Sofia Talvik Interview

Sweden's Sofia Talvik recently released a new album, 'The Owls Are Not What They Seem'. A mix of folk and near-country (read: steel guitars and some beautiful voices), this album is exceptional. She answered a few questions from the road, where where she and her husband are currently residing.

Alright, you have to explain this RV tour you're embarking (already embarked) on. What? Why? How? Who?

Well, the tour is called Drivin' & Dreaming and basically that means we'll be driving around the US in an old RV playing as much as we can. Me and my husband started talking about doing this about a year ago and all the preparations like applying for the right kind of visa, booking and everything took about a year. I was just so tired of little Sweden and felt like I had to try something else, and I've had a great response to my music here in the US. In November 2011 we arrived in Florida where we bought an old Gulfstream Conquest '94 that we spent two weeks on totally remodeling inside. I think that if you're going to be on the road for two years it's not enough to just have an RV, you have to feel in your heart and soul that it is your home and that you chose everything in it, so we put in new floors, wallpaper and everything, even a new queen size bed.

We started touring in FL in December and then we headed up towards GA, SC and NC where we are now. We're touring towards Memphis, TN where I have an official showcase at the Folk Alliance International Conference in February and then towards Texas where we're playing in March.

We got a little sticker map on the side of the RV and every time we come to a new state we get to put a sticker on the map and I do a little video blog about it. It's fun. We're going to try to reach as many states as possible. The plan is to play our way around the US to expand my audience and experience as much as possible at the same time.

How would you say your new album differs than your last one?

For every album I've released I've recorded in different ways. My first album was studio sessions with my band where we recorded almost everything at the same time and for the other albums I've experimented with layering of instruments, working with a producer for one of the albums and stuff. For this album I felt like I almost wanted to go underground. I didn't want anyone to know I even recorded an album. So I recorded all the basics - vocals and guitar in my bedroom. All the tracks are live recordings with guitar and vocals recorded at the same time, which makes it virtually impossible to adjust afterwords with editing or autotuners or stuff. I just wanted all the songs to be the very essence of me. I wanted them to feel organic and live, not statically recorded and produced to drum tracks like so much other music you hear today. Then I added more instruments afterwards but I tried to keep it very stripped down and acoustic. I think this album is very honest in a way. I'm not hiding behind anything.

What song are you most proud of writing on it? Lyrically and musically?

That's a hard question. People seem to like "The Garden" the most, and that's also the song we've chosen as the single if you can talk about stuff like singles anymore... I think "7 miles" wide is a good song. It tells a story and it's really heartfelt. I adore the pedal steel guitar on it too.

Where is your tour taking you next?

We're in Asheville right now and then we're heading down to Atlanta, GA, Auburn, AL and towards New Orleans and Memphis. We just arrived in the Black Mountains and it's really beautiful. I just wish it wouldn't be so cold because when you're boondocking (not staying in a campground) and don't have access to electricity it can get pretty cold in the RV at night.

And where might life be taking you next?

Well, I'm just releasing this new album and I hope America will discover me through it and through the tour. I feel like I've made a few new fans at every gig I've played and that's really my goal. After two years of touring that adds up, haha. Maybe I can even upgrade my RV to a '00 next year.

(Photo by Virdeo Puro)

David Mayfield Parade - Live in Portland, ME 12.9.11

The third monthly Avett Brothers appreciation evening will be on Friday, December 9 from 5-8:00 PM at Flask Lounge on Spring Street, downtown Portland. The David Mayfield Parade will be taking the stage at 6:15(ish) and the opener is Marc Pinansky of Township (starting around 5:30). This group, and David especially, put on the most energetic show this side of the Avetts (when they aren't on tour together). Buy tickets HERE.

The Story of Dead Man's Clothes by Don Dumont

The Milford Motel

I’m thinking: my arms are cold, when did mist get this wet? Let’s do this already before somebody sees me and calls the cops.

