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| 10/7/2009 5:43:00 PM Email this article • Print this article |
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Perfect From Now On: Boise, Idaho quintet Built to Spill plays the State Theatre this Thursday, Oct. 8. (Image provided) |
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Built to Spill to perform at State Theatre
One of the hardest working bands around, seminal Pacific Northwest indie rock band Built To Spill celebrates the release of their seventh album, the majestic and wonderful ‘There is No Enemy’
Lisa Mance
In the year 2009, the 1990s are enjoying quite a renaissance. Cult 90s-era bands like Jawbox and the Jesus Lizard are getting the reissue treatment, while Shudder to Think are due to release their first live album in over 15 years. Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr. all released three of the best albums of the year, and the Flaming Lips curated this year's ATP New York music festival. And now Built to Spill, the Pacific Northwest's venerable indie rock legends, are joining the fun with this week's release of There is No Enemy, their finest album in years, and one of the best releases of 2009.
Founded by frontman Doug Martsch in 1992, the Boise, Idaho-based band released two seminal albums in the mid-90s, the back-to-back sonic bliss of Perfect From Now On and Keep It Like a Secret, both watershed works for a then-nascent indie rock scene. Today, modern rock powerhouses like Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie enjoy huge commercial success; both are hugely indebted to Built to Spill's trademark aesthetic - yearning, plaintive vocals and glittering pop melodies that push against its own guitar-based rock parameters.
In the last decade, Built to Spill marched steadily on, releasing two solid offerings - Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001) and You in Reverse (2006) - and headlining prestigious festivals like Pitchfork Music Festival, Siren Music Festival and All Tomorrow's Parties.
Three and a half years in the making, There is No Enemy, their seventh full-length album and fifth for Warner Bros. Records, is no exception to their even-keeled standard of excellence. There is No Enemy is their most holistic, balanced album in years, delving enthusiastically into sprawling guitar jams and sublimely sweet pop songs alike.
The Ithaca Times recently spoke with Martsch, who remained characteristically modest and cheerful throughout. He talked passionately about his love for reggae, playing live and reinventing his own works.
Ithaca Times: So, what can we expect for your DJ set after the show?
Doug Martsch: I'm not sure yet - usually I just play whatever I feel like at the time. Usually old soul and reggae music. If people are dancing, I'll try to play hits. I barely even "DJ." (Laughs) There's no mixing. Sometimes there's dead air. Sometimes our sound guy helps out, and his trademark is to play a song again after it's already been played earlier in the night. And it's not on purpose.
IT: Like an encore?
Martsch: More like a rerun. (Laughs) But I have such a finite amount of music, because I'm really kind of picky with the things that I like. You know, for people to dance, for people to really enjoy it, there has to be a familiar number of songs. You can hear "great' music but if you want people to dance and have a good time, it's nice to play something that they really love.
IT: Kind of like a wedding DJ.
Martsch: (Laughs) Sure, I play some things that are totally played at weddings, like Motown. Beautiful, great music that transcends it all. Most of that stuff I play are songs I liked growing up.
IT: Is that also the case for reggae?
Martsch: When I was growing up I did not like reggae at all. The only reggae that I dealt with was, like, what white people made. And it was horrible. I grew up on the radio, listening to top 40. It was good when I was a kid, but by the time I was in high school, radio was not good anymore.
I was maybe 30 years old when I finally heard some stuff that really made sense to me, and I started to love it, like Lee Perry or King Tubby. That was kind of how it started, with dub. And then I got into rocksteady and that's where my heart mostly is, as well as roots reggae - basically 60s and 70s soul music.
IT: The idea that reggae was more than just music, but also a lifestyle that encompasses many things - does that appeal to you, too?
Martsch: Music is always about more than just the "sound' of it. The context always effects how it hits my ears. I'm not necessarily into Rastafarianism but I appreciate it and how it comes from oppression. I like a lot of the politics in reggae music - [reggae] certainly seems like the most affective music for addressing politics.
