2009 Lonely H Interview

Here's another interview from the vaults, originally posted on the now defunct Popwreckoning in 2009. Although not a local band, certainly a regional one, originally calling Port Angeles, Washington home. 

I like their self identified genre: denim rock.

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If you grew up listening to classic rock and wishing you were born a decade or three earlier, you should head on down to the bar when the Lonely H roll through. They're on a massive tour and there's a 50-50 chance they are coming to your town, if they already haven't been there already. They may be young, but they're earning their stripes by logging some serious miles in the van and playing almost every night.

Eric Whitman, the Lonely H's lead guitarist, probably described their music best when he took a couple minutes between towns answer a few questions via email: it's as if "The Byrds, The Band, and Mott the Hoople all got in a station wagon and blew the fucker to pieces. We are the wreckage."

I'm partial the gritty Faces-channeling vocals on "Phoenix" and "Right Down To Me", but really you can't go wrong if you stick their new album, Concrete Class, in your car stereo and turn it up loud. And if do catch their show, consider buying them a shot. Judging from Whitman's road stories, it sounds like they could use it.

Quickcrit: How's the tour going?

Eric Whitman: It's been great so far. Nobody has contracted any diseases or broken any bones which is always a good. Then again we're only about a month into it. There's still another month and a half of mayhem to come. The Minneapolis show was amazing as was the New Orleans show, but other than that they've been moderate to good.

QC: Which songs are getting the best response?

EW: It really depends night to night though – on some nights the people dig the rockers, i.e. "Cold Blues" or "Other Side of the Water." And then other nights they go for shit like the "Girl from Jersey" or "White Horse Tears."

QC: Have you accumulated any crazy road stories?

EW: Oh God, there's been some real benders. One night I got shitfaced and tried to bareback a pony outside a barn North Dakota. We ended up sleeping in the barn. Just a few nights ago in Charleston, South Carolina, Caleb (from Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets, who we're touring with now) and I cleaned the bathrooms at the bar for some extra booze. They gave us windex and some rubber gloves. As for food, we've just been eating at Cracker Barrels, all of which are amazing.

QC: What albums are on heavy rotation in your van this tour?

EW:Yeah, that would be a little moronic to listen to your own album 24/7, but we do enjoy it. We go in cycles in the van, occasionally we'll listen to the absolute shittiest music possible – screamcore, modern country ballads, you know what I mean. But that makes good music even better, so then we'll move onto stuff like Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, or The Eagles. We listen to a lot of old country too -- Waylon and Willie, George Jones, good driving tunes.

QC: Are there any artists that have had a greater influence on your music?

EW: Limp Bizkit, and anything Fred Durst. Kidding, obviously we love our classic rock, as for this album, we definitely channeled The Faces "A Nod is as Good as Wink to a Blind Horse," The Eagles, The Band, and Bob Seger. We like to call it Denim Rock, and we copyrighted that, so don't steal it.

QC: I read that Concrete Class was recorded on analog. What appealed to you about that recording process?

EW: Yes all analog. Not a single computer was used in the process of making the album, until we transferred it to CD. I'd say it's the same as any recording process, but you just have to perform better because you can't punch in and and digitally chop your songs to pieces. In the end it sounds more human and warm. Au naturale, bitch.

QC: This album sounds like a couple steps forward from your last album, Hair. Were you trying for anything in particular?

EW: This album is more cohesive as a whole. With "Hair" we just wrote the songs and recorded them, not really considering the album as a single entity but rather each single song as its own entity. We moved more towards country and blues, rather than straight rock. There's so many bands out there that think they can be Zeppelin, but there's no way that can happen.

QC: Which comes first when you are writing: the lyrics, a riff, a melody, or something else?

EW: It depends. Say I'll write the guitar part and then naturally it will progress with lyrics, drums, accordion, mandolin, harmonica (if applicable), bass, backing vocals. Whatever we want to put in the song. When recording, we just add more and more shit until we ruin the song.

QC: Finally, I'm always on the lookout for new rock and roll. Are there any bands you've played with, either on the road or here in the Northwest, that your fans would love?

