By Eileen Tilson

True art has the ability to haunt those who expose themselves to it. A truly great album has the ability to stop time, giving its listeners an escape for 45 minutes away from the world, and then haunting your life forever. Jeff Buckley, Sigur Ros, Elliot Smith, all men synonymous with making the sort of great art that seeps into your soul slowly, now must add another to their ranking: Mikky Ekko, the young ingenue from Nashville, who is gracing the stage this Sunday, as part of the Unplugged in the Park series hosted by 99X.

The first time I listened to Grace by Jeff Buckley, I did not understand it. I had to listen to the album over and over, before one day, it hit me, and washed over me, drowning my ears. I had the same experience listening to your music. What do you hope the immediate reaction to your music is?

I hope the listener doesn’t just import the record and toss it.  I hope they eventually leave it in their car stereo for eight months.  I’d love to have a listener put at ease just enough to pull out special pieces of the record for a second listen.

Are your songs more inspired from the life you live, the lives you watch, or the lives you read about?

The writing process, for me, is more like a river.  A river has a current, so I know I could easily get in and experience where that current is headed.  I may or may not see things on my way that inspire a song.  I can stand on shore and sing a quiet song to keep me content and wait for something to wash up, or I can walk the muddy bed around it, inspecting the footprints made before me. Perhaps I’ll even run into someone else like me.  Perhaps I haven’t slept enough and I can’t make sense of the clues.  I never really know what is going to happen at the river, but it’s always there and is constantly changing.  It’s more a matter of going there.

Who would you love to co-write with, dead or alive?

Probably Bjork.  Carole King.  Noah Lennox [Panda Bear, Animal Collective].

Your music hosts a certain sensuality, that seems to have disappeared from songwriting today. Are their any writers whose style you are influenced by?

D’Angelo.  Bjork. Buckley. Robert Johnson. Damon Albarn. Pixies.

I have worked with several musicians who have a special ritual or routine they do before writing music; is there anything you have to do to get into that writing mode? Any inspiration that send you into that space?

I like to paint my face. I don’t speak much.

Strange Fruit is your five-song EP, and now you just released REDS , and three-song  EP. What’s your method for releasing music, and do you have any plans for a full length release?

REDS is the first in a series of four EPs.  I’ll be releasing these all digitally for content sake.  When the final EP, RECEIVERS, is finished, we’ll go to press and do physical, etc., combining the four as a full length.

Speaking of, Strange Fruit is very melodic, almost a capella, and now you come swinging with REDS, which is definitely a more commanding and up-tempo. What sparked the move?

I began writing more aggressive songs that needed an outlet.  I love the first record and it’s indicative of where I was then.  There are many more songs on both ends of the spectrum, so I don’t worry about jumping around too much.  As far as the EPs are concerned, they’re designed to allow for singles packages and a smoother release, rather than one monster record.

I know you are touring with the Ten from Tenn team, but what are your plans for the rest of the year?

Organizing a tour of the Northeast and overseas with the gentlemen of Heypenny.  I really like those guys.

Top…

Food: Not sure.  I literally just read a massive article on MSG and its disguises, so I imagine my diet will be changing pretty drastically

Album: Bjork’s Vespertine, Beach House’s Teen Dream

Time of Day: 7 p.m.

Book: 1984

Holiday: Thanksgiving

By Alec Wooden

It’s often no coincidence when a band releases an eponymous record a few releases deep into its discography (save Weezer. There’s nothing deep there … just a total loss of creativity – wait, did I say that out loud?). It’s also not rocket science unlocking the underlying meaning — a rebirth, a remake, a fresh start, new beginning – choose your metaphor. Steel Train follows this maxim, and for the New Jersey rockers, the shoe fits. Recently split from long time label Drive Thru Records, the quintet is happy on its own, feeling born again and free to explore new musical territory on Steel Train, self-released on June 29. Frontman Jack Antonoff talks to AMG about the band’s transformation, touring habits, and what the future holds for Steel Train.

I’m curious how your outlook on Steel Train’s “sound” has changed over the last six or so years since the release of 1969 EP, an homage to the year that was said to define “your sound.”

The way we felt making [1969 EP] is probably the opposite of how we feel now. At the time, we were younger and just sort of coming up, and it’s really easy to look towards the past. Now, there’s a really exciting round of great bands coming out with new and interesting music — and I’m way more concerned with being a part of something current. It’s a confidence thing. You’ve got to reach some level of confidence personally and also within your career that allows you to say, “Well, maybe my generation isn’t a joke.” I don’t think anyone ever made anything really, really inspiring just by picking up where someone left off. Any band that I listen to right now that sounds like something else, I always just end up putting on an old Beatles record or something because it made me think of that.

What can we expect from the just-released record?

[We're] really excited about it. We did it all ourselves. The last record was made in a moment of real turmoil in terms of us getting off our label and dealing with the whole business of the industry outside of trying to create music. That really impacted the process. So I think now, we’re really emotionally connected to this record on a level that I couldn’t have anticipated. I feel like we really enjoyed the process more. Not doing something for a label I think really pushed us to have a good time and make the music that we really wanted to hear.

Where and for how long was it recorded?

March, April and May of 2009 in Los Angeles.

Talk about the Terrible Thrills, Vol.1 record that consists of a handful of female artists covering Steel Train songs. What was behind the idea for that?

