Three Years Later And Album Three

George Blitch 0:01

Matt, welcome back to the Son of a Bleach podcast. How you doing today, sir? Um great. Thanks for having me again, George. Great to be here. Man, I'm excited.

Matt Katz-Bohen 0:10

It's freaking it what a day, man. We are three years to the day from our last recording. On the eve of your third album, titled Three. That's the Trifecta, man. We're here.

George Blitch 0:20

We're doing it. We're doing it. This is the Trifecta. It's magical. It's a beautiful day here in New York in Brooklyn. I don't know how it is out there in Texas.

Matt Katz-Bohen 0:29

It's nice, man. That fall is kicking in, starting to have uh some days where you can actually wear a long sleeve shirt. It's it's it's nice.

George Blitch 0:38

Love that. Love that. Beautiful.

Matt Katz-Bohen 0:41

Beautiful. Well, speaking of beautiful, man, let's talk about this album three. It's your third album together. I know you had an EP before, but the you know, the third full length. Um, it's mind-blowingly beautiful, man. I I kind of was weird before we hit record, I was talking about there's times when I'm bopping along with some of the songs, there's some to kind of get the energy, and there's some just kind of hit me emotionally. I mean, there is a it there's all sorts of feelings that come through this, but sonically, it's just an

Why The Album Nearly Stalled

Matt Katz-Bohen 1:05

incredible album. And I think I remember a post that said this album almost didn't happen. Is that uh am I remembering this correctly? And if so, what did that mean?

George Blitch 1:15

Yeah, I mean, so what happened? Yeah, we basically were, you know, Mike was filming Dexter, as as he does, and um, so our band was paused. We were on hiatus, and um, you know, we we would still talk and we would still chat, and of course, we're always coming up with ideas. You know, Mike is always coming up with poetry and lyrics and song ideas, and me and Peter are always coming up with tunes and we're sending them around to each other. And at a certain point um in 2024, you know, we we were just like, maybe we should actually just just do another album and just make it happen, you know. We don't we don't know what the future holds. No one knows what the future holds. We know Mike is busy, but um, we can still do this, you know. Um, Peter and I are in Brooklyn, we're gonna get together. And so we started going over to Brandon's um studio, shifted recording in Greenpoint. Um, Brandon Bost, who's our you know, he's been our mix engineer on the last last several last couple albums, but this time he um became the producer. So that was actually huge in terms of just having having another set of ears, another mind and heart with us uh on the journey, who was able to kind of usher the whole process and and just kind of you know be be there for us. Um I found it, I found it great. And then the burden wasn't just on Peter and I to put the music together. Um and and you know, it was it was Brandon. He he has just so much incredible experience, you know. I can't um can't emphasize enough how much he really brought to this process. It was it was a lot for sure.

A Producer Chair Changes Everything

Matt Katz-Bohen 3:04

Well, you know, stepping out of the home studio you guys have had, or you know, your home base studio and going and recording another place, and and a there was like a a lot of talk about how kind of he had a lot of the analog set up too. And I know what you've talked about before, and you know, I know the live show had Ableton Live and things too, but I assume you were probably doing some recording on on that as well or some other dial. But what was that like going in there in that process of someone else kind of behind the controls? Was that a was that something for you that kind of freed some things up? Were you you know hopping around to different musical instruments? Because I know a lot of the songs were kind of things that maybe had been even a couple years in the works, but some of those were kind of brought on the fly there and recorded that were like new songs in the studio. And I know that you guys kind of went back at different times uh to the studio, but what was that experience like for you, kind of as a musician who had maybe done things a little bit differently recording-wise in the past?

George Blitch 4:00

Yeah, in the past, the way we had done a lot of it would be in uh in our clubhouse studio, which we call the clubhouse, which um, you know, it's it's basically Peter's studio that he's had for years, and we've been kind of focused on there. So, you know, and that's that's incredible. It's it's a great resource. Um but then you know, a lot of the times it's like me or Peter, someone has to be um manning the you know, sitting at the computer doing the Pro Tools, doing the um, you know, basically being engineered essentially, um, which is usually it falls on Peter because it's his studio and he knows it the best. Um, so going to Brandon's studio and having Brandon be in the producer engineer's chair, it freed us up immensely to um so that Peter and I could be playing, we would be jamming, we'd be fleshing out ideas, and Brandon would be like, that what you just did, that was fire. I want to do it again, but this time Matt tried on the piano, and I'd be like, Yes, Brandon, you got it, you know, whatever you say. Um, so it was kind of a relief, I think, for for Peter and I to be able to have him there with us um on this journey. I mean, um, I'm trying to think the song Fall, no, sorry, the song Polaroid, that came up. It was just us in the studio. Um, I think it was like me on me on Keys. I was playing Juno. Um, I think Peter, Peter was playing bass, Brandon was playing some other keyboard, and we were just like, we just got in this zone where where it was almost hypnotic. And you'll hear it on that song, Polaroid, which was very much like that. Um what other songs were like that? French Kiss came about like that as well. Just us all at different instruments just playing, and uh Brandon kind of guiding us, guiding us along. So that was an entirely new process, and it was uh it was really cool. And then um, you know, the other songs all had elements of that. Um Snaggletooth, that was one of them. Um, you've heard the whole album, right? Oh, yeah, quite a few times.

