It's a two-fer interview week on The What podcast, with both Max Dunn of Gang of Youths and Britt Daniel of Spoon on the show. The two musicians discuss their latest projects -- angel in realtime and Lucifer on the Sofa, respectively -- and what the records might sound like once they get out on tour.
Also on this episode, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco discuss the new improvements to Bonnaroo's iconic Farm grounds, including the promise of new sewage and drainage systems as well as paved roads! The hosts also update on the Bonnaroo ticket giveaway.
Topics: Gang of Youths, SPOON, Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees
Guests: Max Dunn, Britt Daniel
One of the great festivals in the country or at least the southeast is shaky knees.
Year after year after year, great lineup after great lineup.
This year, no different.
Coming out of quarantine with a huge bang, two bands in particular we talked to today,
Gang of Youths and Spoon Festival Virgin and Festival Veteran.
Plus you could win Bonnaroo tickets today on the What Podcast.
Barry Courter, Brad Steiner, Lord Taco.
It starts right now.
What's everyone doing?
Having a great day.
Great.
Having a great time all the time.
How are you?
Has anyone been lenting?
Has anyone been lenting really hard?
No.
Told you.
I'm no quitter.
How did you survive your first Mardi Gras?
I'm not a quitter.
I'm a great guy.
I'm a great guy.
I'm a great guy.
I'm a great guy.
I've been going to Mardi Gras.
Taco, you doing any of the lenting?
Nope.
I haven't given up anything.
In fact, I have to go twice as hard now because of all the people giving up like beer.
Now I've got to drink more beer.
It's a hard life.
What other things are you doing to make up for other people's lent?
That's about it.
Is there anything else I should tune into?
Pick up any should I start smoking?
Could do that. Yeah, try smoking for a little while. Should I vape? Yeah, just try it Mardi Gras was great
But I will say after 10 14 days of this I've never wanted to lent so hard in my life and I'm not Catholic
I'm not religious at all. There's a reason these things were created and continue right now
I understand the purpose of being full of lent or being lent full but it's the word
I don't know even know how to talk about this. Am I lenting? Have I lented?
I don't know that lent lent's a verb until you made it one but it works. I'm going hard
I'm going hard after lent going hard after lent. I have
Successfully successfully guys. I have gone a whole day so far without drinking
Just I just started the lent yesterday. Let me see your hands. Okay
Okay, I just started the lent yesterday now granted I'm about three days late four days late
But I started yesterday feel great as long as you get there
Yeah, but I know why they're doing it now Barry now. I understand your people
I understand why you guys need this so bad because it beat me the hell up
I bet I bet how long is the lenting gonna last you gonna go to the full 40?
I think I'll make it to tomorrow about 430 40 hours. Yeah, pretty good
40 hours
My people spanned the desert for 40 hours
Good for you. Yeah, I'm glad you survived it. Do you see anything crazy?
Everything crazy. It was so much fun. It was the most it's crazy that
People especially on Mardi Gras day are so emotional
I mean people are crying on Mardi Gras day and I think you know partly it's because of the you know
Quarantine and not being able to do this for a little while
but apparently this is a thing where people get very emotional on Mardi Gras day because of the sheer magnitude and the beauty of
The entire moment and I will say I've been talking a lot in the past day or so with you know
Professional people especially in the company and they're you know, obviously worried about Ukraine and the humanitarian
Aspect of everything that's happening there, but here it's almost as if none of that's happening
You know, it's like we have just went through the gauntlet of Mardi Gras and we're just now waking up and saying there's a war what?
What happened?
So I do feel a little like out of touch and out of it
But it was as fulfilling and as exhilarating of a week and a half is as I could have found I wore a
costume Wow
That one piece of the costume was on my head. That's a lot of alcohol. Oh
Or the right alcohol
Didn't throw up the wife threw up once we didn't I didn't I guess one. Yeah. Yeah, I kept it together
Well, I mean New Orleans like we've said before is the you guys suffer more than most cities and
For to be shut down for two years. I can see we're blowing it out was overdue
And then the best part was on Friday the Friday after Mardi Gras and a Saturday after Mardi Gras
And the Sunday after Mardi Gras there is crawfish everywhere
Everywhere. I must have had a hundred and ten pounds of crawfish over the weekend. It was massive
I couldn't give up crawfish. Oh, why would I do that? Yeah, okay
Well, I thought you know, that's the point of Lent give up something you love. Well, Barry
Yeah, it's where I'm here to talk to you about we
Want a break
We've gone through more breaks than we've been on
Today it's a shaky knees day
So we've got two artists today that we're gonna talk to that are appearing at shaky knees
Which is one of those festivals some sort of like Boston Calling that if you don't know it and if you don't go to it
On a regular basis, it probably is just another afterthought
But shaky knees is like I think it's my favorite festival in the south. That's not one of the top ones, right?
It's not it's not the big one. But boy, it's so well done. It's crafted in such a fantastic manner
the the lineups are always
spot on for me and
You know year after year
They move spots. They move locations. It just keeps getting better really good line up as we've talked about
I can't wait if everything falls, right? I might have to join you down there for at least one of those days taco
Yeah, you should I'm sorry. You're gonna do what I think you know, which one wait Barry that you have to leave the state
Yeah, I know I believe that my basement
I don't think you're ready for this
It's a big if but if things fall the way I hope yeah
Definitely that that Sunday looks really good to me. All right, tell me who's on Sunday
Well, my morning jacket krung bin death cab band of horses coin
That's that sounds like a what podcast lineup right there, doesn't it?
Except for all those bands. We haven't talked to
One and you're like, you know what?
