Did Nathan feel a little out numbered there?
Yeah‚ that's exactly what it was. And so we've just been kind of naturally figuring out what works the best is rocking‚ rocking tunes that we can play with the three-piece. We've decided on the ones that are the go-to easiest ones‚ and I think we'll branch out and experimentally try to play other things in different ways‚ and then‚ as far as acoustically‚ just figure out the ones that I think are the most accessible‚ kind of like the ones that are pretty straightforward.
I was excited to see that you were doing some shows with Gov't Mule‚ because they're one of my top five favorite bands. How did you come to know Warren Haynes and those guys and get arranged to go on the road with them?
I guess it was through the mutual acquaintances in the jam scene‚ as well as our booking agency‚ at the time‚ Madison House. We were able to connect with those people and eventually we were able to get on a couple shows. And I think we originally met Warren when we opened for Chris Robinson and New Earth Mud.
Oh‚ OK. That must've been a great show. I saw him with that band three or four years ago. It was sweet.
Yeah‚ it was a really good show. And we weren't necessarily that great. [laughs] But we were just figuring it out‚ and that's kind of when we met all those guys. That's when Andy Hess sat in with the band and he later became the Gov't Mule bass player. And that was before Gov't Mule had retooled into this‚ like‚ mega giant jam band that they've become. And so we met Warren through that and it just started from there
Warren loves to play with people. Have you ever played with him onstage?
We have. Yeah‚ Daniel has sat in with Gov't Mule twice. I think both times he played "Cortez the Killer."
Oh nice.
'Cause they liked playing that together. But then Warren sat in with us and played "Four Day Creep" [by Humble Pie]‚ which was really fun.
I bet. I'm interested to know what kind of music you listen to and the other guys listen to just for the fun of listening to music. What are your favorite albums or who are your favorite artists and bands to listen to?
It really extends for me‚ because I really like to try and get anything that's good. Anything that has quality‚ I like to listen to. And what's so cool about today's age is that‚ in a sense I really miss the CDs and the albums‚ but being able to have your iPod and then figure out what mood you're in and just shuffle down to any type of record‚ you can match your mood instantly with the type of music you want to play.
Yeah‚ you really can.
I have the standard go-to's for jazz. I haven't really gotten too far into it. I have Bitches Brew‚ I have a John Coltrane compilation that has‚ you know‚ kind of the standard hits for him‚ and a Thelonious Monk CD.
Oh‚ I love listening to Monk. He's so unpredictable. You hear so many things different every time you listen to him‚ even if it's the same tunes.
Yeah‚ yeah. I mean‚ that could be‚ it's a live take‚ and you're just like‚ how is all this going on in one moment?
Yeah‚ you're exactly right.
I also really like songwriters. I really love listening to well-crafted songs. One of my favorite bands that I've been listening to recently to kind of come out with a really cool different style of sonically sounding really cool and writing differently was the group the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's just this cool‚ cool vibe‚ really cool songs‚ really catchy hooks and it just rocks.
Well‚ that's one thing that I found pretty impressive about the new album‚ is that the songs‚ most of them anyway‚ are really well structured. They're well thought-out and crafted to be songs that in a lot of cases you could play acoustically or somebody else could cover them and the song would stand up as a tune itself. It's not just a riff. I mean‚ I like a good riff as much as any guy and apparently you guys do‚ too‚ but there seems to have been a lot of thought put in to the songs themselves. Who comes up with more ideas‚ or is it pretty democratic in terms of the creative aspect of it?
I think it's kind of equal in the sense that we all are coming together with the songs. I think Daniel likes to write at his own pace‚ and sometimes that's no songs at all and he just wants to kind of leave it open to anybody's idea‚ or else he'll have something that he's been drafting and he'll really want to work on it‚ but it's just one idea and it's something that he's very into.
And I'm more goin' all the time‚ constantly thinking about ideas and writing and writing ideas and songs. And this one dude told me on this bus ride back from this festival who was‚ I forget his name‚ but he kind of helped Kings Of Leon get signed to BMG before they became the actual group -- they were just the songwriting duo -- and he was telling me that he basically told those guys to just start writing on acoustics and just get a song idea and write it and finish it and do it ten times and then out of those ten songs‚ or the handful of songs you have‚ maybe one will be a keeper‚ maybe more‚ but if you've got at least one‚ you're doin' a really good job.