Observe A Q&A With Justin Townes Earle

In case you had forgotten, sharp dressed man Justin Townes Earle is playing at the Granada Theater tomorrow supporting Chris Knight. DC9's very own Darryl Smyers has a Q&A with Steve's kid.

You can check it out here.

Have A Friendly (One-Sided) Conversation With Pearl Jam

Have you ever been sitting at work and thought "I'd rather be listening to Pearl Jam talk right now"? Well, my friends--today you can.

They are going to talk about Backspacer, touring and all kinds of jazz. Go here to listen at 2p. Enjoy.

LehtMoJoe Interview

Today, we will leht (get it?) you into the world of LehtMoJoe, a local producer who is slowly creeping his way into the iPods of music fans all across the country. He's remix a wide range of artists, indie and major alike, as well as original work.

If he keeps up the quality of work he's been putting out of late, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he rises to the heights of Chicago's Flosstradamus or producers of that ilk.

Bona Fide Darling: You've remixed a ton of different artists, where do your musical tastes lean?

LehtMoJoe: Front. Back, side to side. I love classic rock mostly, but obviously listen to just about everything. I generally don't listen to music I like, or know, while driving, always trying to find something new to get into. Something buried in between Clear Channel stations. It's a great source of inspiration, and samples.

BFD: A lot of your records have a electro feel to them and I know you produce hip-hop as well. Do you think those two genres are getting closer to merging?

LMJ: For better or worse, yes. Hip Hop is the easiest genre to blend with others because of the open source nature of it's production. While mainstream labels were reluctant to try anything interesting or daring with their rappers, bedroom producers had no reason not to throw a Talib Kweli 'pella over the sound of a dishwasher. Now that it's "cool" to sound "techno" you are seeing more and more rappers want electro style beats, some are homages to the days of Afrika Bambaataa, some are more forward looking. Sounding.

BFD: Is there an artist you would like to remix or just work with?

LMJ: I'd love to take Chris Cornell's album Scream and completely re-work it. Such a terrible, album by the greatest vocalist in rock. As far as actually sitting down in the studio and working with, Jack White would be the most interesting. Such a vicious tone and great songwriting ability. David Bowie, for sure and MJ was always on that short list too.

BFD: What kind of response have you gotten from your remixes?

LMJ: Mostly positive, some threats. It's funny how you can spend several weeks on an original track, release it to the web, and not get too many people to listen to it. But spend two hours on a mix for the latest release of an indie act and quickly get it played on BBC Radio 1. I guess that's not really funny, but ya know, it's a figure of speech. I enjoy remixing, keeps my skills sharp and makes me giggle when something starts to come out cool.

BFD: What was the first record you bought?

LMJ: Is it bad for a musician to not remember? I think it was a toss up between Weird Al Yankovic's "Off the Deep End" and Kriss Kross' seminal masterpiece "Totally Krossed Out". I didn't buy many albums growing up because I would mostly listen to what my older brother and parent's listened to. Alot of Motown from my mom, rock from my dad, and alternative rock from my brother. Conversely, I never really listened to my sister's Mary Kate and Ashley tapes much.

BFD: Do you see, or would like to see yourself working beyond the borders of Dallas?

LMJ: I'm from Dallas but don't consider myself a "Dallas musician". Other than traces of cocaine, there isn't much in my music to label it a Dallasites' work. On my upcoming album " Spaghetti Western ", one of the feature vocalist was actually from Vegas, we would just bounce the files back and forth. The internets is crazy man.

BFD: Is there a specific approach you take to bands you remix?

LMJ: Either match the vocals, or stray completely away from the original composition. I've received acapellas from indie acts who haven't released the actual track yet, so it's a complete shot in the dark in regards to how they envisioned their song to sound. I actually like working like that, gets interesting results.

BFD: Can you give us any details about your album?

LMJ: Spaghetti Western will be available July 31st on iTunes and at the CD Release party, aka "Gimme Da Gold Party" at The Granada Theater on the 31st as well. It will be a free show featuring Free Agent, Anonymous, and Mount Righteous, so come on out and uproot that tree. Album features 12 tracks of brilliance. There's singing, rapping, and technoing all in one.

MP3: LehtMoJoe - Johnny Jazz

MP3: LehtMoJoe - Tom Petty

MP3: Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock (LehtMoJoe Remix)

MP3: Michael Jackson - Beat It (LehtMoJoe Remix)

MP3: Peter, Bjorn & John - Nothing To Worry About (LehtMoJoe Remix)

Girl In A Coma Interview

We've been diggin' Girl In A Coma for a while now here at BFD.  We were lucky enough to get to do an interview with head Girl Nina Diaz.  I'm quickly gaining a crush on her, I'm not sure if it's the tattoos, her voice or the fact that she's hot punk grrrl.  But, the fact still remains she and her band are flat out fantastic.  

Bona Fide Darling:  What was the first album you bought?

Nina Diaz:  A Ren And Stimpy tape it had "Happy Happy Joy Joy" on it.

