Hey Joe, what are you up to right now?

Eating egg tacos.

You’ve visited Manchester a couple of times already. What do you know of the city?

I’m a devoted fan of Abraham Lincoln’s life. His connection to your city has always struck me as beautiful. That an American president would directly appeal not to a foreign government, but a foreign people, that seems unprecedented and, given the current state of global politics, unrepeatable.

Oh… and the Curry Mile. That’s my jam.

You seem to have a following here – half of the tickets for your show next month sold in the first few days. Are you aware of having fans here?

I’m surprised and flattered.

You’ve taken the DIY ethic to extremes, personally sending out over 15,000 sample CDs to fans. Do you just really enjoy visiting post offices?

The fewer people between my music and the folks who enjoy it the better. When there isn’t a gatekeeper to be pleased, I’m allowed a wide range of artistic latitude. If the downside to that is a few more trips to the post office, that’s a bargain.

Comparisons have been drawn with Josh Ritter, with whom you’ve tour. He’s a very nice fellow, isn’t he? And a great songwriter to boot.

My admiration for Josh grows every time I see him play, every time I hear a new album of his, every time I see the dignity and respect that he affords everyone he works with, not to mention his fans. If there are comparisons drawn, it’s only because I crib so much from him!

So what does 2012 hold for you?

I’ve recorded a new album with my band. It will be out this coming April. Then we’ll just tour like banshees behind it. We’ll head straight for Manchester.

Joe Pug plays the Castle Hotel on 21 February, with the Travelling Band’s Jo Dudderidge supporting. More info and tickets.

Hey Willy, how’s it going? Where are you and what are you doing at this very moment?

I’m in the US doing boring things getting ready for my trip overseas. While I was on tour the phone got shut off and there’s no hot water. My bus needs new brake-lines and my girlfriend’s truck just got towed away. Spring is a very exciting time of year. As soon as I get all this figured out I might get to record some stuff for tour but it’s not looking so good since I’m flying out on Friday, thanks for asking.

What are you up to at the moment music-wise?

I’m in the process of finishing a new album which I’ve recorded with my brother Sam in London. I’ve got some shows booked on my own coming up shortly in May and some with Sam in August and September.

Yes, you’ve got several shows here over the summer – including in Wakefield, Kirbymoorside, Stockton and Colchester (as well as Union Chapel in London and big festival dates). Is it fair to say that you enjoy touring over here?

I do – especially in the summer months, but year-round it’s ok too. I’ve spent a lot of time in the UK over the years so I’m better at getting around now and I’ve got some friends I can call on. I like the slight shift in perspective that happens when jumping continents too. I just wish I didn’t have to fly. I don’t like the ordeal so much and I’d rather see England coming up over the horizon. Maybe I can find someone with a big boat. That’d be fun.

We were suitably surprised and impressed when you agreed to come and play in Salford. How have your experiences of Manchester been?

Manchester has usually been very good to me. I have had many good experiences there. I am looking forward to the festival – I was introduced to Hey! Manchester through a friend who I’ve done shows with in the North East so I have a lot of faith in the event. It’ll be a good way to reacquaint myself with the city.

The Hey! Manchester stage is Peel Hall, a beautiful Victorian theatre that’s rarely used for anything other than classical recitals. How do you find playing fancy seated venues? Do you have a different seated-show style?

The show is entirely dependent on the setting. I’ve been getting used to bars and rock clubs lately but I always enjoy getting to play in a fancy theatre every now and then. The acoustics tend to carry the show and it becomes more inspired by tone and harmony than by sweat and booze. I wouldn’t put either one over they other; they can both become kind of holy at their best.

Sounds From The Other City features dozens of artists and bands performing in 13 small venues around Chapel Street. Any plans to stick around and check out what’s going on?

I’m looking forward to seeing who’s playing Manchester these days and hopefully pick up on some new acts I haven’t heard.

You’ve been playing a bit with Isobel Campbell lately. How did that connection come about, and what’s Isobel like to work and play with?

I met Isobel through my neighbour Matthew Cullen who happened to be engineering her record. He asked me to fill in on the Townes Van Zandt song No Place To Fall, and Isobel was so pleased with the result she asked me to sing on a couple more. She is very kind and enthusiastic. And she has a knack for surrounding herself with highly talented musicians. I learned a lot touring with them, about playing together as a group on pretty delicate material.

