Revisiting An Era When Pop Didn't Always Have Lyrics
There was a time when you could hear instrumental music on Top 40 radio right alongside big-name singers. But, with a few exceptions, the heyday of pop instrumentals ended three decades ago.
Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum Jr. are trying to recapture that era. Separately, the two Nashville-based musicians earn their livings making singers sound good — but they've just put out a record of their own, as the duo Steelism.
On a regional tour of in-store performances, Fetzer and Cullum pick me up in the "band van" — Fetzer's Toyota Corolla — on the way to the duo's first performance of the day. We wind up at an old house converted into a record shop, whose rooms are jammed with racks of CDs, vinyl and cassettes. There's a keg of local beer, and just enough room for a band to set up.
As unofficial emcee, Cullum is the only one who needs a microphone. His voice stands out in Nashville: Cullum was born an hour northeast of London, and admits to feeling a little conspicuous in Music City, USA.
"I do worry that people don't understand a word I'm sayin', especially when I get excited," Cullum says. "It's quite funny, a Nashville band coming on stage playing instrumental twang, and then there's this cockney British guy shouting at them."
Besides, Cullum plays that most un-British of instruments: pedal steel.
Cullum's parents have flown in from the U.K. for these shows. His mom Jackie recalls how determined her son was to find his niche.
"He said, 'Mom, can I borrow the money to buy a pedal steel?'" she remembers. "I'd never heard of a pedal steel before, never ever. And I said, 'Well, tell me what it is, tell me how much it is and what you want it for. Explain the situation.' He said, 'Well, mom, there's so many guitarists in England. I want to play an instrument that nobody else plays.'"
Cullum discovered one British steel player, B.J. Cole, listed in the liner notes of his Elton John LPs, and tracked him down for lessons. Across the Atlantic in Ohio, Jeremy Fetzer was engrossed in his own bedroom studies of classic rock, country and soul guitar. He found his way to his instrument of choice, a Fender Telecaster.
Fetzer and Cullum were backing up a singer, Caitlin Rose, on a European tour when they started coming up with wordless tunes during soundchecks. Then it got beyond the noodling stage.
"Spencer always joked that he had this project called Steelism, and he had a record deal," Fetzer says. "And eventually I just sorta made him turn it into a real band. Turned it into a real band and got a record deal. So we can't joke about it now."
Their debut album is called 615 to FAME. The first part comes from the area code for Nashville, where the first few songs were recorded. "FAME" refers to the iconic Muscle Shoals studio, where the rest of them were cut.
Fetzer and Cullum say they're trying to revive a golden era of popular instrumentals: a time when movie themes, Booker T. & the MGs, The Ventures and even country steel guitarist Pete Drake made the charts without singers in the mix.
"There were big instrumental hits back in the day, and the older generation can be like, 'Oh yeah,'" Cullum says. "They seem to get it more than the younger sometimes. Like, 'Oh they're an instrumental band. Because we've heard of instrumental bands.' But younger people haven't."
"We're hoping it'll be mainstream enough where it'll attract music-geek LP fans and people that aren't as educated on old music will be into it as well," Fetzer adds. "That's the goal."
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There was a time when you could hear instrumental songs on top 40 radio - remember that? - right alongside big-name singers, favorites like Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" or "Classical Gas." But with a few exceptions, the heyday of pop instrumentals ended decades ago. Now, two young musicians are trying to recapture that era. Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum, Jr. have just released their first album. They call themselves Steelism. Jewly Hight of member station WPLN tagged along as they toured indie record stores in Nashville.
JEWLY HIGHT, BYLINE: Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum, Jr. are picking me up on the way to Steelism's first in-store performance of the day.
JEREMY FETZER: Welcome to our band van here.
SPENCER CULLUM: Welcome to the tour bus.
HIGHT: It's actually Fetzer's Toyota Corolla with an amp filling half of the backseat.
S. CULLUM: Do you know the way to the groove from here?
HIGHT: Just go back up to Gallatin.
FETZER: Go back up straight?
HIGHT: We wind up at an old house converted into a record store. The rooms are jammed with racks of CD's, vinyl and cassettes. There's a keg of local beer and just enough room for a band to set up. As unofficial MC, Cullum is the only one who needs a microphone. And his voice stands out in Nashville.
S. CULLUM: Free pizza and beer like a party it is. That's enough of me.
HIGHT: Cullum was born an hour northeast of London and admits to feeling a little conspicuous in Music City U.S.A.
S. CULLUM: I do worry that, like, people don't understand a word I'm saying, especially when I got excited and I'm like, (yelling), you know. It's quite funny, a Nashville band coming on stage playing an instrumental twang and there's this Cockney British guy shouting at them.
HIGHT: Besides, Cullum plays the most un-British of instruments; pedal steel.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
HIGHT: Cullum's parents have flown in from the U.K. for these shows. His mom Jackie recalls how determined her son was to find his niche.
JACKIE CULLUM: He said, mom, can I borrow the money to buy a pedal steel. I'd never heard of a pedal steel before; never, ever. I said, well, yeah, tell me what it is. Tell me how much it is, what you want it for. He explained the situation. And he said, well, mom, there's so many guitarists in England. I want to play an instrument that nobody else plays.
(SOUNDBITE OF B.J. COLE SONG)
HIGHT: Cullum discovered one British steel player, B.J. Cole, listed in the liner notes of his Elton John LPs and tracked him down for lessons. Across the Atlantic in Ohio, Jeremy Fetzer was engrossed in his own bedroom studies of classic rock, country and soul guitar. Fetzer plays a Fender Telecaster.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG)
HIGHT: Fetzer and Cullum were backing up a singer, Caitlin Rose, on a European tour when they started coming up with wordless tunes during sound checks. Then it got beyond the noodling stage.
FETZER: Spencer always joked that he had this project called Steelism and he had a record deal.
S. CULLUM: Yeah. (Laughter).
FETZER: And then, like, eventually, like, I sort of just made him turn it into a real band and got a record deal. So we can't joke about it now.
S. CULLUM: No, I can't.
FETZER: That joke is over.
S. CULLUM: It's become realism.
(SOUNDBITE OF STEELISM SONG)
HIGHT: Their debut album is called "615 To Fame." The first part comes from the area code for Nashville where there first few songs were recorded. Fame refers to the iconic Muscle Shoals studio where the rest of them were cut. Fetzer and Cullum are trying to revive a golden era of popular instrumentals; a time when movie themes, Booker T. & the MGs, The Ventures and even country steel guitarist Pete Drake made the charts without singers in the mix.
S. CULLUM: They were big instrumental hits back in the day, and the older generation, they seem to get it more than the younger sometimes. They're like, oh, they're an instrumental band. We've heard of instrumental bands, but younger people haven't.
(SOUNDBITE OF STEELISM SONG)
FETZER: We're hopping it'll be mainstream enough where, like, it'll attract the music geek LP fans and people that aren't as educated on old music will be into it as well. That's the goal.
HIGHT: Steelism has a lot more to offer than clever references. They also want to craft truly memorable tunes.
S. CULLUM: Think of a strong melody and hook. Melody, melody, melody.
FETZER: Yep. It's about the melody. Both of us are such slow players too. We couldn't pick fast if we wanted to (imitates shredding solo).
(LAUGHTER)
HIGHT: Steelism is not your typical musician's side project. While Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum, JR. harbor no hopes of hitting the top 10, they wouldn't at all mind scoring a movie or two. For NPR News, I'm Jewly Hight in Nashville.
(SOUNDBITE OF STEELISM SONG) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad