If a Washington rainforest started a band, it would sound something like Mt Fog. Carolyn B.’s playful whispers are like a sprite luring you into a mossy forest; the rhythm section—Andy Sells and Casey Rosebridge—like raindrops plopping into a mushroom; the electronics shimmer like a ray of light through the trees. The Seattle-based trio whimsically marries the vocal stylings of Kate Bush, Björk, and Siouxsie Sioux with sparse electronics, evocative of CAN and Mort Garson, and a free jazz song structure. Ahead of releasing their new album, Every Stone Is Green (out Mar 13), and accompanying release show at the Tractor Tavern, I spoke to the band about the medieval mystics, cosmic jazz albums, and psychedelic dreams that inspired them.
One thing that is really unique about Mt Fog is that you don’t use six-string guitars. Was this a conscious choice or something that happened by accident?
CAROLYN: Well, I started Mt Fog as my solo project, and I don’t play guitar—I’ve never been that into guitars. So, in the beginning, all the music I was writing was oriented towards voice and a drum machine. It has just evolved from that. Also, I think a trio is the most powerful, stable form. If we had a guitarist, they wouldn’t be included in our throuple scenarios. [Laughs]
ANDY: Carolyn covers a lot of ground with the various synth patches and her voice. We play around with all kinds of textures as well, with the drum and bass. It’s full enough without having a guitar. Although I like the guitar sometimes. It’s either guitar, or I’m like, hey, we should put some congas on this thing!
CAROLYN: No guitar. No shaker. No slap bass.
ANDY: There are a lot of rules in Mt Fog [laughs]. It’s not a democracy, and that’s cool.
Every Stone Is Green has an improvisational feel to it, especially on songs like “Trees in Conversation.” Were spontaneous decisions made while recording?
ANDY: There’s not a whole lot to say about the drums on “Trees in Conversation,” but it was improvised. We kind of built that into the song that’s right after it, so it starts with the drum solo, then goes into “Eyes in Buildings.” I have a jazz background, so that song has that improvisational character to it. I was surprised when Carolyn said, “Yeah, the drum solo should be this long!”
CAROLYN: Side B is more spontaneous because we recorded it live together in the studio. My instincts on this album were to capture a fleeting, whimsical, curious feeling, so I’m really happy to hear that comes across. The song started as these rough ideas, as songs do, and then we worked on them together, and things would come up just naturally, spontaneously. For example, “Imperfect Machine” was something Casey came up with while I was taking a break during rehearsal. I came in, and he was playing this really cool thing. I made a voice memo of it, and then he and Andy expounded upon that idea at the studio. Then, I had a realization that the song sounded like a caravan full of giggling goblins with a little ratty flag coming through the desert, that’s like, getting closer and closer, then goes off into the distance.
What media were you consuming while writing or recording the album?
CAROLYN: ECM’s ’70s jazz records were a big influence, particularly Gateway [the trio of John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette]. It’s hard to describe, but they create these portals in time that you could spend a million years in—it’s really beautiful cosmic jazz. One of the records we have by them had a skip in it during Dave Holland’s bass playing that was really cool. I recorded it, and then while learning bass, I tried to replicate that baseline skip. That became the basis for “Grimelda’s Cave.” It was an immediate reflection of the things we were listening to. We were also listening to a lot of prog—Yes’s Fragile, and a lot of other weird 1970s jazz. I was just thinking a lot about the different textures you can make and how music can be fractal; there are micro moments that can be really special, but how do we turn them into a whole song?
I was also inspired by mystics of the medieval times, especially Hildegard of Bingen. I’ve always loved her—I organized a mini music festival last year inspired by her, which got me to delve deeper into her concept of “viriditas,” about the green energy that’s within us all. One of the songs, “Life as a Window,” is from Hildegard’s perspective.
ANDY: We all have musical backgrounds, but it’s all filtered through Carolyn’s vision. Carolyn has concepts for a lot of the songs, like “Hey, this sounds like goblins!”
CASEY: Yeah, it’s usually goblins.
You also mentioned the Brontës in your album description. Do you have a favorite Brontë sister or a favorite Brontë novel?
CAROLYN: Definitely Jane Eyre. While thinking about how to describe the album, I was like, “It’s Gothic with a capital G, like Gothic literature.” Andy was like, “No one will know what that means; they’ll think it means dark wave.” So I described it as “a Gothic tale, in the Brontë sisters’ sense.”
I think, too, that there are feminine aspects to the music, reminiscent of a journey that might get scary at times. You might encounter big landscapes and ghosts. You may not be able to entirely understand what’s going on, and there is a lot of heightened emotion. The Brontë sisters created huge worlds, even though their worlds were actually really small. They were governesses; they didn’t traverse that much area, yet they were able to build these magnificent emotional universes.
