Ham1
By Charley Lee
Photo by Ben McCormick

The idea of pop music is many things to many people, but to local Athens band Ham1, it's all about getting a solid foundation and building from there. Vocalist and guitarist Jim Willingham has much more to offer from his personal stash of building blocks.
"Isn't pop music just good music?," he says.

The casual musical friendship that begat Ham1 emerged from Chris Sugiuchi (trombone, bass, voice), and Willingham's first band, The Prince Rondavels. Forged from their mutual admiration of spaghetti westerns, Hawaiian steel guitar, The Velvet Underground, Lawrence Welk, surf, garage rock, country, as well as their relaxed dispositions, Ham1 began to take shape as a stitching together of all kinds of pop touchstones.

"After The Prince Rondavels folded, Chris and I added Jacob Morris on cello, keys, bass and Eric Harris on drums, and occasionally ukulele," says Willingham. "It started to rock more and more, but we still have retained the original dynamics we were going for - we kept playing with brushes, an acoustic guitar, horns and cello. Nowadays the brushes sometimes thunder chaotically, and the acoustic guitar makes waves of feedback and tremolo. But I like to think that it still retains our original vision."

The band's latest effort, The Captain's Table, illustrates the inclusiveness of that vision, retaining the softer dynamic the band started out with. The amalgam of beautiful piano harmonies, haunting cellos, complex arrangements, jangly garage guitars, and dirty, heavy bass tone makes this album sound like someone put the best of the Summer of Love and the best outlaw country music into a blender and added something illegal to the mix.

Influenced by everything from old movie soundtracks and The Subsonics to coffee and Derek Almstead, Ham1's songwriting process is a hyper-exacting one. As Sugiuchi describes it, "Jim usually comes in with a melody and words. We then decide instrumentation and arrangements. It gets a little hot sometimes because we all have strong opinions. Consensus is reached by appeasement, attrition, or deception."

Recorded and engineered by Andy Baker (of Producto fame), the CD marks a decidedly more polished shift since the band's self-titled debut. The band has developed its eclectic sound by recruiting musicians with various influences and musical backgrounds, from Elephant 6 vets to collaborators with Mother Jackson.

"I think we're all lifers," says Willngham. "It's the same with the other guys. God willing, we'll all be senior citizens in bands. Maybe we'll go back to playing hard rock again at that point!"

As lifers, the group has put its roots down in the fertile soil of Athens. It was in Athens that the band was able to solidify and expand their diverse style. Willingham and Sugiuchi even settled into jobs there teaching at public schools.

"Athens is the first town that I ever felt really comfortable in," says Willingham. "It's an oasis of open-minded, friendly people. People love art, music, food, and movies. You can go downtown in your pajamas and no one cares."

Fortunately for the rest of the region, Ham1 will be leaving their quiet hamlet to embark upon a Southeastern tour in support of their newest album with Liz Durrett and Vic Chesnutt in support of The Captain's Table.

www.ham1.org