Interviews

Posts in Folk Rock

Ryan Sollee, The Builders and the Butchers

The Builders and the Butchers' third full-length LP, Dead Reckoning, contains lots of talk of physical calamities and destruction by wind, water, and fire. There's not much optimism in Ryan Sollee's storytelling as he explores the darker side of human nature. He explores these themes while he's fishing around the beautiful city of Portland, where he lives. The solitary act of fishing begs for solemn contemplation (at least it does for me, since I never catch anything). Sollee doesn't do any writing here; it's where the well of inspiration fills as he sits quietly. The writing comes later in a process that he calls "subconscious." It's also worth noting that Sollee used to be a biologist, and the creative process often had its genesis during his many walks in the woods.

Alt Country, Folk Rock, Indie Folk, AmericanaBen OpipariMarch 30, 2011dead reckoning, ryan sollee, the builders and the butchersComment

Dave Hause

It's not often that I get to exchange bedtime routines with a songwriter. But that's what Dave Hause and I did at the end of our interview. We had been talking for about 50 minutes and established that we had a great deal in common, so it's probably little surprise that it came to this point. We both read a lot of magazines. Too many, really, to keep up with. So they just pile up next to our beds, waiting to be read. The second we finish one, two more arrive.

Hause's songwriting process and reading material reflect his high level of engagement with his environment. And this level of engagement makes for one thing: Hause is a smart and introspective man. He doesn't just give me answers, he tells me why he does what he does. And he's able to do this because he's constantly thinking about his place in the world. He reads Rolling Stone for the political articles and GQ for the non-fiction. He's constantly picking up auditory and visual cues for song ideas, and he has an endless supply of notebooks and Blackberry files to show for it.

Punk, Americana, Folk Rock, Singer/SongwriterBen OpipariMarch 21, 2011dave hause, resolutions- build and burn, the loved onesComment

Ben Ottewell, Gomez

Ben Ottewell, vocalist and guitarist for Gomez, released his solo album Shapes and Shadows this month. It obviously offered Ottewell much more freedom in his creative process: as you'll read, everything went "a lot faster" since the buck stopped with him. Read my interview with Ottewell about his songwriting process after the video.

Alternative, Indie, Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Indie Folk, Folk, Folk Rock, ATO RecordsBen OpipariFebruary 28, 2011ben ottewell, gomez, interview, shapes and shadows Comments

Joy Williams and John Paul White, The Civil Wars

One of the reasons why The Civil Wars work so well is the effortless collaboration between its two members, Joy Williams and John Paul White. And it had better work well: they travel without a band, playing their music with just guitar and piano. Plus two beautiful voices.

What I found most unique about their creative process is its genesis. Most artists start with the music, and the words flow from that. A few, but not many, start with the words. The Civil Wars begin with both: when Williams and White get together (both are veteran songwriters and are not married to each other), White "noodles" on the guitar as they talk about what's going on in each of their lives. It's that combination of noodling and conversation that leads to the ideas for their songs. (Of course, I'd also argue that prolific output like this is due to their love of William Faulkner and Flannery OConnor, but that's another story.)

Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Grammy Winner, Folk Rock, FolkBen OpipariFebruary 11, 2011barton hollow, john paul white, joy williams, sensibility music, the civil warsComment

Brian Fallon (2011)

The next time you come across a song by The Gaslight Anthem, see it. And I don't mean watch it on YouTube. When it hits your ears, don't just listen to it. See it. Because I have a feeling that's what Brian Fallon wants. He may be a songwriter, but he talks like a poet. He says that "imagery is more important than content" in his songs. Most all of his songs start with scenery, and his job as the songwriter is to describe what it looks like, to get you the listener to see the imagery that Fallon conveys with his words. It's no surprise he writes this way, once you know his favorite poet: Dylan Thomas. As you'll read, Fallon used lines from a Dylan Thomas short story to describe his new side project Horrible Crowes.

I'm assuming that the whole Gaslight Anthem thing will work out for Brian Fallon. He writes great songs and they put on a great live show. But there's a part of me that thinks he'd make one hell of a poet. Sure, this inteview is long. I even trimmed some. But every introspective answer is a window into a fascinating creative process.

Punk, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, SideOneDummy Records, Folk RockBen OpipariFebruary 3, 201159 sound, brian fallon, gaslight anthem, great expectations, horrible crowes, interview, sideonedummy, the gaslight anthem Comment

Michael and Kevin Bacon: The Bacon Brothers

I recently interviewed Michael and Kevin Bacon (yes, that Kevin Bacon) for the Baltimore Sun in advance of their sold-out shows in Annapolis performing as the Bacon Brothers. This is no hobby for these guys; the Bacon Brothers have been together since 1995 and have put out six albums. They've been playing music for most of their lives, and Michael is a sought-after composer. Keeping in line with this site, I interviewed them about their songwriting process. I imagine they were relieved; one commenter on the site said that it was the first interview he had read with the band that didn't mention Footloose.

Folk Rock, Country RockBen OpipariJanuary 27, 2011bacon brothers, kevin bacon, michael bacon, the bacon brothers Comment

Nathaniel Rateliff

Ah, the solitary life of the singer/songwriter. Crafting songs in isolation, writing about deep introspective topics like love, loss, and life's meaning. We imagine them toiling away at their craft, going it alone until they get the song just right.

Nathaniel Rateliff does all these things. And he certainly goes it alone; after all, he does a lot of his writing in the bathroom. To be precise, he does a lot of his best work "on the shitter." And while he might write songs that make people cry when performed live, he'll talk about fried chicken between those melancholy tunes. It's hard to capture the mood of my interview with Rateliff; we spent a good deal of the time laughing. But when the guy tells me that he needs "a clean house, lots of sex, and no dogs" for a productive writing session, or that sometimes he's too lazy to finish a song in the studio, it's easy to laugh.

Americana, Folk RockBen OpipariJanuary 3, 2011in memory of loss, nathaniel rateliff, paste, wheelComment

Lissie

Are you in the market for a great songwriter who doubles as a fantastic cleaning lady? If you need someone who can clean your cabinets and pen a mean chorus, look no further than Lissie. You see, Lissie likes organization. She needs things to be clean and orderly in the space around her. For example, she likes to put things in pouches. Then she puts those pouches inside other pouches.

The irony in all of this obsession with order is that her writing process is anything but organized. Lissie is all about the stream of consciousness process, where she just lets everything flow out in one giant mess that she organizes later. For thirty minutes, she'll just write, with little regard for how it looks or what's coming out. For someone who insists on the proper placement of the salt and pepper shaker at the dinner table, this can be surprising.

Country, Country Folk, Folk, Folk Rock, Fat Possum Records, Singer/SongwriterBen OpipariNovember 2, 2010catching a tiger, fat possum, interview, lissieComment

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