|
 Who are your primary influences?
That’s a big one. I listen to everything from Country to Death Metal. Songwriting wise, I guess Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Porter Wagoner, Brian Wilson. Plus I love primitive pre-war American stuff like Doc Boggs and Charley Patton.
What’s the central clause of a great country song?
Good ‘ol low down pain and misery of course!
You rock some nice harmonies; how important are they in your songwriting?
Depends on the tune, but I’ve been through two major obsessions with the Beach Boys so I guess it had to rub off.
The combination of banjo, double bass and lap steel creates beautiful ambience on Leavin’ Town Tonight; how did that song come about?
I was working on another song and thinking about George Jones. Next thing Leavin’ Town was done. As for the instruments I played ‘em all myself as I didn’t have a band at the time. Just used what I thought the song needed. The lap steel is me trying to sound like pedal steel on a guitar. We’ve got a steel player now though!
I’m Getting Out sounds like it was recorded live in someone’s barn … what were the actual circumstances of the recording?
Recorded live at my place on a reel-to-reel 4-track.
What do Pops & The Murdered Birds have planned for the rest of the year?
To hopefully release a 12-inch LP later in the year. Full of disaster songs and miserable ballads, I’ll be playing some of ‘em at Taterstomp. That and lots of gigs, we play heaps in Melbourne and it would be great to bring the whole band next time.
POPS plays 4ZzZ’s Taterstomp (solo) at The Jubilee on Saturday Jun 27, featuring Dick Desert, Jacob S Harris and a bunch more. www.myspace.com/popsthemurderedbirds
|
| Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged. |
|
Be first to comment on this article
