RiffRaf

In the Beginning: The Black Keys

Every band has its own distinctive story replete with drugs, alcohol, conflicts, line up changes, dead ends, regrettable gigs, setbacks, struggles, battles with record companies, managers, accountants, and bar owners. Every band pays its dues. There is no such fantasy as an overnight success.

The Black Keys are no exception.

A decade ago they were simply Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney from Akron, Ohio; seven albums later they are the critically acclaimed, Grammy award winning darlings of the Rock world. But their beginnings, like so many rock and roll bands, are humble, unassuming, somewhat innocent.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney grew up in the same town. They both attended Firestone High School; Auerbach was captain of the soccer team, whereas Carney was a social pariah. 

In 1996, Auerbach was learning guitar, while Carney owned a drum set and four-track recorder. They started jamming and laying tracks down on Carney's four-track, but nothing ever really transpired. And like so many of us at seventeen or eighteen who don't really know what we want to do with our lives, they enrolled in the University of Akron but dropped out shortly after.

Auerbach started playing local bars but needed a demo in order to get to the next level. That's when Patrick Carney entered the picture once again. Carney provided the recording equipment and his basement, while Auerbach provided the rest of the backing band. The only problem was that Auerbach's musician buddies failed to show up. Apparently "they preferred to get stoned and play video games," so Carney and Auerbach jammed that afternoon and haven't stopped jamming.

In the end, they formed The Black Keys as a duo, taking the band's name from a schizophrenic artist, Alfred McMoore, who left unintelligible phone messages, referring to "their fathers as 'black keys' such as 'D flat' when he was upset with them."

In 2001, they recorded a six song demo (again in Carney's basement) and were eventually signed by the indie label Alive. For their debut album, The Big Come Up, they returned to Carney's basement to record eight lo-fi bluesy rock tunes, a mixture of originals and covers (Muddy Waters, Junior Kimbrough and The Beatles) that was released in 2002.

When it was time to go on tour in support of the album, Auerbach and Carney mowed lawns in order to help fund it. Their first gig at Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom and Tavern was poorly attended, but that didn't slow The Black Keys down.

The Big Come Up didn't sell particularly well, but that didn't slow The Black Keys down either. In due time, the album captured a cult following, garnered favorable reviews from the critics, and secured the group a deal with Fat Possum Records. 

And the rest is history...

       

Fugazi and Me

         

In our Writers and Music series, authors discuss the music that has either been included in their most recent project or the influence music has had on their work overall. 

Dennis Mahagin is a poet and musician from Washington. His first book of verse, Grand Mal, is available at Rebel Satori Press and is coming soon to Amazon.

It was in the autumn of 1998, when I first heard Fugazi.

This was at a time in my life when I foundered, virtually drowning, on the shoals of addiction. I had dreams, but they were setting down, an evening sun. Saturated with chemicals and craving, I stood a shaky six foot three, weighed about a buck seventy five. It’s a wonder my best friend from Arkansas, who’d lately come out west to visit, recognized me. He might’ve considered staging an “intervention,” but that’s really not his style. Instead, he gave me a CD.

“Dude, you’ve got to listen to this,” my friend told me.

The CD was called End Hits.

“Who’s Fugazi?” I said.

My friend shook his head. “Just listen,” he reiterated.

Then, in the semi-darkness of a seedy little kitchen on 45^th and Belmont, I proceeded to cue the disc up on a cheap portable player with busted belt clip, and tattered earphones, foam mostly rotted away. “Who the fuck are these guys?” I cried, after hearing the opening measure of a number called “Break” at maximum volume.

My friend smiled. I removed the headphones to hear his reply: “You can keep that…”

End Hits.

I’ve never stopped listening to it.