It’s interesting and it’s fun to do something beyond your record. And that’s not a new concept, obviously. People make remix records, the put DVDs with their records, etc. We wanted to do that but try to think of our own idea. We didn’t really notice anyone doing the female artist thing, which was a really easy decision because, for me, that’s my favorite type of artist and what I listen to the most. I’m thrilled with the way it turned out, and so excited at how seriously everyone took it and made the songs their own. When we did the project, it wasn’t like, “Here, remix this and slap your name on it.” We really wanted them to take songs and make them their own. It’s their record – our songs were just the platform.

Describe Steel Train’s mentality on the road and how you’ve gotten better at touring.

We’re really good at it at this point [laughs]. We all know what to expect from each other at this point. Nowadays, I look back at all the huge mistakes we made early on and it’s funny. Everything, really – where we ate, what hours we chose to drive, whatever it was. People always get so stressed out about it, but touring is really not that hard. It’s sort of what you make of it. It’s our job, and our job involves a lot of traveling [laughs].

You’ve had the good fortune to tour with some great names over the last few years (Tegan and Sara, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies, to name a few). Do you make it a point to pick something up from each of those bands as you go along? Or does that sort of thing happen naturally?

It definitely happens. Every band is like their own little industry in a weird way. Everyone does things a different way, so you pick up and learn things. From bands that support us, we learn about having good times. And from bands that we support, we learn much more about business, especially if they’re a band that’s at or been at a higher level.

What is it that generally drives you to create? Are there certain moods or situations to which you default?

For me, it’s about hard work. I’ve never worked well in term of forcing myself to create. I think it’s like anything else where it becomes a habit and becomes second nature. If you’re forcing yourself to write, you sort of forget how to do it or you get embarrassed around yourself writing lyrics. But if you put a work-like quality to it, it’s hugely helpful. I wake up the morning, eat breakfast, and go to work for five hours. If I think of things, great. If I don’t, I’ve learned something, anyway.

You’re in one relatively high profile side project — the band called “fun.” How important are side projects for you? What do you gain as an artist?

One thing that I’ve learned is that having other outlets for music and art makes it easier to be more mature within each outlet. Now, it’s not like I’m vomiting every idea into one thing. Like with this new Steel Train record, I feel like it’s really specific, and a really specific sound. I felt no pressure in getting every last concept or idea I ever had onto this record. So that’s one really nice quality about it.

Define success for Steel Train over the next six-12 months.

There’s all different levels of that. The core level is for people to understand and appreciate the record and the live show and support us, hopefully. I know that will happen with a few people, but I hope that will happen with a hundred million people [laughs]. Success for us is just to continue on the road we’re on.

It’s amazing the amount of bands who release records with a total lack of confidence in the industry to which they’re releasing it. What’s your take on the exciting and depressing sides of the industry?

The things that are depressing are the very same things that are exciting about it. Like any situation, you can focus on the negative elements or you can focus on the positive elements. Ya, the music industry is completely dying and no one wants to buy records. But it’s not that no one gives a fuck, it’s just that everything is different. In many ways, you’ve gotta pick a side: you’re either angry or bitter, or you’re going to make the best of it. It’s ridiculous at this point to try to fight it, and the labels and people that are [trying to fight it] are probably coming up really short and having a hard time. I’m just super, super excited that we are a band active in a time when the rights have been diverted back to the bands. The rights are being given back to the bands, and you’ve gotta be brave enough to take them.

Steel Train plays with Young Giant and Rachel Goodrich at Drunken Unicorn on July 13.

By Alec Wooden

On the surface, Los Angeles-based rock band Rooney has had it rough over the last 12 months. They’ve lost a label (Geffen) and a bass player (Matt Winter), all the while cutting a new record for the first time without benefits of mountains of label aid, engineers and producers. It takes little time talking to guitarist Taylor Locke, however, to figure out that the opposite is quite true. Instead of “losing” a label, they feel freed from one. Winter is gone, but has become no less a friend and avid supporter. And Eureka, the new and aforementioned uphill climb of a record, has left the band energized and excited about controlling their own direction more so than at any time in the past decade. One week into the band’s summer tour, Locke talks about all the reasons why, perhaps now more than ever, Rooney feels right at home within themselves.

What are we to expect sonically from Eureka?

Everyone these days uses the word “organic” in every album review … so I’ll try and shy away from that. The record has a polished sound to it, but slightly less so than our past records. Louie [Stephens, keyboardist] played lots of upright piano, which lends a cozy, barroom feel to the songs. I played more slide guitar than usual. Ned [Brower, drums] takes a lead vocal on one track. Matt [Winter, recently departed bassist] played much more active bass lines. However, you’ll still get plenty of synthesizer hooks, and of course, Robert [Schwartzman]’s voice, which are hallmarks of our groups’ sound.

Talk about the mentality of making this record, now that you’re independent, older and wiser.

Eureka is the first record we’ve done on our own. We didn’t work with a producer or an engineer, it was just the five of us. Also, we didn’t have an A&R person, or even a manager at the time. So what you hear is completely unadulterated Rooney. It’s the most true to our voice as a band, because there was literally no one outside of the band to influence it. The same goes for our EP last year [Wild One]. Having said that, it still sounds close enough to the Rooney people know from our past releases. Certain songs are musical departures, but there are plenty of songs that are good old Rooney.

Was the songwriting a collaborative process, or a solo affair? Is that different from records past?

Robert demoed up a bunch of tunes, as per usual. Louie contributed “Into the Blue,” and Ned and I co-wrote “The Hunch”. There were lots of other tunes by all of us in contention for the record. In the end, we went with mostly Robert’s material, because that is the foundation for the Rooney sound.