Coin oh, yeah, we did have Krunkville. That's right. Yeah, I talked about my morning jacket a lot
I'll be on someday one day
Well, there was going to be a time in a previous lineup
That we were going to do a cooking show with my morning jacket and it did not pan out
But I was so excited when they were in were they on the first Bonnaroo lineup that didn't happen the second one
Maybe they're on both either way
They pitched me the idea of doing a cooking segment with them and I thought that was so much fun
So maybe we can do it again. I don't know how we cook. What we cook you guys want to boil crawfish? Sure
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, you do
Maybe a spaghetti. Yeah pasta
All right kids you like macaroni and cheese, yeah you open the can you're pouring heat it up. Yeah
I took that pasta the so two bands in particular. It's a shaky knees one is gangs of youth now
If you do not know gangs of youth
They are getting a little bit of heat on radio stations like mine because they signed a big record deal
They've I think they're
Tonally, they're so interesting. I like their new album. They had a song on my radio station for a hot minute
I felt like I was maybe the only guy in the country that was obsessed with the song Angel of 8th Avenue
So, you know, they've definitely got something. I think they're really really interesting
I do not know what their live show is like
But that would be one that I would circle because I just like the band
I want to give them the pine grove treatment one band that I saw at shaky knees. It's one of these festivals
It's perfect for
Exactly this I heard this one song of them and now I want to see if it translates live, right?
You know shaky knees is the best at finding those that's how I found churches for the first time
I was like, I really like that one churches song. Let me go see him and see if I like it obsessed
right Sylvanessa was like that for me at shaky knees went to see pine grove and shaky knees and
That would be the last time I ever see pine grove
But now you know, I didn't but now I know I love that song
It's a really good song, but I just can't get past the kid wearing shorts on stage. I can't get past it
I cannot get I can't get past a dude that's wearing shorts on stage
I see your cell phone in one pocket your car keys in the next it's like are you here or you're not?
Yeah, are you going shopping afterwards? Are you gonna actually engage or were you shopping and then somebody said?
Oh, by the way, you've got a show and fire. Yeah, we need you to come play guitar and sing whiny indie rock
But I so but that's the perfect place for a band like that is shaky knees is they can expose themselves to
You know a quality crowd who's really into this sort of stuff and gain, you know of a fan forever
I think gangs of the York is is one of them. I'm sorry gangs of youth is one of them circle
It's it's one gang many youths. Yeah, okay. It's not gangs of youth. No gang of youth gang of youths
Yeah, okay the youths the youths
It's funny you mentioned the the costuming because Mac gets into that with us, which I thought was a lot of fun
I think they got to be pretty good on on stage just just because of the hair
Mmm, it's a lot of hair. I know we I was I was hoping we'd make it more than 10 minutes before we start talking about hair
We didn't do it
Close so that's the first part second part is an interview that I did a couple of weeks ago on the
debut day of spoons new album with
My best friend in the world Brit Daniel, so we are best friends
We are two peas in the pod. We hang out we chit chat and call each other all the time my best friend Brit Daniel
I
love
Spoon I love Brit Daniel. I've got the biggest man crush on Brit Daniel and
I
Don't know if during the conversation. I tried to bring it up the time that we hung out
You know Laverne and Shirley our way through ACL, but I don't know if you really remembered it. I
think that he did
Sure that he did. Oh, yeah turns your calls, right? Oh, yeah all the time. Why would he return them?
He's answering them on the first ring calling you. Yeah, I got you nice
So we talked about the new album, which by the way
if you haven't heard Lucifer on the sofa, I
Can't stop listening to this and I don't want to get premature and have recency bias because Lord knows there's nothing
I hate in this world more than recency bias, but
Oh, this new spoon album might be my favorite spoon album of all time. It is incredible
Good there you go. You haven't listened one second of it. Have you? No. Oh my god
I'm just sitting here and I'm sure us is thinking the same Brad has a lot of best friends
Best friend. Yeah
Brad and Brits
I can't dispute any of it, but you have a bunch. It's I've got Britt Brittany and Brad. That's it. Yeah
The circle is widened then yeah, you know, I've always said Brad only likes two people himself and the other is fluid
fluid
Why is no fluid meaning it's it's not it's not a liquid you're not saying I love fluid
No, it could be it could change got it. Okay, there's always it's it's one it plays a role
Okay, there's always it's it's one plus one
The b plus one. Yeah, whoever my plus one is for the day. Sure. Yeah
Um, so those are your two those are your two shaky knees, uh artists for today
We've had coin on so you can knock them off the list gangs of youth. Nope gang of youth
Okay
and spoons
very excited for both
These bands today. Okay, we've had krung band krung's bins. Yeah krung krung green bin
Getting there. I like it. Yeah, so there you go. That's what you get today. And then um, is there anything else we need to get to?
Do we want to talk about the the Bonnaroo stuff you wanted to go?
Let's do that. Uh, once we get through these two
Um, let's uh talk to max from gang of youths
Now on the what podcast
Really exciting but yeah literally just soundchecking well congratulations
Thanks, man
I'm in new orleans right now barry is in
Tennessee
And and rus is right outside of tennessee in northern georgia north georgia
Um, holy shit, that's that's such a cool, uh group of places. I mean is it?
Yes
Are you joking? Like i'm just making sure like how how many trips have you made?
Uh to the states in the last year or so since uh, everything really started blowing up
Yeah, well dude like I um, I have a huge love for the south man
and I know that that not all of the places just listed are like
hard out the south but
Um, I love all that wilrmeth stuff man. Like I used to I did a summer working in the shinandoah valley
Which is way up further on and the appalachians up on in western virginia
and i've just so whenever i'm in those sorts of places where there's like
Like all the trees and the fireflies and the vibe
I want to get I want to get down to like new orleans though and check out all the swamps. Oh, please do
Let's wrestle some gators together. Let's wrestle some gators. I don't
I uh, my brother would be useful with that. Um, he he used to live in darlin, which is literally where crocodile dundee is set
um
And uh, he's always uh in the middle of the wilderness with his bow and arrow
Um, but i'm kind of like i'm the sort of the city slicker the latte sipper of the family the latte sipper
What were you doing? Yeah, what were you doing in the shinandoah valley? What the hell is that about?