Now, a few lines from the song “Recap Modotti” come to mind:

…Recap in taxi,

No clothes, no food

Take care of the children

We’ll send for you soon …

Oh, I remember that version of me, in my sorry Belmont kitchen, pushing forty, possessed of all the pallor and disfiguration of a scarified poppy, and yet then, still, coming alive with the strains of that music – watching my own rail-thin shadow get down with its bad self on the wall, moonlight pouring through a little window above the sink: this shadow, who clutched a battered Sanyo CD player like a lucky hymnal, commencing to fist-pump, to hum and dream and hope via pantomime, the old hip sway with chest bump, my eyes glued to the ear drums insisting everything could still turn out okay, blown away by this strange new music -- beside myself:

…Alien,

you find you feel at home

Everywhere

you get by with so much less

than anyone …

 

My friend returned to Arkansas a couple days later.

I would not get clear of my chemical dependency for four more years; wouldn’t publish my own poem called “Abduction” – (about aliens, transubstantiation, hospice and hope; and borne upon the current of the aforementioned music, surely as I’m sitting here) – for four years beyond that. But I’ll never forget the night I heard Fugazi for the very first time. No turning point, per se, but a vector, a euphony I can still point to – its sonic trajectory a little ahead of me, and a touch behind, recursive and propulsive at one remove, like a riff you simply can’t get out of your mind. Or a friend, who comes to visit from far away:

…Outside my window

the passing night sky

full of people I know

taking me…

 

Today, I’m totally engrossed in a You Tube video: a talented filmmaker has put together some stunning imagery to accompany the Fugazi song “Turkish Disco.” Behind Brendan Canty’s signature snare drum cum tom-tom pulse, and Joe Lally’s bass line (thumping like a dogged hot spring of the heart’s natural magma) – there, on the screen sits a forlorn barn, cupped by this cozy pastoral snow bank. And as the song commences, this barn slowly begins to change colors, hue to hue to hue, as the haunting bars drive by:

Rust -- to russet. Vermilion, bleeding cerise. Baby shit blue morphing into stone cold indigo. Forlorn forest green, in time, becoming lime.

Reader, believe me: I’m happy as hell to be a fan of Fugazi.             

          

Indie Spotlight: Twincities

Riffraf's Indie Spotlight is our attempt to shed some light on indie artists around the world who have been creating music, recording and touring without the support of a label or major financial backing. Chapman, Jay Leibowitz, Jem Warren, The Active Set, Joanne Weaver, Boiled in Lead, Holly & Evan and Birdeatsbaby are just a few of the indie artists to be featured in the "Spotlight."

Today, we'd like to introduce you to the post-rock instrumental quartet Twincities.

Based in Long Island, Twincities - Fletcher McDermott (piano/drums), Sal Magaddino (guitar), Matt Citarella (guitar), and Jesse Asch (bass) - are currently recording their second EP that will be released this winter.

We chatted with Fletcher about the group's influences, favorite venue to play and the new record.

What are your musical influences?

We take a lot of things from a lot of places! I'd hate to speak on everyone's behalf for something that personal, but I'd say we all agree on a couple of big ones. We all love Sigur Ros, Godspeed, You Black Emperor, Mono, This Will Destroy You. A couple of us have fallen pretty deeply in love with a lot of classical/piano music recently, and I think that's really going to show in our new stuff. I love ambient/glitchy electronic music which will show a lot in the production side of this new album. 

What's your favorite place to play?

We've fallen into this weird place musically where we find ourselves playing this traditional "rock band" setup and it's led to us playing places that usually house that. Those types of venues usually don't end up being beneficial to a spacious dynamic sound, so until we either start playing beautiful wide open churches or places with incredible sound systems, that one is really tough to answer. Don Pedros always treats us well in Brooklyn. Mr. Beerys out near us on Long Island is also a great group of people. 

What has been your favorite show?

Personally, getting to play with braveyoung was a high point for me. We've played with a bunch of great bands in the past year or so, but this was one of those times where if we hadn't been playing the show we'd have been there to see them either way. Their new album is a personal favorite and playing alongside them was incredible. 

What's up next for Twincities?

Finish up this album we're in the middle of recording in the next two weeks and then start exploring our options. Hopefully set up a nice tour this winter. We'll have the record on 12" by winter. After that it's just keep writing, writing, and writing.  

