Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Taking shots with Watt from Pedro

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To many who came up in the ’80s punk scene or ’90s alt-rock explosion, Mike Watt remains a folk hero. His influential bass playing, with The Minutemen and Firehose, inspired countless bands from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Fugazi, and his avuncular blue-collar hipster persona helped send others, like Sonic Youth and Nirvana, into Econoline vans to find their kindred spirits.

Watt is currently taking a break from playing alongside Iggy Pop in The Stooges to tour with his solo band. The famously productive 54-year-old recently participated in four different collaborative albums and a Firehose reunion; his second book, “On and Off Bass,” a collection of photos, poems and prose, was released in May.

The book was inspired by his early morning routine: Seven days a week, he’s pedaling his bicycle around his lifelong home of San Pedro, Calif., or paddling a kayak. “I like the early morning, when no one else is out: ‘Wow, this all belongs to me.’ But I also like the potential — what is to come?”

LEO: How did this book happen?
Mike Watt: The first thing was digital cameras. When these things came along, yeah, you just deleted the lame ones (laughs) and went for it. The other thing was, I started to ride a bike again, after 22 years. Some cat was moving, sold me a 10-speed for $5. I remember seeing these in people’s pads growing up, not using them, just using ’em like fuckin’ clothes racks. I figured, “I’m not gonna let that happen, I’m gonna peddle again.”

My town is Pedro, San Pedro, it’s the harbor of Los Angeles. So we got a weird mix of nature and industry. Early in the morning, when I rode, not as many people would see me fall down — which I did a lot at first — but I also learned to look and listen. It started hurting my knees, so a few years in, I started kayaking to break it up. I was born with bad knees and shit.

The trippy thing about the pictures is, in both situations, you can’t really put together the shots. They just come to you; you’re lucky enough to capture them. You learn to wait. All this stuff that’s much different from riding in the car, being in your own world, a lot of control over your own environment.

Last year, there was an art show, in Santa Monica at Track 16, where they picked 35 of my thousands of pictures to put up there. I’d never seen them printed. Soon after that show, Three Rooms publishing in New York asked to put a book out.

They picked out 30 other pictures and then some diary — because I write diaries on tour. They’re impossible to re-read, ’cause they’re embarrassing as hell. But it gives me focus when I’m doing them, in the moment. I told them, “You pick some.”

So that’s what the book is. The editor picking little spiels, and then Track 16 picking these pictures. They’re all my works, but they kinda, I don’t know, distilled them according to their … journey of life (laughs).

Obviously, I love sunrises and pelicans! (laughs) When I told Ig (Iggy Pop) about it, he laughed. But it’s genuine. What do I call them? ... “eye gifts,” you know? It’s like when you’re a boy and you just play to play. You’re just out there to see what happens, while you’re piddling and peddling.

It’s being connected, where in other ways we’re not so connected, through devices and machinery, social paradigms, you know? It’s just being there and witnessing. I love it! I don’t think it’s better, it’s just part of the whole … thing. Whatever my journey is.

And music remains at the forefront of Watt’s journey. “I’m into my trios, playing with two guys live, like the Minutemen. There’s always going to be that for me, that same, familiar thing. That old power-trio thing. And traveling around in the boat (his slang for the tour van), working the towns … I like that part, too. But then there’s the parts I didn’t do as a younger man, like wild collaborations. I was more afraid then (laughs). I was a lot more (afraid).”

Mike Watt + the Missing Men with Old Baby
Tuesday, Oct. 23
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St.
zanzabarlouisville.com
$12; 9 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Laura Marling's American detour

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Laura Marling is a rising star back home in England and in larger American cities, but when the java lover walks into Sunergos Coffee before her show at Zanzabar, chances are she won’t be recognized. At 22, the prodigy has already released three albums of Joni Mitchell-esque folk/pop, earning acclaim but not yet breaking through commercially.

Though her low-register voice and classy accent hide her youth somewhat, she still has plenty to see and experience. Her fall tour takes her through some lesser-known parts of this country.

LEO: Was this tour your idea?

Laura Marling: Yeah, it was my excuse to come to those places. I’ve wanted to see them all for a very long time. I’m doing it in a simple way, just a guitar and a rental car.

