Month: August 2011

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A Conversation with Austin Lucas, Part II

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NTSIB friend Michelle Evans (Dear Ben Nichols, The Vinyl District: Washington, D.C.) concludes her conversation with Austin Lucas. If you’re in Seattle, you can catch both Austin and Drag the River this Friday at SoundFest

 

 

It seems both Austin Lucas and I are quite the chatty pair, which is great for y’all, because we discuss the country music scene, Lucero, Cory Branan, and everything in between.

So what are your thoughts on country music?

I listen to a lot of country radio. I appreciate the songwriting, even though most people hate the songwriting, but I listen to it, and I’m like, “This is so catchy. This person is such a clever, intelligent songwriter.” What a lot of people don’t understand about pop music, in order for something to stay with someone after hearing it one time, it has to be extremely catchy. The average music listener isn’t really a music fan. They want image. They want to lust after somebody who’s a star. So the thing is, if you don’t reel them in with a really, really catchy hook, they’re not interested. Trust me, writing really, really dumb and catchy stuff is a lot harder than you think. There’s a certain amount of genius that goes into doing that. A lot of people are hateful towards pop music and very spiteful, and the way I feel about it is, it’s there, but you don’t have to pay attention to it or give money to it, and maybe spend less time being upset about that stuff and more time discovering bands that are worth giving money to and are great. On the other hand, as a songwriter, I just respect the fact that people can do that. And, I mean, who are we kidding? Everyone likes a certain amount of that stuff.

Yeah, there seems to be some pretentiousness out there with certain groups of people regarding pop music or music on mainstream radio.

Yeah, it’s like this pretentiousness exists in people to be nit-picky. When I was young, and I think when everyone’s young, and we’re first exposed to music, everything they hear, they like, pretty much. I used to see the shittiest bands just because they were local and they played kind of the style that I liked. Any band that came on tour, I would go see. Anything I could get into at the all-ages clubs, I’d see. Or a house show, I was there. I would just sit in the record store and be that annoying guy asking what’s good. The point that I’m getting at is that as we get older, we get so pretentious. Our tastes get refined, and we learn to be pretentious, because everyone else is pretentious. I’m guilty of it too. We all are at some point, but the truth is, I feel like I have to have an opinion about all the music out there, even if I don’t really care either way about it. I hate the fact that I’m like that – that I’m the way that I hate how people are.

You just came off Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown. What were some of the highlights?

Everything was a highlight at the Throwdown, but I think that the biggest highlight was probably the first night that I went on stage and sang with Willie Nelson. I just remember how it felt. It’s weird. I did it seven times. I was definitely counting, because that’s what you do when something that spectacular is happening to you. But the first time that I did it, it was in Arkansas, and Travis from Last chance Records – my record label boss – was there as well as my wife, so it was so cool to run out on stage and be like, “I’m doing this, and these people that I care about are here!” And I looked over, and Willie Nelson’s there, and I swear to god, and everyone told me I was crazy, but I swear he looked over at me with a look that said, “What the fuck is this fucking freak dude doing on the fucking stage right now?” [laughs] I mean, because for the first week of that tour – and this is no joke – everybody thought that I was on the crew, because it’s Warped Tour personnel, so all the stage managers and lighting people and tour managers are all punks and all tattooed, so everyone just assumed that I was part of that menagerie of the circus. It took a long time before everyone realized I was a performer.

Did that make you feel extra special?

Well, it made me feel very special in a lot of ways, but it also made me feel like an outsider, which I was. The people I performed with were great, but there were press people specifically who had no desire to talk to me and who were talking down to me. They’d cut interviews short or say really rude things to me like, “So you’re not part of the country music scene.” And I was like, “Actually, I’m part of the alternative country scene which most people would probably argue is more like country music than the country music you’re talking about,” and he countered with, “Well, you’re not in Nashville. You’re not going to be on the radio,” and I’d just be like, “Yup. That’s true.” I dunno, it was funny for me, because I don’t take things that seriously, so I would just make jokes about it usually. There were some really nice press people too, though, who saw me as a good story. You know, the guy who’s not from Nashville and who doesn’t live in Nashville and not part of the corporate country music establishment, and yet I still have a career, and I’ve toured Europe, so a lot of the people from the press were excited to talk to me. It was just kind of a mixed bag, and I really just thought it was all funny. What was really funny is that I always get that I’m “too country” in the punk world, so it was funny going into the country world and be told I’m not “country enough.” [laughs]

You started out in the crust-punk scene with your band Guided Cradle, which is as metal as punk can get, and now you play folk/country music. I’m interested to know who some of the bands are whom you admire or of whom you are a fan.