Finally, we’re sure you’ve played more festivals than you care to remember. Which have particularly stood out for you?

Glastonbury was my first big festival and I will never forget the experience. We just don’t carry on the Pagan tradition that way in the States. South by Southwest in Austin, Texas is memorable in a totally different way – it’s where I first met Zane Lowe before I’d ever played a gig in the UK. I also played the Truck America festival last year, which was really really good, even though I was just there primarily as a driver for Nina Violet’s band. Those guys put on a good festival though and I look forward to playing some of their UK events this year.

Willy Mason plays the Hey! Manchester stage at Peel Hall, University of Salford, alongside Darren Hayman, David Thomas Broughton, the Wave Pictures and the Other City Ensemble. Read more about Sounds From The Other City, Salford’s one-day festival, this coming Sunday, 1 May here.

Hey Ryan, how’s your year going so far?

Well, so far it’s great. All 11 days of it. This tour is the kick off event of the year! I’m replying to your questions here on United flight 928 en route to Europe from Portland. [We should add that this epic response was written via iPhone... Ryan joked of getting 'touchscreen tendinitis' and having to cancel the tour.]

Is this upcoming tour your first solo visit to Europe? Are you looking forward to any cities or venues in particular (you don’t have to say Manchester!)?

No, I’ve done some one off things and smaller runs – but this is the first proper tour doing the solo guitar Parables music in Europe. I’m happy with all of the events and cities – in particular, getting to spend a bit of time in cobbled Flandrian Belgium is always something to look forward to. Aside from a tiny house show in Ghent (I love that sort of thing) and a great show at the AB in Brussels, I get to be in the holy land of bike-racing shortly before the spring classics season begins. I’m there just a tad early to catch any races unfortunately!

To begin the tour, my girlfriend and I will take the train from Budapest and head west. That will be a magical snowy old-world adventure of sorts. Or… a suitcase dragging over icy cobbles, trudging through freezing rain, lugging a too heavy guitar case on my back, getting lost in southern Bohemia. I’ll let you know which happened when I see you.

You’re also joining Joanna Newsom for her continental Europe tour this month. How did you come to work with her?

We’ve been collaborating since 2006. We’re both from northern California and had met previously at a folk music camp in 2005. I was really impressed by her improvisation ideas over a few jams we had. I hadn’t heard her songs before, but they later became the soundtrack of that summer. We kept in touch, then the following summer she had an idea for a folk band ensemble to perform the material from Ys. It was the first time she had decided to put together a band and she wasn’t expecting anyone to play the Van Dyke scores… but that seemed like a fun idea to me, so we gave it a go. I kind of by default ended up the caretaker of complicated challenges after that. And there have been many! I’ve kept rearranging all the scores and writing new ones since depending on the touring lineup.

For the uninitiated, can you explain your guitar-playing style?

Hmmm, ideally, I want to play solo compositions with the structure of a Weiss lute sonata and the fire of a Balkan folk musician. Ideally. Ideals are good to have I think? Exploring the guitar as a solo instrument is my best chance at this realisation at the moment. Firstly, I am a composer; second, an instrumentalist. I think that distinction lends itself to a different type of sound and intention – one that perhaps could be perceived as a performer who puts the composition first over being impressive. The likely result is that you are neither impressive nor play a good composition. But I’m fully responsible at least, in that I can shape the pieces to suit the types of ornaments and techniques that are a part of me as a player.

Who would you consider contemporaries or inspirations?

I seem to be getting a lot of comparisons to Toumani Diabaté’s solo kora playing at the moment. I wouldn’t say that is accurate as a direct influence, but I do love the kora. I’m more influenced by my friend Kane Mathis from Seattle, who is an incredible kora player. His kora playing is something I listened to constantly in 2008. Granted, this was the case as we were housemates and I had little choice but to listen to it, but regardless there are a few koraisms that I have adopted, namely polyrhythmic patterns with bass variation. Actually, I was doing these types of things many years before hearing a kora – but hearing it done properly always sorts you out and gives you new ideas.

