« August 2004 | Main | June 2005 »
February 06, 2005
Wicked Twisted Road - An exclusive interview with Willy Braun
REH: It seems that for Under the Table.... that ALOT of the songs were hashed out on the road and by the time the record came out some of the songs had made it to the party but the confetti was starting to settle...so to speak. Was there, is there, an in –band or management/label decision to hold back (with the exception of Stick Around and Hiram) on the new tunes for the new record so that the longevity and initial newness doesn't wear off as quickly?
WB: We (the band) made a conscious decision to hold out till the record came out to start playing the new stuff for the exact reason you've described above- we wanted the tunes to be fresh both to us and the audience. The exceptions were Hiram , Stick Around, WTR, and a couple others that were already being played before the album was recorded. It's hard to throw a bunch of new songs in to a live show that nobody has heard without losing half of the crowd to the bathroom. Let's face it, most people want to hear the stuff they can sing along with. Once the record comes out, they can. I think that's the best thing about a new batch of songs: the first time you look out at the audience and see people singing along. It makes me feel like we're making progress and you can see the tunes that "the kids" are digging.
REH: Now that the band lineup has been consistent for two back to back studio recordings, and has gelled as a live road band, did things seem to fall into place as far as groove and overall vibe for this record?
WB: Yeah, and it's a good thing too. We went in to the studio pretty unprepared this time. We were touring so heavily that we didn't have much time to hit the rehearsal room, so we ended up arranging about half the songs as we were recording them. If we weren't as comfy as we are playing together, it wouldn't have worked. I turned out to be a cool way of doing an album, but it was a lot more stressful than knowing the songs inside out. I'm not sure we'll do it that way again, unless we have to. The up side is that most of the songs have a real live feel to them and the energy is pretty high as we were scared shitless while recording them! Sixgun would have been a different song had we arranged it prior to entering the studio. We had one take down with this blusey half time feel and Ray had the idea to save my, Cody, and Dave's parts and record a full on rock beat over the top of the existing track. So Jazz and Jam went back in and laid down the rhythm section over our sloppy laid back groove, and it just worked. There is no way in hell that we could have ended up with the groove we got on purpose. Those things just have to happen. That's the best thing about working with Ray - he's fearless when it comes to experimentation.
REH: Was there more of an electricity and a sense of adventure for lack of a better word, with Under the Table and a hope to capture that again OR a "Let's just see what happens" with the WTR sessions?
WB: We just went in trying to top Under The Table - both sonically and musically. I felt the lyrics and songs were stronger this time and the sequence was something we were excited about. I think we just want to keep raising the bar with each record. We don't want to make the same album ten times. Any good band will evolve naturally, and I think that's what we're after here.
REH: Did any chatter concerning the ugly head of "the sophomore curse" for second records with a major label rear itself even though technically this is RK's 5th record?
WB: No. We would have had to have greater success with Under The Table to make that a going concern. Of course, we didn't want to make a lousy record, but it felt a lot more like our fifth record than it did our second. I think the label may have had some concerns, but if they did, they kept it to themselves. I think that’s the best thing about being on Sugar Hill - they let us make the records and pretty much leave it to us until it's done. That’s when they take over.
REH: Did you, Cody, or David, as the resident knob twirlers in the band, get any production credits on this record? Is this solely a Ray Kennedy production or did it get the Twangtrust treatment?
WB: We had a lot to do with the arrangements and production ideas, but at the end of the day, Ray is the pro and did most of the producing. I don't really consider myself a producer as I don't understand how a tape machine works. It might as well be magic as far as I know. When I learn how magnetic particles stuck to tape makes a sound, I'll start calling myself a producer. Cody and Dave have produced a few records in town and know more about it than I do. Cody has always had a lot to do with making sure things are getting placed in the right spot and has a great ear. Dave is pretty tech-minded and will probably be a hell of a producer someday. I'll stick to the old four track for a while.
REH: There was some dalliance on UTTAATS into instruments that aren't used by RK in a live setting (bouzouki, harmonium, piano etc.). Did you, as a bit of an experimenter, consciously write songs that were bigger and fuller as opposed to the guitar/vox treatment of past writing?
WB: Not really. I don't write that way. I can hear the song and have ideas as to what instrumentation will be used but for the most part, those things happen in the studio. Ray's place is like a great big toy box with no lock. If you let us hang there long enough, we'll use every guitar in the joint, so we just have to hear the song and say, "hey, you know what would be cool there? MELLOWTRON!!!"
