FS: I am sure you are getting this question all
the time, but can you fill us in with any information on
the upcoming release?
PH:
It's called BRIGHTER THAN CREATION'S DARK.
19 songs. Everyone came in with a ton of
songs and ideas and we just started rolling
tape and it happened totally organically
and naturally. No fights, not really even
any discussion, everyone just kind of knew
what needed doing and where to take it. Before
we knew it we had a little over 20 songs
in their basic form. then we weeded out a
couple and finished the rest. We didn't initially
plan to put everything on the album, but
there wasn't any kind of filler at all and
every song seemed to be a part of a bigger
piece. It flows together really well and
cohesively even though stylistically it is
all over the map and more eclectic than anything
we've ever done. If it can be that divergent
and still flow so well it must be OK. It's
definitely all of our favorite we've ever
done.
FS: How
do you think this new release
differs from A Blessing
and A Curse?
PH: It could be called it's
polar opposite. If that album was an attempt
to boil down all the things we do into one
thing, this one is EVERYTHING we do, done as
well as we can do it. It's flows more like
a movie than an album, with a definite arc,
climaxes and ending. There's even an implied
story, although it's certainly not intentional
or literal.
FS: With the departure of
Jason, what can we expect from DBT next time
around and do you see the band taking on
any new directions with songwriting duties.
PH: By the time we made Blessing,
there was a definite case of Jason pulling
one way and the rest of us pulling in another
direction. Blessing was our attempt at finding
that middle ground we could all work within.
There was a lot of compromise and some of them
felt a little compromised in the end. This
time there were no compromises in any form.
I don't mean that as a negative towards Jason
or even for the directions he was pursuing,
as an artist has to follow that voice in their
head, but... it's really nice when all the
voices are saying compatible things.
FS: I know you had mentioned
(in a previous interview) that Shonna might
be on board with some writing this time around
as well.
PH: She has written and recorded
3 incredible songs on this album. Her singing
is great too. She is a major player on this
album, as she sings a lot of harmony vocals
on mine and Cooley's songs too. Watching her
blossom artistically was in itself very inspiring
to us while making this album. She came in
with two songs she had written the week before
we began recording and stayed at the studio
on a dinner break and wrote the third one there
and then. We recorded that one the night she
wrote it.
FS: DBT sold 10,000 copies
of Southern Rock Opera independently
without distribution when it was first self-released,
do you have or Cooley have plans to release
and live show, solo projects and/or any other
material (for example Alabama Ass Whuppin)?
PH: This was supposed to
be the year for a lot of that stuff, but I
guess it wasn't meant to be (for now). This
album happened like a pregnancy and we chose
to keep it. I've always preached that solo
stuff came second and this time I had to put
my money where my mouth was. We're committed
to working this album to our fullest ability
but after that... I would love to put out a
definitive live album as well as a reissue
of the old one. (Want to put a new one out
first) maybe something from different eras,
as I'm really proud of all our various incarnations,
although the newest one is my favorite. I also
plan to definitely release MURDERING OSCAR (and
other love songs) which is my second solo album.
It's been finished for some time and I'm really
proud of it. Fortunately, it's not very trendy
or anything, so it's aging really well. It
might be more timely by the time it comes out
than it was when I made it.
FS: Where do you find your
inspiration for your lyrics?
PH: The best ones find me.
Sometimes it's something on the news, but it's
usually involves some personal connection (however
vague). After Decoration Day, I went
through a real slow down in my writing. I had
always been really prolific and all of a sudden
they started coming really slowly. At first
I was OK with it, as the quality was still
there and Lord knows I'd written a lifetime's
worth of song anyway so I didn't sweat it.
But after a few years, I noticed that writing
a song was really draining me and I started
going a little crazy. I still can't explain
it, except maybe I was just so burned out and
worn out that my brain was exhausted, we've
really pushed ourselves hard for a lot of years
now and it adds up after a while. this album
broke that in a big way though, as all of a
sudden I was writing tons of new songs and
the more I wrote, the easier it became to get
them out. Cooley on the other hand had never
been prolific, he was more of a 1-2 song a
year guy, but he came into this album with
about 9 new songs and 7 got recorded and made
the album. He is writing, playing and singing
better than I've ever seen in 22 years of playing
together.
A family from Madison actually
inspired one of the new songs. They were the
family of an Iraqi War vet who was killed the
week he was supposed to return home. He had
been a big fan and his family reached out to
us a couple of years ago when we were about
to play in Milwaukee. The song isn't literal
or anything, but meeting his family definitely
moved all of us and led to me writing that
song (The Home Front).
FS: What is on Patterson Hood's reading /music list lately?
PH: Been reading Robert Caro's
multi volume Lyndon Johnson bio series (thousands
of pages and exhausting but brilliant). Been
reading a lot of Philip Roth, although I still
haven't started the new one. Finally read Robert
Gordon's "It Came From Memphis" and
read a Big Star bio. Right now I'm
finally getting around to reading 100 Years
of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Listening to Art in Manila's new album, the
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation reissue
(on vinyl) and loving the new Bruce Springsteen,
best in 25 years.
FS: As and artist and an
exceptional song writer, you will typically
find some crossover into other forms of media,
do you possess any interests in film, painting,
etc??
PH: I love photography, although
I'm mediocre at it. I'm an aspiring filmmaker
but that's still a few years away due to how
busy I am. I'm writing a couple of screenplays
and plan to eventually make them. I'm afraid
I can't paint at all.
FS: What are your expectations
of the audience after they walk away from
a DBT show this time around?
PH: That they will be
as exhausted as us after the show.
FS: Patterson,
Thank you for your time. I look
forward to the show and having
you back back
in Madison, please don't make
us wait so long next time.
PH:
DEAL!
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