Well, one of the bands is Lucero. And I know a lot of people love Lucero, and I know a lot of people hate Lucero, but the truth is – and I don’t think there’s anybody who would disagree with this on either side – but Lucero really were a game-changer. They fought to become as popular as they are, and that’s probably why they’re going to be popular until they decide to call it quits or until they die. Every single fucking fan that they ever had, they had to fight for. They won them by constant fucking touring. You know, they were playing country music in a scene [the punk scene] that was totally not interested in it, and in a lot of ways, made people interested in it. I think that a lot of the interest that happened in country music and roots music in the 2000s happened as a result of Lucero hitting the scene and working their ass off. I mean, there are a lot of other factors, but I think they are a very heavily influential band and a very important band, and if someone who’s not a dick writes a book about the scene one day, if they don’t give Lucero all those props, then they’re leaving them out because they personally have a pretentious idea of what is and what isn’t important. Them and Drag the River, actually, are both important.

Anyone else?

Cory Branan is another one. He is probably the best songwriter of my peers. And I don’t think that – I know that that’s true. The guy is a fucking genius. He’s a great performer. I hold him in such a high regard. He’s definitely one of the genre’s unsung heroes.

Last but not least, tell me about your current tour.

The first two weeks are just headline shows with my back-up band, The Bold Party. Then we’re main support on tour with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band who is from Brown County in Indiana, right next to Monroe County, which is where Bloomington is, which is where I’m from. They have a lot of days off, so the days off are going to be filled with more headline shows. Basically, it’s half a support tour and half a headline tour. It’s gonna be awesome, because I’m going to be out with people from my home turf.

 

 

 

Austin Lucas Official Website

Austin Lucas @ Facebook

Austin Lucas @ Twitter

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A Conversation with Austin Lucas, Part I

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We continue our interviews from good NTSIB friend Michelle Evans (of Dear Ben Nichols and The Vinyl District: Washington, D.C.) with the first part of her chat with the lovely Mr. Austin Lucas. Check out Austin, Drag the River and many more at SoundFest in Seattle, which starts today and runs through Sunday.

 

 

I was able to catch up with Austin Lucas just after his tour with Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown. We talked about punk rock. We talked about bluegrass. We talked about the music industry. We talked so much, in fact, that we’re splitting his interview over today and tomorrow, when we’ll resume talking about things like his current tour with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, his experience with the Country Throwdown, and Cory mother-fuckin’ Branan.

I’m of the ilk that while I want the people I love making music to do well and sell records, I wouldn’t wish fame on anyone. It just seems like the worst fate imaginable to me (but that’s just me). One of the things I appreciate most about you is your accessibility. Is that something you make a point of doing?

Sometimes I feel like when I’m doing a show, I’m there to see the people at the show and not the other way around. I try to be as open and interactive with my fans as possible, personally. The thing is, it’s not like any of us are famous, you know. I mean, some of us more than others. But even if you go see the stuff that you love in an up to 500 capacity venue, and even if it is sold out, that’s 500 people in that town, and if you think about what it’s actually like to be famous, it’s like being in awe. I mean, being at this level allows a certain amount of interaction, and that’s a beautiful thing about it. You can still be interactive, and you can actually become friends with the people who listen to your music rather than have just a bunch of nameless faces that are buying your product.

Though buying your product is great. You deserve to make a living doing something you love. Some people hold a viewpoint that opposes that, and I don’t understand where that comes from.

I think there are a lot of people who frown upon it. I don’t personally care for those folks, especially the band folks that pretend that’s not what they want and kind of cast off people the more popular they get. That’s always been something that’s really bothered me personally. You know, everyone wants to be popular, and everyone’s gonna ride it as far as it’ll take them. I mean, not everyone wants to be mega-famous, but people want fans at their shows. I mean, it’s depressing to show up in a town and have nobody there. Absolutely nobody fucking wants that, and, you know, I think that it’s a really interesting dichotomy that, like, it’s okay of 200 people come and see you, but it’s not okay if 500 people come and see you, or it’s not okay if a thousand people come and see you?

I’m not gonna lie. As a fan, do I love it when I go to a show, and there are only, say, five other people there? Sure. Yeah, that totally rocks for me, but I understand that it may not necessarily rock for the band trying to make a living.

I mean, it can be really, really fun, depending on the situation, but if you’re talking about making a living and the repercussions of there only being six people at a show, there’s more going on than a lot of people think about. There’s the fact that you’re probably making less money or making no money, and there’s a guarantee, and there’s a promoter, and they lost a bunch of money on it. The odds of them doing another show for you go down dramatically. Also, the odds of other promoters doing a show for you also go down dramatically. Trust me, I know, because that’s my life.