I just love the sound of almost all of it. It was recorded really neatly, and with really great players. It's not like music today. I wouldn't have stood a chance in Jamaica. I don't play well enough. (Laughs)
IT: Do your diverse stylistic tastes play a part when you're songwriting?
Martsch: Yes, definitely. I'm definitely informed by reggae and soul music. It's a difficult thing to apply... it's more subtle things. But it finds its way into what I do.
IT: You're about to embark on a massive tour. Is touring an aspect of being in Built to Spill that has gotten easier?
Martsch: You know, it's actually pretty good right now. I think that the older I get, the more I am able to appreciate being able to do this, because I never really thought that I would be able to do it. It took me a long time to accept it. I think that I'm alright at what I do, that I've managed to convince people that I have something going on. (Laughs)
IT: Talk about an understatement.
Martsch: I mean, I'm definitely really lucky. I've always been proud of what I've done, but I never thought I would make a living out of it. We tour in a bus, our second tour ever in a bus! Moved up from the van. Living the good life.
IT: Is that upgrade pretty drastic?
Martsch; Oh, yes, with a bus it's like you can wake up in the town you're going to play, and then have the whole day. The van is fine, but it's nonstop busyness. Getting to the van, loading in, soundcheck, finding time to eat something, maybe, checking into the hotel - all of those things can take hours. And then you get up and do it again.
IT: This is your first time touring the new album. At what point did you realize that Built to Spill was predominantly playing these kind of State Theater-esque venues?
Martsch: Well, it's a mixed bag, you know. One night it could be a beautiful theater, and the next night it's a giant box of a warehouse that sounds horrible. Sometimes we play pretty small rock clubs that barely have a stage at all, like a punk rock show or something. It differs very widely. That's a huge part of how we play - we don't have the same show every night.
IT: So the venue can affect the performance?
Martsch: Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's not; sometimes it depends on the sound and the stage. It can be really tough to work really hard and it still doesn't sound good. You're still going through the motions. You still try to keep push it, and it can become like overcompensating, pushing for the sound not to be sh--ty... I try not to think about it, and just keep working. Sometimes it's an uphill battle, but if it sounds great, it's the most wonderful feeling.
IT: How important is audience reaction?
Martsch: You have to be careful with that stuff. There are a lot of times where the crowd won't seem into it, like they're not moving around or making noise in between the songs, and I mistake that for not liking it. And that's almost never the case. Even if we're playing horribly, there's still something that someone will get out of it. (Laughs) The crowd is what makes everything fun. Soundchecks are not fun. We want to be done with it! Songs aren't fun to sing unless you're in front of people.
IT: Even recording?
Martsch: Recording is not fun. Rehearsing is not fun. Writing songs is fun. Playing for people is fun! I can only speak for myself, of course. (Laughs)
IT: Do you still find room for improvisation in a live setting?
Martsch: That's something that's sort of changed for me. To me, we don't really "jam' as much as we used to. But within the course of a regular song, I still feel like there's much more subtle improvising going on, even if it's the kind of thing where you're playing the same chords and the same part that you've always played, but you give it a little twist. The rhythm is slightly different, or you hit it harder. Subtle things like hitting it just before or just after the beat. That's the most fun aspect of playing our songs, for sure.
IT: Do you get a sense that a song you wroteis never really finished? That it can always be tinkered or played around with?
Martsch: That's exactly right. A song is never done. It's never like, "Gosh, I'm playing this song again." (Said in bored voice) It's more like, yes! Here's this chance to make this song different! To really see what it can do.
Built to Spill will perform at the State Theatre this Thursday, Oct. 8. The show begins at 8pm. The afterparty will be held at the WildFire Bistro at 11pm.
For the full interview with Doug Martsch, visit our arts blog, Popcorn Youth (www.ithacatimesartsblog.com).
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