Longtime bassist Matt Winter left the band earlier this year. What have things been like in the wake of his departure? Was it strange hitting the road again for the first time without him?

We are handling the change quite well. In fact, Matt came to two of our shows, and even jumped up onstage and played on “When Did Your Heart Go Missing”. We respect his choice to leave and pursue other things. He played his ass off on Eureka, so we’ll always have that. The chemistry is different, but its quite positive. When someone doesn’t want to do something, they shouldn’t have to! It’s a rock ‘n’ roll band, not homework. The whole notion of being an artist or joining a band is to follow your muse, so if it doesn’t feel right, you gotta move on.

Who has stepped in and what’s the new dynamic like?

The young, talented and handsome Brandon Schwartzel is our new bassist. He learned a ton of songs even before our first rehearsal with him. On this tour, we are changing the setlist every single night, which keeps us on our toes. However, it keeps Brandon especially on his toes, because there are songs being thrown at him hours before showtime that he has never played before. We’ve been really impressed with his delivery of the goods, and he’s a super fun guy to be on the road with. We attempted some rehearsals as a quartet, with Robert handling bass, and me as the lone guitarist. It was fun, and some songs sounded pretty cool. However, our arrangements were built for a 5-piece, so we’d be selling the songs short by doing anything less.

Do you enjoy being on the road?

I love the road. This tour is long, and I’ll be honest, I was concerned to see the schedule at first. But we are a week deep, and having fun. Playing as many nights as possible (minimal days off) is my preferred method. I’m out here to perform, not sit in a parking lot somewhere.

Take us through some of the regularities of a day on tour.

We do a group huddle before each show. We’ve never missed one. I like to warm up my voice. That’s about it. Ned likes to take as many showers as possible. Standing naked in a parking lot and pouring bottled water over his head is considered a “shower” when a traditional one is not available.

Talk about Rooney’s live show – what do you try and do every night you go on stage?

We’ve been at it for awhile now. We don’t have any stage production. No fancy set dressing or planned moments. We just play the songs. We change the set list every night to keep the kids on the internet talking and comparing notes, and to keep ourselves interested. We’re all pretty focused on our jobs up there. I don’t like to make too many mistakes. We only have an hour in the day to go up there and get the music right. I like hearing our harmonies in tune, and I’m pleased when I pull off all my guitar solos properly. We try to deliver our best, no matter where we are, or how big or small the crowd is.

What was it like hearing your music on television for the first time?

The OC was the first big one. We were actually in the episode. It was not unlike shooting a music video. We went up on the set, strapped in and lip-synched the song a bunch of times. It was fun to see it on TV — we threw a party and we played live after the episode aired. TV reaches lots of people, so its always a big deal.

You guys have “come of age” as a band during a really interesting time in the music industry. I’m curious, as you become veterans in music, how your views of the current state of the industry are changing. Is it natural to become cynical as you get older and increase repetition within an industry? How do you avoid that?

We got very very lucky to get in and out of the major label system when we did. We signed with Geffen at a time when their “machine” was still effective. The promotional push they gave us was a great jump start to our career. On the second record we broke through in Europe, and that was so exciting. The major label system has since suffered substantially, both from illegal downloading and a lack of visionary label folks signing visionary artists. Things got stale. When we had the opportunity to leave, we jumped at it. It’s a great feeling to be operating on our own. We’re always looking at new ways of doing things. And yes, WE ARE CYNICAL! But to a certain extent, that suits us just fine. It keeps us defending ourselves from the bullshit that’s out there.

Rooney plays The Loft on July 10.

By Scott Roberts

The release of a new CD is always reason to celebrate, but for Atlanta veteran rockers Magnapop, this Friday’s show at The EARL in honor of Chase Park, the band’s fifth album since their 1992 debut, it seems a bit beyond just a celebration. After several delays, including at least one official “act of God” – last October’s floods here in Atlanta ruined the entire first pressings of the CD – the band is poised to finally unleash a new batch of  their unique brand of muscular melodicism on the world. Guitarist/co-songwriter Ruthie Morris was kind enough to answer a few questions about the show and the CD.

When did you guys record the album? How long did it take to record it?

We recorded Chase Park at Chase Park in 2009 over three consecutive long weekends.

Was the recording process on Chase Park basically the same as it’s been for Magnapop in the past, or was it significantly different (recorded more quickly? over time? more/less overdubs? etc.)?

The recording process for CP was basically the same as it has been for other records: First, we did lots of preproduction on our own. We always try to record the songs as demos first to be able to step back and add or take things out in the next recording. We did record this album rather quickly … six days recording and three days of mixing. As far as overdubs go, we fit in as much as time would allow.

Has Magnapop’s music mellowed as you and Linda have aged (though you’ve only aged a tiny bit!), or can your fans still expect the same sort of in-your-face, though melodic, rock they’ve gotten in the past?

I wouldn’t say we’ve mellowed a bit. If anything we have become more confident in our songwriting and our voices. I think this record fits in perfectly with our other records.

You guys just got back from playing some shows overseas – do you have plans for more European appearances or are you going to play across the USA, or are you just going to stay closer to home for now?

We are going back overseas at the end of June for some more shows and a few festivals. We have a label over there so it makes it easier. The U.S. is so difficult to tour unless you’re making great money because it’s so large. We don’t have any kind of label deal here so we have no support.

Lastly, Ruthie, can you share one musical goal you’d still like to achieve before you decide to hang up the Les Paul–something we all hope doesn’t happen for a long, long time!