My friend actually asked me recently which Brontë sister each member of Mt Fog is. I was like, “We’re not the sisters, we’re actually long-lost characters from the Brontë sisters’ imagined world of Gondal. [Laughs]
Do you think seclusion is necessary for making art?
CAROLYN: Actually, Björk was recently talking about how streaming is the worst thing for artists because of the pressure of constantly being visible and making things. Björk is on our wall. [Points at poster] We love Björk in this household. “In this house we believe…” [Laughs]
It’s a great thing to think about, because being able to retreat, hide, and explore things without being looked at is really, really important. It’s also really important for artists to be original. When you’re out in the world, you’re like a sponge absorbing information, and you need time to go home and dream about it. I think isolation is the sleeping/dreaming aspect of being an artist—you have to go to sleep so you can learn things. I think being alone is important as an artist, so you can synthesize the world that you’re experiencing. Throw your computer into the sea, metaphorically (don’t cause environmental pollution!).
Is the band’s relationship to the internet something you guys think about often?
CAROLYN: Definitely. We’re all involved with Seattle Artists Against Spotify. As artists, we have a responsibility to be leaders and help create the world that we want to see. Our music is not on Spotify, but people are still listening to it. I don’t think these corporate-owned platforms have our best interests in mind. It’s a losing game for artists to try to succeed on these platforms. I’d rather have 100 people listen to our record and cry than a million people streaming on Spotify while they’re doing five other things and paying their taxes.
What are your personal favorite tracks on the album?
CASEY: “Look Inside” really resonates with me lyrically and musically. I like the melody, the bass line, and the shape of the song—it’s fun to play. Every element is individually catchy, the energy is infectious, and the message is really positive.
CAROLYN: My favorite track is “A Single Green Strand Emerges,” because the idea came from the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. In this dream, I was looking for someone and came upon this vintage camera with a single green strand emerging from the aperture. I knew I had to crawl into the camera to find the person I was looking for. When I crawled inside, the middle of the camera was a dirt tunnel. I could feel that I was climbing through this tight space, and then, I emerged into a green, soft world that was very childlike. I found the person I was looking for, but I also knew I had to leave soon. It was one of the most psychedelic experiences I’ve ever had. So, the song is about that dream, and also about the feeling of working really hard to get someone to love you, which is a sad feeling that I’ve experienced before.
ANDY: “Green Strand Emerges” is also my favorite. I just love the feel and the power of it. I think it’s a nice representation of what the band has morphed into. Plus, we recorded it live in the studio together, which is a testament to what the band can do. We were able to pull it off, and we surprised ourselves when we finished recording it. We were like, “Holy shit, this is it!”
Can you guys tell me a little bit more about the album artwork? Did the artist make it before listening to the album, or after? How did it come about?
CAROLYN: Yeah, we actually have the original oil painting right here. [Points at wall] It was done by our friend Nico Lund. She came to one of our shows, and we just connected like mad. Then, I reached out to her to see if she would make an original painting for our album art. It turns out she was about to reach out to me about the same thing! We were both in each other’s heads. So, I shared all of the earliest recordings of the album, before we had fully recorded everything.
We had a lot of conversations, but she is a fan of our music, so she already knew the vibe. When I first saw the concept sketch, I started crying because it was just so perfect. Then she took that original concept and made this beautiful painting. She’s an amazing artist. Her work is really cool in person, too.
Let’s end with a fun question! Can you each share an artist, album, or song that you love but that other people hate? What music needs to be reevaluated?
CAROLYN: I like Björk’s 2007 album Volta, and I know some people really don’t like that one. I love the song “Earth Intruders”—the very beginning sounds like gross, muddy footsteps. I actually like tried to recreate it for one of our other songs, and I wasn’t able to come close. I also like that weird costume she wears on the cover.
ANDY: Maybe the third Duran Duran record, Seven and the Ragged Tiger—I think it’s a really cool record. I also like the Accüsed a lot, which is a pretty far stretch from Mt Fog. Martha Splatterhead’s Maddest Stories Ever Told is one of my favorite records that’s ever been put out.
CASEY: I’ll say Muse—people always told me that they were a poser band to like when I was like 18. They’d say, “Oh, you like Muse? That’s so lame!” But I thought they were so cool, and I still think they have cool musical ideas—they seem like fucking dorks, but whatever.
See Mt Fog at Tractor Tavern on Thursday, March 12, 8 pm, 21+
