SolidGoldstein is back after a long hiatus (bossman actually allows paternity leave in this joint) and I’m thrilled to share my first interview for this site. Sam Kearney plays guitar for Alberta Cross, one of my favorite young bands. Following up on their 2007 EP, “The Thief and the Hearbreaker”, the band recently released their first long player – “The Broken Side of Time.” The thing that struck me from the beginning about this album is how “big” it sounds; that it expresses something, sonically, that a small club couldn’t quite contain.
Sam and I had an interview scheduled for a couple days before the band was to leave NYC for the Austin City Limits Festival, where they’d kick off a massive nation-wide tour. The morning of our interview, the band learned that they were offered the pre-festival opening slot for the new supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures, and needed to hit the road immediately. So, we switched to an email conversation, the bulk of which appears below.
Listen to The Thief And The Heartbreaker
SG: So, last we spoke you were abruptly pulling out of town for a cross-country trip to open for Them Crooked Vultures tonight in Austin, on the eve of the ACL Festival. How was the trip?
SK: The trip was long. Wasn’t so bad though because it was just Alec [Higgins, (keyboards)], Austin [Beede (drums)], and myself…Al’s soccer mom van was a bit more spacious than it’s normal condition. Last time we made the trek from New York to Austin we did it in one sitting…that was not a fun experience and included several near-death moments due to sleep-deprived drivers in a hallucinogenic state. This time round we took our time and made it in two and a half days…more leisure, less aggro….suppose it could have been a sign of the California boys being the majority rule. For the most part it was smooth sailing…that is until our second night of driving. Mr. Higgins was behind the wheel in Arkansas when out of nowhere a coyote came dashing out in front of the van. There were a couple of horrible sounds and I’m sorry to say that our friend Wild Coyote didn’t fair well. When we eventually called it a night and pulled into a dirty roadside motel, I hesitantly took it upon myself to survey the damage. Surprisingly and thankfully the only trace of evidence left from the murder scene was a few stray white pieces of fur wedged between the bumper and hood. Nonetheless, we were all equally traumatized and saddened by the night’s dark event.
SG: The opening slot for Them Crooked Vultures has to be one of the most sought after gigs around right now. What a fantastic opportunity for you guys. How did it come together? How did it go?
SK: The show with Them Crooked Vultures went very well. Obviously we all felt extremely privileged to share a bill with such an all star cast. Not entirely sure how it all came together, but I know we were kind of a last minute addition. Musically speaking, I thought we actually fit in pretty well with them. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way, shape, or form claiming that we as musicians are anywhere near those guys…simply referring to the fact that they have a few swampy tunes just as our own modest outfit attempts as well.
SG: Speaking of festivals, you guys have played a bunch of them over the last several months. How have you found that experience? Is it a necessary evil or something you guys actually enjoy?
SK: Although playing festivals can be extremely exhausting at times, they can also be great fun. We’ve had early slots with pretty much every festival we’ve played this summer allowing us the rare festival luxury of having a soundcheck. I’ve played festivals in the past with other bands where your soundcheck basically consists of turning on your amp and listening if sound comes out.
The obvious downside to us playing the opening slot is that most people are still in bed recovering from the previous day’s absorption of mass alcohol. But thankfully festivals tend to bring out serious types of music aficionados, intent on not missing the first beat. For it is these people that which we have the pleasure of performing in front of.
One of the many attractions a festival offers to your average music fan is the opportunity to see a lot of new acts that have yet to have a proper introduction into the larger music world. We fell into this lucky niche of bands this summer and I think it’s really helped us in slowly spreading the twisted gospel that is Alberta Cross.
SG: So, what is the “twisted gospel that is Alberta Cross?”
SK: The twisted gospel of Alberta Cross is one of which can transport people to an escape from the daily routines and rituals of reality…hopefully. I realize this is probably an incredibly pretentious statement, but this is what music does for me, so I can only hope to do the same for others.
SG: While we’re on the subject of touring, I did some quick math and Alberta Cross is playing 22 gigs in the month of October and you’re doing 26 of 35 nights across the U.S. starting tonight. And then you start a month-long tour of Europe. First of all, how’s the van holding up?
SK: I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit worried about the health of our van. The week before we left for Austin she was in the shop three times. That along with the fact that she’ll be reaching her 100,000 mile marker somewhere in the middle of the tour, is enough to at least raise paranoia when she takes a couple extra seconds to fire up.
As far as the tour goes, we’re all very happy to be finally getting the opportunity to dive into the deep end with the most extensive tour we’ve seen yet. Although we do enjoy the studio, the idea has always been about this being a live band. A studio will never be able to harness the raw energy found in the listener being in the same room as the musicians. A lot of the songs take on a whole new character and dynamic in the live show that wasn’t necessarily captured on the record. For better or worse, we enjoy embracing these differences and feel that it’s necessary for the live show to be a unique experience as opposed to a regurgitation of the album.
SG: So it seems like a pretty monumental Fall 2009 for Alberta Cross. Your first LP was just released on ATO…you’re heading out on a pretty massive tour, which (symbolically?) kicks off a day earlier than planned with you guys serving as opening act for a band anchored by John Paul Jones! Tell me about how you guys are feeling.
SK: We’re all very excited and feel very privileged to be in such a great position. The reception to the album has been pretty good for the most part. There’s always going to be people that will hate it, and I don’t really take offense to those reviews as everyone has different tastes. That’s the beauty of music…it finds it’s own specific place nestled deep within the character of it’s listener.
