RR: We’ve just touched upon the democratic process of song collaboration, so I have to ask about the recent Get Out the Vote Rally event in South Norwalk, Connecticut, which featured Guest of Honor, Bill Clinton. What was it like to play in an environment like that?
RG: It was really cool. You know, I kind of went on a whim, and it was a last minute thing. I was more going out of curiosity to see what the whole thing was about, but it was a trip to stand up on stage in front of a couple hundred people in a gym, most of whom had no idea who I was, with a guitar and a mike and sing a couple of songs. It was a real buzz, actually, because I was talking about that bubble of attention and expectation, and they came to see somebody speak. Their expectation level was that they would, in fact, be standing in a gym, listening to someone orate. So, I was ahead of the curve in some ways with a guitar and a song, and it just reminded me why I started playing guitar in the first place, which was to see people’s faces transform and their body language reflected back to you and how your song was playing on them. It’s drug-like. It’s funny that it was so potent, and that I was so struck by it in that environment, but I really was.
RR: What else keeps you revitalized as a musician?
RG: There’s a whole litany of little (laughs) artistically nutritional moments, that range from something that I just described to a good performance at your average venue and a great vibe in the room to a fan writing a note—be it through Facebook or e-mail—saying what this song, this music has meant to them to meeting fans in odd places to marquee performances at special places like having the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in the last few years, or Bonnaroo, so there’s all these little moments of affirmation. Mostly, it comes from feedback—either literal or otherwise from fans. The last record, itself, Some Assembly Required had an effect in some ways just because it was a sign of endorsement from a lot of musicians who I really respect and admire.
RR: The new live album, Found Sound —songs from the 12/31/07 gig at the Colonial Theatre in New Hampshire—was not being recorded to your knowledge, correct?
RG: (laughs) Yeah. You know, we’ve had other live recordings, most notably The Honest Hour, which had lots of planning and preparation and pre-production. This was just on a whim that [Jack Trifiro, sound engineer] decided to record it. I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen in the next few years. First of all, it was just cool to go back and hear a recording that was recorded in somewhat of a pristine way. It was a performance that I didn’t particularly closely remember as good or bad. But in listening back to it, we felt really good about it, and we thought it would be cool to release something that was unfiltered. I guess the only filter being that the show was probably two and half hours or more, and you can only fit 70 minutes or so on a disc, but what’s cool about it is I spent a lot of time working on songcraft and telling the story, whether it was through the performances or through interviews about songwriting, and I’m proud of the songs that are on there, and I think they stand as songs, but what is cool about this as an official release for us is that it’s got a couple of songs that are really wham bam jammers. It really features Adam Terrell’s guitar playing, and the band’s ability to play as an ensemble and to improvise.
I’ve never had an issue with being lumped into the jambands bucket. But I think what comes with that is the assumption that either it’s all about the jam or at least you can jam. We’ve spent so much time focusing on the songwriting element of it, that it is almost second nature, but in some ways, also, just a release to say, “O.K., here’s a quote/unquote album that’s just us playing.”
RR: Let’s talk about some of the material on Found Sound which has been played live, but never been recorded for a studio album.
RG: There are three songs that haven’t been on any of the albums that I’ve been a part of, either in Strangefolk or Assembly of Dust—“Feline Disguise,” “Long Dead,” and “Songbeard.” I don’t really remember where or when or why I wrote “Feline Disguise.” (laughter) It’s been in our repertoire, and it’s just never found its way to a record. That is really the case for all three. Although, “Songbeard” has been around for a long time. I played that with Strangefolk, as well. That really is a live song. It’s a wanky song. It never felt concise enough to merit putting it on a studio album. [ Found Sound ] is a perfect place for that one. The other two [“Feline Disguise” and “Long Dead”]—I still would consider doing studio versions at some point, but I was happy with the versions from the show, and felt that there was something refreshing about having new material on the record, even though it won’t be new for the diehard fan. But for the bulk of people listening to this record, they will be.
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