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SXSW interview: Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim narrows the divide between folk and soul by fueling timely tales with timeless grooves. The New York-based songwriter - born Sean Scolnick in Langhorne, PA - scored David Letterman’s endorsement and a national television debut last year. “(That acknowledgement) certainly makes you feel good and that you’ve come further than you were before,” he says. Catch Langhorne’s final SXSW appearance this evening at Purevolume.com. He’s scheduled to perform at 6:45 p.m. Second and Trinity streets.
American-Statesman: How’s your SXSW been going?
Langhorne Slim: Since I got here, I’ve left my laptop at the last place that we played and my phone in an old friend’s car. Hopefully, both will come back to me.
Have your shows gone better?<br>
They’ve been the most fun that we’ve had out here to date, that’s for sure. We’ve pretty much been doing our stuff. I haven’t seen the Avett Brothers, but their sound guy who we’re good friends with is now going to do the rest of the tour with us.
You have different style than the Avetts, but your energy level is pretty high, too.
Well, we give it our all just like those boys do. Our stage presence is different, but it’s coming from a similar place.
It landed you that gig on Letterman last year. How’d that impact your career?
Obviously, it was a dream come true for us. It’s kind of great and ridiculous at the same time. That gives you a sort of validity you had before, even though you’re the same band playing the same music. When people see you on a show like that it furthers people’s interest. It makes people take you more serious, which is silly. But I’ll take it happily.
Is there any self-validation involved?
That’s a good question. Absolutely. To give you an honest answer, yeah, there is. For a lot of us, this is who we are and what we do. We’re not going to quit over a negative review or something. But when it’s these songs you write and play all the time, it’s the same self-validation you get when you have a great show and people are freaking out and dancing and feel passionately about your music.
How has the state of the economy affected you as a touring musician?
We put out our record last April and toured about nine months straight on it. Then we took a well-needed break. So, when the economy was struggling, we weren’t getting hit on the head as much in the news with it. I wasn’t really seeing the effects because I was out in the country with my girlfriend, you know, walking dogs and trying to get better at playing piano.
What about your fellow musicians?
I hear from an (expletive) of friends and people we’re meeting, “Yeah, I just lost my job.” It becomes far more tangible when you’re meeting people and hearing them say, “I can make your show Tuesday night because I just got laid off and don’t have to wake up tomorrow.”
So, more people are coming out?
I feel as if the crowds are just as big, if not bigger. I’ve also heard that in bad economic times artists and entertainers often do better than before. But maybe that’s a cliché.
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