#joe pernice

[bandcampsnoop]

1/31/23.

Sometimes I forget how much I love Pernice Brothers (Boston, MA). Their sound always hits me in the sweet spot - The Smiths, Wilco, The Beach Boys, Teenage Fanclub, American Music Club...the list could go on and on.

I just learned that New West Records (Nashville, TN) is reissuing Pernice Brothers' Sub Pop album "Overcome By Happiness". They enlisted Joe to create a 2 LP behemoth of music and notes - just read the Bandcamp description to see what is included.

While Bandcamp doesn't offer any music files (thus the posting of "Spread the Feeling"; to access Overcome By Happiness either click the link above or on Bandcamp), I'm linking us to the full album on You Tube. This album is lush, orchestrated and full of hooks.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Pernice Brothers Interview: Writing to Live

Joe Pernice; Photo by Colleen Nicholson

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The album cover for Who Will You Believe (New West), the first album in 5 years from Pernice Brothers, features a close-up photo of a man who doesn't "care about being seen." That man, of course, is Joe Pernice, who formed Pernice Brothers over 25 years ago after the breakup of his beloved alt country institution Scud Mountain Boys. But while Pernice may be indifferent-to-averse to the idea of celebrity or even public persona, he's not trying to remain hidden, per se. The photo that graces the cover doesn't attempt to be flattering, nor a clean-cut design: It asymmetrically cuts off the brim and top of his hat, his right glasses lens frame, the bottom of his chin, and the back of his head. (Of course, the band name and album title is superimposed on his face.) It makes you pay more attention to Pernice than you otherwise would. What is he looking at? Why? In a way, it really fits Who Will You Believe, a record that exists on a separate plane from today's singer-songwriter albums that tend to be straight diary entries combined with biography or filled with Easter eggs and callbacks. Instead, Pernice, an accomplished writer in many different mediums, shows that he can write about almost anything. The possibilities are infinite.

When I spoke to Pernice over the phone earlier this month, he let me know that he was in the middle of a particularly fruitful period. "I've been writing more songs than I ever have in my life," he said. "I go through these periods where I have a manic blast." Indeed, whether or not Who Will You Believe was born from one of these spurts, the album gives you a sense for how he works. Neko Case duet "I Don't Need That Anymore" started with an off-hand remark his mom made about having a good figure when she "needed it;" Pernice took the line and turned it into a devastating country track about a dying love, replete with twangy, chiming guitars, string swells and steady mallet percussion. He processes the deaths of three important people--his cousin, Rhino executive Gary Stewart, and David Berman--in stunning strummer "The Purple Rain", referencing the last one not with cutesy lyrical winks and nods but ones that even casual Silver Jews/Purple Mountains listeners will pick up, respectfully showing his intentions to pay tribute. Of course, Pernice still finds room for ambiguity, clever wordplay, and fun atop it all, a true songwriter's songwriter. His penchant for cultural allusions remains strong, even in conversation. Referring to a recent day where he wrote 5 songs in a day, 3 of them keepers, Pernice said, " I felt like Sylvia Plath at the end of her life when he was in a manic state of making shit," before clarifying, deadpan, "That was before she put her head in the oven."

Sure, there are some tracks on Who Will You Believe that are purely sad or strange. Pernice croons on the slow "What We Had", atop acoustic guitars, tremolo electric plucking, and tambourine, "It's a comedy of errors, but it's sad / I think of what we had / It's hard to watch good love go bad." Instrumental waltz "A Song for Sir Robert Helpmann", meanwhile, juxtaposes strings, keys, drum rolls, and wordless vocalization, creepy and lurking. Its mood is inspired by Pernice's fear of Helpmann's role as The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. "That movie scared the shit out of me when I was a kid," he said. "[Helpmann's] absolutely terrifying." Though these tunes occupy a singular mood, though, for the most part, Who Will You Believe is a fun album, Pernice's brightest and loosest sounding in years. "I always play with people who are good people. I've never made a record with an asshole," Pernice said. "When you get really good players who aren't just phoning it in, it's really cool." Past collaborators pervade the album, such as Joe's brother Bob and wife Laura Stein (formerly of Halifax indie pop band Jale). Toronto-based choral group Choir! Choir! Choir! help Pernice give his eulogies on "The Purple Rain", ending the album on an uplifting note. And his pop sensibilities, Beatles, Bowie, and Bacharach influences shine on "Not This Pig" and "A Man of Means", songs with baroque breakdowns and bouncy drum fills.

