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A DECENT ANIMAL
Jonathan Nicholson: vocals/guitar/lyrics
Richard Weld: bass/organ/vocals
Ben Andrews: lead guitar/vocals
Johnny Cruz: drums/percussion/vocals
“Burn down the mission/and put God back on the radio.” “Joining the Zoo”
Once you hear A Decent Animal’s brooding, atmospheric, wide-screen rock, it’s no surprise to learn that the fathers of co-founding members Jonathan Nicholson and Richard Weld were both Southern, hellfire-and-brimstone preachers eventually driven from the pulpit by their own sins. That harrowing vision of a world teetering on the edge of moral chaos remains firmly embedded within the band’s music and especially, Nicholson’s haunting, apocalyptic lyrics, as can be heard on their self-titled debut album.
Formed in their hometown of Charleston, SC, lovingly referred to as Chucktown, almost a decade ago, Nicholson and Weld started out as an acoustic duo, playing what they describe as “southern gothic-inspired secular gospel, with big vocal harmonies and dark, prophetic narratives.”
“The music came from both of us being raised in strict, Christian households by fathers who were struggling with some powerful inner demons of their own,” says Weld.
Two years ago, Nicholson and Weld relocated to San Francisco, eventually adding local punk-rock drummer Johnny Cruz and lead guitarist Ben Andrews, a jazz muso from Boston who relocated to the Bay Area after a stint in Southern California.
Recorded in the Bay Area at musician John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studios with producer Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof), A Decent Animal continues to explore the band’s existential issues writ large on a giant prog-rock canvas. The two acknowledge Pink Floyd and Radiohead among their primary musical touchstones, while the idiosyncratic literary gothic stylings of Nick Cave and Tom Waits, as well as novelists Salman Rushdie and Cormac McCarthy, are touchstones for Jonathan’s unique world view, which reflect his sheltered background as the son of a strict Pentecostal Holiness Minister.
“I always argued with what I was told, and tried to find a better way,” admits Jonathan about his childhood. “The songs come from that adverse angle, trying to get closer to the truth even through methods that might seem negative.”
Jonathan got his passion for music from his mom, who often sang and played piano around the house. It wasn’t until he was in his late teens that Nicholson discovered skateboarding, punk and heavy metal. “The floodgates opened, I started a band with some friends and that was it.”
“These three guys are such great musicians, it inspires me to play even better,” says Nicholson about the band’s current line-up. “We’ve created this little church of our own.”
“Jonathan wears his heart on his sleeve,” explains longtime Weld. “He’s a very emotional soul, and that’s what drives this band. The lyrics represent who he is, and they come very naturally to him. If he wasn’t a musician, he’d be a novelist or a poet.”
“It’s a very liberating place to be because there are no boundaries…You can express some far-out ideas. I go to bed with my lyrics and wake up in the morning with them. I have a strong sense of what I want to say, how I want this to look, how I want it to feel. It can be moody, even depressing, but there’s always a ray of hope.”
“Should we stop and let him in?” “Disease”
A Decent Animal are on a mission. “It’s the idea of getting back to when music was more personal,” acknowledges Weld, “before it got obscured by the business. Our focus has always been on expressing ourselves in an organic, individualized way.”
Having toured extensively with the likes of Band of Horses and Modest Mouse, A Decent Animal are primed to take their show on the road, where the songs truly come alive.
“Things seem to have fallen into place,” concludes Nicholson. “It was fate, almost like it was meant to be. We’re excited for the future.”
A Decent Animal has arrived. It’s time for everyone to start “Joining the Zoo.”
Management:
Marc Pollack
marcpollack@mac.com
John Edman
john@johnedman.com
