For Pete's Sake!

Peter Cimbalo may be best known right now as the pounding heartbeat behind Thee Sharp Pins live trio, one of America's latest pop rock 'n' roll sensations, but under the name Alga he’s been quietly shaping his own world of sound. His latest self-titled LP is a hook-filled, harmony-laden power pop detour that nods to the greats (The Beckies, Utopia, Julian Leal, and Tom-Foolery-era Toms), while still sounding like something straight from the teenage basement daydreams of today. Pure pop imagination in overdrive. To dig deeper, Alga fills us in on his musical upbringing, how the solo moniker came to life and how it will be carried out live, and what it's like riding the whirlwind of Thee Sharp Pins while building a universe of his own.

Hot Sounds: Peter, tell the readers where you grew up and what sort of family you came from. Was making or listening to music important in your household growing up?

Alga: Sure! I grew up in Libertyville Illinois. Both of my parents love music and exposed me to all sorts of classic stuff (The Beatles, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, etc) from a young age. My father is a great bassist and songwriter, and my mother has a beautiful voice and plays acoustic guitar as more of a hobby. So yes, I was very lucky to be born into a family where music is an important part of day to day life. I was never really pushed to make music of my own, in fact I rejected a lot of the stuff my parents showed me at different points in my upbringing. Replaced it with Dubstep for a bit or whatever else [laughs]. But all the tools I needed were around for me to experiment with naturally at my own pace.

HS: When did you first become aware that you wanted to play music and what made you want to go towards this creative direction?

A: My first instrument is drums, and I started playing around 7th grade. One of my neighbors had a Pearl drum kit that he never used, so he very kindly gave it to me and my family. I took to it very quickly and became obsessed with superstar "lead" drummers such as Neil Peart, Keith Moon, and Ringo. I got myself a set of Roto Toms and spent hours playing along to different rock songs in my headphones until I got good enough to begin playing in cover bands. Playing covers was fun, but it became clear to me that writing my own songs could be much more rewarding. Soon I learned guitar and bass, bought a Casio keyboard from Goodwill, and began recording in my basement on a laptop. At this point, I had discovered everyone's favorite home recording acts such as Ariel Pink, Mac Demarco, Hoops, and R. Stevie Moore via YouTube. These artists inspired me massively and not so much has changed! They made it seem very possible to make something immediate and profound all by yourself, without the hassle of going into a studio or finding a label to promote your music. I’ve always liked the idea of making music/art that is an extension of oneself, without the need to compromise that innately comes about with the inclusion of other band members. Complete self indulgence and world building can create some beautiful things because nobody is standing over your shoulder telling you "that's a stupid idea." A lot of times, those are the best ideas! I believe this is why I tend to gravitate towards uncompromising solo acts like Kate Bush and Todd Rundgren as some of my all time favorites and biggest inspirations today.

HS: Aside from playing music, what are some fun super statistics of Alga for the die-hard fans?

A: Oh I don’t know. I was on the golf team in high school! That’s something people probably wouldn’t expect. I was pretty good too, I haven't played in years. I didn't exactly make too many friends on the team so I stopped after sophomore year. Maybe when I’m older I will be like Alice Cooper and play every day. Keeps him away from alcohol I hear. These days I ride a bike and work outdoors at Home Depot to stay active.

HS: What's the story behind the Alga moniker and when did you start recording music yourself?

A: I came up with the name Alga in High School after recording my first few songs and deciding I needed a cool name in order to put them out on Bandcamp. This would have been my 16 year old self, junior year. I really just didn’t want to go by my own name and Alga sounded cool at the time. It's the singular form of algae, and I too am a singularity. Genius I know. I figured I ought to just stick with it, at this point I’ve made my own bed! It comes up at the top of any alphabetical music library though so that's definitely a plus.

Photos by Braeden Long

HS: This new self-titled record reminds me a bit of The Beckies, Utopia, Julian Leal, and Tom-Foolery-era Toms. What can you tell me about how these nine toons came together and what insight can you share about how the album was recorded in your home studio this past winter?

A: Cool! All great references. I used a combination of my Tascam MF-P01 4 track and ProTools to create these songs. All done in complete isolation in my bedroom. I had been listening to records like The Beach Boys Holland, Kate Bush’s Never For Ever, and Todd Rundgren’s Todd over and over. The layering and heavy use of synthesizers on all three of these records was a huge inspiration as far as production goes. After my previous release (In Fours) was so lo-fi and minimal, I wanted to make a new batch of songs that sounded big, with lots of moving parts and layers to get lost in. Lots of 60’s style flanger on the master, dense harmonies, pan knobs working overtime. Blah blah blah. It’s a shorter album being under 30 minutes because I wanted something concise, yet densely packed with different sonic textures. I find a lot of inspiration in certain modern producers as well, people like A.G. Cook and Sophie. While it may not be so obvious I think that their maximalist approach to making music has had a huge effect on me. I tend to get super into the production side of things and this time I really allowed myself to experiment further than ever when choosing sounds and mixing tricks.

HS: How did you approach the songwriting on this album? What did you find yourself mostly writing about?

