Interviews

Joe Michelini of River City Extension isn't the first songwriter to tell me that he uses cooking as part of his songwriting process. But he might be the first one to tell me that he uses it almost as a source of self-flagellation: when he gets writer's block, he eats and eats. Just gorges himself. Then, when he feels sufficiently terrible about doing nothing but staying inside and eating all day, he ventures out. And when he does, he sees the world in an entirely new way. Everything looks fresh, like seeing the world for the first time.

Americana, Singer/SongwriterBen OpipariApril 5, 2011joe michelini, river city extension, the unmistakeable manComment

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

Jenn Wasner, Wye Oak

There's no doubt in my mind that Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak would be lost without her phone. It's the key to her songwriting. That phone is where she documents all her observations for the day. She's constantly in touch with her surroundings, and all of her lyrical and melodic ideas that come from this connection go into the phone's voice recorder for later, when she actually writes a song. Wasner says her "switch is on all the time . . . if you're always looking around and noticing your environment, it's a big help."

What impresses me most about Wasner is that she calls herself a writer, period. And she knows that being a writer takes hard work. Like any good writer, she knows that the time spent actually crafting her words is only a small part of the writing process. Wasner recognizes that writers are always writing, even when they aren't. That is, her writing process takes place when she's driving, walking, shopping, anything. During this time, she's inventing ideas, trying out lines, just doing everything except putting pen to paper. In fact, she approaching her writing process with this wonderfully simple mantra: "living is work."

Synth Pop, Rock, Indie, Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Merge RecordsBen OpipariMarch 25, 2011andy stack, baltimore, civilian, jen wasner, jenn wasner, merge records, wye oak Comments

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

Pete Yorn

It's not that often that a songwriter says that majoring in the humanities was the perfect preparation for being a singer/songwriter. But that's what happened for Pete Yorn. He was a speech communications major at Syracuse University (it's now called "communication and rhetorical studies" there). He had planned on going to law school and figured that a major emphasizing public speaking was good preparation. Yorn was "petrified" of getting in front of a group, so the major helped him work through that fear and become comfortable with public performances.

Yorn's college experience honed his songwriting skills in another way. If you've ever spent any time near Syracuse, one image comes to mind: snow. The area is closing in on 200 inches of snow this winter. I spent four years living in the Syracuse area. The cold and snowy winters there are soul-crushing. But ask Yorn about his time as an undergrad at SU, and he'll tell you that if it weren't for all that snow, he might never have become a songwriter. What others might see as limiting--the fact that you can't really go outside--Yorn saw as the perfect opportunity to stay inside and do some writing. "I credit those winters," he says, "as a catalyst to my songwriting."

Alternative, Indie, Indie Folk, Indie Rock, Vagrant Records, Singer/SongwriterBen OpipariMarch 9, 2011black album, pete yorn, vagrant Comment

Andy McCluskey, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)

It's a tribute to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark that the sound they helped create, the shimmering synth pop that was so innovative when the band started three decades ago, is now de rigueur in music. OMD is out with a new album called History of Modern; it's their first in fourteen years and their first in over twenty with the 1980s "If You Leave" lineup. It comes at an appropriate time, given the popularity of synth pop and the band's influence on groups like The xx and LCD Soundsytem. And the public has responded: OMD were conservative when booking venues on this tour, but now they are having to book second shows in some cities and move shows to bigger venues in others.

When it came to making History of Modern, Andy McCluskey, the band's singer and co-songwriter with Paul Humphreys, told me, "We analyzed our history and realized that we had created our own musical voice with the first four albums, and we wanted to go back to expressing ourselves in the language we invented ourselves. We had to strike that balance between something that was OMD but also not some nostalgia trip."

1980s, Pop, Post Punk, New Wave, Influencers, Synth PopBen OpipariMarch 8, 2011andy mccluskey, history of modern, if you leave, omd, orchestral manoeuvres in the dark, paul humphreys Comment

Bill Janovitz, Buffalo Tom

It's not too often that I get to trade lines of T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" with anyone. So when I had the chance to do that with Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom, I jumped, even though the lines we traded spoke of depressing topics like unrequited love and growing old. Such is the mind of Janovitz, though, an introspective guy whose thoughtful lyrics demand as much attention as the music. Again, not surprising considering Janovitz references Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther in conversation.