Ultimately, Pernice is one of those songwriters who views music as a satisfying puzzle. Though he writes all of his songs on acoustic guitar, theoretically making them easy to play solo live, the tunes undoubtedly shapeshift as he records them. He describes a song like "Hey, Guitar" as "a balls-out, heavy tune"--it's got massive electric licks layered atop jangly strumming and shiny keys, and ripping distorted squalling between verses, fading in and out at the end like an AM radio hit. "I don't think [it] will translate [live]," he said. "[But] you don't know whether [it's gonna be a train wreck] until you do it. Every song was a new song the first time." You can bet he's looking forward to figuring it out, one of the most thrilling parts of music to him. After all, it's only now he's just beginning to dive into an almost 20-year-old song, "Say Goodnight to the Lady" from 2005's Discover A Lovelier You. "I've been working on it lately, and it's started to feel like my song."

Pernice; Photo by Colleen Nicholson

I knew that Pernice had written at least "The Purple Rain" as part of a mourning process, but reading about the context behind Who Will You Believe, I tried to see if I could construct something more broad. Before writing the record, his son retired from playing high-level youth baseball, which Pernice coached, and Pernice went from being on a baseball diamond most of the week for over half of the year, to not being on one at all. As such, I asked him whether songwriting is a way for him to generally process any sort of life change. As it turns out, it's much more. "I write songs so I can manage to function," he said. "It's just a necessary thing for my well-being. It could be anything. The act of doing it is the thing that makes me feel good and not crazy. A lot of times, the subject might not even be all that important in that regard." And so I thought back about the album cover, wondering what Pernice was gazing at during the photoshoot, realizing that, too, doesn't matter. What he feels about songwriting is the way I feel about listening. Both of us--all of us--are just trying to take in the world as best as we can.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Linda Thompson :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

I have to admit that I was more than a little starstruck at the prospect of interviewing Linda Thompson — she might be my favorite singer ... ever? Somewhere in the top five, anyway! But once the opportunity presented itself, I knew I'd be kicking myself for all eternity if I said no. And she was wonderful to talk to. Hilarious, as well.

AD: While you were playing in folk clubs back then, you were coming of age with people like Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, John Martyn and, of course, Richard Thompson. What was it like being around these amazing songwriters?

Linda Thompson: It was horrible! [Laughs] Imagine being surrounded by geniuses.

I didn't have the guts to tell her, but Linda is a genius, too.

So! You can go read our conversation over on Aquarium Drunkard now. It comes in the wake of the great new album, Proxy Music, which (as its punning title suggests) features an array of talented vocalists standing in for Linda, whose spasmodic dysphonia condition makes singing difficult. As nice as it would've been to hear her voice on these new originals, it's a terrific listen anyway. Thank you, Linda!

Annnnnd, how about I tell you about some of the other recent goodies over on Aquarium Drunkard?! There's an awesome roundup of covers of Pharoah Sanders' karmic masterpiece "The Creator Has A Master Plan." There are killer Transmissions podcasts with Joe Pernice and Phil Manzanera! And there's a sprawling mid-year report on the best albums released so far in 2024. What more do you need????

[noloveforned]

i love bandcamp fridays but they certainly distract from getting my radio show together! tune into wlur from 8pm-midnight to see what i end up playing!

we finished up our first theme of the year last week- all year long we've been starting the shows off with songs about 'work'. we heard songs from east river pipe, pernice brothers, the happy thoughts, the flaming lips, mammoth penguins, superchunk, dolly parton, elvis costello, the bangles, the replacements, ramones, the reds pinks & purples, devo, the clash, drive-by truckers, and harry belafonte.

