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Artist: Weinland
Track: God Here I Come
This track is available on 
When I interview an artist, I always ask six questions. In every artist feature, like this one, I always include five of those. I don’t edit these interviews (the way someone writes — grammar, syntax, et al. — can reveal as much as what he’s written,) so that one dropped question is the only editorial control I allow to weed out the duds (and I ask plenty.)
My questions can miss their mark for two primary reasons. First, unlike the usual music and art interviews, they’re rarely about music or art, so they can catch the asked off-guard. Second, they can be so open-ended that they may appear unapproachable. Together, these qualities can make my queries just sound dumb, like the one I dropped from this feature: “Life-altering experience. What comes to mind?”
The first thing that comes to mind is the similarity between this question and the questions on my college application. Anyway, I’m on a health cleanse right now and I haven’t ate, drank, or anything else in almost 6 days so all I can think about is tacos. I can’t really think about anything complicated… tacos.
My dad used to say, “Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.” Looks like Weinland’s founding member, John Adam Weinland Shearer, just proved him wrong.
Who is John Adam Weinland Shearer?
A man for his place and time. I wouldn’t say hero, cause what’s a hero.
Who are Weinland?
A band to watch, proven to deserve your attention.
Why do you create?
We create because we’re drawn to create; like a mime to the ill at ease.
“God” begins both the song and its title. What is faith to you?
Two nights ago we played a bar in Salem, OR. When we were about to go on we noticed two ministers in full garb sitting at a table in the back. We played “All To Yourself” first and the crowd was receptive. Then we played (after announcing the title) “The Devil in Me”, and the general crowd was receptive. Then we announced our third song, “God Here I Come”. The two ministers rose from their table and exited the building. Faith demonstrates its significance in the lives of a lot of people (one way or another), and clearly the discussion, question, or embrace of it is frightening to many… including to those who dress in the uniform of experts.
Julie My Love and I are planning to leave L.A. this year. Vancouver (British Columbia), San Francisco, and Portland are top candidates for our new hometown. As a Portland native, would you recommend your city or not? Why?
I’m actually a Montana native, relocated to Portland in 1997. I recommend Portland to you if you enjoy a comfortable and unpretentious city. It is an amazing community, particularly for musicians and fans, as this is the place where the line between rock stars and rock fans is thin and at times not present. I think lots of people move here to be normal. Our last home show was a secret show (prior to tour) at a dive bar here in Portland; the guitar player for REM (Scott), the drummer for the Decemberists (John) and the bass player for the Thermals (don’t know him) were all in the audience drinking and having a good time. They enjoyed themselves without the pressure of their success… to my knowledge anyway. That’s a good city.
If I were to click on just one of your link page friends, whom would you recommend? Why?
Click on Norfolk and Western: They are the gateway drug to Portland indie-folk-chamber-pop-music galore.
My thanks to Weinland for sharing their art. Please visit weinlandmusic.com for more.
Artist: James McMurtry
Track: Cheney’s Toy
This track is available on
War breeds art. Goya’s The Third of May 1808 and Picasso’s Guernicaho are vivid examples from centuries past.
Just before I was born, it was the work of musicians, including Buffalo Springfield, Edwin Starr, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and John Lennon that left a lasting artistic reaction to the Vietnam War.
For today’s quagmire, we have our own playlist. I’ve added two more tracks to my iPod this month: Kalashnikov’s George Bush Bin Laden One Love One Family and Cheney’s Toy by James McMurtry.
Who is James McMurtry?
The next big thing.
Why do you create?
It’s in my job description.
You are a Texas native speaking out against a Texan president’s war. How do your Lone Star listeners react to your message?
When I first recorded We Can’t Make It Here, in 2004, I ran straight down to KGSR in Austin and the morning DJ spun it during drive time. I had hostile emails on my website before I even got home. I’ve played the song at every live show since. Early on I’d get a boo now and then, not anymore.
Your father is a novelist, your mother is an English professor, and you studied English at university. What does the addition of music allow you to express that words alone do not?
If you’re good at your craft, you can probably express anything through any medium. For me, music is more fun than words. Rarely will a pretty woman dance to an essay.
