Moosic: How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
David Wildman: I’d say it’s the sound of an ensemble, like the way the cast of a film creates the personality. If TELL was a film it would be a Robert Altman production, with everyone talking over one another, messy but honest. I tend to write the structure of the songs, chords, lyrics and melodies, usually about provocative subjects inspired by the dark and the sardonic. From there it’s all of us adding our musical personality to it, in an often chaotic and sometimes complex way. Jason Raffi, the bass player and our secret weapon, comes up with insane and distinctive bass lines, planting spider eggs in the music, that hatch to undercut most of the pop sensibilities with a dark, sinewy presence. From there we turn it loose and our lead guitarist Jim Foster adds even more sinister melodies that combine the sensibilities of R.E.M., Richard Hell as well as Blue Oyster Cult, sometimes curling around the bass parts and other times clashing and battling for attention. Meanwhile I toss Tom Verlaine-inspired riffs from my Jazzmaster. Our new drummer Pat Crann comes off a years long gig of playing Keith Moon in a Who tribute band, and he injects a huge blast of playful anarchy into the mix.
What inspires you to write music?
It’s something that’s been such a part of me for so long I can’t imagine a life without it. It’s like breathing, and eating breakfast.
Tell us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
After years of churning out material, some of it good, most of it squirm inducing, I’ve gotten to the point where I can take an idea and quickly wrestle it to the ground, tie it up and make it work for me. In the past I’d have to ride it around and around until one of us broke, usually me. I told myself that once I stop having ideas then that will be it, there will be no forcing things. Also, the things I used to write about don’t have the kind of drive they once had, like for instance problems with relationships and such. Now the music tends to come out in the form of stories about this world we’re all trying to survive and thrive in. I’m constantly fueled by whatever crazy thing MAGA is doing this week, or whatever nutty pop culture trend is leading in clicks. Also science, global warming, stuff like that gets thrown in the mix. Finally, I’ve got a huge backlog of songs, some that me and Jay worked out in a previous band The Unfamiliars, and others I’ve written more recently that I really want to keep alive. I’m looking forward to getting this band’s input and involvement in them.
What drew you to the genre /instruments you’re playing right now?
Love of guitar rock, especially music with solid songwriting that has cool dark twists in it, like the band Television, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Boston, and classics like the Rolling Stones and Beatles. I also love the piano playing of people like Nicky Hopkins, and stuck some of that on “Owned” and a few other tunes.
Do you have a story behind your artist name?
It’s always been hard coming up with band names. For us it came down to Duffel Bag or The Tell. I liked The Tell because it had interesting different connotations, a subconscious giveaway, relating of stories, revealing secrets, and so on. Jay suggested taking “The” out and it was a good call because it added to the ambiguity. Then we put it in all caps and that seemed to do it.
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
“Life in Reverse” is our latest, and it borders on being a concept album about the current human condition. It opens with the single “Owned”, a story about someone who gets caught up in a cult of one, and ends up missing it when he finally breaks away. “Sweet Life” is about a friend who gets lost in MAGA and gives up their life believing lies. There’s a line about Ivermectin in there. “Shotgun Future” chronicles a future dystopia where guns in schools are ubiquitous, and it leads to a surprise twist ending. “Shell” reflects on the isolation of living in our shells and only connecting with others through the Internet. “I Wish I could Believe in God” has the title line, and it reveals what it means: “Death is just life in reverse.” Finally “Space Time Continuum” is a cosmic epic where I confront eternity with a sarcastic edge.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
Think, rock out and dance – not necessarily in that order.
Who are your top three artists right now?
The National, Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Our website: TELLtheband.com.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/telltheband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/telltheband1
Homepage: https://telltheband.com
Bandcamp: https://tell4.bandcamp.com/
What’s next for you?
More new music, recording and gigging! Personally I’m finishing up a sci-fi thriller I’ve been writing: “The Rise and Fall of Water.”
BIO:
TELL is melodic, complex, dark rock with hooks. The band features David Willdman (guitar and lead vocals), Jay Raffi (bass and vocals), Patrick Crann (drums) and Jim Foster (guitar and vocals). New album “Life In Reverse,” produced, engineered and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston MA, is out in February 2024.