LEO: Did you pick out the itinerary?

LM: Yeah, I did. I put pins on a map and sent it to the powers that be.

LEO: How did you pick Louisville?

LM: I have a friend from Louisville, Morgan, who told me a bunch of magical stories about it, and Kentucky is a place I always wanted to see.

LEO: How did you meet him?

LM: Through music.

LEO: Is he a performer?

LM: No, he’s an ... interested party.

LEO: A superfan?

LM: (laughs) A superfan. You can say that.

LEO: We have some well-known musicians from here, like Bonnie Prince Billy —

LM: Yes!

LEO: Have you met him?

LM: No, I haven’t. I’ve seen him play many, many times. But no, I’ve never met him.

LEO: He’s been around lately, maybe he’ll come out to see you here.

LM: Oh, god, that’d be terrifying! (laughs). In a great way.

LEO: What are some of the other parts of America that interest you?

LM: I’m very much looking forward to New Orleans. I’ve never been that far south. I saw a lot of the West Coast last time I was here. That drive, in particular, the 101 … I’m a slightly romanticized tourist, I suppose.

LEO: That’s the fun of it, right? The escape and the fantasy of it?

LM: Yeah, exactly. I think I deserve to get lost for a little while.

LEO: Have you been feeling the pressures of the business?

LM: Yeah, I mean, the main idea behind this is to remind me of how simple it can be, if you put your mind up to it. You don’t need anything other than a bit of transport and a guitar.

LEO: The Woody Guthrie ideal.

LM: Yes, yes, I’m the female rambler! (laughs)

LEO: Have you been writing new songs?

LM: Yeah, I actually just finished the fourth album. So that’s been really nice. That’s coming out in February, I think.

LEO: How did you approach recording this time? Any differently?

LM: Yeah, I’ve done this album, just me and Ethan (Johns), who produced my last two albums. Just me and him in the studio, really. He’s a very good percussionist and instrumentalist. Between me and him, we’ve done what we can to orchestrate it in a way that doesn’t sound like a band. It doesn’t sound like a group of us sitting down and playing live-to-tape. It sounds like instrumentation on top of songwriting.

LEO: What inspired the songs for this collection?

LM: Umm … that’s an interesting question. I don’t think I’m far enough removed from it yet to know. I think … whatever I’ve been doing in the last year. Whatever’s been occupying my mind. I think a continuing theme from the last album would be natural morality. But at the same time, it’s very, very different from the last album. It’s more of a story, this one. There’s characters in it. Yeah … I couldn’t really answer that question.

LEO: Is there a concept running throughout it?

LM: Yeah, I mean, I haven’t listened to it back yet. Kind of consciously. When I hear the mixes and the master, those shall be the only two times I’ll listen to it back. And then I’ll kind of realize the themes or the characters within it, because I’ve had a bit of space from it. But I haven’t had that yet.

Laura Marling
with Bro. Stephen
Saturday, Oct. 20
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St.
zanzabarlouisville.com
$15; 8 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Trampled By Turtles: dads rock

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When Trampled By Turtles hit the road, they make it work. The Minnesotans return to Louisville after less than five months away, and this year has seen them play everywhere from “Letterman” to CNN to SXSW. Their sound is flexible enough to get them booked at many festivals. “You name one, we’re probably playing it,” agrees mandolinist Erik Berry.

“We did a 21-day tour that had 19 or 20 actual performances, contracted gigs,” earlier this year. “And we did an additional 12 appearances or recording projects: in-studios, in-stores, radio station appearances. Something like 30 appearances in 21 days,” Berry summarizes.

A couple of the members are family men now, and they’ve instructed their management to send them on the road for shorter but more intensive periods. “Time home is important, so when we’re out, we’re like, ‘Work us.’”

One way Berry has managed to balance work and family is “I went and turned my oldest into a fan of the band. That helps a lot,” he laughs about his 5-year-old. “The only other record (of ours) I listen to with any regularity is Palomino, and that’s because that’s the one my son likes so much.