BFD:  What was the first song you really, really loved growing up?

ND:  "It’s My Party" by Leslie Gore

BFD:  How long have you been playing guitar? Do you have a particular guitar player you look up to?

ND:  Nine years. Johnny Marr, Jeff Buckley, Jack White to name a few.

BFD:  When you're playing shows how are you treated by the guys in the crowd before and after shows? 

ND:  Before they stare and are silent after they stare and giggle like a school girl. Are they respectful? They are usually gentlemen.

BFD:  Do you and your sister get along when you're on the road?

ND:  We have our moments. But we are sisters so there's this cheesy respectful love hanging around.

BFD:  How was it touring with Morrissey? I've read some horror stories by other bands where they said they weren't allowed to even look at him. Did anything crazy like that happen?

ND:  Morrissey is a great person to learn from. He's charming, respectful, and very smart. One can understand why he has to be so private after touring with him – but there were no crazy stories or rules. We did interact with him and each time left a smile on our faces.

BFD:  Is there anyone you would like to tour with?

ND:  Sonic Youth, Ours, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Superdrag, there's a lot.

BFD:  Was there a band that you really looked up to and wanted to emulate when the band got together?

ND:  Of course, The Smiths and Morrissey. But I really wanted to write songs that had a taste of all I was influenced by (The White Stripes. Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, The Beatles) and by doing so hopefully create my own sound. 

BFD:  With the LOGO network being a big supporter of the band, do you worry about being pigeon holed as a "gay band" or do you think it opens up a larger audience to you?

ND:  Labels are something people do when they are lazy. If you really look at a person you can see that there's more to them then just persona and appearance. Whoever’s ears we happen to reach, we’d love to be welcomed by them and in return welcome them.

BFD:  Did you approach Trio B.C. differently than you Both Before I'm Gone as far as songwriting?

ND:  Trio B.C. is a collection of songs written either in our van or at my place of residence. Two of them, Empty Promise and Trail, were oldies but goodies. On tour, we’d load gear into the clubs and then I’d write in the van and on our breaks. It was a much faster process than Both Before I’m Gone which had songs that were written over many years. I am totally happy with the outcome.

BFD:  How has the crowd been reacting to the new material?

ND:  I’m happy to say there are people singing along to songs that haven't been released yet. The adventure of introducing is ahead.

Black Joe Lewis Interview

There are a lot of things Austin, TX is known for:  Austin City Limits, the Austin City Limits Festival, The Austin Motel, hippies, tacos, but mostly it's known for it's plethora of music that comes is all varieties.  We have been a fan of Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears for a while now.  Recently, Joe took the time to answer some questions we here at BFD had for him.  

Bona Fide Darling:  It's unusual, I would think, for someone your age to want to make soul music. How did you decide to go in that direction musically.

Black Joe Lewis:  It kind of just came to me most naturally. Listened to hip hop growing up, but started liking soul after hearing James Brown and guys like that. Don Covay and Wilson Pickett.

BFD:  Do you think that your band, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings and Raphael Saddiq are kind of leading a resurgence of a more authentic soul music?

BJL:  I guess you could say that. You can’t really tell from this point. I like to think we’re more of a rock and roll band then them. We’re louder and not as slick.

BFD:  What was it like working with Jim Eno?

BJL:  He’s really cool. Jim took a chance on us and made the record sound awesome.

BFD:  Your singing gets a lot of comparison to James Brown, do you think that's a fair comparison? 

BJL:  He’s definitely a big influence. It’s weird to even be mentioned in the same sentence as him, you know?

BFD:  On "Sugarfoot" and "Get Yo Shit" sound like they have a hint of autobiography in them. Are the stories drawn from personal experience or completely made up? 

BJL:  Sometimes I write about my own experiences, but usually I just try to make a good song. "Get Yo Shit" is just a funny story I came up with.

BFD:  The picture of you and The Honeybears where you are at the pool table has a very Rat Pack feel to it. How did you guys meet and do y'all hang out much outside of the band?

BJL:  I met Sluyter first, he played bass in my old band. Then I met Zach and he introduced me to most of the other guys. We started playing together about two years ago. We hang out a lot now because we’re touring so much, but we’ll hang out in Austin too.

BFD:  Is there one particular show that really stands out that you have played? Have you ever had anything crazy happen at your shows?

BJL:  It was really great playing this Barack Obama rally in Austin last year. He said my name which was cool. We don’t write setlists and all our shows are different, so there’s crazy stuff happening all the time.

BFD:  What bands are you diggin' right now?

BJL:  I got this Menahan Street Band CD that is good. Justin Timberlake is pretty cool. In the van we mostly listen to yacht rock like Michael McDonald and stuff like that.

BFD:  Do you think that coming from Austin lends itself to meeting creative musicians that share your ideas?

BJL:  I guess so. There are a bunch of musicians so it can be hard to start out and get a paying gig. A lot of people down there play really slick Stevie Ray Vaughan blues. We try to keep it more raw and loud than that.

