A Dirty Dozen with JAY BLUMENFELD from WONDERLICK – August 2026

According to a recent press release: “Wonderlick Loves You is the seventh full length effort from Wonderlick, the duo of Jay Blumenfield and Tim Quirk, both founding members of late 20th century alt-rock mischief makers Too Much Joy. The album was recorded in Virginia with local adepts in traditional Appalachian music. Wonderlick Loves You is being released October 9 on CD, digital download and streaming services. by People Suck Music. Jay Blumenfield’s mother died two days before he got on a plane to Virginia to record this Wonderlick album. He went anyway. He and Tim Quirk — the two halves of Wonderlick, a band that’s been making records since 2001 — had spent months planning this trip. Inspired by two wildly successful (artistically AND economically) house show tours and binge-watching Les Blank documentaries, they wanted their next LP to capture the sense of immediacy and abandon those acoustic house shows had fostered.” We get Jay to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material that only diehard fans might find?

Tim and I have been making music together since we were in high school, and Wonderlick has been putting out records since the early aughts. One of the things we try to do is never get stuck in a rut. We have always loved loud, punky, poppy music. We grew up on The Clash, and now we love Geese. But we took the last Wonderlick album on a house tour, where, for the first time ever, we had to play our songs acoustically. We were terrified because we wouldn’t have distortion or drums to hide behind—just our bare souls and our acoustic guitars. We surprised ourselves and were moved by these quiet shows and intimate surroundings. It was punk in a way we never expected. We tried to capture some of that on the new album WONDERLICK LOVES YOU, which was recorded mostly live in one room with musicians from Floyd, Virginia, whom we met the day before we recorded it. It was so far outside our comfort zone that it was comfortable.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Music has always felt like freedom, and I always wanted to live a free man’s life.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

So many—from Neil Diamond to Love Tractor, The Clash, Springsteen, Tom Waits, R.E.M., Cameron Winter, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, Together Pangea, Johnny Cash, Patti Smith, Big Thief, and The Beatles.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Taylor Swift. Because no one would expect it, and whether it turned out great or terrible, it would be a great story to tell.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

Eat. Drink. Lie down.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or that you disagreed with?

I would describe our music as ever-changing. It’s an acquired taste, but once you acquire it, you want more of it. I don’t like it when people compare us to Maroon 5. It has never happened, but if it did, I would be bummed out.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

We have both cooked for each other. There are always drinks, and if we’re eating, drinking, and hanging out, eventually songs will need to be written and the guitars will come out.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck, and who was it?

When we were kids, we met R.E.M. and Michael Stipe a few times. He was always weird, in a cool way. Once, he put something on my head and told me to hold it there. I held it on my head without knowing what it was. Then, when we walked away, I took it off and saw that it was a crumpled-up brown paper bag.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Playing music for people who like it is the best part. If not music, I would produce and direct TV and film—which I do from time to time.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask—and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

The one question I am waiting for an interviewer to ask is: “I have listened to everything you have ever put out. It is amazing, transcendent, and life-changing. I can’t get enough of what you guys have to say. How can I help you achieve greater success with your music?” The question I’m tired of is: “Who are your influences?”

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or that you would like to have a “do-over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

When we were in Too Much Joy, we played a big showcase in L.A. The booking agent for Lollapalooza was there. We opened for an annoying British band. They were dicks, and we started a riot by jumping into their gear at the end of their set. It was super fun and crazy, but the booking agents decided they didn’t want us on Lollapalooza. So…actually, fuck it. I would do that again. It was so cathartic, and they deserved it. Who needs a festival tour…

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose—and what does that record mean to you?

Not necessarily for the music, but being a fly in the cocaine bowl during Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk sessions must have been interesting.

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Category: Interviews