And some other inspirations you know already: Robin Pecknold – I wouldn’t need to play fancy guitar pieces if I could sing like Robin; Joanna – despite being heavily involved with shaping her music, I’m still a fan, and she has plenty of soul and power without all these fancy pants violin parts we gunk up her songs with! I think she’s an important ear-opener in this musical era.

You recorded your latest album, Parables, completely live with no over-dubs. Was this a reaction to over-complication elsewhere, or you wanting the live experience to be in line with the record, or neither of the above?

Both those things are true. I also wanted to set a few limitations for myself to distill what my capabilities are. Writing ensemble music is easy by comparison. I went overboard with using computers to make music from 2002 until 2006 and left that music with a hollow feeling. I wanted a music of my own derived in physical reality. There are no tricks, no loops, nothing to rely on, nothing to bail me out when things don’t work. ‘Geez, sounds grim!’ However, I think the reward is inherent in those limitations. If you can make music (however humble) under these limitations then I would say you are able to approach something that has the bare minimum required for a timeless statement. In short, as a musician I enjoy getting my ass kicked. Rehearsals are easy to schedule as well.

Your music incorporates elements of your interests: bluegrass, Baroque lute music, jazz improvisation, and Bulgarian folk music. What drew you to study the latter?

Well, simply put music from the Balkans (not just Bulgaria) is amazing. I’ve been playing this music since 1993 – so it predates most of my other influences as this point. In particular my guitar style is hugely based on my Bulgarian tambura playing. The primary difference is that with the guitar I play fingerstyle in order to have counterpoint. The tambura is played with a pick. There is very little counterpoint in East European instrumental folk music. The reason that Baroque music comes up for me is that the structural skill required to write successful counterpoint is a rarity these days. I hazard to say a lost skill – but it’s a sound and compositional device I’ve been in love with since my student years. I also have a number of Balkan-genre albums out there. Just in October I released an album of tambura and oud duets with Kane called “Songs From The Cedar House”.

A recent four-star review in Uncut compared one of Parables’ tracks to something by Toumani Diabaté. Is African music also a major influence for you?

Oh, it looks like I answered that already! I seem to have a harp thing these days. Actually that relates. Joanna partly inspired me to find ways to keep the strings ringing, so it does sound a bit harplike when I play melodies. I guess comparison with kora is pretty accurate.

Until I met Kane my main association with african music was being a very white feeling, shy 18 year old, awkward haircut having first year guitar major being forced to African drum, sing and dance by intimidating Ghanian men at CalArts where I went to college. So in general, no, African music is not a major influence. Closer touchstones are Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian and Baroque. Even Balinese gamelan is actually a bigger influence on my playing than African. One review said I copied a Michael Hedges song. I loved him when I was in high school actually, but it had never occurred to me that anything I play is derivative of him. I wonder…

In Manchester you’ll be playing at the Castle Hotel, which has been beautifully refurbished and is proving to be popular with music fans and ale drinkers alike. What will be your tipple of choice?

I’d be up for a proper small batch English ale after I play! Something dark perhaps. I rarely drink though. Never before playing. Unless I’m playing Rembetica, and then it must be Ouzo on the rocks. Lion’s milk.

Ryan Francesconi plays at the Castle Hotel on Wednesday 16 February. Toulouse’s Birdengine supports. More information at heymanchester.com.

Basics first: who are you?

Stephen Morris and Cressa. Some twat out of Northside probably. That guy with dreads who used to do ‘Wonderwall’ outside Boots on Market Street.

You set up FUC51 back in January. Was there a particularly terrible experience that prompted you to do so?

Nope. People tend to assume we emerged intentionally at the same time as Hooky re-opened the doors of the old Factory offices, but really, that was just a fluke on our part and proved incredibly useful in terms of interest around Manchester and music.

And why the blog format?

As opposed to what? A newspaper? A fanzine given away in Piccadilly Records? Blogs are cheap and direct and easily allow everyone to chip in with their views immediately in the comments. When people need to call you names, they need a platform that encourages their urgency and rudeness. There’s nothing nicer than someone logging on anonymously to give us lot a bloody nose. The collective readership is always smarter and funnier than the collective ‘we’.

You get a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, through comments and tip-offs. Are you pleased with the response?

