"Corpses of Castles" by Signal Valley (Interview)

Hey, Dan, thank you for joining me today! First and foremost, I need to learn how you got started with music? 

Dan: Technically, this goes way back to elementary school. I had a crappy toy acoustic guitar, my parents’ tape recorder, and a fiendish appreciation of the Beatles; my brother’s on those tapes too, and you already inter-reviewed him earlier this year.

You have released countless albums, EPs, as well as being featured on many other projects. How do you keep up the spark of inspiration and continue to bring new, fresh, original ideas to your work? 

Dan: It’s fun! Once I get into the songwriting zone, it’s hard for me to leave it. There’s a reason my albums are so long, I don’t like rejecting songs.

Do you have a favorite song on your most recent album “Corpses of Castles”?  In addition, do you have a favorite song out of your entire discography? 

Dan: On the album? It was “Going Down in the Dogfight” when the album was released, but right now it’s probably “Tried My Best”. I don’t play a lot of guitar arpeggios, so I’m really proud of that one. My favorite Signal Valley song period? I’m leaning on “The End of Time” right now, it’s this sprawling prog epic that’s ultimately just a love song; I just said “fuck it” and threw everything I could at it.

The album is titled “Corpses of Castles” and there is also a track with the same title; what made you choose this title?  What came first, the album title or the song?  What drew you to this idea?  

Dan: I like alliteration, but I don’t remember how I came up with the specific name. The album took a year to make, which is incredibly rare for me. The album title definitely came first. The song is actually two songs stitched together; I didn’t have lyrics for either, and they were in similar keys, so I figured why not. We need more 7 minute rock songs in this world.

You have many artists featured on this album, such as Duskfunction, awhilealone, Super Jack, Michael Auble, Hello Whirled, Xavion Xcellence, Boracci Channel, Alan DeCecco, and The Quill Pen Gallery;  how did you come in contact with all these people and what were the conversations like when inviting them to feature on this album?  What did each person bring to the table, and how collaborative was the process when working with each one of them? 

Dan: Hello Whirled is my twin brother, I’ve known him about as long as he’s known me. I met awhilealone and Xavion Xcellence while I was in college. I met Alan DeCecco of Swansun at the end of 2021, although he was in Hogarth at the time. Boracci Channel is my brother’s former coworker. I met Dusk Function, Super Jack, Michael Auble, and Noether (formerly Quill Pen Gallery) on Instagram, and at this point, I’ve done shows with all of them. They’re all lovely people.

I really love the vibrant colors and style of the album art!  Who did the artwork and what went into the creation of it?  Where did the concept come from? 

Dan: Me! My friends told me my album covers lacked some “pizzazz”, so I had to try really hard with this one. I found a picture of a dead mall in California on Reddit, and spent a long time making it look right. Oh, that’s where the album title came from! Malls were much more culturally relevant in the 80s and 90s, and we’re a long way from those decades.

What's next for Signal Valley?  What can we expect from you in the near future? 

Dan: I have to re-record some parts for an album I finished with a band, actually. I had to kick out the drummer for being a creep, so Dusk Function and I have to figure out what to do with those recordings. I have a bunch of other songs in various stages; I might release them as 3 10-song albums, but they’ll all be released relatively quickly.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

Dan: I grew up on The Beatles and Gorillaz, but I got super into progressive rock in high school; bands like Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Yes, that good shit. I’ll admit, I didn’t really get into “modern music” until college or so, but I still listen to bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Preoccupations, Japanese Breakfast, Michael Kiwanuka, and Tropical Fuck Storm. I’ve been told a lot that I sound like early David Bowie too.

Is there anyone you would like to give a shoutout to?  Here is your space to do so! 

Dan: My girlfriend, Amber, and her cats Raven and Boris! I love them all, even though Raven hides from me. Also, my friends Mackenzie and Sydney from college, they’re fucking awesome and I haven’t

Thank you again so much for being here!  Best of luck with your future musical endeavors.

You can explore Signal Valley's large discography HERE!

(https://linktr.ee/signalvalley)