Over the Wires : Brent Best

Posted by Chris Campbell at Monday, November 30, 2009 9

I've been fortunate to see some pretty outstanding rock n' roll in my life. Although my tastes can sometimes steer towards the quieter songwriter types (Townes, Rouse, Buckner), when it comes to my love affair with music, there's still nothing that can touch an impassioned rock n' roll show. This is why I've squandered savings and spent chunks of paychecks to see live music for the greater part of the past 15+ years.

When thinking of the most memorable shows, those shows where I walk out sweaty, raspy-voiced and feeling as if I saw and felt something beyond explanation, I revisit about 40 Springsteen shows, along with incredible late nights with Marah, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Centro-matic, The Gourds, Brakes and Apollo Sunshine, to name a few. And then there's the afternoon of March 18, 1999. I was in Austin for my first of six trips to the South by Southwest music conference. Now ten years later, those rainy few hours at Club de Ville in Austin, Texas stand firmly as the day that I was on hand for what I consider the greatest rock show of my life. And the band to put on that set was Denton, Texas' Slobberbone.

If memory serves, this was my second Slobberbone show (Brownies in NYC being the first). Performing in an absolute downpour with nothing but a scant tent to cover their equipment, Brent Best, Jess Barr, Tony Harper and Brian Lane reminded maybe 100 people that sometimes nothing, absolutely nothing, can transcend the spirit like rock n' roll. After blasting through hard-charging Slobberbone songs, suddenly came the words: "Look out mama, there's a white boat coming up the river, with a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail." As the rain drenched us all, I'll never forget turning around to locate my friends in the rear of the venue. Everyone was smiling, dancing, and screaming the lines to Neil Young's "Powderfinger." And after "Barrel Chested," "Front Porch," Judas Priest's "Breakin' the Law" and The Gourds' "Web Before You Walk Into It," to name a few, my favorite Neil Young song was the perfect inclusion.

I've gone on to see Slobberbone, and its sister band The Drams, whenever in Austin or when they make the all-too-rare jaunt out west. Most nights down at South by Southwest, when not watching Brent and his band perform, it seems as if we're almost always at the same shows, taking it in from the audience. Over the years, we've talked about music, books, sports and just about every other topic of interest over beers and smokes, often until the pub doors closed for the night. I consider Brent Best not only one of the greatest songwriters and rock n' roll voices of our time, but also a friend.

In 2004, after four incredible albums, highlighted by 1997's Barrel Chested and 2000s Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today, the band posted a message on their website informing fans that the run was over. Best would gather the majority of Slobberbone to form The Drams, who released the fantastic Jubilee Dive in 2006. But the Slobberbone story wasn't over. Early this year they resurfaced and have since played a date here and there. Despite the excitement surrounding their return, no one knows for sure what's next. I figured it was time we just ask Brent.



I suppose I should just get the obvious one out of the way first. I see that you're playing dates with Slobberbone and solo. Since there's been no official announcement, what does this mean for the band situation? Are The Drams still active? How's it all shaking out?

Drams are still semi-active. We just played a show last night. The idea is to do both but obviously we'll have to kinda focus on one or the other at one time and it looks like we're gonna focus on some Slobberbone stuff for now. Keith and Chad are playing and doing quite well in The King Bucks right now and with Brian back it seems like a good time to fire up Slobbebone and maybe start laying down some tracks. And then hopefully do it all again with The Drams in a year or so. I like the idea of having both and having them be very different things. Solo shows just sorta fill the cracks in between.

How has it been maturing with Jess, Tony and now Brian back in the mix? With families and such, how has that played into the decisions you make around the band(s)?

We're definitely not as balls-out as we once were in regards to just touring all the time like we used to. We have to plan and be a bit more surgical with it but that seems to suit us all just fine nowadays. It could change to some degree once we have a new album we're psyched over but it's fair to say our approach has softened for now to some degree.


I've always thought that "Placemat Blues" was about the music industry/business. I'm guessing its open to interpretation, but am I onto something? Either way, can you share your thoughts on the business.