EW: Oh definitely, our friends the Raggedy Anns and Doctor Doctor from Seattle are great. We toured with Dirty Sweet out of San Diego. The Parlor Mob out of Jersey is fucking incredible. We're touring with Caleb Caudle and The Bayonets; they rip ass. And they're nice people. We love the Wildbirds from Wisconsin. Oh, and Fred Durst.

2009 Scotland Barr Interview

Just as with Blind Pilot, I interviewed Scotland Barr for the now defunct Popwreckoning in 2009. Reading this again is a bit emotional as he succumbed to pancreatic cancer later that year. While I had only spoken to him a couple times, I loved his music, and like many fans, felt a connection to him and his music. His last show was a bittersweet affair. It was clear he was ailing, but still pouring it out on stage for his loving fans. Sadly, he was not able to finish the album. However, his friends and bandmates forged ahead and fulfilled his vision releasing the double LP in 2011. All of his albums are available on Bandcamp.

Also, if you pepper your eggs with Secret Aarvark Hot Sauce, you are enjoying one of Barr's creations. 

*****

Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags released a stellar album last year, and judging from the front man's answers below, the next album is going to be even better. Unfortunately, in the midst of what should be the bands shining moment, Scotland Barr was diagnosed with cancer. Amazingly, after a relatively short period of time off, he's returning to the stage to open for Clem Snide on Friday night at the Doug Fir. I couldn't be more excited to hear him and the Slow Drags play my favorites off All The Great Aviators Agree and, with any luck, some of their new songs.

Earlier this week, he graciously took the time to answer a couple of my questions about his health, the progress on the album, and some more upcoming shows. Those familiar with his band's good-timing country and roots rock won't be surprised at the humor and positive outlook infused in his answers.

QuickCrit: Do you mind talking a little about your illness? How are you feeling? Where are you in the process?

Scotland Barr: Not at all. As of now, today, I feel great. Lately things have been going well, feeling better in general. Overall it is like having a bunch of little evil creatures running around in my gut, all with minds of their own and bad intentions. Lately they have been behaving themselves. With this type and stage of cancer the process is basically one of just staying alive and functioning as long as possible since it does not go into “remission” as with most other cancers. We keep up all the treatments that work until the end. I am, however, more cavalier then that and have declared myself cancer free. And I am very serious about that statement!

QC: How did you decide to play live?

SB: I figured it was better than waiting until I was dead!

QC: How does that affect your show (or your health)?

SB: It depends on the day/night and what Demons are at play. No matter how I feel before a show, I always feel good once we start playing. My health issues do add a certain urgency to the live shows I think. And there is no better feeling then playing a good show.

QC: I see you have a new album, We Will Be Forgotten. How is that coming?

SB: It’s moving along. Not as quick as I would like, but that is always the case. We are taking our time with this one and with over 20 songs on the project we got our work cut out.

QC: When can we expect to hear it?

SB: I think this record is larger on all scales. First of all, the primary format is going to be a double vinyl LP. It is far more epic in scope and follows a very thin thread of a “concept” in a random abstract way. You will probably pick out influences as diverse as Pink Floyd and Merle Haggard.

QC: How does it compare to your last one?

SB: Well, besides the above mentioned aspects this record is really the first “Full” band record we have done. The core group of the band was far more involved in the arrangement of the material then on past records. Also, all the songs on this album were written during the lifespan of this band so it reflects the group and its overall influences in a much more comprehensive way. This record leans a lot less towards the Alt. Country mantle then the past records.

QC: Did your illness change how you wrote or recorded your new album?

SB: Most of the songs for We Will Be Forgotten were written before my diagnosis. Oddly, however, the songs are very fitting and timely, strangely so.

QC: Did you integrate it into either the lyrics or tone of the new album? If so, did it help to write about the experience?

SB: There is definitely a shroud over the whole recording process for good or bad, probably both.

QC: Are there any songs that you are particularly proud of?

SB: This group of songs are my favorite of any CD so far. As far as favorites, I am very partial to “Love Is Pavement”.

QC: So, what's next for you and the Slow Drags? Do you have any more upcoming shows people should know about? 

SB: Lots coming up! We will be opening for Clem Snide at the Doug Fir on Friday April 10th (9:00 sharp) and then our big resurrection and comeback show (also at the Doug Fir) is Saturday May 2nd. We have an Eastern Oregon and Idaho tour just booked for August and a fall tour through California, Arizona, and New Mexico coming up. Other than that we will be working hard on the CD for a late summer release.