          

Indie Spotlight: Surrender the Fall

In 2005, Memphis musician Jared Cole was looking for something new.

Cole had a specific vision in mind and began recruiting musicians who were at a crossroads: one had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, another was an athlete who suffered a career-ending injury, and the other two were just looking for something new.

With Jared Cole on vocals, Eddie Tyre and Anthony Pitts on guitar, Devin Hightower on bass, and Ed Harris on drums, Surrender the Fall had only one goal: “Create the biggest, baddest, most savage rock and roll.”

Surrender The Fall released its debut album Burn in the Spotlight today (9/18), and we had a chance to talk to the band about their musical influences, songwriting and of course Burn in the Spotlight.

What are some of your biggest influences?

Very diverse! From Aerosmith to Pantera, U2 to Hank, Manson to Marley...punk, rock, blues, hip hop, metal and country. STF is a band with ZERO prejudices when it comes to music.

Genres divide musical revolution. If we pay attention to everything on a creative level, we learn to appreciate what's special about all art and we open ourselves to be influenced by more than what's "familiar." Everybody wants to be somebody...nobody wants to grow. STF wants to grow!

How much of your music is based on personal experiences?

100% of our music is inspired by our personal lives. It's not always attractive or acceptable, but we chose to be 100% honest with everything in this music! From love and loss to sex and everything in between. We want the listener to feel like they relate to this music on every level possible. The best songs you'll ever write are the ones you don't want anybody else to read. 

On Burn in the Spotlight you have songs that range from brutal hard rock like “Everything You Want Me To Be” to borderline ballads like “40 & 12." Is having a variety of sounds something you set out to do with this album?

We set out to write a record with good songs. Often times, bands lock themselves into a specific genre. We said, "Let's just write good songs. If it's heavy or soft, it doesn't matter. As long as it's honest, people will get it." 

How collaborative is the songwriting process?

We all bring in ideas and once it's on the table, we chop it up! It's like five specialists within the band that take their own area of expertise and capitalize on that idea. We are heavily influenced by each other as well, so it's easy to take drum ideas from Anthony and Eddie (guitars) or guitar riff ideas from Jared, etc. and create something that's its own beast. 

What has the reception been like for Burn in the Spotlight?

We've got great reception with the new record! We wanted this record to polarize people...either you're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it and honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way! Our fans are die hard, 100% Wrecking Crew family…no fence riders…100% Lifers!! 

What’s next for Surrender The Fall?

We are currently touring in support of the new record and the video for our single, "Love Hate Masquerade." We are set to head out with My Darkest Days and Otherwise in September. We've actually already begun preproduction for Record #2 (TBA) and will be scheduling studio time for early 2013 to start tracking.

Other than that, be looking out for new videos and singles from Burn in the Spotlight and you will definitely be seeing us at upcoming festivals and radio events as well!

          

Lost Gems: "Plenty is Never Enough" by Tenement Halls

                                  

                                                                                        By Jim Pace

Song: Plenty is Never Enough

Artist: Tenement Halls

Released: 2005

Genre: Indie Pop/Rock 

Tenement Halls slipped by me and that makes me want to send the car stereo bouncing across the highway. Let me explain.

I like to think I'm always hip to the latest and greatest when it comes to music. The fact that I just used the word "hip" should clue you into the reality of the situation. But I do try. Because I get bored. So I need new music constantly. And I hate it when I miss something good. 

These days if you want to hear something other than Rihanna, you best be Sherlock "Effing" Holmes on the internet or you're screwed.

Tenement Halls is actually Chris Lopez, the former lead singer of the acclaimed or slandered - depending on who you talk to - 1990s Atlanta Indie band, Rock*A*Teens. 

I only had a brief encounter with the Rock*A*Teens in the 90s because a) I didn't live in Atlanta, and b) I was on dial up. I thought they were okay, but they never became an obsession. 

