Josh: Going to Australia was amazing. The people there were quality and they were huge music fans.
Jason: For me the best shows have an energy transfer between the musicians and the folks watching the show. We definitely feed off the crowd energy (as I am sure they feed off ours). Festivals provide opportunities to play in front of a larger audience, which if it is a good show can be extremely rewarding to connect with that many people. However, it can be more challenging at some festivals because of the short set times and lack of appropriate time for a proper sound check to settle into a relaxed groove. It usually takes 2-3 songs to dial things in, and by that time your set may be half over. I prefer festivals or shows that allow for 90 minute-2 hour sets. This gives us plenty of time to stretch stuff out (without worrying about time constraints) and really take in the moment. What I love most about festivals is not necessarily our set, but the opportunity to watch and play with all the other musicians out there. There are so many rooms and festivals I love playing at, but I have a special fondness for the 4 Peaks Music Festival!
Now that PMW has consistently travelled across the country, how do feel about your home base of Northern California? All things being even, do you think PMW would have the same type of success if you were based out of the northeast, southeast or Austin, TX?
Eli: Northern California has been really good to us. We are excited to see our fan base grow here, and it really feels like this year something is starting to happen. Whether playing internationally, or across the US, there has been a great response to PMW. Our CD Darkside of the Moonshine was the 4th highest selling CD at the Bluesfest in Australia. When you look at the line up and see artists like Jack Johnson, John Butler, The Fray, Avett Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Jeff Beck, Galactic, Crowded House, etc, it is very exciting to think that Poor Man’s Whiskey had such a strong showing there. We are really humbled by, and grateful for, the successes we have had this year.
I think PMW would be received in a similar fashion to how we are here in Nor Cal because people respond to something genuine. We don’t claim to be the best at what we do, but we play with a lot of heart, love doing what we do, and try to make it fun for everyone. At the end of the day, I think a lot of people can relate to that.
Jason: I love playing out of Northern California. There are some areas that I feel “get us”, and other areas I feel like a fish out of water when we are there. It seems like we are gaining momentum in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. I can see the numbers increasing at each show. The only problem is there is much driving between major venues out here on the west. I think touring the East Coast is in our near future, and may be easier to commute between shows…. but there is no place like home!
PMW started out 10 years ago as a “nearly rippin’ bluegrass band” and has since moved to the electric jamband world. One of the things I appreciate about PMW is your incorporating both into your shows. When preparing a setlist, it is a conscious decision to include a wide range of music into every show?
Eli: The real roots of Poor Man’s Whiskey go back to UC Santa Barbara, when we were a full blown electric rock jamband under and handful of different names. Jason, Josh and I all met in Santa Barbara, and we all came into our own playing music together there. After going our separate ways after college, Jason and Josh reconnected years later and formed Poor Man’s Whiskey as a vehicle to play bluegrass music. I came aboard a few years later, and after several more years of doing mainly string band music, we decided to reintegrate our electric jamband roots. Our sound now is more a reflection of us being honest about the different styles of music we are inspired by, and have played together over the last 15 years. We have reached a point where we really love the old-timey, bluegrass material, and the electric improved based music too. I think the heart of the PMW sound is in the cross pollination of those two musical bookends.
When we make a setlist, we want there to be a good flow for the fans. There is a lot of intention behind the songs we choose, because we want those who come to the show feel like they have been taken on a fantastic adventure of the senses. For us a good set has ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys, and some unexpected turns. It is our hope that we can proved a genuine experience for anyone who comes to see us perform.
Jason: There is definitely a conscious decision to include a wide range of music. I think there is a balance that we try to toe the line to that has enough down home old time/bluegrass tunes while still having some other more “electric” and jamming tonalities to it. We at times have had sets that was either “too jammy” or could have had more depending on the crowd. We just try to figure it out the best we can for that particular crowd and our own mood that particular night. I like the variety in our sound…keeps it interesting.
In addition to Old and in the Way and Pink Floyd, PMW has covered a diverse set of artists ranging from Guns and Roses to Men at Work. Who’s picking the covers? Or are they born out of practice jams?
Eli: We all contribute when it comes to suggesting a potential cover. Most of the time, the ideas come from us thinking about how to make a particular set more connected to the theme or premise behind the show. An example would be playing Tom Petty’s “American Girl” at the High Sierra Music Festival this year. Since we were playing on the 4th of July, I thought that would be a great idea to close the set with a song that celebrated being an American. We played around with several arrangements until we found one that felt like a good fit. When choosing a cover, it is very important to us to make the tune our own. We call it ‘Whiskifiying’ a song. Bluegrass and rock music are very similar in their form, which makes covering rock songs on bluegrass instruments so much fun.
Jason: We all have such different tastes, so usually it takes one person who is particularly excited about covering a song to convince the rest of the band to do it. I think Josh thought I was mad crazy when I suggested doing “Dark Side”, but I was pretty gung ho. Recently Eli wanted to do a special 4th of July tune at High Sierra and suggested “American Girl”. I was very reluctant but he had enough enthusiasm to punch it through. Now it’s one of my favorites.
On Friday, November 12th, PMW will be recording a live CD at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA. What special treats do you have planned for your fans? Why did you decide to record a live CD?
Eli: It is hard to capture that live energy in a studio, so we wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to do so with this record. I am really looking forward to this, as it will be a first for PMW. We will be inviting some great musician friends of ours to join us on stage, but I will leave who those folks are a surprise. I am hoping the night will like a musical polaroid snapshot of a really fun moment in time, and I love the fact that hat all our friends can come be a part of it with us. We are also very happy to be doing this at the Mystic theatre, which feels like home to us.
Jason: Our special treat is we are going to play our hearts out! I think we want to capture our best musical performance, so we will probably minimize any themes or costumes and just put on the best musical show we can. We will have a few musical special guests. Come on out to find out who!
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