Most definitely. It was directed a little more to radio at the time (1999) but obviously nothing's gotten better on that front and certainly not with the rest of the old-school industry at large. Of course the internet has leveled the field a great deal but they still seem to be just as backassward as they always were inasmuch as not embracing the inevitable but rather fighting to maintain a status quo that has sucked for years. It's lined their pockets for ages but sucked for everyone else. Now when I see them trying to do things like fight Net Neutrality and suing kids for downloading it just confirms that they are clueless as to what it means to actually be innovative and competitive as companies. Unfortunately, we see that in all areas in these days of bailouts for giant corporations. They got so used to running the show that when they fuck it all up they suddenly abandon all their free-market principles, really, by demonstrating they don't actually want to have to compete or be innovative, but would rather fight to keep an always changing marketplace from changing. Sucks.

What's your relationship with New West right now? Every time I've seen Slobberbone or The Drams play at SXSW, I've always seen Peter Jesperson (A&R for New West, signed and managed The Replacements) and he always looks like a wide-eyed kid.

Haven't talked much with them as of late but it's because I haven't done anything really since the Drams record. We love Peter very much. He's always graciously hosted us when we were in LA and it's always a blast to get to pick his brain and hear some of the old stories. He is a died-in-the-wool music lover for sure.

As I mention in the introduction, I still cite your SXSW show at Club de Ville in 1999 as the greatest rock n' roll show I've ever attended. I stood next to (The Gourds') Jimmy Smith for most of the show. That is, until he went onstage to sing one of his own songs before forgetting the words and turning it over to you. Given the pouring rain and amount of water that was onstage, people in the crowd were actually a bit worried about you guys. Do you recall that show?

Oh yeah, we still remember that one. We were more than ready to be off that stage once the water rose more than an inch above our pedals but I seem to remember it was Jimmy that was egging us on and then left! It was fun, though, and a lot of people seem to have fond memories of that show. I do remember that none of our shit worked the next night at our actual showcase.

Slobberbone's Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today finished at #2 in the Postcard From Hell poll of the best records of the 2000s (Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came in first). Better than a Grammy?

Had not heard that. Crazy. What the hell do you do with a Grammy anyways? Can you Ebay them for cash?



Can you tell me about the song "Robert Cole?"

I wrote that some time after SB broke up. I hadn't really written in a while and then that just presented itself one night almost fully formed and really kinda got the wheels cranking for me again. It wasn't really connected to anything else at the time, other than another song I had just written called 'Aunt Ramona' and I didn't really know what it was for. Some time later I was contacted by Tim Lee who was putting together the Larry Brown tribute album Just One More and then I knew what it was for. That was a cool little gift at a time when I was sort of rudderless. It'll probably show up some day on an album of like-minded songs.

One late night at SXSW, I recall you mentioned that your home is basically nothing but CDs. I hate to ask, but can you share some favorites? I won't say "top five or ten," but that's really what I'm getting at.

Yeah, that's tough. A few years ago I moved out to the country into a little shotgun house and all those CD's are behind me in my main center studio room. They just kinda loom there at a time when I rarely buy CD's ever. People give me stuff and I listen online and record a lot of other people's stuff so I've kinda become disjointed from the process of coming in and putting on a record and I don't know how I feel about that. I listen as much as I ever did but the ritual seems to have changed. They're still there and I can't ever relinquish them 'cuz there's always that night when I've got some old thing in my head and am maybe kinda drunk and I can't sleep until I find it and listen to it and then get online and search it and youtube it and read a bunch of bullshit blog posts about it and play some video games and read some more and then maybe go to sleep. I have uncles who can barely get out of their chairs but still keep 7 or 8 tractors in their barns. It's kinda like that.

What are you listening to lately?

Changes weekly, almost daily these days. I guess I've succumbed to the modern-day-induced short attention span but I always end up fixating and staying with the things that grab and shake me. Love The Hold Steady. Love the new Low Anthem disc. Isbell's newest. A lot of local stuff here, The Slow Burners in particular and a duo called RTB2. And of course, Glossary. Best band in America, maybe.


Got a good book recommendation?

Larry Brown, always. Cormac of course, Crews. There's so much, you just gotta dig. Right now I'm reading a book on the history of Amsterdam by Geert Mak that a friend of mine from there gave me and I'm totally enthralled. Sometimes I need great fiction and sometimes I need compelling facts and in the end they mostly do the same thing for me.

And lastly, for fans who are itching for something new out of Slobberbone or The Drams, anything we can pass along?

