I Wanna Turn You On To...
Steel Train
Words: Ashley Marie Sansotta
Photo: Bryan Sheffield

Who they are...
Jack Antonoff, Scott Irby-Ranniar, Evan Winiker, Daniel Silbert, and Jon Shiffman.

What’s their story...
Jack and Scott started the band back in 1999, when they began playing the subways of New York.  They’ve come a very long way since then.  After signing with Drive-Thru, they came out with a few phenomenal records – fine-tuning their remarkable musicianship with each release.  On their most recent album, Trampoline (released October 2007), Jack put his heart out on the table and wrote lyrics stemmed from serious personal loss.  The result is a beautiful rendition of a not-so beautiful time.

Sounds like...
Jack Antonoff has been often said the band is “30 years too late.”

Why I want to turn you onto it...
They are amazing musicians who have completely mastered their art.  And you can see it for yourself when they come through Florida this month!

I got a chance to talk with Jack Antonoff about their latest release and the current tour.

REAX:  I’ve read about all of the cameos in Trampoline, including Hannah Montana’s brief cameo.  I know your sister sings on the new album, and doesn’t your father play on the end of the album, too?
Jack Antonoff:  Oh yeah, and that’s actually a really cool story.  That song at the very end is a demo that my dad made in 1973.  Everyone thinks that it’s an acoustic song that I did, which I think is pretty interesting.

REAX:  I know this album is much more than just songs to you.  You lyrically opened your heart to express the loss you’ve recently gone through.  What made you decide to express yourself with Trampoline?
JA:  Well, in the context of writing lyrics, if you’re not going to go for it all of the way, it’s kind of like: what’s the point?  The only way it’s going to be interesting is if you tell your own story, because it’s the only story that no one else has.  When I started working on this record, I didn’t want to be worrying that the record was going to be generic or sounded like whatever.  I just got really into it and decided that if I was going to do this, the only way to do it great was to do it 100% and not hold anything back.

REAX:  And when you sing about this when you’re performing every night, what’s going through your mind?  Do you think about where the lyrics are coming from?
JA:  Yeah, I do a lot.  And it’s a really tough thing, too.  I mean, when you put that much into it, it complicates things.  It’s really important to me.  If we’re going to play the songs and I’m going to sing the lyrics, it has to come from within every night.  Yeah, it’s weird, and it definitely makes it hard.  Every night is really intense for me, based on the content of these songs. 

REAX:  So obviously, Scott doesn’t have any lead vocal parts on the new record, because you are the one doing the storytelling.  Was it easy for you guys to change rolls like this?  Will this be the case for future albums?
JA:  Actually, it was a pretty natural thing.  We just figured it out, and it kind of happened.  And if it will be the case for future albums, that kind of proves the point that anything could happen.  You know, that was just the process for this record.  I was the one coming up with a lot of it, so that’s just how it was.

REAX:  You recently shot your first music video for the song “I Feel Weird” while you guys were in Austin for SXSW.  Can you tell us a little bit about the video?
JA:  We were trying to think of ideas for the video and nothing really made sense, because that song specifically was very personal.  So, we ended up just deciding to do more of a performance video.  The more we thought about it, we just came to the conclusion that the way we play that song live is the most important element.  So, it’s a pretty basic performance video with all of this crazy lightening stuff in the background.  It kind of looks like it could be a U2 video or something.

REAX:  Is it completely finished?  When does it come out?
JA:  Yeah, it’s completely done.  I think it’s coming out sometime in April.

REAX:  The 1969 EP was made up of covers of songs from the year 1969 that inspired you guys and your sound.  Have you ever talked about doing another cover album?
JA:  We’ve been talking about it a lot, actually.  The original concept for that CD was to do one every year.  And then it turned out pretty quickly...it was what it was.  But, yeah, I could definitely see us doing something like that again.  Back then, we were just doing a lot of covers, and it got to the point where it was taking away from our music - and we had to get away from that.  But, it’s really fun.  I think it would be interesting to cover some of the more modern stuff that’s coming out now. 

REAX:  For this tour, are you playing most of the songs from Trampoline?
JA:  Well, right now we’re doing this support tour, so our job is to get up there and show people what we’re all about in 30 minutes.  We’re doing most of the stuff from Trampoline.  And with “A Magazine” [a song from the Trampoline album], we chopped it up, and we’re only doing the middle part.  We want to give people a good idea of who we are with that time frame.

REAX:  And are there any other projects coming up that you’re excited about?
JA:  Yeah, there sure is!  I mean, it’s nothing I can really talk about, of course. (laughs) All I can say, is that there will be a lot of different things coming from us in the near future.

steeltrain.net

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I Wanna Turn You On To...
Delta Spirit
Words: Ashley Marie Sansotta

Who they are...
Matthew Vasquez, Jonathan Jameson, Sean Walker, Brandon Young, and Kelly Winrich (a.k.a. The Bat).