no love for ned on wlur – april 28th, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label harry belafonte // day-o (the banana boat song) // very best of harry belafonte // rca frankie cosmos // fragments // clean weird prone (inner world peace deluxe) // sub pop the hidden cameras // breathe on it // the smell of our own (deluxe edition) // rough trade rob munk // the ghosts of san francisco // phased out // magic door brontez purnell // jaboukie // jaboukie 7" // sub pop display homes // at capacity // what if you're right and they're wrong? // esrte theke tontraeger sir bobby jukebox // don't say goodbye // in the organ loft at midnight // (self-released) cathedrale // an alibi // words / silence // howlin' banana rotary club // american tower // american tower 7" // iron lung the replacements // hangin' downtown (alternate version) // sorry ma, forgot to take out the trash (deluxe edition) // rhino oswald five-o // all night takeout // serenade // grinning idiot water machine // hot real estate // demo cassette // gold mold packs // smallest one // crispy crunchy nothing // fire talk elizaband // talking in tongues // lonesome celestial // (self-released) mope city // mirror puddle // wind locked me out cassingle // (self-released) bardo pond // destroying angel // peel sessions // fire body/head // tripping // come on 2x7" // three lobed jon collin and niklas anderstedt lindgren // 27:19 // dark country // akti elijah mclaughlin ensemble featuring katinka kleijn // parallax // iii // astral spirits fire! orchestra featuring joe mcphee // echoes: i see your eye, part 2 // echoes // rune grammofon benji b, raven bush, theon cross, nubya garcia, tom herbert, shabaka hutchings, nikolaj torp larsen, dave okumu, nick ramm, dan see, tom skinner and martin terefe // it’s one of these // london brew // concord jazz flora purim // light as a feather // butterfly dreams // milestone david ornette cherry // so and so and so and so // organic nation listening club (the continual) // spiritmuse dinner party featuring hi-tek // watts renaissance // enigmatic society // empire linqua franqa featuring ears // the whole bank // the whole bank digital single // ernest jenning cold beat // paper // mother // crime on the moon marlody // these doubts // i'm not sure at all // skep wax snowy // where am i? // lipreader cassette // (self-released) the ekphrastics // fogtown // special delivery // harriet wild carnation // dodger blue // tricycle (expanded edition) // delmore some velvet sidewalk // 20,000 leagues // appetite for extinction // communion

[reconprate]

Pernice Brothers

Pernice Brothers “Look Alive” Who Will You Believe (04-05-2024) Joe Pernice is quoted on his website.  “I think of myself as mostly a songwriter.  You can produce songs in different ways, but I’m always hoping that the song itself—not the production, not even the performance—holds up and provides a stable foundation. Otherwise, you’re just making noises…”  Song on the new album, the website…

[daggerzine]

Pernice Brothers- Who Will You Believe (New West)