Alternative, Power PopBen OpipariMarch 7, 2011arise and watch, bill janovitz- skins, buffalo tom, three easy piecesComment

Chris Difford, Squeeze

When Chris Difford of Squeeze sits down to write a song, there's actually two Chris Diffords in the room: the one at the desk penning the lyrics, and the one on the couch in the corner telling the one at the desk how he feels. It's those feelings that form the basis for Difford's songs; for him, the songwriting process is "cathartic. . .like keeping a diary."

There's not much I can say in this introduction about the songwriting duo of Difford and Glenn Tilbrook that hasn't been said somewhere else. For over 35 years, they've adhered to the same routine: Difford writes the lyrics and Tilbrook writes the music. The result has been some of the most well-crafted and memorable pop songs: "Tempted," "Cool for Cats," "Black Coffee in Bed," "Pulling Mussels from a Shell," "Is That Love," "Hourglass,". . . the list goes on. They are certainly one of the most legendary (and I will also say strongest) songwriting duos in rock history. If you know music, there is no need for me to extol their excellence. But if you need proof, there's this: Difford wrote the lyrics to "Tempted" in about two and a half minutes in the back of a cab. And that first draft was the only draft: he didn't change a word from what he wrote in that back seat.

1980s, Influencers, Pop, New Wave, Post Punk, Power PopBen OpipariMarch 4, 2011chris difford, glenn tillbrook, squeeze Comment

Nicole Atkins

After high school, Nicole Atkins moved to North Carolina to study illustration in college. This means, of course, that she has the mind not just of a songwriter but of a visual artist. This puts her at an advantage when it comes to songwriting. As she explained to me, her creative process is a visual one. For instance, she sees songs in colors: there's a lot of green songs on her new release Mondo Amore. And when she's in the middle of writing a song, she visualizes its landscape. Actually, she doesn't just visualize it: she inhabits it, from gauging the temperature to feeling the ground. As you'll read in this interview, Atkins discussion of songwriting is at times interchangeable with her discussion of visual art.

Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Psych RockBen OpipariMarch 2, 2011mondo amore, nicole adkins, nicole atkins, vulturesComment

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

Teri Suarez, Le Butcherettes

Sure, it might be hard to discuss Teri Suarez (aka Teri Gender Bender) and her band Le Butcherettes without a mention of her performance art: the fake blood, the pig's head, the flour, the apron, all that lipstick, and the broom. But what's onstage is a package, and you have to appreciate the innerconnectedness of it all to realize that this is part theater (and I mean that in a positive way). But once you understand the extent of her creative endeavors, her performance is not that surprising: she writes music, poetry, fiction, you name it. She's influenced by everyone from Henry Miller to bell hooks to Dostoevsky. In Suarez's life, art is everywhere, whether she's taking it in or dishing it out. And that manifests itself in both the visual and aural aspect of her music.

Sargent House Records, Rock, PunkBen OpipariFebruary 26, 2011henry don't got love, le butcherettes, sargent house, sin sin sin, teri gender bender, teri suarez Comments

Walter Schreifels, Rival Schools

Pedals is the new release (out March 8) from the recently reformed post-hardcore supergroup Rival Schools. It’s their first since the critically acclaimed United by Fate in 2001, and it shows that the band has not lost its knack for aggressive yet melodic music. Pedals is also a reflection of where the quartet are in life: it's filled with songs about shedding the bad elements in life and ushering in positive change.

I'm reviewing the album for the Washington Post next week, so I've been listening to it a lot. I recently spoke to singer/songwriter Walter Schreifels about his songwriting process, including how songwriting is like bowling

Alternative, Punk, Indie RockBen OpipariFebruary 23, 2011pedals, quicksand, Rival Schools, shot after shot, Walter SchreifelsComment

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