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Monday, September 28, 2009
Another ACL after party: The Mouse
Jamaican artist Ripton “The Mouse” Hylton aka Eek-A-Mouse will play at Flamingo Cantina on Saturday, Oct. 3. Doors at 9 p.m. Cover is $12-$15.
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Pearl Jam … With Strings Attached
It’s the toughest ticket in town, but Will Taylor found a way to get into Pearl Jam’s ACL Taping Saturday at 8 p.m. Taylor and Strings Attached have been tapped by Eddie Vedder and company to back the band on two songs.
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Get ACL Fest autographs at Waterloo Records tent
As always, the Waterloo Records tent is the place to be for autograph hunters during ACL Fest.
The Austin institution, located at Sixth Street and North Lamar Boulevard, is hosting dozens of acts this year at their spot in Zilker Park.
Friday, Oct. 2
Noon: Nelo
1:15 p.m.: Low Anthem
2:15 p.m.: Sara Watkins
3 p.m.: Bliltzen Trapper
3 p.m.: The Knux
3 p.m.: Mishka
3:15 p.m.: Parlor Mob
3:45 p.m.: Avett Brothers
4 p.m.: Robyn Hitchcock
4 p.m.: Raphael Saadiq
4:30 p.m.: Los Amigos Invisibles
4:30 p.m.: Reckless Kelly
4:45 p.m.: Dr Dog
5:45 p.m.: Medeski Martin Wood
5:45 p.m.: Coheed & Cambria
6 p.m.: Daniel Johnston
6 p.m.: Phoenix
7 p.m.: K’naan
Saturday, Oct. 3
12:15 p.m.: Sarah Jaffe
12:45 p.m.: Deer Tick
1:30 p.m.: Alberta Cross
1:30 p.m.: The Virgins
2:30 p.m.: The Raveonettes
3:15 p.m.: Mute Math
3:15 p.m.: Bell X1
4:15 p.m.: Airborne Toxic Event
5:30 p.m.: Flogging Molly
5:45 p.m.: Federico Aubele
6:15 p.m.: Trail of Dead
Sunday, Oct.4
12:45 p.m.: Suckers
1 p.m.: The Toadies
1:30 p.m.: Black Joe Lewis
2 p.m.: The Dodos
2:15 p.m.: Rodriguez
2:15 p.m.: Here We Go Magic
2:30 p.m.: Girl Talk
4:15 p.m.: Heartless Bastards
4:30 p.m.: White Lies
4:30 p.m.: State Radio
5 p.m.: Michael Franti
5:15 p.m.: Ben Sollee
5:45 p.m.: Brett Dennon
5:45 p.m.: Sons of Bill
6:15 p.m.: Passion Pit
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ACL 2009 preview: The Raveonettes
C Davey Wilson
Danish rockers the Raveonettes are back with their fourth studio album, due out the Tuesday after ACL Fest ends. Drenched in reverb and glued together with wall-of-sound production, ‘In and Out of Control’ is powerhouse psych-rock record that sounds like Phil Spector on prescription meds. Instead of discretely dovetailing the layers of extra guitars and drums in the mix, producer Thomas Troelsen pounds them in with a hammer. Saccharine pop harmonies belie the dark subject matter of songs like ‘Last Dance’ and ‘Boys Who Rape (Should Be Destroyed).’ Shimmering guitar hooks play against grimy, distorted bass lines and percussion that hits like a truncheon.
The band will play the Parish on Friday before their set at ACL the following day (1:15 p.m. Saturday, Xbox360 stage). We had a chance to speak with bassist/vocalist Sharin Foo from her home in Denmark about the new album and the process of recording it.
Austin American-Statesman: The first thing that struck me about the new album was the production. It’s very bold and in your face - much different from your last recording. How did that sound evolve?
Sharin Foo: I think (‘In and Out of Control’) is definitely the biggest sounding record we’ve done. There are so many layers … 10 snare drums layered on top of each other on some songs. It was a big production, but not super hi-fi. We wanted a real lo-fi feel, something that felt fast and spontaneous. We weren’t interested in getting everything perfect this time.
Your last album, ‘Lust Lust Lust,’ was recorded in a New York City apartment. This time around you opted to record in a professional studio. How did that affect the creative process?
Recording ‘Lust’ was sort of a long process; it seemed like it took years and years to finish. This album just sort of materialized. It was recorded in about six weeks starting from scratch.