Somehow, despite the free-for-all time seems to have had on the Milford Motel, the door that leads to the owner’s living quarters stands untouched, an immaculate deep green beacon, barricaded only by the remnants of a screen door. Thanks to the overcast sky, wet blacktop, and the dull white painted siding, my attention is forced to it. Somewhere in the distance, a dog is barking. It’s impossible to get to the door without first stepping onto the surrounding porch, then ducking under the drooping balcony, surrounding the ground floor like a weeping willow. Once there, the screen door, more akin to cheesecloth, peels off its hinges easily. Reaching out I grab hold of the cold, black, metal doorknob and begin to twist. It grinds in its socket as the bolt removes itself from the door jam. To my surprise the door swings open easily and with barely a sound. I stepped inside quickly, wanting to finally escape the ever-growing drizzle.

Laminate cracks under my feet as I walk a little further in and begin to orient myself. The first room that I enter is the kitchen. The grimy windows above the sink in front of me filter out most of the light, but after a minute or so my eyes adjust and I am able to take it all in. The sheer amount of stuff crammed into this room is absurd. Any type of dinnerware you could ever imagine, made out of glass or ceramic, is represented; all meticulously placed on shelves, chairs, countertops, any surface that could support them except for the floor. Almost like the floor had to be avoided at all costs. The floor itself is scattered with dust and broken bits of plaster from the walls and ceilings, gathered into neat little piles over the entire floor, like a forest of anthills.

From the side of my eye I see something wave, like cloth almost, from around a corner and disappear! I look curiously in its direction and follow slowly. This leads me into a brown-carpeted living room off of the kitchen to find more of the same debris-piles on the floor. This time however, all the usual accouterments you might find in a living room, VCRs, stereo parts, tapes, records, couch cushions, are stacked like little monuments, miniature Stonehenge, making a maze that requires all of my concentration not to bump into. Me being me, I couldn’t bare the thought of making a false move and knocking anything over. I’m doing my best to navigate the living room labyrinth. With my eyes to the floor, trying not to step on a remote control cenotaph, just out of my vision, I see it again. I’m sure of it. Only this time I can see it looks more like a shirtsleeve, and the movement seems more frantic and even impatient.

Whenever you watch a horror film and something like this happens you immediately start thinking ‘What an idiot! I would never just follow some apparition beckoning me into the dark.’ But here I am doing just that. My curiosity had been fallow for so long and the arcanum of this place had found it.

I moved slowly at first around the corner to catch another glimpse of fabric trail down the hallway. Then I picked up my pace, jumping down the ten foot tunnel, yellowing wallpaper blurring beside me until I almost gored myself on a crystal doorknob. The door in front of me, cracked and white, was slightly ajar and swaying a few millimeters on its hinges.

A splinter of gray light points out into the hallway. With my enthusiasm draining I try to push the door open. No luck. It won’t budge any farther. I take a deep breath of stale, musty air and put my shoulder to the door, shoving hard. I feel a great weight shifting, sliding over the barely visible carpet. I begin to see that a diaphanous curtain is draped over the door, blocking my view of the room inside. I put my head through the gap I had made and feel my chest being squeezed between door and frame. The curtain is unbelievably heavy on my face. The dust and mildew collected on it make it impossible to breath and I start to panic with my body stuck halfway in and halfway out of this veiled room. I frantically struggle, trying to make some kind of progress either way to free myself. I’m certain that I’m going to drown in grime! In a sudden dusty burst I’m birthed into the room.

I wipe my face, trying to clear my nose only to find the air itself was just as congested. Searching for breath, I find myself in a small eight by eight foot room sitting atop a waist deep pile of clothes, with every fashion mistake from the 70s stacked beneath me. I get lost thinking about their owner, the now dead motel keeper, when a small nudge brings me back. Still half in a trance, dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I notice an open suitcase across from me and hear an almost inaudible whisper, like polyester friction, saying “Take us with you.”

Interview with Laura Cortese of the Poison Oaks

What have you been thankful for of late?

Matt Malikowski...because he saves Christmas everyday.

Your music is called a 'mix of ancient fiddle styles and open-hearted original pop' on your website. Regardless of labels and whether they properly represent music, how do you feel you ended up making the style of music that you are making these days?

I always listened to music. My faves as a kid were Elvis, Otis Redding, Pavarotti and anything Motown or Stax. Followed at age 12 by Early U2 and Guns and Roses. I guess the first part of my playing life was really all about being part of a community. I learned more tunes and songs and more about my instrument to be a bigger part of a community of fiddlers. I didn't really know what kind of non-fiddle music they listened to. The more I learned about music the more I was driven to create the landscapes of music I heard on my parents records. The last few years has been one long experiment in taking a group of songs and not limiting ourselves by genre to just create landscapes.

