Oh yeah‚ a lot of people walk -- right away.
Right away. They say "I don't like that kind of music."
Right‚ but then you say‚ "No‚ but come see Yonder‚ you'll really like them."
It's not what you think it is.
Right.
Which isn't to say… but if you're going to be close-minded about it and dismiss it like that anyway‚ I don't want you at the party.
Yeah‚ go fuck yourself.
Yeah‚ because chances are you're not going to be open to some other things I want to talk about‚ or what have you. But‚ it is a very interesting time‚ and it's almost -- I don't know how‚ or why‚ or what it's going to be. I just know I got a real good feeling that something -- it's something good -- will happen soon. Or is in the process of happening. I just feel that there's that ramping up of energy that I've felt in the past prior to good growth spurts. And it's a really interesting time in Yonder world‚ for sure.
You sound very excited about that.
Yeah‚ I'm super excited. And not to say that it's all -- it doesn't all smell like roses‚ but sometimes I don't want the bus to smell like roses. Real life‚ I'm into that these days‚ I'm into talking about that. Oh‚ and to answer another question of yours that I didn't answer that I just remembered -- fatherhood influencing my songwriting.
Yeah
The only way it's influenced my songwriting is that I don't write anymore.
[laughs] Really? No time?
No time. No‚ just the inspiration for that is -- I'm so into my son. I'm so into you know‚ whatever -- I'm singing songs all the time. I am making up songs to him all the time. I'm just not writing them down afterwards. You know what I mean? I'm in the moment and just jamming with him.
Right.
Now‚ I do feel that creative spark happening again‚ which is sort of like‚ I feel myself being… allowing myself to get back to that place where the musical inspiration can happen‚ and I can hear it. Because both things have to happen in order for it to work for me. Because the universe could be trying to give me a good idea every day‚ but unless I can listen to it‚ or get in a space to hear it‚ I'm not going to know. And so I'm finally starting to be like‚ okay‚ I'm getting ready to write music again. And then funny enough‚ the reason why that happens was because my kid finally got big enough where I can have him sit on my leg on the piano bench‚ I can put my hands around him and play the piano again with two hands‚ rather than just hold him with one hand and play with the other. Now that I've got two hands back‚ I'm able to sit with him at the piano and play and jam and that's kind of how I create anyway. So‚ I'll write music‚ or get a melody idea‚ or lyrics or whatever.
Is he big enough that he can start smacking the keys yet?
Oh‚ you should see some of these videos -- I mean‚ it's not even smacking the keys --it's sitting there‚ looking at a note‚ and going‚ "I wanna play that one." And then‚ looking at a different note‚ and going to play that one‚ and really starting to -- I feel like having and understanding of -- that this note is higher in pitch than that note‚ and that note is higher in pitch than that other note. And so‚ yeah‚ I'll sit and play music‚ and he'll just start jamming along. But note just mashing his hands down because he's excited‚ he's going‚ "huh‚ I think I'm going to push this one‚ and I'm going to push that one." And you know‚ it can sound great if I'm playing in C major and he's hitting all the white keys‚ then we're jammin'. And then if I want him to mix it up a bit‚ then [laughing]‚ scoot him a little bit more forward‚ and he can start playing on the ebonies.
He's developing his communication skills through music with Daddy.
Yeah‚ and I remember the first time I captured it on video‚ I went back and watched it‚ and I'm just like‚ "you gotta be kidding me." It really looks like he is by god‚ playing the piano on purpose. And we ended up doing some of it -- I've been listening a lot of Brian Eno‚ and it sounded like a section of his album Music for Airports‚ and like‚ really cool ambient stuff. And then it got a little out‚ and it sounded like Music For what Airports Actually Are And Do to a Human Being‚ which is madness. But‚ it was great fun‚ and so‚ we have piano time multiple times a day.
That's awesome.
Yeah‚ I can't really get through songs anymore‚ because it turns into him playing and then me just jamming along with him. And he doesn't care that I want to play "I've Only Got Eyes For You" and sing like Frank Sinatra‚ he's very much more outside than that.
[laughing] Well‚ that kind of leads nicely into my wrap-up question‚ which is‚ have you or will you ever consider "The Sheriff Saga" an appropriate bedtime story?
He's going to have to learn to play it on the bass‚ because Daddy ain't going to work forever. And Hologram Technology is extraordinarily expensive. Yeah‚ I'll probably… hopefully by the time he's even going to understand what that is‚ I hope to have finished that whole thing‚ made a record of it‚ and be done with it. Because it's gotta be done. It just has to be finished. Adam and I have songs ten years old that we cannot finish‚ because there is a beginning and a middle and an end to that thing. And it can't just go on forever‚ I refuse. It has to be done at some point. We have to flesh the whole thing out‚ introduce a few more characters‚ get to the point‚ and write some good songs. Not just telling some silly stories either‚ but really like find a point and tell it. But eventually that thing has to be done‚ because… it just does. Otherwise it's not a thing‚ it's just some sort of ambiguous collection of songs that may or may not get played in order ever again. I want it to be done. I want it to exist. I'm kind of proud of it‚ in some ways I think it's cool that there can be such a thing as a Bluegrass Opera [laughing]‚ in a way. And I think that that's cool‚ and I want to be done with it. But it won't be this year and it's certainly not going to be the next record. In fact‚ I'll wager that the kid's record gets made before "On the Run‚ the Sherriff" thing.