On the eve of the release of their seventh album Heaven we caught up with The Walkmen’s Pete Bauer to discuss the latest record, life on the road and the highs and lows of their ten years making music together.
Hey, how are you?
Hey, I’m good
I’m completely confused with the time differences at the moment, so I’m not entirely sure what day or time it is where you are
It’s about 9pm, almost 9pm where I am.
So Monday?
Yeah,
Okay, so the record is released tomorrow in the US…
Yeah, in about three hours to be exact
Excellent, so how do you normally spend a release day, do you have any specific rituals?
Usually we’re in some weird place, this is the first time we’ve opted to not start touring, or properly touring until after the record comes out. Usually we’re in a weird city, all eating dinner together. But today I’m at home, just few back from Seattle about an hour ago.
Yeah, you were playing Sasquatch yesterday I believe?
Yeah we played yesterday, and I literally got in about 30 minutes ago, so I’m just helping the wife turn the kids in (laughs)
So what’s the story behind the new record Heaven?
It’s our seventh record or something like that I think. We ended up recording it down in Seattle, with Phil Ek who’s a record producer, it’s probably the first record where we’ve had a proper record producer from the get go. And it went quite well I’d say, for us, by our standards anyway, in terms of how we wrote it, everything went quite smoothly. So we’re pretty excited about the actual result as well.
Were there any specific inspirations behind the record, were you reading or listening to anything in particular during its creation?
I feel like it’s more of a combination of everything that we’ve done, and the craft of ourselves playing together. We’ve drawn from a lot of influences over the years, and you know often the same ones. But, I think it’s really that we’re figured out how to play well together and enjoy each others company, and I think that was what was most inspiring and what kept it going. When we started out it was “well let’s try and write a song, and see if we can write a song we really like”. But it quickly spiralled into writing a whole record.
Do you have a favourite track from the new record?
I still like the title track the best. I think because it came together last, and it just felt like a real success, the song was in a lot of trouble for a long time. It was one of those things that went around in circles, and came back and worked out at the last minute. That’s probably one reason.
So you’re seven records in now, do you find you approach things hugely different from when you started out?
Yeah, I think we are a lot more comfortable playing with each other, and giving each other room, in terms of ideas. I remember when we first started writing together, with all five of us together arguing. So we kind of do things from a distance now, and that’s made a big difference.
So the songwriting used to be a group effort but not anymore?
Now I think it’s much more like an assembly line. Paul the guitar player will come up with a good idea and then Hamilton will sing on it. Nick will think of a drum beat or some kind of drum idea if there isn’t one there already, and then I’ll add some sort of other instrument, or something, maybe even change the drum beat. So it’s in a kind of row, and we don’t really know what it’s going to be like until we play it on stage or in the studio.
So with these new songs, do they get flushed out in a live setting before the studio?
A bit of both I think. I think with some of them we tried it out on stage first, especially some of the more up-tempo stuff. Basically it’s just a case of feeling our way through it. There’s no real formula, these kinds of things don’t work like that.
You’ve just celebrated your 10th anniversary as a band, how did that feel?
It felt good; it was really exciting to play those shows, to be able to look back. We’ve always been the kind of band, that’s felt a bit conflicted about playing older songs, and you feel like you are kind of running from it. So it’s nice to have a place, where all of a sudden you feel like you’re very comfortable playing all the older music, and it becomes fun again.
Bit of a broad question, but what have been some of the highs and lows of the last ten years?
Yeah, it’s very broad. I don’t know. I mean we had a record that people really didn’t like, which was a real low. That was hard, you don’t think that’s going to affect you that much, but it does. And then to be able to come back from that, where most bands probably call it a day at that point, and do a record that we are probably most proud of, which is the You & Me one. Where we really started to get our act together again, and looking at things in a different way, was probably a high point.
You were last here in Australia at the end of last year for The Harvest Festival, and you also did a few shows with The National, how do you feel they went?
Yeah they went fine. You know I like those National guys, they’re real nice guys. Those opening slots and festivals, you feel like you only get so far I guess, in terms of communicating anything of real note to people. It’s different to having your own show. But those were really fun shows, and it was nice to hang out of those guys and see how they do things again. It had been a while. We all had dinner together and had a good time.
So do you prefer the smaller club shows?
I like theatres; I think they’re the best for us. It’s when you can play quiet songs, loud songs, but you don’t have to play them. At so many festivals there are dance bands across from you, and you can’t play quiet songs. It makes it difficult to make that connection with anybody.
You’ve got a pretty packed tour schedule right up to November, how do you pass the time whilst on tour?
It’s pretty slow (laughs) You’re always trying to think of some new routine to try and make it a little less drab. I mean the shows are fun, but there’s 23 other hours in the day to get through. There’s not much you can do, we drive, and keep everything low rent, so we spend most of the day in the car together.
I think you’re heading straight off to Europe maybe tomorrow or the day after…
I think tomorrow, yeah, we just got back tonight, and then we’re going to Barcelona tomorrow.
So you must spend most of your time in a perpetual state of jet lag?
Yeah, you know I was just thinking about that last night. I really like that state (laughs) I actually feel like its kind of enjoyable, to be able to just get off an aeroplane, go and have dinner and have a drink. I dig it.
So are you going to be heading back down to Australia again soon? Given your schedule atm, it’s probably not going to be for a couple of months….
I guess it’s going to be the New Year. That seems to be when they usually ask us to come. Probably around the January area.
Just in time for Festival season again?
I guess that’s the plan, which seems to be what always occurs.
Excellent, well thanks for taking the time to talk with me, and good luck with the new record, and the tour.
Thanks
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