Could you walk me through the important parts of your musical career; the ones that you really feel changes or formed you?

Living for a year in the Berklee dorm surround by music 24/7....the one day of my life I spent 7 hours practicing, fiddle camp growing up because it showed me community, creativity and collaboration, peeing my pants but only a tiny bit just before walking out on stage at Madison Square Garden to play Dear Mr. President with Michael Franti and Patterson Hood for Pete Seeger's sold out 90th birthday concert...19,000 people = slight loss of bladder control.

What was the motivation / idea behind the EP series?

The EP series was an extension of the experimentation we're doing which eventually became The Poison Oaks. That's really my main focus right now. But, there are some friends I make music with when I see them...mostly for fun...and I knew those sounds wouldn't get captured in The Poison Oaks and I wanted to have some snapshot of those special sounds. An EP series seemed like a fun way to do a few of the same songs and a few unique songs per session that would really show what drives these different collaborations....Simple Heart is an extension of the Sub Rosa (Rose Polenzani's songwriter cabaret-esque thing) girl harmonies. Two Amps One Microphone is an extension of my ongoing collaboration with Jefferson Hamer (he's in The Poison Oaks too) and The Acoustic Project, which I tour with as well, is really back to my roots of fiddle music and folk songs. The girls I grew up with playing tunes and songs we love together.

Who else would you really enjoy collaborating with?

Jeez...Sam Amidon AGAIN, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), tUnE-YarDs.

You've done a fair amount of international touring, do you find that the response to your music is noticeably different depending on your location?

Yes and no. The biggest difference is people taking a chance on new music. In Europe I have found that people consider live music and music in general a part of life. They go out to hear musicians they haven't heard at their local venues. They often buy the CDs and continue following your music. But in the US and Europe once someone is at the show the response seems the same.

What does success as a musician look like to you?

Time for creativity...which I guess means having some help with the business side of things...which probably means some level of income from people liking your music.

Are you a FT musician or do you have another job to help pay the bills?

Full time all the way. and full time really means all the time. You wouldn't want to see my to-do list from day to day. I've actually never had a "day job". I worked at Johnny D's as a busgirl and then a hostess when I was in college mostly just to see the shows before I was 21. I'm lucky to get to do this. I believe in what music does for the human spirit. Playing music, hearing music, dancing to music...it is humanizing.

You grew up playing music; what would you say to young people who want to have music be their life?

Other than practice, practice, practice...I guess I'd say don't wait to try it. Say yes to opportunities that come your way. There are so many ways music can BE your life...performing is only one option, there is recording music, running a venue, promoting music, teaching, etc...many of the people you meehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift in the "industry" have played or do play music even though they have another role as a professional in the music industry. Try it, go for it...if it feels good keep doing it. If it doesn't feel good modify the way music is fitting into your life to make it feel better. I had one friend who played in bands, toured as a side man, made his own records...He often felt anxious about life and his future. One day he decided to go back to school and within in three or four years he was making music for commercials and movies and is having a blast just geeking out at home not traveling and loving life.

Additional thoughts?

The Poison Oaks added one more show before 2012! It is FREE and open to the public.
December 13th doors at 8pm / O'Brien's Pub / 3 Harvard Ave in Allston, MA / Check it out HERE

Interview with Jesse Hodges of Pterodactyl

Jesse Hodges hasn’t always been a member of Pterodactyl (even if he has a penchants for being in dinosaur related bands), but he’s always been a fan. Although the story may sound a bit different than Rock Star, Hodges joined the band after being a fan first. Over the years, the band has gained and lost members but a core trio has remained and their newest album, ‘Spills Out’ is a testament to how much their dedication to the band, and to finding their sound, has paid off.

Who exactly does what in the band?

The band primarily consists of: Joe Kramer on guitar, Matt Marlin on drums, and me on bass and guitar. On this record we have a bunch of guest performers as well. We have a lot of friends on there but it’s primarily the three of us. There was a point where I was in the band and it was me, Joe, Matt and Zach, but then Zach left; this one we wrote all the songs.

And who does the vocals?

