Seth Ford-Young :: Phi-Psonics Interview
Having worked with artists such as the late great Rodriguez, Sean Hayes, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and the mighty Tom Waits, to name a few, LA-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Seth Ford-Young has been building a career in music for over four decades. Having come from the highly influential punk/hardcore and DIY culture in DC in the 1980s, the musician eventually relocated to the West Coast, where he eagerly established the creatively conscious collective Phi-Psonics. Over the years, Young has carefully constructed a brilliant and electrifying ensemble of musicians and collaborations to help explore the band’s never-ending nature of composition, timing, and radical responses to the intense identity of what being in a band is really about.
Photo: Bobby Gordon
When and where were you born? How did you initially become fascinated with music, specifically the upright bass?
Photo: Bobby Gordon
I was born and raised in the Washington, DC, suburbs, specifically Alexandria, VA. I was there from my birth in 1973 til I moved to Santa Cruz, California, in 1993. I lived in the same house that whole time, a nice but humble home that my Mom bought in the 1960s, back when the DMV was a more affordable area. She was a yoga teacher, which was pretty unusual in those days, so we didn’t have much money growing up. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a very culturally diverse place, which was vital to my education and understanding of the world. My schools were always rich with people from many different countries and backgrounds. We also had a lot of accessible cultural events and spaces, such as the Smithsonian, Folger Library, Library of Congress, and the Kennedy Center, which were big enrichments to my public school education. I’ve always been into music, I sang along to the radio and tinkered on the family piano and other instruments like guitar and percussion from as early as I can remember. There was some music in school, mostly singing in choirs, but it wasn’t until High School that I joined a band and started making music with friends. The upright bass came later, after years of singing, playing guitar, trumpet, and piano, I finally landed on the upright bass. I was listening to a lot of Charles Mingus, and I loved the sounds and feelings he was able to create. The upright bass has several different sounds available and fits in many styles of music; it felt like anything was possible on the bass.
Photo: Eric Gillet
I understand you came from a more hardcore punk background in Alexandria, Virginia. Tell me about those early days in Initial Reaction, and what the local scene was like in a pre-Grunge world, while simultaneously playing some of Washington's most legendary spaces. For the last two decades, you’ve built quite a compelling career, having worked with folks such as Sean Hayes, the great Tom Waits, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, to name a few. What excites you the most about working alongside other artists outside of your own projects? Jumping ahead to your solo material, and eventually forming Phi-Psonics during the height of the Pandemic, how much has hardcore music continued to inspire and motivate you as you move forward in your career?
Photo: Bobby Gordon
Alexandria is a suburb of Washington, DC, which is the scene we were a part of. The 80s were a special time in DC. We had several strong sub-scenes, including the Dischord records bands, which were sort of a scene unto themselves, along with other punk or hardcore bands (some of which were straight-edge), various metal styles, and DC’s indigenous music, Go-Go. You’d even see shows sometimes mix many of these styles on one bill. By the time I started going to shows in ’86, I’d missed some greats like Minor Threat and SOA, but Bad Brains, Scream, GI, Fugazi, and Dag Nasty were going strong. My band, Initial Reaction, started in ’88 with a more Dischord punk sound, which changed over the years into a hardcore band with lots of breakbeat-style breakdowns à la NYC hardcore at the time. We played a lot at the infamous Safari Club weekend matinees, as well as venues like DC Space, WUST music hall (now 9:30 club), and the Wilson Center, opening for bands like Sick of it All, Token Entry, Judge, Killing Time, Clutch, Nuclear Assault, Breakdown, The Icemen, and BL’AST. I had been getting into a lot of trouble in my early teens, so being involved with music and the DC scene was a much more positive outlet for all that teen angst. There was still trouble to get into, but the focus was on music, DIY, community, and rebelling against the systems of injustice and oppression that we were largely united against. Bands were very political, and we had lyrics that were explicitly anti-fascist, anti-racist, and pro-unity. It wasn’t until I’d spent some years studying music in college that I started to see it as a profession, but from my earliest memories of music, I knew it was a lifelong pursuit.