What’s their story...
Straight from San Diego, these boys started making music early, quickly befriending those infamous Cold War Kids and California's beloved The Colour.  While opening for multiple headliners (including Dr. Dog and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), Delta Spirit has been turning more than a few heads these days. 

Sounds like...
The blues of the Cold War Kids mixed with campfire songs told by your ancestors' old country souls.

Why I want to turn you onto it...
I’ve been a huge fan of Delta Spirit since I discovered them the night they opened for the Cold War Kids at their CD release party in Silverlake, California.  Back then, Delta Spirit had only released an EP, which I quickly memorized every guitar riff and tambourine shake from frequenting their residencies in a handful of bars out in L.A.  A Delta Spirit show will awaken the soul.  But, my soul-awakening was put to rest when it was time for a new album.  The boys went up in the mountains to write and record.  The result:  “Ode to Sunshine” ...a masterpiece.  Now, my good friend, frontman Matthew Vasquez, talks with me about this experience, touring, and their time with Daytrotter.

REAX:  Why did you decide to release “Ode to Sunshine” independently, instead of going with Monarchy Music?
Maqtthew Vasquez:  The big reason for the decision was, at the time, we were talking to other larger labels, but we didn't want to wait a year to put our record out, and we didn't want some big shot producer to come in and do a half ass job. Its not that we don't believe in a producer's talent. It’s just that, with the exception of Elijah Thompson, we have yet to meet a producer that understands us (as people) or understands what we are trying to accomplish sonically. So we went to a cabin tracked it ourselves and then had Eli mix it. And we couldn't be more please with the results.

REAX:  Tell me about your experience with the writing and recording of Ode to Sunshine, and how much your location impacted you guys creatively?
MV:  When we were writing “Ode to Sunshine,” we had this gorgeous practice space overlooking the ocean. In between tours we'd jam and demo songs. It was a great place. But, even great places can become prisons. I guess you could relate it to living in Hawaii and getting island fever. We decided to set aside a couple week-long sessions at our friend Derik's cabin. We brought all of our gear up to this small mountain town called Jullian (in California), and we just jammed it out. Both sessions held their own memories.

REAX:  When it comes to your music, where do you find that you get most of your inspirations from?
MV:  Personally, I try to draw as much as I can from people I talk with, especially if I just met them. A good first impression usually comes with a life story that last about three minutes to an hour, and most often the moral of the story that they see isn't the moral your getting out of it. I like that.

REAX:  You're often described as young musicians with old souls (rightfully so). Do you feel that you have an old soul?
MV:  I don't know much about being old soul, but I do know about being raised right. My mom introduced me to Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Neil Young, BB King, Lightnin' Hopkins, etc. My brother introduced me to Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins when I was 8. What I loved about those bands, was that they did what they wanted to do. They weren't compromising for some stupid fad. There are lots of bands like that today: Dr. Dog, Arcade Fire, Cold War Kids, the Walkmen, Radiohead.  If we're old souls for not compromising what we say - and how we sound - then I'd say yes.

REAX:  It seems that, lately, you've been classic tour dogs. Which tour has been your favorite thus far?
MV:  No question - for me, Dr. Dog and Apollo and Sunshine/BLACK STOLTZFUS were the dream tours. We made great friends, and were apart of many inspiring nights. Each band's set was built on thousands of subtleties...and tons of feeling.

REAX:  Do you guys do much song-writing while you’re on the road?  What’s the process look like?
MV:  Its hard (on the road) because you can never get away to think straight.  But, we try our best to make the time. The only formula that I know for song writing is to never do the same thing twice. What worked yesterday, most likely, will not work today. Anybody in a band is liable to have an amazing idea, it just takes everyone else in the band help the idea happen.

REAX:  When I interviewed Sean Moeller (Mr. Daytrotter) last month, he spoke so highly of you guys. How wonderful was your Daytrotter experience?
MV:  Going to Daytrotter is like going to Sun Records, Having Alan Lomax interview you “Sean Moeller,” and Tom Dowd “Patrick Stolley” sitting behind the desk recording you.  It is the modern day equivalent to the Library of Congress in the 1930s. Daytrotter is a place where you can go find real music untainted by over production, a place for people that said that the demo sounds better and were right about it. Sean Moeller writes about music because he believes in music, and Patrick Stolley can quickly - almost psychically - find an amazing mix. More often than not, it’s more inspiring than the original. We're having breakfast with the guys tomorrow on our way to Chicago. I'm excited to see them.

REAX:  What’s next for Delta Spirit?
MV:  I don't know... We only get one day at a time.

deltaspirit.net

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I Wanna Turn You On To...
www.daytrotter.com
Words: Ashley Marie Sansotta

Who it is...
Mastermind: Sean Moeller, and others.

