Hammond-based music group, Incubators, release new folk-opera, “As I Will It”
by. j .rees (january 2021)
[pictured above: Incubators album As I Will It, concept and cover art by Kara Heck]
The brainchild of Hammond music masters, Ryan Church and Wade Hymel, Incubators are a six-piece folk-rock group bled and bred from Hammond’s local music community. The band is composed of Ryan Church (vocals, guitar), Wade Hymel (vocals, guitar), Matt Doyle (bass guitar), Cody Coulon (keyboard, piano), Stephen Hansel (Drums), and Roberto “The Harp'O'Hammond” Ruiz (harmonica).
[pictured above: Ryan Church, Incubators guitarist + vocalist]
On December 8, 2020, the six-piece released their second album, As I Will It. The folk-opera is composed of six songs, with a run time just shy of a half-hour. From the first sultry chord to the last cymbal shimmer, this intricate project beckons the listener to relinquish expectation and submerge fully in experiencing the labyrinthine world of the warlock.
As I Will It tells the intricate story of two characters, the Warlock and The Void, and involves poignant themes of how the abuse of one’s power, in the form of short-sighted self-gratification, comes with dire consequences that eventually return full circle. Each song embodies a different theme/moment in the plotline, serving as pieces that weave the story together. As I Will It is available for streaming and as a purchasable download via the band’s profile on Bandcamp (https://incubators.bandcamp.com/album/as-i-will-it). As I Will It was recorded August through September of 2019 at Earthship Studios, Baton Rouge, LA, with additional recording taking place at Hollyhood Studio B in Hammond, LA. The album was engineered by Benjamin Livingston, mixed and mastered by Max Stratmann, and produced by Incubators. The group is also offering limited edition cassette tape copies while supplies last.
[pictured above: Incubators album As I Will It cassette copies]
Incubators front men, Ryan Church and Wade Hymel’s paths first crossed one fateful night when their respective bands at the time shared a bill. The two hit it off musically and a friendship rooted in tunes was born. They later joined forces as collaborators while living as roommates. Using a flexible “yes, and” mentality the duo’s first songwriting project began experimenting with their ideas—all song ideas (both lyrically and musically) were on the table, no jam was off-limits. This practice of incubating these ideas led the two to their namesake and thus, Incubators became more than just a practice.
[pictured above: Incubators creators, Ryan Church (right), and Wade Hymel (left)]
With Church leading the lyrical efforts and Hymel offering an unlimited spectrum of sound to support, Incubators became a well of inspiration for both artists. Over time the six-piece band was formed, with the addition of four other musicians to more fully support the lyrical stories being told.
[picture above: Wade Hymel, Incubators guitarist + vocalist]
(Hymel) “The band was formed one person at a time. It started out as Ryan and me fleshing out song ideas, then (bassist) Matt (Doyle) would come over and join us, adding a harmonic element in the bass register. We didn’t have a drummer for over two years when the band started. Matt was in a unique position to be the rhythm section all by himself, which made us approach writing songs in a unique way. It was sort of an anything-goes writing process and we said “yes” whenever it was healthy (laughs).”
With the addition of drummer Stephen Hansel, keyboard/piano player, Cody Coulon, and harmonica player, Roberto “The Harp'O'Hammond” Ruiz, Incubators graduated from humble acoustic beginnings, to full force folk-rock.
[pictured above: Roberto “The Harp'o'Hammond” Ruiz, Incubators harmonica player]
Your style has been described as psychedelic and political folk-rock.
How would you describe the music of incubators?
(Hymel) “I think it’s like life. Sometimes it’s light, sometimes it's dark. Regardless, it’s something that changes you.”
(Church)
“I think it has elements of all those things. I don’t think you can make music and not be political. I think there has to be some firm stance that you base your world view on, that one can listen to, take in, and hopefully be inspired from. I think there’s definitely some psychedelia in there-- I think writing about any mythical world or creature requires some level of that. We explore all the ideas, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. But I would call it all folk-rock (laughs).”
How did the concept for the album As I Will It arise?
