In April of this year, Banner Pilot released their latest album for Fat Wreck Chords, called Souvenir. We conducted an email interview with singer/guitarist Nick Johnson and discussed in detail what is arguably their most diverse and complete record yet. We talked about how it was written, the recording process, its lyrics and more. We also conversed about the music scene in Minneapolis, touring and several other topics. After the interview, be sure to check out Banner Pilot’s video for the first song on Souvenir, “Modern Shakes.”

Bill – Tell me about the writing process for this record. You guys have said that you wanted to go for something a bit different from your previous albums. What were some of the reasons for this and do you feel like you achieved your goal?

Nick – The actual writing process was pretty similar to prior records for the most part. Nate comes up with instrumental ideas at home. He sends them over and I try to write vocal melodies. If we think something is worth pursuing we flesh it out in our practice space with the band. The difference this time around was we were way more critical of the ideas. We ended up scrapping probably a full year’s worth of material that we didn’t love. I think 11 of the 12 songs were written in the year leading up to recording. Two were actually written right before, (“Modern Shakes” and “Fireproof”). We surprised Nate when he got back from a vacation last April after already settling on the 12, “Hey, now we think ‘X’ and ‘Y’ actually kind of suck. How hard would it be to write two better songs in the next few weeks?” He delivered!But yeah, we did want to go for something different this time around and not just remake old records. It keeps it interesting for us and hopefully for fans. We tried some different chords, stripped down the vocals and experimented with song structures. I think we did achieve our goal. At least personally, this is the first record we’ve released that I’m totally happy with which feels pretty rad. I think we struck the right balance, hopefully others do too.

Bill – You guys once again recorded with Jacques Wait at the Terrarium in Minneapolis. What was your time in the studio like?

Nick – Awesome! We always love having Jacques at the board. We work really well together and he has great ideas. This time around we weren’t running up against a delivery deadline so the vibe was much more laid-back. We had time to explore different tones, amps and just try out random ideas…like in the bridge of “Dead Tracks” we threw in a Leslie amp, and at the end of “Shoreline” you can hear Danny pounding away on a piano. It was a lot of fun. In the downtime we played our modded Xbox until the novelty of old Atari/NES games wore off. Then Nate brought in his Wii and we crushed New Super Mario Bros. We didn’t collect all the stars though, dis. Next record.

Bill – What do you like best in terms of how the recording turned out?

Nick – I’m really happy with the vocals. I wanted to pull back a bit on the doubling and make it sound more raw/present like it does live. I was hyper-focused on this and I’m sure it was annoying to Jacques at times. Me: “Can you turn down the double?” Jacques: “It’s muted!” Me: “Oh ok, um…sounds good then!”

Bill – “Modern Shakes” is a very powerful opening song and really establishes the mood for the rest of the album. How did you go about choosing that song to be placed first?

Nick – Thanks! We all made mock orders and that one was consistently at the top. I think it kicks in a way that makes for a good album opener and we all liked that it didn’t sound like a typical BP song. Had we opened with something like “Heat Rash,” listeners would think, “Yep, it’s a Banner Pilot album, I know what to expect.” But with “Modern Shakes” they might think, “Hmmm…it’s a Banner Pilot album but something’s a little different – I must listen on!” We’re very strategic.

Bill – A lot of lyrics on the record are somewhat reflective and remorseful. However the last song, “Summer Ash,” definitely retains a sense of optimism. Do you feel like this is an accurate assessment and would you say that each song’s lyrics come together to tell an overall story?

Nick – I’d say that’s pretty accurate. I write all the lyrics after the music is written for the most part, so the vibe I get from it guides the writing in a way. I do actively try to steer away from “woe is me” type themes (with mixed success) and throw in lines to combat that. I’m glad you think the album ends on an optimistic note. As to an overall story, each song is a self-contained narrative, but written from pretty much the same character’s perspective, so that may give it all a more cohesive feel. I didn’t set out to write an overarching story, but if you get that, awesome!