REH: Any chance we'll see a Steve Earle /Reckless Kelly Crossroads on CMT? It seems like a natural progression since the Warren Zevon/Alejandro Escovedo tribute sessions.
WB: I had the same dream!
REH: Tell us about the new Tele. Rumor has it that it's a Custom Shop deal. Care to share the specs on the WB stage rig? Inquiring geeks like myself wanna know!
WB: I ordered it straight from Fender, and with the exception of the Bigsby, it's a stock ’62 reissue. I had the custom shop slap on the Bigsby and have plans to put some Fralin pickups in it. As far as my stage rig, it's pretty much guitar to tuner to AC-30. I love the way those amps sound and I don't really have much use for pedals. I used to have a flanger in line for "Waitin' on the Blues”, but for one song a night, I don't bring it out much anymore. The Guild has a Baggs LB 6 in it and I run it through a Fishman pre-amp. I try to keep my rig as simple as possible as I don't like to spend much time setting up gear.
REH: Several members of Club Millican have inquired about songs from RK live shows that are crowd pleasers but haven't made it on a studio record - Me and My Baby, Buckaroo, etc. Will we see them down the line?
WB: Perhaps. I have a ton of songs that are unfinished or just waiting for the right album. We had a plethora of slow songs for the last two records, and not wanting to release an album of ballads, some of them have to be cut. The problem is that by the time we get ready to make a new record, I've got a bunch more slow songs to pick from and some of the older ones get cut yet again. The "A & R" department also has something to do with that. (We need more hits!) Buckaroo might end up on a Rock Farmers album if we ever get around to recording one.
REH: How bout the tracks from Live at Stubb's? Will they ever get studio treatment?
WB: I bet we'll record Wild Western someday. As Kip Attaway once told me, "that song has been a hit for thirty years." We actually recorded it for Millican, but it, along with three other songs got cut at the last minute due to lack of energy. I still have those reels, and might see what they sound like now. It's been about eight years since we've heard ‘em. Gotta save something for the anthology!
REH: Some audiophiles have commented on the overall "muddiness" of the recording of The Day. Are there any thoughts of re-recording or re-mastering the disc with David playing the Jon Dee guitar parts?
WB: We have discussed remixing that album. We recorded it at Bismeaux in Austin and were unaware of the bass heavy room. It sounded great in the studio, but after we got it out, I realized it was pretty muddy. If we re-release it once the Valley Entertainment deal runs out, we'd consider remixing it, but would most likely leave the guitar parts alone. I love John Dee!
REH: Does RK have plans to jump on a major tour this year with an established artist such as ZZ Top to increase the overall exposure?
WB: We're trying to do as much of that as possible. We’ll just have to wait and see what comes along. We're doing a lot of ass kissing these days!
REH: Guess it’s time to wrap this up - Any tunes on WTR that you can't wait to play live?
WB: I think "Sixgun" is going to be a blast... and "the kids" are going to love it!
REH: OK WB, time to sneak in a Best of List from 2004:
Best Record: The Great Battle - John Dee
Best Live RK show: BB Reunion, Challis ID. What a blast! (Still hung over!)
Best Book Read: "Baseball, A Literary Anthology." It’s a killer read. I'd like to have baseball year round, but we don't, so reading about it in the off-season is pretty swell.
Best quote by Band member that is fit to print: "It wasn't my fault... the liquors had drunkend me!" - Jimmy Mcfeeley
Best Live Show: Richard Thompson at 12th and Porter in Nashville. I still have goose bumps.
Best advice from Steve Earle: On recording "Paradise" - we were laying down the first take and he says, "You guys are gonna want to change chords here, but don't... it's like you got your bacon and eggs... the pig is committed, but the chicken ain't got nothing to do with it." I had to stop and write that one down. I’m not sure we even know what he meant, but it was funny as hell at the time.
Favorite Guitar played at Ray's Studio: The 56' Duo Jet. I tried to swap it out for my reissue, but Ray got wise before I could make my get away. And the 51' No-caster is o.k. I guess... no wait, I like the pre war J-45... no wait, the J-200.... no wait...
Any thing you want to add? A joke perhaps?: I never met a man I didn't like... except Will Rogers.
Posted by Admin at 05:17 PM | Comments (1)