I doubt I will ever hang up my Les Paul. I have a dream of being an old lady who still rocks out. I realize I am old now, but I mean really old. I think it would be so cool to play my Les Paul in my 70s. One of the many goals I have is to play in Japan and Australia. I have always heard that fans are amazing over there. Hopefully someday I will get there.

Magnapop plays their CD release party for Chase Park at The EARL, Friday, June 11 with The Polar Dunes and Water Liars.

By Alec Wooden

Sad songs aren’t for everyone. Some musicians don’t like to write them; some find they simply can’t. Greg Laswell doesn’t fit either description. Laswell, a West Coast-born multi-instrumentalist now based in New York, thrives on them, producing ever-pleasant piano/guitar pop-rock from often dark origins (by the way, don’t make “sad” synonymous with “boring” or “soft.” Any particular Laswell song isn’t necessarily either). You probably know Greg Laswell, even if not by name. His music has been featured in a laundry list of TV shows — “Smallville,” “One Tree Hill,” “CSI: Miami,” “90210,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “True Blood” to name a few — from the handful of records he’s released since 2003. Halfway through a nation-spanning tour behind the release of his latest record, Take A Bow, Laswell talks about his approach to writing the new record, seeing his songs in on television and the souvenirs he gathers on the road.

Guitar vs. piano: which instrument is the most natural to you? Do you tend to write more on one than the other?

I feel more natural on the the piano and it is my first love, but I think I have written more songs on guitar.

You’ve hugely benefited from TV placement over the years. I know some artists don’t like seeing their work as part of another’s vision, but it’s such an undeniably huge springboard these days. What’s your take on it?

My parents taught me to share.  I think artists who don’t like seeing their work as part of another’s vision are silly.  Every single one of their listeners is doing just that.  I believe that once a song is written, it doesn’t belong to me anymore … like raising a kid the best you can and then sending him/her off to college.  I want the best for them and I hope I raised them right, but my job is done. I’d be a bad parent if I tried to control their future. I’d also be an asshole.

What was your goal with Take a Bow as it fits into your discography so far?

I don’t think of it in terms of a goal.  I really had no idea where it would end up when I started and I didn’t have any plans. Once one song was written and finished, I started the next one. The only thing that I was conscious of was wanting the sound to be larger than the first two.

Talk about the recording process of the record. How was it different from your previous records?

Well, I was in the woods just south of Flagstaff, Ariz. for one … I moved my dog and recording studio there for almost six months.  I wanted to get away from certain influences and the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles … strangely enough, once the record was finished, I never really completely went back to L.A.  I think in some small way, I started moving from there once I decided to record my record in another state.

Is there a particular theme that runs through all of your records, either naturally or by choice?

Certainly. I’m drawn to sadness.  I’m drawn to seeing pain in other people.  Most of my truly good friends have got a little dirt on them from life.  It is what inspires me most.  So I let others do the happy songs and try to make up for it by not taking myself seriously, even amidst all of these rather heavy songs.  I don’t trust overly happy people.  They make me nervous.  And similarly, I don’t trust overly happy songs either.  I understand they have their place in the world … I’m just not the one who writes them.

Has your recording process, or just the mental approach to it, changed as you’ve become more of a veteran in music?

Sure.  I look back on my first record and there are a handful of decisions I would have made differently.  But I was at a different place then … music is like a photograph … can’t go back in time and change it, you CAN change your outfit for today’s picture though.  P.S., why am I using so many metaphors in this interview?

What’s your favorite part of being on the road?

Truck stops and getting home.

Any particular routines/oddities/superstitions that you carry along on tour?

Not really.  I like to buy a really nice sweatshirt on each tour — and by really nice, I mean a sweatshirt with an airbrushed horse on the front for $3.99 at a truck stop.  I still haven’t found one on this tour.

Which do you like better: performing solo or with a full band?

That is a personal question and I would appreciate some privacy on this matter.  No, um … both, actually.

Has relocating to New York changed you at all as a musician?

Not that I can tell.  Although I haven’t started my next record yet, so we’ll see I suppose.  I haven’t been home that much since I moved — and when I have been, I stayed home a LOT.

What are you listening to right now?

The air-conditioning in the Sprinter van and my friends and band members Brian and Erik talking about how lame PT Cruisers are.

Greg Laswell plays Vinyl on June 1.

By Alec Wooden

Born in Bermuda and raised largely on his parents sailboat, reggae-folk rocker Mishka‘s music career began by chance when a record executive heard a rough demo in the mid ’90s and quickly signed him to UK label Creation Records for a relationship that lasted two records and garnered a substantial buzz within the UK. Over a decade later, life has come full circle — the hype is back, thanks in large part to iTunes dubbing him 2009′s “Best New Artist.” Mishka’s attitude on life and music hasn’t changed much, though his home in the latter has. Residing now on actor Matthew McConaughey’s J.K. Livin’ label (a relationship also fostered completely by chance), the ever laid-back Mishka has a new record (Talk About), the golden touch of producer Butch Walker (two tracks on Talk About) and the makings of a musical resurgence he doesn’t plan on wasting.

So you’re checking in from Hawaii, right?

Ya man. Moved out here about seven months ago I guess. I love it. I’m a wind surfer, ya know, so it’s great for me. I love being by the beach.

Talk a little about your musical upbringing.

My musical upbringing was a pretty broad landscape. I grew up listening to a lot folk music and 70′s reggae and some rock, classical, everything. My parents were really into listening to music. So I had a strong musical foundation as far as listening. There’s a lot of musicians in my family. My big sister plays guitar and sings. My father can play harmonica, my mother liked to sing. There’s a lot of music in my family. It’s just sort of natural thing that I was always around, ya know? It just sort of grew and grew as I grew up. I love it. It’s part of life.

