Photo credit: Reflections Of Heaven Photo Design
Lovanova
“In dreams begins responsibility.” William Butler Yeats.
“I came up with the band name, out of a dream where I was playing sax in Stan Kenton’s band,” Paul Kneevers says, “on a song called ‘Lovanova.’ Having just started the recording process for a new album, the name stuck.”
Kneevers describes the way things come together musically as “a common non-structured style of album production I’ve used for most of the more than 400 records I’ve produced since I started running Cornerstone Studio in 1989.”
The groove-heavy, prog/psych Lovanova recently released their fourth album, Apachalypse. The band’s origin has roots in the demise of Kneevers’ previous band, Contusion Auto.
He says he wanted to record the Contusion Auto songs with a jazzier feel and make them instrumentals. “I was burned out from playing so many instruments in so many bands and wanted to focus on one instrument, the Hammond organ, and find my voice through that,” Kneevers says.
“Self-imposed limitations can always be ways to inspire oneself to work harder on some work or art. It is far too easy to make music sound good with the technology available nowadays. It is still difficult to develop music through the lens of structural limitations—whatever you choose as an artist as your medium—whether it be through music or art, forces one to find options not available without taking the time for this type of development.”
Kneevers is outspoken about politics, energy and the environment. His music over the years has been equally un-shy. For Lovanova, the current lineup for the upcoming Chill on the Hill show includes Dave Schoepke on drums, Joey Carini on bass and Sean Williamson on guitars, with guest appearances by members of Strangelander, Rhea from Wax Lips and Jayne Joyce on vocals, Matt “the Saxsquatch” Ostlund on baritone sax and Jeff Hamilton on bass for a few songs, as well as Demix.
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And of course, Kneevers with his beloved Hammond organ sound. “I bought my first Hammond from Bob Kames organ shop on Forest Home in, I think, 1978 with money I saved from my Milwaukee Sentinel paper delivery route,” he recalls. “It was a black M3, and I dragged that thing around for a while in Sense (an early ’80s prog-rock band), and it was the first of many Hammonds I still own today.”
These days he is not averse to a Korg 2000 digital version that weighs 80 pounds. “I far prefer the double-key organ layout, which is more similar to an actual Hammond. What matters more is the use of a Leslie speaker cabinet, which changes the sound of the organ quite a lot,” Kneevers says. “It is part of the wide spectrum of sound typically characterized as ‘Hammond Organ.’ The Leslie speaker creates its own anomalies.”
He says that as a teenager, he bought his favorite Leslie speaker from Uncle Bob’s Music brand new. “This Leslie has truly been rode hard, and after numerous speaker re-conings and repair work, continues to be my main workhorse for all shows and recordings.”
Kneevers jokes that Lovanova was originally described as “music for cop-show car chases.” With the band settled in an album-per-year output, the ever-restless Kneevers continues to look for spare time.
“Producing albums is a career that puts one at odds with being a musician, simply for the logistics of scheduling one’s time. I would say that it is all part of my particular balancing act. I love to do so many things that are musical it is difficult for me to reserve my time for any one of those things.”
Early on, Kneevers insisted on defining Lovanova as a band as opposed to a project. “I have untold albums of songs I have written on different instruments. most of them never get released,” he says. “I currently have two solo albums waiting for me to have time to release and support them. Now those are ‘projects.’”
Lovanova performs at the Chill on the Hill concert series at Humboldt Park on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m., with Strangelander and K-Stamp.