Then in 2009, I heard The Shins' cover of "Plenty is Never Enough," and I really liked it. So I went looking for the original and found the Tenement Halls' version, which was recorded in 2005. It's much more in your face than The Shins' version - kind of a "noisy" record - and I haven't stopped listening to the thing. 

No one is really sure if Chris Lopez is going to record again, or if he even wants to. But the word is the guy has a day job, wife and kid. And those are the three main ingredients of "you ain't making it stew." And this brilliant single was recorded seven years ago! 

So if you see a stereo skipping by, you'll understand.

If it is the end of Tenement Halls, at least in my book, he actually did leave while on top of the world.         

                 

(Jim Pace is a musician and filmmaker living in NY.)

Indie Spotlight: Holly & Evan

Riffraf's Indie Spotlight is our attempt to shed some light on indie artists around the world who have been creating music, recording and touring without the support of a label or major financial backing. Chapman, Jay Leibowitz, Jem Warren, The Active Set, Joanne Weaver, Boiled in Lead and Birdeatsbaby are just a few of the indie artists who have been featured in the "Spotlight."

Today, we'd like to introduce you to Holly & Evan.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Holly Taormina and singer-songwriter-bassist Evan Conway met three years ago at an open mic and have been working together ever since, presenting their unique blend of traditional and original blues and roots based acoustic songs throughout the Capital Region.

It's time for the blues duo to spread their wings.

What are some of your influences, musical or otherwise?

Holly & Evan: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Cream, Skip James, The Beatles, James Jamerson, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, Eldee Young, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Ramsey Lewis Trio....

What do you find appealing about the Blues?

Evan: The Blues is the music of the people. It has been around for many years, and will always be in one form or another, because it is based in human emotion of the rawest form. To us it is the only way to go, because it allows us to express sadness or heartbreak in a more meaningful way, and it is very therapeutic to get out our aggressions in songs too.

 How does the songwriting function? Is it a collaboration?

Holly & Evan: The majority of the songwriting is done by Holly, both lyrics and music, but Evan helps put it all together or suggest different ideas as necessary.

What has been your favorite gig?

Holly & Evan: Our favorite gig was the Capital Region Blues Network Showdown at The Linda WAMC Performing Arts Studio in Albany, New York. It’s a pretty big hall with an amazing sound crew, and it was FULL of music fans. Every single one of them was engaged in the performance, and even though we lost a tie for the first place spot, it was still a wonderful experience. A good show for us is the combination of playing well, sounding good, and having an appreciative audience. We can certainly live with that.

What has been your least favorite gig?  

Holly & Evan: Every band has a comical “least favorite” gig story, and we are no exception. To date, our best “least favorite” gig would have to be the one we performed for the Amsterdam Wrestling Hall of Fame. Imagine, if you will, a dumpy hotel bar with a plethora of loud old men, obnoxiously drunk and shouting the news at one another. Add to it a choice between last year’s skunky Yuenglings and three different liquors. And finally, add in about a dozen no name wrestlers from 30 years ago, reliving their glory days, in full costume and regalia, to steal any last bit of attention we may have had. It was a real WWF moment in our lives, and we “wrestled” with it for a long time.

What's the music scene like in Albany?

Holly & Evan: Albany has a fairly diverse music scene, with a lot of great people (generally older musicians) who will do everything they can to help newer/younger musicians.

What's next musically?

Holly & Evan: Lately we’ve been working on our new songs, and recording them. Holly writes A LOT of songs, so there is a lot of work, but so is organizing the songs for multiple players. We haven’t put out an official CD yet, but we will be doing that very soon. It took quite a bit of time, but all the songs will be well rehearsed when it comes time to record.

           

Ten Things About Neil Finn

Some musicians just play music. They're not interested in awards, gracing magazine covers or any of the media hoopla that can endanger their artistic endeavors. Although Neil Finn has had a wildly successful career - Split Enz, Crowded House and Finn Brothers (not to mention his solo career) - he has always managed to keep a low profile and go about his business of writing songs. 

