Zack Fraser sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with Sean about the intersection of music-making and family, his biggest influences, and the joys of a road trip soundtracked by good music.
Sean Thomas Gerard is a notable member of Wilmington, NC’s flourishing indie scene. The artist-turned-father is known for his ethereal and experimental full-length projects. Not only is he a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but he is also capable of mixing and mastering his own work. A through and through “one-man band.” At the time of this article’s conception, we’re amidst the rollout of his third full-length project, Stay In Your Light, to be released on Fort Lowell Records on Friday, March 20th. Gerard is a family man at heart, and the upcoming record confirms that. Every strum of the guitar sounds like fatherly love perfectly distilled into dreamy indie pop. I was fortunate enough to pick his brain about fatherhood, his new album, and more:
You’ve seemingly developed the habit of a roughly four-year album cycle, with each of them containing eight tracks. What’s your thought process and logic behind the wait and track list length? The world needs more STG music!
Believe me, if I had the time and capacity to put out more music, I'd be releasing a song a month. The four-year album cycle speaks to how slow my process is. I have zero excuse for taking this long on an album pre-kids, but this album in particular took so long because it was a slow - chip away at it - process in between raising my two girls. I record in my garage, which about 3/4 of the space belongs to my kids and all my gear is jammed in the back corner. I have roughly an hour a day where I can work on music, i.e. naptime for the little one. So this album was basically recorded in hour-long sessions over the course of a couple years. If you've ever spent time recording your own music, you will know that you can literally spend an hour tweaking an EQ or messing with a new plug in, so it's a miracle I got this thing done at all! I have learned to become very efficient with my time when I sit down to record, so there were some days where I recorded all the vocals for a track, and then there were others where I spent an hour trying to get my laptop to recognize my DAW. The 8 track album seems like the perfect amount of time for someone to listen to a record from start to finish. I feel like it's really hard to keep someone's attention for too long these days, so 30 minutes seems like the sweet spot. I make records with the hope that someone listens to it as a whole piece of music. I spend a lot of time thinking about song order and flow. I'm happy if anyone listens to a song or two off the record, but my goal is to get folks to sit down and experience it as it was intended - start to finish.
To hear how involved your two daughters were in the creation of Stay In Your Light was very heartwarming. Could we please hear about some of your favorite moments with them during your sessions?
When I was tracking the album, I was doing that alone. The moments that will stay with me forever was when I started mixing the album. I spent about a month mixing and made a point to do some of that after dinner while the kids were playing in the garage. I'd be locked in and then turn around and they'd be drawing something but quietly singing along. Or I'd crank it up and we'd have a family dance party. It's hard to describe the feeling of watching your kids sing your songs, but it's absolutely the best feeling in the world for me. My new track "Bright Side" came out this morning. On the way to drop my daughter off at school, I put it on and they were both singing along in unison. After I dropped Jovie (older sis) off at school, Juniper (little sis) said "Can you play Daddy's song again"? We rode home, her singing, me driving and crying. Those moments are absolutely everything to me.
You included plenty of extras in your Finally Found A Paradise vinyl, which was nice to see. How much thought and work goes into your physical products?
I put a lot of thought into how an album is going to look. Be it on a shelf in a store, or in someone's record collection. I want the album cover to just look like something you want to listen to. I have bought records from stores because I liked the album cover without knowing the artist and have found some of my favorite bands that way. I made this album cover in my front yard. I bought flowers from the store (used some that my daughter found, too), arranged them in the yard, got on a ladder and took a picture. Much like the music itself, the album cover was a very hands-on process.
Knowing how hands-on you are with your craft makes your work even more impressive. Why did you choose the path of a musical vagabond and take so much responsibility upon yourself?