I think what we’re most pleased with is some of the ‘names people know’ who’ve got in touch and said they’re right behind what we’re doing. There’s almost a culture of ‘omerta’ among the old guard, ‘you’ve paid your dues’, and all that. It was refreshing to know not everyone necessarily wants to continue the whole revival industry.

You don’t seem short of things to write about. Is FUC51, in one for or another, something you’ve had in mind for a while?

It doesn’t really matter what we want. Fact is, it didn’t take very long for FUC51 to get noticed by other people. It is obviously something that has been playing on people’s minds for a while as everyone was ready and primed with opinions on Manchester and its culture. A lot of people surrounding Factory, members of Tony Wilson’s family and people Who Were There, Maaan…. have all been in touch both in public and in secret. We didn’t expect it as such, but we were aware of people complaining to each other about the things we’ve touched upon.

You seem very knowledgeable about everything Madchester. Are/were you an active participant or just a concerned onlooker?

We’re fans of music and we vary in age. We’ve participated and complained, we’ve watched with furrowed brows… we might have even enjoyed some of it at the time. But that was a long time ago.

In your very first post you compared Manchester to Liverpool – ‘a Beatle-museum’. Surely it’s not that bad here?

Look at the press coverage of Manchester. It is that bad. At least in Liverpool they’ve got the decency to fawn over the most famous pop group in history.

Saying that, what’s the single most embarrassing Factory-related incident/event/item you’ve encountered?

Again. Read the press. The Guardian are particular offenders. They’ll crowbar Factory or the Hacienda into an article about Manchester’s folk scene. That’s toe-curling and utterly pointless. As for things that have amused us, rather than angered us, was Hooky’s book giving away pieces of the Hacienda bar like it was a bit of the Berlin Wall. That was hilarious!

Has FUC51 itself got a shelf-life, or will it continue for the foreseeable future?

We’re the last people you should ask. Maybe we’ll end up becoming a parody of ourselves and rehashing old articles and jokes and thereby inciting someone else to start a blog going on about how woeful we are. We’re not going to break through some kind of wall and ‘go to phase 2′ or anything like that – the blog’s purpose has always been as a mirror more than anything else. Anyway, blogs are tomorrow’s chip wrappers made digital, aren’t they?

Various commenter have said that they ‘KNOW WHO YOU ARE’. Scared?

People certainly keep guessing there’s all manner of people behind it. For some reason, Hooky keeps emailing us and calling us ‘Phil’. We can categorically say that there is no ‘Phil’ at FUC51. The most surprising thing was how many people have got in touch and offered to contribute or have contributed. It was reassuring to know it wasn’t just us, and there’s always been an email address on the blog if you want to get involved. Some of our ‘tipsters’ have found themselves sat at pub garden tables with a few of the ‘professional Manc’ crowd, stifling smirks as it’s mentioned that ‘someone had better batter those fuckers’ – but it’d be like catching smoke.

Hey! Manchester has found that it’s actually possible to be involved in music in Manchester without having to engage with Madchester. Are you encouraged by this, or do you believe that this city will be stuck in its musical past forever?

Of course it’s possible! Everyone in Manchester knows that. The only people who haven’t twigged are those who write about the music of Manchester who, despite what people think, are our targets. There’s a whole scene going in and around Chorlton that hasn’t leaned on Madchester at all. There’s nights all over town that play music from all over the world without once thinking of Tony Wilson or Bez.

One of these days, a music critic will talk about a Manchester band without resorting to Joy Division comments. Imagine if every London band was likened to The Kinks or every Welsh group compared to Tom Jones! The press need to catch on to the fact that people in Manchester might just sit around listening to The Stooges or Heino or fuckin’ Glee. Manchester isn’t solely soundtracked by people gasping at how much Ian Curtis meant it.

If anything those ties are more of an albatross than anything – people come here with preconceptions, and Mancs have to fight to prove them wrong.

What are some of your favourite Manchester things, musical or otherwise?

We love it all – we were all here pre-bomb and afterwards, and it’s good that Manchester continues to evolve, new things continue to emerge, old things die back and all the rest of it. Mainly we love that there’s always been a great DIY culture in Manchester, people deciding they could do better and making something their own.

And finally, who’s your favourite Manchester band?

