Meet The Emperors of Wyoming (Part 1)
Four friends reunite to ignite a new band through file sharing.
By Mike Thiel - Original post for USA Today Network-WI (postcrescent.com) 9/6/12
From left: Phil Davis, Butch Vig, Pete Anderson and Frank Anderson. Aka The Emperors of Wyoming.
It’s a story about old friends.
One-time Wisconsin residents Phil Davis, Frank Anderson, Pete Anderson and Butch Vig built their friendship in the ’70s while in the Madison music scene. All of the members played in Madison bands, sometimes together, sometimes not, but their love of music and natural camaraderie has kept them friends for the past 30-plus years. So much so that in 2009, the four men, now in there 50s, decided to start a new project - an organic, Americana-esque band titled The Emperors of Wyoming. However, though their friendship has remained strong, this project wasn’t exactly like making music in the “old” days.
Though Davis has remained in Madison, the other members eventually moved from the capitol city. Vig, now a Grammy-winning producer and drummer for alternative rock band Garbage, relocated to Los Angeles in 2002 after his notable work producing for bands such as Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins and others. Pete Anderson found a new home about six hours north of Vig in Davis, California, while his brother Frank Anderson would become an Appleton resident in 1988.
Note: Butch Vig produced Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album in the ‘90s, one of the most iconic albums of all time.
Though the four men haven’t lived in the same city for several years, they’ve always remained connected, so the newfound idea to start a band wasn’t as much of a crapshoot as it sounds. However, if they were to do it, they were going to need a certain level of dedication and some technological know-how.
Thanks to file sharing, the four men were able to pass their individual instrumentals, vocals, mixes, etc. to one another via the Internet, eventually completing their forthcoming album, which will be released on September 17 through Proper Records in the United Kingdom. However, they finished the album without ever being in the same place at the same time.
“We have four different studios, so each guy has a home studio and the hub was me,” said Frank Anderson. “Each of us took charge of different songs, so there's no real producer but all the songs ended up here in Appleton where I lined them up, did a lot of editing, added instruments, maybe even changed an entire song around in some cases and then sent it around the horn again. That's what it was: sending it around the horn. … It could have ended and started anywhere but it always ended here in Appleton.”
Anderson unknowingly became the central location for the Emperors project, which began as a simple creative endeavor among friends. However, with label interest, the project has evolved into something more, though the band wishes to keep expectations low.
“We were pretty low key when we started approaching people,” said Vig, who has recently worked with bands such as Green Day and the Foo Fighters. “I didn’t want to exploit my name for any sort of commercial reasons. We wanted to find a label that was a good fit. We sent (Proper) the album and after like two weeks, they called up and said, ‘We haven’t taken this off our stereo in the office. We love this.’ We did a very low key deal, low expectations. … If my name opens some doors to help people be curious, that’s totally cool, but it’s obviously a completely different sounding record than the Foo Fighters, Green Day or Muse or Garbage. I hope that when people hear it, if they like that kind of music they’re going to dig the album.”
It appears to be a waiting game for the band as other commitments and day jobs are taking higher priority for its members, at least for now. Anderson stated the band also searched for a label because there was “literally no time” for the band to initially self-release the album.
“When we started we didn’t even know if we were going to put an album out,” Vig said. “We just started writing songs and over the course of a couple years we came up with over 20 songs and then at some point we realized we had a good body of work that held together well as an album. … It started out as a labor of love, really and that’s why I think it was so much fun because when you have no expectations it makes it really easy to just allow yourself to get into a moment where you don’t over think it.”
It was important for the band to focus on an organic sound throughout the recording process, not only to capture their natural essence, but to fit their “country rock, folk rock” vibe. Vig especially enjoyed the project since it was very different than his work with other major bands, including Garbage.
“(Emperors) is sort of the opposite of some of the work I do in Garbage which can get very high-tech and electronic and lots of tracks,” Vig said. “It gives me a chance to sort of spread my wings a little bit and one of the things that intrigued me about it was we were taking an approach of recording traditionally and using traditional instrumentation but doing it in a high-tech way. We never recorded in the same room. We did it all with file sharing and to my knowledge I don’t know a lot of country rock bands that have done that. … I think we’re one of the first bands that was able to sort of make an organic sounding record but do it in a high-tech manner.”
Thanks to technology, the band was able to pull off the recording process, but August 27 marked the first time in three years that all four men were in the same place at the same time; they got together in Edgerton, Wisconsin for a series of band photos. However, with their difficult and conflicting schedules, it certainly raises the question of the band’s live performances.
“Right now the feeling is to be gearing up to be able to pull it off live,” Anderson said. “ I can't say for sure because we haven't known anything for sure from one week to the next. If Proper is putting a lot of steam behind it in Europe, and I hate to use music business terms, but if there's any traction, a song kicks in or something happens, yeah we'll play, but I can't say for sure right now. One of the things that's very difficult is Butch's band Garbage is in absolute full tour mode and they’re doing that for the next few months. So I can safely say for the next few months, no we're not going to tour.”
Vig added: “We would have to find a time and place where we have a window that we can actually rehearse properly and get really tight and then have a chunk of time where we can go out and play some shows. We’re kind of thinking if we can get some press in the UK and Europe that we might want to play some festivals next summer, so we’re waiting to see what kind of response we get when the album comes out in September.”
