Hey! Marble Valley
Ahead of Thursday’s intimate show at Dulcimer, Hey! Manchester catches up with Steve West, front man of Marble Valley and drummer in Pavement.
Hi Steve, how are you?
It’s been an uppin’ downer week here, cold as Big Ben’s hour hand.
Obvious question first: where does the name Marble Valley come from?
My mother’s father grew up on a farm with 12 siblings in Marble Valley, located in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia.
Why did you decide to record the latest album, Slash and Laugh, in Amsterdam?
Remko Schouten, our Sampler guy, owns a fabulous studio named Island Studios there, and he graciously offered to record us.
The songs are incredibly fun and quirky. How do you go about getting these elements into the music?
When we are together it comes out naturally like a burp or hick up. Alone, I just think about these guys playing the songs and go with it.
Do you have reels of out-takes where you’re all laughing or is the recording process quite serious?
It seems there is always laughter at the beginning and end of songs. There is always another clown around the corner in the Valley. However, we do take the final schmeel seriously.
Is there a dog in someone’s house called Duche Dog E Dog, or is it a surreal joke?
The Dog is Remko Schouten, our sampler/percussion/singing wizard. He is Pavement’s sound man and is famous for his manly exploits. He is a husband now and father of two, and has a leash and a collar on.
I read somewhere that you’re a stone mason. What kind of stuff do you like to make?
Beating on rocks is loads of fun. Sometimes I pretend there is a crowd of Pavement fans waiting for me to sign autographs at lunch time. Seriously though, I make stone fireplaces, retaining walls and patios for Virginians.
How does the experience of playing Marble Valley differ from playing in Pavement?
In the valley, I am the frontman, no place to hide. It is fun but very bright. In Pavement, I can hide behind the drums. I enjoy both positions. Drumming is easier though, I can be a Neanderthal. Front men have to wear a tie and a bowler like John Steed.
How did the Pavement reunion come about and are you excited about it?
The fans and the press brought it about by keeping the idea out there. It’s going to be a blast off. I am very excited to play these old Pavement songs and participate in a lot of male bonding.
You must have been to Manchester before, right? How well do you get on with the place?
Me and Manchester get along just fine. However, this country bumpkin sticks out like a old beat up Ford truck under the Manchester city nightlights.
Marble Valley play on Thursday 28 January, 8pm, at Dulcimer in Chorlton.
Questions by Chris Gilliver of CityLifers.co.uk
Random Posts
One response to “Hey! Marble Valley”
Leave a comment
January 30th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Nice little blog site! Thumbsy upy!