AEROPLANE 1929 have always been contained within a kind of time capsule. They draw from the weathered corners of Americana, adding in their own personal monograms-- piano, horns, clean production-- to achieve just the right age for their craft. They've been dusting themselves off since 2005, finding similar musical companions in town (Sidewalk Dave, Elison Jackson) and out (Deer Tick, Kevin Devine). Maybe its their antiquated sound or the members' polite tone of professionalism, but they never seemed to quite fit their time.

This could be why it feels strange that they're putting it to rest with plans to break up in August. Despite only playing two shows in Connecticut in the last 18 months, Aeroplane has always seemed like a scene staple and elder in the light indie rock scene associated with Safety Meeting and February Records. Even if you were never a fan, you should try to make it out to one of their last shows in July to pay your respects to an old friend to the New Haven scene. This Friday's release show at the Legion should be intimate and friendly-- you'll get a free copy of the new record with your admission dollars.

Scroll down for an interview with vocalist and guitarist Alex Mazzaferro, where he elaborates on the release of their last record, Attic & Cellar (out on Topshelf Records).

Listen to an unreleased track from the upcoming album, 'Soothsayer Said.'



Friends Sidewalk Dave, Elison Jackson, Luke Elliot and Lion Cub will be joining them. The night will probably feel like more of a send-off than an open-casket.

Earlier this week, Inkwell did a brief interview with frontman Alex Mazzaferro regarding the album release and its production:

Why release a record with the imminent break-up?
We decided to record an album despite our imminent breakup because we felt that we hadn't yet made the final statement we wanted to make as a band. I wrote most of the songs for "Attic & Cellar" in the spring of 2009, knowing well before then that we would be breaking up around now. And since these songs felt like Aeroplane, 1929 songs -- like the culmination of the sound we had been building together for a few years -- rather than solo songs, it was fitting to conclude the band with their release. These songs were kicking around in my head -- haunting me; they needed exorcising. They deserved a proper release, and the Topshelf Records guys were good enough to do that for us.

What qualities about the record make it worthy enough to leave behind in Aeroplane's legacy?
The album is composed of twelve narratively-linked songs, songs we spent more time crafting than we ever have in the past. By the time we finished recording them, they had become the purest collaborations in our five-year career as a band. Ironically, the penultimate sessions for the record took place simultaneously in two different cities -- I tracked guitars, keyboards, and vocals in our home studio in New Haven while Jake [Goldman] recorded woodwind and string players in his dorm at NYU -- but we were able to do that because we had developed such an innate trust in each other. When we began the final session together in May we each knew how to best bring the songs to life.

Was the production process any different knowing the future of the project?
Aeroplane, 1929 is, at its core, a collaboration between me and Jake. I write the songs and lyrics and play a variety of instruments. Jake records our albums and contributes arrangements beyond his role as multi-instrumentalist. Wil [Mulhern] and Noah [Goldman] and other folks played on the record a bunch, but it was essentially the two of us at the helm. Jake knows me very well, knows how to make what I'm trying to say translate to tape. I paint in broad strokes; he works on the level of detail. This relationship really started to solidify with our 2008 release "Original Sin," but we felt like we owed it to ourselves to make a full-length together. This is the record we were meant to make, and all the sacrifices required to make it were worth it.

We've always made our records without being hemmed in by what we could reproduce live. But with "Attic & Cellar" we were free to experiment further. Jake spends most of his time listening to and writing chamber music; I spend most of my time reading and writing about literature, so it made sense to push the songs to the level of story and to try to marry American roots music and more avant garde stuff. This record gave us the chance to do that.

What are your plans to promote the release?

The window to promote this record live is very small. We're playing dual release shows -- Thursday, July 1 at the VFW in Florence, Massachusetts w/ Ian O'Neil of Deer Tick, Lion Cub, and the Okay Win; and Friday, July 2 at the American Legion in Wallingford, Connecticut w/ Sidewalk Dave, Luke Elliot, Lion Cub, and Elison Jackson -- to celebrate. Immediately afterwards we're doing a two-week tour. There will only be one or two Connecticut shows left, including our final show ever August 21st at the Space in Hamden. The record will still be available by mailorder through the Topshelf Records Online Store, but we will be officially broken up after that. If folks are into seeing us live, don't hesitate. There won't be many opportunities. And we're working hard to make sure The End is really special.