“There’s tricky stuff I have to deal with, like him wanting to hear ‘Wait So Long’ 10 times in a row in the car, but … As opposed to him being like, ‘Why do you have to go out on the road again?’ He gets it.”

Stars and Satellites, the sixth full-length album for the bluegrass-inspired quintet, was released in April on their own BanjoDad label and debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard charts. They had recorded it near their Duluth homes, focusing on getting it right fairly quickly so they could see their families at the end of each day. The collection features some slower, more somber songs than the band has previously tackled.

“It was the batch of songs that (singer/guitarist) Dave (Simonett) had for us,” Berry says. “About six songs into the project, we were like, ‘Well, this is gonna be a little bit slower than other ones. Are we OK with that?’ But we were enjoying the tunes so much that it seemed like, ‘What are we going to say? This isn’t any good? This isn’t fun’? We liked it.”

Simonett was one of the new dads, contributing to his altered state of mind. Additionally, various friends and members of the band members’ families passed away between albums. “Grandpas got lost. Stuff like that,” says Berry. “I know that was going into his head.”

Though the band would surely be glad to have a big radio hit, or find some other way to spend less time touring, they can’t say they’re not glad to return to Louisville. “We’ve recorded a couple of our videos down there,” Berry recalls. “The live footage for ‘Where Is My Mind?’ was shot at Headliners, and then both ‘Victory’ and ‘Wait So Long’ were shot in Louisville.”

“We didn’t know what the deal was, but a few years ago, outside of Minneapolis and Duluth, our strongest retail was Portland (Ore.) and Louisville, Ky.!”

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES
WITH HONEYHONEY
Thursday, Oct. 18
Headliners Music Hall
1386 Lexington Road
headlinerslouisville.com
$18 adv., $20 DOS; 8 p.m.

Photo by Pieter van Hattem

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Fiddle sticks

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Fiddler Rayna Gellert of Asheville, N.C., has had a prolific career playing with everyone from Bela Fleck to Robyn Hitchcock, and now steps out with a new solo album. She plays at Please & Thank You on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

LEO: Can you tell me about working with Kentucky boys Nathan Salsburg and Ben Sollee?
Rayna Gellert: I love Kentucky boys! Excuse me: Kentucky men. Both of those fellas are an absolute joy to play with. Ben is such a fun musician. We met because Otis Taylor threw us in the studio together to play on his record, and as soon as we started playing, Otis was like, “Are you two related?” It just clicked. And I’m so indebted to Nathan — he was involved with my album from the get-go and brought so much musicality and thoughtfulness to the whole process. He’s a dear friend and deeply knowledgeable musician. And we love all the same dead guys!

LEO: Is it harder to step out front and be the singer/bandleader, or to be part of an ensemble?
RG: Right now, I’d definitely say stepping out front to be the singer and bandleader, because that’s what’s new and challenging for me. I’m excited to learn how to do it, though. And I still have plenty of opportunity to be a sideman, which I love. These days, I’m mostly getting that fix from playing with Scott Miller, who’s a great inspiration for me as a songwriter.

LEO: How do you balance playing traditionally inspired music in the modern era? How do you keep it sounding fresh and new?
RG: Good traditional music always sounds fresh to me — I don’t think anything needs to be done to keep it that way. My current musical adventure isn’t about sounding “new” so much as it’s an attempt to follow my own creative vision in a way I haven’t previously. One aspect of this is writing songs, and another is treating traditional songs differently than I have before.

Learn more at raynagellert.com.

album review: Dark Dark Dark

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Who Needs Who is not just the latest Dark Dark Dark album, it’s also the latest great album that should be taught in schools and known by all citizens. The gypsy folkers, now sprawled from Minneapolis to New Orleans, suffered from some Fleetwood Mac-style drama; after making loving fun, they wisely stayed together instead of going their own ways and, as with Mac’s Rumours, have produced a stunning collection of songs. A description of their various parts — goth, indie, folk, with dashes of European horns and accordions, propelled by the unsurpassable vocals of pianist Nona Marie Invie — might not sound like an obvious crowd-pleaser, but fans of Feist, Bat for Lashes, or even Adele should be won over. And those Adele people need a second record to buy this year, right? It is October already.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly