Birdfeeder Take Flight with a Decidedly Delayed Debut
Mark Mulcahy fills us in on the creation of this exciting new indie supergroup
The days of the so-called “supergroup” — the hype that preceded bands like Blind Faith and Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes) Young back in the day — garnered a lot of attention but rarely hinted at the tension and turbulence that smoldered just below the surface.
In the end, those bands found themselves forced to live up to a certain standard fostered by their resumes and reputations.
So while Birdfeeder might have cause to call themselves a supergroup — at least one of the indie variety — they manage to reside well below the radar. That said, the individuals that belong to this group — Mark Mulcahy (drums, vocals), Chris Hartford (guitars and bass) and Kevin Salem (guitar, production) — certainly qualify as candidates for induction in an indie hall of fame.
Mulcahy initially made his mark in the bands Miracle Legion and Polaris and achieved such admiration and adulation that a tribute album was made in celebration of his songs. Harford is primarily known for the part he played in 3 Colors and Band of Changes, while Salem’s been a constant presence, not only behind the boards but as a solo artist and prime contributor to the band Dumptruck and his efforts in support of Freddy Johnston, among the many.
Harford and Salem have been friends since they were each part of the Boston music scene of the 1980s, but it was only when they ran into each other while on tour in the UK that their bond was formed.
For his part, Mulcahy said he only has vague memories of how he connected with the other two.
“I think I met Kevin when he was in Dumptruck, which was a band I was in for a while,” he suggests. “Chris and I met in New Haven at the Grotto. I told him I was a great drummer. We’ve done loads of things together.”
The band’s debut LP, Woodstock, was named for the idyllic Upstate New York environs in which it was recorded. The project had its initial gestation period when it was written and demoed on a 4-track Fostex cassette tape machine in 1996. The songs were recorded in just a day and a half, but their origins go back to the early ‘90s by which time the three musicians had become good friends. Mulcahy had some lyrics he had written, but most of the music resulted from some spontaneous, free-wheeling jams. A label offer was decidedly uninviting and the three retreated to their own individual endeavors.
Nevertheless, those demos loomed large in the back of Harford’s mind and when he eventually found the time was right to play them for Salem, the latter was decidedly enthralled. Birdfeeder was officially formed and plans were made to release that long dormant disc. It boasts eight songs, mostly of the laidback, rustic and rootsy variety as befits the place that gave the album its title. Seven of the tracks were completed in Woodstock, while the original demo of “Super Diamondaire,” a decidedly spacey and spontaneous exercise in freewheeling semi-psychedelia, was tagged on at the end.
The tracks that precede it are decidedly more spare and concise. The album starts off on an otherwise unassuming note courtesy of “Big Chairs and Candy,” but gradually gathers an uptick in energy via “She Stood Up at the PTA” and the whomp and wallop of the appropriately dubbed “So It’s a Bomb.” Mulcahy sets the pace to kick off side two with “So Triangular,” but “Born This Way and Your Expectations” and “A Fairy Tale” find the music gliding along with a decidedly dream-like demeanor.
“We only had these songs and so we chose them,” Mulcahy replied when asked about the process of selecting the tunes.“The decision was probably more how would we record them. We tried a few things and then settled on sparse. The last song is the demo because we couldn’t figure out to re-do it.”
VIDEO: Birdfeeder “So Triangular”
Nevertheless, Mulcahy insists that he let the other two musicians take the lead.
“I just let those guys boss me around,” he mused. “I just sang and played a little drums. Kevin’s got good judgment and Harford has a great feel for when it’s right. They both play amazing guitar and so it was pretty easy to let somebody else drive the go cart.”
Not surprisingly then, when asked about his particular contributions to the project, Mulcahy is equally elusive.
“Funny you should ask that,” he replied. “When we started recording, we went mental and played all over the place, and it was pretty awful. Then we had a band meeting and decided to start over and do less. Much less.”
Still, Mulcahy insists that he’s pleased with the way the record turned out despite the fact that it took nearly three decades to eventually come to fruition.
“I’m real happy we did it, both because I always wanted to and because it turned out so well,” Mulcahy maintains. “I love the recording and the sound of the vinyl and Joseph did such a wonderful job with the artwork. For me it was worth the wait.”
As for the future, Mulcahy is decidedly less certain. “I Dunno,” he replied when asked how the band will proceed from this point on. “Nobody’s really making any plans beyond getting people to hear this thing. I suppose if the people demand more from Birdfeeder we will do our darndest to satisfy them. This band exists.
The inevitable question is…what’s up with the name?
“It’s just always been Birdfeeder,” Mulcahy insists. “Feed the birds, people!”
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