Cheney’s Toy is available for free on your MySpace page, and you encourage others to create user-generated content with it. Does online activism against the Iraq War have more or less impact on our nation’s political process than the real world protests against the Vietnam War during the late ’60s and early ’70s? Why?
Online activism doesn’t seem to be stopping this war. I don’t know that those “real world” protests had that much of an effect either. Vietnam didn’t stop because Abby Hoffman and his generation wanted it to, it stopped because Walter Cronkite and his generation finally wanted it to. This war will be much harder to end.
My thanks to James for sharing his art. Please visit jamesmcmurtry.com for more.
Artist: Willoughby
Track: Story
This track is available on
“Thank you for the current sound track to my life…” read one recent comment on Willoughby’s MySpace page. That fan and I seem to be whistling the same tune, because I thought Story was all about my life.
Why doesn’t Story
Ever get it together?
You gotta have a plan.He’s been waiting
Such a long, long time.
We hope he’s gonna
get it together.Just looking for a piece of mind.
We hope it’s gonna work out fine.
Know it’s gonna work out fine.
So I’m Story, and Willoughby is Gus Seyffert. This guy’s already gotten into my head, so now I want to take a look in his.
Who is Gus Seyffert/Willoughby?
my full name is William Gustavus Seyffert, but everyone just calls me Gus, or some version on Gus. Willoughby is me giving a shot at writing and recording some of my own music. i have a long list of friend’s that co-write, perform, record, and help give me advice to make good music.
Why do you create?
it’s the only thing i can do besides drive a cab or join the army .and, i enjoy it very much.
Airplanes are a recurrent theme in the visual identity of Willoughby. Why?
I was trying to think of images of what my music should sound like and I am a fan of old trains, cars and planes. There is a Twilight Zone episode called “A Stop At Willoughby” that tells the story of a man who dreams of this old time town “Willoughby” while on his daily commute on a train. I also thought about old spy movies and car chases. My grandfather was a pilot and a photographer so I have a lot of old pictures of planes he flew.
You studied music at California Institute of the Arts. How has a formal education in the arts influenced your creative voice?
I was studying jazz - upright bass - at cal arts. And though i really like the school, the music happening in the jazz and music school was pretty geeky. It was very mathy and modern. As a jazz musician from Kansas City i was trying to play more traditional swing, play simple melodies and groove hard. Like at most music schools, a lot of the students were trying to play as fast and in as many different time signatures as possible. Although i did learn alot of music theory, i have never been good at anything academic. However, when i became frustrated with the jazz there, the staff was very encouraging to have me experament with writing and playing different styles of music. I was able to study voice, guitar, and harmony which all helped me to start writing and singing my tunes (and let me say, it wasn’t pretty at the begining). I soon learned that the best music at cal art’s (in my opinion) was coming from the visual art program. i dropped out and found myself in the silverlake music scene soon after that.
If I were to click on just one of your MySpace friends, who would you suggest, and why?
It would be Jake Blanton. He and i met in 6th grade at an Arts Magnet “Kansas City Middle school of the arts”. He was the only other kid there who knew who the beatles were. we became BFF’s soon after. Jake was some kind of protege. He could play any instrument better than anyone we knew at the time. I’m very competitive and tried to do the same. We started our first band “Earth’s Core” and also played alot with Jake’s dad Jim Blanton in an acoustic trio playing bluegrass, oldies and some original songs with lots of harmonies. I felt we were on to somthing and could perhaps be the next Hanson, but Jake took to jazz and i soon followed. we both came full circle and he has a band “Slow Bro’s” and still plays jazz around Kansas City.
My thanks to Gus for sharing his art. Please visit myspace.com/willoughby for more.
Artist: Steel Train
Track: I Feel Weird
This track is available on
[Interview with Steel Train's lead vocalist and songwriter, Jack Antonoff.]
Who are Steel Train?
Steel Train is a band in every sense the we think a band should be. We are best friends. We started this band to make music with each other. It felt great so we decided to make it our lives. Whenever people ask us who we are I always want to ask them what they think we are. I know thats incredibly cheesy, but its true. Our band is defined by the people who listen to us and projest their feelings on our music and us. Its always been more important to me to find out what a song means to me personally, not what its really about to the artist. I hope people who listen find that in our music more than thinking about what we thought of it or why it was written. Those are the bands that mean the most to me, and thats WHO we hope we are.