Previously we would record tracks and samples at home and record as we were writing. Get all the guitar parts down the way we wanted to record them and so on. But for this album we wanted to start the production of the album in the studio, so it was a very different process. It took about three weeks until I felt like we had a direction. It took some time for us to agree on the way the album should go … to embrace the ‘popiness.’ We were fighting it at first. ‘Last Dance,’ for example, started out very lo-fi and dark, but ended up sounding completely different.
That track especially plays some really dark subject matter against really bubble gum, pop harmonies. It’s an interesting effect.
That type of juxtaposition is a typical Raveonettes theme. We like that sort of bizarre tension and on this album it’s even more extreme. Our producer, Thomas Troelsen, was a big part of that. He likes that pop sound, so he had some great ideas in the studio about how to record certain harmonies, different ideas about how the guitars should sound. He was great at getting us to challenge ourselves … to reinterpret ourselves. Thomas was like the third Raveonette on this album. He’s in there doing some background vocals in places.
You’ve had the opportunity in the past to work with some of the people who’ve inspired you - Ronnie Spector and Maureen Tucker (of the Velvet Underground). Are there any cameos on the new album?
No. No cameos on this album. It’s flattering when your idols agree to participate in something you’re working on and having them on ‘Pretty in Black’ was great, but this project was more about the two of us and the producer creating the album in the studio. Like I said, we started from scratch and finished everything in a relatively short amount of time, so there wasn’t an opportunity to bring anyone else in.
This is your second album for Vice records. Has the move to a smaller label given you more creative freedom?
Not really. I think our experience with a major label was a really atypical experience. We had the same kind of creative control when we were on Colombia that we do now. The biggest difference is the business side of things. That aspect is more intimate now… I like being more involved in the decisions that affect the band’s future.
Do you enjoy playing the big festivals, or do you still like the smaller clubs?
I’ll tell you what I really prefer is to play at night. Our music is very nocturnal so it’s tough to do shows out in the daylight. It’s just harder to create that vibe. Something we talk about now is doing shows that differ from the album. We’ve found ourselves just playing the album lately, so we’re really working on mixing it up more.
Is there anything in Austin you’re looking forward to doing while you’re here?
We have a show at the Parish the night before the festival and I’m looking forward to that. Going to see the bats, maybe. We’ve been to Austin many times and the last time we were here I discovered some great restaurants, like this little Italian place right downtown. I’m probably going to get some good Mexican food while I’m there, too. (Laughs) Whenever I travel I always seem to remember the food.
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ACL 2009 preview: The Avett Brothers
As more and more artists move away from major label deals — Radiohead and Pearl Jam are two bands that have self-released their latest work — it’s strange to hear about an up and coming group sign on with an industry behemoth. But that’s just what North Carolina-based Americana trio the Avett Brothers did for their latest release, “I and Love and You,” out this week on Sony’s American Recordings label.
“We don’t have any sort of allegiance to an underground mentality where you should want to stay small or something like that, but at the same time we didn’t sign to become big. It just seemed like the most natural next step for us as far as sharing our music,” says guitarist Seth Avett, who spoke on the phone from California, where the band is in the midst of a year-long national tour that stops Friday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival (2:30 p.m. on the AMD stage). Rounding out the trio are Seth’s brother Scott, who plays banjo and drums, and bassist Bob Crawford.
For a group concerned with sharing their music, it also doesn’t hurt to have Rick Rubin produce your latest record. Rubin, who has been at the helm of other wildly popular Americana-tinged albums, including Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” and Johnny Cash’s “American Recordings” (as well as practically everything else, from rap to metal), helped bring a new sense of focus to the group.
With previous albums, the band focused so much on writing new material that recording was an afterthought. They recorded “Emotionalism” in eleven days, a speed Avett says was “insane.” Rubin helped them slow down, bringing a more methodical pace to the process, which improved both their recorded sound and musicianship. “I don’t think I’ll ever walk up to a studio with the kind of attitude I did before working with Rick as far as putting time in to get something right,” Avett says.
Though it’s their first time on a major label, the Avett Brothers have a lengthy discography, including two EPs, “Gleam” and “Second Gleam,” and one full length, 2007’s well-recieved “Emotionalism,” released on the North Carolina-based independent label Ramseur Records.
“I and Love and You” isn’t too much of a departure from those albums; the brothers’ haven’t lost their penchant for sadness or their unique and often disjointed collaborative songwriting style. What is the different is an attention to detail and layering of sounds unlike anything the band has previously done.