Matt Katz-Bohen 6:15

It's been on repeat this whole last week.

George Blitch 6:17

Oh, incredible! Love to hear it, love to hear it. Yeah, so so snaggle tooth, which is one of my standout for me on the album, just because it's so like it's kind of an unexpected, weird song, just comes out of nowhere. That was also us, you know. I was at the piano, and you know, sometimes you need someone who's just like, Oh, what was that thing you just played? And you're like, That thing you liked it? All right, I'll play it again, you know. And and then you hear it back and you're like, Oh, yeah, that thing was kind of cool. Yeah, he was right, you know. But if he wasn't there, I would have been like, eh, whatever, forget about that, you know.

Matt Katz-Bohen 6:53

Well, and that's kind of something you've done as well. And and and Peter and I and even Mike in that sense, too, is like you guys have recorded and shared all these ideas, so you kind of have quite a lot of different things that you can kind of draw on from your past in order to kind of put those, you know, different songs in place or those pieces and see what

New Vocal Textures And Band Evolution

Matt Katz-Bohen 7:12

may fit. And that's something that you know, I know when when there was an interview I read with like kind of Peter, and I was gonna ask him this question, but I I think you could probably feel that too, is like this idea with with Mike and his schedule and just being so busy, like lyrically, 99% of this stuff before Mike had kind of brought to the table. But this time there was like this idea of kind of like sharing that responsibility and being able to work. And like Peter put on some vocals too that were pretty incredible. So, like, not only have you guys put in musicality and ideas and everything together that kind of shaped, you know, and or you know, it it shaped itself. Um, there's actually a kind of a different thing here that we're hearing with like Peter and his lyric writing and singing because he he has some singing on this album too, right?

George Blitch 7:56

He does. Yeah, he does. Um, so yeah, he sings on Walking in Soho. He sings the chorus of Walking and Soho. Um, French Kiss. He sings the chorus in French Kiss. And also um, what's it called? Sincere Chroma. Um he sings the um is it the chorus in Sincere Chroma? Yeah, so he's singing, he's singing a lot of choruses, singing a lot of choruses these days. So you know, Peter's a great singer. Um he Peter spent a lot of time in the studio with Brandon, probably the most time, more time than I did, definitely more time than Mike did. Um but yeah, he so at a certain point he would lay down vocals, and then Mike and I and Brandon were like, you know what, that sounds cool, actually. We like the the differing vocal textures on the song. Let's just keep that.

Matt Katz-Bohen 8:51

No, it's cool. I I I like the you know the juxtaposition of having two different singers that kind of come together and kind of it brings another feel to the song too. Um, and you know, different emotions that are evoked there. You know, one of the things that I I read, and I can't remember if it was it was Peter who said this, maybe Mike, but saying that you guys kind of all felt like this was your a definitive, your most definitive creation yet. What about that when when you think about that and that approach, do you agree with that? What is your assessment on this album as it stands compared to the other ones that you may have done, or just that evolution of the band and kind of how this was created and how sonically it came out? What's your you know, personal feeling about this album to you? Um, and you know, these amazing 11 songs that you guys put together on this?

George Blitch 9:38

Yeah, you know, um I don't I don't know if I necessarily think it's it's us in our most essential form. I think it's definitely us essentially in 2026, what we are and what we sound like, you know. Um, I think you know, come of age and thanks for coming and the first EP are all we're all representative of where we were at at the time, you know. And um, you know, you listen, you go back and you listen to those and you're like, yeah, that that really was a snapshot moment for us. Um a Polaroid, if you will. Exactly, exactly. I like how you tied that in there, like how you're tying things back in. Exactly. Yeah. So um, yeah, you know, I I think all of our it it's it stands it stands all together, you know. All three albums in the EP, they all stand together.