Interview With Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show

Next months Old Crow Medicine Show will make another appearance at the Granada Theater supporting their latest album Tennessee Pusher. I recently caught up with Old Crow frontman Ketch Secor and asked him a few questions. If you haven't witnessed a show by Old Crow you're missing out on one of the best shows around. The band will be at the Granada on May 6. You need to get down there and witness the tent revival that is their show.

Bona Fide Darling: The sound on Tennessee Pusher is a little different from the sound on your previous albums, was that a natural progression or was it the way Don Was led you in the studio?

Ketch Secor: The biggest difference is the originality of material. Having recorded so many traditional, old-time, country and blues songs, we found we required a different arrangement for this new batch. The addition of Jim Keltner brought out the rock n roll in us and the rest just fell in place naturally.

BFD: How did you guys hook up with Don Was? He's a pretty legendary producer.

KS: He called us up out of the blue one day and asked who was making our next record and if it could be him.

BFD: I really like your version of Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" on the Songs of America compilation. ?I think it's an interesting choice considering the way a lot of American's feel about immigration these days, especially here in Texas. Did you choose to contribute that song or were you asked to cover that song specifically?

KS: I enjoyed making my Bajo Sexto debut on that recording. Critter, a South Texas native, has been playing Tejano Accordeon for years and we enjoyed incorporating some Conjunto flair into the track. You know Woody Guthrie never recorded this one, it was dug up when he was deep in the throws of Parkinsons and first cut by Judy Collins. Nashville is a city of immigarants and they are a rich addition to the cultural fabric of our city. So I particularly enjoyed making a stand for solidarity with this song.

BFD: I've spoken to you and Morgan after a few shows and I know that you guys have some interesting choices in cover songs you like to play, like "Purple Rain" and "Soul Rebel." ?Is there any chance you guys will bust out either one or both of those gems when you play the Granada Theater here in Dallas? Is there also a possibility you guys will play "Silver Dagger?" I'm just going to go on record now and request those songs, please.

KS: There's so many great songs that nobody's singing. There's a whole generation of kids unexposed to the richness of the body of American music. "Silver Dagger" we don't play much anymore but we played "Soul Rebel" last night. Lately though it's been a lot of Bowie for our cover choices.

BFD: Tennessee Pusher has been your most successful album to date. ?Do you feel it's due to the exposure from constant touring or more of a tip of the hat to the music itself?

KS: Actually, OCMS far outsold Pusher, but we're still selling the new album steadily. Bands can't count on record sales anymore and we put most of our efforts into being a touring band.

BFD: Your performances are usually just you guys playing two sets with an intermission in the middle. ?Is this how you guys have always performed? Will you still do your shows that way even with Sara Watkins opening up for you guys?

KS: I think it was Dave (Rawlins) and Gillian (Welch) who taught us the beauty of two sets. Everyone likes and intermission, it gets awful thristy on the dance floor.

BFD: How did you guys land the opening slot for Dave Matthews? ?I would think your music fits in pretty well with his crowd, are you looking forward to hangin' with Dave for a few weeks and getting exposed to a new audience?

KS: Dave, Critter and I are all non-native Virginians. He bartended at the only place that served minors so we've crossed paths a time or two before. It's really a thrill to get to play in front of so many people and to impart upon his fans our brand of music.

BFD: I read an article a while back that called "Wagon Wheel" a new addition to the American standard songbook. ?Do you look at that song as a blessing or a curse in terms of having to play it every night. ?Have you ever gotten to the point where Radiohead was at with their song "Creep" when they refused to play it--is that something you've ever considered?

KS: It's a joy to have a big song that the people sing around the fire and play at their parties, weddings and graduations. I knew when I wrote it I'd be singing it 'til I was dead.

BFD: As much as you guys tour, do any shows in particular stand out to you as a great show or a bad show? ?Come to think of it, have you guys ever been booed?

KS: We were booed a lot during the 2001 Robert Earl Keen tour. Floridians have thrown bottles and stolen instruments. We've had some terrible shows, but not in a while.

KS: Rock on Big "D," look alive the Crows are comin'!

MP3: Old Crow Medicine Show - Soul Rebel (Bob Marley cover)

Neko Case Interview--Not With Me

I was talking to Kevin from Eastwood (ow, my foot!) last week and he told me that I had gotten Neko Case'snew song "People Got A Lotta Nerve" stuck in his head.  I was really happy to hear this because A) I love that song and 2) I like turning people on to music and C) Neko's new album is fantastico. 

That being said here is a really interesting interview with the Neko Case where she talks about her album.  I know, crazy, right?  Also, live on tape footage of her singing "People Got A Lotta Nerve."  I love the way she and her backup singer Kelly harmonize together, it's greatness.