Growing up with a Yoga teacher mom and a stepfather who was an Aikido instructor exposed me to meditation and eastern philosophy at a young age, so I was practiced in introspection and self-improvement. Music immediately presented a way to integrate those ideas and practices into something I could connect to the world at large. Like nature, I see exploring music as a way of understanding the world and my place in it. Music is also a great place to meet with others, some of whom are very different, and “human” together. I’ve found that the act of connecting through music is among the most fulfilling pursuits in my life, and I’ve unashamedly integrated that ethos into Phi-Psonics. Working with other artists provides an opportunity to be challenged and to learn in so many ways. Especially when I was starting, I was still learning the craft and discovering where my tastes lie. As a young player, it was a gift to learn from so many artists who had refined their vision and years of experience, bringing their vision to reality. It was like going to Grad school for me. Hardcore music itself doesn’t really inspire me in my current work, but I still draw from some of the values that I learned during my formative years. Phi-Psonics started as a very DIY project, with me writing, playing bass, recording, mixing, producing the vinyl releases, shipping records around the world, and even hand-stamping the sleeves of our 7” releases. Coming from a DIY culture, I see the value in wearing many hats; it not only gets the job done, but it preserves the original intent of the art and creates opportunities for connection and community at every step.
How did the band initially come together, and how did you meet everyone? I’m curious to know about the overall atmosphere and what was most important for you to express and explore with the group’s most recent album, “Expanding To One.”
I have been writing music in various styles consistently since I was a teenager. Around 2012, I started writing some of the material that would become the first Phi-Psonics album, “The Cradle.” I wasn’t composing with any particular outlet in mind; I was writing down what came out naturally. Eventually, I had a group of songs that felt like they belonged together, and I started thinking about forming a group to record them in about 2015-16. I was still keeping a very full touring schedule, so it took till 2018 to start the recording process that produced our debut in 2020. I moved to Los Angeles from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010 and found myself in a rich community of talented musicians, and I was quickly very busy with touring and recording. During that time, I met most of the musicians who would form the core of Phi-Psonics. Josh Collazo and I have toured the world together since 2011. and have recorded nearly 20 albums as a rhythm section during that time. Mitchell Yoshida, who plays keys, has been a friend and tour mate since about 2014. We’ve also spent many hours in the studio together. I met Sylvain Carton, who plays sax and flute, back when we both lived in the Bay Area, while playing a few shows and spending time at the same jam sessions. We happened to move to LA around the same time and moved into the same neighborhood. All three of these musicians have a distinctive voice, and I knew they would breathe life into the compositions I had put together.
“Music is also a great place to meet with others, some of whom are very different, and “human” together. I’ve found that the act of connecting through music is among the most fulfilling pursuits in my life, and I’ve unashamedly integrated that ethos into Phi-Psonics.”
The band has since expanded with Randal Fisher (woodwinds), Zach Tenorio (keys), and Gary Fukushima (keys), who’ve all contributed to live shows and recordings over the last few years. Our latest album, “Expanding to One,” has a host of additional guests, including Jay Bellerose, Dylan Day, Spencer Zahn, Rocco DeLuca, and Dave Harrington. “Expanding to One” is the product of six live sessions at Healing Force of the Universe Records in Pasadena, CA. I knew we’d be recording these shows, and I hoped to shape them into our third album, so I brought my recording equipment down every week and wound up with about 10 hours of material. For our third album, I knew I wanted to expand our palette of sounds, emotions, and personalities. I also knew I wanted to invite a freer, more improvisational approach, which made sense when recording live with an audience. With live recording, there is an energy between the players and the audience that inspires improvisations that communicate directly with the listener. It encourages the players to consider the ears that their sounds will fill in a more personal way. As I’ve matured as an artist, I’ve come to think of expression as a means and not an end. In other words, our individual and collective expression serves to form a work that can be interpreted by the observer in a way that fosters connection. My main goal was to create something that connects people and serves in some way to “re-humanize” this world of dehumanization.
Photo: Crash Richard
The band has continued to be a powerhouse of sonic strength, while balancing the landscape of the decade in which it started. What do you love most about playing in Phi-Psonics, and what would you say is most important for the band to achieve together? Is there anything else you would like to share further with the readers?
Thank you, we pour a lot of heart and intention into the music. These are dark times, and I feel it’s important to make music that exists as more than mere decoration, especially now. Whether it’s music that serves as a peaceful respite, a quiet background for a family meal, or the soundtrack to an introspective journey, I want the music to contain the realities of the world we live in. While I intend for this music to be a balm for those who need it, I hope it can also be a clarion call to action and an inspiration to find the humanity in ourselves and those with whom we may differ. Please check out our music! Check your local record store or Bandcamp, which is a good online outlet.