I did I just did like a lot of um kiwi i'm in new zealand but um, most of the band actually not anymore two of the band
Ozzy the front man dave is ozzy. Um, but someone um
And then tom's english and jun's from chicago
um, but yeah, we
I had a lot of kiwis when they're like
1918 19 go and work in the states in summer camps. It's just a way to get a visa and then go traveling
So I did that bro. It was awesome. Okay
Everyone thought I like knew how to start fires and shit because i'm from new zealand, but I don't know
I I kind of had like I had like more mana than I deserved. Um for sure
Um, but it was fun
So you guys
You go. No, it's it is remarkable like the the way that we look at as americans
We look at other people especially just like cavemen. That's all you are to us. It's cavemen
you can start fire with your hands and
Yeah, you can take out a you know a large animal with a boomerang or something
Um, in the case of my brother that's like a weirdly accurate stereotype
uh, but uh
But not me so much. Um, but now we love the outdoors though the whole band like that's something about united states, man
That it's just so super underrated
people don't um
Like if I lived in the states bro, I would have a car for one
I live in I live in london. It makes no sense. Um, but I would have a car
Uh, and uh, I would just boost
All the time to like waterfalls rivers
You know
Mountains, it's just great bro
But um, yeah, anyway, i'm sure you don't want to talk about that
What
Is the perception
What do you think the perception people have of?
Your music based on where you're from. Oh man. Um,
I don't I think it differs to where you are like
I feel like in the united states
australians and new zealanders, uh
A little bit random like we're so small
That I don't know if there is much preconceived ideas about it apart from like big acts like tamen parlor or
um
you know recently and um, and
People like lord and stuff like, you know, there's some big sort of antipodean acts, but
A lot, I don't know if there is much but I think in england like there's a lot of aussies and kiwis
and we're really annoying and like we over drink and like
Like we live together in like massive flats and shit like and I thought I think it's like almost works against us
In england barry. I think I found my people
and uh
Yeah, dude, you're right. No, you do not want to be a london ozzy. Trust me. Uh, no, we love we love
We are london ozzy. So we can't talk. Um, but yeah, no like so I think
Yeah, whereas in the states, I think there's a lot more like like we're just sort of seen as like being oh
That's kind of interesting. You're from you know, the other side of the world, but I don't I never feel judged or anything
by americans
Can I stop real quick?
What is a kiwi?
a kiwi is um is a um, uh a
bird
a flightless bird
Uh, that is the national emblem
Uh of new zealand, okay, which is why the word which is when you say when you buy kiwi from whole foods like the fruit
Uh, it's called a kiwi because it's from new zealand
But okay, the name is derived from a bird
so it'd be like calling like
uh the canadians if you called them like
Hockey pucks. Yeah. Yeah, or like a molten or like yeah called you guys
I I could say a lot dodgy stuff about what you call americans pbr
um
Yeah, pick up truck and oh, you know the
The I don't know what's the stereotype. Well, don't offend anyone
Let's get to the the real question that I have
How in the world do you guys have the best set of hair of any band that's on the planet right now?
You guys all have great hair
Uh, which is just uh, it's a it's it's lauriel paris dude. No, it's not. Um, no, it's um
It's uh, we just I don't know dave's wife's a hairstylist and she does all that hair
My wife actually just cut my hair though. So she so she killed me if I'd mentioned that
um, but uh
No, I don't know what it is man. You just when you're in a band you're allowed to have long hair even though you're uh
Probably too old to have long hair. So we uh, well, this is a big it's a big part of our show, which is why brad
Yeah, we try to spend five to ten minutes on hair. Yeah, you know, it's a hair is important to us. So yeah
That's that's great, man
Um, that's pretty much all we got for you. Uh, so oh fantastic. Have a good night
Night
So so about the band now
I became a fan of you guys because you know
I work in radio and we get service singles and I had never really heard of you guys and
The minute that I heard the first single off of the new album. I was like man. This is this has got so much
Like national in it. Um, and I love the national so that
That was the first, you know four rounds into into your band
Tell me about the band. Tell me about where you guys came from how you found each other and and
You know before up until the new album, uh how it all came to be
It's interesting to say the national man because one of our best mates is a guy called peter katus who made
Who produced boxer and alligator and high violet?
But uh, and he produced one song on this record and he mixed a couple on this album the new one, um
And so we obviously have that connection of like a mutual friend
But I do think a lot of the time because dave matt berninger kind of
broke ground on that like
You know, I mean obviously linen con as well
But like in terms of like an indie rock band having a singer with a low voice. Yeah, so I think sometimes dave
Um, like even no matter what he does he would get that comparison because he has that range
Um, but I think I think there's like yeah anyone like dude like box is probably the most one of the most foundational albums to our
age group if you loved indie rock music
So like I don't think you can be a you I don't think you can be honest and not sort of
Tip your hat to the national like we fucking love the national. Um, but yeah
like I think on this record, especially like the influences are a lot more random than that
and um
You know, it's sort of more
You know new american minimalism and like philip glassy steve right key instrumentation and uk garage like breakbeats
Um heavily using samples from the pacific islands. Like I think this record is like
A departure from that but a lot of our older stuff and to an extent I guess like angel of a day
Which I think was the first single still has that feel of like the driven drums. Um
And but it's yeah, it's hopefully lean and
gliding
Um
You know in a way that yeah, I guess the national can do really well
But is that but is that the is that the sound that you guys started as when when you guys first found each other?
No, I think like we've never really had the balls to like
Attempt what we did on this record
Um, and it's something we've always loved and sort of hoped to do like we've always been very string heavy dave's amazing arranging strings
and now we have tom hobden who uh
Joined the band who used to be in month and sons, but before that nor on the whale
Um, so he he kind of has that
He's like a genius string arranger. So
He's sort of taken us to the next level with that and you're hearing a full orchestra on on the record
You went to port-au-vest and recorded with a full section one of the go ahead. I'm sorry
No, you're right. No, no, please. I was one of the things that uh tyrone
We talked to tyrone from rufus this old a couple weeks ago and one of the things he said was there was a national radio
In australia and what an influence it was because you got to hear so many
Different things because I think the question I think brad you had asked is you know, where do you get these inputs?
and you know coming from australia and he said being able to hear all these different influences
was um
I don't i'm not put I don't mean to put words but freeing or liberating or whatever. You know, it was uh, you could do whatever you wanted to do
Kind of thing. Did did you have that? Did you guys have that as well?
I think like i'm dave who's like the
leader of the band really um
And uh, you know, it's like
This is his story about his dad that he wrote, you know, and I think for him he's
Like he was raised by the internet
And uh television uh in a lot of ways. He's like one of the most intelligent people i've ever met
He knows everything. It's like the walking wikipedia page
um, you know sometimes
Uh wikipedia search engine. I mean like he just knows everything and I so I feel like he kind of grew up
loving classical music and uh
Listening to a huge array of things, you know going down to the public library listening to stuff
Um, I think the rest of us have our own stories with it like I
I was probably more just like a small town kiwi kid who listens
To whatever I could and my big brother kind of would like give me a record every now and then like roach against machine or something and
I would get into it or whatever but I um
Yeah, I think we just all just kind of like
But I um, yeah, I think we just all
Uh constant like tom's literally a classically trained, you know went to the royal college of of london to learn violin
So it's like he comes from that world
So it's sort of this disparate donny was like a jazz drummer
You know, so it's like well these are these are all so many different influences. Yeah, this is so many different, uh experiences
How in the world did you all find each other?
We we all met at um, so a couple of them so
So four of the original members of whom um, sorry like
like dave
myself and um jung were
originally like started a band
with two other guys that um, basically
Four of them went to uh church youth group together. So they met through that and I went to high school with dave
Um, so I met him there
And then so we kind of started in this shared experience. Um in a in a large
Evangelical church movement me less than me. Um, but that's kind of how the boys met up and
Um, that's really cool in some ways because you're allowed to play music and you're allowed to be really crap at it, you know
Um regularly like i'm sure a lot of american listeners can especially the south can relate to that like
Um, I mean I went I was my dad was a small town pastor in a small
uh
City in New Zealand. So I I grew up playing different instruments and stuff every single week, you know from what was about 11
With no choice. I had to you know, I mean someone you really do get a very long
You get a very long leash when you uh, yeah
He just sounds so good sitting on that drums
Bless you. Yeah, and it's
You're allowed to but like you know what it teaches you man
Like even if you suck at your instrument which most people who play in those places don't they're actually amazing
But even if you do suck you're learning how to play in a band
Like how to play with people whereas I think a lot of other people like they don't get that till high school
um
Where they get a chance to like routinely play like, you know, which we all did as well
You know, we all we're all playing like smells like teen spirit on repeat, you know, whatever
In high school, but I I think yes, we all met like that and um
But it was very early on that we became a band like I met the other guys really at the first rehearsal
And we were just like we kind of had shared experiences, but we all loved music and we were very random
Like we're very not we're not a very easy band to brand because we don't
Wear the same shit. We're not all like
70s long hair schtick
I kind of look like that, but i'm kind of like a dorky new zealand dad
And then like, you know dave's someone man who grew up in like
Uh, like in a western inner city suburb of sydney
jungs from chicago
He's he's korean descent
You know donnie grew up in another city. So it's like there's kind of like we don't look like a band
And then we were on stage like we we even dressed different which we're trying to get better at
So we've been doing this for like a decade, but we kind of have this um
We probably look like a group. We're best friends in the whole world. We've lived together for long periods of our lives
We literally just been on a holiday with all of our wives
Uh, you know like we hang out off the clock
But we don't look like we look like we met at like a like a social club and we all come from different places
like we don't have like a
Afraid of like a scene that we came from if that makes sense. Yeah
Uh, which which might be which might be a strength thing
when it comes to instrumentation because
It it's not locked into one way of thinking
Well, look, I mean I do think that there is going to be a resurgence of
Getting back to the basics at some point, you know
Yeah, tiktok has its moments. And yeah, it's really easy for you to get a
A career out of a youtube page at this point, but there is still something
That drives us to especially hardcore music fans drives us to the struggle
To the guys that just feel like our buddies
Um, and you know, there's there's that thing feels like it's gonna come back at some point
Um, I would I would suggest
Coordinating outfits though, uh, it does drive me a little nuts when a band is not paying any attention to what they're wearing
It makes me a little nutty
We we we think about it now man like i'm i'm i'm a little nutty
We we think about it now man, like i'm good. Okay, we're like we're like, you know
We've got like teams around us now that you know harass us about this shit
Um, but I what I mean is it's not um, as long as you're not wearing top hats and shorts
You're gonna be okay. No
Brad biggest pet peeve is somebody taking their shirt off. So as long as nobody's
Okay, I reckon I reckon drummers can bro, i'm gonna disagree with you I reckon drummers can
But uh, anyone else who does is a tool. I agree. I I understand I understand the
The drummer thing i'm willing to to give you a taylor hawkins from foo fighters. They're not trying to get attention
But if you're imagine drags if you're dan who's literally taking your shirt off in the third song
I don't know what you're doing this for like there's no reason for
We we can all agree that that's bullshit, right? It's like
It's like
Um, no, no, not directing this at any person or musician but like it's one of those things you just need a good friend in your life
More successful than me and like full respect to you and your songwriting but
like put your shirt on bro, like I I also think if you're like
I don't know. There's a very small list of people who pull it off and like that's right piggy pop
I definitely yeah, he fucking pulls it off. Yeah
I certainly don't put myself into that lane. Um
Yeah, well I will say the first few
I will say the first few episodes that we uh did of this podcast. They were all shirtless
Um, and it did. Oh good. Oh good. Yeah, I was really working out for us. I was a lot younger then
So, um, so now that the band is really found its its its footing and um, you're starting to expand
into the americas
Um, you have a string of festival dates one included shaky knees
Do you guys ever do you guys think of anything?
Not being american. Do you have any sort of opinion about american festivals?
Um at all american shows in general
I have like a super high opinion of the men. I think
American crowds are really cool
They they they tend to uh listen to music
Um that they didn't intend to see which I think is the yardstick for a cool place to play at a festival. So like
Some some countries you play in like if you're not on their main radio station
Like everyone's on their phone when you're playing
You know
Um, and I feel like americans, um, it's it's obviously way way way way way too diverse place to be general
Um america, um, but I think on I think on the whole
Uh, our experience of playing festivals there is that people are up for it
And if they haven't seen you before you actually can win a crowd over. It's not like
Um, it hasn't been totally ruined by like tick tock and stuff yet
Um
And yeah, so I really respect that and um, yeah, we're really excited about shaky knees. Um
I don't know if we're doing any others that I know of this summer
Um, because we're doing quite a lot of headline touring
Um, but next year we're going to be trying to 23. We're going to be hopefully there all the time like this
Um
I think yeah, what's your nose? Yeah, you go
I think that's really cool to hear you say that about the festivals and americans because that to me that's been a shift since
Bonnaroo started since the festival thing became a thing
It's really cool to hear you say
That because I think that's what we've seen develop
uh, and part of why we do the show is
The the discovery the discovery is part of the fun
Uh, that's something that we really that's why we started the show because there was a bunch of that's such a
Cool lineup that we never heard of and we thought we need to find out who they are and it became a game
You know, and then it became
I'm not saying we did it but i'm glad to hear you say that that's really cool
Well, you've obviously been part of that, you know, you're part of the culture over there. So it's like that's really cool, man
I think anything that can
Can as a muso that can make I mean I can think of a really good example where?