"Interview"

"People Got A Lotta Nerve"

Travis Hopper Interview

Last week I sat down with Elkhart's Travis Hopper at local coffee shop It's a Grind to chit-chat about music and junk.  Travis is a great guy and a great musician.  And, unlike me, he actually has a lot to say.  Thanks to the wonderful Cindy Chaffin at Life Outside The Bubble and The Fine Line for doing this with me.  If you don't know Cindy, she's the best.

The Uglysuit Interview

Recently, I finally listened to Oklahoma City's The Uglysuit and I was instantly smitten.  The band is full of warm, sunny, late-sixties California pop music.  I really can't do justice to how great this band actually is.  Their eponymous debut CD is a great piece of music and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I was able to do an interview with Isreal Hindman, lead vocalist and guitarist for TUS.  

MP3:  The Uglysuit - Brad's House 

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Cold of hot food?  

Cold Cereal, honey bunches of oats.

When you think of Oklahoma music, one usually thinks of Reba, Toby Keith and Garth Brooks. Starting out, was it difficult getting booked in Oklahoma City having your particular sound?

It wasn't difficult at all getting booked really. It was the matter of getting the right music loving people to hear us so that our fan base could grow. Fortunately we've made a lot of friends on the way that have their own band with their own following as well. It makes the journey more worthwhile when you have friends to travel it with... Such as: The Non, Mayola, Other Lives (Kunek), Color Music, and Junebug Spade.

Are you guys originally from The City? If so, do you call it "The City" like everyone else in Oklahoma?

We're all originally from OKC. Yep, "the city" as well as "OKC".

When's the last time you ate at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill?

About a year ago for my mothers retirement dinner since they give military retirement dinners for free. Which is awesome that they "support the troops" in as many ways possible, something more business should practice.

The reason I ask the Oklahoma related questions is because I'm an Okie. I was raised in Tishomingo, OK all my life and now live in the "big city" of Dallas--in case you were wondering. I always get a special feeling in the cockles of my heart when I hear a really, really good Oklahoma band like yourselves. So, you'll have to excuse me.

Thank you! No worries. That is a huge compliment, very appreciated.

Since your music is so different from a lot of the sounds coming out of Oklahoma, who were your musical inspirations? You definitely seem to have sunny, California kind of sound, especially on "Chicago." I hate to compare you with Rooney, but, that's the comparison that keeps coming up when I listen. Well, them and the Afternoon Naps.

Hmm... Sigur Ros, Annuals, Explosions in the Sky, The Appleseed Cast, Radiohead, Jon Hopkins, Kunek (a local Stillwater band that's now known as Other Lives)

You guys are getting a quite a bit of attention in the blogosphere. Yahoo! Music has you listed as one of the next big things. You were featured on Stereogum's new "Decomposed" series too. Are you guys seeing any more people at your shows?

We are in fact seeing a few more people at our shows yeah...but the majority of the crowd still consists mostly of our close friends, which is awesome that they're all so supportive.

I absolutely love your song "Brad's House," I love the big chorus it has. What's the story behind that song and is Brad a real person?

Brad is a person yes, one of our close Chicago friends in fact. Every time we go to Chicago, whether to meet with Quarterstick/TouchAndGo (our second family) or to record with Manny Sanchez, we stay with either Bill (friend and introductor to TouchAndGo) or Brad (a supernova graphics designer for a Chicago university). One morning, one by one, everyone woke up and started adding their part to the song which started out as one acoustic. Oh, and brad's house faces Lake Michigan from a third floor view...thus the "we sang hymns to Lake Michigan, five bros and I" line.

Since there are six of you in the band, it seems like it would get pretty cramped in the van going around to shows. Do any of you ever have to pull the Econoline over and whoop some ass? You guys have/had a big New Year's Eve show coming up in Oklahoma City. Are/were you excited to be back home and playing for the hometown kids?

There's of course the occasional misunderstanding or two, but typically the van is our place of serenity if you will. It's the one most consistent piece of familiar we have to call our temporary 'living room' on the road. Once we got back to our hometown though, with all the familiar faces welcoming us in the New Year, our level of energy on stage was even effected. Several times I'd look over to give a lifting hand to the fallen Kyle on the floor. The crowd that night, as for most nights, completely set the energy of the show for us. Who doesn't love hometown shows.

Speaking of shows, is there a place you haven't played that you would like to? Any artists you would like to play with?

In Iceland with Sigur Ros..

Since it's the new year, and there are a shitload of blogs listing their faves of 2008; are there any bands who were your favorites of 2008?

Fleet Foxes, Helios, Annuals, Working For a Nuclear Free City, Bon Iver, Out Hud, The Octopus Project, Blackmoth Super Rainbow.

When are you guys coming to play Dallas? If I've missed your show recently I'm sorry, I just got turned onto you guys recently. Have you ever asked Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru to help you out in getting booked?

We have no shows booked in Dallas yet, but soon. We only use Billions booking so far. We'll look into that though, thanks a lot.

Minipop Interview

I recently got to do a Q&A with Matthew Swanson from one of my favorite-ist bands, Minipop.  They hail from the great Bay in San Francisco, CA and their album A New Hope has been a constant in my CD player for the better part of this year.  I first heard about them via an article on Spin.com that was highlighting acts at the 2008 SXSW conference.  They had a single to download called "Like I Do," I swear to got I listened to that damn song like 10 times in a row.  It's catchy as hell and has a rich, warm sound.  If you like early 90's female fronted bands then you'll love these guys.  Oh, and there's a mp3 and video after the interview. 

To start off, I'd like to ask the obvious (at least to me) question about the inter-band dynamic.  With the band being two dudes and two girls, have you guys gone all Fleetwood Mac and hooked up with each other?  The road does get lonely, ya know?

Non amiamo parlare realmente di ciò che continua nella nostra banda o viveri personali. Lei può usare la sua immaginazione ed è probabilmente vicino alla realtà.

Is Minipop your main thing in your life or do you guys grind the 9 to 5?

We have jobs outside of Minipop, nothing 9 to 5, more part time work and such.  Lauren and Tricia are actually about to go to school in January so we're going to be taking a break while they start school and we work on the new album.

What do you think about blog hype? Do you see any benefits from it?

I'm sure there's a lot to the blog hype thing.  We never got much blog hype, we're not really an in the moment band, our roots are in the early 90's alternative music scene, which isn't really a big thing these days.  Maybe it'll come up as the 80's thing dies down.

It's been about a years since A New Hope was released--do you have plans on a follow-up soon?  Are you in the studio now?

We'll be tracking drums in december and doing over dubs throughout January (and) February.

Will your new music sound like what you've done on your debut LP or do you want to go in a new direction?

Since Tricia's voice is at the forefront of what we do It'll be similiar in emotion to our past recordings.  Some of the music has some new flavor to it but I'd say it'll be a Minipop record and have the Minipop sound.

What other music are you guys listening to currently?

I've been listening to a bit of UB40, Metric and Deerhunter lately.  Tricia is most likely listening to Christmas music and Etta James.

Is any one band in particular influential on the band?

Not really.  Tricia is influenced a lot by Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star.  Musically we are influenced by early 90's music like Catherine Wheel, Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine.

I've listened to A New Hope a bunch of times now and the comparison that keeps coming to me is an American version of The Sundays. Has anyone drawn that comparison before?

We've got The Sunday's, Cranberries, Mazzy Star, Belly.  There aren't a ton of girl fronted alternative bands so it's a pretty small group to grab comparisons to.  We're down with all those bands.

I read that you played in Oklahoma with the Smoking Popes to like 10 people. I'm originally an Oklahoma boy, where was that show?

It was a venue called the Mooch and Burn.  It was actually a really fun show.  Everyone there was really cool and attentive and we played really well.  One of those small shows that you remember really well and fondly.  Fun night.  Tulsa was a bit of a trip, good mexican food.

I've read that you guys have a big following in you hometown. What is the reaction like to you guys when you're on the road?

We've had a lot of positive feedback on the road.  We aren't drawing that well across the country but it seems to be growing a little bit.  We weren't able to tour quite as much as we'd hoped this year but hopefully next year we'll get back out there.

Do you have any future plans of touring in Dallas? Are you planning on going to SXSW again this year?

Our next show will be SXSW, we'll be recording up until then.

What is the best show you have played? Best show you've seen as a fan?

Our best show outside of the bay area was probably in Boston at The Middle East.  We headlined there on our last tour and it was a truly great show, great turnout and we played with some great bands.  Playing in Omaha with Tokyo Police Club was nice too.  This year I think Sigur Ros at The Greek Theater in Berkeley was my favorite show.

I always ask this, so, I have to know: what do you guys listen to on the road? Is there anything all of you agree on or is the driver in charge of the music?

Some albums we listened to on our last tour were In Rainbows by Radiohead, The Heartless Bastards, Lauren's mix CD's.  We have a DVD player in the van so we watch a lot of My So Called Life, Family Ties, Strangers With Candy and Quantum Leap.

MP3:  Minipop - Like I Do

Interview With The Weepies

Through the magic of email I recently had the opportunity to chat with Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, known collectively as The Weepies. I've been captivated by them ever since I received their album Hideaway in the mail. From the beginning I was blown away by the warm folk-pop sounds that spewed from my speakers.

So, like I said, I got to speak with them a little bit, so I hope you enjoy.

You can check out the interview and mp3 after the jump.

MP3: The Weepies - Hideaway from Hideaway

Since you have a youngster is touring not something you guys are

interested in?

Of course we’re interested! I t’s just more complex now that there’s an under-one year old in the mix – it’s a matter of making it work financially, family-wise and schedule-wise.

Has it been hard to be able to practice, record or rehearse with the baby around? I would imagine it would be hard to do anything musical when it's his nap time.

What we’re going through must be similar to what many new parents go through. After the first few all-consuming months where you get nothing done except caring for the baby, you wind up doing things a slightly different way. Now that Theo sleeps through the night it’s easier.

