Shimmering Summer Sounds - IndieRec Interview with the Cloud Eleven, January, 2004
By David DiSanzo
http://www.indierec.com

Under the guise of Cloud Eleven, Rick Gallego has released two full length cds of shear pop music ecstasy. Mining 60's British psychedelic pop, West Coast harmonies, 70's power pop, and singer songwriter greats such as Carole King and Paul Williams, Rick has created a consistent sound that is branded with his individual stamp of creativity. Via a love of the California ethos and the complex arrangements of Rundgren and Wilson, Cloud Eleven's two releases capture the essence and soul of "That Summer Feeling" Jonathan Richman wrote about some 20 years ago. It is a music of many colors, and one that executes a clearly defined vision effortlessly.

Guitars ring and melodies swirl while phased harmonies soar and bask in the aftermath of laid back choruses. It brings back emotions I had when listening to AM pop radio in the early 70's as a child, mesmerized by the magic of music for the first time. As Pete Ham sang in Badfinger's breathless hit, Day After Day, "I remember finding out about you", I remember finding out about pop music, when it was new to me. It was relevant. A feeling of cohesion existed, as in Pete Townshend's tale of unified vision by means of an undiscovered chord and a simple note Pure and Easy. Together we breathe a sigh of relief... A whirlwind of promise at your fingertips. This is music that can inspire. forget the overly bombastic U freaking 2! Start again. Start fresh.

Below is an interview with Rick Gallego conducted January 25, 2004. The latest album, "Orange and Green and Yellow and Near", is available now from West Coast Records Listen to samples and order it here.

IR: Prior to the formation of Cloud Eleven, you released an album under the name Jiffipop. Was that your first ever release?

RG: Yes, except for an out of print vinyl EP in the '80s under the name The Singles. That was my first band. It's hard to listen to now, like most music from that period, although lately collectors have been buying up the last surviving copies.

IR: What were your main influences?

RG: Mainly pop from the '60s and '70s, the stuff I was raised on. My mother brought a lot of soft pop records into our home like The Association, Harpers Bizarre, Mamas and the Papas and Harry Nilsson that had a big impact on me, as well as the Beatles and Monkees albums she bought us. In the '70s, it was all about Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Queen, 10CC, McCartney & Wings and Cheap Trick for me. I'd say that's a pretty solid musical education.

IR: What other artists do you admire or that made you want to make music?

RG: Besides the ones listed above, as the '80s and '90s progressed I got into Squeeze, XTC, Elvis Costello, the Posies, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, etc. All bands that were probably informed by the same '60s and '70s music I was.

IR: After the release of your first Cloud Eleven album you watched your label Del-Fi shut its doors, how did you then set about recording and releasing the next Cloud Eleven album (and who runs West Coast Records)?

RG: I had already started recording 'Orange and Green and Yellow and Near' before Del-Fi decided not to option it, and after sending it out to a few other indie labels, I decided to release it myself, mainly to get it out faster. It had already been 3 years since the last one, and I didn't want to wait another 6 or more months for someone else to release it. West Coast Records is just me, period. I'm not very good at promotion, and that's probably why a lot less copies of 'OGYN' sold than the Del-Fi release.

IR: Do you have any plans to release a compilation of all the compilation-only tracks that you've recorded over the years? It would be nice to have them all in one nifty place - especially for completists like myself.

RG: Funny you should ask, that's exactly what I'm releasing this year. 'Terrestrial Ballet' will be a 23 song collection of outtakes, covers, and demos spanning from the Jiffipop period until now. About 9 songs were previously released on compilations or as foreign bonus tracks, and the rest are all previously unreleased. I'm talking with a couple of indie labels about the possibility of releasing this by summertime.

IR: What are you currently up to?

RG: Pretty much preparing the above release, and producing tracks for other artists. I'm actually concentrating on painting now, and doing less music these days, but I'm sure I'll get back to writing a new album soon.

IR: Your music accurately encapsulates all that is West Coast. How is it that you get that across so well?!

RG: I guess it's in the blood. I've lived in California all my life and have never really wanted to live anywhere else. I've lived in beach towns for most of the time, and maybe after a while it just becomes a part of you. I actually didn't get into the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson until much later in my musical education, but once I did, it felt like home. I can't imagine life without those records now.

IR: Your records are filled with pop songs of breathless beauty and arrangement. Attention is paid to detail yet the songs don't sound like they are contrived or over polished - quite a feat. Blue Butterfly for example has such a pretty and breezy melody - what did you have in mind when you wrote it?

RG: I've taken the music that has informed me over the years and put my own spin on it. It's not something I'm aware of, it just comes out that way naturally. I mean, yes sometimes you can pick out the influences, but for the most part I'm glad I have my own sound and voice. Musically, Blue Butterfly just came to me without any forethought, lyrically it's a metaphor for a special someone in my life at that time.

IR: Do you have a touring band?

RG: Not really, I don't play live much. For the occasional music festival or one off gig, I'll assemble a band with friends from other bands. It's hard keeping a full time band together, and to do my music live, you need more than your standard two guitars, bass and drums line up. I'm more comfortable in the studio than I am on stage, the main reason being I have much more control over the proceedings.

IR: Any other words of wisdom you would like to supply to our readers?

RG: Only to seek out and discover as much music from the '60s and '70s as you can, because the mainstream music of today doesn't even come close. There are so many great undiscovered bands and artists from that period that I'm just finding out about myself...it's mind boggling. So much music, so little time.