2009 Blind Pilot Interview

Going back over the archives I found an interview with Blind Pilot's Ryan Dobrowski that I did back in 2009 for the now defunct Popwreckoning website. I conducted shortly after their new album was taking off nationally. They had just played their first late night show, gone on a tour by bike, and were headed down to Austin for SXSW. It's kind of fun to look back on a band on the rise. I love Ryan's shoutout to STRFKR and Mississippi Studios just as it was reopening.

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When I moved to Portland last fall, my friend kept telling me that I had to check out this great local band, Blind Pilot. After picking up their album and catching a show at the Aladdin, I was sold. It seems like other people are too. They're getting high profile recognition on iTunes, NPR, and Carson Daly. Recently, I was able to ask Blind Pilot drummer and cycler, Ryan Dobrowski, a couple questions via email about their recent succes and upcoming plans.

QuickCrit: So, how was your experience on Carson Daly?

Ryan Dorowski:  Carson Daly was great. We got there pretty early in the day and didn't record until later in the evening, but it seemed like we always had something to do. Everyone was really nice and I'd say overall it was a really pleasant experience. We didn't get to hang out with Carson Daly or T.I. who was also there, but it was still a lot of fun.

QC: What do you think about all the national attention you're getting?

RD:It's great and exciting, but honestly a little weird. It doesn't seem like it was too long ago at all that it was just me and Israel biking down the coast and busking wherever we could.

QC: Have you noticed the difference at shows?

RD: The show keep getting better all the time. It is always the best thing in the world to go to another city and have a crowd of people singing along to your songs. We have some great musicians playing with us now and we're all really enjoying playing with eachother.

QC: I heard "White Apple" at the Aladdin in Portland. Are you working on more new material?

RD: Yes. Although it will probably be a little while before we have time to go back into the studio. We have a lot of tours coming up that will keep us busy until fall at least.

QC: At the Aladdin you had a full stage of musicians. Now that you are becoming more popular do you think you'll bring more of them on tour with you?

RD: It isn't really a matter of becoming more popular, but yes, more people will be coming on this upcoming tour. Not all 10 that were at the Aladdin show, but 6 of us.

QC: I really liked what Kati Claborn added to your songs. Will you be recording new material with that group?

RD: I think we will definitely continue to use Kati as she is really great to have in the group. What we will end up doing on the next album is still being worked out, but I'm sure she'll be in there as well.

QC: What are your upcoming plans?

RD: The plan is to just keep things going at this point. There is a lot going  on and a lot to keep up with, but  I think it is all happening in a really great way. We definitely want to do more bike tours and  definitely want to do a bike tour in Europe. It might not be able to happen really soon, but it will definitely happen.

QC: Have you looked into getting a sponsorship from any of the local cargo bike makers so you can bring along more instruments?

RD: I love the cargo bikes for around town, but I think for touring the trailer works best. I'd like to work on getting a better bike tour drum set, but other than that, I think we had everything we needed. I actually really enjoyed my little drum set just fine, but it is fun to think of ways to improve.

QC: What city has been your favorite tour stop? Which was the most bike friendly?

RD: L.A, was the biggest surprise. It was a great show and actually quite easy to bike around. We were also so used to cars going by us by the time we got there that it didn't seem to really matter. Portland is still the best though as far being bike friendly. Eugene is good to, but a lot smaller. I think you see everything in a little bit better light on a bike. Even though we're going to have to do some tours by more standard means, I'd love to bring bikes along so once we get to the city we can go ride around.

QC: Do you feel like you're part of a scene here in Portland?

RD: We definitely have a lot of friends in other bands, but I don't really feel like we're part of a scene. In fact a lot of the Portland scenes I find a little intimidating. I really was surprised that we were as well received here. It has been great meeting all of these bands and musicians in town that I had really only seen from the audience perspective. I used play in Sexton Blake with Josh Hodges and Ryan Byornstad who are now playing as Starfucker. I still love to see those guys and am glad to see them doing so well.

QC: What local band or venue do I need to check out that I might have missed?

RD: Definitely go to Mississippi Studios. I'm not just saying that because we play there soon. I think everyone was a little sad when it shut down and it is going to be one of the nicest mid size venues in town for sure.