I really enjoy making records at home. I have recorded in studios a few times, and there's absolutely something to be said about recording an album in a week or two. To come out with a finished product so quickly is wonderful. But for me, I love allowing songs to evolve over time. That is the one thing that doesn't happen in a studio, at least for someone who doesn't have an unlimited budget... When you go into a studio, you're paying for studio time. You have to go in, for the most part, already knowing how the song is going to sound, what instrumentation needs to be tracked and there's a deadline. At home, I start with an acoustic guitar and a metronome. I have an idea of how I want the song to sound, but I really allow it to evolve by trying out different sounds and instrumentation. My songs almost never end up the way they sounded in my head when I originally wrote the song. I also learn so much by recording my own music. Every time I sit down at the computer, I learn something new. That process allows me to continue to evolve as a musician and a producer.
As I’m sure you’d agree, networking as a musician is necessary for one’s success. How has your relationship with Fort Lowell impacted your career as an artist?
Ah, networking. It's my least favorite part of putting out new music. I LOVE making music, but I make music mostly for myself and my family these days. I have no delusions of being some kind of a "star" or whatever. I really just want to make music that people want to listen to while they're making dinner with their family, or driving to work in the morning. I'd love to have my music in TV and film again, that would just be icing on the cake. I have been fairly slack about promoting my music over the years. I had a small team helping out when my band was touring, but I didn't put a ton of effort into the solo albums that followed. In walks Fort Lowell Records about 5 years ago. They were so enthusiastic about my music from the jump, it really inspired me to want to continue making records. They have allowed me the freedom to make the product I want to make without any interference or pressure. To have a label trust you completely with your art, that's a beautiful thing.
Everyone who loves music has essential albums, songs, or artists that they recommend to others. What are your essentials, and what importance do they hold to you?
Jackson Browne "For Everyman" - This album brings me to tears every single time. It takes me back to my childhood, it transports me to my first apartment when I was 19 and to the early days when I met my wife. I've listened to it when I was sad and I've blasted it in my car when in moments of pure happiness. It's been there throughout my entire life as the soundtrack to some of my best and worst memories. A record like that is like a best friend.
Paul McCartney "Ram" - This album is everything. It's the blueprint for a self-producer. It's an album made by two people deeply in love. Sonically, it has everything you'd need in a collection of songs. There's so much experimentation and yet almost every song sounds like a pop song that could hold its own if it were released today. It's my favorite album of all time. It too has also been the soundtrack to my life, but I specifically listen to it on days where everything is going right.
The bands who have more recently inspired me are: Wilco, Andy Shauf, Blake Mills and Benny Sings. Wilco was the band who originally inspired the sound of my band Onward, Soldiers. It took me down the americana road. It made me fall in love with pedal steel. It shaped how I wrote and arranged songs. Andy's music has really transformed the way I record. His production, keeping the rhythm sections tight and dead, allows the melodies and vocals to shine. Blake is the greatest living guitarist on earth, and he's also an unbelievably talented producer. Benny Sings album "Music" is on my Mount Rushmore, but everything he does, be it his music or the collaborations he does, his sound is simply the best and most fun.
Your music inspires a lot of mental imagery for me, as it’s very pure in its sonic identity. Where would the ideal place to listen to Stay In Your Light be, and why?
Man, that's the goal.
If I could pick anywhere to listen to this album, it would be on your favorite stretch of road, wherever that may be. Mine is the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most beautiful roads in the country. I have always tried to make road trip albums. I've spent a good portion of my life driving up and down the East Coast and throughout the country. I've always connected to music the most in the car. There are few greater feelings than driving on an open road with the windows down on a sunny day.
If I could pick anywhere to listen to this album, it would be on your favorite stretch of road, wherever that may be. Mine is the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most beautiful roads in the country. I have always tried to make road trip albums. I've spent a good portion of my life driving up and down the East Coast and throughout the country. I've always connected to music the most in the car. There are few greater feelings than driving on an open road with the windows down on a sunny day.
The other easy answer to that is in your kitchen making dinner. Cooking and music are inseparable for me. Cue this thing up and make your family some pasta!
Also, I just want to thank you so much for spending time with this album and for writing about it. It really means the world to me.
Much love,
STG
Check out “Bright Side” ahead of the album's release:
