Are you happy with how Use Your Voice turned out? Absolutely. Working with John Abbey at King Size Sound Labs we were able to really capture the sound of our live show.
Do you have a philosophy when it comes to the recording? Philosophy is a strong word for it, but we definitely strive to maintain our personality in the recording process. It can be very easy to make decisions in the recording process that trim away character in the pursuit of perfection.
Do you still believe in the concept of an album or is it all about the single mp3? I believe in the album. I love albums. If songs are telling a story or expiring a feeling then it has to be true that the artist has more than one take on the same idea they want to present. On the other hand…if you’ve got a great single there’s nothing wrong with letting it stand alone.
How does the songwriting process work for you? I like routine. Days in a row of uninterrupted time so when the ideas start coming then you can use them right in the moment. I read an interview with Neil Young where he says that’s the only way to do it. If you store ideas for later you can forget why you had them in the first place.
Are there any triggers in your life that cause you to sit down and write something, or does it just happen? It feels like they just happen, but I’m sure that’s because something has been stewing for a while.
What was the first real concert you ever attended and what impression did it have on you? I can’t say for sure what the first one was…might have been George Winston. I saw Jackson Browne a couple of time solo and that was amazing. He played for hours taking on request after another.
What is your approach to playing live and what is your mind-set pre-show? Playing live is the pay-off so we try to enjoy it as much as we can. As and independent band it takes a lot of work to book and prep all aspects of a show. So it’s important to press the reset button and lose the stress before playing.
If you could tour with any artist as support who would it be and why? Paul Simon. I saw him perform with his band and I can only imagine how fun the dressing room jams must be.
What are your favorite 3 albums of all-time? Jackson Browne: Late for the Sky, Paul Simon: Rhythm of the Saints, John Prine: John Prine.
Earth is to be destroyed by an asteroid — you been instructed to put one song (any song ever recorded in a time capsule to represent mother earth, what would it be? Well with that prompt wouldn’t it have to be Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush”?
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