The album gets a lot of mileage from the little things, such as an instrumental coda or a well-placed piece of percussion, setting it apart from their previous work. Avett says that the focus on details helped him as a musician. “There were lot of small things, like thinking about the tempo, that I had a little bit of difficulty adjusting to, but I’m definitely better off for it.”
The rootsy vibe of the Avett’s music is a far cry from there early days as musicians in Charlotte. Like fellow North Carolinan Ryan Adams, the brothers got their start playing harder, electric rock. Around the time their band, Nemo, broke up, Seth and his brother Scott began listening to artists such as Doc Watson, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and Woodie Guthrie. “Our band was falling apart and we were opening our eyes to American roots music, and we started plying those songs,” Seth Avett says. “It was mobile and it was fun, and we just kind of ran with it.”
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ACL 2009 preview: STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
‘Jam band’ used to mean one thing: ‘band that kinda sounds like the Grateful Dead.’ Phish, for example, more or less falls in to this category, as does Widespread Panic.
Then in the ‘90s, the Baja-and-Teva nation expanded the definition to include ‘bands that stretch out live, yet work in a sorority setting on CD.’ (See also the Dave Matthews Band or O.A.R.) And ‘bands that are almost alt-rock, but are more at home on the campus quad’ (Think Guster and Moe). And ‘bands who showed up on the H.O.R.D.E. tour’ (everyone from Wilco to Blues Traveler to Morphine).
Sound Tribe Sector 9 is a jam band. But it’s also an electronic band, as likely to delve into rave-ish beat breaks and complicated, part-reggae part-rave rhythms, favoring the cruise of the collective groove over the noodley-solo. (The band plays at 7 p.m. Saturday on the XBox 360 stage.)
But they’re also a model for living in a world where record labels matter a lot less than they once did. Since 2002, after a two-album deal with Landslide Records, STS9 has released CDs on their own 1320 Records.
‘We’re an instrumental band,’ drummer Zach Velmer says. On the albums, Velmer can seem a muted presence; live, he’s the engine that powers the band. ‘Labels wanted our stuff but they didn’t know what to do with it. Doing it ourselves has totally paid off. It’s paid off in kind of a fun ride and lets everything be about the band, be all about the journey.’
The band also houses a massive archive of STS9 live performances; look for more of this sort of thing from all sorts of bands. ‘People love buying the show that they were at,’ Velmer says. ‘It’s not a big money maker, but it’s a nostalgia thing for fans.’ 1320 has started developing its own boutique of mostly electronic artists, many of whom contributed to the latest STS9 release, ‘Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes.’ (‘Peaceblaster’ was the the band’s last studio album.)
‘We try to do as much charitable work as we can,’ Velmer says. ‘Some local, some regional, some global. But this year, we decided to have all of our charitable contributions go to one place.’ That place is the Make It Right Foundation, a group started by actor Brad Pitt and dedicated to rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans.
These days, the band is wrapping up its next studio record, which should be out soon. ‘This is the quickest album yet,’ Velmer says. ‘We really feel like we’re capitalizing on some momentum. Three records in two years is a feat in and of itself. We’re just holding on, man, letting it happen.’
Spoken like a true jam band.
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ACL 2009 preview: The Greencards
The Greencards take meals in Nashville today, but the progressive trio, whose spry instrumentals (“Little Siam”) and vibrant narratives (“Rivertown”) mix folk and pop, took shape earlier this decade while living in Austin. “We first saw Hayes Carll at Gruene Hall (in New Braunfels) and thought he was like Rodney Crowell,” mandolin player Kym Warner says. “The Greencards formed as we toured with him for about a year.” (The Grammy nominees perform at 6:40 p.m. Oct. 2 on the BMI Stage.)
American-Statesman: ‘Water in the Well’ (from 2009’s ‘Fascination’) is pretty ambitious.
Kym Warner: Straight into the deep end, so to speak (laughs). I wrote that down in Austin with a mate of mine named Bill Whitbeck. It was a real melodic thing with a positive lyrical message but a dark and eerie melody. When I was on the plane, I was listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel just to get some interesting melodic sense. I wrote it on the ukulele, actually. I landed at Austin airport and went straight to South Austin Music, bought a ukulele and went down to the writing session in Buda.
So, it was a conscious choice to add textures with minor to major chord progressions?