So how did you start playing music?

I’m naturally a very lazy human being, which is why I’m a musician in a lot of ways. You know, because I had no interest in going to school, and it was the only thing I was naturally, predisposed to being good at, and I’d already been playing music my whole life, since I was a little child, so I just kind of fell into it. It was kind of, like, well, what can I do that requires the minimal amount of effort with the most payback? All right, well, I’ll play music. I’m gonna keep doing that. It’s fun, and I was always good at it. I mean, maybe not the greatest in the world or anything like that, but it was something I was always decent at.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of the bluegrass influence in your music.

Well, I’m definitely not at all real bluegrass. I mean, I definitely have bluegrass influences and stuff like that, but as a genre, serious bluegrass fans would definitely not call me bluegrass. The only people who ever do are people who don’t really know but maybe hear the banjos and the fiddles and call it bluegrass. Bluegrass is a very, very specific style of music, and I might utilize a lot of the motifs that are involved, and I’m definitely very heavily influenced by bluegrass, but more honestly by mountain music. That’s really more of what inspires me, at least for my first several records.

That’s true, which is why I said “influence.” [laughs]

I’m used to people calling me bluegrass, and I’m always like “uh-uh”. For me, I’m just immediately like, “Nope.” Honestly, I like to educate people musically, which is why if somebody asks me what I do, I always say, “I’m a folk singer,” or “I’m a country singer.” I consider all of it to be folk music, truthfully. I consider everything that’s made by people that aren’t fucking, like, ridiculously wealthy to be folk music. [laughs] And I know that’s, like, a poor dude being biased against rich people, which admittedly, I kind of am. [laughs]

So I’m curious then, how did you find punk rock?

I’m from southern Indiana. We had a rock station that back in the 80s and 90s played what we consider to be classic rock now, but they were pretty diverse. They had a radio show on Thursday nights called “Brave New World”, and it was all punk and all alternative, college rock stuff. I’m from Bloomington, which is a university town, and I grew up about six miles outside of the city in the woods, but the county seat is Bloomington, so I’m going to school there and going to shows and stuff like that. We have record stores. I was very lucky in that regard. I mean, our record store may not have carried everything, but it carried enough to give me a pretty good musical education as far as stuff outside of what was on the radio. I also have an older brother seven years older than me, and he was into punk, so that’s how I got into it. The first shows that I went to were scary. You didn’t know what was gonna happen. There was always crazy fights, and being 12 years old and seeing a circle pit and trying to get in it is pretty intense. [laughs]

 

 

 

Austin Lucas Official Website

Austin Lucas @ Facebook

Austin Lucas @ Twitter

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An Evening At: The Grand Ole Echo, The Echo, Los Angeles, with Welldiggers Banquet, Grant Langston and the Ruby Friedman Orchestra

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On my very last night in Los Angeles I ventured out to Echo Park to check out the Grand Ole Echo, a weekly Americana/country/roots music event held at The Echo. Once again I had no idea what to expect, this time because I was mainly going to check out the event as a concept.

It turned out to be an excellent evening, the kind of thing that I decided if I lived in town I would totally go over every Sunday. (In fact I really wish there was something like it in New York.) If you’re in the Los Angeles area, drop in on them sometime – it’s free, all ages, 5-9 PM on Sundays, April through September. Plus there’s BBQ and more music on the porch!

Confession: I did not manage to sample either the BBQ or the bluegrass band that was playing on the evening that I went. I spent all of my time indoors, absorbing the musical stylings of the following bands:

1. Welldiggers Banquet

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My post-set notes on this band were “country with rockabilly swing, great stuff.” They have been a band since 2004, and their self-titled CD was released in 2007, though evidently a new record is expected shortly. I’ve been carrying their tunes around with me since I got back, and enjoying pretty much the entire record, though I do have a special fondness for Frio, White River and Charms of the City. If you enjoy a foot-stomping good time as well as the occasional ballad, check them out.

2. Grant Langston and the Supermodels

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Mr. Langston and his merry crew are more rock than rockabilly, but still have a strong country core. And some seriously entertaining song titles, such as Burt Reynolds Movie Brawl which is “get me OUT of here” account of an oncoming barfight. If you enjoy the Bakersfield sound, you will enjoy them.

3. Ruby Friedman Orchestra

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This band was perhaps more bluesy soul with hard rock underpinnings than Americana or country, but that didn’t bother me a bit, as they were absolutely amazing. Seriously, y’all, if they roll through your town, get out and see them. They sound like a force of nature given a voice, sometimes howling, sometimes crooning, but always bigger than life. Recommended tracks: Montmartre and It Makes Me Want To Hold Your Hand (A Little Tighter).