It’s been five long years since the last Pernice Brothers album. I had the pleasure of hearing some of these songs performed at Kiki’s House of Righteous Music in Madison last November. I’m still amazed I was finally able to check off another artist on my bucket list, especially in such an intimate venue. But back to the new album. Joe wrote and produced all of the songs on the album. He’s joined by Michael McKenzie, Liam Jaeger, Patrick Berkley, Michale Belitsky, Peyton Pinkerton, and we can’t forget brother Bob Pernice. The album kicks off with the title track, “Who Will You Believe.” Jangling guitars, beautiful harmonies, and soaring guitar solos that seem like a track right out of early REM’s songbook. “So, don’t cash out ‘cause some rumor says it’s over. Look here, I stagger, but I swear to God I’m sober. Who will you believe? Who will you believe?” Next up is “Look Alive,” my favorite on the album. It’s a beautiful, upbeat piano-driven, indie-rocker complete with strings and horns! ”At best a shaky maybe. Strumming the old banjo, baby. Snuffing out a torch that was held for me. I wish I could sing that song... The one that makes the ordinary extraordinaire.“ Track 3, “Not This Pig,” is a short foot-tapping number complete with dreamy keyboards and howling guitar solos. Next is “What We Had.” A slower, sad acoustic guitar number with trickles of echo-laden guitar bits. And the lyrics add an extra punch to the sorrow. “I can see the way it’s playing out. It’s a comedy of errors, but it’s sad. I think of what we had. It’s hard to watch good love go bad.” In comes more explosive guitar jams that eventually leave as the song drifts off. Track 5, “December in Her Eyes,” if I recall, Joe introduced as a 60s Motown song that he said to imagine strings and horns. It’s a beautiful, sad song, and yes, those gorgeous strings and horns are way upfront on this one. “We’ve been friends for so long, I would tell you that I might break down and cry. I hope you can find her and find out ‘cause I swear I don’t know why she’s got December in her eyes.” “A Song for Sir Robert Helpmann” is a short, highly orchestrated instrumental dedicated to the Australian ballet legend. “Hey, Guitar” is the fastest rocker on the album. Searing guitar solos and a bopping rhythm section highlight this one. Next up, “A Man of Means,” is a flashback to Revolver-era Beatles. I’m thinking “Taxman” with its heavy bassline and chiming guitars. Track 9, “I Don't Need That Anymore,” features another Dagger favorite, Neko Case. When I first heard this performed at Kiki’s, Joe, strapped only with an acoustic guitar, did a hilarious version by tilting his head when he sang “the Neko part.” Couldn’t wait to hear the full-blown version with Neko, and it surely doesn’t disappoint. Next up, “Ordinary Goldmine,” also captures the vibe I felt at Kiki’s. Not sure if he sang this at our set. Love the repetitive ending. “Tell me where. I swear I’d be on-time.” Track 11, another acoustic beauty, “How Will We Sleep” is one to move any listener to tears. It’s not just the beauty of his acoustic guitar, the lyrics really grab you, especially me. “Growing old seemed like death to me when I was young. Now I want to grow old. And I want to belong. Oh, how will we sleep to the crash and the clang, as the hell-bent hell fires burn on in our names? How will we live: By the dove or the blade? Will we keep our eyes closed as the dream slips away?” The album ends with “The Purple Rain.” Dedicated to the loss of his cousin to cancer. The emotional lyrics say it all, “Here’s a man one heartbeat from a ghost. Here’s a vein, it spiders coast to coast. One thousand quiet cuts, and I do believe we’re close. Been bleeding out for years and years and years.” Dedicated to one of the many people close to Joe that left this earth recently. Joe’s heartfelt vocals, acoustic guitar, swelling strings, and gorgeous choir truly add to the sorrow of this piece. ERIC EGGLESON

https://www.pernicebrothers.com/

[vmonteiro23a]

UNDER THE RADAR: New Album - Pernice Brothers – "Who Will You Believe", released on April 5, 2024

UNDER THE RADAR: New Album – Pernice Brothers – “Who Will You Believe”, released on April 5, 2024 “Neko Case and a string section enliven the best, most inspired Pernice Brothers albums in two decades”. brooklyn vegan “Time and tragedy bring about subtle but powerful changes on the 8th album from Joe Pernice’s smart pop project.” allmusic

[rutaalrocknoticias]

Nuevo disco de PERNICE BROTHERS "WHO WILL YOU BELIEVE"

El inconfundible Joe Pernice ha vuelto con un álbum que promete ser tanto conmovedor como matizado: "Who Will You Believe" de los Pernice Brothers. Con una carrera que abarca más de 25 años, Pernice ha demostrado ser un maestro en reinterpretar el pop clásico estadounidense, y este álbum no es una excepción.

En este último trabajo, Pernice Brothers nos ofrece una colección de canciones escritas durante un período tumultuoso en su vida. Con la pérdida de tres amigos cercanos en un lapso de seis meses, incluidos nombres notables como David Berman y Gary Stewart, Pernice se vio obligado a enfrentar el dolor y la reflexión sobre la fragilidad de la vida. Como él mismo dice, "Todas estas canciones fueron escritas durante el mismo período de tiempo", reflejando un estado de ánimo único y poderoso que se plasma a lo largo del álbum.

"Who Will You Believe" captura la esencia de la madurez artística de Pernice, mostrando una mayor paciencia y un profundo aprecio por el proceso creativo. A pesar de la tristeza que impregna muchas de las canciones, el álbum encuentra un equilibrio maravilloso entre momentos de solemnidad y destellos de humor cálido y camaradería.