Yeah, it certainly was. It was a conscious choice to do it and still be musically OK, not just to be randomly weird. I tend to go somewhere different when I write, whether it’s an instrumental or the bridge or something. It’s like a short film where there are scene changes. We try to have scene changes take you through a little journey. I felt like we’d achieved something with that song.
Most folks know Bill for Robert Earl (Keen)’s band. What’s he like to write with?
Right. We’ve been friends for a long time. He was one of the first people, if not the first, who I co-wrote with. We come from a similar place. We both love the music of Merle Haggard. He’s really clever and well educated, so he’s fun to write with. He’s taught me a lot. At the same time, he’s good about not being carried away with being too weird.
How much do you guys improvise in the studio?
It’s becoming more and more. Every little bit of the first couple records was arranged, even to the point of working out the solos. We’ve been trying to get more of the live aspect. One way to do that is to have some moments of uncertainty.
How does that apply to the actual live show?
One thing we do have is energy. There was a criticism of the early records that there wasn’t that energy that we have live. We’ve learned to have a lot of space in our music, and there’s energy without being forceful.
You have a great slot at ACL, only up against two bands (Thievery Corporation and John Legend).
Well, it’s one of the great festivals to play, so it’s an honor just to be asked back. Austin’s our favorite play anyway. So, we got lucky with the time slot, and we’ll get to see some of the stuff we like.
Who are you looking forward to seeing?
I’m looking forward to Kings of Leon because I’ve never seen them. I like the big rock shows.
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ACL 2009 preview: Larry Campbell of the Levon Helm Band
Larry Campbell’s peerless roots-rock resume touches nearly all bases. The New York City-born guitarist has backed an enviable roster from Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris to Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh. However, Campbell never truly found a home until pairing with former Band leader Levon Helm. ‘I’ve been playing with Levon since I left Dylan in 2004,’ the 54-year-old says. ‘Every show is just the greatest time I’ve ever had.’ (The Levon Helm Band performs at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Livestrong stage.)
Austin American-Statesman: You recently taped Elvis Costello’s Spectacle television show at the Apollo (on Sept. 25).
Larry Campbell: You know, Elvis and I are really great friends and we’ve worked a lot together in the past. He really wanted to center the show on Levon, and Levon tends to agree to do things if he’s got friends and family involved. Also, he wanted me to play some with Richard (Thompson) and Nick (Lowe). It was a blast.
Rumor has it Levon hasn’t been singing because he has throat cancer again.
That’s absolutely not true. He’s completely clean, which is the good news. He had complications from acid reflux. That’s been taken care of, so it’s just a matter of vocal rest for now. The doctor says that if he just does what he’s supposed to do, it’s just a matter of time before his voice comes back. They found no signs of cancer in his throat and all the blood work came back completely negative.
Who will be singing for the Levon Helm Band at ACL?
(Helm’s daughter) Amy, Teresa (Williams), (multi-instrumentalist) Brian Mitchell and me. And, you know, we’ll see who else is around (laughs). We usually have someone come up and sing ‘The Weight’ with us.
Have crowds been receptive with Levon only drumming?
First of all, Levon’s the greatest drummer in the world, if you ask me. But the whole magic is his vibe. Just having his presence is amazing. We’re up there having a great time with this guy onstage, and that seems to translate to the audience. Everybody’s playing great music for all the right reasons. That’s infectious. Yeah, it’s better with Levon singing because that voice is unmatchable, but he’s still there 100 percent. People are getting that.
You’ve said that you ‘get to the basic beauty of music’ with him.
Well, I remember reading a book about the Zen of music years ago, not knowing what the hell it was about. They were just words to me. But basically what it was saying is that music is joy. I finally understood that after working with Levon. It’s the joy of self-expression, the joy of harmony, the joy of collaboration. It’s a community of people working together and not stepping on each other.
How did you apply that to the studio when producing (Helm’s 2009 album) ‘Electric Dirt’?
Well, you have to realize that with Levon, if there’s a schedule or a deadline, it’s just not gonna happen (laughs). It has to come from a very organic place. Fortunately, with both of these records, we had the luxury of no budget. The deal with Vanguard (Records) is that we finance the record and we do it at our own pace. You get in the studio and feed the dog, play with Amy’s baby, and then it’s, ‘Oh, hey, have you heard this song?’ It’s almost like not working.
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More ACL Fest after parties: Poi Dog, Rich Medina
Pictured: Rich Medina
Former Austinites Poi Dog Pondering will play Speakeasy at 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. Tickets are $15 at the door. The performance benefits The Recording Academy Texas Chapter.