Bill – The topic of seasons comes up fairly often in your writing. How would you say that the harsh Minneapolis winters affect your lyrics?

Nick – Seasons/weather do come up a lot. It’s fun to treat it as a character and describing it can definitely set a mood. Minnesota winters are harsh, but I consciously tried to not be winter themed on this record (i.e. “Drunk in the springtime,” “Summer Ash”). For some reason a lot of the lyrics get written under the crush of the MN winters, so it has a tendency to seep in unless I fight it, which I did. This record is our first to be released in the spring and a few people have said it has a more summery feel, which is great.

Bill – How has Minneapolis’ music scene, both past and present, helped to shape your band’s sound?

Nick – Locally, Dillinger Four has been the biggest influence on us. They actually played the first house show I ever saw way back in the mid-90s. The energy was crazy. I remember their roadie blowing off fireworks during their set and thinking, “This is fucking awesome!” Other local influences have to include The Replacements and the time Nate and I spent in Rivethead.

Bill – What sort of meaning is there behind the record’s title?

Nick – Truth be told, it was the working or “dummy” title for “Summer Ash” and we repurposed it. For a long time the record was going to be called Inertia. I think we drunkenly landed on that in a bar after our Subterranean show in 2013. We were stoked on it. Everyone we mentioned it to, not so stoked. We saw the light and dumped it. I think Souvenir works in the sense that the songs are somewhat reflective of positive and negative memories one takes with them. Places you’ve been and the people you meet can have an impact on you and you carry part of that experience with you. Also, if you buy it from us at a show, boom, instant “Souvenir” of your amazing night. Another plus is it’s way easier to say than our last record’s title!

Bill – What inspired the album’s artwork and who created the cover illustration?

Nick – Nate was really interested in doing something noticeably different, not so dark this time and he liked the fine-art pencil drawing idea. He follows a blog by artist Geffen Refaeli, where she does daily “doodles” (http://geffenrefaeli.com/dailydoodlegram/). Nate showed us one in the studio as an example and it really grew on us. Geffen did some tweaks and voila! It makes sense to me with the album title – in life you collect both flowers and bee stings along the way.

Bill – Tell me about the video for “Modern Shakes” and where its concept came from.

Nick – We thought it was probably time to do a video. All of our focus groups indicated that’s how the “kids” consume tunes now. We started looking around at stock/existing footage and then I remembered this great documentary I had seen years ago about the old Skid Row in Minneapolis, which now is home to a depressing, continually vacant shopping mall. That area used to be cool! Sketchy bars, flophouses – way more interesting than Barnes and Noble and Hard Rock Café. When I started going through the footage so much of it matched up with the lyrics – there were rooftop scenes! And dudes drinking wine! Dudes falling down and walking on railroad tracks! Perfect.

Bill – What were some of the highlights from your recent show in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen?

Nick – We always have such a great time in Chicago. Two years ago at the Beat Kitchen I accidently clocked Corey on-stage with the neck of my guitar doing a dumb rock move. That was the same show Nate almost missed due to an April snowstorm. He was stuck at the Minneapolis airport during our soundcheck while we were franticly teaching Roadie Joe the tunes. Then when we opened up for The Lawrence Arms at their anniversary show we discovered the joys of Malort. Ouch. This year, relatively uneventful! The show was rad, we met a bunch of cool people and the next day we did a photo shoot with the talented Katie Hovland that turned out great.

Bill – After your two shows that you have scheduled in Minneapolis this month, what else does Banner Pilot have planned for 2014?

Nick – We’ve already got some new stuff written and are going to get into the space and start working on new material. The plan this time is to just skip the year of writing stuff we’d end up scrapping and go straight for the good stuff – way more efficient! I’m also finishing up a couple more videos for songs off Souvenir. In October we’ll head to Ybor/Gainesville for Fest, and then hopefully hit the West Coast. Next year we’re thinking Europe and maybe Japan. And for sure Chicago!