The Present Age
An interview with the members of The Present Age
by Tony Mueller
April 2020
The Present Age at the Barley Pop in 2019
photo by Tony Mueller Phine Art Photography
I was very fortunate to catch up with the guys in The Present Age as they prepare to release their first EP as a newly reformed band. They were so kind as to give me a sneak peak into the new sounds and I cannot wait for you all to be able to hear what is on this fresh arrangement of music. In 2019 TPA had a little switch up of band members. Two new faces to create the classic 4 piece band. I was very curious to hear about the sort of things that come with recording music with new ears and ideas tossed around. I feel as if this interview really captures what these guys are all about and just how easy it was to combine minds and throw together some incredible art! I am honored to have been able to pick those minds. Look out for the new EP “Songs from Underground” out April 22nd 2020.
Maximum Ink: So tell me about The Present Age. What are your names and what do you play? Where are you from? How long have you been together? What genre of music do you play?
LOGAN: My name is Logan, and I sing and play guitar.
ISAAC: I’m Isaac and I play the drums.
NIGEL: My name is Nigel, I play bass.
BRANDON: I’m Brandon and I play guitar
LOGAN: Isaac and I have been living in Oshkosh for the past 8 or 9 years. Nigel lives in Fond du Lac, and Brandon recently moved to Oshkosh from there. The four of us have been playing together since September of 2019. Before that, Isaac and I had a friend playing bass for us. As far as our genre, we’re a rock band that’s just trying to do something new.
Maximum Ink: With the swap of band members, how has that changed the path of the band and affected the music writing process?
ISAAC: I think that having more members gives the band a stronger personality and more songwriting potential.
NIGEL: I’ve noticed some different musical interests that seem to show while we are writing, playing, and even listening to music. While we are trying to establish and maintain a sound our four inputs add specific flavor to each song.
Maximum Ink: I understand this new EP isn’t the first recorded music The Present Age has released. Since these tracks are recorded with a new lineup of musicians, what does that mean for the sound of the band and overall progression from the first album to the new EP? What should the fans expect to change from the first wave of music TPA released?
LOGAN: Well, fans will know that we’ve been adorning a few different genre disguises over the years, but now things are just more cohesive. We’re still trying to experiment as much as we can.
ISAAC: I feel that our new songs have much more energy than anything else we’ve released.
Maximum Ink: Obviously new minds add new ideas to a growing band. After getting a fantastic first listen of the new EP it is clear you 4 have locked down your sound. What should The Present Age’s followers expect to hear from future releases and live performances as you expanded on that sound?
BRANDON: Fresh bass lines from Nigel and spacey, cohesive tracks.
LOGAN: More groove, more noise, more krautrock.
ISAAC: Definitely more grooves. I think there will be many more sonic textures as well, considering Brandon’s affinity for guitar pedals and synths.
NIGEL: Working with these songs brought us together as a unit, now we will hone in on what piqued our interest to begin with. Keeping that same direction but growing now that we feel more comfortable together.
Maximum Ink: It appears there was a lot of experimenting on these new tracks. What conflicts and resolutions were made along the way that allowed you to shell out this brilliant new material?
LOGAN: There were a lot of revisions, but the process was exciting rather than stressful.
ISAAC: Luckily I don’t think there were many setbacks with recording these songs. Logan had most of the song structures figured out for a while, so when we sat down together to collaborate every member was able to just add their own touch organically.
BRANDON: I think the only conflict was that we couldn’t be together to contribute ideas with the mixes in our songs due to the current conditions we are living in. We were able to talk via email and text over what changes we should make. Definitely not the ideal way of completing this album, but I think it turned out great!
Maximum Ink: What sort of roles does everybody take on in the band? And can you give us a glimpse into the sort of things that go on when you’re writing music with a pair of brothers that have their own personalities and ideas within the strategy of the band?
ISAAC: I’m not sure if we have definite roles yet, but I have been personally trying to act more like a producer (whatever that means!). Sometimes I try to steer Logan’s song ideas into more concrete directions, but lately our band collaboration has been producing exciting and unique sounds. I also had some recording education at UW-Oshkosh so I like to have a hand in the technical side of production as well. I’m definitely learning as I go…
BRANDON: Almost every time we show up for band practice, at least someone has a new song or riff ready to show all of us. We jam that piece out and it usually becomes a new song, or we bounce new ideas off each other for a couple weeks until it gets to its final form. It’s never one sided and we’re all so open to critiques and feedback. One of the many reasons I love these guys.
LOGAN: Isaac is Dad, Brandon is Mom, Nigel and I are the mischievous little sons.
Maximum Ink: Besides the great news of new music to come, is there anything else TPA fans should know about or anything you’d like to say as we close this interview out?
BRANDON: With the Covid-19 pandemic going on, it’s hard for any musician to say what could happen within the next year or so. We plan on working on new music at home and sending tracks via email so that we can have “virtual band practice”. Be ready for a full length album to be released in the near future.
LOGAN: We’re very much looking forward to connecting with people again. Hopefully when things are safe we can hit the ground running.
The Present Age is Logan Lamers, Isaac Lamers, Nigel Magana, Brandon Resop
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