What’s your general philosophy as an artist?

I’m about one love. That’s the inspiration in my music. I really just look forward to being out there onstage doing the music. That’s what it’s about. There’s so much inbetween – getting there to that place where you’re actually playing your music. There’s planes, trains and automobiles and hotels and all the time in between, so it’s always just nice to be playing and that’s what I look forward to the most.

How does that fit in with the J.K. Livin’ (“Just Keep Livin’”) label philosophy?

JK Livin’ is Matthew’s [McConaughey] label that originally started as a movie production company. He started to branch out because he really liked my music. It’s hard for me to say what the actual philosophy of the label is other than that’s just the reality of living – you just keep doing it.

As the story goes, Matthew spent years pursuing you for his label after hearing your music one day. Were you ever aware of that?

I was only aware that he knew of my music but I didn’t really think very much of it at the time. I was just doing my thing. I had just put out a record in England and I was working on putting out another one in England. I was doing some touring in California and unbeknowst to me he had been trying to find me and couldn’t over a few years (between 2000 and 2004). I was doing a show at the House of Blues in L.A. and someone from his camp was there. They got my number and he called me. It’s been a gradual progression from there.

You’ve been pretty much on the move your whole life, so I assume you do most of the writing before you get together with your band. Do you ever get a chance to do it collaboratively?

I would like to, but the way the situation has been mostly is that we just get together when it’s touring time because everyone lives in different parts of the world. So we just come together before the tour and play and it’s mostly focused and the songs are already written and structured. So we don’t really write too much as a band, though I would like to in the future as time and space permits. It’s quite a different entity sometimes when you’re writing and creating to a drum and bass line as opposed to just a guitar and a notebook.

Tell us what we should be expecting from the new record, Talk About.

Across the board, it’s generally got that kind of rootsy/folky sound, but there are a couple of tunes on there that is more of a rock vibe, I guess, though rock is a pretty broad term. The album is kind of splayed out over quite a few different genres [laughs]. But somehow it all fits together in the end.

Did you enjoy working with Butch Walker?

Very much so. He’s an easy going guy and obviously a very talented musician. He’s easy to work with in the studio because he was never like, “You’ve gotta do it like this, you’ve gotta do it like that,” he never imposed any big ideas on the songs. He just wanted to hear what we had and just made some little tweaks and ideas and encouraged us to do our best. It was probably the easiest way to work with someone, because he just let it be what it was. Really, really, really good dude to work with.

iTunes named you the “Best New Artist” in 2009. Sort of funny in that you’ve been doing this music thing for about 15 years…

It’s always nice to get the recognition. And to most people, it is new. I’ve been playing pretty small clubs and just working my way up through the ranks. But that’s normal to me, really, that it takes a while to get the recognition.

Personally, what’s the biggest difference between Mishka of 2000 and Mishka of 2010?

I think I’m more focused now. Part of that is just knowing my craft a little better, but it’s just more enjoyable when you know what’s going on around you a little more. When I first started, I got a record deal out of the blue. Someone heard a  demo of mine and was like, “We want you to come to England and make a record and tour.” So there was a lot of hype all of a sudden and it was kind of shock to the system for a while. I didn’t really know at that time if I wanted to do it. I knew I wanted to be out there, but now I really love it and have been doing it quite a while. It’s been nice growing a fan base. There’s a nice exchange going between the music and the people listening to it.

By Scott Roberts

Steve Wynn, leader of seminal 1980s L.A.-based band The Dream Syndicate, will be doing two special performances with his current band The Miracle Three at 529 on Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15. At Friday’s show, Wynn & company will be playing the entirety of 1984’s Dream Syndicate classic The Medicine Show, while Saturday’s show will feature the entirety of their 1982 debut The Days Of Wine And Roses. Atlanta Music Guide recently talked to Wynn about these shows.

How did these full-album shows come about? Did Chris Chandler [of Party Panda Productions, and the man responsible for these shows coming to Atlanta] just ask if you’d be interested in doing them, or was it your idea initially?

I’ve done several shows with Chris over the last few years and wanted this to be different from all the others.  I knew that the Medicine Show reissue would be coming up right about the time of the show and thought it would be fun to play that album start-to-finish as we did in LA and New York last year.  Chris wanted to do add a second night so I figured why not tack on The Days Of Wine And Roses as well.

Have you done these kinds of shows before where you play an entire album? Is Atlanta the only place you’re doing this?

We did a whole tour where we played The Days of Wine and Roses every night back when the Rhino reissue CD came out in 2001.  And then the two Medicine Show gigs last year.  But, for now, Atlanta is the only place where we’re doing the complete album concept this year.

Are you planning to do more full-album shows?

I think I might like to do Here Come the Miracles at some point.  This is the 10 year anniversary of this release so I’m quickly losing time on the Round Figure year reason for doing the album but, then again, this is the 26th anniversary of Medicine Show so I guess 5′s and 10′s don’t always matter.

How long has the core of your backup band, The Miracle 3, been together?

I’ve played with this band longer than any I’ve ever had before.  Jason [Victor], Dave [DeCastro], Linda [Pitmon, AKA Steve’s wife] and I have been playing together for 10 years — beginning with the tour for Here Come the Miracles, hence the band name.  We were going to change the band name for each record but Miracle 3 sounded so good and we stuck with it.