"Antarctica" is my favorite track on the album. Ever since I first heard it I've been trying to figure out what it's about. It seems like it could be about a fresh start or actually about Antarctica. So, what's it about?

Thanks! Respectfully, we’d rather leave it up to the listener. We’ve heard authors and songwriters try to explain their work before - it’s a mistake.

Is it hard being in a band where your musical partner is your partner in life?

No. It’s awesome. Seriously.

I got a call from my brother the other night really excited about "Can't Go Back Now" being used in a new Barack Obama ad. How did that come about? Are you guys supporters of his?

We haven’t seen that ad yet! Through Nettwerk we told the Obama campaign that as far as we were concerned they could use whatever they wanted. We’re happy to be of help. Yes, we whole heartedly support Obama.

Now for my totally lame question: What inspires you to make music?

We’re obsessive compulsive writers. We write all the time. We don’t know why. We feel very uncomfortable when we’re not writing.

What do you listen to when you're out on the road?

When it was just the two of us in a car on the last really long tour, we couldn’t agree on ANY music – we finally compromised on Books On Tape (The Lord of the Rings was a big hit).

I found your record immediately infectious, do you guys hear that a lot about your music--that people can't really get enough of it?

Thank you! One of the things about not being able to tour behind the new record is there’s very little feedback. It’s great to get.

You guys have such an amazing story of how you got together. Do you feel that working together and living together has made your music better?

We hope so! Looking back, it seems sort of inevitable.

If you weren't making music what do you think you would be doing?

Deb would be driving a backhoe. As for Steve, you know those guys in the flower print shirts drunk in bars in places like Manila? That would have been a distinct possibility.

Do you think you will be doing any touring soon? I hope so, 'cause I'd love to see you here in Dallas.

We will let you know!! Thanks for taking the time for us.

Awkward

It's really cool to see artists I like get involved with another artist and jump into a mutual admiration society.  If you've read BFD for anytime at all you'd know I'm a big fan of She & Him.  What you may not know is I've been a big Beach Boys fan for most of my life.  

That being said, this "Artist on Artist" interview with Zooey Deschanel and Brian Wilson is really awkward at times.  Zooey isn't so awkward, it's the wonderful, reclusive weirdness of Brian Wilson.  He just really seems like he would rather be anywhere but there at that particular time.  I do like the end of the interview when he tells her "she's a very pretty girl."  What that has to do with her music is beyond me.

Enjoy.

More Fleet Foxes Interview

So, a few weeks ago I hipped you to the first part of a John Norris interview with Fleet Foxes. Well boys and girls--here's the second part.

Oh, and the live version of "Winter White Hymnal."

Fleet Foxes Interviewd by...John Norris?

There are a couple of things that I'm really surprised about. A) That the Fleet Foxes would get as much hype as they have and would be on "the lips" of so many people. B) That John Norris is still with MTV.

I quit watching MTV a looooong time ago. At the time I quit watching the channel it was all boy-bands and pop starlets. Mr. Norris does not seem to age! That and he's an ever changing chameleon. Whether it's Grunge, New Wave or Indie Johnny Boy keeps up with the fashion and hair trends. Geez. But, he will never, ever be as great as Kurt Loder. Ever. Period. I digress.

Check out the very interesting interview he did with Seattle's own Fleet Foxes.

MP3: Fleet Foxes - Drops in The River (Live @ Hi-Dive)

Chrismas on Mars: Dumb Art

Those are Wayne's words, not mine. But, I actually can't wait to see this movie. It took a long time, it was shot in OKC and I'm sure it's really weird since it's Wayne's pet project.

Regardless, you can read an interview with the main Lip himself about the making and meaning of the movie here. (EW)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Interview

I had the good fortune to do a short, sweet interview with Philip Dickey of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. If you have read anything about them on here, then you know I'm a big fan of their. Pershing probably is the greatest album of the summer...no kidding.

They will be playing tomorrow at Hailey's in Denton with Port O'Brien.

Bona Fide Darling: What made you want to cover a Hole song? Which one of you has a crush on Courtney Love?
Philip Dickey: My little brother just got "Live Through This" and I started listening to it again. I think that CD came out on April 8 (94) and that was our release date, too. I think we're all secretly in love and incredibly scared of her.

BFD: Have you played Denton before?
PD: Yes, and we stayed at someone's house because their parents were gone.

BFD: What music do you bring with you on tour? Did John bring any Garth Brooks CDs on this tour?
PD: A lot of music from our hometown. Check out our top friends on myspace.com/boris and you can listen to them. My favorite CD this tour is "Windows" by Michael Holt. He covers some piano songs by an obscure composer from Moscow. His originals are great, too. We prefer George Straight CDs, but we like Garth Brooks karaoke.

BFD: Do you think Mizzou will stand a chance in the Big 12 this year since Chase Daniel left?
PD: I only follow Missouri State women's basketball, sorry. They went to the final four twice. And I like the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals.