Matt Katz-Bohen 10:34

Well, it that makes sense, man. It is it is a a snapshot shot of that timeline of of kind of and some of those songs, you know, like you mentioned before, had had kind of come from, you know, years past and these ideas that you guys had, because I know you guys have quite uh, you know, a database full of

Leftover Songs And A Deluxe Plan

Matt Katz-Bohen 10:50

ideas that are that you know may come in to fruition. It's a seed that's planted that that blooms at the right time and and the right record or EP or whatever you guys are putting together. And I know there's a couple tracks too that you guys are working on that will kind of come out after the album's out as well, too, that are kind of were these recorded during the same times. I know there's an interview that I guess there's like 14 kind of on the chopping block, but there's two you guys are gonna work on. Is that correct?

George Blitch 11:14

Yeah, yeah, there's a couple, there's a couple uh that we're still working on. Um there's there's one called Lomp, which is a fan favorite, and um that stands for Land of Make Pretend. Um yeah, I think uh I think versions there's versions of us doing it live because we used to go out with acoustic guitars and play it um you know before a set. And uh for the um for the people doing the meet and greet. So that's a really fun tune. We're we have a great mix of that, which we're gonna release next year, I think, as a sort of deluxe version of the album. And we have a couple of other tunes that didn't um they weren't mixing time, basically, is what happened, you know. Um you know, one of the things working with someone like Brandon, who brings a lot of ideas to the table, um, and sometimes you'll start out with a song and it'll become radically different after, you know, a month, and you're like, whoa, this is different. I like it, but it's completely different, you know. So there's this one song that's gone back and forth called Creature, many iterations. Um, and that's also going to be on there. And then we have a couple of other uh little things, some some exciting things as well. So that's for next

Live Shows Dreams And 2027 Talk

George Blitch 12:33

year.

Matt Katz-Bohen 12:33

Nice, you know, and as we're kind of looking forward to talking about the things that are to come, one of the things that we kind of had had all talked about um, you know, three years ago when we recorded the last uh interview here was this idea of how sometimes these songs, once they're brought out into practiced, then recorded, and then played and performed live, they kind of take different shapes. And certain things kind of evolve in this sound or hey, we're gonna take this song here uh sonically or you know, lyrically, whatever it may be that that kind of evolves when you're playing live. Obviously, this is a little bit different because you guys don't have a tour lined up as of now. Um, and so these songs are as they are and encased in how we're listening to them, uh, you know, starting you know today as this podcast is released. Um, and I encourage everyone to go to your favorite listening spots and make sure that you uh listen to this album in full multiple times every single day so you can enjoy it. It is phenomenal. But back to the idea of this, the the live shows. Now I know there's challenges in in touring, there's challenges in three different guys and three different schedules and families and all these things, but is there something that is on the horizon where you guys are saying, man, we really want to do something in 2027, we really want to play, even if it's some local shows or something like that. What does it look like for uh the fans who want to see these perform live? Is there anything on the horizon that we can talk about today?

George Blitch 13:58

Um yeah, yeah, there's definitely a desire to play live and to be out there in front of the people all together. You know, there's nothing like it. I love going to live shows. You know, it's it's one of the things I love about living in Brooklyn and New York is just the sheer amount of things you can see. You know, everything from you know, nine-inch nails in a in an arena to um Saul Williams at the Blue Note Cafe, you know, or Blue Note Jazz Club, whatever. Um, so yeah, I mean I I love it. We want to do it, we want to get back out there. We don't have any concrete plans, um, but we are talking about it for 2027, definitely.

Matt Katz-Bohen 14:38

Right on, man. Well, I know you still haven't made your your way down to Texas, so you know, I'm I'm I'm ready to to host you guys and and hang out and have a meal and and see a show here. So it that has to happen, you know. I love it, I love it.

George Blitch 14:51

Yeah, I mean, we played um, what did we do? We played Austin. Oh, you did we we did play Austin at a festival. Um, trying to think when that was 2022, I want to say. Um, and then we actually played Houston. What played we played Houston, man. This this was like this was a while back. I don't even know know when this was. I want to say 21, 22. It was a it was a little club, it was a small club, and it was hot. Oh man, I can't even can't even remember the name.

Matt Katz-Bohen 15:22

Well, you played in so many places that I won't hold you to it, but dang it, I didn't realize you'd you played. I'm right outside Houston, so now I feel even worse. I've always thought.

George Blitch 15:31

Yeah, I I I I mean, I think we we weren't in touch at that point, unfortunately. Um, I think there is a gig list online. There's like a Princess Goes gig list that some fans compiled. If anyone wants to go check that out, they can.

