Clockwise from top left: Charlie Glenn, Chris Smith, Joe Ferguson, and Robbie King of The Trillions. Photo by Nick Ghobashi
Having snaked our way through the crowded front of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s warehouse, the four members of The Trillions and I entered a massive back room, where rows of barrels sat aging and infusing especially potent beers. We found folding chairs, set them up in a circle and ventured to make the most of the time that remained before Joe Ferguson, Charlie Glenn, Robbie King and Chris Smith were scheduled to take the stage. There was lots to talk, about births especially: of the band’s sophomore album, Superposition; of human beings – Smith just had a son, increasing The Trillions offspring count to two; and of a diversified Richmond music scene that’s currently undergoing its own period of expansion.
Davy Jones: What have reactions to Superposition been like?
Charlie Glenn: It’s definitely a high-revving record, so I’ve gotten a lot of people going, “Wow, this is punchy!”
Chris Smith: We had a lot of hype going into the creation of the record, and it took a lot longer than we expected, so everything died back down. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the record’s done! So that’s been cool, catching people off guard.
Robbie King: D’Angelo inspired us.
Did it take a while because you were busy, or did you always intend to take your time?
CG: Well, there’s kids. …
CS: Well there was a kid, now there’s kids. Our schedules are difficult, but I don’t think we were in any rush, really.
CG: We wanted to make it really good. We had a good studio [Montrose Recording] and good sounds and everything, and we wanted to live up to all that.
I’ve seen people describe this album as darker.
RK: Darker, maybe a little sludgier sometimes. Still a ton of pop influence, so it’s a weird dichotomy.
CS: I feel like that dichotomy has been the essence of this whole band. The trick has seemed to be we’re going to have these complex, intricate arrangements that don’t lend themselves to an easy melody, and the cool thing is going to be to lay a melody right on top of it that people can sing along to.
So much has happened between your last record and this one – do you feel like the same band?
CG: When we were getting started [as a band], we had to learn how to play like The Trillions. We had an idea, but it’s demanding stuff. We know how to do it now, for one thing. We can play with more confidence. But also, when we did the first [album], everything was rehearsed when we went into the studio. For this one, not everything was already written, so we got to write in the studio. I love doing that.
How has fatherhood changed band life?
RK: My kid was born right before we did the first record. I took paternity leave, so I did all my parts during that. As soon I found out my wife was pregnant, I saved up money so I could take a huge leave and ended up doing seven weeks off. [My son] got to come to the studio [during this record] a couple times, which was neat. I played the album for him today and he picked up some of the themes of the songs, too, which was just weird.
Is he musically inclined?
RK: He can hit drums.
CS: He’s going to be whether he likes it or not.
RK: That’s right! [laughs] He loves singing and goes to bed listening to a record. Usually Star Wars. We’ll see. I’m not trying to pressure him into it too hard.
How about you, Chris?
CS: Since my son is only two months old, it hasn’t really affected [the band] too much. We were done with the tracking, at least my stuff, so my only responsibility was input in the mixing and mastering process. … Leading up to it, when you have a pregnant wife, getting out to the studio, or even trying to plan meetings or plan shows is tricky. I try my best, and my wife is very supportive and always has been.
How about the other bands you’re in, like Charlie with Avers and Joe with the Awesome Few. Is it hard finding time?
CG: I mean, we do.
CS: [Joe] doesn’t even live in Richmond.
Where do you live?
Joe Ferguson: Fredericksburg. The Awesome Few practices twice a week, and we’ve done that for the last three or four years. It’s a rudiment at this point. I limited myself to weekend shows, so it’s pretty manageable. … The more I worry about it, the worse I am, and I learned that from my time in Richmond. Just kill expectations and have a good time and everything will be fine. That’s how I think my philosophy has changed between the last record and this record. I just have fun now and don’t expect, necessarily, anything out of any of this. If it stops being fun, there’s no point to it to me anymore, but it’s still very fun.
It’s definitely a time of expansion for Richmond – the Broadberry, Spacebomb, Jellowstone – what’s it like being in the center of that?
CS: To be considered along with groups and entities of the caliber of Spacebomb and Jellowstone – what Adrian [Olsen] has been able to put to together at Montrose, what Lance [Kohler] has done at Minimum Wage, what Rand [Burgess] has done with the Camel and the Broadberry – it’s awesome. But I think my favorite of everything Richmond has put out recently has to be that Natalie Prass record. That thing is flawless. … I’ve been here 12 years now, and hands down, right now, this current moment is the best.
CG: Still, as such, it can be better. More. Better. But I’d agree ... the styles and sounds of the groups here are so widespread. You can go to see four bands that all sound completely different – no one is stepping on each other’s toes – and they all do whatever it is they’re doing very well.
You can purchase the The Trillions sophomore album, Superposition, on iTunes and find more information about the band here:
