Jay: Considering that I met Nathan only two weeks prior to the experimental Xmas show (and the first recording session) at a Rivulets solo performance, and that being my take off point into the project, I would have to say that the entire weekend (the xmas show and the first weekend recording session) was pure wonder.  The show was incredible.  I'd never been to the HistoricNorshor Theatre which is an amazing front for the Duluth music scene.  And one after the next, I seemed to meet the key figures, all of whom extended what felt like more than a mere "in passing" introduction. The next day I found myself at 20 Below in Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker's home.  Talk about a leap into a new dimension, I didn't really know what to make of it all.  I felt like a stranger in a strange land except that I was welcomed and was there for a purpose, one Rivulets album.

Did you do anything special to get prepared for recording periods?

Jay: I know it wasn't done as any sort of ritual but, many of the recording sessions began after a tasty breakfast at the 21st Delight. After a few trips to Duluth for shows and recording sessions, one of the servers came to recognize us (kind of a surprise being that we're from Minneapolis) and even remembered our order. The place serves some mighty fine hashbrowns.

Nathan: Just the usual things done prior to a show, only more so: cutting down on the drinking and smoking, trying to sleep more.

You recorded and mixed the entire album at 20 Below with Alan Sparhawk of Low & Black-Eyed Snakes fame. How did this influence the recordings? Would you do it again?

Nathan: In a heartbeat. Alan is low-key in the studio and lets you do what you want. He has the experience and sort of minimalist mindset that mean he’s not going to get too crazy unless craziness is what you’re after. If it can be done with one great mic in one take then all right.

Jay: I would definitely enjoy recording with Alan again. I think he is aware and therefore very precautious about the amount of influence that he asserts. I think that his greatest contributions came during the mixing.  After all, it was his equipment and his studio.  But that's not to say that he didn't give us different takes.  I think that he has fun doing it, trying various effects and such.  And that  enthusiasm carries over but never takes the lead.  It's perfect.

Jay: I think one of the most interesting things that we did later in recording/mixing was taking off a lot of the effects.  It was never weighed down with effects but we tended to want the sound to speak for itself.

Nathan: On Lacklustre, Alan set it all up as usual (guitar, bass and voice live), then borrowed Hollis’ baby monitor and recorded the room through that while we were recording. That signal was used as another track in the song and adds a sort of ultra-compressed, deliberately lo-fi ambience to the song.

How many takes did it take to get most songs right?

Nathan: The core of the song generally took one or two takes. Overdubs if any were added next and sometimes took more.

What were the easiest and hardest songs to record and why?

Jay: I was happy with the recording of Four Weeks.  We returned from a big dinner out and Alan stopped us in the middle of rehearsing cause it sounded right.  I think he caught us off guard and before we knew it, we had it in one take.

Nathan: Stead was tricky because we were out of tape and recording over an unused song. So we couldn’t play too long without recording over the next song on the reel, which we wanted to keep. Alan had to signal Jay from the booth and Jay signal me when it was time to wrap it up That’s why the album version of Stead is shorter than it’s done live.

Do you have a favorite song on the album?

Nathan: Barreling Towards Nowhere Like There’s No Tomorrow. The Optigan bit in the middle, but more than anything Mimi’s presence. Every nuance of what she does on that is just…she amazes me. I think jazz people say “in the pocket”. Mim’s drumming is totally in the pocket all the time.

How did you get hooked up with Tom Herbers at Third Ear Studio in Minneapolis to master the album?

Nathan: Tom is just the guy to use. He’s done a lot of great records I admire. People in New York send albums to Minneapolis to have him master them. He’s that gifted and pleasant to work with.

What were the most important things you learned from the recording/ mixing/mastering process?

Jay: I couldn't believe the subtleties.  Your ears have to be so fine tuned to make out the differences in levels  It takes a lot of patience to get people to agree on balancing the instruments to one another. Generally, manipulating the equipment in order to detect those subtleties was an eye-opener.  I was very much on unfamiliar ground. 

Did anything catch you by surprise when mixing & mastering the album?

Jay: I'm an idiot for this one but when listening to the recordings, the use of different speakers made so much sense.  Something I probably wouldn't have thought of myself.  Not everyone is listening through the same kind of system so it felt good to consider things from as many sides as possible.

Analog or digital?

What was the integral sustenance during recording? (Slaughter reportedly devoured Taco Bell)

Nathan: Water. There’s also a greasy spoon in Duluth called 21st Delight that treats us pretty well for breakfast.

Nathan: They wrote their own parts. Their contributions are brilliant to me. If something wasn’t satisfactory it would be done over, so there isn’t anything on the album that’s all that cringe-worthy. Two songs were left off the album due to vocal performances on my part that I found below par.

Jay: I had an analogy about Mimi's part in Barreling. Since she spent most of the time we were recording upstairs taking care of Hollis, it was like an angel on a bungy cord.  She came down, drummed her signature beat, and disappeared back to heaven.  As for all the others who contributed, I'm glad and I appreciate that they took part in it. 

