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Listening to a Weisstronauts record is a full-on sensory experience. From cover to traycard and from start to finish, the experience is a solid zinger every time. A journey with Pete Weiss and company is a trip through Technicolor landscapes where uniformed apes march in step below shiny spaceships pointed jauntily skywards. Primary ignition commences once the “PLAY” button is pressed. At that, the Weisstronauts roar off into the wild blue yonder, no doubt laughing maniacally as they throw switches and twist knobs — anything to change the sound up a bit. Sound and music in the Weisstronauts’ world always exist on a slightly canted angle.
Like a Magic Eye drawing, the sound eventually sorts itself as the ears become accustomed to following three guitars at once and the brain starts to adapt into thinking along that same canted angle. Pete Weiss sits at the helm of this weird ship, and the affable studio owner/engineer/producer/musician is more than happy to explain the mission plan to anyone interested, be it through exquisitely detailed liner notes or a simple knowing wink.
Weiss has a strong studio background — he was a part owner of Brookline’s Zippah Studio before creating Verdant Studio, situated in southern Vermont. This sounds like any musician’s dream come true — own a professional recording studio, have a lot of toys at your disposal, and record your own music until the cows come home. It’s not exactly like that for Weiss. He doesn’t have any cows and he needs to keep the studio running for paying clients, who keep him busy. While things could be worse, this challenges the Weisstronauts’ recording creativity in terms of arrangements as well as sonic continuity. Furthermore, the past two records have taken two years of recording to complete. Business has been good.
“Owning a studio is kind of like owning an expensive sports car — and barely getting to drive it,” he says. “Basically, we can only record when the studio is free,” explains Weiss, and this is not often. The ‘Nauts’ latest album was recorded in such fashion; some band cancels a recording session, and Weiss runs to the phone to see who is ready to come play. “Everyone has day jobs and some of the guys have kids, so we just see who can make it,” explains Weiss.
The Weisstronauts have a large roster of musicians listed as part of their ranks, but Weiss lists bassist Kevin Quinn and guitarist Ken Lafler as the two core members. Weiss is the centerpiece of the guitar section, and George Hall plays the third guitar, or as Weiss says, “He plays most of the hard parts.” Each player has his own unique style and sound, giving each of the guitar parts recognizable character — the group never has to worry about being left wanting for “character,” as each track on their new record, Featuring “Perky”, seeps personality with each passing sound.
“This is turning more into a collective than a band,” notes Weiss, considering the thirteen-person roster. “Keep in mind we have three drummers,” he says, and the live situation mimics the recording set-up: “When someone calls us for a gig, it’s just a matter of finding out who is free.” The membership of the group is constantly in flux, but it is a happy sort of flux, where someone always wants to play. Weiss does not actively seek new members, nor does he consider the books closed on prospective new members. “One of the good things about recording and producing all these bands is that you get to meet a lot of musicians,” he grins.