Joe sings lead on ‘Hold Still’, and ‘The Break’, and I sing lead on ‘Searchers’ and ‘Thorn’ and ‘Allergy Shots’, and Matt is singing lead on the ‘Hole Night’. Joe and myself are both singing lead parts of ‘School Glue’, we’re all singing on ‘The Break’, Joe and I are singing on ‘Aphasia’. Generally one or two of us will do the lead and the other(s) do backup. Joe and I switch off on leads for the most part, but Matt sings one, but his voice is really great.

So what else do you do?

I work in television production, with advertising.

Done anything we’d have seen?

I’ve done a lot of Wendy’s commercials, I did a lot of ESPN ones. With Shaq and Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce; I’ve worked on a few with celebrities, I never end up seeing them really. And I can’t say I’m proud of the (ads), because I’ve never seen most of them.

Did you study (television production)?

I got my degree in American Studies from the University of Texas in Austin. I did a lot of stuff on teenage culture and a lot of pop culture crap, I don’t know how great that was as far as college educations go but I liked it. Gender studies, and history, a minor in psychology. General bullshit liberal arts degree, nothing too fancy, too refined and particular, I didn’t want to be in school most the time. I wanted to drop out at times but my mom would get really upset and would start crying and so I didn’t because of that. I toughed it out, walked across the stage (with one class left to take), got a pretty good job out of college. I was touring and playing with bands. It took five years to take that last class though.

Did you leave college for music or a job?

I just didn’t want to be in school and got a pretty good job that paid well and was a good position with a good growing company that I really liked at the time. I just thought I had it made, I was 21 or 22 or something and I was working so much I just literally didn’t have time to take the last class, and that didn’t work out.

How did you end up in Pterodactyl?

I had been in another band called Why Dinosaurs Rule the Earth, and they’re still around in Austin. Another dinosaur band but I didn’t name that one either….although it does explain the dinosaur tattoo I have. Kill two bands with one tattoo. The first show I ever played in NY was with Pterodactyl and Japanther, who I met setting up shows for in Austin in 2003 or 2004. I was a really big fan and loved (Pterodactyl’s) first record, but I didn’t play on their first record. They were my favorite band for years. I had all their 7”s and they made me special demo CDR’s that they made just for their friends, and years later those guys were kinda wanting to do something a little different with the band. They heard some stuff I’d done on my own, came up to me after a show I played at Glasslands and told me if I ever moved to NY, we should play together. Not long after that I ended up leaving Alabama and moving to NY. Fast forward and we’ve done two LPs, an EP and a split.

How does your sound translate from live to record?

We all like singing lot so we all sing live. That’s something we wanted to move towards with this record. It’s hard to go from what you want to do to doing it exactly. Maybe for some people they imagine it exactly a certain way and it goes that way. For us it felt more organic; we went in, let the songs sort of come into their own. There were some songs where I wrote a lot or Joe wrote a lot of it and that’s just how it happened. Some songs I ended up coming up with a melody and Joe ended up singing the lead or vice versa. We just try to fit the voice that goes the best; at the end of the day we want to make music we like that we think sounds cool.

Where did you record the album?

We did the basic tracking in my house which is a big loft space in Bushwick called Le Wallet. It’s a house that I live in with a bunch of other musicians and bands. Most all of them play in a band called PC Worship; we’re all friends. I met them from different places around Brooklyn. We have a big open space room with high ceilings. We just set up our shit in there for like three days and tracked almost all of the songs, or at least all of the skeletons of all the songs. We did some overdubs there too. We did two other sessions of overdubs in our practice space; we didn’t go into any other recording studio for this. We have had good experiences in them, but we like the sounds of the records friends are making in the house. We knew how much energy and time we wanted to spend on this record and realized that a traditional recording studio wasn’t the best for this situation. It was nice to be in a comfortable place where we were not on someone else’s clock or dime. We paid our friend and the engineer, but that’s it. There have been a lot of records that have been recorded there, and don’t get me wrong; there are some great recording studios. I’m not the mighty defender of DIY recording. When you’re doing a record, you decide on some place, and sometimes it just has a good fit. We had a great time and it went well.

Some songs sound like they were recorded live in a crowded club (‘The Break’) and some sound like they were recorded in a cave (‘Allergy Shots’); what sort of effects did you use while recording?