Um the band bahamas, which I think is just
staggeringly awesome
Um canadian guys, um, which by the way, yeah, barry barry found bahamas on this show
On a sunday on a sunday morning at bonnaroo and because I become my favorite. Yeah
I I explained I explained a couple of picks that I had for barry to listen to before bonnaroo
He got into him and all of a sudden that's his uh, you know get high and chill out at the house music
Yeah, clean the house. This this is going to infuriate you then because
Because we played at a festival and i'm not going to name the country because I I just don't want to indict
another place, uh, but like it wasn't the states and um
and yeah bahamas was playing and
Everybody was just on their phone because that bahamas I don't think were on the radio there
and um, the funniest thing was like our whole band
was like lined up
Like watching at the very front row and people coming up and talking to us
But we were just trying to watch bahamas. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, and it's like it was just this
Real it was just this realization like they're so much bigger than us most markets
But in this market it was like a you know, we were a thing at that festival
and I was so I was like it was just like so confusing to me like
Why aren't you watching this band? Like you're going to watch
You might watch us later if you want to or you'll watch where else later
But like why are you on your phone? Like why are you here if you're not here to watch music? Um,
I came home and I was obsessed
It's it's all for a while
That's so musical man, like I really love
What they do just musical and I that's something i'm excited about for this tour is um, I better go lads
Um, but yeah, i'm gonna go but I for this tour like I just think
um
You know our other stuff's been a little bit more direct in terms of the uh, like it's been guitar lead or you know
More so and like this this new record I think is like way riskier
And harder to play and yeah, so much so much
It may be hard for you to play but it's so good angel in real time
Um, i'm a big big fan of it, dude
I think angel of eighth avenue is one of my favorite songs of the year last year
Uh, really if if you're listening to this give it a try
Uh, because I really like this band a lot and I hope when you get over to the uh, the states
It's it's as well received as as I think it will be so all the luck to you
And hopefully we'll see you at shanties along the way
Hey bro. Yeah, come on form like reach out or whatever and just get a beer
But um, I like uh, if you guys you guys do the thing at the festival. I don't know anyone else in alabama. So I
as well
But uh, but uh, not not
Yeah, but um, well really nice to talk to you and um, thanks for your uh, you know caring about our band enough to talk to us
Um, wherever you guys are in tlc in georgia and uh, what's uh, new orleans new orleans. There you go. Thanks max
See you buddy. See you guys. They might be your discovery this year. What day are they on barry gang of youths?
They are on the saturday. Okay, nine inch nails headliner with churches. Not the day you not the day you want to go
That's a good one. I mean I like the whole lineup, but I'm just I'm not going to even pretend and lie to you and say
I'm going all three days. I do feel like it's one of the stronger lineups and for a festival. It's only 25k or so
Um, I think it is as strong of a lineup as is out there the entire year
Yeah, you could go eat any of those three days and be happy all night. What's friday again? Remind me of friday is green day
And billy idol rainbow kitten
Uh spoon your guy spoons
spoons
Yeah, we'll talk we'll talk to spoons here, uh soon enough
Uh brit daniel's my best friend me and my best friend brit
Going to catch up talk about the new album lucifer on the sofa here in a second
But what was the uh bonnaroo news this week that I missed because I'd be honest with you. I've not paid attention to anything
Yeah, go ahead paco
Um, they've made some improvements on the farm
Uh number one stormwater management planning and drainage improvements. I know you guys love drainage
I always like to see that way up high on the poster. Well, yeah first billy. Yeah
Uh, but if if they don't have the sewage improvements, uh
You know it. Yeah, these are these are all
filed under
Uh, only us would be talking about it, but we're glad they did all of them. Can I tell you?
Uh a band that we've had on this program
before came to town and they performed at a
venue in town that will stay nameless and
I heard that
It got so uncomfortable. It's a packed house
but unfortunately
Because it was the first show back into
real life
something had happened with the sewage lines
and when
Everybody would flush
The water was going the opposite direction
So when you walked into the bathroom you were having to walk around
rivers of sewage
Oh
So the whole venue smelled like raw sewage
I don't care who's on stage. That's a bad bad night. Don't care who's it. Yeah
Paul nice to see you. Mr. McCartney. Have a good night. I'm out. Yep. Yep. Gotta go
We've all been on the farm when things weren't going well
I try not to talk about it. Like I said, I worked at a funeral home
I don't talk about that. I don't talk about things i've seen in porta bodies on the farm
Yeah, but you really did get a lot of girlfriends from that funeral home
It's a chick magnet. Yes it is
What's the second line on that improvement poster
Uh, let's see. You got relocation of parking and camping areas to better prepare for weather events
Now this sounds planning on well, you know that just sounds like fancy words for moving brad
And I don't run
Yeah, I don't like it
This doesn't sound good to me. No, we can read between the lines on that. Yeah, no kidding out
This is just fancy words to say
We don't like where you're camping brad. So we're moving you somewhere else
Yeah
Yeah, we're gonna that's that's an issue for later
So at what point so explain to me the parts that they would need to move you from
And move you to so that it would
Be weather flexible
I don't know, but they put a little picture of a bus on here. So I like it
Once again thumbs up for me poster management. Yeah, that's all you need. Yeah
It gives a thumbs up from me
Take a lot
The only thing I can think of is remember the big storm from what four or five years ago is they just cleared out center room
Yeah, and then went out where you went from there
And they built a building
Kind of on your own. Yeah built the bridge now. I understand there's low levels of the farm and and you know the the storm that rolled through ida last year
That killed the festival. I understand that there was a reason the grounds were
Destroyed probably you hit it. You nailed it right there. I know that but where are they moving them to it's I mean, they don't have endless space
Yeah, I don't know probably higher I don't know I would assume they paid attention to
Higher ground and that sort of thing. Were were you just about to say they moved a hill? I was
But I let it go it probably did move some hills but not the hill you're
Brad always wins in the end
But I let it go
But not the hill you're you're brad always wins in the end brad always wins in the end this one
They go ahead there's three or four more
They've paved roads. There's additions of pave roads across the farm
Paving roads, would you be okay if they paved the main roads inside center room? That's what I think they did. No
And at first I thought no, I don't like that. Um
I don't think that's true remember that big puddle that forms there leaving vip going into center room
Be cool if that was not there anymore
I know I know that but
I just paved roads across festival grounds. It doesn't specifically say center room now
I could see if they paved the main drags around camp, right?