Writer Bill DeYoung has said that "Neil Finn's gift is for wiretapping the dark and often forbidden recesses of the human psyche, and turning their disconnected musings into beautiful - and damn catchy - pop tunes."    

It's hard to fathom that Mr. Finn has been making music for as long as he has - he entered the musical landscape when he joined his older brother Tim's band, Split Enz, in 1977. For me, whenever I think about Neil Finn I'm reminded of the summer of '86 when MTV was playing "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong" in heavy rotation.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Neil's career, here are ten things you need to know about the master craftsman: 

10. As a child, his family nicknamed Neil "The Ant" due to his fierce determination and ambition.

9. When he was twelve years old, Neil decided to become a musician. He performed at family outings, prisons and hospitals.

8. Neil wrote the Split Enz's first international hit "I Got You."       

7. The name Crowded House was inspired by the band's rental home in Los Angeles during the recording of their debut album in 1984.

6. When Crowded House broke-up in 1996, Neil Finn released two solo records, Try Whistling This (1998) and One Nil (2001). Finn and bassist Nick Seymour reformed Crowded House in 2006; unfortunately, without drummer Paul Hester who hanged himself the previous year.

5. Along with his brother Tim, the Finn Brothers have released two albums, Finn (1995) and Everyone is Here (2004).

4. Neil has contributed music to various film and television soundtracks: Boston Legal, Boston Public, Ant, Sports Night & Rain.

3. Finn and his wife Sharon Dawn Johnson released an album in 2011, Pajama Club.

2. Neil sang backing vocals on Sheryl Crow's "Everyday is a Winding Road."

1. Neil and Sharon have two musical sons, Liam and Elroy, who often perform alongside Neil.

Riffraf's September Music Preview

As we usher in a new school year, it's time to hang up your surfboard, put away your sunblock and head out to Staples and purchase your pencil cases, pink erasers and spiral notebooks.

Every autumn is accompanied by a glut of new music. Riffraf has been anxiously waiting for Cat Power's Sun, her ninth studio album and first of original material in six years, which was released yesterday. 

Here are ten more records that will knock your socks off this September. 

 

Bob Dylan

Tempest (9/11)

Mr. Zimmerman's thirty-fifth studio album contains a tribute to the late John Lennon, "Roll on John," and the fourteen-minute title track about the Titanic. Because the album's title is reminiscent of the title of Shakespeare's final play, rumors began to spread that the Tempest would be Dylan's final album. Dylan was quick to dispel the rumor, however: "Shakespeare's last play was called The Tempest. It wasn't called just plain "Tempest." The name of my record is just plain Tempest. It's two different titles."

 

Dave Matthews Band

Away From the World (9/11)

Steve Lillywhite produced the Dave Matthews Band's eighth studio album, their first since 2009's Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King. "The Riff" is the album's standout track in which Matthews ruminates on mid-life: "Ain't it funny how time slips away/Looking at the cracks creeping across my face."

 

Steve Forbert

Over With You (9/11)

According to a press release, Steve Forbert’s first studio album in three years is a "focused song cycle featuring an earnest account of the often-mixed emotions involved in personal relationships." Over With You is a highly personal record. Forbert said, “The songs are about what people feel in deep relationships — mainly love and friction.”

Riffraf's interview with Steve Forbert will be posted tomorrow. The singer-songwriter chats about the song that stirred him to write songs of his own, his latest record and playing CBGB in the late 70s.

 

St. Vincent & David Byrne

Love This Giant (9/11)

Most of the time cross-generational collaborations come off as overwrought and contrived, but Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) and David Byrne appear to have forged one that's worthwhile. Clark and Byrne composed lyrics together in person and via e-mail, which resulted in an entire album's worth of material. 

 

Aimee Mann

Charmer (9/18)

Charmer is Aimee Mann's eighth studio album. It features the track, "Living a Lie," a duet with The Shins' leader James Mercer. It's hard to believe that Ms. Mann has released eight solo albums. Each record has demonstrated Mann's dedication to the craft of songwriting. If that's any indication, Charmer will not disappoint.