So The Emperors of Wyoming appears to be, at least for the time being, a studio project. Though playing live isn’t out of the question, time restraints and higher priority commitments seem to hover over the band. However, time will tell if those priorities change. Anderson notes the band was created out of fun and that its members aren’t concerned with making money on the project. Instead, they wanted a new outlet, to make music as if they were all teenagers again, discovering their musical talents for the first time. If live gigs are in the cards, the band will welcome it, but for now, they’re just enjoying their latest creative outlet.
“It’s like being a kid again,” Anderson said. “It’s just fun. The money? Who cares. It’s just about playing and having fun, like hey, let’s get a band together. That’s all there is to it and the fact we have a major European label releasing our record is just a thrill. I honestly feel like I’m 18 again.”
Music video: Watch“Avalanche Girl” by The Emperors of Wyoming.
Meet The Emperors of Wyoming (Part 2)
After releasing an album, Butch Vig and The Emperors of Wyoming perform together for the first time.
By Mike Thiel - Original post for USA Today Network-WI (postcrescent.com) 8/7/14
A studio project has come to life.
The Emperors of Wyoming, an Americana outfit started in 2009 by one-time Wisconsin residents Phil Davis, Frank Anderson, Pete Anderson and Grammy-winning producer Butch Vig, will host debut shows at Mile of Music this weekend. The four musicians, who built their friendship in the ’70s while in the Madison music scene, once dubbed The Emperors a studio project, using four separate home studios and file-sharing to create their eponymous debut album. Needless to say, the band completed the album without ever being in the same place at the same time.
However, after Mile of Music’s strong inaugural year, Appleton resident and Emperors guitarist Frank Anderson nudged his bandmates to have Mile 2 be the project’s debut gig. According to Emperors drummer/guitarist Butch Vig, the band agreed with Anderson that Mile of Music was the perfect environment for The Emperors, who hosted their first ever rehearsal on Sunday. I talked with Vig about his goal with The Emperors, the group’s debut show and his expectations for Mile 2.
Butch Vig plays drums for Garbage, but when he performs live with The Emperors, he’s on guitar. In fact, Mile of Music 2 (2014) was Vig’s first official gig playing guitar with a band.
MT: Mile of Music, a music festival dedicated to original songwriting, drew thousands of people in its inaugural year. Did you ever think a festival like this could successfully emerge in Appleton?
Vig: Well I didn’t, but certainly it makes perfect sense because there are all these scenes popping up around the country that thrive on their own unique individuality and that’s definitely what’s happened with Mile of Music. I think there was a need for it and obviously if you look at alt-country or singer/songwriters, the cities that always come to mind are Nashville and Austin, but there are communities of songwriters and bands everywhere throughout the country. I think it’s cool and Appleton has found its pocket and created a really unique festival. I think it’s just going to get bigger and bigger.
MT: You still tour with Garbage and have worked on a number of commercially successful projects. Tell me how The Emperors is different than your other projects.
Vig: It’s a different headspace for me. It’s going to be interesting when we play these gigs because I’m going to be playing a 12-string guitar… We’re going to be performing as a six-piece and I’m so busy I talked to Frank (Anderson) originally and said I didn’t have time to come back and work out all the drum parts and rehearse. Much like the record, our rehearsing was all done on our own individual time, so I just plugged in an amp with my 12-string downstairs and I’ve been playing along with the CD (laughs). This is actually going to be my first official gig playing guitar with a band, which will be interesting.
MT: Since you created these songs with file-sharing, does The Emperors really feel like a band or does it still feel like a studio project?
Vig: I think that’s a question mark, but all of us feel pretty confident. … We’re going to play dialed down and Phil (Davis) has been doing his own shows and Frank (Anderson) has his own thing and I’ve played shows with Garbage so we’re all used to a live environment. I know those guys so well, I think we’re going to have a pretty quick chemistry. It might be a little loose here and there, but we’re OK with that. It’s more about trying to get the vibe of it and the spirit of it.
The Emperors perform at Rock Garden Studio during Mile 2 in Wisconsin.
MT: As a songwriter, how does it feel to be returning to Wisconsin to a festival that fully embraces songwriting?
Vig: Well, it’s kind of where I started in Wisconsin. I grew up listening to country radio and polka music and I didn’t really embrace rock and roll and new wave and punk until I went to college, so it makes sense for me to be there. I’m totally psyched because in a way, for me, I’m doing this left field, off the radar gig without all the pressure of being with (the) Foo (Fighters) or Garbage. It’s therapy for me. I’m looking forward to hearing other acts, hanging out with my buddies and playing some shows. I’m also going to see my family and a lot of friends. I’m going to be back there for over a week, so it’s kind of a vacation for me, which is really why I decided to do it in the first place.
MT: What are your expectations for the group at Mile of Music?
Vig: The most important thing is we want to have fun and enjoy the moment. We’re all well aware of how difficult it is to market and sell your band. It’s a full-time endeavor. All of us are involved in other projects so we can’t devote ourselves to The Emperors full-time, but we feel like we made a really great CD with great songs. Hopefully we’ll get some new fans there and if we have fun and the shows work, we may do more in the fall or next year. We’ve got a couple promoters who are offering us some festivals next summer in Europe and the UK and that could be fun, too. We’ll see.
For more, follow Mike Thiel on Twitter @thielwrites
