Over five LPs in three years, Effie Zilch has treated genre less as a limitation than an assortment of tools, drawing freely from gospel, Motown, funk, blues, soul and vintage rock. The new Higher Calling (Redtone) ventures beyond music circles in its quest for inspiration, hitting up painters, poets, writers and filmmakers for an extra dose of creative juju. Even the band’s name comes from local mythology, as Effie Zilch is the fictional muse of legendary San Francisco humorist/journalist Herb Caen.
The Bay Area duo couldn’t be a better match, Steve Wyreman has a producer’s ear honed through work with Leon Bridges, Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and other big names. Evanne Barcenas brings her theatrical presence and an instinctive gift for melody and language. It’s a process built on trust, an “anything goes” zone where ideas can be dismantled and rebuilt in whatever way best serves the song.
MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland recently checked in with Barcenas and Wyreman to discuss what each brings to a partnership born out of mutual respect, necessity and even survival.
You’ve described Higher Calling as an album that answers to “the muses, not the masses.” How has ignoring industry expectations become easier—or harder—over time?
Barcenas: The music landscape is increasingly treacherous for us sound-wave manipulators. However, if you’re in it to stay, then you best get comfortable in your own skin. You have to make the art that only you can make. I’ve reached a point where I’m free to solely answer to my own sense of self—my higher calling, if you will. If I’m true to the song, that’s all I can hope for. It also helps to partner with someone you’ve known for years and trust fully. We can exchange ideas without judgment and follow them all the way down before pulling them apart. There’s real freedom in that, and hopefully it translates into the sound.
Wyreman: For me, it’s been the whole impetus of this project. I’ve had to keep the industry in mind on most of the past projects I’ve worked on. This record is something I get to see from the start to the very end, so it’s very honest and personal to me.
Compared to your previous work, this one has a more guitar-heavy feel. What inspired that shift?
Wyreman: I think it came from this being our sixth album, and we didn’t want to repeat ourselves or use the same formula. On a few tunes, we worked backward from our usual writing process. “On The Loose” and “Underneath The Weather” started from drums and percussion. We built chord sequences off the bass line, and words and melody came last.
The vocals seem to adapt naturally to very different musical landscapes. Is that conscious, or does it happen instinctively?
Barcenas: I really try to just sing for the sake of the song. When I’m in that headspace, I can be uninhibited and playful. I love to try on new voices—and sometimes what starts off as a joke voice ends up being exactly what the song needs. I’m not a vocal gymnast, and I have my own limitations. But at this point, I’m willing to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. To quote Walt Whitman, I “sing myself.”
What continues to draw you to analog recording in a digital world?
Barcenas: More and more, the preciseness and ease of the digital landscape feels like it’s removing the struggle of creation. Beauty has to struggle to exist. That’s where you find the soul. I guess I’m drawn to the humanity in things, which is why the analog way appeals to me so deeply. It’s certainly more cumbersome, but it forces the urgency and tension that calls things into being.
You’ve been friends and collaborators for decades. Name three things each of you brings to the partnership that the other can’t.
Barcenas: My guitar is a tool for my melodies and words, but Steve’s guitar is an extension of his person. The way he plays has always been an inspiration. Then there’s his attention to detail. Sometimes during the mixing process, I can’t ever hear the frequency he’s searching for. And Steve’s stamina. Sometimes I’m quicker to throw something away when it’s not immediately working. He can stay the course longer than I do, and we’ve been able to save a few songs because of it—Higher Calling’s title track being one of them.
Wyreman: Ev has a great poetic gift she can just tap into. If we’ve figured out a melody, she can write and sometimes sing it in real time—full verses off the top of her head. A good example is “Where We Go.” That’s one take of her writing and recording the vocal. Ev also has a background in theater and drama, which I have none of. She can see the bigger picture and bring unique excitement and color to a piece that I wouldn’t be able to access. Finally, Ev is a great collaborator. She’s willing to give and take—always open to finesse or alternate directions. She gives everything to a performance, and that’s why the songs have a visceral feeling to them. They become alive with her touch.