We're looking to start woodshedding and screwing around with some new Slobberbone demos so we'll just have to see what happens. We never ever really had a plan before we ever started anything and we still don't. We'll just let it tell us what to do, if anything.

Also, I don't know when you're planning to post this, but being how my online acumen has severely waned the last few years and I don't have a lot of outlets on my own, I'd like to let people know that Slobberbone will be on the road starting Dec. 1 in Little Rock at The Whitewater Taven, Dec. 2 at Newby's in Memphis, Dec. 3 in Nashville, Dec. 4 in Knoxville, and Dec. 5 at Smith's Old Bar in Atlanta. Come see us and let's have a drink. Thanks for the interest and take care, buddy,

brent

Over the Wires : Chip Robinson

Posted by Chris Campbell at Thursday, May 14, 2009 5

I always point to 1997 as the year. My thirst for music, combined with a 12-month period that saw one stellar release after another, changed everything for me. Like an addict, music took precedent over everything else. I skipped a good friend's wedding to go see a Whiskeytown show at Tramps (she stopped speaking to me). I arrived to my girlfriend's own party at about 2am after seeing Richard Buckner at the Mercury (we survived a few more months), and these were only a few of the times I'd chosen music over other life responsibilities. I really couldn't help myself. I'd see Wilco in town and then drive to Boston to see them the next night. There was no end.

And then in 1999, I booked my first trip to South By Southwest. I mean, I was seeing a few shows a week as it was, why not just jam about 60 or 70 into four days. I will never forget walking into my first show, Lullaby for the Working Class, at Liberty Lunch, and feeling the spirit of it all. But there was one band that I simply couldn't wait to see: The Backsliders. Sharing the bill with Joe Henry, it was this Raleigh, North Carolina outfit that represented the rock n' roll that this first trip to Austin was all about. And boy did they put on a show. Fronted by Chip Robinson, a guy who looked straight out of a Larry Brown novel, and hell, may have been the basis of one had Brown surived a little longer, Chip played the guitar and yelled as if nothing else in the world mattered, and that night at the Liberty Lunch, well, nothing else did (above photo is from that gig).

The Backsliders released two fantastic records, Throwing Rocks at the Moon (1997) and Southern Lines (1999) before disbanding in the wake of the still yet to be resolved overhaul of the music industry. And until just a few months ago, Chip Robinson was out of music. Oh, he'd spring up at the Lakeside Lounge in New York from time-to-time, or maybe a benefit down in Raleigh, but Chip was no longer making records. And then very quietly, earlier this year, he completed Mylow. His buddy Eric "Roscoe" Ambel produced, and it is honestly as if he hasn't skipped a beat. Actually, Mylow is as good, if not better, than his two records fronting The Backsliders.

After all this time away, I recently caught up with Chip. Following my first installment a few months back with Matthew Ryan, here's round two.

Over the Wires : Chip Robinson

It's been ten years since the release of The Backsliders' "Southern Lines." What have you been up to?

Whoa!! 10 years, a breath and a blink of an eye. After Disney dropped most of the roster (including The Backsliders) from Mammoth Records, non-chronologically, I worked as a doorman, a bartender, got evicted, lived in a borrowed truck for a couple of months, worked for a company doing custom print framing, moved to NYC, was a bike messenger for a while, was a bike mechanic for a few years, moved back to North Carolina twice only to find no work and am back in NYC working at a bicycle shop in Brooklyn. Brought another son into the world, spent some time in a downward spiral, lost some close friends, found some close friends, rode in a pick up truck for 3 weeks from Tela, Honduras to Raleigh, North Carolina with my friend Van Alston, played a lot of gigs. Sometimes I just gotta laugh when I think to myself that I have lived a life that would've killed a lesser man.



How do you look back at the Raleigh music scene of the mid-to-late 90's? You had The Backsliders, Whiskeytown, 6 String Drag and a slew of bands that were instrumental in the "alt.country" movement.

It was exciting, crazy, fun. The music scene in North Carolina was really thriving. Between Raleigh and Chapel Hill, a lot of bands got record deals. Saturday nights would be going to see some friends' band play (if we weren't gigging). Sundays would be hungover softball with guys from C.O.C, Cry of Love, DAG etc. It was a completely different climate, business wise, than it is today. There's still a bunch of great bands down there working and touring.

What led you back into the studio after the long hiatus?

