Recently we caught up with Martin Crane from Brazos as he hurtled down the highway to his next gig on the Brazos/White Denim Tour – luckily he was the passenger. The tour with White Denim takes Brazos out of Austin, TX for the first time, so if they are coming to a town near you, make sure you do not miss their show. Stay tuned for our coverage of their New York show on Thursday 12th November at the Music Wall of Williamsburg. Enjoy..
Christian Pielow: Austin is often hailed as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ – how would you describe the scene? And how do you fit into it?
Martin Crane: The scene in Austin has evolved a lot recently and is currently going through a garage-rock revival. People are fascinated with mid-to-late 1960s soul so many of the bands coming out are influenced by this, but there are also a number of strong synth bands coming out as well. We don’t really fit into any of those streams really; we are just doing our own thing I guess.
CP: I assume this is where your connection with White Demin comes from. How did you end up with Josh Block on the drums?
MC: Well, before White Denim really took off and began doing their stuff, Josh was on the drums for us. Then even as they got bigger we would all hang out and just really loved their sound. They are such amazing musicians with great energy, and I am sure I will never get tired of their live show.
CP: So what is it like warming up for a band of White Denim’s energy and style?
MC: Well obviously our sounds are very different but I don’t think that matters anymore. Audiences are exposed to so much more music and have become a lot smarter because of it. They are more willing to try different music and it is often the norm to have a big mix of styles at every gig. Like we just go out there and do our thing, we don’t try to adapt or mould our performance to White Denim. Although we are not in the audience, we think it works.
CP: Well we are definitely looking forward to the combination next week!! So tell me about the making of Phosphorescent Blues, I mean, I read it was written in a weekend is that true??
MC: Well more like a few crazy weeks.. That is how I write most of my stuff, in manic, excited bursts, then I wake up and I’m done. I love writing this way because now everything in Phosphorescent Blues fits together, representing the same state of mind and time period – the same person. And although we have moved towards a song based music culture, I hope listeners approach the album as a whole because all the songs work in relation to one another.
CP: Well I saw one single, “Day Glo”, was recently released as a free MP3 – why was this song chosen to out there?
MC: I guess because it is super melodic, and a lot of my friends like the track so it seemed a good choice. However, there was no clear choice for us. It was really hard deciding, especially considering how I approached the song writing and how all the songs are connected (see the question above..).
Going forward we will be releasing a few more MP3’s to give people a chance to sample our stuff, no one has time to listen to whole album to decide if it is right for them.
In my opinion listening to either “Day Glo” or “The Observer” is enough reason alone to get Phosphorescent Blues…
CP: So have you played NY before, what do you think this city?
MC: Well before these last few days on tour, we have never played outside of Austin! I mean it is so exciting to see some new audiences. Especially New York because it feels like I have more friends from Austin in New York, than in Austin itself – there seems to be a collective of Austinites in New York, so I am really excited for the show!
CP: Tell me something in your past present or future that no one else knows.
MC: Ok I will tell you about the coolest place I have ever been to. It is this place called Cordillera Blanca – the highest Mountain peaks in Peru. I got up there and it is above the tree-line; you just see grazing llamas, a sea of green trees, giant boulders, and beautiful lagoons. It is the only place in the world you can truly experience total silence….
It is not surprising Crane recommends an escape from the buzz of modern society, when he describes his musical experience as a frenzied retreat from reality. And at that point I left him as he hurtled towards his next gig – I wonder how far that mountain in Peru seems right now? Well, probably not as far as when he gets to the concrete jungle of NYC. Thankfully Martin traveled back down from paradise and has finally taken Brazos out of Austin – now we can all experience their immense talent firsthand. See below for Tour Dates and if you are in New York, I hope to see you at the show. White Denim are also not to be missed!!! See our review of White Denim’s CMJ show here.
Tour Dates
10.24 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10.31 Dallas, TX @ Grenada Theater
11.02 St Louis, MO @ Firebird
11.03 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot
11.04 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
11.05 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
11.06 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11.07 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11.09 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
11.10 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
11.11 Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bears
11.12 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
11.13 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11.14 Washington, DC @ Rock ‘n Roll Hotel
11.16 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11.17 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree
11.18 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11.19 Orlando, FL @ The Social
11.20 St Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven
11.22 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
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