In less official and loosely related ACL afterparty news, highly acclaimed, deeply soulful Philly/NYC DJ Rich Medina will make his first Austin appearance on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Back Alley Social. Martin Perna of Antibalas and Ocote Soul Sounds will also be in the house alongside The Peligrosa DJs and DJ Chorizo Funk. The party is $8 at the door, $5 with (limited) Facebook RSVP.
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ACL 2009 Preview: Dan Auerbach
James Quine/SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Dan Auerbach owes the better part of his musical success to a little help from his family, who reared the Akron, Ohio, native on a steady diet of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music. Auerbach grew up playing with the many musicians on his mother’s side of the family, singing bluegrass harmonies with his uncle and drawing influence from his cousin, the late, acclaimed guitarist Robert Quine. “Every time we got together it was basically one long jam session,” recalled Auerbach, 30. “My mom’s family reunions are all music. My uncles play, my aunt plays, everybody plays.”
So it should come as no surprise that Auerbach matured into a talented multi-instrumentalist and full-throated singer with a gritty sound and a keen songwriting sensibility. He teamed with drummer Patrick Carney to form the Black Keys, a minimalist garage rock duo, and struck out on his own for this year’s solo debut “Keep It Hid,” an energetic, heavy garage blues album. And Auerbach, mindful of the guidance he had access to as a youth, has begun nurturing an impressive group of up-and-coming musicians as a producer. That includes Hacienda, a San Antonio rock quartet who are serving as Auerbach’s band on the “Keep It Hid” tour, and whose second album Auerbach recently finished recording in his Akron studio. Auerbach spoke by phone about what he’s learned from the band, his fondness for vintage equipment and the story behind the upcoming “Blakroc” album, a collaboration between the Black Keys, hip-hop label executive Damon Dash and a multitude of popular rappers, including Mos Def, RZA and Ludacris.
American-Statesman: First off, being a Texan writing for a Texas paper, I have to ask about Hacienda, hailing as they do from San Antonio. How did you meet these guys?
Dan Auerbach: They gave me a demo, a long time ago, and that’s how I met them. They sent it to me over the Internet. I really dug it and I started a dialogue with them and met up with them after a show. We hit it off. They’re good dudes. We have a lot of common interests and they’re just good people and really good musicians to top it off, which is nice. They’re excellent guys. Something different happens when family members are in a band like that — there’s lots of honesty and truth and it’s a really good thing to be around on the road, when you’re in this industry surrounded by phony (expletive).
AS: Common interests such as?
DA: Music, food, girls. They’re pretty obsessed with old soul music and rock ‘n’ roll and crazy about Stax Records.
AS: What was behind your desire to make a solo record — was there something you wanted to do that you felt you couldn’t within the parameters of the Black Keys?
DA: No, I’d just been recording and had all these tunes finished and liked the way they sounded, so I just decided to do it. Once I put it out I realized I should probably do a tour to support it and that opened up a whole door, playing with a big band, and it’s totally been a different dynamic and really cool. Every time I play with other musicians I learn something new I can bring to the table with the Black Keys.
AS: What specific kind of things have you learned from working with, for instance, Hacienda?
DA: I learned stuff recording Hacienda, even before touring with them. I learned about song structure and harmony. I’d never seen people work on harmonies like that. And when I got to hang out with them in studio they were working on harmonies and piano and there’s a formula there I never really knew. So I used that on (2008 Black Keys album) “Attack and Release,” using that formula for backing vocals and harmonies. And I’ve used it on subsequent albums I’ve worked on. It’s a whole learning experience to pick up things you like.
AS: How did recording in a studio you built shape the sound of ‘Keep It Hid?’
DA: First of all, it allowed me to do the record in the first place. I don’t think I could have done it otherwise because I had such a small amount of time between tours. Having my own place allowed me the time to jump in when I could. The studio is completely custom-built for me from floor to ceiling. It’s basically set up so I can tinker and do whatever I want. All my instruments are set up and ready to go, and it’s all about ease of use and creativity. I don’t think there’s any better studio in the world.
AS: You’re somewhat renowned for your use of vintage and analog equipment. What appeals to you about using older equipment?
DA: I just think it’s easy to use. I think it sounds superior to most modern recording devices anyway. I think people overlook it because of its simplicity but I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles. I like to keep it simple. I think things sound bigger and better that way.