Roscoe (Eric Ambel) had been bugging me to do a record since he produced Southern Lines. The intersection of scheduling and cash (or lack of) finally happened last year when I had moved back to New York. Roscoe was rehabbing from wrist surgery after getting doored by a cab on his bicycle and we started recording in his apartment. Basic acoustic guitar and vocals.

How was it working with Roscoe?

Like getting a root canal? Just kidding. Actually, it was very relaxed and productive. A lot of good coffee and excellent sandwiches. We would do the basic tracks in the afternoon, and Roscoe would do guitar and keyboard parts at night, which couldn't have been an easy task with a cast on his arm. We'd send mixes via email to Rob Arthur, and he would send back these great keyboard parts for the songs. In the past, I've got to admit that the whole idea of digital recording just did not appeal to me. But I got thinking that these days most people listen to music on an iPod or their computer. Not exactly Hi-Fi. The average person doesn't listen to vinyl through a vacuum tube stereo. And yet, the technology for D/A conversion has improved enormously. Sonically though, I can still hear the difference between an analog and a digital recording, digital has gotten pretty damn listenable. The software available now are great tools. At the end of the day, we made a pretty damn fine record, if I say so myself.

I'd argue that this record just might be your best. The Backsliders were signed to the now-defunct Mammoth Records. How do you see this record getting out there? Can people buy it now?

Chris, Thanks, those are mighty kind words. We have been shopping Mylow for a while. The crazy state of the music industry hasn't brought us any takers. Oh to be a 17-year-old girl with big knockers and minimal talent. But I digress. Right now we are putting together a limited release package, signed and numbered. Something for the fans, you know. Skillet Gilmore (Whiskeytown's original drummer) and photographer Raymond Goodman are getting the artwork together as we speak. Info on how to pre-order a copy is on my blog, Bicycle Skeletons.

What are your general thoughts on music distribution during these times? On that note, would you mind if I put a song up?

It's an exciting time when when an artist can have control, at least digitally, via iTunes, Tunecore, Orchard etc. Really speeds up the money pipeline. As far as filesharing, the anarchist in me screams that music isn't created, it's channeled, therefore no one has a right to sell it. But the writers and singers have to pay the rent and feed their families, that's the reality. A buck a pop for a song isn't greed, you know? Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and others have started the redefining of the business and that is exciting. We have the power to re-write the book now. Finally, yes sir, you may post any song of mine you see fit for human consumption.

Over the Wires : Matthew Ryan

Posted by Chris Campbell at Monday, December 15, 2008 0

As I noted late last week, today is the first installment of Over the Wires, a new series where I find myself fortunate enough to share correspondence with musicians, folks in policy, writers, and just about anyone I think would be interesting to hear from.

I first heard Matthew Ryan's music in 1998 or so. I was at a friend's apartment in Brooklyn, and before we even exchanged greetings he was raving about this new artist. We sat down, and I was introduced to the beautiful songs that make up Ryan's debut, May Day. Every song on the record resonated, but there were a few that still stand as some of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, most notably "Chrome" ("It's not the fact that you walked out, that bewilders me. It's not the sleep that I can't steal, that wires me.") and "Lights of the Commodore Barry". And although these are my favorites, as a whole, this is one of the best records of the 1990's.

I've bought everything Ryan has released to date, and it was this year's Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State that once again reminded me that the unison of storytelling and rock n' roll is what makes Ryan's music so enduring. Just like Springsteen, Dylan and Drake, Ryan has a keen ability to make songs more than just songs. They bring you inside the world of others and even one's self and fill the listener with imagery, understanding and honesty.



Over the Wires : Matthew Ryan

You've been on numerous labels, both big and small, over your eleven years releasing records. Given the current state of the music industry, how has the landscape played out for you?

Well, things are quietly, slowly getting better. My live show in particular is seeing growth. Which is beautiful, because that's where the real intimacy is. I believe good music is as relevant and valuable to people's lives as ever. I know it is for me. The only thing that bothers me today is the cultish nature of so much music. I grew up thinking that good music could and should overthrow pop music from time to time. It should come up from the underground and win by virtue and honest resonance or new creativity. That seems even harder to do these days. I feel it's important for music to unify and connect people. I'd like to try and figure out how that can be possible again. Today, things often feel too segmented or exclusive or simply niche. I always liked how music identified or connected my thoughts to others as a listener and an artist.