 

Ben Folds Five

The Sound of the Life of the Mind (9/18)

The Sound of the Life of the Mind reunites Ben Folds (lead vocals/piano), Robert Sledge (bass/backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums/backing vocals) who haven't recorded together since 1999's The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

 

The Killers

Battle Born (9/18)

In January 2010, Brandon Flowers and gang announced that they would be going on hiatus. After little more than a year of relative non-activity, the Las Vegas quartet ended their break in order to record their fourth studio album, Battle Born. The Killers hired an all-star team of producers to assist them: Steve Lillywhite, Brendan O'Brien, Daniel Lanois, Damian Taylor and Stuart Price.

 

Grizzly Bear

Shields (9/18)

Los Angeles Weekly might have voted them one of the worst hipster bands of all-time, but that hasn't stopped the Brooklyn-based Grizzlies from releasing their fourth studio album, Shields. 

 

Green Day

Uno! (9/25)

On the recording of the new album, Green Day's leader Billie Joe Armstrong said,"We are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives....This is the best music we've ever written and the songs just keep coming. Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy. Every song has the power and energy that represents Green Day on all emotional levels. We just can't help ourselves....We are going epic as fuck!"

The trilogy, aptly titled Uno!, Dos!, and Tre!, will feature a face from the individual band members on the album's cover: Armstrong graces the cover of Uno!, while Dos! will feature bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool's likeness will be on the cover of Tre. Dos! will be released on November 13th and Tre on January 15, 2013.

 

Mumford & Sons

Babel (9/25)

The British indie folk band Mumford & Sons have followed-up their debut record, 2009's smashing Sigh No More, with the highly anticipated Babel. According to the band, they haven't deviated from their sound but have tried to perfect it.

It's a genuine challenge for a band to match the success of their first record. Many have fallen prey to the sophomore slump. What do you think is the most successful sophomore effort of all-time?

Indie Spotlight: Jay Leibowitz

 

When you're born at the Jersey Shore the same year Born to Run is released, it's more than likely that a little Bruce Springsteen might have slipped into your DNA. When singer-songwriter Jay Leibowitz started making music on the keyboard he bought with his bar mitzvah money, The Boss' musical presence was virtually "inescapable."

 

There aren't any anthems or epic songs on Leibowitz's understated debut album Pedestrian Life, but there are flashes of Springsteen's lyrical sensibility. On the song "Stuck," for instance, there are echoes of the "The E Street Shuffle" and "Blinded by the Light":

        "Police on the corner doing the shuffle/ 

         I heard Scooter got hooked up in a scuffle/          

         Yeah I played it loud/ I played it loud"

Several years in the making, Jay Leibowitz took a break from acting, took hold of his Telecaster and wrote Pedestrian Life.

How would you describe your sound?

American Rock Music? Good truck drivin’ music? Especially if you aim to drive yourself off of a cliff after 35 minutes. I’m just kidding. Unless that helps sell records. Does it? Probably not. I actually said that to a guy who owns a pretty big label at a party earlier this year. He laughed. Then his wife yelled at me. Needless to say, I’m not on his label.

How do you think your acting informs your music?

Well, the album is actually about a time when I quit theatre to go figure some things out. So, in a way, it’s all about the absence of theatre from my life. Music was always the thing I did just for me, and when I left the theatre, I went into this prolific writing phase. I bought a Danelectro and plugged in. I played out a little.

After a long while, I had some material that seemed worth recording, and I didn’t really see the point of just doing it for myself anymore. I got into the studio and when it finally came time to sing, I found myself very far removed from the emotional reality of the moments that the songs were about. Because I’m an actor, I already had an approach on how to get there in my head and, even though I was singing about events that took place years ago, I could put myself back and craft those moments in the studio.

What are some of your influences, musical or otherwise? 