AS: You’ve done a lot of production lately as well, and you’ve shepherded some younger artists along, notably Hacienda and Jessica Lee Mayfield. What about taking other people under your wing and helping them along appeals to you?
DA: Well, I mean I’m in a position where I can help people, first of all, and I like to be able to do that. But I gain from it. Every time I work with a musician I learn something. Real music is all about give and take, and I get that from Jessica and Hacienda and the Buffalo Killers and everyone I work with. And I’m really lucky that with this job in the Black Keys I can work with whoever I want. I get to just work with whoever interests me. It’s not a full-time commercial studio where they have to deal with (expletive) band after (expletive) band. I get to pick and choose so I’m very fortunate.
AS: A lot of the music world was kind of taken by surprise by the “Blakroc” announcement. How did that collaboration come about?
DA: Well, we got a call from Damon, out of the blue, and he said basically “I want to work with ya’ll. Whatever you want to do, I want to do it. Let me know.” So we booked some studio time in Brooklyn, we were in for like two days, we went in totally blind and got eight songs recorded. You know how me and Pat are — we work quick. We had lyricists and rappers coming through and it just came together so fast. It was kind of a whirlwind. It was natural and super-creative and unlike most modern hip-hop I think. It was communal. These guys didn’t have time to listen to a beat for months or a week and write their rhymes. They had to come in face to face with us and deliver. It was all spontaneous. It felt very natural, nothing felt contrived or forced, and that was the beauty of the whole thing.
AS: The project could be viewed as a strange direction for a garage rock combo like the Black Keys — why did it make sense for you?
DA: We started as the Black Keys because we loved the sound of RZA’s production. We’ve been saying that from day one, that when we started we wanted our demo to sound like a Wu-Tang record. We wanted that kind of grimy, dirty thing, that’s what we wanted. So it was basically like, as I told Damon, we sort of had been preparing for this “Blakroc” record since we were 16.
AS: Mos Def is going to be at ACL. Is there any chance for an on-stage team-up?
DA: I don’t think so, because I’m going to be with Hacienda. But you never know.
AS: Is it difficult to keep up with the volume of demos and interest that you receive?
DA: I do get a lot of e-mails and stuff and definitely get lots of demos when I’m on the road on tour. But I think it’s cool. I feel like if there’s something I can help them with there I definitely like to do it. I always listen to everything people give me. Of course, if it’s not good I don’t listen to the whole thing.
Dan Auerbach plays the Austin Ventures stage at 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. He will also play a sold-out aftershow at Antone’s Nightclub, 213 W. Fifth St., at 9:30 p.m.
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Daily Juice dance party at ACL
This YouTube video was from last year. The craziness continues this year every night of ACL until the cops come and break it up.
This Saturday at 2 p.m., the Daily Juice will be having a dance contest at their place on Barton Springs Rd. The winner gets a $100 GIFT CARD to Daily Juice!
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Line-up out for 35th season of ‘Austin City Limits’
The wait is (almost) over. Here’s when you can catch this season’s acts on KLRU’s ground-breaking “Austin City Limits’:
Oct. 3: Dave Matthews Band
Oct. 10: Ben Harper and Relentless7
Oct. 17: Kenny Chesney
Oct. 24: Andrew Bird / St. Vincent
Oct. 31: M. Ward / Okkervil River
Nov. 7: Elvis Costello / Band of Heathens
Nov. 14: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel
Nov. 21: Pearl Jam
Nov. 28-Jan. 2: Encore episodes
Jan. 9: Allen Toussaint
Jan. 16: Mos Def / K’Naan
Jan. 23: TBD / Heartless Bastards
Jan. 30: Steve Earle / Kris Kristofferson
Feb. 6: Madeleine Peyroux / Esperanza Spalding
Feb. 13: Them Crooked Vultures
The show airs Saturday nights at 7.
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ACL 2009 preview: Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen’s vibrant narratives rarely end at personal revelation. Instead, the northern California native, whose music has appeared in Hilton ad campaigns (“Blessed”) and on “Grey’s Anatomy” (“Ain’t Gonna Lose You”), heightens messages with sociopolitical commentary. “Social issues are something I think about a lot, so it’s important to write about them,” he says. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be telling the whole truth about who I am.” (Dennen performs at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, on the Austin Ventures stage.)
American-Statesman: Your song ‘Heaven’ covers lots of spiritual ground.