Con cada canción que parece pertenecer a un todo cohesivo, este álbum es una muestra del talento innegable de Pernice Brothers para contar historias a través de la música. Es una invitación a sumergirse en su mundo, donde la honestidad y la emoción se entrelazan con melodías cautivadoras.

"Who Will You Believe" no solo es una declaración artística, sino también una reflexión sobre la vida y la pérdida. Es un recordatorio de la importancia de valorar cada momento y de nunca dar nada por sentado. Los Pernice Brothers han entregado un álbum que no solo resuena con el presente, sino que también perdurará en el tiempo como un testimonio del poder transformador de la música.

[rockinnews]

Vuelven los Pernice Brothers. Nueva canción y disco a la vista

[shortfeedshq]

Dianne Buswell: From Ballet to Strictly Come Dancing, Her Career and Future Plans

Dianne Buswell is a professional dancer, choreographer, and television personality from Australia. She gained fame after appearing in the 14th season of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. Since then, she has become one of the show's most popular and well-known dancers, working with a number of high-profile celebrities. In this SEO-friendly autobiography, we will delve into the life of Dianne Buswell and explore her journey to fame, as well as her personal and professional accomplishments. Table of Contents - Early Life and Education - Dancing Career Beginnings - Rise to Fame with Strictly Come Dancing - Personal Life and Relationships - Philanthropy and Charity Work - Future Plans and Projects 1. Early Life and Education Dianne Buswell was born on May 6, 1989, in Bunbury, Western Australia. She began dancing at a young age and trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance. Dianne attended the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. After graduating, she moved to London to pursue her career in dancing. 2. Dancing Career Beginnings Dianne started her dancing career as a member of the Australian troupe Burn the Floor, where she toured internationally for four years. She also performed in the Broadway production of the show in 2011. In 2014, she joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars Australia as a professional dancer, and she stayed with the show for three seasons. 3. Rise to Fame with Strictly Come Dancing In 2016, Dianne Buswell joined the cast of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer. She has been a part of the show ever since and has partnered with celebrities such as Joe Sugg, Dev Griffin, and Max George. Dianne's fun-loving personality, as well as her incredible dancing skills, have made her a fan favorite on the show. 4. Personal Life and Relationships Dianne Buswell was in a relationship with fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Giovanni Pernice from 2018 to 2021. In August 2021, Dianne announced her engagement to her partner, British television presenter Joe Sugg. 5. Philanthropy and Charity Work Dianne Buswell is a patron of the charity "STEPS Charity Worldwide," which provides support and rehabilitation for children with clubfoot. She has also participated in various charity events and fundraisers, including "Strictly Come Dancing's" annual Children in Need special. 6. Future Plans and Projects Dianne Buswell plans to continue her career in dancing and hopes to one day open her own dance school. She has also expressed interest in pursuing a career in television presenting and has worked as a co-host on the "Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals" tour. FAQs: Q: When did Dianne Buswell start dancing? A: Dianne Buswell started dancing at a young age, training in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance. She began her formal dance training at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she honed her skills and received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance. After completing her education, Dianne moved to London to pursue her career in dancing. Q: What is Dianne Buswell known for? A: Dianne Buswell is best known for her appearances as a professional dancer on the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing." She joined the show in 2016 and has since become one of its most popular dancers, partnering with high-profile celebrities and earning a devoted fan following. Q: Who has Dianne Buswell partnered with on "Strictly Come Dancing"? A: Dianne Buswell has partnered with several celebrities on "Strictly Come Dancing," including Joe Sugg, Dev Griffin, and Max George. She has also appeared in various group dances and special performances on the show. Q: What charity work has Dianne Buswell been involved in? A: Dianne Buswell is a patron of the charity "STEPS Charity Worldwide," which provides support and rehabilitation for children with clubfoot. She has also participated in various charity events and fundraisers, including "Strictly Come Dancing's" annual Children in Need special. Q: What are Dianne Buswell's future plans? A: Dianne Buswell plans to continue her career in dancing and hopes to one day open her own dance school. She has also expressed interest in pursuing a career in television presenting and has worked as a co-host on the "Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals" tour. Read the full article

[redsoapbox]

Two More Brilliant Bands Show Their Support for Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas

‘Wake Up And Smell The Sun is happy and proud to support the needs of people in need. At Christmas, and at every moment throughout every year, people need our help, our compassion, our generosity, our forgiveness, our mercy, and our unpolitical goodness. We’re happy to help Crisis.org, and yet unhappy that such an organization should have to exist. Nonetheless, we are grateful of its existence and for every small victory of joy, if only in the feint smiles of the endless victims of loss’. John Murray.