 

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A Conversation with Jon Snodgrass of Drag the River

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NTSIB’s dear friend Michelle Evans of Dear Ben Nichols and The Vinyl District: Washington, D.C. has graciously allowed us to share her recent interviews with Jon Snodgrass of Drag the River and, tomorrow, the lovely Mr. Austin Lucas. Catch both gentlemen at SoundFest in Seattle, Washington, August 17-21.

 

 

Drag the River have been one of my favorite bands for quite some time, so imagine how stoked I was to hear they are selling their albums in a “Pay What You Can” style. On top of that, they’re back on tour and joining the likes of Lucero, Austin Lucas, and Larry & His Flask at this year’s SoundFest in Seattle. Catch ’em while you can.

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So what made you decide to sell the entire Drag the River catalog in a “Pay What You Can” style?

To be honest with you, the only jobs I ever had, ya know, that I never got fired from, were record stores for years – two or three different ones – and it always seemed weird to me, CDs cost $13.99, $15.99, but once it gets unwrapped and comes back, ya know, records are only worth the music that’s on them. I don’t know if I’m explaining myself right.

I know what you mean. I’ve sold back CDs that I’ve paid $15-$20.00 for, and I’m getting, like two bucks for them, because maybe it wasn’t the most stellar CD, but if you’re selling back Jawbreaker, for instance, or Lucero’s Tennessee, which is out of print, ya know, you can get mad money for those.

Exactly. Speaking of which, I gotta signed copy of that record.

Jealous! I’ve got Tennessee on vinyl, but it’s not signed. I’ll have to work on that. So you were saying…

Oh yeah… It’s just people have different amounts of money, and I’m fine with whatever, and all those records that we made, that we’re putting up right now, they’re in the black. I’m not saying we made a lot of money off them, but I mean, we don’t owe money on them. Everything’s done, so we can afford to do that, and I see what everyone pays, and I’m fine with every amount that comes through. I mean, it’s a wide difference. People give what they can. Bands don’t really get paid that much on their records, so it all works out, and we’re gonna use that money to make our next record. We have to pay for our own records. We have to pay our own way.

And you’ve done that all along?

We haven’t done it all along. I mean, we’ve done it a lot. We’ve done it to a degree, and we’ve definitely done it more than a lot of people, probably. There are definitely some records we’ve tried to do it with, and then it got to the point where it just got a little too expensive, and then there would be record labels that we’d be working with that were always there ready to pay.

Do you find that there’s more artistic freedom when you pay for it yourself?

No, it’s just the sense of pride of owning your own thing and doing it yourself and not having to ask anyone for money, and just doing it. It’s mainly that and also legally, it’s just your stuff, and no one can ever claim it. We’ve been doing this a long time and know how things are supposed to be done, so it’s easier if we just pay for it ourselves too. And it’s weird, ya know, sometimes what you spend almost nothing on ends up being the best. Ya know, sometimes you end up using that demo you made for some song that you ended up spending thousands of dollars to record, and it’s like, I know we wasted a lot of studio time on this, but I like this one, and I know it’s out of tune, and I know I sang that really bad right there, but I don’t care. I like this one better, because it has the heart. But then there’s the vice versa too. That happens too. Ya never know, you just gotta be open.

Will you be recording the songs from the 2010 Demons?

We’re gonna do some of them. I think we’re gonna do “History with History.” We’re gonna do “Here’s to the Losers.” Ya know, Chad and I write alone a lot, but these songs are more collaborative. Some of them, like “Here’s to the Losers,” have been sitting around for five years and just needed a bridge and then were ready to go.

So you’re from Missouri, which surprised me, because I don’t feel like you sound like you’re from there. Sometimes you sound very Southern.

It’s funny you say that, because some people – and I’ve read this before – but some people think in the Americana genre that, like, we’re pretending – that we’re not really Americana. It’s not something I come across all the time, but I’ve heard it before, and I’m like, “Are you fucking kidding me?” [laughs] It’s like, why would I pretend to be something that doesn’t make money? But nowadays, there are people trying to make music like we make music, but we’ve been doing it a long time. We started recording our first Drag the River songs in 1996.

I think one of the things that make Drag the River unique are your vocals. Both you and Chad have very distinctive voices. I also care a lot about lyrics. If I can’t understand the words being sung, I don’t usually stick around to hear the message.

Yeah, I think that’s what we got going. Me and Chad work really good together. It’s funny. I used to not care about lyrics. I cared about melody more than lyrics a long time ago, before I made records. I didn’t care as much in the beginning, but I care more about lyrics every year. It’s more and more important to me.

