Review Fix Exclusive: Nightcaller Talks ‘Halcyon Daze’ And More

September 14, 2018 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with Nightcaller’s Evan Patrick and Howard Alper, who discuss their new album, “Halcyon Daze,” as well as their creative process, goals for the future and more.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Evan Patrick: I grew up in a very religious household and my father was the Temple’s music director.  As members came and left, I had to learn different instruments.  So I was kind of the temple’s ringer until I became obsessed with John Coltrane in high school and left home.

Howard Alper: My best friend in elementary school went to band camp in New Jersey every summer.  He said I should go, but I didn’t play an instrument.  I always thought Animal from The Muppets was cool, so I signed up as a drummer. Luckily, it turned out I was pretty good! 

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Patrick: We write and record all the instrumental music together, then bring in singers to either record pre-arranged parts or write and record their own parts.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Alper: Dystopian science fiction films, red neon lights in dark alleys, pop confection, meditation, pizza, violence, Trump-era paranoia, mood stabilizers, drum instructional videos, european sports cars, Eddie Van Halen guitar solos, the writing of JG Ballard, virtual analogue drum machines.

Review Fix: What’s your standout track? How was it written?

Patrick: Every song is a child and it’s never a good idea to name favorites (especially with so many talented singers involved.)

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Alper: An orange Lamborghini roaring up the West Side Highway at 2am for an appointment at the Apple Store.  But it’s closed.  So we set the car on fire, walk over the highway and stare into the dark ripples of the Hudson River as Bjork glides by on a swan boat.

Review Fix: Do you have any plans to perform live? And if so, how do you imagine your live shows to be different from the recorded album?

Patrick: We do plan to perform live.  It will sound like the album but even more exciting with extended fusion jams and interactive video inspired by the 1980s computer tv personality Max Headroom.  

But most importantly, it will have one singer.  Who we haven’t found yet.  But we will.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2018?

Alper: To get the album out in the world.  To seed and harvest ongoing virtual content. 

Review Fix: What’s next?

Patrick: To go back in the studio in the winter and gig in the Spring.  

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14318 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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