Wake Up And Smell The Sun is a band and musical project created, written, and performed by John Murray, with collaborators on select songs and albums. 'Kris Kringle And The Midnight Soul' features John Murray on vocals and guitars, Patrick Berkery on drums, Robbie Bennett on piano and Hammond organ, and Brian McTear on bass guitar. Brian McTear and his partner Amy Morrissey at Miner Street Recording in Philadelphia produced, engineered, and mixed the song. Mastering was completed by Joe Lambert. Berkery and Bennett have performed with War On Drugs, with Bennett being the full-time keyboard player for the band. Berkery appears on the band's last three studio records: 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore, the Grammy-winning 2017 album A Deeper Understanding, and 2014’s Lost in the Dream. He also has a long list of performing credits as a member of Danielson, Strand of Oaks, Pernice Brothers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and others.

Brian McTear is an artist and songwriter and a world-renowned producer and mixer working with artists such as Sharon Van Etten, War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Dr. Dog, Waxahatchee, and many others. He is also the creator of Weathervane Music and the award-winning studio documentary series Shaking Through.  The original mix of “Kris Kringle And The Midnight Soul”, was released in 2021 and has been remixed and remastered for the Crisis compilation in 2022. It was part of a 2-song follow up to 2020’s Electric Snow, entitled 'Ye Miner St. Christmas Hymnal'. Wake Up And Smell The Sun released a critically acclaimed Christmas Album, Electric Snow in November 2020, followed by the single “Yuletide Waves” in December 2020. More songs are on the way, including non-Christmas songs. Probably, anyway. No real plans ever exist. Life is fortunate enough to present obstacles to personal pursuits, which makes the opportunity to help the Crisis organization all the better.

The wonderful “Kris Kringle and the Midnight Soul”

https://wakeupandsmellthesun.bandcamp.com/

Back in February 2018, I decided to blog a feature on new bands that I had recently chanced upon and which I wanted to bring to followers’ attention. One of those bands (from a list which included Boy Azooga, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Sandra's Wedding, The Family Jools and Hotel Lux) was a Finnish combo Those Forgotten Tapes. The band hadn't played live, but their three Soundcloud demos were extraordinarily good. The band were kind enough to donate one of those tracks to last year’s V4Velindre compilation under the name of That Forgotten Band.

This time around the band were kind enough to write an original Christmas song for Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas. Massive thanks to Jari and Jussi for delivering another classic track. You can hear those demo tracks, including the one that I included on V4Velindre. The song that TFB is contributing to Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas, “Christmas Yet to Come”, is an absolute stormer.

https://soundcloud.com/thatforgottenband

[omegaplus]

# 2,653

James & Bobby Purify “I’m Your Puppet” b/w “Lay Me Down Easy” Mercury / Phonogram UK label sleeve (1976)

We at Ω+ still are running our “I’m Your Puppet” clearance sale. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham were the original writers of this hit which made The Purify’s famous the following year, and vice versa. Sam & Dave, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Donny Osmond, Dionne Warwick, Foster Sylvers, Elton John & Paul Young, Yo La Tengo, Joe Pernice, and Cliff Richard & Percy Sledge all had covered "I'm Your Puppet" since its' 1965 inception. And we didn't forget this, but Grand Daddy I.U. sampled this for "Something New" (1990), Tragedy Khadafi for "Live & Direct From The House Of Hits (1990), and Hi-C for...drumroll, please..."I'm Not Your Puppet" (1991).

Shown here is based on the 1976 re-recording released in the United Kingdom via the Mercury and Phonogram labels, well after Ben Moore took Bobby Purify’s place. That version was produced through Papa Don Enterprises by Penn and Don Schroeder.

