New Hampshire’s own singer/songwriter Ezra Cohen has been releasing solo music and touring for years now, but only recently started recording with his new pop rock outfit the Big City Band.
Earlier this year, the band self-released their first EP, Scream Your Head Off, a DIY punk affair. Now, Ezra Cohen and the Big City Band have just released their first full length album together, Worse for the Wear, available on vinyl via Dead Broke Rekerds. Ezra shares with New Noise some thoughts about his songcraft and his feelings about recording with a full band in the studio below.
Congratulations on the new album Worse for the Wear out on Dead Broke Rekerds, your sophomore album and the first LP featuring the Big City Band! Who are the other members of the band, and how did you link up with these guys?
The other guys in the Big City Band are Chris Kennedy, Tyler Mills, and Jeremy Cunningham! They’re the best. We’re all just buds, and thankfully they’re nice enough to play my songs with me!
I noticed the phrase Worse for the Wear doesn’t show up in any of the lyrics on the album. How did you come up with the title?
My old boss would actually say that phrase a lot, and it really resonated with me. A lot of lyrics on the album related to getting older and approaching life differently than when you were in your early 20s. Also, it makes me think about being sore and overworked, which I definitely was during the period when I wrote these songs.
On this record you went for a wider range of styles and a much bigger, melodic guitar-based pop-rock sound. The production value is more pristine than your first EP with The Big City Band, Scream Your Head Off, which had more of a DIY punk vibe. The Replacements, early Wilco, and Tommy Keene all come to mind when listening to Worse for the Wear, but the sound is all your own. Tell me about your thought process behind recording this new record, who recorded, mixed, and mastered it, and how it feels to have your songs realized by a full band in the studio?
Alex Salter did the full record! He’s a genius with production. I think the combination of his production and the full band playing on it really helped us achieve a new sonic level. These guys are such good players that I feel really free to explore new territory because I know they’ll be able to make it sound amazing.
Your last lengthy release was a much more subdued, restrained effort, Big Sky. What’s it like to move between those two worlds? Is it intentional or is it just how these songs come about naturally?
Kind of natural! Big Sky is a lot of songs I play at solo shows because they’re quieter. All these songs were written as a full band so it feels most natural to play them that way.
Do you have a favorite song from the new record? Any you love to play live with the band?
Production-wise I love “Jesus Valley Road.” Can’t believe we made that song. I think “Kick Back” or “Get A Fix” would be my favorite to play live.
I noticed a theme of tuning out from the negative impacts of technology on the album, especially towards the beginning of the record with “Get a Fix” and “Fire Escape.” What’s it like having one of your primary sources of promotion be your Instagram account, and what has your experience been like using social media in that way as a musician?
Oh, man. I hate it. Ha, ha. I’m fully addicted to my phone and it’s horrible. I really wish that it wasn’t part of running a band, but unfortunately, it’s super necessary. That song “Get A Fix” is kind of about how we’re all addicted to something bad for us that helps us get through life. Mine is definitely my phone, and also coffee.
You recently recorded and mixed the Massachusetts based melodic punk band Hedge. I think their debut album is stellar and I was a huge fan of The Young Leaves, one of the singer’s previous bands. How did this project come about and what was that experience like? Do you have any other recording projects lined up and do you plan on doing more of that in the future?
That was a seriously incredible experience. I was still fairly new to the recording game when they asked me to do that. I can’t believe such an amazing band trusted me to work on their record. I’m hoping to work on their follow up in the next year or so. I have two recording projects to start when I get home from this tour, and I’m hoping to get more before the end of the year.
Music is your primary art form, but you also dabble in other arts. For example, you design your own shirts. What other art forms are you drawn to?
I want to be good at visual art so bad, but I don’t know if I have the natural talent for it. I do love it, though. Our bass player Tyler designs a lot of our stuff now, and he has a real natural talent for that.
In the past, on the breakout 3 Songs EP, Max Grazier played slide guitar, and on your first solo full length The Sweet Million, Max Stern played slide guitar and Molly McDevitt from Small Pond provided backing vocals. Are there any special guest appearances on this record that we should be aware of?
Yes! My friend Emma Booth played violin on “Jesus Valley Road.” It came out incredible!
Chris is a talented and tasteful lead guitar player. On this record, he sounds a bit like GBV’s Doug Gillard, his riffs echoing some of the vocal parts on “Fire Escape” and providing some cool effects like pinch harmonics and droning feedback on “No Saint.” What’s it like playing with someone so versatile like that who has such a strong feel for what’s right for these songs?
Chris might be the best guitar player I know. He’s a shredder, but he plays to serve the song. It’s the perfect combo. I feel constantly lucky to know that dude and to get to play with him.
Is writing always collaborative with the band in the practice space, or do you hand the songs over to them and have them add their own layers on their own?
This record was fully hashed out in the practice space! I’d come in with the shell of the song, and the band would write their parts around that idea.
