Seafoam

“She came forth a reverend, beautiful goddess, and grass grew up behind her slender feet,” Seafoam reads from the small volume he has inexplicably brought on stage, “Gods and men call her ‘Aphrodite,’ the foam-born goddess” (Hesiod, Theogony 195, trans. Most). He continues, “It’s one of the places where I think my name might come from. The goddess of beauty emerges from the sea because of an act of violence. It’s poetic”. Then, with a laugh, he attacks his acoustic guitar and harmonica with delicate passion.
Seafoam himself emerges from a time of violence; he is a child of the Iraq War, raised by the children of the Vietnam War, and has grown up singing and listening to the anti-war folk of the 1960’s. As a musician, he was classically trained, before moving into jazz, playing the upright bass for several years. He never, however, lost sight of the music that always inspired him. Playing in several rock bands over the years, most notably, alongside Television’s Billy Ficca in Dylan Nirvana, Seafoam has slowly amassed an impressive catalogue of songs. Now turning his focus to his own music, Seafoam prepares to release Burning Buildings and Exit Signs, his debut LP.
Seafoam grew up studying. He is a bookworm turned rocker. His lyrics are lofty and intellectual, dark and beautiful. After assuring you that he isn’t trying to be pretentious, he will tell you that the musician he most admires is Homer. If you let him, he’ll even tell you which translations he likes, and which you should avoid (“read the Lombardo, avoid the Lattimore”).
He is also an actor. He has participated in theatre, both musical and not, since the age of five. He has always felt at home on stage, and brings this into his music. His songs sweep through peaks and valleys, building to large emotional climaxes. His album plays out like a play, divided into acts, with a fade to black and the fall of a curtain at its end. On stage, he performs, playing out characters and conflicts, aspiring to be a modern David Bowie.
The music that results from his bizarre conglomeration of backgrounds is oddly consistent. Though eclectic at times, it has an artistic and aesthetic consistency. He explains, “It’s really about creating a consistent and consonant work of art within an album. You wouldn’t try to be both impressionist and realist in the same painting, would you? It’s all about achieving a consistency on the record and letting the record tell you where it needs to go. I have a whole lot of good songs that aren’t on the record, simply because they didn’t fit.”
The album is hardly boring, it ranges in sound from the near punk rocker, “I’m Afraid,” to the Dylan-esque folk song, “Little Toy Guitar”, taking stops everywhere and anywhere between. The arrangements are heavy, crowded and claustrophobic when they need to be and become sparse and airy just when you think you can’t breath anymore.
“The record is about a duality. Burning Buildings and Exit Signs- death and escape. The two realities that we all know. . .I guess that’s kind of dark,” Seafoam muses, mostly lost in his thoughts. “But it’s not as black as all that, you know? We can change things, and we can escape,” then with a sly grin, he quotes his own song, “All we are is down, depressed and dark. All we have is love,” then singing, “But, all you need is love, love. Love is all you need- John Lennon said so.”
“My parents used to be hippies,” he says, “And my father’s last name is Green. So when they had me, they decided to pick up a box of crayons and choose my name that way. There was a period of about fifteen minutes where they seriously considered naming me Seafoam. Of course, now, I’m kind of sad they didn’t”.
Seafoam’s “Burning Buildings and Exit Signs” is nearing completion and is going to be released summer 2008. Come for the music, stay for the spectacle.
And in case you are wondering, here is what the people are saying. . .
"By combining certain aspects of hard rock/metal and folk music, Seafoam have effectively redefined the boundaries of a singer/songwriter. . . It's the music that really takes hold here. Hard charging riffs and thunderous rhythms enhance the emotions found within the songs. It's pretty awesome. . ."
-Pat of "Pop Tarts Suck Toasted"
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