Blondie Bob Dylan And Touring Lessons

George Blitch 15:44

Right on.

Matt Katz-Bohen 15:44

Well, you know, as far as shows, obviously, you probably got some coming up with Blondie now. You got you personally, uh, have been were pretty mainstay in this last recording and you know, kind of co-writing stuff and kind of getting that out. I know that'll be coming out in 27. Talk to me about that experience because I think people, you know, might not realize the depth of the different projects that everyone's involved in in this band, which can add to the difficulty of the live performances and the touring and even just the recording, as this was an 18-month process. But talk to me a little bit about some of the stuff that you're personally doing and have been involved with and kind of what this next year um looks like, you know, with Princess Goes and Beyond, of course.

George Blitch 16:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. Um, yeah, so the Blondie album, that was that's been in the works. That was started in 2022, um, with the initial recordings, and then it was supposed to come out in 24. Um it was, you know, we recorded it with John Coggleton, who produces Saint Vincent Future Islands. Um, great producer, great dude. Um, check him out if you can. Um, it's also the last recordings of um Clem Clem on Drums. I mean the last Blondie recordings of Clem on Drums, um, because he died in 2024, which also had to do with pushing the album back and the album cycle back and all that stuff. Um yeah, that's that's a great record. I've been meeting with Debbie and we're just jamming and going over the songs, and she sings them, um, you know, with me in the living room, along with Andy, our guitar player, Andy Blacksugar, um, who's an incredible musician as well. Um, so yeah, I've been doing that stuff. Um, I toured, I did a little tour with Bob Dylan last year as well, which was an incredible experience. Um, on the Outlaw Music Tour with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, and um bunch of a bunch of other other bands. No, have you ever seen that tour?

Matt Katz-Bohen 17:51

I have not, no. I mean heard about it, but I I knew as far as those guys kind of playing shows together, but I I'm I'm not familiar.

George Blitch 17:59

Yeah, I think um I think it's it's been a thing. They've they've been doing it for a couple of years, but um, I mean, seeing Willie, I've seen him before, but but dude, he's like 94, I think, right?

Matt Katz-Bohen 18:12

I yeah, he's definitely in his low 90s there for sure, yeah.

George Blitch 18:15

Yeah, yeah. And um, you know, just just touring at 94, it's like um, man, incredible.

Matt Katz-Bohen 18:22

Have you ever seen him play? I did. I saw him when I was 17 years old and then 20, and then I think I caught him somewhere in my late 20s as well. But I remember the first time I showed up and saw him with my buddy Colin Williams. We were some of the youngest guys in the crowd, and it was just it, it was I saw all these ladies who were just you know swooning left and right, and you know, we at the time we're like the blue hairs of the older ladies that were there, and just like it was a venue that didn't it, I don't know, for whatever reason, it it kind of tended to draw an older audience of that. And I just remember thinking, I was like, this guy's been doing this for whatever the time, 50 years at that point in time, you know, and or whatever. And then now to see him and playing with his sons, and you know, I mean, even like his grandchildren have albums that that you know he they're they're putting out and they're collaborating. So that Wilson uh legacy just continues on, which is just phenomenal. Of course, you know, he's a a a Texas, you know, staple and hero here of a musicianship and just personality. So I've followed his career as long as you know I've been listening to music since I was, you know, knee hide or grasshopper, right?

George Blitch 19:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, what what a career. It's it's wild. I saw him too when I was in my 20s. He came and played in New York in uh not even a big club. It was maybe like, I don't know, like six, seven hundred people, something like that. And um, I got to meet him afterwards. He was just hanging out, signing autographs, saying hi to people. Super cool dude. So, yeah, to now see him, whatever it's been like 26 years later. And um, he's just he's just going strong, you know, he's just up there with his band. He's sitting down. Um, the band is like standing around him. They're sort of very close-knit, you know, which is which is cool. It's a cool effect. And then his son is playing with Neil Young, which is incredible. Um, playing guitar for Neil Young, and that was just like huge. We played uh Farmade, Farmade 2025. So it was him, Willie, Neil Young, um, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, um uh Jesse Wells. You're familiar with Jesse Wells, yeah, yeah. Great protest uh singer. And yeah, so that was awesome. Just just like Willie Nelson's kid, just shredding it with Neil Young. It was just like, this fucking rocks. This is great.