Why do you create?
Its just what i do. Its just as important to me as anything. Id really have no life if i didnt. The music i make completely defines me and I put everything into it. Ive never been able to be one of those song writters who only put certain things out there and has a whole personal life unkown to listerners. When im working on music its the only place in my life where i feel completely at home. Its the only time when i dont feel a little uncomftorble for some reason. I think everyone wakes up with a strange sick feeling inside them that they cant define. You get out of bed and try to shake it off by doing things you love. Its amazing to me how i feel when im making music. That feeling has never been present anywhere else. Even the greatest joys. The world is a very uncomftorble place and everyone needs a different place that they create to live in a little bit everyday. Otherwise you go crazy and hate everything. I do it cause i have to, like everyone else.
I Feel Weird alludes to 9/11 in its opening lines: “When i was eighteen everything was alive / Then the planes hit the towers / Then she died and he died.” How has life in the Age of Terrorism influenced you as an artist?
9/11 changed everything for me. There is a lot of talk about it in the record, and that has more to do with life after 9/11 then the event itself. For me, 9/11 was a major moment when everything changed in my life. Before then I had things pretty easy, nothing major had happened to me, I was in love ETC… I was in school in NYC on 9/11 and Scott and I watched the towers burn and fall the that day. I remember feeling bizzarre, like nothing would be the same. A few months later my sister died, and right after that my cousin was killed in Iraq, and on the midst of that I fell out of a long term relationship. My life now feels like its all aftermath. For me 9/11 was the begining of everything falling apart. To this day I have to work very hard to not feel terror, I believe Many people do. Although I link 9/11 to all those other things that happened to me, I think many people do see it the way I do. As the end of one time period and the begining of th next. Its a time period we have to be very strong to work through.
In an online interview with Absolute Punk, you summed up the previous phase of your life with this:
The concept of depression is so enraging. You spend all this time feeling awful, and then you spend even more time dwelling on the fact that you feel awful, and then you beat yourself up about it more and more to the point were you don’t even know if you are even depressed anymore. And when it’s all over and you look it in the face… You have nothing to show for it.
Can you give a similarly specific summary of the phase of life you’re currently in?
I’m in a much better place now than I was when writting the record. A major part of the lyrics are that frustration about having depression and becoming so angry that you are “someone who is depressed”. Kinda of like when your reality becomes something you once though was out of the question and you hate yourself for becoming ok with it. I think writting the record was the absolute low point. When I finished was the time that I really started to get things back together. I think its because the songs were the only things that came out of all the darkeness that had any value. After the record was done I was able to look at it and see that all those times amounted to something. That was the moment I let myself free. In still there now,, I feel very proud of the music and thankfull to be in a place where I can understand all of it.
Your cousin was killed in the Iraq War. What do you hope America’s foreign policy will be over the next 5 years?
I don’t know. I wish I knew. I wish I had an amazing Idea that I could talk about. But the truth is, when he was killed all the politics fell away for me. When I think about the war, I think about mark. That may sound selfish, but that’s just what its become for me. I pray that someone more understanding of it all will come along and prevent this from ever happening again. In too emotional about it to have an opinion of value. I’m the guy who lost a family member, which basically makes me the guys who thinks bush should be tortured to death. That argument doesnt bring people together always.
If you would like to share your creativity, or you’d like to suggest someone for Required Listening, please send an e-mail to share@yorkrules.com.
Artist: The Hot Toddies
Track: Photosynthesis
This track is available on
Who is Erin Skidmore? Who are The Hot Toddies?
Erin Skidmore (that’s me!) is one of the two singers and guitar players of The Hot Toddies. Heidi and I were in Mexico on a week long vacation in 2004 and we were having fun playing guitar and singing with some musician friends that we were hanging out with. After a few beers someone made the suggestion that we should start a band. I guess we took it to heart ’cause the same day we sat down and wrote “Ocean” and later that week we wrote “Sugar Daddy” - the first and last song on our record. At the time it was just two of us and an acoustic guitar, but we loved singing together so much that we wanted to find a drummer and make it a “real band”. The idea of having an all-girl crew sounded like fun and we convinced our friends Sylvia and Jessica to learn drums and keyboard, respectively. That was when The Hot Toddies popped out of the musical womb of Oakland, CA.
