Interview – Chris Lynch with The Dust of Suns Ensemble – Dreams For Hannah

By Rebecca Marx

Multi instrumentalist and vocalist Chris Lynch is quite the enigma with his brand new record Dreams For Hannah. I have to admit that when I first learned of it, I was both intrigued and bewildered. This musician that I knew from rock bands was releasing what? Definitely an out of the box piece of elegance. I had to pick his brain to see just what makes him tick.

Dreams For Hannah is certainly a bit of an “against the grain” project. What made you decide to make a whole record of original pieces – of “romantic waltzes, musettes, and tangos”?

CL:  Yes, definitely a different recording project for me, but in every way the approach was the same as making recordings with The Picadors, Eller Lynch, or The Shiny Lights in that I wrote songs, worked up arrangements and let the musicians work up their own parts and recorded them-stylistically, they were influenced by my accordion repertoire which is way more folk dance music than it is classical- although in the musette accordion music you can hear many simplified elements from romantic era classical music – this is true of a lot of Tin Pan Alley music as well – at least to my ear – so its kind of a 90’s pop dance album. 1890’s that is! I actually wrote a couple and thought – I love this kind of music! And just kept going – I’m still writing songs like this in my spare minutes, so if you like it maybe there will be a volume 2 🙂

The record is a 10 song on a 10-inch vinyl record preparation, certainly unique – why?

CL:  I always loved little 10 inch vinyl records-the format is very cute, and it fit the antique quality of the live to tape sound for me-vinyl surface noise meets tape hiss! Like an old 78 rpm record.

The cover art photograph is quite striking, soft and luminous – who is its subject?

CL:  So, the cover photo is s cool old Polaroid of my wife Hannah and I thought it looked so cool and antique and that it went the music – I named it to go with the music and photo – I originally called the pieces dream songs as I was working on them so, dreams for Hannah fit – it was originally going to be called “Reves Pour Hannah” but my French pronunciation was laughable so I had to settle with the fact that it was made in France to satisfy my Francophilia!

Is this a solo project, or were there collaborators on it?

CL:  Well it’s solo in the sense that I wrote the pieces and they are very personal expressions but collaborative for sure for part creation for the ensemble and overall arrangement ideas – I love it when musical friends create their own parts so they can create and put themselves into it – I included demos on the digital download card which show the solo side of the songs but my heart is always happier when friends are involved. I played with this little grouping (The Dust of Suns Ensemble) at Fest du Nord and was so grateful that they would consider recording this music. The ensemble includes: John Munson of Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic, New Standards! What more needs to be said right? But he’s also my old roommate and midnight commiserator. He produced my first records with the Picadors – and what a singing voice! I love him.
Anna Lee Roberts is a music therapist, and plays with Natalie Lovejoy and is such an interesting dreamy person – and her cello tone is so haunting and Celtic at times!
Phala Tracy is such an amazing musician-I really felt musically outclassed at times – but she’s such a kind lovely person – I wish I had more time to get harp solo versions of these pieces! She teaches harp out of her own studio: Studio Fidicina!

For most you are more recognizable as a rock musician with the band The Shiny Lights, can you detail your musical background?

CL:  I have a bit of a classical background; I studied classical violin and piano and was in the metropolitan boys choir as a kid – I’m a terrible rock musician – but I think I’m a great rock performer when I get revved up by the music-my tunes in The Shiny Lights are not very rocking but I can hide behind John Eller in that combo! John brings the rock like no one else in Minneapolis 🙂

Interestingly enough, I was with a friend at the Rock For Pussy David Bowie Tribute last week and I mentioned your project. They said that they thought that you seemed happier at the keys, rather than the guitar. What do you think of that observation, given that you are a multi-instrumentalist as well as a vocalist?

CL:  I love playing any instrument but I’m really a pretty bad guitarist! I like to write a bit on guitar though – my kid has been studying classical guitar and I can see myself taking that up – but I think I can play piano a bit better than guitar due to early instruction – I love playing my accordion – especially the French cafe music. I’m a hack at everything, but I love writing little ditties on any instrument I can get my hands on.

I particularly found the track “A Gray Translucent Raincoat” quite melancholy, yet moving. What can you divulge about that song?

CL:  I was trying to channel Satie on that one, but when it was done it seemed to be trying hard to reach the beauty of the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” composed by David Shire – the lead character Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman wears a translucent gray raincoat throughout the movie-it’s my favorite song on the record!! Munson’s bass line is soooo cool.

You open the Dreams For Hannah with one of my favorite tracks: “The Love Soldiers Wedding Waltz”–I even adore the title. Is there a story behind it?

CL:  The Love Soldiers is my band with my wife Hannah! We played one gig about 20 years ago at the entry – but it was one of the best shows ever put on in the history of world – If I do say so myself 😉 we’ll rise again and make our own album soon! I was again trying to channel Satie on that one, je te veux specifically because it was our wedding song – I have to say I in no way think I attained these lofty goals I set for myself with these songs, but I love them anyway! Hey, I really tried to make something beautiful, and effort should count for something right?

“The City Sparrow” is a lovely tango and “Besmirched” an uplifting waltz, is there a classical inspiration that you draw from?

CL:  The City Sparrow was the first one I wrote and that one I originally wrote to add to my accordion repertoire -I should explain that these tunes were all written on a early version of the Wurlitzer electric piano but most were influenced by accordion music-I just loved how they sounded on piano so when we recorded, Phala and Anna and John pushed for a grand piano sound so I switched from electric to acoustic for recordings – The City Sparrow is one that actually sounds pretty good on accordion and is the most French musette like to my ear. My son Mick named this one and 4 others on the record 🙂

When an artist creates something that does not necessarily fit into whatever the “popular” culture is dictating at the moment, I wonder what sort of muse propels them, and to what end it is created?

CL:  That’s a good question, I just kept writing these little tunes and absolutely knew I had to do this record – it was an absolute compulsion and I am so grateful I got to make it – I had the whole thing envisioned and it turned out exactly like the vision I had – totally muse and dream driven – I never considered for a minute that anyone couldn’t like it! We are all so certain everyone loves what we love, and I love anachronism John Munson really read my mind and pushed this through – he could hear exactly what I heard in the original demos and Phala Tracy on harp and Anna Lee Roberts on cello really made the dream real and beautiful – I love them and love how talented and how heartfelt their music making is.️