BFD: What's the deal with your shirts?! You only have S-M-L sizes; you be thinkin' us husky dudes want a SSLYBY shirt?
PD: That's weird. We must have sold out. There are probably a lot of husky dudes with SSLYBY t-shirts.

BFD: I think "Modern Mystery" and "Think I Wanna Die" are the songs of the summer. What do you have to say to those who disagree?
PD: Thanks. Um, I would say "You're entitled to your own opinion...but WTF?"

BFD: The sound of Pershing seems cleaner, more produced than Broom. Was that something that was done consciously?
PD: We just set up a bunch of gear and had no idea what it was going to sound like. Will and I wanted something more real and lo-fi. John and Jonathan wanted to make more of a classic sounding record.

BFD: Spin gave you a pretty favorable, if short, review of your show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. Is that something you guys find exciting to be reviewed by a major music magazine?
PD: Yeah, because it makes our parents pay attention to us.

BFD: If you weren't a working musician what would you be doing?
PD: Shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. I'd bat .280 and steal a bunch of bases.

BFD: Was there any particular band/thing/moment that made you want to be a musician? Or, was it just that it would be easier scoring girls?
PD: I started taking piano lessons in elementary school and I just wanted to play fast songs and be in a band.

BFD: Do you think that non-major blog coverage helps raise your profile? Do you think blog coverage in general helps raise your profile?
PD: Yes and yes. Being on a blog is like being on MTV in the 90s. Or something. I really don't know. Tom Petty rules.

BFD: Favorite band or song of the moment?
PD: "Way Up Past" by Michael Holt.

BFD: How did you come up with the bands name? It's quite a mouthful.
PD: I thought of it in high school right after Boris Yeltsin resigned. I saw a NBC news story about his wife. She liked to play tennis.

Lotsa Coachella

Well, there was a lot of stuff going on this weekend. Well, just Coachella really. And to a lesser extent the first ever Norman Music Festival. But, This is all about the Coachella.

Prince covers "Creep" by Radiohead.

An interview with Mikey Rocks of The Cool Kids.

An interview with Geoff Barrows of Portishead and review.

Review of the Prince's set.

SSLYBY "My First Time..."

There is a pretty darn good interview with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at You Ain't No Picasso.

A couple of things the guys said reminds me of growin' up in Oklahoma. Ahhhhh, good country livin'. Am I right people? (You Ain't No Picasso)

She & Him Interview

It seems like this is a She & Him kind of day.  It seems one Ms. Zooey Deschanel stopped by the friendly confines of NPR's Fresh Air program for a little interview.  You can listen to it here.  (NPR)

Radiant Interview

I recently got the good fortune to sit down with one of my favorite Dallas bands, Radiant. I spoke with lead singer Levi Smith, guitarist Dragan Jakovljevic and drummer Daniel Hopkins on the first night they had played the House of Blues in Dallas.

BFD: I guess the first question is when's the new CD coming out?

Levi Smith: ohhh, two weeks three weeks?

BFD: really? Oh no.

Daniel Hopkins: we could make a really rock and roll guess and say the next six months

BFD: So how's it going in the studio, are you finished tracking everything, recording?

Levi: we haven't even really started, we're still demoing out songs for it, we wrote maybe 15 songs or so and probably 3 of those are keepable for the record. I mean, we're writing every week and keeping as much stuff as we can for the record.

BFD: Are you guys wanting it to be an LP?

Levi: Hopefully an LP, I think we might do...I think we're kind of in this mode where we want to put out as much music as possible instead of waiting so long in between records.

BFD: ...Splitting Atoms is one of my favorites and so is We Hope You Win, so keep going!

Levi: I think we want to do and LP, but, if we have a good EP ready to roll then we'll put it out. Or, I think we'll just arm wrestle over it.

BFD: Are there any places you like to play? Anywhere local or anywhere you've played out on tour?

Levi: I think Granada is like our home, our go to place.

Daniel: This place is pretty cool it seems like.

Levi: Yeah, it's our first time at House of Blues, so, we'll see.

BFD: Well, hopefully y'all will be back.

Levi: Yeah, the Granada is where we've played most of our shows lately. Well, for a couple of years now really.

Daniel: We use to play the Curtain Club a lot. But, with the demise of Deep Ellum...

BFD: Yeah, 'cause Dallas needs more condos and boutique shopping!

Levi: Yeah (laughs).

BFD: ...Splitting Atoms I thougtht, kinda sounded really Brit-poppy and with We Hope You Win I thought it sounded the same, but maybe a little more mainstream pop kinda sound. Is that something you guys did intentionally or...

Levi: Yeah...

BFD: Or is it something you just kinda went with?

Levi: A lot of it, We Hope You Win, was like a collection of song we did. All of the stuff we did for We Hope You Win was done in a really nice place with half-million dollar consoles. Everything about that studio was nicer than everything we did before that. So, it's just the older stuff is definitely more contained, a little warmer, not as bright.

