Artist Interview: Q&A with Listening Party
The Milwaukee folk-rock Americana mainstays talk about the evolution of their sound and their new album.
Listening Party. Photo credit: The Refinery by Jessica Kaminski.
Evolution is at the heart of Listening Party’s story. The Milwaukee Wisconsin act has gone through a few permutations of sound and band members. But their bedrock basis in roots music—folk, rock and Americana—and the influence of artists like Prine and Dylan, The Lumineers and The Avett Brothers have remained steady throughout their decade as a band.
Most recently, founding members Jacob Wood and Weston Mueller parted ways amicably with a longtime bandmate and found themselves a duo after years as a trio. Despite that drastic change and the pandemic, they emerged from lockdown to write and record Been a Long Time Comin’, their fourth album (and their first in four years), which comes out Friday, August 25.
We were happy for the opportunity to ask Wood and Mueller some questions about the recent changes to Listening Party and about the stellar new album!
Carol Roth: Thanks for making time for us today! I’m excited to learn more about you. First off, going from a trio to a duo is a pretty big change. What effect did that have on your music—the sound, the songwriting, the recording process for the new album Been a Long Time Comin’?
Jacob Wood: It had a large effect on the music immediately. All of sudden a third of the song is no longer there. This was a challenge that blossomed into opportunity. It gave us a chance to slow down and really examine each song individually. As arduous as it seemed at the time, we ended with a more refined product, with every note crafted to serve the song.
Weston Mueller: The recording process also changed. This was primarily done as a duo and seemed a little less scary with our current recrafting of the tunes. Going into the studio there was a solid plan of what we wanted out of each of the songs. We had a good friend (Mark Yetchske from Milwaukee) come in and play bass on the album. Mark provided some outside influence and even pointed us in some directions that weren’t examined before (the bossa nova-driven bassline in “Good Intentions”).
However, when it came down to recording, it was the two of us (three, with the wonderful Vinny Milevolte of Axis Studios behind the screen) that recorded the rest of the parts on the album. The creative environment and comradery experienced made Been a Long Time Comin’ a unique time in our lives and a special album to us. We’re excited for its entrance into the music world!
CR: How do you approach live performances? Do you always play out as a duo or sometimes pull in a backing band?
WM: We do still play out as a duo but initially it was out of necessity. First we were seeing how and if the band could continue. Once we retooled and created effective versions of our song catalog, we began looking to add musicians to enhance and cater to the music.
Travis Worth (also from Milwaukee) began playing bass and vocal harmonies with Listening Party in May 2022. We added him as a trio as often as we could, still playing as a duo occasionally through the summer and fall of 2022. In 2023, we added Milwaukee artist Leah Redding on violin and Tyler Furrer (from Fond du Lac) on lead guitar. With this cast of talented folks, we’re able to have a rotation of musicians and perform as a duo, trio, quartet and five-piece full band.
CR: Speaking of playing live, what act would it be your dream to share a bill with?
WM: This is a tough one! If he was still alive, we’d choose Tom Petty. Tom’s ability as a songwriter and storyteller are unparalleled. The reach of his music seemingly transcends time and is relatable on such a personal level.
Next we would choose one of the greatest living songwriters, Chris Stapleton. We've followed his career from The Steeldrivers, as a force in the bluegrass scene, to becoming a name synonymous with country music. His vocal and lyrical mastery are the best in the business.
Listening Party’s Been a Long Time Comin’ album artwork.
CR: Let’s talk about some of the songs on your upcoming album. I love “Reckless”; I’m a sucker for downtrodden or defiant characters in songs (your new record has several of those!), and this track combines both of those qualities. I’m interested to hear the backstory—what inspired this song?
JW: “Reckless” isn't exactly autobiographical, but there are elements that are relatable. For instance, looking back at our reckless youth and even admiring an unearned sense of confidence. Then, through the roads and repetition of life, our reckless youth shifts into something closer to life lessons and wisdom.
This song was written after the end of a long relationship. There was a lingering feeling of that “selfish” and “reckless” lifestyle being a stress on already forming fault lines. Examining that lifestyle in parallel with falling in love too fast (“fell in love with every girl I met”) made its imprint on fully forming the character found in “Reckless.”
CR: I know this shifts over time, but do you have a current favorite track on your album? If so, what is it and why?
JW: I think right now it's gotta be “3 Eggs (Wisconsin Weather).” It's a lighthearted song playing with the idea of a couple quarreling about what to eat or where to go. It's compared to the unpredictability of Wisconsin weather. This is an especially fun tune to play live. There's usually some laughing and clapping during the song when the audience gets a rise from a certain lyric or phrase. The hook of “Just like Wisconsin weather” (especially in Wisconsin) brings a big ol’ smile to some faces, which inherently gets us grinning and having a good time.
CR: That song made me smile too; Minnesota weather is much the same, so I can relate! So what’s coming up for y’all? I know you play locally a lot—any tours or other plans on the horizon?
JW: We don’t currently have any solidified tour plans but are excited to take Been a Long Time Comin' on the road. Right now, we’re continuing to focus on writing and rehearsing with our rotation of musicians to sharpen and enhance our live performance. Been a Long Time Comin' is hitting the world on August 25th, and we’re already itching to record and release some new tunes!
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the primary music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
