Thursday, August 11, 2011
Fleet Foxes: Interview "Honestly, beard sanitizer is something we like to keep around."
Fleet Foxes: Interview
"Honestly, beard sanitizer is something we like to keep around."
Only a matter of months have passed since I saw Fleet Foxes open for Blitzen Trapper. They played the small, second stage of DC's Black Cat and I stood inches away from Robin Pecknold, who hunched over his acoustic guitar, body wracked with a high fever. Since then, Fleet Foxes have released a very successful self-titled LP and their headlining tour is selling out larger clubs across the country. They have also been invited to open for Wilco.
So what happened? How can a band blow up so fast? Word of mouth certainly helps, but nothing can substitute for quality. Harmonizing is something the Foxes are famous for, and the blend of voices that emanates from the record is nothing less than breathtaking at times. It is even more amazing that these beautiful sounds can be replicated with such ease in a live setting.
As Pecknold fought off another round of the Washington DC blues, bassist Christian Wargo and multi-instrumentalist Casey Wescott were kind enough to meet me backstage before another sold out show. Over slugs of Jack Daniels, we talked about sudden fame, the Pecknold clan, and Indiana Jones.
interview with Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
by Stephen M. Deusner, posted November 17, 2008
Photos © 2008 Catherine Lewis
I met two of the members of Fleet Foxes-- lead vocalist Robin Pecknold and drummer/vocalist Josh Tillman-- in the Black Cat bar before their Washington, D.C. show, while minglers were downing Blue Moons and Yuenglings as the jukebox blared the Ramones. As we made our way through the crowd to find a quiet place for an interview, Pecknold was stopped by a family-- a woman and what appeared to be her college-age children-- who all congratulated him and told him how much they love the band. It was typical fan small talk, until they mentioned they had seen part of the Fleet Foxes set at the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival back in July. When they asked him to sign their tickets, he said, "Of course" and began patting the pockets of his enormous red coat for a pen.
Perhaps more than the other four guys in Fleet Foxes, Pecknold must be getting used to this sort of treatment, although the attention makes him a bit self-conscious. In addition to giving them cross-generational appeal, the band's lush blend of old folk sounds and tight harmonies has brought them success that promises, or maybe threatens, to propel them into the margins of the mainstream. And it's all happened within the calendar year: the popular MySpace tracks in January, a well-received EP in February, a full-length in June that ranks squarely among the year's best, and a tour that seems to be playing to ever larger audiences.
Fleet Foxes
Biography
Fleet Foxes is an indie folk band which formed in Seattle, Washington, United States in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar), Christian Wargo (bass, guitar, vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, vocals), Morgan Henderson (multiple instruments) and J. Tillman(drums, vocals). They are signed to the labels Sub Pop and Bella Union.
Fleet Foxes released the six-track Fleet Foxes EP in 2006, a five-track EP, Sun Giant on April 8, 2008, and their debut full-length self-titled album, Fleet Foxes on June 3, 2008. It was given 4 stars by Rolling Stone, and compared to the likes of The Beach Boys, Animal Collective, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. On June 6, 2008, they received a 9.0 out of 10 in a review by Pitchfork for their self-titled LP, and on December 19th, the Sun Giant EP and the self titled LP together shared the title of Pitchfork’s #1 album(s) of 2008.
The quintet describe their music as “baroque harmonic pop jams.” They have played at major venues such as the Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle, Washington, South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas and Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in May 2008. On June 24, 2008, Fleet Foxes went #1 on the CMJ Radio 200 Chart…
The band’s second album, Helplessness Blues was released on May 3, 2011. The title track and first single was released as a free download on the band’s website in January 2011. The band also announced that Morgan Henderson, a former member of The Blood Brothers and Past Lives, had joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist.
Fleet Foxes released the six-track Fleet Foxes EP in 2006, a five-track EP, Sun Giant on April 8, 2008, and their debut full-length self-titled album, Fleet Foxes on June 3, 2008. It was given 4 stars by Rolling Stone, and compared to the likes of The Beach Boys, Animal Collective, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. On June 6, 2008, they received a 9.0 out of 10 in a review by Pitchfork for their self-titled LP, and on December 19th, the Sun Giant EP and the self titled LP together shared the title of Pitchfork’s #1 album(s) of 2008.
The quintet describe their music as “baroque harmonic pop jams.” They have played at major venues such as the Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle, Washington, South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas and Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in May 2008. On June 24, 2008, Fleet Foxes went #1 on the CMJ Radio 200 Chart…
The band’s second album, Helplessness Blues was released on May 3, 2011. The title track and first single was released as a free download on the band’s website in January 2011. The band also announced that Morgan Henderson, a former member of The Blood Brothers and Past Lives, had joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)