‘Allergy Shots’ in particular, that song was pieced together from a bunch of different recordings from all over the place. It also has the most history in the band; it’s funny you said it sounded like it was recorded in a cave. It’s is one I wrote while I was living in the Market Hotel (in NY). That’s how I felt when I wrote those songs, I felt that I was living in a cave. The ceiling in my room was lower than my height, it was really cold;I didn’t have any heat. The mood of that shit is reflected pretty well there. I wanted it to sound like how I felt. ‘The Break’ was recorded live. ‘Allergy Shots’ was recorded live but there were more elements that ended up in the actual recording. ‘The Break’ was live; all of us playing the song together, live as a band. We intended to do that. There were some songs we didn’t think would come off the same way, like ‘Whitewater’. Originally that song had a weird marching tempo to it, like a fucking storm trooper marching; these bad, evil soldiers marching across this landscape while we were playing it. I think visually a lot of the time when I write songs; it just wasn’t working. We decided to flip it on its head a little bit, and one time we played it more like a dreamy pop song you’d find at the end of a record; almost like a half song; a nice little ditty. We didn’t want to sound like a live band, more like a cool little Beatles song. Most of the songs on the album were recorded live.

So lets say you leave Pterodactyl, what’s the next dinosaur related band name?

Dinosaurs are cool, but I don’t like them that much, they aren’t my thing. I think I’d refuse to be in another band (with a dinosaur name). I remember when I first found out the name I was like, ‘Am I gonna have to talk about this?’ It’s flattering to some degree to have to answer these questions, but I’d probably just not play music instead, or just record music on my own, I couldn’t face the world. Just like the dinosaurs couldn’t anymore.

Interview with Evan Parker of if and it

Check out if and it at Slainte with Great Western Plain and the Class Machine this Friday, November 11; it's free and begins at 8 pm.

The stereotype of the North used to be that it wasn't all about country and Americana music, so how would you explain the insurgence of high quality, talented bands in Portland especially who are playing this sort of music?

I'm not too sure. I think along with the world getting smaller Folk, Country, and Americana are a huge part of music in general. I myself grew up in Florida where there is no shortage of musical diversity. Portland is home to so many amazing musicians and artists so it comes to me as no surprise that we have such a great representation of this type of music here.

Who is in the band and what do they do?

Chris Dibiasio, Tim Alan Walker, and Myself (Evan Parker). Chris (Dabizness) plays drums and sings. *(In his spare time Chris likes to play tennis and bird watch. He once saw a Spix Macaw while spectating a tennis tournament in Brazil. To this day that is his greatest moment.) Tim (Two Man) plays bass and sings. **(Tim enjoys leaf peeping, driving, and coconut donuts. Once Tim drove all the way from New Hampshire to Ohio in the fall for what he heard was the best coconut donut in the US. I later found out that he did not like the donut but did enjoy the drive and took many great pictures of the foliage.) I play guitar and sing. *(I enjoy Winnie the Poo, tree climbing and Nintendo. Once I played Tetris in a treehouse for three days straight only to later find out one of those days was my birthday. Best birthday I've ever had.)

How did you initially get involved in music?

When I was younger my brother James played in a band called Discount (Allison Mosshart from that band went on to form The Kills and also plays in The Dead Weather). I was lucky enough to go to awesome shows all through out my teenage years and Vero Beach actually had a pretty cool music scene in the 90's. However, I didn't decide to start writing my own music until I first heard Modest Mouse around 1999. After hearing that something inside me said, "Hey, I want to write songs." Ever since then I have been writing my own songs.

Who do you listen to? Anyone you really think everyone should be listening to?

I listen to a lot of different music. I tend to like some pretty depressing s@#$. Some of my favorite bands are Sparkle Horse, Band of Horses, Bon Iver, Modest Mouse, Elliot Smith, Wilco, Damien Jurado, The Walkmen, John Prine, Van Morissen, The Shins, Willie Nelson, The Cure, Cat Power, The Flaming Lips, Jason Molina... I don't know, I guess I could go on for quite a while.

Someone that I have been listening to a lot and would recommend is Damien Jurado. Saint Bartlett and Caught in the Trees are both amazing and beautiful albums.

