INTERVIEW: James Kwapisz and Lily Moskwa Talk Formation of Kingston-based A Whole Nother
Photo by Jeff Bisti
“I’ve been feeling really relieved and like I have no more burdens to the past — I can just focus on this new band.”
The death of something, often leads to the birth of another — or in the case of a group of six collaborative minds in Kingston – A Whole Nother.
To James Kwapisz, rhythm guitarist and back-up vocalist, the dismantling of his previous band, Grampfather, which had a solid 11 year run, gave way for a rebirth of sorts.
“We thought, rather than continually restarting the band with new lineups, just embrace the challenge of starting something from scratch,” Kwapisz said.
So, with the decision to start anew, Kwapisz and Andrew Blot, also from Grampfather, got the ball rolling on A Whole Nother. The band quickly grew into a six-piece indie psych rock formation, whose members’ varying backgrounds and personal projects each contribute to the unique, robust sound of the group.
For one, their lead singer, Lily Moskwa, comes from a musical background of opera, where she was taught the rules of classical music and to stick to them. But having seen Grampfather play quite a bit, and after getting to know Kwapisz and Blot, Moskwa jumped on the opportunity when A Whole Nother put out a solicitation for a singer.
“Once I learned that there aren’t rules for myself in this, I dug into that, and just tried whatever I wanted and allowed myself the freedom to do that. I feel like really then I was able to start working on things and putting more of myself into our songs,” Moskwa said.
Kwapisz encouraged her to channel her inner Courtney Love, which helped take her operatic voice to new heights. Moskwa said she also draws inspiration from the nostalgic pop fun of Marina and the Diamonds.
Photo by Julia Howard
The other members of A Whole Nother that add to the multifaceted sound alongside Moskwa, Kwapisz and Blot, who plays lead guitar, include Joe Connolly on bass, Tom Brady on keys and Dylan Johanson on drums. Kwapisz related the coalescence of artists forming the new project to a phoenix rising from the ashes, especially because the ashes of Grampfather were only just settling as A Whole Nother grew its wings.
“This phrase always pops in my mind: ‘looking forward to looking forward,’” Kwapisz said. “So after I got all the mixing done for [Grampfather’s greatest hits album], I’ve been feeling really relieved and like I have no more burdens to the past — I can just focus on this new band.”
So far, A Whole Nother has been soaring high, with no intention of coming down. They’ve dove into the process of creating a full 10-song record, half of which is already recorded. Two singles have been released off the album. The first was “Taking Shape,” which Kwapisz said is probably their catchiest song, as it carries a pop-inspired ring to it. The song is mainly about the band taking shape, but he said it also grew into the idea of looking at the pattern of your own life throughout time and space, and noticing how unique that would be. A Whole Nother’s second single began to give listeners a more expansive look into what they bring to the table.
“Our second single, ‘Shifting,’ was more indie, psych-rock, kind of getting a little weirder, just because I feel like we have so many influences that we’re going to be exploring. But I think indie psych-rock is a nice umbrella under which all those different explorations can live,” Kwapisz said.
He equates the metaphor of the song to cicadas, who emerge from their underground period after up to 17 years, and finally have their time in the sun, embracing the change.
Photo by Jeff Bisti
After branching out more with “Shifting,” Kwapisz recognizes that there’s a delicate balance to find and maintain between matching something catchy and oriented toward a pop structure, and then being able to experiment enough for artistic interest, but not so much that you lose your listenership. Regardless, what A Whole Nother has been doing so far has worked out for them. Moskwa said the singles have been met with good reception, and have even been played on the radio, which she especially enjoys because listening in the car is the best way to figure out how the tracks are sounding.
As far as their songwriting goes, their members bring their own unique approach to the table to make the magic happen. Kwapisz said he usually writes the music first, before bringing in the lyrics. Moskwa, who’s another key contributor to the band’s writing, said she didn’t have much experience writing music before joining A Whole Nother, but the new opportunity has allowed her to draw from short poems she’s created.
“Personally, I like to simmer on something for a while. I don’t really want to rush to write something because my feelings about what I’m writing about may change over time,” she said.
The different styles each of the band’s members bring to the table works in a rare way. Kwapisz likens the occasion to a Chinese finger trap, because if you try too hard you’ll only get more stuck.
“Finding all these other musicians that really gel well with the band has been really like a godsend. I’m really grateful because it’s hard trying to wrangle six musicians and try to have some kind of unified vision,” he said.
Since they’ve figured out their flow as a group of six, it’s full steam ahead for the psych rockers — and the future looks bright.
Keep an eye out for A Whole Nother’s debut self-titled album, set to be released in early spring, and follow the band online at linktr.ee/awholenother