SG: When I listen to the new album, one thing I hear is a very tense undercurrent on many of the songs. It provides a lot of power, as if these songs are just about to bubble over. I attribute a lot of that to the guitar work – the short, dense guitar solos – for example the solo at the end of “Song 3 Blues,” the snarl on “ATX” and the dirty, metallic sound on “The Thief and the Heartbreaker.” How did you approach these tunes?
SK: We definitely made a conscious effort to go in a raw direction, especially with the guitars. Thematically speaking, the album covers some fairly dark topics and so it was necessary to accompany them with sounds that in turn, complemented the lyrics…in many cases this meant trying to find out just how fucked up the guitars could go without forcing a complete anxiety attack on the listener. We wanted things to get tense and at times to be a bit uncomfortable. I think it important to challenge the listener…it’s when people are brought out of their comfort zone that they are rewarded the most.
SG: In good rock songs, you can walk pretty close to that anxiety attack space, but then take a hard left for catharsis. There are several of those moments on your new album. In fact, when I listen to the song “Broken Side of Time”, I see hysteria, and bright lights”…
SK: Ya, that tune definitely has a split personality. The verses are pretty heavy and dissonant, and then things open up a bit when we hit the chorus. I actually really wanted to have strings in the chorus of that tune, but unfortunately we had nothing left in the budget to be able to afford it. Anyway, it’s important for songs to take the listener on a journey that explores a range of human emotions.
SG: These songs pack a punch. I think part of the effectiveness of the record is that you’ve limited it to ten tracks, which is unusually short by today’s standards. Was that something you spent much time thinking about?
SK: Being that this is our full-length debut, we wanted to feel confident with every track and not have any dips or filler. Two tracks that we recorded didn’t make the record, and it’s not because they aren’t good songs, it’s more due to the fact that for one reason or another, our recording didn’t do them the proper justice they deserve. The length of the record could also be attributed to the fact that we basically completed tracking everything in about 4 weeks. We didn’t have the luxury of spending 6 months in the studio…we kind of had to get in there and just knock out the tunes without getting to fussy over details.
SG: Are you guys opening these songs up at all when you’re playing live? It seems like they are really ripe for exploration.
SK: We have just recently started tinkering with taking certain parts out and exploring where spontaneity takes us. It’s definitely an aspect I consider important to a live show. What’s the point of playing a song exactly as it is on the record? Maybe it’s just me, but that’s not something I find appealing in a live performance. The only difficult thing with us taking stuff out is that our sets are usually around 30 to 40 minutes…I think if we get the luxury of longer sets then we’ll definitely be extending songs more. Right now we’re more concerned with people getting a healthy dose of our songs.
SG: It’s interesting to hear that you think of Alberta Cross foremost as a live band and that you’re signed to ATO Records, which is home to Dave Matthews and My Morning Jacket, both of whom fit squarely into that category. Both of those acts used a fervent concertgoing base as a springboard, and obviously have some staying power because of it. Was that an important part of your signing with ATO?
SK: Absolutely. ATO really encourages the whole grass roots thing and despite the fact that it is kind of a major indie label, there is still a strong emphasis on building a fanbase through live shows and not necessarily from radio singles. As you’ve stated, bands that are able to build a strong live following end up sticking around for more than a couple of records. Obviously that would be the ideal situation to hope for.
SG: It seems that every article I read about you guys makes mention of the fact that Petter and Terry have European roots and relocated to Brooklyn. And I know you’re a west coast guy. I feel like it’s relatively unusual to have an inter-continental band (The Jimi Hendrix Experience being an extremely notable exception, The Pretenders too). How have the geographic roots of the members influenced the music you’re making?
SK: The funny thing is that Austin and I are big fans of British music and Terry [Wolfers (bass)] and Petter [Ericson Stakee (guitar, vocals)] are fans of American music. Of course we all share similar tastes, but I always get a kick out of that. Actually, after I finished college, I moved to London for a year because I didn’t find the US music scene to be very inspiring. This is the same reasoning that brought Terry and Petter from London to New York about a year and a half ago. We all share a nomadic past and a common bond of uprooting ourselves in order to seek out musical satisfaction in other parts of the world. Despite the fact that everyone comes from a different background, at the end of the day, we’re all a bunch of goofy mother fuckers who geek out about rock n’ roll.
SG: Geeking out on rock n’ roll…one of my favorite past times. So you guys just started a bunch of dates with Phosphorescent (Matthew Houck). I love his “To Willie” album. Have you heard it? If Alberta Cross took on a similar project – covers of lesser known tunes from a mainstream artist – what do you think you’d do?
SK: Matthew is great and a super nice guy. I have not checked out the album, but can testify that the live show is pretty amazing. Actually Matthew told us that when they recently played FarmAid, Willie came out and sang a couple of tunes with them. I can’t even imagine how that must’ve felt.
As far as us covering another artist, I’m not sure if there’s one that we could all agree on. For one thing, there’s been, in my opinion, an unhealthy dose of Michael McDonald circulating the stereo of the van…especially when Austin or Terry is playing DJ…what’s up with the rhythm section? Who knows, maybe a compilation of yacht rock masterpieces is in our near future….
EDITOR’S NOTE: Consider this gem for said compilation: Carry Me Away