And but I just don't know if I would be okay with them paving roads inside center row. Why?
Something would feel almost you'd miss the dust and the puddles, you know
It's not just the dust or the puddles. It just feels
I don't less connected to the earth. Maybe I had the same thought over the weekend
But then I kept thinking about those puddles that you got to walk, you know when you go through those wooden gates
stepping over and around and there's no fun in that I understand. I don't know why I don't haven't
I haven't really put a finger on why
This would bother me, but it made me feel a little
A little bougie a little like uh, I feel like i'm at a city festival all of a sudden
I think the point of being a bonnaroo is that you get these rough around the edges
Things I don't I don't know if I'd love a uh
I'm okay with a flushing toilet. Okay, let me make that clear. I'm okay
You're not a rough around the edges guy. I know that but this makes me feel like I am
Oh, this is it. Okay. They got gravel roads and everything
Yeah, maybe we need to do a little recon and go down to manchester and see exactly what they've paid
Exactly what we need. Do you think they've already done them or they're just saying that they're going to do them
Uh makes it sound like it's been done. Why are you gonna talk about it? Well, wait a second. We have
Kyle lives in manchester
Oh, yeah, we can get him over there. Why don't we just get kyle kyle drive over there and see if you can see any paved roads
Yeah, take video. Yeah, I don't know man. The last place they need paved roads is in centeru
They already drive too many carts through there to begin with
um the the the
Bumpiness and that actually slows them down
They need to take the service roads behind because the carts drive me nuts driving through there
That's that was sort of part of the plan that was announced two years ago when it didn't happen
Got it. They had come up with ways to move the carts around the perimeter man. I hope so
I do too. That's the most because man, I tell you that the best part of lalapalooza is how they have organized
Sort of their transportation in and around that festival, uh, the carts driving through
Bonnaroo don't make any sense and they just get in the way. Yeah coming up on you all the time
Yeah, and also and also
The paving roads would mean that they're you know, planning to continue
Driving through centeru when it's much more important to get paved roads out and around
Uh the premises don't you think yeah, maybe yeah, it's part of the uh, wastewater management
Rainwater and all that. Mm-hmm. All right. What else we got on the poster?
New wayfinding system to better help you navigate the farm day and night
Okay, that that's just a sign. That's just a sign. Yeah, that's a
Here's your sign this way
And then finally even faster entry to campgrounds due to tow booth and parking efficiencies this look I just made it better there
Uh, oh there it is
I did it
Now I can find my way man. I just spent a lot of money on that new sign
Send an email
but yeah, there's
There's it's a sign right we're talking about a sign we're talking about
Okay, what else could it be I mean, yeah
Probably a sign. Yeah. I don't know. That's for those people who have to camp way way way out
Do they still own?
scorcho
No, it's gone. You know, they rented it then they didn't own it
No, they didn't own it. Okay, because if they owned it, it would be kind of cool to take the scorch
And drive it around with like announcements on the big screen and you get to see what's going on
And you know do karaoke into it, you know, good put it to use. Yeah
All right. Now that would be a pretty good, you know
Sign, you know, that'd be a pretty good investment. They bought the scorch and they turn it into
You know its own character now. I'll tell you that would be a great rehab
To its its reputation everybody hates the scorch el scorcho is back and all of a sudden its own character driving around making everybody happy
I agree. Maybe you could wear a scorcho costume
Mini scorch mini scorch
Hey marty gross 345 days away
Gotta have a gotta start working on that hosting. That's right. I make it now
Yeah, so that's it. Those are the big ones. They're gonna let people in on Tuesday
Something yeah, and the sooner you get there the closer you are camped to center room
First is pretty big. Yeah
Yeah, that would that I always wondered about that people who you know bust their ass to get there early and then get the worst parking
That sounds like that sounds like the leaps
That sounds like the biggest piece of information here that the sooner you get there
The closer you get to be. Yep, because weren't we saying a couple years ago that you know, you could get there on a tuesday
But you're still you know, yeah
Yeah, they start from back and move, you know towards the middle. Well, and that's not new they've been announcing this for two years
Yeah, there's just been no bonnaroo to show for it actually do it
So that's it
They should just keep announcing stuff just yeah, who cares?
