In your blog you’ve described playing keys on a number of classic alternative songs in mid-80s cover bands. To my mind, “She” has a bit of that early New Order vibe.
I like that, that’s the best comment I’ve heard on that one. It’s definitely the poppy song on the album. Coldplay-ish but Beck-ish at the beginning. It’s funny because in one of my first bands, Black Friday, we were trying to be more like Joy Division, the early version of New Order. We did a lot of Joy Division and we were into that punky thing.
Speaking of Black Friday, you appear on their latest disc, the group’s first in about a dozen years.
It was great. I want to do more like that with others bands. They sent me the tracks and I sat in my basement and played keyboards all over it. I had so much fun, sent it all back and said, “You can decide what you like. Here’s what I was inspired to play on it and you can decide what’s cool or not.” It was a really fun process. And of course knowing how they play it made sense for me. I hope to do more stuff with them again soon.
Had you interacted them much since you left for Colorado?
No really. A few years ago, I did an NPR performance at my old university [Towson University]. I did an acoustic piano thing with David Gans and then that night Black Friday did a reunion and we played in Towson.
Back to the album, “All I Need” is a song you composed with your band. It sounds to me a bit like a Remain In Light era Talking Heads track. Did that come out of working with the members of your band on the Motet’s Talking Heads shows?
Maybe but I see it as more of a Fela [Kuti] type groove. We were in the studio and I wanted to put a bouncy number on the CD, something in 6/8 or 3/4, so I said, “Let’s just groove in something on 3.” Dave [Watts] and Garrett [Sayers] started making the groove and I took it home and added my little kid’s xylophone on there playing a melody. Then I wrote lyrics over it about 6 weeks later.
That’s actually the most fun for me. I wish String Cheese could do that as far as album-making, just write grooves. I know the Heads did that. Then you let it sit with you for a while, come up with melody and cut and paste how you want it later.
I’d like to come back and talk about String Cheese in a minute but first, in terms of your current band, what can people expect when they see you play? On your site you have a video where you play the Talking Heads’ “Naïve Melody.”
Playing with such amazing musicians, the sky’s the limit. We have our core songs from the CD and then we have a few fun covers like “Kodachrome,” the Paul Simon tune or “Solsbury Hill.” We change it up ever tour we do, it’s based on who I’m playing with. I did some Fela tunes last tour because it was an Afrobeat band. I’m super excited about this band though. It’s going to be a growing project for me and we’re still just getting our legs figuring out what we’re all about.
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