ROGER JOSEPH MANNING

Ben Lee On Femininity, Family & Charity

BY JOHN B. MOORE USTRALIAN INDIE SONGWRITER Ben Le e has never been one to spend too much time worried about popular musical trends. For the past 15 years he has been quietly, confidently churning out his own brand of folk/indie pop and managed to amass a solid core of followers who have been followi ng his every move. His latest record, The Re birth of Venus, a fitting tribute to feminine traits, will certainly not disappoint those who have been following Le e all along. His lyrics are just as witty and intelligent as those on Gr andpaw Would, the 1995 debut that first introduced Le e to the record buying public, but with the energy of his later records. Ad ditionally, a portion of the proceedings from The Re birth of Venus will be donated to FINCA In ternational Village Banking program, a non-profit that offers small business loans to the poor. Le e spoke with us recently about his new record, the decision to donate some of the proceeds to this non-profit and the likelihood of a reunion with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds. The new record is called The Rebirth of Venus. Can you talk a little bit about the theme of this record and why you dedicated it to Venus? The themes of this album really center around the idea of the feminine. As a society, we are quite out of touch with the feminine. We value strength, rational thinking, and achievement, without much concern for compassion, nurturing or creativity. I wanted to make an album that was dedicated to these qualities. Venus is the ultimate symbol of these qualities – The Go ddess of Lo ve and Beauty. How long have you been worki ng on these songs? The oldest ones, ‘Ri se Up’ and ‘Su rrender’ were written about five years ago. ‘Si ng’ was written while we were mixing the album. The rest fell in between. Was this a particular difficult record to write? No . Writing is best when it’s easy. What was the inspiration for “I Love Pop Music”? A fantastic song, by the way. I wanted to juxtapose my love for inane bubblegum pop with my desire to be aware of issues facing the world and the desire to be part of positive change. So mewhere in the grey area between those things is a truth about the power of music. You’ve had a lot of big changes in your life recently with your marriage and step-daughter. Have they A AS A SOCIETY, WE ARE QUITE OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE FEMI NINE. WE VALUE STRENGTH, RAT IONAL THINKING, AN D ACHIEVEMENT,

WITHOUT MU CH CONCERN FOR COMPAS SION,

NURTURING OR CREAT IVITY. I WANTED

TO MAKE AN ALBUM THAT WAS DEDICATED TO THESE QUAL ITIES.

added to your appreciation of women? Lo oking after a kid has taught me to be more in the moment and to be more open. I don’t really think of Kate as a little girl, but as a little person. I g rew up surrounded by women so I never felt they were that different.

Can you talk a little about your decision to don ate a percentage of profits to FINCA? FINCA is involved in micro-loan - giving small loans to people below the poverty line – in third world countries so that people can start small businesses. FINCA is particularly involved in a program that helps women in small villages start their own businesses. These businesses can radically transform a community. It f elt like a great initiative to align the album with.

How did you find out about the organization? I read about them online. The great thing about micro-loans is people right across the political and econ omic spectrum agree that it’s the best available system of giving aid at the moment and they have a huge success rate. Most of the loans are

You’ve done a little bit of acting in the past. Is that something you’d like to do again? Su re if the opportunity felt right. I actually just optioned the film rights to an Au stralian novel called “I Dr eam of Magda” that I’d love to turn into a film. I spoke with Ben Kweller recently and he spoke about how much he enjoyed working with you and Ben Folds. Any plans to tour as The Bens again? What was that experience like for you? I loved it. I’d do more bens’ recording and shows anytime. There’s nothing like being in a studio with two of your favorite songwriters.

Anything else you want to add? Thanks for the support.

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. On His Burgeoning Solo Career MUSIC INTERVIEW The Sideman Cometh

OGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. MAY not have the name recognition of a Kanye or Thom Yo rke, but chances are you’ve listened to him for years without ever realizing it. Al ong with putting in time in highly influential bands like Jellyfish, Im perial Drag and Moog Cookbook, Manning has backed up everyone from Beck and Morrissey to Johnny Cash and Gl enn Campbell. His arrangements can also be heard in movies like “Lost in Translation” and “Team Am erica”. Working as a musician for the past two decades, it’s a bit surprising that Manning didn’t put out his first solo record until just a few years ago. He ’s just released R BY JOHN B. MOORE

his second solo record, the eclectically brilliant Catnip Dynamite. Despite a slew of new projects, Manning found time recently to talk to us about the new record, the potential for a Jellyfish reunion (don’t get your hopes up) and the legacy of power-pop.

What can you tell me about the songs on Catnip Dynamite?

Ho pefully that a lot of my longtime fans, even my Jellyfish fans, will find the journey of this album fascinati ng. Ot her than lyrics, which were new, the tracks exist in some form from the last 20 years, going from ‘86 to ‘06. Go ing through and revisiting and rearranging these musical sketches was a personal journey in my musical life and I feel this captures who I am musically.

Do you feel a lot more pressure working on a solo record rather than being part of a band?

No t at all. Being in a band is a wonderful collaborative process and a whole experience in itself. With solo material I am able take some things in stride along with my other ventures. It gives me the ability to revisit ideas at my own pace as with Catnip Dynamite where I thoroughly enjoyed excavating demos, sounds and arrangements.

these projects knowing they will just be around for a short time?

Go od question and I don’t know at the time, that would be like dating a hot girl but give the relations hip only a two year limit. I go in with my all to make great art, great music. With so many variables on any given day with the collaborative process you just have to relax and be ok with the hurdles life tosses at you and you have to navigate the relationships with fellow creative types. I had the privilege to work with two brilliant lyricists/songwriters and the personal reasons we began and eventually went our separate ways were similar. Working with this personality type has been an exploration of my own psyche to what drives this collaborative process and it overall drives the challenge to stay positive, to stay in a loving frame of mind no matter who you are working with in music or in life. Have you ever thought about getting Jellyfish back together - even for just a handful of shows?

Ev eryone would have to clearly be at 100 percent to make it a positive experience. I’ ve remained in contact with everyone throughout the years and we have all moved on musically. It still blows our minds to this date to hear this ongoing love for Jellyfish. It was a miracle to even get signed and to make the music we loved to make during the heights of the Gr unge era.

Are you surprised that Power Pop is having a bit of a resurgence again?

If it’s having a resurgence, that’s beautiful news. Pe rhaps, where previously Power Pop melodies have been so unfashionable, in these times of economic woe and strife, people want a song they can tap their foot to in the car on the way to work. Music has been so segregated, not the big fun house party, there are In die Rock camps, Power Pop camps, etc. so gone are the days of everything goes. At the end of day, all I can do is show up and make the music I love to make.

What music are you listening to nowadays?

A big fan of new things. I’ve been listening to Midnight Juggernauts for awhile. I love anything Justice puts out these days. I love the MGMT record and the new Sa ntogold.

Do you plan to tour behind the new record? Unfortunately no. Finances and logistics given the current U.S. market make it sadly just not viable. I have done a few Japanese tours, definitely a different scenario that works well in that market.

What other music projects are you working on?

Al l kinds of cool stuff. Currently working with an artist from China, Joanna Wang. We are rehearsing for a series of live shows in Ho ng Kong. I am working on sessions for another new Gl en Campbell release. Al so, I do have windows of my schedule where I am open and want to explore opening up my services to work on projects that may come from fans or upand-coming groups that thought maybe they couldn’t reach me. I’ m accessible thru my website and am now on eSe ssion as well.