So when can we listen to those beautiful voices live then?

Our show page is finally up on dragtheriver.com. We’re coming east and going to Canada and all kinds of other places August through November, and we’re playing SoundFest in Seattle.

How do y’all do in Canada?

It goes pretty good. It’s kind of weird, ya know. It’s sort of like being in a different country. [laughs] Honestly, I love it up there. It’s great. We’ve just slacked in the United States forever. We don’t even try, but up there and in Europe, it’s a totally different game. We actually do things like radio interviews, which here, we don’t hustle for things anymore. We have a very “take it or leave it” attitude about everything we do. We try not to over-do anything.

 

 

 

Drag the River Official Website

Drag the River @ Bandcamp

Drag the River @ Facebook

SoundFest Official Website

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Barnstormer 5 is coming to Akron!

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There are still music-loving, internet-connected people in the world who don’t know about Daytrotter. That’s amazing to me. Since 2006, Sean Moeller and crew have been recording sessions by touring bands and throwing the results of those sessions up on the internet for anyone and everyone to download and enjoy for free, and since I learned about the site a few years ago, I have felt it a wonderful example of what the internet can be used for. The Horseshack – the studio in Rock Island, Illinois, that sees most of the recording activity you find at Daytrotter – has welcomed everyone from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Dinosaur Jr. to Kris Kristofferson to Andrew W.K. to Charlie Louvin to that new indie band you keep hearing people talk about. NTSIB favorites A.A. Bondy, the Felice Brothers and Local Natives all have sessions up, and the amazing Mr. Patrick Sweany has a session forthcoming. And those good Daytrotter people post at least one of these free sessions every day, sometimes posting two sessions in one day.

In addition to all that goodness, since the summer of 2009, the Daytrotter crew have been putting together the Barnstormer tours. These tours gather a gang of Daytrotter alumni and send them out to play at various barns around the midwestern United States. Real barns. Past Barnstormer artists have included Justin Townes Earle, Dawes, Local Natives, Suckers, the Walkmen, Ra Ra Riot, Delta Spirit… you get the idea. Good stuff.

This year, Barnstormer will be hitting Ohio for the first time, and we’re freaking excited. On August 31, the Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn in Akron will be the place to see White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Princeton, and, one of my favorite live bands, Hacienda (who just recorded their third album in Nashville with their old friend Dan Auerbach). All of that for just $20.

We highly recommend buying your tickets now. No, now. Right now. Because not only does that ticket price kick up five dollars on the day of the show, but if you purchase your tickets by August 20, you get a Barnstormer poster and 40% off Daytrotter merch. Plus, you help the Daytrotter crew relax, knowing they can actually fund this fantastic undertaking.

And if you’re not in travelling distance of Akron, Ohio, don’t feel left out. Barnstormer 5 is also stopping at North Hampton, NH, Ghent, NY (UPDATE: the Ghent show has been moved to the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY), Charlotte, VT, New York, NY, New Wilmington, PA, Dexter, MI, Monticello, IL, and Maquoketa, IA. (Band line-ups vary between cities, so check Daytrotter for your local bill.)

Akron details:
Wednesday, August 31, doors at 5:30 PM, show at 6:30 PM.
White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Princeton, and Hacienda
Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn (3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH 44333)
$20 advance / $25 day of show

 

Daytrotter

White Rabbits @ Daytrotter

Doug Paisley @ Daytrotter

Princeton @ Daytrotter

Hacienda @ Daytrotter

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Introducing: Chris Marshall

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Chris Marshall is from Portland, Oregon. As the son of a preacher that founded his own church, Marshall grew up with religion at home and even played and led the church’s music.  Then, after several years of floating around the indie music scene, Marshall gave himself an ultimatum: make a record before you turn 30. With help from bassist Allen Hunter (The Eels), drummer Ezra Holbrook (The Decemberists), and pedal steel player Paul Brainard (Richmond Fontaine), he made it just under the wire, releasing August Light in 2010, at age 29.

The record has a strong country core with ribbons of western swirling through the bottom and indie-rock grace notes on the top. It’s a complex and fascinating mix, and after a couple of listens I decided I wanted to know more about the man behind the sound. Here’s what I asked, and what I found out:

 

What were you doing, musically, before you decided it was time to fish or cut bait, as it were, and make a solo record? Did you jump directly from church music to a more secular concept, or was it a gradual shifting?

I’ve been going at it solo from the outset, so it was just a matter of timing when I decided to finally go in and make a full-length/fully-realized studio record. I’d done a number of recording sessions before, just sort of working out a style and sound that I felt was sort of my own. I got to the point where I felt I was sitting on a really strong batch of songs, so it was just a matter of executing a studio recording that would frame those songs in the best shape possible.