It's you know, we 50 50 at this map happens start announcing stuff
Hey, the rolling stones are headlining. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well good
Uh, that's uh, that's all right. I mean I think a lot of that's uh,
Some good pr work finally
But I don't know if uh much of that is is meat
It feels like the meatier part is is you get to camp as close to center as you can easier or
Sooner you get there. Yeah
Yeah, I think ross and I were talking before you got on any any of these improvements or the kind of things that you know
Don't normally make the headlines but as we've all said over the years the little things they add up
Shade grass, that's right. Fleshable toilets. That's right. That's right. And then the grounds have uh, definitely gotten better
And they look so much better and I will to your point barry
I think that the reason why we don't hear about them they announced that they're going to be
We don't hear about them. They announced them plenty
but we don't hear about them because
There's other stuff about it that we're talking about, you know, there's so many other things that were but because we're in this
you know
barren desert of information about you know, what bonnar is going to be we haven't done it and how long
Now it feels like every teeny tiny scrap of information feels like a feast any news is news. Yeah for sure
For sure. So the other uh, shaking these artists that we wanted to talk to today was an interview
I did with brit daniel my best friend
A couple weeks ago when the new album came out if you haven't listened to it yet
By the way when we were talking to a gang of youths you had plenty of time there barry to listen to lucifer on the sofa
Did you listen to any did you get a couple of tracks? No, but I promise I will
Did you listen to gang of youths before we talk to them? Oh, yeah, what'd you say? Yes, I like it very much
It took me a while. I kept trying to figure out and I hate doing this but i'm like everybody else
He does it every time he always tries to figure out he always says I never do this and then he doesn't he does exactly this
I hate doing it, but it finally dawned on me. They remind me of the call
If you remember the call the song the walls came down. Yeah, okay
Never mind. You know, I got nothing
Jump into that cabinet. See if you got any call cds
Reach on in there and see if you got anything
Anyway, I like it very much
Yeah, I like it a lot. Yeah, I said max was a lot of fun. He was a lot of fun
I get a little bit of national vibes from it. So
Yep, yep lucifer on the sofa is the new spoon album. We talked the day that it came out
So i'm sorry. We're just now getting to this but other things started coming up like rufus' soul and coin
but because I love spoon so much and
Because brit daniel is best friends best friends. Yes, with no doubt
Let's uh spoon on the what podcast
What's happening bread hey brad, how are you i'm doing super duper. How are you stranger? I'm good the last time
I was in the bathroom
I was in the bathroom
I was in the bathroom
How are you i'm doing super duper. How are you stranger? I'm good the last time you and I hung out
Talked we were uh backstage at acl and I asked you what you were listening to and you said
I've been getting into the clash these days
And then it wasn't five minutes later somebody walked up and said hey bread nice to see you
What are you listening to and you said i'm really getting into the clash these days
That's a well, it's a strong recommendation
It's hard to go wrong with the clash. I bet you're still listening to the clash these days. I am
I just admire you so much. I mean you've got one of my favorite bands of top three favorite bands of all time
And today it's got to be a really big day for you. So first off congrats
I think you guys put out something damn near perfect. Oh, wow. Thank you. I have a high praise. I appreciate that
Oh, i'm just an idiot on the radio. How do I know? Um, I
I want to go back to like when you and jim since you and jim are still around from 30 years ago
Did you got what was the conversation? Did you envision 30 years later in 10 albums?
No, we didn't the bands that I had been into that I had been in up until that point
All lasted about nine months to a year and a half. And so that was kind of what I was picturing
Um jim and I were in a band before spoon that lasted nine months. It's called the alien beats and so
um
It was more it was I think the only thing that we commented on was like let's get some better gigs than that last band had
You know, that was it
Like let's play not play on monday nights at the back room this metal bar
And there's a metal bar in east austin that had an alternative night, you know
And that was the gig that was easy to get but of course no one showed up
so
We were
I remember you telling me though when you were when this was starting you were doing something. What was your day-to-day job at the time?
Right when the band started. Um
I guess I was just out of college and I was I was working at a video game company
Oh, that's right. Yes. Okay, that's what you're thinking of. Yes. I remember this conversation. Yeah, and and what were you doing there?
I was I was making sound effects. I wasn't even making music for them. I was just doing
sound effects so like explosion sound effects and
Right, um
Uh, you know a spaceship the door closes you that kind of sound effect
Spaceship takes off that kind of sound effect. Yeah, it was a cool job
I feel like you could score a movie if you really wanted to
I could yeah
I mean even even even to the sound effect part it could go from the whole gambit from beginning of the movie to the end
Yeah, it was a good gig for sure. You know, it was it was
Especially just out of college, you know, it was a dream job and they were um when I was in college
We I've studied audio but we didn't
There was no digital audio at that school
So I got out of school and there's this video game company says they want to teach me digital audio and pay me
Ten dollars an hour and I just thought I was you know
It was there would I I don't know. I thought
Was this 91 92? Yeah 93. Yeah, that's pretty good. Ten dollars an hour 93 is not bad. Yeah
um, so when
Uh, you guys go through, you know, 30 years of this. When do you think that like spoon really found its legs?
So when do you think it really got so because the thing that I feel about this band that I love so much
Is that from the first moment? I mean even from you know, telephono to now
It always feels so comfortable in its own skin
Yeah, thank you
well
You know telephono was was definitely that
The band that was trying to get better gigs, you know, that was what that those songs were all about
and it wasn't really even about making records and then as as we
Of course making record was a cool cool deal
But that's what that's not what those songs were written for and then later on we figured out
Hey, someone's actually going to put out our records. We started thinking about writing songs in a different way
Um, I think the record
Uh, maybe 3n called girls can tell
is uh
Where we really started sort of started figuring it out for ourselves and had some of our own identity
Pop out more. What was the song on on girls can tell everything hits at once you think that was the one or that was a big one
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's the first song on it and uh
We had definitely never done anything like that before it had vibrahones. It was very stripped back
Yeah, yeah, I mean I could nerd out about about your own band
um, you know pretty much all day and wax poetic about it, but the thing that I love, you know
not only because it's so comfortable in its own skin, but
The re-listen ability if that's a word is so strong because every time I listen
I don't care if it's a series of sneaks or whatever, you know
Just and I told you this before a random tambourine that walks through the the room
And then you never hear that tambourine ever again, right?
You know, that was kind of a random hand clap that never comes back again
That's the kind of stuff that I find to be so interesting that you guys seem to to find the perfect spots for those things
Yeah, well that was I would hear that on a bowie record, you know, and i'd hear that on a Beatles record
um, they were particularly big on
you know really loud percussion elements like that and I
When we started making records if you'd work with a producer they'd say yeah
You put a little tambourine on there, but it's got to be buried in the mix and you don't want to get to stand out
And I said, well, that's not how the Beatles would do it
um, so
There's some arguing about that to start but uh, i'm glad you appreciate that vibe
Well, I love it, uh, because it seems as though it's something that you know
If I was sitting in the room with you that would be what I would do, you know, it's like oh hang on a second
When you brett got it. I'm in i'm on a screen record
You got a nice, uh, nice reverb on those claps. You got going. I appreciate that. Yeah, i've been working on this. Yeah
Uh, so speaking of being in the room with him the the compliment that a buddy of mine
We were going back and forth about this new album. Um
it
And you could probably say this about any spoon album. It feels like we're in the room with them
Right. Is that there's got to be a purpose for that there you're actually that's got to be a
Something that you're actually designing to do we specifically worked on that for this record. Um
Um, we felt like we wanted to react a bit against the last one which would the last one was actually more produced than
than
Some of the other ones it was it was made
um
very much in the studio we're writing the songs while we're in the studio and
um
Figuring out what we were doing with the songs as we're in the studio this time. We decided let's let's um
Let's hash all that out as a band playing with each other
Uh before we hit the record button, you know, sort of an old
Maybe a little bit more old-fashioned way of making a record but there's something about that you can
Even if you don't know anything about recording or how records are made. I think you can kind of sense it
That this is a band playing together
Well, what's more comfortable for you?