The Clone Roses. The Purple Gang. Wait, they were from Stockport weren’t they?

Visit FUC251 here.

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

What inspired you to start a label now – and why 10-inch gatefold?

I have been involved in the Manchester music scene for a few years now, and I think the idea for the label comes from the fact that I have seen a recent and distinctive lack of cohesiveness in the new Manchester representing itself to the outside world. People say this every year but I genuinely do believe that it is Manchester’s time to be at the forefront of the UK music scene again, with a collection of amazing new bands whose sights are set only towards the future.

I would like to think that our first record is how we mean to go on, and is hopefully more than the sum of its parts. The bands are all at different stages of their careers but it was a mutual respect and friendship that pulled them together. The decision for who was on the record fell to the bands as much as me. Hopefully this EP puts the spotlight on these artists as well as the city and for the right reasons, not falling into the usual Manchester cliches. Most of these guys were too young to go to the Hacienda anyway so they don’t even feel the need to try and ‘swear they were there’ – they were busy watching Blue Peter or something.

I wanted to release physically on vinyl because Love & Disaster is new and I felt it is important to launch with something that people can put there hands on. Also, one of the biggest ideas for the EP was the sense of ‘unity’ so I wanted the tracks to sit together on the same piece of plastic.

I felt the group photo was also very important and a key part to the ethos. If I’m honest, we were so rushed taking the photo we later worked out that it wouldn’t fit into a square so had to pay extra for the gatefold to fit in the picture. Am really glad I did this because I wanted to make the record as special as possible – although I have set an expensive precedence for future releases.

You were involved in Channel M television. How helpful was your role there in setting this up?

Channel M gave me a great and unique opportunity. Budgets were always small but success was due to the wealth of talent, support and trust we built with the acts that contributed. It was a shame that it had to end but am really excited about the future and hopefully this may serve as a logical and natural progression. From my time at Channel M Music I built up a great network of contacts and made some close friends. Being honest, the bands on this EP are the ones we embraced the most and wanted to help them in return for their support of the channel. In a way the inclusion of these bands is kind of cathartic for me – they need to go off and do great things for themselves and Manchester now, and I look forward to working with the next generation.

How do you decide which of Manchester’s many talented bands make it on to the EPs?

I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t down to personal musical taste but I am not close minded and can embrace anything as long as when scratching the service their is talent, ideas and the right attitude beneath. Another word I would like to add to that list is ‘longevity’ – I think this is really important. I think these bands could have a great career and not simply be a ‘fad’.

Is there any theme per release other than being from the same city?

If there is any theme at all it’s temporal. I think these bands represent the new Manchester scene in 2009 very well and they are going on to be some of our biggest hopes for 2010. Saying that, there are loads of great manchester bands who don’t appear on the first record and am looking forward to working with them for future releases. On this particular compilation I tried to get a balance on the way you might put together an album. Airships ‘Kids’ is an amazing sub-three-minute anthem opener, Dutch Uncles is a weird winding progressive track full of depth and interest, Jo’s track provides the downbeat brooding ballad and it ends on an upbeat Delphic/Everything Everything dance track. The next one I think is going to be very dancey most of the way through.

How often are new releases going to come out, and can you name anyone you’re talking to for future EPs?

Originally I was thinking about three in total over the period of a year and then taking stock. I also have other projects on the go, involving video and a new website that all ties in. I have so far approached my ideal four bands (maybe five this time around). I don’t want to jinx it by naming names as it is very early days, but can confirm we will be taking May68 into the studio for another exclusive track in January to kick it all off.

Who are the newest band that you think Manchester music fans should be listening to?

Thats a difficult one. In terms of Manchester bands on the record, they aren’t necessarily new but they are in terms of the UK. I’ve already talked about my favourites but really very new Manchester at the moment are Driver, Drive Faster and Techniques.

Love & Disaster EP1 is available from Piccadilly Records.

Having spent a year and half touring as a non-permanent member of the Shins, as well as working with Vetiver, Eric Johnson has recently returned to his own band Fruit Bats, with whom he has recorded and released the well-received album The Ruminant Band. This coming Thursday, 17 December, Fruit Bats visit our fair city and hit our favourite subterranean nightspot the Roadhouse – so we caught up with Eric.

