to the driver or something like that. But no, we don't. That would be really cool. We do have like defunct DVD players in our bunks, that just... Yeah, they don't work anymore. And they just take up all this space. Like, I think I bump my head on it every night.
Ayisha Jaffer: Oh, no! Next one. Next Bus. Just trade that for phones.
Alex G: Yeah — trade it for phones!
Ayisha Jaffer: Well, okay, so I know we were talking before, and I'm curious now, like, so you kind of, you came up with, you know, your radio station. I know, you used to hang out at the radio station and play shows with that. And I heard something that this specific record that your radio-listening habits kind of influenced the sound. And I was just wondering if you could walk me through that?
Alex G: Yeah, like, I guess I... I guess... Okay, so I'll start by saying I've always really liked the radio. And I listened to it a lot, because I drive around a lot, and I didn't have a, I don't have an AUX cable, you know? So I just listened to radio. And this record, I guess, maybe because I was in a studio I was, could be a little more ambitious with the sounds I was capturing. So I felt like it was more in my grasp to make, you know, like a bass drum and like, like a drum kit, like I hear on a pop song on the radio. Or like a synth line like I've heard on the radio; something like that, you know what I mean? Whereas in the past, I'd be like, "Oh, I love this song, but I got to figure out how to make these sounds in my own way." This time, I think, yeah, you know what I'm saying?
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah, I know what you're saying, yeah.
Alex G: So I guess that's why this one's a little more radio influenced. It's not like I suddenly saw the beauty in pop music on the radio. I guess it's just more that I felt that it was more attainable for me to make stuff like that.
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah. I love that though; like it's good exploration. You kind of collage it to make your own sound. It's definitely your own sound.
Alex G: Oh, thanks. I'm glad you think so!
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah. I'll say from, you know, kind of listening and through, like, you know, through time with all of your albums, it all has its own Alex G sound.
Alex G: Thank you.
Ayisha Jaffer: That's my my interpretation of it. Well, so, with God Save The Animals, I know, things are, I love, I kind of love how you phrase this in the passive, something about like, "The music speaks for itself." Like it kind of takes its own story to these people. But what is your hope that people take away from God Save The Animals? Or any of your music, really?
Alex G: I don't know. I guess I hope that they buy tickets once they hear it to the shows or, I don't know! I make it. It's not like I'm just, I don't want to lie and say like, "I'm just making music for myself." Like it's purely for me. Like, I like that it brings me, like, respect. And like, it's, I like that it's become a career for me, but I don't have a clear idea of what I'm trying to do with it other than make stuff that sounds good to me. And then hopefully people can get involved in it however they want. But yeah, I don't really know what I want people to get out of it, other than I hope they like it, and they don't think it's a joke or something.
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah. Well, I mean, I think the show is selling out, like speaks for that for sure. They want to be part of the experience — they're buying the tickets, and the music resonates in this way; like, strikes a chord with people in a certain way. And I think that's so awesome that even there is a forum to interpret, you know?
Alex G: Yeah, like, I'm so grateful that that's the way it's going, you know? Yeah, I'm just so grateful for it. And I have no... Yeah, it's just, it is what it is, you know?
Ayisha Jaffer: Yeah! Well, there's another aspect of your career, too. You scored a horror film. Is it We're All Going to the World's Fair?
Alex G: Yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: So I have a kind of a silly question. And you can answer if you have the answer or not, but it is Halloween today. And so I was curious if you have your own kind of spooky story.
Alex G: Oh, geez! I wish I had any, like, good answers for you, but I just don't have any.
Ayisha Jaffer: That's OK. That's all good.
Alex G: I can't think of any spooky stories, like... When I was a kid, I grew up in a house that had the basement — it was an unfinished basement and then we tried to finish it and paint it — and there was this, like, graffiti on the wall that said something kind of like really nasty about the previous owner. And when we painted over the wall, it — the graffiti kept like bleeding through the paint. So just like it couldn't be painted over. It's pretty interesting. But
Ayisha Jaffer: What's this? Do you know the story? Like why did they not like the neighbor? Or why did, were they unliked?
Alex G: You know, I don't remember exactly, but I know my mom thinks there was like, foul play. Like there's a woman who lived there with her husband, and then her husband started seeing, like, a friend of his daughter or something. I hope I'm not butchering the story, but yeah, it was something like that, and then the wife mysteriously died.
Ayisha Jaffer: Ooooh...
Alex G: Yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: Ooooh, okay. That's pretty spooky!
Alex G: Yeah, I had to think for a second, but yeah.
Ayisha Jaffer: Well, thank you for playing along with me.
Alex G: Yeah, yeah!
Ayisha Jaffer: Is there anything else you want our listeners to know about Alex G?
Alex G: No, no, I think I'm all set.
Ayisha Jaffer: All right, cool. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with me and being here at The Current.
Alex G: Thanks for having us.
Ayisha Jaffer: And you know, God Save The Animals is out now. Thank you so much, Alex G, for being here.
Alex G: Thank you!
Video Segments
00:00:00 Early Morning Waiting
00:03:45 Runner
00:06:28 Mission
00:09:32 Interview with Ayisha Jaffer
All songs from Alex G’s 2022 album God Save The Animals, released on the Domino Recording Company label.
Band members
Alex G - vocals, piano, guitar
Sam Acchione - guitar
Tom Kelly - drums
John Heywood - bass
Credits
Guest - Alex G
Host - Ayisha Jaffer
Producer - Derrick Stevens
Camera Operators - Evan Clark, Thor Cramer Bornemann
Video - Evan Clark
Audio - Eric Xu Romani
Graphics - Natalia Toledo
Digital Producer - Luke Taylor
External Link
Alex G - official site