Mini-Interview: Sea Wolf

I’m lucky enough to have a group of friends who have great taste in music, and I guess smart enough to trade recommendations back and forth with them frequently. One of the best bands that I recently learned about through this little regular musical pot luck is Sea Wolf, an act fronted by Alex Church, who is also in the excellent LA indie pop band, Irving.

When my friend Josh first sent me the link to Sea Wolf’s myspace page, it only had an early mix of the song “You’re a Wolf” on it, but that was enough to make me track down their self-titled EP. I loved everything on it, but was sad to soon discover that it would be many months before the band would play again or finish its album.

Now, flash forward several months later, Sea Wolf recently played a sold-out night at the cavernous El Cid and will appear this Thursday at The Echo, a show that you really shouldn’t miss if you have any interest in going since the band won't play again until May.

This week, I emailed back and forth with Sea Wolf’s Alex Church to find out more about the band's past, present, and future.

How did Sea Wolf first come together?

Alex Church: Sea Wolf is me with revolving members of The Ship Collective. I began writing songs for Sea Wolf four years ago, but only when I came up with the name (two and a half years ago - and it's taken from Jack London's The Sea Wolf) did it officially become real.

A month later, Ashod from Panty Lions asked me to play a show with them, so I put together a group of a couple of friends and did it. The response was overwhelmingly good, so I decided I to continue, and that was that.

There was a year break between your show at El Cid and your previous show. What were you doing in that time?

AC: Actually, the show at The Silver Lake Lounge. There was a year break because I decided that I didn't want to do another show until I'd recorded a record.

So, the band is you and rotating members of The Ship Collective. How does that work out?

AC: Basically, all of my friends who are musicians are all in bands, mostly Ship Collective bands, and have full-time commitments to those bands. I’m wary of playing with people who aren't friends, or at least friends of friends, so I pretty much use whichever friends are available to play (for shows or recordings).

You're still part of Irving, right? So you're touring with them and coming back for the Thursday show? (And when's the new Irving album out, by the way?)

AC: Yes, still in Irving. Though I have to say here, that Sea Wolf is definitely not a side project of Irving. Sea Wolf is very much a priority for me. (I only say this because of your review of the El Cid show.) I know that people who know Sea Wolf because of Irving will probably think of it as a side project, but I'd like to do anything I can to prevent that.

That said, Irving is back home as well for the next two weeks, and the record comes out April 4th.

You've just finished a Sea Wolf album that I think you've said it will be on sale at the show. Is that right?

AC: Nope. I’m in the process of getting it out to labels right now.

Ahh. So, what are you listening to these days?

AC: Nothing in particular right now, but I listened to Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for "Once Upon a Time in the West" today and it blew my mind.

That's it. Thanks for your time, Alex.

The Echo is located at 1822 Sunset Blvd in the Echo Park neighborhood of LA. Doors open at 8:30, it’s free for 21+ and $5 for –21s , and the bands Meow Meow and The Little Ones will open.