Are you still in touch with the original members of The Dream Syndicate [bassist Kendra Smith, guitarist Karl Precoda, and drummer Dennis Duck]? Have any of them offered any opinions of you performing these records?

Dennis Duck has seen us do each of the albums in L.A. and, in fact, got on stage both times.  I’m not really in touch with any of the other members so I’m not sure if they know or approve.

Do you think you’ll always be referred to as “former Dream Syndicate leader” in the music press, and, if so, are you comfortable with that?

Yep, that will be in my obituary.  I remember thinking that might not be the case when I first went solo, but that was naive.  It was a great band, an influential band, and a band that meant a lot to many people so I’m very proud to have that be such a part of everything I do.

Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 play the entire Dream Syndicate albums The Medicine Show on Friday, May 14 and The Days Of Wine And Roses on Saturday, May 15 at 529.

By Alec Wooden

Fresh off the release of their second release, Kairos, White Hinterland‘s Casey Dienel and Shawn Creeden discuss musical philosophies, the new record’s decidedly new direction and Creeden’s post-practice pasta dishes.

What’s your general philosophy as an artist?

Casey Dienel: When I feel curious about something, I’m compelled to explore and experiment with it. Maybe I discover a new range in my voice, or a new approach to rhythm. Discovery is so so so important. Without it, I would probably disengage. Part of the reason for this is that music is by nature ephemeral – you can never recreate anything exactly the same way twice. You sing a melody and it’s gone, time carries it away. So as soon as I complete a song or a record, I try to let go of it. Some elements stick, but I believe that whatever comes back to you is all that’s worth keeping. If by being ourselves we can illuminate or expand what passes for beautiful/interesting in pop/music/art — there is no greater contribution I could hope to have.

Kairos is an interesting record name, meaning (loosely translated) “supreme moment” in Greek. How’d you settle on that?

CD: I’m obsessed with Latin and Greek mythology/philosophy. When I saw the word, it was instant. We’d been trying to name our record, using descriptors like “time outside of time” or “filmy, diaphanous, hypnotic”. It hit me and that’s usually how I make all the big decisions: from the gut.

Do you have a “supreme moment” of your career thus far?

God, I hope not! I hope it’s still on its way.

What was the recording process like for Kairos?

CD: We did the tracking in our friend Alexis Gideon’s basement studio (in Portland). The set-up was relatively simple. Alexis and I did all the drum programming there, and we used one mic for everything. We were really psyched to make a high fidelity record using lo-fi equipment. Just ’cause you don’t have much doesn’t mean you can’t make things sound lush, like a million dolla$ [sic]. We recorded for the entire summer of 2009, and mixing took a month or two. We took our time, it was the most time I’ve spent on a record to date. The writing took about 6 months of intensive preparation, so I kind of lived within Kairos for most of last year.

Shawn, are you classically trained like Casey? What’s the dynamic like between the two of you when you’re producing these songs? Do your backgrounds mesh well together?

Shawn Creeden: I am hardly “trained,” classically or otherwise. I’m self taught, for better or worse. Making music is a fundamental part of human nature — I just have to let myself do it. Sometimes it’s annoying because I haven’t taken the time to learn how to read music or transcribe or learned scales or the vocabulary, but that hasn’t stopped me yet, and I have a backlog of ideas to explore that may or may not require those things.

As far as the dynamic between Casey and I, Kairos would not exist as it does were it not the two of us working together at that exact moment, feeding ideas back and forth and solving the new challenges facing us after the move to Portland. I’m nowhere near as skilled as our previous drummer Matt, so we had to figure out how to make that most foundational part of the structure work, and I think in doing that we happened upon new sounds that we both got excited by and we ran with it. Casey and I both felt freed to make other noises besides what we had been making. Casey and Matt had a very specific longtime working/friendship relationship and I think her having to leave that behind necessarily changed how she worked. I’d always felt inadequate and extraneous beside Casey and Matt, both so obviously talented at their instruments. But now, I think the songs we are writing are allowing me to pursue my interests in rhythm and sound much more, and it is a blast.

Casey, how often do you find yourself consciously breaking that training as much as you find yourself relying on it?

CD: Maybe when I was younger I felt I needed to rebel against my training — but I think that’s a part of the conditioning that comes from study. It’s transformative, you are physically manipulating your body to correct its form. We do this with language, with dance or sports, too. I’ve always felt like my training was an asset. I don’t really spend much time relying on it, either. The whole point of classical study is to gain muscle memory — you study and you study so that way all the things you’ve learned become intrinsic. I write using a lot of what I’ve learned, but rarely do I do this consciously. It’s there so I don’t have to think about it so much. Plus, I love being able to understand the architecture of music. I’ve never felt like visualizing its infrastructure in any way diminishes its awesome beauty. I find there’s always something new to learn.

Kairos is much more electronic than previous records; what’s behind that shift?

CD: Tons of stuff. Namely, and this is not very romantic, but finances. There was no money. So we had to get creative when I was writing these songs in order to flesh them out. I decided to program the drums. In the past, we might have hired a drummer to come in, but this time we decided to keep personnel down to the three of us. We couldn’t afford studio time so for cohesion and practicality, I learned how to record from Alexis. A lot the songs are built first around loops we created, and stem out from there. With electronics, you have a whole arsenal of sounds at your disposal. Sky is pretty much the limit.

SC: I am not a metronome. Our previous drummer was amazing and I cannot even come close to doing what he does effortlessly. So as we were practicing and writing, the drums became sparser, then they became electronic as we started using drums pads with sounds we liked, then they became programmed during the recording phase, allowing Casey and I to both focus on the melodic and textural things that interest us more in terms of performance.