Hello Eric. How are you? How’s your day been?

It’s going well – though right now I have not left the Travelodge Nottingham. But I’ve got coffee on the way, which is going to start my day off. We’ve been touring a bunch in France and Spain and although I love the espresso there, I like the British/American tradition of a nice large cup in the morning.

How is your current tour going?

It’s been great! We’ve been mainly touring in southern Europe with Vetiver, who are our dear friends (and make amazing music). So it’s been one long sweet mellow hang. We’ve just begun the UK portion of the tour without them. The first two shows have been amazing. I’ve been pretty surprised by the turn-outs, in fact.

You toured with the Shins for a while now. How did you find that experience compared to your one with Fruit Bats?

I always maintain that the two are incomparable. The Shins is about the most fun day job imaginable. The Fruit Bats is my show, so all the highs are mine, and the lows. Being in the Shins is like being an astronaut or lion tamer. Its an unrealistic, rare and cool experience. Fruit Bats is more of a blue-collar gig. Hard work, little money, but kinda soulful. It’s probably a better job than hard labour, though.

Do you and James Mercer feed off each other creatively?

Maybe, I’m not too sure. Both bands have been around for the same amount of time (I think Fruit Bats a bit longer, in fact). James and I hang out a lot, we’re good friends. But mainly we just listen to music, drink beers, and talk about geeky scientific subjects (something we’re both into). So creative trading is probably subliminal. We’ve never written together or anything…

You’ve said in previous interviews that with The Ruminant Band you’ve let the other members of the band have more of an input into the creative process. Has this been an easy step to take?

Yes, its been quite easy. Fruit Bats has been so much of a solo project in many ways until now, that this felt like me starting a new band. We even briefly considered a name change. ‘The Ruminant Band’ was a name we came up with for the new band. We ended up keeping Fruit Bats and naming the record that instead. It’s kind of got double meaning.

How did you end up getting Tim Rutili (of Califone) to contribute to The Ruminant Band?

I used to play in Califone, and Tim was a huge reason why Fruit Bats got off the ground. He was something of a big brother to me. We did The Ruminant Band at Clava Studio, which is Graeme’s (our drummer’s) studio. It’s in a sweet little Italian neighbourhood called Bridgeport on the South Side of Chicago. When you record there you’ll almost consistently be stuffed on amazing food from around the ‘hood. Clava is also the home base for Califone, and those dudes are usually around. Tim happened to be working in the office while we were recording and came in to do some tracks. He was on the first Fruit Bats record too, and was even in the live band for a couple of shows way back when!

You’ve also said that you come from a background of bluegrass and folk. What particularly attracts you to them?

When I was 20, I found a banjo used and cheap at a music store. I decided to learn it at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and found that I was kind of good at it. I ended up getting a teaching gig there eventually. Then I just fell in with that scene. Around that time at Old Town you had a lot of great players and writers working there – Andrew Bird was teaching violin, there were people from Califone, Pinetop Seven, Handsome Family etc. This was around 1996-1997. American folk music makes sense to me. I like the alchemy of it being this music from the British isles put through an African filter in America. It’s simple but in its simplicity there are multiple ways you can mutate it…

What else influences your song-writing other than bluegrass and folk?

I grew up on 1970s and 80s pop radio. My mom listened to the ‘soft rock’ station all the time and there’s no way that didn’t work its way in there. I’ve got as much 10cc or Hall & Oates or Little River Band floating around in my brain as I do The Band and Neil Young. I love the old Upstate New York and Topanga and Laurel Canyon heroes, and I love the Brit folk mavericks, Richard Thompson, Incredible String Band, Vashti Bunyan, and I love the Kinks more than most things. I’ve got both Americana and Anglophilic tendencies. I love a lot of modern bands, too… Beta Band, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci and Super Furries were pretty huge for me when I was making the first Fruit Bats record at the turn of the century.

Have you spent much time in Manchester before, and if so what did you think of the place?

I love Manchester. I’ve visited a few times over the last five years. It was actually the first city I ever visited in the UK. It reminds me somewhat of Chicago, my home town. Cities that are overshadowed by their larger neighbours (like London and New York), usually have a character that’s more essential and perfect. Manchester doesn’t feel like anywhere else, just like Manchester. Plus so many insanely killer bands come from there that its hard not to be completely swept up in the history of it all. I’m a huge fan of the city.

