Val Emmich

WHO ARE YOU?
Val Matthew Emmich. Who are you?
I'M YOU. YOU'RE CURRENTLY INTERVIEWING YOURSELF.
Oh. Neat. Go on then.
YOU'VE PUT OUT 5 ALBUMS. WHAT ARE THEY?
The Fifteen Minute Relationship (2001), Slow Down Kid (2003), Slow Down Kid (2004), Sunlight Searchparty (2006) and Songs Volume 1: Woodstock (2007)
WHY DO YOU HAVE ONE LISTED TWICE?
Oh. Because they're basically the same album with a couple different songs, different producers, recorded and mixed at different studios, and released by different labels.
THAT'S WEIRD.
Tell me about it.
YOU'VE SHOT A LOT OF VIDEOS. WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON VIDEOS & THEIR IMPORTANCE?
I don't think they're important at all but they can be fun. Coming up with a visual representation of a song can be a tricky thing. There is risk of possibly over-simplifying the meaning of a song and perhaps ruining the ambiguity that makes it work for some people. I feel mystery is a very important part of music. But I also love film and the emotion that can be communicated through that medium and so making videos for me is toying around with that aspect...channeling a different type of emotion.
SPEAKING OF FILM, YOU'VE ALSO MADE ONE OF THOSE. CORRECT?
Yes. Well, I didn't make it but I was a part of making it. My 2006 album Sunlight Searchparty came packaged with a DVD containing the film It's Only Your Life: The Making Of Sunlight Searchparty. It was an hour long documentary directed by Matt Schuman showing the recording process and showing us discussing the inspiration behind making the album.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A FILM?
Well I've always wanted to make one and I've always enjoyed watching them. I love seeing my favorite bands in the studio even if it is a bit voyeuristic and chips away at that mystery I spoke of earlier. Nevertheless, in my case, I wanted to give people extra incentive to buy the actual compact disc rather than simply download the mp3s. I'm old fashioned in that sense and still value deeply the idea of an album and all that entails i.e. the packaging, artwork, sequence, etc.
THAT'S A BIT NAIVE. DON'T YOU THINK?
Probably. Yes.
WELL AS LONG AS YOU REALIZE THAT. SO I HEAR NOW YOU'VE JUST WRITTEN A NOVEL. TELL US ABOUT THAT.
What do you mean you heard? You wrote it with me.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I'M TRYING TO KEEP THIS PROFESSIONAL. GO ON. TALK ABOUT YOUR STUPID BOOK.
Ok. Well, I always knew that one day I would like to try and take the storytelling of my music and mess around with it in a longer form. It just happened sooner than I would have expected. One day I just started writing and six months later I had a novel.
SO WHAT'S IT CALLED?
Actually. I'd rather not say just yet.
OK. WHATEVER. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE STORY?
Sure. It's about a lot of things. It's about a family with a big secret and about a twenty-something guy searching for the answers.
IS THAT GUY YOU?
No. Let me finish. We watch as this family mystery affects this guy's career, love life and obviously his family life and ultimately see how he overcomes that. It sounds like it might be serious but it's not really. It's quite funny I think.
I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT. SO HOW DOES WRITING A NOVEL DIFFER FROM WRITING A SONG?
Well, there are some similarities and differences. Just like a song, you're still trying to hit that emotional nerve and find some kind of universal feeling but you just have a lot longer to get there. With a song, you're giving a summarization of a story, hitting the most important parts right away. With a novel, you can highlight the quiet details that lie under the surface and to me it's interesting because it allows you to pinpoint things that are very life-like in a way you can't with a song. You can dig a lot deeper.
GREAT. WELL, I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT. SO WHERE CAN PEOPLE GET YOUR MUSIC? THEY ALWAYS ASK ME.
My last two albums - Woodstock & Sunlight Searchparty - are available thru CDBaby. If you want downloadable music, almost all my albums are available through any major online store like Itunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Emusic & Sony Connect. Also, all my albums are available at my live shows. Finally, if you really desperately are searching for something that you can't find, please visit the CONTACT page and let us know. We can always mail something directly to you.
ONE LAST QUESTION. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?
Not sure. At the moment, I'm in the editing phase with the novel and then I'll work on getting that released. In the meantime, I'm continually working up new songs for another record. I think the next release will hopefully come later this year. And then I will probably release another Songs album featuring more b-sides and outtakes. Beyond that, anything's possible.
WOW. THAT SOUNDS A BIT TOO OPTIMISTIC FOR YOU. WOULDN'T YOU SAY?
Yeah. You're probably right. The world is ending anyway. With global warming, in a few years we'll all be under water and singing to the fish.
THAT'S BETTER. THANK YOU.
You're very welcome.