What’s the typical songwriting process for  you? Is there such a thing?

CD: Songs tend to happen to me when I let them. Kairos happened to me. Melodies seek me out, usually when I’m supposed to be doing something else that requires concentration: driving/walking/running/cooking. Then I have to stop everything as much as I can and loll the melody around in my head. I never write with instruments around, though I used to when I was younger. I find songs have more interesting colors when I’m unfettered by instrumentation early in a song’s infancy. Then I figure out what the song needs, and if it requires me to learn something new (like drum programming) then I have to do everything I can to get it there. My imagination is my dictum.

Did that process change as the sound evolved in the making of Kairos?

CD: I still do things approximately the same way. I’ve refined elements of it, which is a natural part of accruing experience, I guess. My imagination sets the tone, and everything else is about unlocking those ideas and giving them what they need to see them through. It was just more thorough than it’s been, because for this I wanted to produce it myself. These songs were more unadulterated, there was no translating. Every idea was pretty much as I imagined it from its conception. Having Alexis there to help me with logistics when I had questions, and he’s got a sensational mind. He and I work tandem in production, and it’s super fun. Probably that’s been the most significant change: allowing other people to get in the room earlier on. I would let Shawn hear a song in its half-finished state. I never used to do that.

Shawn, what’s the biggest thing you’d say you’ve learned from Casey? And Casey, what about you from Shawn?

SC: Hmmm. tough question. I think we’re both learning a lot as this whole thing goes along. I come from a decidedly DIY background, and so a lot of the business/industry side of things is of new/no concern to me. So I think with Casey I’m learning how to navigate and deal with those aspects. slowly.

CD: I think my favorite thing about Shawn is how he sees things. He comes at music from a very tactile, visually driven background, and I’m always learning new ways to look at things from him. He also makes great homemade pasta. Nice post-rehearsal meals.

What’s your live philosophy? Performance (showmanship, I suppose I mean) first? Music first? Do you feel pretty at home on stage?

CD: I put the songs first. We like to dim the lights, gather everyone close, and we try to create an atmosphere for them to be immersed in for those 45 minutes. I want them to be transported somewhere new. Does the music hit them? Is it cinematic? I love performing songs live, it’s my favorite way to experience new music.

White Hinterland plays 529 with Dosh on April 28.

A Soul Survivor: Sharon Jones on her new album, touring philosophy and why she’s not retro at all

By Alec Wooden

A word to the wise: don’t say the “r” word to Sharon Jones. That word, of course, is “retro.” Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend “revivalist,” either. Those are the two most common words used to describe Jones and her Dap Kings who, with their soulful fury of a live show, are tearing up the festival circuit and leaving fans in small clubs searching for their jaws on the floor. In her mind, they’re just plain wrong. Both suggest a tribute to something in the past, something not experienced first hand. Ask Jones, however, and she’s no tribute to the days of yore in soul and funk – she is those things. Jones wears her 53 years with remarkably experienced pride — self-aware of her past and youthfully optimistic about her future. In the immediate sense, that future is the release of I Learned The Hard Way, the latest studio project soaked in what Jones knows best: hard knocks and a long road delivered with soulful exuberance from a woman who’s finally on her way to the top.

It’s an interesting title for the new record – I Learned The Hard Way. What are some things you’ve learned the “hard way?”

Oh, man. Just life alone. Me growing up was the hard way. I mean, I was born in ’56. So from me being a little girl coming up in the ’60s, not being able to go to schools and not being able to drink out of a water fountain or go in a restaurant or a building or a hotel, and getting on a bus and you’ve gotta go to the back. I had it — a very hard way. I tell some of these kids that are in their 30s,  ‘I may be just 20 years older than you but trust me, it’s amazing what I’ve been through in that 20 years. So yeah. I’ve had it hard.

And while it hasn’t been necessarily “hard” in your music career, you’ve certainly been persevering for a while out there. What’s been your philosophy for pushing through the business?

When we joined [Daptone], they were just putting out vinyls and trying to fool people that they were done back in the ’60s (laughs). We were just happy putting out our stuff and doing what we were doing. Then other people started to come along and were interested in what we were doing, ya know, but other than that, that’s what we’re all about at Daptone: just putting out good sounding stuff that we like. That’s what it was about to us, just having that sound and being a label — and that’s what we were doing.

Tell me a little more about the new record — what can we expect to hear?

I think this one, what everyone is gonna hear, is more vocals, more background vocals, more orchestra. Different sorts of songs — we’ve got different guys in the band writing. To us, [all of our albums] are just a combination of music that we like. But this one definitely has more variety.

Why are you personally drawn to soul/funk music?

It’s not really me being drawn to that style. I’m 50-something years old. I’m not retro. I am soul. I am R&B. Now these young girls like Beyonce and Alicia Keys, if they come out and sing a soul song it’s “Oh, they’re so retro!” because they’re trying to sound like someone from Motown. Me, when I open my mouth, I sound like I’m from the old school — but I sound like Sharon. That’s who I am. I grew up with that.

But does it serve a constructive purpose to have a renewed interest in what many people call a “revivalist” sound? What is today’s music gaining from looking backwards?

We were one of the only labels out here doing this, ya know, 14 years ago. These kids now coming up are now listening to that stuff. Like Amy [Winehouse], ya know. Amy’s been out here three or four years and she won a Grammy. I know she was definitely inspired by back in the day stuff, but what inspired her recently was listening to people like us who are recording that stuff.