Singer and guitarist Ryan Church says he constructed the folk-opera’s lyrics based on a short story idea. (Church) “I like continuity in music. I like when things make sense over time. I like consistency in using themes over time, especially over albums.”
[pictured above: Ryan Church, (foreground) Incubators guitarist + vocalist, Matt Doyle (background), Incubators bassist]
So, you like storytelling?
(Church) “Yes. One artist, in particular, Connor Oberst, is a musician/storyteller who showed and kinda proved to me that you CAN do this kind of (musical storytelling) thing and IT’S COOL. For this album (As I Will It), another writer I drew a lot of inspiration from was Anais Mitchell who wrote Hadestown; it’s a folk opera. If I didn’t have that template I wouldn’t have been able to write a folk-opera—I wouldn’t have thought it was possible. ”
(Hymel) “Ryan and I listen to music differently for pleasure, meaning he is a lyrics guy and I’m a music guy, in terms of what we listen to first. So, (pretty much from the beginning of our collaboration) if he has a storyline or a concept lyrically, I just tend to trust him with it. Once Ryan was set on the concept, it was a go. The concept was less of a concern to me rather than writing good tunes.”
Was the songwriting process a linear or more piece-by-piece development?
(Hymel) “NOT linear. It was very messy, like any evolutionary process (laughs). Writing the songs and making the album were two separate things. Songwriting and writing, in general, is more of a brining and pickling process than a baking process. The songs are the pickles in the jar. It takes a long time and is still ever-evolving. Other than (track five) The Void, most of the ideas for this work began as jam riffs in rehearsal. They were being tinkered with as early as 2015 in our previous project, Better By Design. It took a year before the album’s concept came together on two acoustics. The Void came relatively late in the process. Some of the songs sound completely different now than they do on the album. You’re always gonna find ways to keep things fresh for you and the listener.”
(Church) “I would say piece by piece. For me, the songwriting was something different. Like a different element. I just bring the bones (lyrics), and let everyone just add their chunk of (musical) meat (laughs).”
Is the warlock representative of any particular individual? Or is it a metaphorical representation?
(Church) “I think that it’s more of a metaphorical character. I think we’ve all been the warlock at one point or another. As I Will It is sort of a cautionary tale. The first two tracks, Ritual and Hindsight, set the stage for the story and give the background context of the two main characters, Warlock and The Void. I tried to draw those characters with words. The Void is that ever-present force we feed to keep our power. I think the Warlock represents the potential we each have for ignoring consequence and abusing our power in the name of self-gratification. Track three, Blue Moon, tells that story. Unfortunately, that short-sightedness usually comes with consequences that eventually catch up to you. The Warlock learns this over the course of track four, Insight. The Void, track five, is the point in the plot where conflict arises between the person using the power and the entity that they draw power from. The last track, The Warlock, is an epilogue of sorts; in this moment the Warlock reflects on himself, how he has grown, and who he used to be.”
What was the process for finding the musical arrangements?
(Hymel) “The process was so long it allowed for the ideas to marinate. It gave the band time to really get to know the songs. Me and the other guys trust Ryan implicitly with his lyrical concepts. All ideas were on the table when it came to writing the music. We listened to one another. Sometimes we’d rehearse a song for 6 to 8 months and someone would have an idea for a new part and we’d try it out and find it worked. Overall though there weren’t really any serious revisions on the song styles. Generally, the recording process was efficient. There wasn’t much we had to do too many times. One cool moment in the process was, on the fourth song, Insight, the synthesizer solo in the middle of the song was a one-take solo. He just plugged it in, nailed it out, and it was done.”
Are there any favorites?
(Church) “My current favorite is Hindsight. I'm super proud of that recording. I love Wade’s execution of doubling my vocals on the verses, and the free time outro.”
(Hymel) “I love all of these songs. When you’re so close to them for so long they (songs) all become your children and you can’t play favorites with your kids (laughs). They all have been favorites at one time or another.”
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
(Church) “This (album) was a huge undertaking and I'm proud of everyone in the band. Max Stratmann also poured himself into making these tracks sound good. I'm grateful to be surrounded by super talented musicians.”
(Hymel) “Thanks for listening!”