Home, home, home, home, home, home… *sigh*
I never ever ever want to leave this house ever again. Why would I want to? The breeze is blowing through the house peacefully, my cat and my wife are milling about getting ready for friends coming over tonight, and I am in my pj’s writing my thoughts sipping coffee. *smile
Christian Schaeffer of the RFT called me up last night for an interview regarding my playing Twangfest in June. It was a real honor to have someone request an interview simply because they seem to see a certain significance in something happening with my music. I really appreciated someone noticing. It was also nice to speak to someone who shows more of the music fan in them than other music writers I’ve encountered. Of course, I took full liberty in explaining the significance of playing Twangfest as I saw it, because it does seem to be quite a poignant time in my musical journey.
For starters, I’m playing an event that as Christian described, is “where Alt. Country comes to party”. People don’t just casually attend such an event. It’s a quite deliberate thing. Travel arrangement are made. Hotels are booked. Our humble St. Louis becomes an actual destination to see the likes of Chuck Prophet, The Old 97’s, etc., and of course, “local favorites” such as Miles of Wire and lil’ ol’ me. Do I have nerves about the show? he asked. Somewhat, but more for the fact that I am showing up to the show with a pop band and new pop songs–albeit a pop band with a steel guitar, but still, a pop band with pop songs nonetheless, and the absence of an affected tupelo-drawl. That’s the significance of this show for me, really–it’s probably the biggest thing I’ve played and it also marks a considerable departure from the genre that has gotten me there. I really can’t understate how much of a cross-roads this is for me. (I know I could be making a bigger deal of this than other people will, but it’s still a fear for me that people won’t respond well–how “Alt. Country” is Chuck Prophet, anyway? I know there’s quite a bit of carry-over, really.)
It was interesting (and somewhat gratifying) to hear that Christian noticed even at my CD release show in February that the new tunes I was premiering were much more straight-forward pop. I appreciated the nod to the success I’ve had in trying to write the music I’ve set out to write. Like I said, it was a fun conversation.
I was also very frank in explaining both sides of the current musical landscape that I find myself between currently. (Shock and surprise at my candor.) On one side, there is the dying viability–both in commercial sustainability and artistic relevance–of “Alt. Country” as a reasonable and effective vehicle for an artist to take on as their means to address their audience. On the other side, there is the fatiguing, meaningless, vapid, banal “band of the minute” novelty-obsessed music culture that I cannot relate to in any wise. The former ties a rope around my neck as a relevant contemporary artist, and the later is just a fucking mess of nervous 20-somethings who have no idea who they are or what they want to do being sold to bourgeois-bohemians as the way to be cool and connect with the hip youth culture. I explained that I feel very anxious (like the anxious 20-somethings, ironically) in both worlds–that I find my self restless and misunderstood in both settings. I’m just afraid of doing something that won’t matter tomorrow, and I’m trying to find something lasting, that’s all. I’m not saying I’m succeeding in writing “timeless” music, but I just want to be close to it, that’s all.
In the course of saying all of this, I was afraid that I had come off as saying that indie music is a lesser art form or that my fellow musicians who make indie music are disillusioned–which is not at all what I was saying. Nor was a I saying that anyone who does anything different than me isn’t worth listening to. I’m concerned about the “right now” like many of my peers, but I’m also thinking about the proverbial “morning after” as well. Only the smart bands survived the hang-over of the 70’s. Here’s hoping that we all wake up on the right side of the bed on the inevitable dawn from the ironic, angular deconstructed sound of the now. So I just e-mailed him right after I hung up and tried to very briefly explain that. Anyway, this is no public appeal to that end, I’m just getting all that’s in my head on a page, albeit a digital page–’cause writing helps me think. The end. And they all lived happily ever after. Yay!
Anyway, if Christian includes any more of the details of our conversation in his piece (which he may not–cause I think I gave him a novel when he needed a blurb!) all of this will make a little more sense–but I don’t want to spoil anything. If it turns out all of this esoteric discourse was edited, I’ll be sure to explain alot more of my thinking, as I’m sure all who read this will wake the dawn to hang on my every word.
