Since 2014, The Cud's Evan Kanarakis has interviewed Maine songwriter Chad Walls a number of times to talk on any and all things relating to his band An Overnight Low. Most recently when they met in May of 2017, the band had wrapped the release of their 'travel trilogy' with the album 'Waverley' (preceded by albums 'Euston' in 2014, and 'Piccadilly' in 2015). What is the band up to in 2019? Why, they're back with a new album- and the start of yet another musical trilogy, 'Connolly, Part 1'.

EVAN KANARAKIS: It has been a time since we sat down to talk all things An Overnight Low. Tell us what you’ve all been up to since 2017’s concluding album of your musical trilogy, Waverley (on the heels of Euston, 2014 and Piccadilly, 2015)?

CHAD WALLS: 2018 was our 'So what do we do now?' year. I wrote a lot of songs last year and ended up with an intimidating amount of material. We would typically jump back in the studio and soldier on, but we decided to take a slower approach instead and release singles before a proper album. We also had a slight line-up change in the rhythm section, so we’re currently working with a new player, Tom Pakulski. So far, he’s been a blast to work with. Sam and Mac also played several acoustic shows last year and their voices are blending in new and exciting ways.

EK: Which brings us to Connolly, Part 1. Is this another travel-inspired album? What is it about travel that inspires your music so much?

CW: Whenever I meet someone from another country or a remote part of the US, I’m instantly inspired by how they see the world. Those five-pint conversations tend to stick with me and lead to lyrics when a familiar moment wakes them up. I took Galileo Chains from a Brexit argument I overheard on a plane from Manchester to Dublin. I kept hearing words like revolve, spin and release and that, for some reason, immediately caught my attention. When I allow my subconscious to file those observations away and let them go when it’s time to compose, the songs tend to develop their own cycle. For instance, death, dying and resurrection seem to underpin Piccadilly (second album), but I had no idea that cycle was there until we were done Waverley (third album). Now that the lyrics to Connolly Pt. 1 have had a chance to sink in, there’s definitely a different type of cycle hiding in the music.

EK: We've talked in the past about the ongoing evolution of the band, both in the studio and their live shows. Was there anything in particular that informed the writing and recording of this album in a different way than had come prior?

CW: Oh, definitely. I ditched my uke and started writing on guitar. Chris and Sam were quite pleased about that. Guitar chords obviously lend themselves better to rock songs and, well, we’re rock band.

EK: How much do you feel mixing up the process during recording works for the group? Some musicians are, of course, creatures of habit that don’t always find success in working with new producers and engineers. Is that why you decided to work with Jonathan Wyman again? Tell us about what makes that collaboration work for An Overnight Low.

CW: Jon’s got a great ear and knows how to get the best out of us. He also knows how to make the best use of our time while the studio clock is ticking away and we’re behaving like kids in a candy store. That said, we have enough material to try different recording approaches and curious about what we might sound in a more live/spontaneous setting. Think Elvis Costello’s Blood and Chocolate or Guided by Voices’ Alien Lanes.  We’ll likely call on Jon to record and mix the songs for Connolly Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, but there are songs outside the travel collection that are itching to be heard.

EK: Any personal favorites on the album?

CW: I absolutely love Another Plot at the Wrong Time of June. We have yet to cut the vocals, but I think this one could end up being one of the more satisfying songs in our growing catalog. You can also dance to it, which is an unusual direction for us and, as we all know, Mac needs to get his groove on.

EK: Your first single from the album -Galileo Chains- was released in December of 2018. Why did you choose that particular tune as the single?

CW: Galileo Chains took half a day to record and only a few hours to write. There are a few bands we collectively enjoy, so when I use them as references, songs can come together quite fast. When I said Galileo should sound like Simon and Garfunkel meets R.E.M., we just needed someone to count it off and voila!  It’s a song that really sounds like us and we were excited to let the world hear it. It’s also still available as a free download on our Bandcamp site: https://anovernightlow.bandcamp.com/releases

EK: The changing process of writing and recording aside, how do you look back on the band’s earliest musical efforts of five or six years ago? I imagine you must recognize a tremendous change in your live shows?

CW: We spent a lot of time during the early years of the band trying to figure out how to fit in. We thought that by doing so, we would get better gigs or, at the very least, gain the respect of our local colleagues. We were going through an identity crisis that inspired a lot of self-scrutiny that really affected our sound. Once we learned to let that go, we gained more confidence and became better players. I think we’re at the top of our game right now.

EK: Tell us about your plans for the album’s launch later this year- will you be supporting the release with touring?

CW: I wish we had the ability (and the guts) to plan a major tour, but our work schedules and family responsibilities simply won’t allow it right now. That said, we still have our eyes on getting to the UK/Ireland one day to do a series of radio visits and small shows. It would be an absolute blast to show my bandmates what I’ve been writing about and the people who inspired the first three records. In lieu of touring, you can expect a better online presence from us in the next year. Our CD release might be a broadcast over the Internet instead of a live show on stage.

EK: It goes without saying that the well hasn’t yet run dry for An Overnight Low when you’ve already deemed this album a ‘part 1’. Tell us about the scope and scale of this new series of releases- what’s next?

CW: You can definitely expect to hear Connolly Pt. 1 this year and Pt. 2 in 2020, but we’re hoping to release more lo-fi material in between those releases. How that material will be framed remains to be seen. 

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