And as far as the distinction between church music and secular, I’ve never really felt compelled to make one in terms of the music I write and perform. Art is art to me, and I like to think music is still art, even though it has more baggage than other artistic mediums. I think there is definitely a specific type of art and a style of music that is directly written for the church, what we might call “liturgical” music in the Christian tradition.

I’ve definitely recorded some gospel music, but I don’t see myself in that role as an artist. And what is commonly called “christian music” is just an industry definition, and I’m not comfortable at all taking what I do and calling it that. If it deserves any classification, it’s just American music, and I’m just an artist who borrows from that medium, whether it’s gospel, country, blues, folk, or rock and roll.

 

How did your family react to you choosing secular music?

If I’m doing something I believe in and am working hard at it, my family is always behind me. And there is no one more supportive than my folks. I doubt if the thought of whether or not what I sing is “secular” or “christian” ever crosses their mind. I wasn’t raised in a home where faith was something rigid or oppressive. It was always presented to me as a really beautiful and heartfelt thing, and music was always central to that.

 

How did you meet the musicians who worked with you on the record?

Jeremy Wilson produced the record, and his ties to the Portland music scene are pretty deep, from his time with the Dharma Bums in the late-80’s, early 90’s. When we started talking about the sound we’d go for, he keyed in on some of the guys he thought would knock it out, and luckily they all we’re free and able to get behind it. Paul Brainard plays pedal steel for Richmond Fontaine, who is a Portland band that I’ve admired for a really long time. They were the first 21+ show I ever saw, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

So he played steel on the record and did the string arrangments, which are really the highlight of the album for me (“For Too Long Now” and “Everytime the Wind Blows”). Allen Hunter played bass, and he’s just a stud; plays in a band called Kleveland, and tours occasionally with the Eels. In fact, he’s doing a world tour with them this summer.

And Ezra Holbrook, who played drums, is just a boss all around. He was the first drummer for the Decemberists, plays now with Casey Neill and the Norway Rats and is the lead MC for a local band called Dr. Theopolis. He does some killer songwriting and performing solo as well, has a new record out right now actually. The other elements were done by close friends of mine who I’ve worked with before either in the studio or live.

 

What were some of the specific challenges that you had to climb over to get to the point where you were ready to make the record?

I’d actually go back 6 or 7 years ago to a season in my life where I had just started recovering from really the darkest possible period I hope I ever have to go through. And I just had a really simple goal which was to keep writing songs and to eventually cut an album that I could look at and call good before I turned thirty.

It was really just trial and error from there, but a few years later when I was continuing to experiment with songwriting, I just got a strong, organic sense that it was time to really go for it. I wasn’t playing out or anything at that point, but it’s the moment where I started to. And when this particular record started coming together the way it did, with the group of songs and the effort going into it, I came to a really fulfilling realization that I’d set a goal and reached it.

 

Your sound is an interesting mix of country and western and indie-pop. Which artists would you say influenced the development of that sound?

The country elements come straight from the giants: Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, and on into George Strait and some of the contemporary artists I really like, such as Ryan Adams and Hayes Carll and even big-time guys like Zac Brown Band and Brad Paisley. This is where I’d throw Bob Dylan into that mix as well. And Neil Diamond, for fun. And Elvis Presley kind of presides over everything as far I’m concerned. In general though, I’m just a music hound.

I get in deep to just about every flavor there is and I can talk shop with just about anyone on any genre. I actually probably listen these days to more gangster rap than anything else. But as far as the indie streak, I’m pulling from bands I grew up copping, like Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, Flaming Lips, and even awesome-era U2.

I saw Arcade Fire’s first show in Portland when they opened up for Ted Leo and the Phamarcists back in 2004, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. Their whole presentation and approach is really refreshing and inspiring, and there are nods to that influence in a few different spots on the record.

 

And then the traditional three:

What was your transformative song – the rock and roll lightning strike – and why?

Goodness. I’d have to really meditate on that for a few days before I could really say for sure. But I’m gonna go with Elvis’ “American Trilogy.”  That performance puts the fear of God in me everytime I hear it. It’s shockingly epic, and the footage I have seen of him performing it live, with the orchestra and the Stamps singing back up; it’s just terrifyingly brilliant. The greatest vocal performance I know of.

 

What was your first show (that you went to, not that you played)?

The first real “show” I ever went to, which is different in my mind from what I think of as “concerts” in an arena, was a So.Cal. punk band called The Blamed in the basement of an old church building in Southeast Portland that was called The Push. I still remember thinking of the ringing in my ears as my own personal badge of honor for like two days afterwards. I felt like I’d passed through some kind of labyrinth, you know?

