The Sounds Of ‘Entelechy’: With Sandy Bell and Jeff Lipstein (Q&A Part 1)

By Keith Walsh
Earlier this year, musical and romantic partners Sandy Bell and Jeff Lipstein headed into New York’s Applehead Studios to work on ten tracks that became the album Entelechy. The result is a stunning set of tunes, guided by Bell’s uncanny musical talent and knack for telling a story in poetic fashion. Brought to fruition by tracks built upon sounds from a baby grand piano once owned by John Medeski, the collection is masterfully mixed and produced with great care. I was fortunate to get a conversation going, via email, with Bell (who is my first cousin) and Lipstein. (My review of Entelechy is at Synthbeat.com)

Popular Culture Beat: Sometimes, years of musical and life experiences come together to be captured in a set of songs. I feel this is the case with ‘Entelechy.’ Can you explain how this is true?
Sandy Bell: I agree that this is true, but I think that I’m the kind of artist that really can’t make music without having my life experience be a part of it. And in this particular case, and ‘Entelechy’ was more of a call to experience what was lying somewhat dormant within me and wanted to be brought to Life. So it felt like a bit more like an emotional and spiritual excavation process that was then transmuted into something artistic and hopefully relatable to some. I am always fascinated that we can record emotion or ‘experience’ in any capacity – aren’t you? It seems like an impossible feat. And maybe it is and I’m just delusional. Possible!

“I do have to kind of lock myself away for a couple days when I write this stuff and I find it tricky to be with other people because I’m somewhat consumed by the song.“

Sandy Bell, singer/songwriter

Popular Culture Beat:  What training did you have vocally and on piano — your skills are sublime on both!
Sandy Bell: I had about a year and a half, maybe almost two years of piano lessons when I was I think around 13 years old? I really can’t remember. But Mrs. Callahan was French and very serious. I was pretty terrified of her but I also loved the peacefulness of her home. She had two pianos and an organ in one room. I loved it. Other than choir in public school and church – that was the only official training I had. I had no vocal training prior to recording the album, but since then I’ve decided to start taking voice lessons because I am facing new edges and limitations. I never want to be limited by my technical abilities when I feel so much inside that I want to find its way into musical form. I think that would be a compromise and a shame. 

Popular Culture Beat: There’s some classical and mythical references on the album. What are you reading now?
Sandy Bell: I read all the time. At one point I started going through all the book prizes and reading as many classical works as possible. I have very little formal education, so this was important to me. I would say everything I have ever read has somehow been assimilated mostly without my knowing, and it’s making its way into all the music I write. I did learn the word ‘entelechy’ from a book by Jean Huston, called ‘The Wizard of Us’ which I was reading at the time I wrote some of these songs. This book is has more of a personal transformational aspect to, one could call it self help. I needed help so for me it definitely was! But it was a sweet and easy read that called me to turn inward and see what might be hiding in plain sight. So it was more of a lift from my own psyche I think rather than from a literary piece. But honestly – archetypically speaking – it’s all in there isn’t it…? In the books, the poetry, in the mind & soul. Right now I am reading Scattershot by Bernie Taupin. I don’t think he could miss. I love it so far.

“Our two pieces fit together to make a picture that makes sense to us. And when record a vocal track – it’s become a mind meld. We barely need to talk anymore as we know what needs to be done, and we just keep at it until we get what we want. Jeff is amazing.”

Sandy Bell

Popular Culture Beat:  Your partner Jeff plays an important part in this project. How did you meet? What’s your working process like, from the first inklings of melody to fleshing out of a song?
Sandy Bell: I met Jeff in the early 00’s. I had asked around for the most musical drummer I could find in New York City. I had just arrived there and really didn’t know anyone at all. Our mutual friend introduced us, and Jeff played on my very early gigs and recordings.  It’s been really an inseparable partnership ever since. 

In terms of our working process, for the most part, I will write the songs on either piano or guitar and demo them in some rudimentary form. For this record I used Garageband which was just really easy for me. I was able to multi-track voices and ideas without too much of a learning curve. Once I demo it, it seems like the song sort of gets engraved at that point and holds its basic form. But then I bring it to Jeff and the arrangements start to flow and he is super inventive and careful when he arranges parts beyond what I have written. He has a remarkable skill-set and a creative sensitivity that I require in order to feel safe with anyone. And more importantly – he emotionally understands the material, and finds gorgeous parts to support that. We are like a funny little puzzle. Our two pieces fit together to make a picture that makes sense to us. And when we vocal track – it’s become a mind meld. We barely need to talk anymore as we know what needs to be done, and we just keep at it until we get what we want. Jeff is amazing. We are co-producing for other artists now and it’s been a powerful experience. I love it. 