“Fire Escape” is definitely another smash single in the same vein as “The World’s In Love With You” in that it instantly connects with listeners. It’s an earworm. In fact, every chorus on this record stays in your head, a staple of your signature sound. In your songwriting process, do the hooks usually come first? Is that something you place emphasis on early, or do those parts come about in other ways?
Yeah, absolutely! I always want to leave the listener remembering at least part of the song after the first listen. That’s my number-one goal when putting together any song.
“Out of Tune” brings back the jangly Lemonheads- and Gin Blossoms-inspired sound of the 3 Songs EP. What was it like putting that song together, and how did you feel about playing a solo of your own on this track?
I was kinda nervous about it because Chris is such a shredder. I love the way that track came out, though. It was a favorite of Alex’s if I remember correctly. Gin Blossoms was definitely the goal for that one.
Speaking of your guitar playing, what model guitar are you playing these days?
I just got an Agile Les Paul with a Duncan pickup on the bridge! I honestly love it. I played a Telecaster Deluxe forever but wanted to change it up.
“The Wolf” is definitely the most surprising song on the album for me in that it fully embraces an alt-rock tone in the best possible way. How did this song come together, and how do you think this new sound fits in on the album?
That’s a funny one for sure. I really wanted to channel Neil Young on it. A song like “Cortez The Killer” is probably my best reference point. I actually really love playing that, but it’s a bit long, and I worry about maybe losing people’s attention or something. Definitely the outlier track of the record.
“Kick Back” feels like it’s grappling with some serious subject matter, but the lyrical content seems a bit elliptical and personal. What’s this song about?
That song is actually super old, and it’s funny because I can tell the lyrics are a little more angsty than I’d write these days. I wrote about an old friend that was kind of stuck in a cycle of stagnancy. It’s about the feeling of wanting to help a friend but realizing they need to want to make a change first.
“Kick Back” also has one of the most striking moments on the album. Towards the end, Chris rips an emotive solo over a breakdown part. He sounds like Richard Lloyd mixed with J Mascis. Was that always how this song was structured given this was originally for a previous band, or was that a late addition?
We actually wrote that whole section together! Can’t remember what used to be there, but I love the part we came up with!
Vocal harmonies feel so essential to some of these songs. The chorus of “Kick Back” and the second verse of “Get a Fix” come to mind. Do any of your bandmates harmonize with you when you play these songs live?
Tyler and Chris both sing live! It’s been nice having them help me out.
“No Saint” reaches for a more rootsy sound and definitely touts some country touches, but it’s pretty heavy and features a strong hook. What came first here, the lyrics or the music, and what kind of character is this song about?
I think the music came first for that one. I think maybe I wrote it on acoustic guitar. I can’t quite remember. That song’s about how sometimes the people who talk the loudest about what’s right and wrong are actually the ones you have to watch out for. A lot of my friends who are the best people don’t need to preach to others about it. They just practice kindness and don’t expect anything in return.
Tell us a bit about “Jesus Valley Road” and how it came together in the studio. It’s a beautiful closer for the album. Can we expect to hear this one on your upcoming tour? Also, do you reference Alton, NH here?
Yes, exactly! My wife and I have this funny little camper thing on the lake up there. I was going up there a lot while writing these songs. We’re working this one into the set! It’s a little bit of a different speed for us, but I love it.
Any interesting songwriting or studio anecdotes about the songs we haven’t talked about from the album?
We did some crazy long days making it! Two 11 hour days for drums and guitars, I think. Ate a lot of Katz Deli sandwiches in Dover, NH.
Are there any up and coming artists from the seacoast New Hampshire area or New England in general that you could tell us about? I know you’ve had the opportunity to play a lot locally, and our readers might not be aware of some of the excellent bands to come out of this area.
Definitely! Some faves right now are Happy Just To See You, Rick Rude, Hell Beach, Grublord, Sponghead, Zinc, Small Pond, and The 2000’s.
What are your big influences for this record? I know in the past for songs like “Catchin’ Up” on The Sweet Million you noted Paul Westerberg’s Stereo and on “Sixteen” you noted Tom Petty’s “The Waiting” as a big inspiration. Are there any records or songs that come to mind that inspired the feel of some of these new songs?
Honestly, The Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind. I wanted this record to be a big-sounding, ’90’s style pop rock record.
What are your top five desert island albums that you couldn’t live without nowadays?
Oh man, that’s tough! I’ll try my best, though.
The Replacements – Pleased To Meet Me
The Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray
Royal Headache – High
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Al Green – Greatest Hits
What’s next for Ezra Cohen and The Big City Band?
More writing and hopefully more shows! We don’t have much when we get back from this tour. So hopefully we’re just gonna start writing another record.
Worse For the Wear is out now, and you can order it from Dead Broke Rekerds. Follow Cohen on Instagram for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Ezra Cohen
