The musician Will Butler on his new Broadway banger.
Stereophonicis in previews starting April 3.
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He joined the project the following year.
At the time, Butler was still a multi-instrumentalist inArcade Fire(he left the group in 2021).
He had never worked in theater before but was drawn to the concept.
Eleven years later,Stereophonicis making its Broadway debut in April.
Its the only full song heard in the play.
First, the tempo is too slow.
Then its too muddy.
They finally nail it on take No.
37 a rare moment of euphoria in a studio plagued by deception, jealousy, and cocaine.
The song is confirmation to the audience that the band indeed has the talent.
So how does somebody create a fake classic-rock song that actually sounds good?
1.Give It a Timeless Sound
1.
I wanted Masquerade to feel transcendent.
Why are we showing the audience this song front to finish?
It had to be really bold and really fun.
I wanted it to feel both like 1976 and the fact that 1977 is coming.
2.Root It in the Text
2.
Most of the music is reverse engineered from the script.
They were playing 50s American blues music.
Hollys parents definitely had Glenn GouldsBach: The Goldberg Variationson their shelf.
Its either straight up a persona you adopt or youre writing a story.
Its like Nebraska, by Springsteen, where youre like,Im a serial killer.Youre putting on hats.
3.Find the Right Riff
3.
One technical constraint on this song is that it had to be a riff.
It was tricky to do.
On a very basic level, its rooted in Peter because Peters a guitar player.
This guitar riff was something in his head that he couldnt stop.
Its in his fingers and in his brain, going over and over.
Thats what happened here, too.
Some riffs of the era were inspiring.
Masquerade is kind of like Stevie Wonder playing a country song.
4.Pair It With Some Brooding Lyrics
4.
Lyrically, its a medieval journey song.
It starts with Got my ticket to the masquerade, which is kind of like bayou rock.
Life is dark out here, huh?Theres a fear and an angry undercurrent in there.
The outro, Ill see you when I get there, is really dark.
You know when the Police sang, Every breath you take / Ill be watching you?
That seems so romantic, but youre like,Huh.
But its also fun.
Its about a party.
5.Do It Live
5.
It only clicked into place when we heard the cast sing it.
Theyre such good singers with characteristic voices that it blends so well.
It makes it work on every level.
6.Throw It All Away
6.
Sometimes, in a band, you make something really awesome but its just missing something.
Or your brain cant comprehend that its awesome, you cut it, and it gets destroyed.
Either way, its not on the record.
I could see how everyone would love it and then they would start to lose their minds.
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