[cristinadaura]

Illustration and graphic image for the Primera Persona festival at CCCB, Barcelona.

More of the work process in my behance.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Interview with Joe Pernice — 2005

Sunday Interview with PERNICE. There’s been a bunch of 1998 music chatter lately, but for my money, the Pernice Brothers’ Overcome By Happiness should be dominating all such chatter. Anyway, this talk took place a few years later ...

Over the past decade, Joe Pernice has established himself as one of the most reliably great songwriters of his generation. From his days in the not-so-alt-country collective, the Scud Mountain Boys, to side-trips into the Chappaquiddick Skyline, to his ongoing role as frontman for the Pernice Brothers, Joe's stirring storytelling skills and his distinctive way with a gorgeous melody have remained firmly in place. The Pernice Brothers began life as an orch-pop project, but the band's last two records, 2003's Yours, Mine & Ours and this year's Discover A Lovelier You, see them taking their cues from such '80s luminaries as the Smiths, New Order and Echo & the Bunnymen. Whatever direction Pernice takes his music in, the results are always worth hearing. He chatted with Junkmedia from his hometown of Holbrook, Mass.

At your recent show in Denver, you encored with "Doll On A Music Box," a song from [the semi-obscure mid-60s flying car movie starring Dick Van Dyke] "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." I was curious as to how you chose that song to cover.

On the tour for the last record, we used that soundtrack as opening music, and we decided to work it into our set. We're just fans of it. We actually recorded a version of it in Europe a little while ago. We had been doing these kind of heavier covers -- stuff like New Order and the Pretenders -- and we thought we should do something a little more low-key. James [Walbourne] my piano player, was going through a heavy spell of listening to that soundtrack, as well as the "Willie Wonka" soundtrack. Those records are just unbelievable -- there's no irony there in our covering that song.

I was surprised to see that Thom Monahan (bassist/co-producer) was missing from your touring lineup. Where'd he go?

He's taking a leave. We've been together for 10 years now, but he recently moved out to L.A., got married and has been working on a bunch of different recording projects. He just needed a break. We haven't made any big decisions, it's just that he had been working with some other bands, and it turned out that if he came out on tour with us, he'd have something like a single day off in between.

Like you said, you and Thom have been making records together for ten years. Why is he such a good collaborator for you?

[Pause] I don't know. [Laughs] We just hit it off. We've been working together since the second Scud Mountain Boys record in 1994, I think. We're both pretty headstrong guys, but we've learned how to not let things escalate if there are arguments in the studio. And there are arguments. But all of the guys I work with, we like working long hours. It's just fun for us. [Guitarist] Peyton [Pinkerton] and James, those guys would stay in the studio forever if they could. Time goes by so quick in there -- it'll feel like two hours and it'll actually be nine hours. Even when it's a pain in the ass, it's still fun.

Can you imagine making a record without Thom?

Oh, sure. It would be different, but I think different can be good. There are a lot of good people to record with out there. The more musicians I meet, I find that there are more people who are like us -- people who love to spend a lot of time in the studio. I haven't given it too much thought, but a change could be good. As a songwriter, it might be a good thing to have a little change.

From the liners, it looks as though you recorded the new album all over the place.

Yeah, we did some tracking in New York when Thom and I were both living there and then I did some on my own in Boston and Toronto and then we finished it up in Los Angeles.

Was it challenging to make a record in such a piecemeal fashion?

It wasn't a problem. It's good to get away from it sometimes. I think if we had done it all in one place, I still would've wanted to have the breaks that we had because of moving. Having some time off from a record can give you some space, some perspective on it.

The other mainstay in the band is Peyton Pinkerton, who's played on all the Pernice Brothers records. How'd you originally hook up with him?

We were all living in Northampton at the time. I was in grad school and Peyton had his band the New Radiant Storm Kings. It's really a kind of small town, so everybody sort of knows everybody. When I was putting together the first Pernice Brothers record, I asked him to come along and it's evolved from there.

It seems as though he's taken a more prominent role on the last two records. Do you pretty much give him free reign in the studio, in terms of guitar parts?