You’re signed to Sub Pop, famous for putting forward grunge luminaries Nirvana and Soundgarden. Which of the current crop on the label do you like?

I like a lot of them. Vetiver, Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper, Iron and Wine, Beach House… man, the list could go on.

Fruit Bats play at the Roadhouse on Thursday 17 December, with support from Piney Gir and Puzzle Muteson. More information.

Interview by Chris Gilliver of CityLifers

Hello Cass, how’s your day going? What have you been up to?

Hi, going well, thanks. I’ve been rehearsing for the tour in New York City.

You’re coming to Manchester next month. How do you feel about the city’s musical heritage? And which artists are your personal favourites?

Yes, I am aware of Manchester music. I’m a pretty severe record collector, but I’d rather not get into the name game. I understand you people are very territorial about these bands, this history.

The opener of Catacombs, Dreams Come True Girl, sounds very 50s/60s influenced. Who were you listening to when writing the album?

We wanted the record to have a 1950s rock and roll element, not the 1960s, so we bought some old broken equipment we read the great old studios like Sun, Chess, Norvajak, Gold Star, The 3-Track Shack etc used to use. We also recorded in the same manner: we recorded each song ‘live’ and very few overdubs were made. If I missed the vocal we had to do the whole thing again, because all the mics in the room were picking up everything. But it was part of an ethic we were attempting that we hadn’t done before and it was exciting. We were only able to overdub once we bounced tracks on the tape machine, which is a risky process as you’re never sure how the bounce will turn out. But throwing out caution was again part of the ethic, each one of us had made records where the recording process was too precious and felt it sucked the fun out. We wanted to make something fast and flawed.

There’s a contribution on that song by Karen Black. How did that come about?

Karen came into my life through a friend called Aaron Brown, who designed the last two album covers and made the video for Dreams. Both of them are so creative and wonderful folks. And Karen taught me a lot about performance and singing out with my biggest voice.

You move about a lot in the US. Is this to soak up different musical environments for your song-writing, or a sort of restlessness… or neither?

Everyone in the states moves a lot. I move out of the necessity to work; I move wherever I can work with the most clarity.

What made you become a musician: a particular turning point, or was it something you always wanted to do?

It wasn’t a thought. I love music and writing and drawing and I’ve always been lucky to be surrounded by talented folks to teach me things. I just kept writing songs and at some point I guess they were good enough to get some attention. I also had the patience to deal with the nonsense – that’s huge, a lot of people quit or scale down because of an ego conflict.

Who or what are your major influences when writing?

There are no influences worth mentioning. Writing or music is not motivated by fame. I’m guided by my instinct and ethic and soul, and write only when I have to get something essential out. I do a lot of reading and research for each record, so it takes me a very long time to write each song. It’s a challenge because you have to maintain the emotional instinct as you plunge into analytics. I imagine this separates me from most other musicians – I don’t care to keep up the myth of rock.

What do you hope the next year will hold for you?

Generally, I don’t make plans, I try not to have expectations. I have so much work to do right now, I just need to finish that first and things will turn out the way they need to, for better or worse.

Cass McCombs plays at the Roadhouse on 2 December. His latest album, Catacombs, is out now on Domino.

Questions by Chris Gilliver

You’re coming to Manchester on Halloween! Which horror character do you hope to see in the audience?

We have always been big fans of Arnold’s Terminator character – but I’m not sure he qualifies as horror. Maybe Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg in their Antichrist roles?

And which tracks should be on our Halloween playlist?

I guess some of the later Scott Walker material would be quite effectful. In general I think industrial music is pretty scary – that and greatest hits by Smokie, which they always re-release in Denmark this time of year.

You’ve played Manchester before in less gothic times. How do you feel about your experiences here?

We have very fond memories of our concert at the Roadhouse. I think it was in 2007? That was just a superb night! We took a photo of the audience and realised afterwards that 90% of the people there were men:

Afterwards we stayed at Bernie’s house with Akron/Family and jammed and enjoyed life and Bernie’s chilli!

Let’s get on to your music. How would you describe it to the un-informed?