A: Actually when I first started throwing around ideas I wanted to make a loose concept album following the story of a washed up musician who fell from grace due to music industry grifters, getting back on his feet and rebuilding himself and his career. Think The Kinks Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One or something. How original. I decided I didn’t want to make a concept album quite yet (I will eventually) but you can hear remnants of this idea in the lyrics to "Broken Hearted" and "Every Road." To me, the songwriting on this record is divided into two styles. Some songs on the album deal with classic human emotions, relationship stuff and the difficulty of getting older and figuring out your place in the world. Other songs are more narrative based, such as "Ghost Song" about the ghost of an opera singer who haunts the narrator and provides them with melodic inspiration. Or "Fortune And Glory" which is loosely in reference to Indiana Jones [laughs]. So songwriting wise it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but I like it that way!

HS: Looking back at your previous releases, how do you feel this new one compares both sonically and thematically? What have you learned or discovered in the process of creating this new record that feels like a departure or evolution from your previous work?

A: I think all of my releases so far have been vastly different. I am one of those people who has gone through lots of phases in my music, and I think to some extent I will always be changing my sound. There is no point in making the same album over and over again, and I would rather explore a new sound rather than get too comfortable in one thing or another. That being said, I think I recently have discovered what it is I am best at, and a general musical style and workflow that I can say suits me going forward. This album is certainly a departure from my previous full length album Shooting Star in that it goes for more of a grandiose self-indulgent display of pop music, rather than a mixed bag of more straightforward "indie pop." To me that album almost plays like someone's curated Spotify playlist, while the Alga LP is much more of a singular statement, sonically and thematically. 

HS: My two favorite tracks from this new album are "Revolution (Around The Sun)" and "Broken Hearted." What's the story behind those two? 

A: Glad you like them! Those two were actually some of the first songs I wrote for this album. "Revolution (Around The Sun)" was written as the closing track to the album in mind. I wanted to make something anthemic and triumphant to close out the record, complete with harmonized chants and a big washy chorus. This song went through a lot of changes, I had to actually re-record this song three times to get it the way I envisioned, but it worked out well. The lyrics are about overcoming self-doubt and not letting your own personal problems bring down the people you love. I recruited my dad to play bass on this song because he is just too good. "Broken Hearted" is a Rundgren-inspired ballad with a more atmospheric sound to it. I paid extra attention to the different vocal tones I was using. To me, these are some of the most impactful harmonies on the record. The lyrics go along with that concept I spoke about earlier from the perspective of an older washed up musician. He is reminiscing on the past when he was a young star and audiences sang along at his shows. But now he is old and “broken hearted” yearning for those days again. Something like that anyway. 

HS: You'll be hitting the road again very soon with Riddle M. What do you look forward to most playing these newer songs live? How's the approach different (or the same) live? Who accompanies you? 

A: Yes I will! Very excited to be touring with such a talented artist. The tour kickoff show in Chicago will feature a newly assembled live backing band called The Rhythm, with Joe [Glass] and Kai [Slater] from Sharp Pins as well as Braeden Long and Riddle M Harrison himself! The rest of the tour I will be accompanied by my Roland SP-404 sampler for backing tracks. I have used this device basically from the start of performing live, as it allows me to manipulate the songs in real time on stage. I decided to buy one after seeing how artists like John Maus and Grimes used them to great effect in their earlier live performances. I do believe playing with a full live band is almost always more engaging, as there is more back and forth musical chemistry for the audience to see. However, there is a certain statement that comes with being all alone on stage, completely in control of the sounds coming out of the speaker system. I really love this feeling and have enjoyed being able to add effects and accentuate certain parts of my new songs in a live context using this sampler. Also, some of my new songs would be nearly impossible to properly replicate with a live five-piece band. I don’t think I will ever stop performing with my SP-404, but playing with a backing band is really special! Hoping to do it more often in the future. I guess going forward it will depend on the show. 

HS: What have been some of the highlights for you drumming in Thee Sharp Pins? How did you meet Kai and Joe? 

A: There have been so many! We were able to tour Spain this past May and that was amazing. I had never been to Europe and to see the response for Kai’s songwriting in a place so far away was really something. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people, hoping to go back soon. We also played one show in London as part of that tour which sold out. Met some sweet lads over there. It’s been really cool to meet people who are passionate about the same things we are in every city we’ve visited. Makes it easier to be away from home sleeping on floors and whatnot. The three of us met through music really. I knew Kai first through mutual friends and really met Joe at the first Sharp Pins rehearsal. We’ve all admired each other's solo music and other projects, so from Kai’s perspective it probably made a lot of sense to recruit us into his live band. Having a band with all three members being multi-instrumentalists makes things go pretty smoothly because we can each see things from the other musicians perspective a bit. Nobody is really stepping on each other's toes too much (musically speaking). I think me and Joe understand what Kai wants out of a live band and try our best to achieve it. The boy writes a good song that’s for sure. 

HS: What are some future plans for you and Thee Sharp Pins? 

A: Crash and burn! Just kidding. We’ve got two tours coming up here in September, one short Pacific northwest run, and one Canada/East Coast tour heading down south. Pretty soon after that, Kai’s wonderful new record will be coming out, which me and Joe played on just a tiny bit. Planning to tour that stuff more next year. Oh also we’ve got a few shows planned with our good friends in Mod Lang. The current outlook is tour till we die! That’s the scoop.

HS: Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?

A: I’d say don’t be a purist when it comes to music or art. Try listening to an artist out of your wheelhouse that you are maybe unsure of. My most life changing records are often ones I didn’t necessarily care for so much upon first listen. Be good to each other and don’t let the world bring you down! Thanks so much Joe, hope I did alright.