What’s their story...
Sean describes his Daytrotter Sessions better than anyone else ever could:   

“These fine people – as they’re traveling through America’s heartland – take two hours out of their travels between shows to stop in for a Daytrotter Session at Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. The name of the city is not ironic. They use borrowed instruments, play with their touring mates, utilize an often unkempt toilet, eat some food and then cram back into their vans for the last half of the drive. What they leave behind is a pile of ashes, sometimes a forgotten stocking hat and four absolutely collectible songs that often impart on whomever listens to them the true intensity that these musicians put into their art, sometimes with more clarity than they do when they have months to tinker with overdubs and experiments. These songs are them as they are on that particular day, on that particular tour – dirty and alive. We want you to make this your new home as it is ours. We promise that you will love it here.”

Why I want to turn you on to it...
Daytrotter brings our beloved musicians to life with raw recordings, candid interviews, and beautiful illustrations.  I was fortunate enough to pick the brain of Mr. Daytrotter himself: Sean Moeller.

REAX:  Of course, I have to begin with (probably) the most common question you are asked: how did you get the initial idea for Daytrotter?
Sean Moeller:  It came out of thin air, really. I believe I was talking to a diehard Bob Dylan fan, just shooting the breeze as we Midwesterners are known to do, and the idea formulated and came down from on high. It was divine intervention
of the indie sort. I just wanted to do something different. I had no idea it was going to be so encompassing and so much hard work, but this idea of ours has been such a phenomenally exciting little beast that I'm not complaining.  After the idea occurred to me, two weeks later we were recording our first sessions with Catfish Haven and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. We were learning on the fly.

REAX:  How would you describe Daytrotter to someone who didn't know what it was?
SM:  I'd probably use some phraseologies from Good Will Hunting, A Few Good Men, Disorderlies, every DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince record, plus select bits of lyrics from Atom & His Package songs like I would in describing pretty much anything else in my life. Oh, and I'd use Wiffle Ball as another reference point in telling people all about our world record breaking passion for sweet ass music and analog recording, as well as giving these one-of-a-kind, collectible musical sessions away for free, like North Pole elves.

REAX:  What do you want people to get out of Daytrotter?
SM:  I want people to understand that we don't care about hip, trendy or cool. If we want to have Garth Brooks on Daytrotter, we're going to do it. And if we do put Garth on Daytrotter, it's because we think he's great, not as a bit of sarcasm. The way that I've always approached music is by trying to get something out of everything. All of the people that we bring in for sessions affect me in a different way – from song to song and from album to album; and all of that changes from day to day. I just want people to appreciate all these writers and artists for their contributions to the greater
library. And I hope that people listen to our sessions and then go out and support these bands, buy their records, go to their shows, so that they can keep making these songs that we love.

REAX:  What is your reaction when people compare what your doing to the legendary John Peel sessions?
SM:  It's flattering and a little daunting. Having read up more on Mr. Peel since those comparisons started happening, we've realized that we do things quite dissimilar from the way he did them, but the thing that I'm honored to have
compared to him is our love for genuine, true blue music. We're championing the bands we're fond of and we believe in them more than anything – without being swayed into liking anything. We like a band because our heart tells us to, not because a web site did (though I see the irony in being a web site). Though I also see a difference in that we present bands that we like, but rarely if ever do I tell bands that anyone is the new cool or that they just HAVE to like someone; I consider Daytrotter to be a fair and level platform where we present and then let you go for it.

REAX:  What are your favorite sessons you have recorded so far?
SM:  I really would have to give you a list of 250 or so, but I'll say the two
Delta Spirit sessions because I perform bottle-banging and singing in them,
Will Oldham and then all of the encore sessions because we have so much more
fun the second time around.

REAX:  Daytrotter has such a positive impact on the bands that stop in.  What's your personal, most rewarding experience that you've had making this happen?
SM:  We've just made so many damn friends in these bands – real friendships – and I think most everyone who comes in contact with us and the site understands, and can really grasp, that we're doing it for the right reasons: for others. And maybe that's a lost notion these days: the thought of not doing something for greed. Doing something for others out of the goodness of your heart because you believe in it and in them so much. I think people see that we're going out of our way to make something special and it feels good – all of it.

REAX:  Who's an artist you wish to come through in the future?
SM:  Willie Nelson, more than anything. And Neil Young, about the same amount of more-than-anything.

REAX:  What are some projects you have coming up that your excited about?
SM:  Well, we’re partnering up with some really tremendous people – the people who run Wolfgang's Vault (www.wolfgangsvault.com) – and they're going to make it possible for us to do some really dope things that we couldn't do before.  We're trying to buy an old theater on the same block as our studio. We're working on getting a weekly radio show on NPR and we'll be teasing people with live webcam video shooting onto the site at random times when we have people in for recordings. It's going to be fun.

daytrotter.com

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