Q&A: altopalo

Today, envelope-pushing, enigmatic, Brooklyn-based four-piece altopalo, comprised of Jessie Bielenberg, Rahm Silverglade, Mike Haldeman, and Dillon Treacy, share their sophomore album farawayfromeveryoneyouknow. Described by the foursome as “ruminations on a transitional period,” their second full-length LP reveals a more human side to altopalo than what was on show throughout their introspective debut; representing something of a rebirth. Beneath their alien musical transmissions, they deal with thoroughly modern themes of anxiety, embracing your fears, and the rejection of self-care as a lifestyle brand. 

Veterans of the New York underground scene, the four members of altopalo disintegrate the boundaries of genre, folding in elements of electronica, ambient, and jazz through their deconstructionist approach to indie rock. We had the chance to discuss with them the process of releasing their sophomore album farawayfromeveryoneyouknow.

Photo: Jackson Bernard

Do you guys mind introducing yourselves?

Helloooooooo I am Jesse Bielenberg. I do low frequencies and higher frequencies and sometimes mouth stuff @ altopalo.

Rahm here on mouth sounds and fingers buttons. 

Greetings! mike haldeman here - i play guitar in altopalo mostly but also play clarinet, “woo” and settlers of catan

Hellooooooooo, dillon treacy. resident booty shaker, woooer, bump rattler, "aayyyyeeeee", always smilin.

Before starting the band you all were separately immersed within NYC’s music scene. How did the band come together? When it comes to forming an album, what’s the creative process amongst the band members?

We all moved to NYC around the same time (2011), and we were all just pretty hungry for any silly opportunity to play music with people. We were all playing with many different artists and projects, and occasionally overlapped and played other people’s music together as side-men or band members. Whenever that was the case I made a little mental note about how much I liked this person as a musician and as a person, and we all quickly realized that we all really had a good thing going. We were the quartet backing a handful of singers/songwriters/musicians in NYC for a year or two, and after our friendship and collective musicianship blossomed, we started writing and recording our own music as a band just the four of us. 

Compared to then, the process is quite different, since we have matured as a unit and lord-knows as individuals, but it retains a substantial amount of its roots. Our songs are almost always built around a moment of improvisation between any combination of the four of us (we call these germinals). Often it will be someone playing something and others joining shortly in and someone hitting a record in the room. We then pick that apart, distill it to what we like about it, and then use that as our starting point. We'll do that like 20-30 times, throwing away like, 95% of the improvisations, and then chip away to form the sonic world we are building. 

Your most recent album feels like a breath of fresh air, taking elements from electro-R&B and lo-fi. Do you feel that your sound has matured or changed since your previous album?

Our sound has totally changed. We definitely have all matured as individuals and settled into what we each think is sincere, what we like, and what does and does not work for us. We used to struggle a lot to get things to sound good, and we definitely struggle at least a little bit less now too- so that's a sign we are figuring out our process and our voice. When recording we are always getting really emotional and dense so the surplus of feelings usually comes out into the music. 

Lyrically I think we leveled up a bit on this record too. We weren’t afraid or incapable of going to places that are quite a bit more personal and vulnerable. The last album felt a bit more vague and open-ended, and this one still has some of that, but we are going to new places. 

What’s your favorite song off of farawayfromeveryoneyouknow?

I can’t pick a favorite. They all mean so much and such different things, so the favorite changes depending on my moment, but I’ll tell you about an intense reaction I had upon first hearing one. 

I was on a plane for a quick trip to SXSW, and Rahm and Mike sent a link to the group thread with a early demo bounce of what would eventually become party song - they had developed one of the aforementioned germinals - I closed my eyes as we sat on the tarmac and heard the song unfold. I remember wanting to shout and thinking “THIS is the music I knew we could make but didn’t know how.” I think we have each had many moments like that, and each one is a little beacon of our progress and our growth together. :)

Who are you guys listening to?

We have a Spotify playlist of some songs we like and are captivated by. You can listen HERE.