Don’t call it a comeback. That’s what Fountains of
Wayne guitarist Adam Schlesinger wants everyone to know, as the New
York-based band returns to the road in support of “Welcome
Interstate Managers,” an album four years in the making.
“We just want to remind people that we didn’t
disappear forever,” Schlesinger said. “We never really
gave it up.”
The follow-up to 1999’s shining sophomore effort
“Utopia Parkway,” this year’s “Welcome
Interstate Managers” lagged due to an exhausting year of
touring and an uncertain future after Atlantic Records failed to
renew its contract. FOW signed with the modest S-Curve label this
past winter, giving the almost-famous band another shot at
mainstream success. FOW’s date with Southern California began
at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on Sunday and will conclude
at the House of Blues in Anaheim Monday with their 8 p.m. show.
Named after a lawn ornament store in Wayne, N. J., FOW consists
of guitarist Jody Porter, drummer Brian Young, and the
singing/songwriting duo of Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood.
Schlesinger/Collingwood might not be Lennon/McCartney, but the two
British pop enthusiasts know how to crank out catchy,
three-and-a-half-minute toe-tappers. Just don’t mention the
words “power pop” to them.
“The concept of power pop just seems like a sterile
idea,” Schlesinger said. “We’re not trying to
recreate some golden era in pop that’s already been done. I
think what we do is very contemporary.”
An association with power pop may have kept FOW from
capitalizing on the critically lauded “Utopia Parkway.”
The group’s timing could not have be worse as rap-metal acts
like KoRn and Limp Bizkit dominated the airwaves. Although
FOW’s sunny and melodic tunes failed to garner much
commercial success, Schlesinger dismisses the idea that the band
lost its chance at stardom.
“All we ever wanted was to be able to go anywhere and have
people come see us,” Schlesinger said. “I’m proud
of our music. We don’t have massive, multi-platinum records,
but that wasn’t one of our aspirations. You play because you
like to play.”
During their hiatus after “Utopia Parkway,”
Schlesinger and Collingwood headed in vastly different directions.
While Collingwood hung around at home, gardening and playing golf,
Schlesinger kept himself busy with an old band of his called Ivy.
Schlesinger also spent the “downtime” producing records
by, among others, The Verve Pipe. It was the longest the pair of
thirty-somethings had gone without collaborating since their days
at Massachusetts’ Williams College in the late 1980s.
FOW got its second wind when the band was asked to write music
for VH1’s animated sitcom “Hey Joel.” Schlesinger
and Collingwood then scored Comedy Central’s puppet laugh
riot “Crank Yankers.” Back in 1996, Schlesinger had
written the Oscar-nominated title theme to Tom Hanks’ rock
‘n’ roll film “That Thing You Do!” The
momentum carried FOW to their third album and current tour.
“Musically, (“˜Welcome Interstate Managers’) is
our most varied and eclectic album,” Schlesinger said.
“It’s not one hit single with 10 lesser versions. We
didn’t write about our personal experiences with the music
business because we like to invent characters. But Chris did write
a song about being on tour. Every band needs a tour song to let out
their frustrations.”
Will FOW be mired in frustration if the second go-around falls
victim to bad timing again?
“We’re not pop punk, we’re not metal, and
we’re definitely not teen pop,” Schlesinger said.
“I don’t think our current album fits the trend either,
and it doesn’t really matter to me.”