Why do you create?
We like to write songs while we’re really happy, which usually involves sunshine, booze, and an acoustic guitar. Heidi and I had both played in more traditionally serious bands prior to The Hot Toddies and knew from the beginning that this band was going to be FUN more than anything else. We write songs that make us laugh and make people dance and giggle and that’s exactly how we want it. I guess that when it comes down to it, we create because we have a really good time doing it. It’s definitely not for the fame and fortune! Another reason that I love The Hot Toddies, is that I love traveling and meeting new people. Being in a band is an awesome way to do that because you bring something to the situation, something to share with your new acquaintances. And since I’m on the road with my best friends, we always have great time. I would go all over the world with these girls, and maybe one day I will! Getting to travel is a side effect of the creative process I suppose, but it still keeps me wanting to go on.
Your band’s name is doubly apt. A Hot Toddy is an alcoholic cocktail (you girls like to drink,) and you’re hot, or as your MySpace commentors would say, “both WHOAH and AWWWWW”, ” dammmmm!”, and, “giggity giggity FOR SURE!” When you mix a rock group of four vivacious pretty girls with booze, what happens?
Okay, the short answer to this question is FUN. We have a lot of good times together. Compared to the sea of jaded cynicism and emo music that currently abounds, the four of us may seem silly and innocent — if so, I promise that it’s not for lack of depth, but actually concious enjoyment of the present. I’ve noticed alcohol often helps achieve that state of mind. Have you ever noticed that happy drunk people are like kids again? We are pretty goofy on the road and we make each other laugh a lot.
Looking forward, how will you define success? Failure?
I think that success is defined by the impact that a person, a band, or a company has in the world. Money is a nice sideline which you hope is a result of that impact, but it certainly shouldn’t be the end goal in any creative endeavor. In the case of the music business, in the past I think it’s been easier to measure success in relation to money because a band’s impact and $$ were at a fairly equal ratio. However, now we’re at an interesting juncture because of digital sharing methods… for example, I just discovered Bit Torrent downloads — I don’t know if I even used that term correctly, but basically the new free music sharing device. And it’s interesting because tons of people have downloaded our debut album “Smell the Mitten”! I think that it’s great that people are enjoying it, because the album’s impact on people is what really proves its worth. It’s nice to feel like something you worked on is being appreciated. Of course, people have to realize that by not supporting indie bands financially, it makes it hard for us to do things like tour just because we can’t afford it. But if our music affects someone in a good way, I’m happy, I think that is a fundamental success for The Hot Toddies.
What issue is most important to you today, and how should it be addressed?
I recently watched the film “An Inconvenient Truth” for the first time and I really hope that everyone who has not already will rent this film! Irregardless of political party lines, we need to start paying attention to how we take care of the Earth. I think that watching that film could really help to educate people about the issue of global warming. If it was up to me, it would be required viewing in schools and the US government would immediately pass legislation imposing some heavy restrictions, fines, and taxes on people who are heavy contributors to this problem. For example, why can’t we just make Hummers illegal? How are they even remotely justifiable as a vehicle? The Hot Toddies give 8 thumbs down to people who drive Hummers.
If you would like to share your creativity, or you’d like to suggest someone for Required Listening, please send an e-mail to share@yorkrules.com.
Artist: Barton Carroll
Track: Certain Circles
This track is available on
Who is Barton Carroll?
A songwriter and plumber from Seattle.
Why do you create?
For the same reason that most people create: to deny death.
I’ve been hounding my band manager friend to take me on tour for years, so far without luck. You’ve been out on the road before: what do you love about it, and what do you hate?
Playing shows is the best and worst part. When it goes well, you are reminded why you do it. When it doesn’t go well, you want to crawl in a hole and quit forever. And it doesn’t really matter how many people are there. I’ve had great fun playing to five people, and I’ve felt like a nuisance to an audience of 1,000 who could care less who the opener is, they just want to hear the headliner play their radio hit. I know it’s my ego talking, and I’ve been trying to get over it ever since I started playing as a teenager. But it can be really bleak out there, man.
you recorded your previous album in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2005 that a record company released it. How did that extended interval between creation and dissemination of your art effect you?