I have a photo I recently found that I had forced my brother to take soon after that show. I’m dressed exactly like the lead singer of the Blamed, with cut off Dickies and a “wife-beater,” as they were so unfortunately called, and black Converse low-tops with the star logo on the side.

I had made this fake microphone, and I did this punk rock jump/kick thing just like him, but my jump was off the washer and drier in our garage. Not exactly as cool as jumping off the kick drum. I put the picture on my fridge after I found it so I can always be reminded that, at my core, I’m really just a big poser.

 

What was the first record you bought? What was the last one?

I can’t really pick out a first from the abundance of cassette tapes and cassette singles we had around, but I do remember the first two compact discs my brother and I brought home when we got our first CD player. Oddly enough, one of them was the Blamed’s album on Tooth and Nail Records called “21,” and the other was Weezer’s Blue album. We were pretty sure that record wasn’t punk at all, but I don’t think anyone at my age at the time could resist the hits on that album.

The last record I bought probably won’t tell you much about me as an artist. It’s just a mixtape by former Roc-A-Fella artists Freeway and Beanie Sigel, and I got it so I could hear Sigel’s Jay-Z diss (even though I love Hova), and because they are two of my all time favorites.

Probably a more relevant one to highlight is the second to last record I bought, which was Ryan Adams and the Cardinal’s new double-album “III/IV.” I wasn’t sure I’d like it because his cheeky rock stuff has never been my favorite, but it’s actually one of his best in my book.

 

Finally, here he is with “I Found You”, live in Portland:

http://youtu.be/DYhPQFYrSoA

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Feel Bad For You, August 2011

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Another… uh… timely installation of the Feel Bad For You mix series is here for your enjoyment, kids. Stream, download, cheers.

 

 

Download

 

Title: If I Go
Artist: The White Soots
Album: The White Soots (2010)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Another power trio revival Rock and Roll band trips my wire, The White Soots out of Dayton, Ohio. The band formed in early 2009 with brothers Kyle(Guitar/Vocals) andKraig Byrum(Drums) and longtime friend Karl Benge(Bass) and began playing in clubs in Dayton under the name Fuzz Hound, which was changed to The White Soots after about one year of playing. They specialize in a bluesy, psychedelic mix of guitar infused rock and roll.

Title: “Little Lion Man”
Artist: Mumford and Sons
Album: Sigh No More (2010)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: In honor of all the Leo birthdays (like mine).

Title: Peggy Sue Got Married
Artist: John Doe
Album: Rave On Buddy Holly (2011)
Submitted By: erschen

Title: Y’all Motherfuckers Need Jesus
Artist: The Goddamn Gallows
Album: 7 Devils (2011)
Submitted by: Adam Sheets

Title: Sick of You
Artist: Lou Reed
Album: New York (1990)
Submitted By: Brad Kelley
Comments: Matt tells me he’s not familiar with this album. This album is Lou Reed’s masterpiece, in amongst some other amazing records. Choosing one song of off it was difficult, but allowed me the opportunity to listen to the whole thing again. If you, like Matt, have this vague idea that Lou Reed is supposed to be really good but don’t know where to start, the album New York is the place to start. “The ozone layer has no ozone anymore, and you’re going to leave me for the guy next door? I’m sick of you. I’m sick of you.”

Title: Satin Sheets
Artist: Willis Alan Ramsey
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Loving this guy right now

Title: Barely Losing
Artist: Richmond Fontaine
Album: Post to Wire (2004)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Very much looking forward to the new Richmond Fontaine album that’s due soon, so in anticipation thought I’d go with one of my favourites from them this month.

Title: Pensacola
Artist: Jolene
Album: In the Gloaming (1998)
Submitted By: Phil Norman | @philnorman
Comments: The passing of time has only made this record better and their obscurity a shame.

Title: Pass the Peas
Artist: The J.B.’s
Album: The Funk Box – disc 1 (1972)
Submitted By: Gorrck

Title: Golden
Artist: Radio Nationals
Album: Place You Call Home (2003)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: A Seattle-area band that put out an EP and Full-length in the early 2000s. Just damn good rock ‘n roll with a bit of alt-country and americana tossed in.

Title: Picture of Health
Artist: Delicate Cutters
Album: Some Creatures (2011)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Once again pimping Bham, this album just came out on Skybucket.