Who decided the order of songs on the album?

Nathan: I had the general outline in mind throughout recording. Creased was meant to be the first song, for example. There were great white sheets of paper on the walls of my apartment throughout the sessions where I’d outline possible running orders, album titles, overdubs, re-recordings etc. The order itself was finalized in the mastering process with assistance from Jay.

Nathan: That depends on how well this one does.

Jay: One of the first times I thought about this I was reminded of Sidhartha by Herman Hesse (at least I think that's what it was).  The saying about never being able to step in the same river twice....I guess that applies here.  It's different for everyone and it's different every time, but it's your step in/with Rivulets that matters.  It's what you make of it.

Nathan: In the end it’s arbitrary but it seems to describe the sound aptly. It was thought of while walking in the rain. I wanted a one-word name that could represent the project well over various stylistic shifts.

Right now, Rivulets is guitar, bass and voice with occasional guest musicians – any plans to add other instruments permanently?

Nathan: No. Aaron Molina from If thousands plays with us sometimes and it’s always great to have him. It makes for a completely different show. One person can make such a difference, but that’s what Rivulets is all about. Rivulets was designed as me and whoever is playing with me at the time. Jay has been part of that for a while now. Today the ideal touring band would be Jay Kroehler on bass and effects and Aaron Molina on percussion and atmospherics, and that’s quite likely.

Nathan: Yes. I usually look to someone else to answer it. Tracy Jackson from Dreamy records calls Rivulets “underwater folk” and that’s all right.

Jay: It's frustrating.  I want to describe it as something unique but end up using empty genre generalizations. Some that I like though (cause they barely make sense) MopeRock, Underwater Folk.

Nathan: M. Gira or the Angels of Light. It would be nice to do another record with arco where we each cover one of the other’s songs. Dead Leaves Rising were going to cover Swans, that would be good to hear.

Jay: Getting the sound off stage to be as good if not better than what we hear on.

Nathan: The audience, or the segment of the audience who pay so they can drink and talk and be seen rather than listen to the music.

What is the weirdest thing to ever happen at a Rivulets show -- Spontaneously combusting drummers?

Nathan: When Rivulets first started out we used to play a gay hangout called Café Zev. One night a guy came in off the street while we’re playing to wash up in their bathroom or something and left the water running. All of it – sink, toilet, urinal…so in the middle of the set all the sudden there’s a great flood of water coming out from under the bathroom door, which was adjacent to the stage. We stopped for a bit but eventually finished the set as the employees were mopping the floor and trying to contain it all in front of us.

Nathan: Well, anyone who’d have us and put us in front of possibly interested people who haven’t heard of us. I’m not picky.

Where do you plan to tour in support of the Rivulets album?

Nathan: It’s early days yet, but around January we’ll be hitting one or the other of the coasts and back.

Nathan: Just standard tuning, flat. DADGAD and open G sometimes but not often.

How many roadies will Rivulets need and how does one apply for the position? What are the major qualifications you look for?

Nathan: We’re pretty minimal, equipment-wise. Anyone who wanted to follow us around and help us lift stuff would be welcome but there’s no money in it, and definitely no girls.

Jay: No roadies until I get a piano.

What are the 3 main influences on your guitar/bass playing?  Singing?  Other instruments?

Jay: My mood, my diet, the climate.

Nathan: Well the album was recorded over several months in several different sessions, so there’s a lot of listening in there, but the three most listened to overall during that time were Labradford’s most recent - fixed::content, e luxo so and Mi Media Naraja. The whole album was mastered using the second track on Number One of Three by the Body Lovers as reference.

Nathan: Possibly some jazz stuff like Chet Baker’s vocal work and later Billie Holiday, or soul singers like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. Hank Williams – Alone With His Guitar, though even that’s not too surprising. I have a Jimmy Cliff record that’s provides great joy in times of need.

Nathan: rivulets – d e m o s, rivulets – rivulets, remora/dead leaves rising/rivulets – the Alcohol EPs

Aside from ‘musician’, what other occupation would you like to try? Not try?

Nathan: This is it for me now. It’s this or nothing.

Jay: The conductor of a rock band/orchestra/symphony combo or Producer/Composer/Originator of a new Musak

Jay: Usually I like things that I think might sound great coming from a siren....very compelling

Nathan: There’s something about catching a person who doesn’t usually sing singing to themselves that’s really beautiful. The radiator clinking to life for the first time in Fall.

What sound do you absolutely hate?

Jay: I'm not a big fan of ear piercing, high pitched feedback.  It's what I imagine dog whistles to be like.

Nathan: The sound of traffic and sirens outside my window. City noise in general.

What record has most disappointed you in the past two years? Most surprised you?

Nathan: Bloodflowers by the Cure was disappointing. My Red Scare by Frankie Sparo was surprising because it came out of nowhere and is so damn good.

Jay: Nothing shockingly new but I'm grateful to have Sigur Ros' and Auburn Lull's new albums.