For the last couple of months we have told people that the music is a sort of orchestrated and experimenting pop music. That can mean a lot of things I know, but I think it is best to just be open-minded and come to our show out of curiosity. Curiosity is a nice thing in humans.

‘Cinematic’ is a word many would apply to your music – and you have previously scored an animation feature by Anders Morgenthaler. Are there any plans to score a feature film?

There are no current plans, but we would love to do more of this kind of work. It is usually Mads and Casper who do these projects. They also scored two theatre plays last year.

You’re about to release a CD and a DVD of your performance with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Tell us about how this collaboration came about.

To many people it is a surprise that the orchestra actually contacted us! Their producer liked our Parades album and it was also his idea to play the entire album from start to finish! I think we planned the concert over a period of 10 months, and afterwards we spend months and months of finishing the audio and film. I think this has to be our biggest project yet.

Was it everything you’d hoped for?

it was actually. The feeling of being part of that 50-piece orchestra playing your own music was incredibly uplifting!

In the video for Caravan you are all wearing strange conical hats. Why is that?

If you take a closer look at the film, you will see that the background is full of pointy mountain formations in various forms and colours. The hats are a reflection of these mountains. The idea was that we were playing in a weird and secret cave.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

If I could have been a part of Paul Simon’s Graceland recordings then I would be the happiest person on earth! Maybe I should convince the others that we should travel to Africa and make a record with some incredible local musicians and Paul Simon can produce the whole thing?

I actually think we would choose some film directors – maybe Lars von Trier! Or maybe we should just make a single starring Beyonce.

You’ve just moved to 4AD. How does it feel to be moving to such a respected record label, and what do you hope to get out of it?

It feels nice and strong to become a part of their history and bands. I’m not sure we have fully understood yet how nice it is.

We have the same ambitions as always. We hope that more people will get to know and like us so that we can stay independent and stay creative.

Would you agree that you’ve also moved from an electronic sound to a more acoustic one? What changes do you think we will see in the future?

I would agree, but I think we did this in 2007 with the release of Parades. With the new and upcoming third album on 4AD I think maybe we will move closer to being a rock band with actual songs that people can sing along to.

Efterklang play Hey! Manchester’s Hey! Halloween at the Deaf Institute on Saturday 31st October.

Interview by Chris Gilliver

Let’s start with the name: did you go up to Alaska specifically to record music?

No, not at all. I didn’t plan to do any recordings while in Alaska, but after a while I just got the itch and managed to borrow enough stuff to get some recordings done.

How did you find the experience?

Beautiful but lonely.

Was it anything like the film Into The Wild?

Not quite that extreme… but it’s the first time I’ve ever had to use an outhouse when it’s -5 degrees outside.

What inspired you to travel from Alaska to Eastern Europe in search of dance parties? Couldn’t you have done this a bit closer to home?

Well I think that’s exactly the point. I wanted to get as far away from home as possible.

What were they like when you found them?

Fun, different, foreign, exciting – not like anything in New Mexico.

Your music is a combination of bedroom electronica and orchestral scores. How has Berlin affected this sound?

Well being in Berlin has definitely led me to have a fonder understanding of electronic and dance music. The music scene here has really influenced my music and has added a dash of dark minimal techno flavour in the mix.

And now you find yourself heading to Manchester, famously a party city. What do you know about the place?

Actually not much but I’m looking forward to the party.

Tell us about your ‘virtual video orchestra’ to give the people of Manchester a foretaste of your live shows.

Well, I’ve videotaped myself playing all the parts that the ‘band’ would normally be playing on stage and synced it up with the music. I then project video on a screen behind me with all of the ‘band members’ who are each in a little window playing the music that the audience hears. I wrote my own computer program to do this using Max/MSP and Jitter, which is a bit high tech at times. I play keytar and sing… and there are costume changes to coincide with what the ‘band’ is wearing in the video. It’s meant to be playful, and hopefully a different and new experience for the audience.

So you’ve travelled Alaska, the Balkans and Berlin in search of music. Where next?

Hmmmm, good question… I don’t know, maybe I’ll go to New Zealand or something.

Alaska in Winter play at Nexus Art Cafe on Dale Street on Thursday 22 October.

Interview by Chris Gilliver