Brett Dennen: I wrote that song on an airplane about a year and a half ago. Most lyrics I write on an airplane. I wanted to write about religion, but I thought that was too big and didn’t know what to say. So, I thought about writing a song about heaven, which is where I got the idea for the chorus. Even then, I thought heaven was too massive to write about. I thought it’d be better to write a song about the idea or belief in heaven.
That’s still a pretty broad topic.
Well, as I was writing, it became more about life and what you make of it. You know, the idea of people working for an afterlife, or thinking what they do here doesn’t matter because they’re going to an afterlife. I thought that’s kind of silly. Ultimately, it’s better to create your end result here on Earth instead of banking on the idea of some eternal afterlife.
How did you end up rerecording it as a duet with Natalie (Merchant)?
We asked her if she wanted to do it, and she said yes. I tell you what, man, that was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’ve been a big fan of hers for a long time. I mean, 10,000 Maniacs was one of the first bands I ever geeked out on.
Did working with her give you a personal sense of achievement?
Well, obviously, it’s Natalie Merchant. She’s a world-class superstar with one of the most recognizable voices on the planet. To hear her sing my lyrics was a very surreal experience. It made me feel like a real, genuine songwriter, not just a singer-songwriter. I still get chills thinking about it.
Like Natalie, you write about social issues. How important is it for you - and other songwriters - to address these topics?
Well, I would never tell anyone how to write a song. A song should be your most personal secrets and thoughts and wishes and desires and hopes. That should be spilled out into a song, and every writer’s gonna say different things. You should write about anything, as long as it’s from the heart and true.
Your core messages seem very hopeful. Is that a fair assessment?
Yeah, it’s a fair statement, but it’s something that I’ve had to think about and work at. It didn’t really just come naturally. There are songs from the past that aren’t as hopeful. Maybe they’re a little more angry or unapologetic, like a protest song.
How did you make the transition, then?
I’ve started thinking long term. When I look back and think about how I want to be remembered, I want to be somebody who has a lot of positivity surrounding my name. I want to build people up, lift people up and inspire people.
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ACL 2009: Brett Dennen, the story behind the song
Here’s the story behind Brett Dennen’s ‘Make You Crazy,’ from his 2008 album ‘Hope for the Hopeless’:
‘That song came to me in a couple different stages. I wrote most of the lyrics sitting at my desk in my bedroom looking out the window. I was thinking that I wanted to write another song like “Ain’t No Reason,” which is about a lot of different things in the world happening at once. But I wanted to show a different side of it, so I chose to look at the psychological effect that social issues have on people.
‘I was asked to play a couple songs at this awards show honoring people in film and TV industry that were dealing with issues of mental illness. Right after I played, this woman said to the audience, “All the pressures in the world and the modern corporate culture and all the stress and strains, that alone is enough to make somebody go crazy. On top of that, you add social injustice.” She made the point that she didn’t understand how more people aren’t going absolutely insane. What kind of drugs are we using to suppress that? I immediately had to write that down. I was like, “Yeah, exactly!”
‘So, I wrote the lyrics in one sitting, but I didn’t have a melody. Well, I had one, but I didn’t like it because it was a slow folk song like “Ain’t No Reason.” I wasn’t really interested in doing that at all. We went and recorded the whole album and I still hadn’t (finished) the song. I didn’t think it was going to make the album, but a melody popped into my head on the second to the last night of recording.
‘I was really inspired by working with (Femi Kuti). I wanted to do a sort of Brazilian dance pop song. I came up with the melody on my bike ride home and immediately found the lyrics that I’d written before and worked them together. I took it into the studio the next morning and we all learned it and cut it that day. We sent the mp3 file to my label, and they were like, “Keep working on this song. We want it to be the first single!”’
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Sound on Sound Record to close for good Oct. 12
Sound on Sound Records, the E. North Loop record store owned by local musician Jason “Jug” Costanzo, will close for good Oct. 12.
A clearance sale is in progress.
Sound on Sound opened in March 2004. The store specialized in punk and hardcore, but stocked a wide array of new and used vinyl and CDs. It became known as a key spot for Austin punk bands to drop off new records and to play its excellent in-store performances. (It was also the rehearsal space for Costanzo’s band the Young.)
Sound on Sound’s in-store, day party lineups during the hardcore fest Chaos in Tejas and South By Southwest were especially stellar, with sets from underground punk acts Los Llamarada, Drunkdriver and XYX.