Sometimes. It's both. Sometimes there'll be a set idea I have for a guitar part. I'm a hack at best on guitar - no matter how much I practice, I'll just never be that good at guitar. I can hear guitar parts, but I can't play 'em. So I'll hum a part to Peyton, or I'll say "Can you do something like this?" And he can play it and change it a little and make it better. But he'll show up with a lot of ideas, too, so it's both. There's a lot of editing and forming that goes on in the studio.

Is it safe to say that a song on the new record like "Amazing Glow" -- with its mentions of changing cities and lifestyles -- is autobiographical? Or do you shy away from that sort of songwriting?

Oh no. Most everything that I've ever written comes from a real event or thing. But I try to step back from it at some point. I try to see what's the better story I can tell, even if it's not necessarily true. It's fun to see where a song can go, just to step back and let it take a left turn, regardless of what really happened or not.

Personally, I think it'd be pretty boring if I was just up there spouting the truth all the time. But that particular song did come out of something real and true. And it probably is true.

Another song from the new record, "My So-Called Celibate Life" -- is that your commentary on Los Angeles? (Sample lyric: "All the stars out in disguise / Look at all the money that money buys.")

Yeah, it's something I finished while I was out there. It's crazy, you go out to eat at a diner or something there and literally everyone there is working on a script or a project or something. I don't know if I was just going to places that were script workshop places, or what?

Have you caught some of that bug yourself? I was just reading that you're working on a script based on your novella (Meat Is Murder, a fictionalized memoir centered around the titular Smiths album).

Yeah, I've been working on a script for that with someone for about a year. It's getting pretty close to finished. But I'm not interested in selling the script. The plan is to produce it in a real DIY kind of way. It's almost done, and the hope is that early next year, we'll turn up the heat in terms of organizing the whole thing.

So you've got a book of poetry, a novella and now a film script. Can you foresee a time when these concerns might take precedence over music?

If I start to enjoy those things more, sure. I really take the path of least resistance. If sitting around alone in my house writing a book is more fulfilling than making music with people, than that's what I'll do. I just have to go with what I love.

We mentioned the Scud Mountain Boys earlier. It's been a decade since you put out those records. How do you view that band and that era?

I haven't listened to the records in a long time. The last time I did, I remember thinking they sounded pretty good. It was a really brief burst, when I think about it now. We put out three records in about two and a half years, maybe less than that. More like 15 months. But I think we made three good albums, we made our stamp. It was an exciting period. I felt I had hit upon something really good in terms of songwriting. I wrote most of those songs really quickly, in a matter of months, I think, with a few exceptions. I was writing a ton of songs back then, because I had just started really writing and taking time with it. It was just a really inspiring time. And everything started happening really quickly.

What's funny is that back then I was going through a heavy Jimmy Webb thing, and I had just started listening to Nick Drake and Burt Bacharach, too. So even though those early records have some undeniably country elements, that had a little more to do with the set up of the band, with pedal steel and mandolin taking such prominent roles. In fact, I remember the two records I listened to the most around that time might have been Dinosaur Jr's Green Mind and [Guided By Voices'] Bee Thousand.

Yeah, I was listening to Massachusetts recently and though the knee jerk reaction to that record would be to label it "alt-country," there were a lot of songs that didn't really fit into that category at all.

Yeah, I mean, going back to Jimmy Webb -- he's known for his country hits with Glen Campbell, like "Wichita Lineman" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix." But you listen to those songs, and they're not country at all. They just happen to be set in Texas or something. They're insane. They don't really have any of the trappings that we think of as "country." They're so damn complex and a lot of times they don't have any choruses! They just go on and on without choruses. And they're amazing.

[sailorzakuro]

What have I made I honestly don’t know

[reconprate]

Pernice Brothers

Pernice Brothers “I Don’t Need That Anymore” Who Will You Believe (04-05-2024) Second song from the new album to make the weekly playlist.  Features vocals from Neko Case (New Pornographers, solo).  According to Joe Pernice, the title of this song comes from a conversation had by his wife and mother, looking at the latter’s old wedding album.  His wife commented, “wow, you had some figure” to…