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L.A. songwriter Yorn looks within
Pete Yorn strides headlong into adulthood on his new “Back & Fourth.” The Los Angeles-based songwriter’s fourth album mines familiar romantic territory, but Yorn delivers observations with heartening helpings of introspection. “I was just dealing with what came up naturally,” the 34-year-old says. “I was feeling more intensely than I ever had before.” Yorn, who’s fresh off a spring tour with Coldplay, supports the vibrant collection Monday at La Zona Rosa.
American-Statesman: Did you write as well as record ‘Back & Fourth’ in Omaha? Yorn: The songs were all written in California before I went there. I went there specifically to work with (Bright Eyes producer) Mike Mogis in the studio where he’s comfortable. Besides being where Mike’s from and where we were set up, Omaha wasn’t my home. I wasn’t going home every night or playing stuff we’re working on for friends of mine. I had to figure out how to spend my out-of-studio time differently.
Explain how (executive producer) Rick Rubin factored in. I’d gone out to Malibu to spend time with Rick, who’d become the head of my label. I had a lot of material, and he helped me focus it in on 10 or 12 songs. He helped organize. In the past, my head’s been all over the place when making records. To my ear, my records in the past have been very varied in tone within themselves. This record has a more steady tone.
That concentration seems to give songs like ‘Social Development Club’ a real immediacy. Yeah, that was one of those songs that’s written very fast. I think I wrote the whole thing in five minutes. It was a literal story about someone I’d known back in school. It was about our life at the time and what happed to that person. After I wrote it, I was thinking I’d love to hear the Kinks do this song! I like how the chorus makes it more universal: “There’s something missing in us” represents the overall picture I was trying to get across about searching for something in our lives.
Is it fair to say your writing is more direct on the new songs? In the past, I’d maybe probably protect myself more by being vague. There was a conscious decision to make this more simple and straightforward.
Did that spill over into writing your upcoming album (‘Break Up’) with Scarlett (Johansson)? That was more like a flurry. I was trying to figure out how to get some female perspective in my songs.
Will you two tour together when that album’s out this fall? We’ll do a couple events. I think we’ll go to Europe as well.
Speaking of touring: Last time you were in Austin, a propane tank caught fire during your set at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. What went through your mind onstage? Yeah. That was really crazy. That was the last show of our last tour until now. I just remember seeing this black, billowing smoke cloud and thinking, “I can’t say anything! I don’t want to yell `fire’ onstage and have people freak out.” I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t contribute to mass hysteria. Luckily, the fire department was on it and put it out so fast. It was surreal.
Pete Yorn performs at 8 p.m. Monday at La Zona Rosa, 612 W. Fourth St. Advance tickets are $24.50. 866-443-8849; gettix.net.
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