Q&A with Dan Wilson and Jacob Slichter of Semisonic: Reunited and it Feels So Good

photo by Steven Cohen

Semisonic released three excellent studio albums from the mid-1990s to early-2000s, continuing the legacy of compelling pop/rock acts from Minneapolis. 1998’s Feeling Strangely Fine went platinum thanks to alt-radio chart topper “Closing Time.” Then the trio went on an extended hiatus.

Lead singer/guitarist Dan Wilson also put out three acclaimed solo albums. Then he became a sought-after songwriter/producer, with credits on albums by Weezer, Tom Morello, Jason Mraz, Phantogram, The (Dixie) Chicks, Taylor Swift, Adele (the last two collaborations netted Wilson a pair of Grammys) and dozens more. Drummer Jacob Slichter authored the 2004 book So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star about his music business experience. Bassist John Munson joined jazz trio The New Standards.

The Semisonic musicians stayed connected, played on each other’s projects, and reunited for a handful of Minnesota gigs in 2012, 2017 and 2019. The following year, they put out the solid You’re Not Alone EP. Last month, the band unveiled two new songs - the quiet, optimistic shuffle “Little Bit of Sun” and mid-tempo rocker “Grow Your Own,” where Wilson namechecks Eighties act ‘Til Tuesday in the lyrics. A full-length album is expected by year’s end.

We recently caught up with Wilson and Slichter separately as they finished Semisonic’s first national tour in more than 20 years with Barenaked Ladies and Del Amitri.

Rock Cellar: How has it been for you personally with Semisonic in full swing again, touring and recording?

Jacob Slichter: It’s been both fun and rewarding. One way in which we were all pleasantly surprised is to hear that we’ve improved, not regressed, as a band. We’re clearer on what it is we do as a band and each of us is clearer about the particular role we play. Dan, John, and Jake of 2001 would have been quite excited to hear the album Dan, John, and Jake of 2023 are about to put out.

Dan Wilson: I’ve really appreciated playing places like Red Rocks that we did [in the Nineties] with matchbox 20 even more [as a seasoned musician].

Rock Cellar: What was the band’s inspiration in creating the two newest Semisonic songs? “Little Bit of Sun” is basically a folk song, while “Grow Your Own” is louder, as Dan sings about his early days being in a band while at Harvard. What did you think of Dan's lyrics when you first heard them?

Jacob Slichter: We’ve always been eclectic, and our songs have always stretched across stylistic boundaries that reflect the breadth of our listening habits. The eclecticism, however, requires us to be thoughtful about how we curate an album as a whole. In the case of this record, I think of ‘Little Bit of Sun’ and its expression of hope as the closest thing to a statement of purpose. Hope, however, can’t come cheaply; we need the wildness of things like [another new song] “The Rope” [performed on the Barenaked Ladies tour] and some of the other tracks to allow the deepest notes of ‘Little Bit of Sun’ to resonate.

Rock Cellar: It was cool to see archival Semisonic photos and concerts in the video for “Grow Your Own.” What did you think of the finished result?

Dan Wilson: I sent the footage along to the director without really looking at it and not thinking about how well it would go together.

Rock Cellar: How have Semisonic fans reacted to the new songs, either online or in concert?

Jacob Slichter: We’ve been knocked out by how well they’ve been received as we’ve played them. The fear is always that fans will receive new material with polite golf claps as they wait patiently for the older, more familiar songs. That hasn’t been the case on this tour. They’ve given loud approval at the concerts and written to us online to express their excitement about the new songs.

Dan Wilson: The new songs have been going over surprisingly well, which is unusual.

Rock Cellar: Thinking about the You're Not Alone EP: When the three of you first got together to write and record it, did you find a new appreciation for each other’s creative talents, having not made music together for so long?

Dan Wilson: We’d been playing together for a few years, but I suddenly found myself writing to their musical strengths.

Jacob Slichter: That appreciation had been gathering as I watched both of them write, record, and perform outside of Semisonic. I wasn’t surprised to find Dan and John had both grown musically, as I think they felt about me, but given the evolution in our ears and playing, we found ourselves learning to play together slightly differently than before. It didn’t take long, though.

Rock Cellar: Which You're Not Alone tracks did you enjoy recording the most and why?

Jacob Slichter: ‘You’re Not Alone’ and ‘Basement Tapes.’ The arrangement for ‘You’re Not Alone’ came together easily and felt as if we’d played it before. ‘Basement Tapes’ was fun - mainly because the lyrics kept us remembering our early days as a band, a fitting point of reference given the fact that we were starting up again.

Rock Cellar: The EP’s title track went top 20 at Adult Alternative radio. It had to feel good to get that nod of approval again.

Dan Wilson: I think people were just really surprised that there was a new Semisonic song out there [and responded in kind].

Rock Cellar: Dan, I know it initially took you awhile to get back into the mindset of writing for Semisonic again. John had been asking you about it for years. The process was jump started by a potential songwriting session with Liam Gallagher which didn’t pan out, right?

Dan Wilson: Yeah. We had a good hang and talked about writing. He was really funny. I wrote about five songs a short time later. I followed up and [someone on his team said] they forgot [about the writing session] and already finished the album.

Rock Cellar: What can you tell me about the forthcoming full-length release?

Jacob Slichter: We’re excited and proud of the album. It feels ambitious, both in scope and in content. We’ve learned more about who we are as musicians and people, and you hear this in the recordings. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the rest of the world to hear it.

Rock Cellar: Does it amaze you to think that 25 years have passed since “Closing Time” was a big hit?

Dan Wilson: What really amazes me is to still hear ‘Closing Time’ when I go out to the store…not everyone gets to enjoy that kind of [ubiquitousness], even with a hit.”

Rock Cellar: Feeling Strangely Fine made its vinyl debut for the 20^th anniversary in 2018. What did you think of the results?

Dan Wilson: I couldn’t believe how much better it sounded.

Rock Cellar: Dan, since Rick Rubin executive produced your 2007 album Free Life and he’s often considered to be a mensch to other musicians, did you take away anything in particular from the experience?

Dan Wilson: [Thinking out of the box], he once suggested we get some sugar packets for a particular percussion sound. So, someone went to the nearest Starbucks and got some.

Rock Cellar: Dan, you co-wrote a song with Carole King on Semisonic’s 2001 album Chemistry. More recently, you collaborated with Steve Perry for a tune on his 2018 effort Traces. Do you almost have to pinch yourself being with such legends?

Dan Wilson: I learned a lot from being with Carole King. With Steve Perry, once you hear that voice… [you’re floored].

My interview originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.