What’s your favorite cover you’ve done?

Every cover we’ve had to do, it’s usually someone asking me for a commercial or something. But the cover I really enjoyed doing was the Gladys Knight “Giving Up.” I really enjoyed that one. We also did Prince’s “Take Me With You” and that was fun, to take it from the way Prince did it and we almost made it like James Brown or something [laughs].

You guys are really renowned for your live show. What do you love most about the live show environment?

All that energy. Everyone is hyped up. I’m feeding off the band, the band is feeding off me, and the audience – we’re feeding off the audience and they’re feeding off us. For me, I know that’s my calling. When I’m on the stage, it just happens. I don’t try to plan it. It’s nothing like that. I just go out on stage and what happens happens. Sometimes I work it more [laughs]. Sometimes I’ll open my mouth and things will come out and I’ll be like “wow.” And then someone will ask me “Do you know what you did tonight?” And I’ll just say “no.” It just happens [laughs].

Do you enjoy the logistics of touring? What’s your philosophy on the road?

Ya know, I really do. Usually, things have been done to the point where you go out, you do your thing, and you come in. So far, and I’m knockin’ on wood, thank God we haven’t gone had to go out and have something canceled or something. Ya know, I’ve had a bad night, where I just didn’t do as well. But right now, I’m just hoping that everything is spread out well, and I’m just gonna go in with my faith in it. I gotta take care of myself, get my rest – as I always say, “Get my rest and do my best.”

Are you the undisputed queen on the road? Keeping all those Dap Kings in line?

I ain’t got no time for that. I’m not your mother [laughs]. I’m not your wife, and I’m definitely not your girlfriend, so I ain’t about to tell you what to do and how to do it. The only time I crack down is when they’re late. They know I don’t like that. I tell em this: “You know what you’re supposed to do, you’ve got your work. Be on time.”

What are you looking forward to over the next six months/year?

Truthfully, just getting this album out, and we really want it to do well. Hopefully this one will put us more on the mainstream so people can hear us and hear what we’re all about. It’s not about trying to be famous. That doesn’t matter to me right now. But what we’re doing, I’ve worked so hard to get it this point, I want to be heard, and have Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings name be heard in people’s households. Just like they can say Al Green and James Brown and Aretha, let them say “Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings? Oh yeah!”

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings play Center Stage May 13. Tickets are on sale here.

By Jhoni Jackson

The Fresh & Onlys are riding on high in the wake of their latest release, but that’s nothing new. The San Francisco natives have been churning out EPs and LPs at a rate that rivals Heidi Montag’s plastic surgeries. Since forming in 2008, the melody-friendly, fuzz-heavy band has amassed seven official albums, including this month’s August in My Mind EP on Captured Tracks.

After plenty of phone tagging, bassist and co-songwriter Shayde Sartin found some time amid the SXSW chaos to chat about his love for Atlanta, what they’ve been listening to and, most importantly, his teenage goth phase.

You guys are at SXSW right now. Like most bands, you’re playing several shows each day. How are you faring? Tired?

Yes, we are tired. We’re really exhausted. Playing rock and roll in the daytime is really weird. It’s a nighttime breed of person, and it’s kinda weird.

You guys aren’t playing more than three in a day this year, right?

We’re doing two days where we’re doing four. We’re doing 11 shows total. It’s rock and roll and athleticism.

Do you guys get a break before the rest of tour?

No, we leave Austin Saturday and we’re going to New Orleans, and then we go all the way down to Miami.

When you’re in the van for hours on end, are you each plugged into your own iPods or do you listen to music collectively?

We don’t do iPods. Cassette tapes only. No iPods. It’s not a thing of righteousness or whatever, it’s just we’re all fucking poor and don’t own iPods.

What have you been listening to?

A lot of, like, ‘80s jangle-rock in the van. It’s really good driving music. The Mekons, REM — that kind of stuff. Then a lot of really heavy new wave, like OMD and stuff like that [laughs]. And we do a lot of rap tapes too. Tim, our signer, is really into rap. He grew up on it.

Tim’s voice is pretty deep and dark, sort of like Stephen Merritt’s from The Magnetic Fields. Did any of you ever go through a goth phase?

Wyman, our guitar player, and myself. We both had really substantial goth phases. Neither of us ever got into hardcore as teenagers or anything like that so we were…goth kids. Tim doesn’t know shit about goth, but part of the reason it works so well is because he’s accidentally goth. He’s got the baritone voice. My and Wyman definitely had big goth phases. [Laughing in background]

You guys will be here next Saturday with King Khan and the Shrines. Have you played a show in Atlanta?

We’ve never played Atlanta, and it’s my favorite city in the country.

Is it?

Well, after San Fran.

I thought you hadn’t played here. I’ve wanted to see you guys play for a while now. I hoped I didn’t miss a chance.

We were supposed to go through there on our last tour. I kinda screwed it up with the booking, and ended up having to reroute us last minute to get to Montreal in time. So we had to skip Atlanta, which was a bummer ‘cause I have a lot of friends there. I love the city and the people there. There’s nothing really like Atlanta in the world.

Where do you hang out when you’re here?

I always go to Eats first thing. I love Eats. MJQ, 529, Star Bar. You know, places you’d expect. I’m a fucking white guy in my early 30s. I’ve been playing rock and roll music for 15 years; I do pretty standard shit. Not a lot of curve balls from me.

The Fresh & Onlys play The EARL with King Khan and the Shrines, March 27. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Alternative.