I’m going to start off this year with an interview from a band I wrote about here last year, The Sumner Brothers. Last year I wrote about In The Garage a week or two before the release of their self-titled album. Although the latter album has some of the tracks from the afore mentioned In The Garage, Pain, Both back and My Words being three, apart from a couple of A.P Carter tracks and an old traditional song called Yeah Blue, they have taken away the covers their music has obvious nods towards and have added more of their own compositions, Say You’ll always be mine and Two Hands being two but an obvious stand out track being Ticket to ride, A song I could imagine the late Johnny Cash singing on his last album just before he sadly died.
As i’ve said in the past I just love the honesty these guys show in their songwriting and that’s all backed up by the emotion you can hear in their voices. With another release to come in 2009 this band I’m sure are going to mature into one of the best country/folk/roots bands around, If they are not already.
So, If you have received a cdbaby voucher for Christmas or you are taking back a cd you already have, You will not go far wrong by picking up this album, infact why not buy both at the same time and play them back to back while you read through this interview that Brian has kindly granted YCD?
YCD - You’ve now released In the garage and your self-titled album, How
were they received?
SB - they were both well received……we were a little surprised that our
first album “in the garage” was as well received as it was……. we
recorded that one in our garage with an 8 track and an assortment of
old beat up 58’s ……. we plan on making a string of “in the garage”
albums but i doubt they will ever sound like that one.
YCD - You seem very much in touch with the traditions of country music,
is this the kind of music you grew up with?
SB - not exactly……we’re suburban kids …we ended up listening to
everything……literally …hip-hop, rock, blues, jazz, classical,
..you name it…….we really took to country music when Johnny Cash
started making his “American” recordings…..i think we adopted
country music for ourselves because of the simplicity of it…….we
liked the idea that you could write a song in the afternoon and
perform it that night……when it was still fresh….and that country
music is a lyrics first form…..since then we’ve met a ton of people
performing this kinda music and really started to learn the history of
it from the inside out…..from the storytellers themselves.
YCD - What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t making music?
SB - working a day job and trying to start a business…..i’ve had a couple
ideas over the years……but music takes all my time now……and i’m
happy with that
YCD - When a journalist told Townes Van Zandt that his songs were sad his
reply was that although some were, most were full of hopelessness. I
get the same feeling when listening to some of your songs like Pain or
Both Back, the latter I know is about wanting your grandfathers back
with you. Writing that, was it some kind of healing process?
SB - no…..it’s hard to explain …i’ve never found writing to help with
the healing process…..if anything ..eveytime i perform these songs
it hurts…..so it’s kinda like digging at old wounds….but the only
other option is to forget entirely and that doesn’t seem right
either…..my best friend passed away about a year ago and i never
wrote about it…….it wouldn’t help me to heal…..i’m better off
just not thinking about it.
there’s a difference between Townes outlook in his songs and ours.
Townes was depressed……and his sense of hopelessness came from there
My Brother and I love life……and despise death……and that is
where our sense of hopelessness comes from
YCD - Ok, first non- musical question. What did you think last time you
looked in the mirror?
SB - can’t remember ……something along the lines of ..women are %&^$%$^ nuts
YCD - If there is one song you could steal and claim it as your own for
ever which one would you choose and why?
SB - o holy night
it’s that time of year and that’s my favorite Christmas
song…….imagine the competition?
YCD - Given the amount of emotion and honesty in your music, is it
important to you that you write songs separately as I notice there
doesn’t seem to be any co-written tracks on either album?
SB -I think it would be difficult. …..we both want to say what we want
to say when we want to say it….we’re both stubborn and wouldn’t take
to well to someone telling us it doesn’t sound right….or it might be
offensive….etc. besides…………..
we spend so much time together working on the business of the band
….arranging songs and rehearsing…..drinking on weekends…. that i
think we’d be stretching it trying to put the time into trying to
write songs together….eventually………it’d be fun to try
YCD - What’s your best musical experience so far and why?
SB - We played a show in Portland a couple years back …..we were setting
up and couldn’t get the p.a. to work properly ….it started squealing
like mad and randomly….people were getting angry…shouting things
and eventually leaving…….we decided to forgo the p.a. and busk the
room……we just yelled out the tunes……it was a big room but my
brother and i have loud voices …….by the time we had finished
everyone had come back from the adjacent room……i think everyone
got a kick out of it.
in reality it’s probably just drinking baileys and coffee then moving
on to beer …..working on new songs in the garage with my brother
i never get tired of it
YCD - What’s currently rocking your stereo?
SB - Phil Saylor Wisor - “Since Jimmy Died”
we’ve toured with Phil a couple times
he plays with the same conviction and passion whether he’s playing for
2 people or a hundred.
YCD - You seem like a very close family unit, have you ever written a
song about each other, either privately or openly?
SB - can’t speak for my brother …..i haven’t ……it could be
dangerous….we’re both too honest…..and we both have faults
YCD - Another silly one now. If you could play any part in any movie
past or present who or what would it be and why?
SB - you should have asked me “if i had to”. …….i wouldn’t want any
part of any movie…..acting is hard work…i’ve had one
experience…….i remember being an extra once when i was a
kid…..it was a rain scene……the only way rain shows up on camera
apparently is if it’s raining un-realistically hard…….and
cold?……but everyone had to be dry at the beginning of the scene
and soaking wet at the end of the scene…. we had to change our
clothes everytime they had to re- shoot it ….they shot it all day
….for like 8 hours….it was torture.
YCD - What are your hopes and fears for you in the future, musically?
SB - I want to be able to play music and raise a family
that’s it. My fear would be that i wouldn’t be able to do that…..we’ve been
told that it’s almost impossible…. we don’t believe it.
YCD -There is a video on your myspace page of a song called I don’t care if there’s a
heaven which when I first heard I cried. It’s not on either album, any
particular reason for that?
SB - that song is almost universally misinterpreted………most people
think it’s an anti-war song……or an anti-american song….or
something along those lines…….it’s not…….the song is about a
very specific situation…..something that actually happened …..that
song.. for me takes place in a vacuum….i wasn’t trying to comment on
the bigger picture ..i wasn’t taking any of that into
account……….having said all that……..my brother and i have
hundreds of songs….when we go to make an album we record tons of
them….then we see which ones are working ……and which ones are
working in the context of the album…..i’m sure we will release it in
one form or another eventually
YCD - And Finally, what’s your plans for this year?
SB - we’re working on a new album……..we’re more than excited about
it……we holed up in a cabin for this one like we did for the
last……so it’s got that sound…. that intangible which really
helps to tie an album together…….i don’t think you can record the
sound of late nights…..booze….friendship……loneliness
etc……without actually being there……not that this is the only
way to record an album ….we’re just happy with it for now.
Thankyou very much for granting YCD this interview and we all wish you all success for 2009 and many years beyond.
As you can already grab Pain from my first post here, with their permission I am just uploading one track here, Just go buy the fucking album here will you’s, these guys are trying to make a living here !!
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