I was born down the New Jersey shore on the same day Blood On The Tracks was released. Born To Run was released later that summer and Bruce’s early music really worked on me from the time I could think. That’s pretty inescapable. I’m a classic rock guy and a singer-songwriter, I guess. This record is me trying really hard not to sound like Bruce and trying really hard to sound like Jeff Tweedy. I love The Pixies and The Replacements and the epic indie rock of the late 80s and early 90s. Also, there’s this old school rockabilly thing that I love to do, too. 

It took you a while to record Pedestrian Life, your first record. What were some of the obstacles that you had to overcome?
The first track is an actual recording of a voicemail I left for my producer and dear friend, Zac Lasher (previously of the popular indie prog rock band, U-Melt). It was supposed to be a two month project but it took two years! When Zac and I sat down to begin work on the record, I had about five different ways of playing each song. There was the solo coffee house version, the band version, and everything in between. I needed help to figure out which style worked for each song and how I could fuse the parts together.

I actually played so much that I threw my back out. As soon as I could stand up again, I left town for a bunch of theatre gigs. Zac went on the road again. Life just took over for a while. The whole thing was a side project and, at least for me, a labor of love. It was a beautiful exercise in patience. 

Describe the songwriting process for this particular record.

Writing lyrics and writing music are two different muscles for me. The lyrics were written before smart phones, in notebooks and on loose paper. Ideas come in fragments, rants. I play the guitar and the piano and let the music settle in. Then I go back to the words I’ve been writing and fit them together into a song. There’s only one song on the record that I just sat down and wrote and that’s “If I Ever." I was real mad that day. About a lady.

What song are you most proud of? 

“Stuck” is the song that Zac and I worked on first and it set the tone for the whole sound and our collaboration. We were both at the time really connected to the mood of that song and it was one of those that I could play a million ways. The mix is just right. Zac’s arrangement of the track still blows my mind.

What theme would you say runs throughout the album?

Most of the record was written when I lived in a pretty shitty neighborhood on the proverbial "edge of town." Our street was beautiful and tree-lined, but it felt like there was crime and darkness around every corner. I was in that place for way too long and things had gotten off-track. I was paralyzed and depressed and going nowhere.

One night, walking home, I got jumped by four kids trying to get into a gang. I fought them off and left town forever a week later. Choice made. I spent the next several months making the demos that would later become the record. Also: women.

What’s the reception been like for Pedestrian Life?

Really great! A lot of people really connect to a lot of different material. Everyone seems to have a different favorite song, which I hope speaks to the diversity of style and content on there. The last song, “Sentimental Song”, is one that a lot of people really connect to the most. That’s interesting to me because it’s really the most personal of all the songs. The more honest we are, the more we connect. A lesson I learn over and over.

Who plays on the record? Who produced it? Where was it recorded?

Zac Lasher produced the record and plays keyboards. We tracked most of the guitars at his previous band’s studio at the McKibbin lofts in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Josh Parrish, who was the sound engineer for U-Melt, did an excellent job mixing the record. Zac and Josh come together to form Brooklyn Sound Lab. I’m playing all the guitars except for the lead on "Pedestrian Life." That’s the incredible Vin Stanton who also plays with (another Riffraf artist) Jem Warren. Dan McNaney is our terrific bass player - except on “Stuck” and “Sentimental” - that’s me on those. Prolific indie punk drummer Jack “Fantastic” Criswell tracked the drums at Rad Studio in Brooklyn with Damon Dorsey engineering. Steve Berson from Totalsonic mastered it.

What’s next musically?

I’ve got a great band in rehearsal and, in the spirit of the tardiness of the record, a record release will happen finally this Fall. Or Winter. I’m writing a lot of material, and I’m hoping to get back in the studio again next year. The new music is shaping up to be a lot more sparse and subtle.

Zac and I are very busy right now creating and workshopping what we’re calling a “Shakespeare Rock Show” based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It where everyone acts, sings, and plays. But it isn’t a musical. It’s a Shakespeare Rock Show.