Matt Katz-Bohen 20:39

Dude, I mean it's it's interesting when you, you know, you grow up a fan of music and you're playing and you're in these bands and kind of grimming out maybe the the small clubs and stuff, and then here you are sharing the stage with maybe some of those same people that you, you know, were a fan of and that were kind of distant teachers to you and inspiration, and now you're you're right along with them. And I think that's sometimes too when people are like, oh, this guy, this guy, it's it's just a guy, it's just somebody who's sharing their talent and their their artistry and their creations of the world. And uh it's I don't know, I'm I'm sure that there's some full circle moments from going to meeting him when you're in your 20s then to kind of backing them up and playing. Um, I I I can only imagine how powerful and uh you know special that was for you. Yeah, yeah.

George Blitch 21:26

I mean, yeah, yeah, seeing seeing all these all these legends really. Um, and then also, you know, Bob, Bob Dylan himself, which um he kind of relates, you know, he's still Bob Dylan, and and you're talking to him and you're like, I'm talking to Bob Dylan. This is kind of wild, you know, and you hear his voice, and you're like he he actually enunciates much more clearly when when he's just talking to people. So that was a relief. I was like, okay, I can understand you. Phew. It's a good thing. All right.

Matt Katz-Bohen 21:58

Don't need a translator or Some kind of audio device to kind of see what did he mean? What did he say there?

George Blitch 22:04

Yeah, no, didn't need a Dylan translator just standing there being like, what he means is sound check is 3 p.m. Oh, not four. Got it. Thank you, Bob. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Okay. No, no. A minor? What'd you say, sir? Yeah. No, no, he's very clear. Yeah, he's like, so this one goes A to D minor to A minor. Like, okay. All right. Cool. That's great.

Matt Katz-Bohen 22:27

And that's kind of a the cool thing, too. I know Peter played with the wallflowers, Jacob Dylan, and stuff too. So there's uh, you know, all sorts of different levels of connectivity through the music you guys have kind of created. Um, you know, it this this album is it it's really remarkable, man. And I'm I'm just so happy that you guys have you know trudged through the time and and kind of the commitment of being able to record this and put out something that's just a beautiful snapshot of your creation and your artistry and you know your love of music. And I just wanted to say thank you for doing that and for sharing your talents with with the world, man. Um, you're you're an incredible musician, and you know, as well as the other guys too. Uh and I just am I'm just so happy when I see people make that commitment to kind of keep things going when it may be difficult at times to get the schedules in and get the recordings in. And so I just appreciate you and and the musicality and what you guys share, man. So I just wanted to you know personally say thank you for that. Thank you, George.

George Blitch 23:29

Really appreciate that, man. Really appreciate that. And thanks for you know, always advocating for our music and uh and helping us get it out there, you know.

Where To Listen And Support The Band

Matt Katz-Bohen 23:38

That's well, speaking of, why don't you go ahead and tell people where they can go ahead and listen to the new album, you know, throw out your website where they can kind of get some merch, support you guys, and kind of stay uh in touch for future show announcements. Yeah, for sure.

George Blitch 23:54

Um, everything is uh available at princessgoes.com. You can buy you can buy vinyls there, you can you know buy the digital copy. Um, you can do that. You can buy merch, you can buy t-shirts, whatever you want. Um, we also have a bandcamp, which um bandcamp is great, they give the most money to the artists. So I encourage everyone to go sign up and join Bandcamp. And you know, you can support all your favorite artists that way, way better than Spotify or any of the other ones. Um, and yeah, we're also on Instagram, you know, we're out there, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, all that stuff. Um, all at Princess Goes. Sorry, Princess Goes Official.

Matt Katz-Bohen 24:34

I'll have all those show notes below so people can just go ahead and as you're listening, you're ready to go check those out. You can click those and and uh definitely support the band. Bandcamp is a great place. And you know, I'm just kind of is there anything parting-wise that you'd like to share? Maybe to some some the fans of your music, the supporters, uh, the other bandmates, is there kind of anything that as this you know album is about to drop uh personally that you'd like to, you know, kind of convey?

George Blitch 25:02

Um I'm just gonna say, you know, I I loved I loved working on this record. I'm I'm incredibly proud of it. We all are, me, Peter, and Mike. And um, yeah, we can't wait to do to do more and also to be out there with the people just playing music, and hopefully in Texas too. Yes, I'll make it this time around.

Matt Katz-Bohen 25:25

Yes, yes, we'll let you know this time around. There you go. Well, Matt, thanks again for everything, and congratulations on you know the the incredible record three. Uh, everyone go take a listen. 11 songs are gonna knock your socks off, and there's more to come to. And uh, can't wait to see where Princess goes next, man. Awesome, thanks so much, George.

George Blitch 25:47

See you in Texas. All right, take care, bud. All right, take care. Bye bye.