Title: Drinking Too Much
Artist: James Leg
Album: Solitary Pleasure (2011)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Everyone who is subject to my blabbing on Twitter or Facebook or who has run into me on turntable.fm or has talked to me longer than five minutes knew I was going to get around to submitting this song to FBFY sooner or later. This is, as they say, my jam. John Wesley Myers of Black Diamond Heavies doing his solo thing and covering the Kill Devil Hills – though the song seems tailor-made for Myers. My favorite song off of what will probably be my favorite album of 2011 when it’s all done.

Title: Public Information Song
Artist: John Cunningham
Album: 1998 – 2002: Homeless Home / Happy Go Unlucky (2010)
Submitted By: Ryan
Comments: A little folky, a bit Beatle-y, a wonderful song from a fellow discovered by Joe Pernice.

Title: One More Summer
Artist: The Rainmakers
Album: Tornado (1987)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Its hard to believe, but a quarter-century has passed since Kansas City’s The Rainmakers debuted (not including their prior life as Steve, Bob & RIch). And its been14 years since the band went their separate ways. Late last year, however, the band re-formed (with Jeff Porter replacing Steve Phillips), released an album of all new material titled 25 On, toured Norway for several dates plus a couple of homecoming shows in KC Mizzou, and showed they can still rock. If you ever find yourself in Kansas City on a Wednesday night, be sure to visit The Record Bar where The Rainmakers’ lead singer Bob Walkenhorst and guitarist Jeff Porter have a standing gig. With this steamy, greasy summer we’re enduring, I chose this cut from the band’s second release.

Title: Diamond Way
Artist: JEFF The Brotherhood
Album: We are the Champions(2011)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: I was going to send a song that had a story to go with why I chose it…but last minute changed my mind. Just because I’ve been listening to these guys allllllllllllll day, and they kick ass. So, there.

Title: Conspiracy of the Heart
Artist: Steve Wynn
Album: Kerosene Man (1990)
Submitted By: Beldo
Comments: A great song from the Dream Syndicate frontman’s debut album. A beautiful duet with Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano.

Title : Wide Eyed Son
Artist : Kent Goolsby
Album : Wide Eyed Son (2011)
Submitted by : Corey Flegel (TIAM)
Comments : Obviously, I love this record since it’s on our site, you can download Wide Eyed Son in it’s entirety for free at www.thisisamericanmusic.com.

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Peter Kernel: We Don’t Care

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I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about this song. I’m on board with the music right away, but the vocals are a little grating. Perhaps intentionally so? What do you think, readers? (You may want to look away from the visuals if you’re prone to motion sickness.)

 

 

Peter Kernel’s new album White Death & Black Heart will be out in October.

Peter Kernel @ Facebook

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Hymns: You’re the Best That I Can Be

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The Band: Hymns

The Blurb: Athiest two-piece formed from the remains of Blakfish, this Midlands duo is less emo and more aggro.

The Video:

Hymns – A Punch To The Temple from Luke David Bather on Vimeo.

The Release: Hymns’ first release,due out August 22, is a 4-song live DVD called Revelations that will give a taste of their full-length debut slated for October. It’s available for pre-order at Big Scary Monsters and Function Records.

The Gigs:

29th July – Derby, The Old Bell Inn W/ Shoes And Socks Off

30th July -Leeds, Nation Of Shopkeepers W/ Shoes And Socks Off

10th August – Leicester, Firebug W/ Tall Ships

Hymns @ Tumblr

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Scott Miller Giveaway: Winners!

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Scott Miller fans are an adorable bunch. They gave some charming answers as to what their favorite state is. But since winners were chosen at random, the winners of our Scott Miller giveaway were left to fate. Or rather, to the hand of the NTSIB intern. Or rather, my kid who paused long enough while playing Team Fortress 2 to help me out by picking our winners out of a jar.

The winner of our men’s Scott Miller prize pack – which will include Scott’s CD, a men’s T-shirt of the winner’s choice and a rad kazoo is:

Chris Baker, who wrote, “I’ve lived in Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia and I HAVE TO say West By God Virginia. The people are great and the land is just beautiful.”

And the winner of our women’s Scott Miller prize pack – which will include Scott’s CD, a women’s T-shirt of the winner’s choice and a rad kazoo is:

Sarah Plumley, who wrote, “Well, I’m from WV, and so is Scott Miller’s wife. I make damn good pie here in WV. And the only time I get to see Scott live is when he comes to Mountain Stage. That’s in WV too. I suppose those are good enough reasons for me to win a shirt and a kazoo. WOOOOOOO! Scott Miller!
:)
Sarah, The WV Pie Girl”

I know it looks fishy with both of them choosing West Virginia, but I promise it was completely random. Congratulation, winners! I’ll be getting in touch with you shortly. And thanks to everyone who participated: you made me smile.

Now Scott will play us out with some motherfucking kazoo, y’all.