If you could steal a member of another band, even if just for one album, who would it be and why?

Wow that's a really tough question. How about Willie Nelson. Just because he's f@#$ing Willie Nelson and for no other reason.

Do you have a favorite local venue?

I think my favorite local venue would be The Oak + the Ax in Biddeford. Greg and Kristen do an amazing job of getting really good bands up to Maine and it is just a special place. I wish we had something more like that up here in Portland.

How much does the instruments you choose to play impact the music that you are making?

Typically all our songs start on an acoustic guitar (even though we usually play electric sets) so I'm pretty sure that shapes the music we write in some way. I think all of our songs can be stripped back down to just vocals and guitar and they would still sound like a working song.

Sometimes I may have some chords worked out on guitar but don't share a melody with Tim or Chris and let them have it, that's how we worked out some songs on our new EP "ratpig" that's coming out soon. High Blue Skies is a good example of that approach. The bass is killer on that song.

Is there a favorite story behind a song you've written that you could share?

I think Winding River may be one of may favorites. There's not really a story but rather a moral to it I suppose. Basically it states that we all make promises with the best intentions of fulfilling them, but sometimes we don't. Time changes things, people change, but that doesn't mean the promise has been broken, sometimes they just get lost.

Pooh once said - Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.

I like that a lot. Let your life lead you and don't be disappointed if things change in ways you didn't expect. That's the moral i guess.

Any additional thoughts?

We have a new LP titled "Sparkly Gold" and a new EP titled "ratpig" coming out very soon. Hopefully late December, early January - only time will tell.

* The course of events might be slightly altered from reality.
** This is completely true.

Liz Longley at One Longfellow Square - 11.3.11 (plus mini-interview)

Singer/songwriter Liz Longley should be on the radio. Why isn't she? Maybe her lyrics are too intelligent. Maybe she's willing to write a beautiful song about Alzheimer's and it should be about something embarrassing like most radio music topics. Maybe it's that it just happened yet. Either way, it's crazy to think that someone with this sort of talent isn't packing every room she plays in. Then again, it's probably just a matter of time so check out her local shows before she moves to Nashville.

How do you describe yourself as a musician/artist?

Pop Folk Singer-Songwriter.

What makes for a good song? And what is the difference in a great song?

In my opinion, a great song is one that many people can relate to, sing along to and feel as their own.

What does your songwriting process look like?

The writing process always begins with either a lyric idea or a guitar/piano idea but it's usually driven by an overwhelming feeling from something I, or someone I know, have gone through.

Lyrically, what song are you most proud of? Musically?

Lyrically, I'm most proud of an unreleased song called "Camaro". The metaphor between cars and lovers was fun to jump into and run with.
Musically, I am most proud of another unreleased song called "Bird on a Wire". Needless to say, I'm anxious to record and release a new CD with these songs on them!

If you could claim any one song written by someone else as your own what would it be?

I wish I wrote every single song on Joni Mitchell's "Blue".

There are so many talented musicians in the world, how do you try to stand out in a crowd, especially for people who haven't yet heard your voice?

Getting caught up in "standing out in the crowd" is dangerous and it's not why I write and perform. I build my life around music because I love people and relating to people through songs. It completely fulfills me.

What moves you to Nashville?

Nashville is the place to be. Every time I visit Music City, I meet more amazing musicians, songwriters and producers. It's an incredibly inspiring city and I can't wait to move there in two weeks!

What are your hopes for your career musically? Is there a goal or is it the ride?

It's the ride. So many things have happened that I could have never even imagined. I'm up for anything but won't stop working my butt off to create music that speaks to people.

Paul Dunton Quintet at St. Lawrence Arts - 10.31.11

Embarking on their first stateside tour, the Paul Dunton Quintet stopped in Portland to play a few songs on an already overbooked Halloween night (sometimes there are too many options...it actually seems possible). Well, there was definitely a lot of talent, especially on violin and flute (and in opener Phoebe Katis' voice), but there wasn't a whole lot of flair. For a band leader, Dunton seemed to have very little control over the band, a group that, honestly, would probably have done better working around the guitarist (who was also lively enough to actually put on some makeup for Halloween). A lot of potential in the London Punkharmonic vein but without the same genius (covering the Rolling Stones isn't as cool as the Clash = fact).