              

Best of Elford: Ten Things About Mark Oliver Everett of The Eels

        

                                                              By Elford Alley

Mark Oliver Everett, known as “E” to friends and enemies alike, is the singer/songwriter behind the band Eels. A mainstay since their debut in 1996 with the hit single "Novocain for the Soul," the band continues to release music that ruminates on life, death, mental illness, and dog-faced boys.

In case you’re unfamiliar with E, here are ten things you should know about him: 

10. He’s a One Man Band

E spent years experimenting with sounds and instruments on a four track in his basement. Eventually he released his debut in 1992, A Man Called E and its 1993 follow up Broken Toy Shop. Using everything from guitars to toy piano, he carved out a distinct sound for himself.

9. Has a Hip-Hop Alter Ego

In 2003, a middle-aged DJ and former pottery enthusiast from Silverlake known as MC Honky, released an album called I Am the Messiah. Although he constantly denies it, and despite their bitter internet feud, it’s well known that E and MC Honky are the same person.

8. He Recorded Two Albums as a “Break” From Recording a Double Album

E’s magnum opus is the 33 track 2005 release Blinking Lights (And Other Revelations). It took him years to complete, but every now and then he would take a break, which led to 2001’s Souljacker and 2003’s Shootenanny! E recorded two albums, which are solid from start to finish, as a distraction from recording a double album. This is because he’s a wizard. Or so my sources in the field tell me…

7. Father was a Brilliant Physicist

E’s father, Hugh Everett III, came up with the many-worlds theory of quantum physics and is known as one of the 20^th century's great physicists. The many-worlds theory and E’s complicated relationship with his father were the basis of the 2008 BBC documentaryParallel Worlds, Parallel Lives.

6. Toured With an Orchestra

To promote his 2005 album, Blinking Lights (And Other Revelations), E toured with an orchestra, offering a unique interpretation of his most famous songs, which led to the critically acclaimed release of the 2006 live album Eels With Strings: Live at Town Hall.

5. Had a Feud with a President

Many artists have been ridiculed by out of touch politicians looking to score points in the culture wars. In 2000, E drew the ire of the George W. Bush presidential campaign with his album Daises of the Galaxy. The cover, reminiscent of a children’s book, led to the accusation that E was marketing the album to kids, which featured songs like “It’s a Motherfucker.” This wasn’t true, but it did lead E to offer his songs to many kids' movies, including Holes and Shrek.

4. Was Accused of Being a Terrorist

While recording the song “Dog Faced Boy” for the album Souljacker, E grew what can only be described as an epic beard. Of course, said beard immediately made dealing with the TSA a nightmare and led to him being questioned as a suspected terrorist in London for a show. He responded to the accusations by saying, “Not every guy with short hair and a beard is a terrorist. Some of us just want to rock.”

3. He’s Prolific

You’ve just been through a very bitter divorce/breakup. What do you do? For most of us it’s wallow in misery and indulge in self-destructive eating habits. But when E’s marriage fell apart, he got to work and released three albums in the span of a year. Hombre Lobo deals with the false bravado people take on after a relationship fails and they hit the rebound. End Times covers that period when we try to figure out what went wrong and wonder if we'll find happiness again. Finally, Tomorrow Morning deals with finding happiness again.

2. He Wrote an Autobiography

In 2008, E released his autobiography Things the Grandchildren Should Know. A haunting, touching memoir, it talks about his difficult relationship with his father, his close relationship to his sister Elizabeth, and the difficulty of losing his entire family.

1. He’s Suffered for His Art

E is very familiar with loss. His father died while he was in high school; E found him dressed in a suit, lying on his bed. Then after the release of his debut album, E’s mother succumbed to cancer and his sister Elizabeth committed suicide. Add to that the loss of his cousin Jennifer Lewis who was a flight attendant on the plane that struck the Pentagon on 9/11, and you have Electro-Shock Blues, which includes songs based on diary entries and memories of those he lost. These themes would surface again on his sprawling 2005 double album Blinking Lights (And Other Revelations).

(Elford Alley has written plays, sketch comedy, and short stories. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife and daughter. Follow Elford on Twitter.)