Popular Culture Beat: Since this is for Popular Culture Beat, can you tell me any instructive anecdotes or takeaways from when you worked for George Carlin and Steven Spielberg? 
Sandy Bell: Well it was a long time ago, but I can say that they were both simply some of the kindest people I had ever met. As were their wives. They all treated me with a lot of Love. But my biggest take away was how joyful they were to be around. There was a buoyancy about (them).  A lightness that seemed to just say that they knew what to do in this Life, and they were doing it, but they didn’t need to take themselves too seriously. George also had an incredible sense of gratitude that surrounded him. Also they both LOVED music and you could talk to them all day about it. And they worked really, really hard. 

Popular Culture Beat:  How did you find the classical musicians on ‘Entelechy?’ They’re amazing!
Sandy Bell: Well, New York is crawling with them ! Jeff had some previous relationships from working on various gigs on Broadway, off Broadway, etc.  that put him in touch with a lot of classical musicians. He can speak to the more specifically but our entire circle now over the years is very much comprised of some high level players. It can be intimidating but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They definitely helped execute the immersive vibe for the record. I feel so very lucky for each one of them. 

Popular Culture Beat: How did you like the piano at the studio? It sounds perfect.
Sandy Bell:  I loved the piano at the studio. I think it belonged to John Medeski at one point. We had a few little issues with a key here or there and they sent a technician out twice to help with it during the session. But the vibe of it was so good. You can tell when a piano has been loved. 

Jeff Lipstein: I can’t remember the make exactly but yes, it was John Medeski‘s touring baby grand piano. It was definitely nicked up and you could tell that it was road-worn.. But we loved the sound of it more than say a brand new Yamaha C7, or some kind of newer piano sound that was much brighter. It definitely had more of a vibe. I can’t remember exactly the mics we used. I know we used a pair of Gefells, possibly the UM70s.  We also used a pair of Coles 4038 ribbon mics. Pete Hanlon who was the recording engineer at the session did an incredible job. We also recorded the piano in the main live room so we were able to set up microphones fifty feet up in the rafters at Applehead in case we needed them. I don’t know if we actually used those but I definitely spent a long time dialing in the sound of that piano on a song by song basis to try to get the vibe right for what Sandy was singing about.
(KW: I called Michael Birnbaum at Applehead Studio, who told me the piano is a circa 1981 Yamaha C5 fitted with German hammers and picked out by John Medeski specifically for the studio.)

Popular Culture Beat: Jeff-You play a Roland Juno 60 and 106 on the album… What about these vintage analog synths do you like? 
Jeff Lipstein: It’s actually a Juno 6 and a Juno 106. I wish I had the Juno 60! But yeah I love those synths and I love all hardware synths a lot. I know it’s more of a pain to use them, and definitely a pain to fix them!, but there’s something about the tactile experience of creating on them that I really love. I also have for many years a Eurorack modular that so many people use now — but I used that a bunch on this album as well. I definitely know and love a bunch of the plug-ins that they make but they don’t really sound as good to me as the real instruments and the Juno series the Juno 6, Juno 60 June 106, they all have a vibe to them. I’ve also used the Juno 6 and 106 for many years, so I have these presets or these places that I go with the settings like many other producers do…I know I can get something special and that nobody else is going to be able to dial those sounds in very easily and that they actually work for the songs that I’m working on. But yeah, super big fan of actual hardware synths.

Popular Culture Beat:  When you’re writing songs that require dredging up painful feelings, as you do, how do you then go about adjusting everyday life after creating something sublime?
Sandy Bell: That’s so nice of you to use the word sublime. Thank you, Keith.  I do have to kind of lock myself away for a couple days when I write this stuff and I find it tricky to be with other people because I’m somewhat consumed by the song. As though it is echoing through my body even when I am just taking a bath or making toast or taking out the trash — whatever. I just don’t want to talk to anyone. That is why I write best when Jeff is on the road. 

Popular Culture Beat: You favor ballads for sure. What about the ballad form is an ideal vehicle for your songwriting impulses,?
Sandy Bell: If I had my way I would write everything at the same tempo. Prob around 80 beats per minute because I think that is where my heartbeat rests! And I move slowly because I have to. I don’t have a very sharp or quick mind. My intellectual operating system lags a bit and it takes a minute for things to sink in, so I suppose in a way I write at a pace that allows me to assimilate in real time. I also happen to take quite a few contemplative walks these days. I might even presume that my walking pace is similar to the tempos of my songs. I suppose when I was much younger, I wrote energetic rock pieces to help detoxify my anger and unravel my confusion – but these current songs feel like emotional wide lens landscapes and that provides some time to stretch out in a more languid manner. That’s important to me now. You know – with time running out and all. ; )

Part Two of our Q&A coming soon….

Sandy Bell dot com
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Sandy Bell on Instagram
‘Entelechy’ on Bandcamp
Applehead Recording dot com
Applehead Recording on Instagram

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