Daniel: One thing I think about was we sort of had another intention than with Sound of Splitting Atoms. We were thinking in retrospect it was a mistake to think we've got to write an album that's going to get us a record deal. And so, we kind of had that in the back of our minds, I think all of us did to get a record deal from that album. But, the one thing that I can say about our next album is it's completely what we want to do. There's no pressure to write a pop song or a song that's going to be on the radio. We're just writing music that's what we like. I think it's more pure a little bit.

BFD: We Hope You Win, did you guys put that out yourself?

Daniel: Yes.

BFD: How old is your piano?

Levi: Uh, it's probably about three years old.

BFD: Really? It looks a lot older than that!

Levi: Oh, (laughs) it's just a wooden box with a keyboard in it. And it's not even going to last...

Daniel: This is probably it's last gig!

Levi: Yeah, it might have to retire tonight, we might have to build another one.

BFD: How many shows do you guys play a year?

Daniel: How many a month do we play probably?

Levi: There's significantly been a decrease because we've gotten really busy lately. The last three or four years we've been doing 30,000 to 40,000 miles a year.

Daniel: Yeah, we can tell you the mileage!

Levi: Yeah, because of taxes! But, yeah, we were probably playing, a while on the average 8 shows a month.

BFD: Do you guys travel in a van...down by the river?

Levi: Yeah, pretty much (laughs)!

BFD: What do you listen to when your out on the road? NPR, talk radio, CDs?

Levi: We listen to the Ticket until we get outside of Dallas.

Daniel: If you're driving you get to pick the music!

BFD: Yeah, that's the way it should be.

Daniel: When Dragen is driving we call him B.A. Barackas

Dragan Jakovljevic: What does that even mean?

Daniel: It's from "The A-Team!"

Dragan: I don't even know what that means.

Daniel: When he's driving we listen to George Michael, Jamiriquai aaannnd U2, and that is it!

Levi: Cashmere too.

BFD: What about when you're drivin'?

Daniel: Today when we were riding up here we were listening to someone you may have heard of Phosphorescent?

BFD: Yeah!

Daniel: I just got his album and it is awesome! We were playing that new one...and...it's all over the place. We listen to the British Sea Power.

BFD: Did you see where there drummer or somebody went to stage dive and when he did everyone in the crowd moved out of the way?

Daniel: Oh my gosh man!

Levi: How embarrassing.

BFD: Who do you guys look up to musically? Do you try to emulate anyone? Sound like anyone? Or, do you just want to be the first Radiant?

Dragan: Yeah, the first Radiant.

Levi: We get to confused if we try to do that.

Daniel: At rehearsels there's no talk of trying to sound like something else. Either it sounds like someone else then we're not going to play it anymore.

Levi: If I had to pigeon hole our music I would have to say, like you said it would be like Brit-pop, Euro kinda indie-pop. We all, we know that's our common ground so we're not like, well it's a place we can all come together and be like yeah this is right.

BFD: Since you guys said you are all fans of Brit-pop do you have a concensus favorite?

Daniel: We all like the Verve. Well, we haven't really like the Verve lately have we? We were into the Verve like six months ago and now were not...

Levi: I think we're always into the Verve.

Daniel: I don't know, I just haven't been, like, I just have to listen to the Verve.

BFD: What about, are you guys Stone Roses fans?

Daniel: Yeah! I like the Stone Roses.

BFD: Have you ever thought about covering any of their songs?

Daniel: Jesse really wants us to cover "I Wanna Be Adored."

BFD: Okay, I was actually gonna...ever since I started listening to you guys I thought that would be an awesome song for you to cover.

Daniel: Maybe we will!

Levi: I like Realto a lot.

Daniel: They're a lesser-known Brit-pop band. Yeah, you should check 'em out. What's the name of that record?

Levi: It's self titled.

BFD: I guess kind of on a side note the first time I saw you guys at The Cavern was the first time my wife and I went on a date. I was like 'Hey let's go and check out this band!' I was kinda feelin' her out.

Levi: We've done that a couple of times with some couples.

Daniel: But, this is the first success story we've heard.

Levi: Where was that?

BFD: The Cavern about two years ago or so.

Levi: Yeah.

BFD: The Valentines opened up for you.

Daniel: it wasn't that long ago was it?

BFD: Two, two and a half years ago.

Daniel: It seems a lot shorter than that.

Levi: Time flies seabass!

BFD: What song were y'all playing earlier that was off of an earlier EP?

Levi: We were just kidding, it's a new song.

BFD: It sounded really good, I was going to ask you what it was off of.

Daniel: Yeah, the bass guitar is the key part of it.

BFD: Where is your bass player?

Daniel: He's at a bachelor party.

BFD: Oh, nice, is he going to be MIA tonight?

Daniel: He better not be! He's gotta be here by 10:30...

Levi: Or else this is his last show with us. He's on thin ice (laughs)!

Off of their album Sound of Splitting Atoms

Radiant - World (mp3)