Uh, both ways are good. I um
You know because I love some some produced music I do um, but um
I guess
I guess I like the the feel of things happening happening naturally and things happening. Um
Sort of what more live?
Yeah, well, that's what I was gonna
That's what I was thinking because
The the live show is such a completely different experience. I mean that's not that's not totally true
It's not completely different, but it is it is a much different
Feel, uh, especially when you get i'll put it this way
When you said to me at acl you said well, have you seen this show?
And it was your latest tour and this was 2018 29, man. I can't remember what else he said you said
Have you seen this show and I said no, I haven't seen this specific one
But i've seen you guys live a host of times and you said well, this is the one you need to see
Wow listen to that kid well you were
It was three years ago
But but it was it was so specific because I think that you
It had seemed like you had spent so much time making that live show
The best one that you guys had brought to
To the stage. I wonder if I wonder if that sort of like found its way into this album
Yeah, I think that was a big part of it. You know, we we did
We worked on the show, you know
and the way that the show flowed together and the way that the
The way that the performances led to the show
the way that the performances linked together and the way that that hit the audience and uh
when we toured more on that record than we had on any other record before which is saying a lot for us and so
We did think like we felt like we were in a really strong place band-wise
And so it became a thing where let's make a great rock and roll record that is about the band less about um
Production and more just about how we play naturally with each other
Well, i'm not gonna lie to you. I mean that kid was right
I mean it was the best spoon show I had ever seen and I think there was partly
You know, there's you know hometown element there to it
but it still was the best spoon show i'd ever seen I wonder if
You feel the pressure the next round of live shows the when the tour starts in april is have you have you?
You know gotten it up a notch. I know pleasure. We we've done a bunch of shows
Uh, we played a bunch in september and october. It started it started yesterday didn't it and then we played right?
a show
Was it last? No, the two two shows this this week in la and so yeah, it's feeling good. I
I kind of feel like um
We're we're set up and ready to go. It's it's been there've been some really good shows. Well, uh,
Britt you're the you're the coolest sob in rock music. I uh,
You're you're you might i'm writing that down
Put that on your resume. Yeah
I uh, I really do appreciate you and um, I love spoon with all of my heart and um, i'm so glad you're back
I just love this album so much. I appreciate you. Thank you for saying all that and I hope we get to
Uh place I know we're gonna play near new orleans at some point. I hope you get to come to the show
I hope so. I will definitely i'll see you plenty of times on this tour and um, you know
Um, you know by then i'll have something for you other than the clash. All right. Yeah, come say hello for sure
Let's let's chat again. See you buddy. See you soon. Thank you. All right guys. There you go. Good show today
The what podcast giving you bonnaroo tickets one last thing to do before we get out of here
I could not be happier
With the submission so far for the bonnaroo photoshop contest
Yeah, they're pretty great
really really funny you can tell the uh
The artists are listeners. That's what makes it cool
It's a lot. Is that what makes it cool or do they make you look better?
Oh, well that does help i'm much thinner in all of these graphics
It's because they're trying to win
And we have confirmation that it is a baby
Yeah, cool. Yeah, I like some really good stuff so far
I I feel like to me the leader in the clubhouse is the hand-drawn pictures of
Russ barry and brad that to me so far is my favorite. So even you with no artistic talent
Can be a front runner for bonnaroo tickets. All you got to do is give us your best graphic interpretation
Of the what podcast whether it be in photoshop whether or not you drew it on the back of a napkin
Maybe maybe just maybe you write the words the what?
On a piece of paper and submit it. Hey anything that gets
Anything that gets uh our attention
Tag us in it the what underscore podcast on twitter on instagram. Uh, you can email us. What does the email address again?
russ
Comments at the what podcast got it
Any sort of artistic interpretation of the what podcast will take you know, what I will even say this
I'll throw this out to you guys. We could even expand it to if you wrote us a song
There you go see any sort of artistic impression
interpretation of the show
And we'll take it. There you go. What do you think? I'm in uh, so
Submit those we still have a few weeks left on that. Uh, so put your uh
Creative cap on and submit it today for bonnaroo tickets and camping pass anything else gentleman?
I think that's it taco every time we go to
Barry's house. It seems as though he's got more what podcast
Stickers he's putting up behind him. It's like he's just finding gear that he hasn't sent out yet and he's like that
The more they keep pulling I keep pulling equipment out of trash bins everywhere and I got to dress them up with these stickers
I got I got this really cool rack from a local liquor store. They were throwing it away
so
Yeah, wow
I know man the the wheels alone are worth was the was there any liquor in it when you got it? No, no
You got it
Not not when it was outside when I got at home. There was liquor
Barry what are you doing with the liquor rack?
You should see it. I'm proud of it
But what for what what are you gonna do? I got all my stuff
I got all my all my I got all my stuff. I got a place for my stuff
See, I got my treasures here
Place for my stuff. I have nice treasures. I have a feeling all your stuff is still everywhere
I'm sure well fair enough
Fair enough. I love you. Maybe
But it's more organized
Would you maybe sell some of that stuff? Uh, maybe um, you know what podcast stuff? Yeah that stuff I need to sell
Anybody need a koozie?
Or a c-shirt
I am very worried now all of a sudden that barry has become a hoarder
You're walking into liquor stores and stealing furniture
I don't
I'm not proud. I want you to see this. I love this thing. Are you bringing home palettes, too?
I'm not gonna answer that
I might have one or two
Worried about you. I'm very worried. All right, there you go
All right. Good luck. No wonder you can't leave the basement. You've got too much junk
I can't get out. Yes, you literally locked yourself into the basement based on the stuff you brought home from the liquor store. That's not liquor
I can either confirm or deny. Yeah. Love you guys. See you guys. See ya
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