It seems that you've perfectly bookmarked your career to date. In a sense, your debut and your latest are both major creative accomplishments. How do you view your overall catalog?

Hmmmm. I'm both proud and disappointed by my work to date. I want to write the great American novel. I thought I could write and sing a song for everyone. Sometimes I feel that I have, but then I'm daunted or dogged by the notion that the world doesn't want it or need it or even worse that marketing is the sole god of relevance today. I don't know. I have only wanted to do exactly what I meant to do every time I sat down to write, or sing or step into a studio. In some ways I'm always trying to save the world. I'm eternally optimistic. For me though, every record has a thread through it, every record is conceptual on some level. It's the songs and what excites me at the time that makes them sound one way or another. My hope is to only capture or express their weather as best I can. I just hope people continue to find my songs, I hope they continue to somehow find them inside the enormous avalanche that is entertainment and art today.

How did the political atmosphere over the past year or so play into the writing on Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State?

Well, I started writing political songs, overtly political songs for Regret Over The Wires just after the 2000 election. I'm not a fan of trickle down economics. I'm also not a fan of inherited opportunity. I believe society is best served by a well-educated population; competition and innovation is then at it's optimum. I'm also not a fan of fortunes made on scarcity, war and disease. We're gonna have to re-think how we live, how we consume. Our role as American consumers make us complicit in so much that undermines the world's and our own well-being, safety and health. It's time we realize consumption is a political activity. Engaged and informed consumers won't make the same decisions. Sustainability has to be a priority. I also don't like the notion that some lives are more important than others. In America, wealth gets you better health care, a safer car, a better school, a safer neighborhood. Marketing and political science has divided people into simple categories that can be targeted and manipulated. It's disgusting and doesn't serve a greater good. People are complex, every one dreams, I'd like to see a world where everyone has a shot and a voice.

How do you feel about albums vs. singles in today's world? MRVSS plays like a collection of rockers and ballads, and sounds like it should be listened to as a whole.

Hmmmmm. I understand why it's like that. But I wouldn't just read a page or a chapter from a great book. I want to absorb the whole thing. I want to wonder what happened to the characters the days after the story ended. The cynical or despairing side of me might say that marketing has won. But people are so inundated with information and crap, it's sensory overload, it's a great flood while a blizzard unloads every day. The world today is so quick now, things that offer the most saccharine or explosive are the things that break through. I think art and entertainment are at war. Right now entertainment is winning. But there's no real peace there. Art will win again eventually.

Who are your favorite artists making music today?

Joe Henry, Joesph Arthur, Lucinda Williams, Frightened Rabbit and The Constantines.... And by the standards of what I said above, Katy Perry of course.

What did you think of the election?

I thought it was beautiful. Absolutely inspiring. And now the real work begins. But I have to say, one thing that has frustrated me during this period between presidents - the news is finally completely engaged. And there's this palpable anxiety and countless segments every night on what will Obama do to fix the mess we're in. I find this wildly annoying because where were these fuckers when they should've been riding Bush's ass for the last 8 years while all this great undoing was getting done? I mean, why was our press so silent? Hell, why were we so silent?

What are your plans for 2009?

I'm currently writing. My hope is to have a new record finished by February, early March. Hopefully the new record will be out by fall next year. I have a pretty ambitious idea for how I would like to release this record, so we'll see. As far as the rest of the year, I'll continue to work hard. I'm sure there will be some surprises, some successes and some heart breaks... But you know, that's how it goes. I love new years.

Ryan's homepage

Come Monday : Over the Wires

Posted by Chris Campbell at Thursday, December 11, 2008 0

On Monday, I will post my first interview, a feature I've decided to call Over the Wires, since well, it's not an interview in the traditional sense. For now, I'm e-mailing questions to the individual and they just toss them back with their responses. My plan, which I followed on take one, is to send only seven questions, sometimes consistent from person-to-person, but mostly a mixed bag.

I am in no way limiting who I will feature. This site obviously leans heavily on music first and then politics and policy. But I also talk about technology, sports, community, San Francisco, travel, unemployment, the economy, hot tubs and quite a few other things. That said, it's pretty much wide open.

But interview #1 was quite the treat. And I'm listening to his first record as I type this. I hope Over the Wires introduces you to someone and, if we're extremely lucky, enriches some part of your day.