Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Featuring members of Pinback, No Knife, Phasers on Stun and Rocket From The Crypt, San Diego’s miniaturized are prepping for the 31 March release of their debut, self-titled album (pre-order). Guitarist/vocalist Timothy Joseph rolled the dice with TGEFM and we spoke about their origins as a one-off Tom Petty cover band, what’s next and the importance of supporting local art.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the upcoming release of the self-titled record. What can you tell us about the formation of miniaturized and the songwriting process on these tracks?
Howdy Ed, and thanks for having me 🙂
The band was born initially in 2020 as a one-off project for the Grammy association’s charity, MusiCares. Which is a great organization that helps musicians who are injured and can’t perform or are inundated with medical bills they can’t pay. They also do a lot of work helping musicians with addiction/dependency issues. The concert was to honor the music and legacy of Tom Petty as not only myself, but a lot of my friends had always been huge fans of his songs. So we set a date and got to rehearsing around 30 TP & the Heartbreakers songs for the show. The night was a huge success and we all had a blast. Shortly after the show, I hit a songwriting streak. These songs had a different vibe than my previous work as they were less angular and aggressive and leaned more toward a melodic commentary on the human condition. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that dissecting all of Petty’s songs didn’t change my perspective on songwriting a bit. His songs as a whole seem deceptively simple, but when you start to take them apart, you realize the genius of his arrangements and the power of his lyrics and their emotional arc. So with this new perspective, new songs began materializing almost everyday. I wrote 25 or so in just a few weeks. It made sense to record them, so I called the guys from the Petty band and started sending them the demos. At that point, we were just gonna go into the studio for a couple of days and knock the songs out for fun. But everyone’s touring schedules and other obligations made making time for it difficult. So i continued to work on the demos myself, refining things here and there and shaping the songs into more complete versions of themselves. One day, while I was at the studio working when a friend of mine stopped by for a visit and I played him some of the demos. I told him my plan about recording the songs and he suggested that the material needed an outside producer. Telling me that if I helmed the recording, it would become another record with my usual ‘San Diego’ sound. He felt that these songs needed a different ear/production style to help them be fully realized. I took his advice to heart. After a few emails/phone calls and the demos being passed around by a few of my friends, I received an email from Mitch Easter who said he was listening to my demos while sitting on his front porch in Winston Salem North Carolina and really dug what he was hearing. Being a lifelong fan of Mitch’s work, I was humbled and incredibly excited. Before I knew it, I was picking him up at the airport in San Diego and we began a 9 day recording session for what would become the debut album from miniaturized.
You guys have all been at this for a few years now, what about the chemistry of miniaturized separates this project from your previous ones?
Although I’ve never played directly in a project with any of the guys in the band before, I’ve known all of them and admired their talents for some time. We’ve all played shows together with our respective bands or toured together so the friendships and mutual respect and admiration for each other was already there. Being in bands since I was a kid, I’ve learned quite a bit about collaborating with other artists. I think staying focused on what drives a musician to play is paramount. What’s special about this band is that we all agree that our first priority is to have fun playing together. That feeling of making great sounds with your friends is why we all started playing in bands in the first place. In miniaturized, that feeling is prevalent every time we make music together. It feels to me, a lot like that first time I felt the overwhelming power and satisfaction of that mystical connection playing with my friends as a kid in a garage. It’s a thrill, honestly. Almost indescribable as a feeling. It’s like catching your first wave or going downhill fast on your bike at dusk for the first time. That feeling happens for all of us every time we get together. It’s especially thrilling playing in miniaturized as the level of musicianship is very high. We are all just better musicians now.
What stood out most to you with this recording compared to your previous trips to the studio?
The biggest factor was definitely Mitch Easter. Being an engineer/producer myself, I’ve worked with a lot of bands in different capacities. I’ve also worked with quite a few producers as an artist. Mitch has made some of my favorite records of all time. His production on R.E.M.’s Murmur literally changed my perspective about how rock music can sound. So getting to work with him, learn from him and collaborate on my songs together was an honor for me. In my opinion, Mitch’s work basically paved the way for what is considered ‘alternative rock’ today. Getting to work with one of your heroes is definitely a thrill.
The term supergroup gets thrown about quite a bit, and miniaturized is certainly a band whose pedigree has earned the title, but how, if at all, does the pressure of the moniker play into the songwriting? How do you cope with the high bar you’ve set for yourselves in the eyes of the audience?
I think I can speak for everyone in the band when I say that none of us consider ourselves a ‘supergroup’. That moniker just seems ridiculous as our past accomplishments as musicians don’t have any bearing on this band. The four of us are consider each other as equals, parts of a whole. We don’t consider ourselves super in any capacity. We are all career musicians who love playing together and are having a great time doing it. As far as expectations go, the reason we are all vibing in this band is because everyone brings a high level of musicianship and energy to the sound. The appreciation is mutual all-around and I think the audience picks up on the fact that we’re all feeling that way when we play. That feeds our desire to play at our best every time and when we do, well, It feels just super.
What effect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
A great deal, actually. When I was composing these songs, the state of our country and the world at large was precarious to say the least. It still is. A worldwide pandemic, lockdowns, the harsh divides and immovable conviction of leaders and followers on all sides of the political spectrum. The unwillingness of people to compromise or try and solve our differences peacefully and logically. It really exposed the fragility and flawed idealisms of humanity. Especially here in America. Here we all are, so privileged to live in a country that gives us every freedom imaginable and yet there are those who condemn others for their way of life without any tolerance for our differences. The American divide is a very serious problem for everyone. It’s devastating to be witness to it and unfortunately, we are all forced to participate in it as everyone is affected. So a handful of the songs on the album are commentary on the modern human condition and our inability to see past our own flawed idealisms.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
I’m really into Meat Wave from Chicago. Their new album Malign Hex is a post-punk gem. They are a three piece that covers an incredible amount of sonic territory and are a killer live band. Also, a shout out to San Diego’s own Swami John Reis who always puts out great records but his latest solo effort is a glorious listen. I also like Polyphia, that guys’ guitar playing is completely ridiculous. Check out Adrian Quesada. He’s the Black Pumas Gutarist/producer. Also Allen Epley‘s solo album, Everything. There are so many great artists creating, we all need to share the stuff that moves us.
* Now that the world will soon have its hands on the record, what’s next for miniaturized?
Touring. We are planning to get on the road and play for people as much as possible. Connecting in a live setting is where it’s at for all of us. We also are already working on new songs for our second album and will be integrating them into our live set as we go. We hope to come to a town near you this year!
* Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I don’t think you missed anything. Your questions were poignant and thoughtful. Interview questions can tend to be trite and pointless, so I truly appreciate your focused questions and giving me the opportunity to elaborate about the band, our music and our plans moving forward. Many thanks, Ed!!
Oh, to your readers: Support your local bands!! If you can, go to local shows, be involved in the scene, especially if you’re an artist. Make yourself a part of something bigger. Art only thrives and connects when it is shared and advocated for. It is up to all of us as lovers of music to support the art and artists we connect with. Go to shows, discover what moves you and tell people about it. Find new music, spread the word.
Thanks so much for all you do at That’s Good Enough For Me
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