It was a strange sensation to get out in public and try to “sell” a record that [was] half a decade old. It was as if the songs were written by some other person. It was fun to rediscover some of them (and realize that they weren’t all as bad as I had thought.) But it was also really frustrating to have a new album that I was psyched on but couldn’t share.
If music wasn’t an option, what other art form might you use for creative expression, and what would you do with it?
I studied creative writing in college, and I’ve always been interested in the writing of any art form: music, literature, film, etc. I think that’s why I’m such a fan of lyrics, and I tend to enjoy films that are heavier on the dialogue rather than the action.
So I think I would like to write. But I’m not sure what I would “do” with it. Same as music, I guess… try to figure out what my problem is.
If you would like to share your creativity, or you’d like to suggest someone for Required Listening, please send an e-mail to share@yorkrules.com.
Artist: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Track: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
This artist is available on
I mentioned previously that I’m cutting back from the usual Ten to Try to a more digestible track at a time format. It hasn’t been easy for me to share less great music, but I’m getting there.
With this post, we’re down to featuring just two artists. By my next non-interview Required Listening, I feel confident that I’ll have reached my goal. Until then, enjoy the latest from Nick Cave and Santogold.
Artist: Santogold
Track: L.E.S. Artistes
This track is available on
Artist: Automatic Children
Track: Automatic Children
This track is available on
Kati Rudlova was the first visual artist to ask to share her creativity on yorkrules. Automatic Children are now the first musical artists to proactively put their music in front of the yorkrules audience. Adam Lippman, the group’s founding member and — small world! — an old acquaintance of Friend Charlie, also answered a few of my questions about him and his art. … (read more)
Goodbye, Ten to Try, Required Listening has been reformatted for 2008. Friend Zach previously suggested that one post featuring ten new music tracks each month was too much too infrequently. I agree, and so I’ll now be highlighting individual singles (it sounds redundant, but I don’t think it is?!) throughout the month.
But I couldn’t go the whole nine yards and nix nine entire tracks cold turkey! I’ve just discovered two more songs from last year on someone else’s Best of 2007 compilation that I want you to hear before we listen to what 2008 has got in store for us. First, Mother Mother (I dare you to not move to the beat!)
Artist: Mother Mother
Track: Dirty Town
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Mother Mother’s fellow Vancouverians (or are they Vancouverites?) The New Pornographers are very likely the last artists I will knowingly feature as creators of outstanding music in 2007 (but I’ve included several loopholes in that statement just in case.)
Artist: The New Pornographers
Track: Myriad Harbour
This track is available on
That brings us back to the present, with Vampire Weekend’s Oxford Comma. I actually discovered this on that aforementioned Best of 2007 collection, but the album doesn’t come out until next Tuesday, so it’s close enough for yorkrules.
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Track: Oxford Comma
This artist is available on
Misogyny, along with alcoholism, is part of my inheritance as a Funston Family man, so it’s taken me some time to appreciate women as musical artists on par with men. I still find a great deal girllogical about the ladies, but some of the misses’ music this year was absolutely femme-fabulous.
Here’s what I consider the ten music tracks to definitely try for 2007. Some you’ll recognize as recommendations from earlier this year. Others may be new to you.
Give each song a few listens, and if you like one, click on the icon to the track’s right to buy it on iTunes. You’ll be supporting the artist (and I may earn a few cents with this sinkhole of a blog.)
I’ve noticed, as I’ve shared with you visual artists through Show Us Yours and musical artists through Required Listening, that visual artists tend to be much more expressive in their answers to my questions than musicians. In an initial effort to better balance the responsive … (read more)
I created a new iTunes playlist yesterday that I’ll feature here on Required Listening at the end of the year: Best of 2007. Considering that it’s almost October, you’d think I would’ve done this earlier, but then it didn’t even occur to me until I heard Shine in Exile by … (read more)
I’ve just returned from seeing No End In Sight, yet another documentary detailing the gross incompetence that lead us into the Iraq War, so it seems fitting that we should now be talking about an emblematic battle of the first military quagmire of the last century. That would be … (read more)
If you want a blog that’s all about music, this isn’t the place for you. Sure, I want to share the music I enjoy with a wider audience, but that’s just a pretext for me to learn about the people who make that music (and ask them about things like punctuation and politics.) … (read more)
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