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Retribution Gospel Choir
The Godfather of Slowcore stops by for a quick chat concerning (amongst other things) Maria Sharapova, Pink Floyd and... Beards
Alan Sparhawk is a busy man, not content with fronting one of the most beloved indie bands of the past 20 years he has recently decided to unleash his inner rock-god with Retributions Gospel Choir, the band he also fronts with fellow Low alumni Steve Garrington on bass and Eric Pollard on drums. This year Alan and his Choir released their 2nd album (the aptly titles '2') to gushing reviews and are currently in the midst of a epic promotional tour. Taking a break from his busy schedule, Alan stopped by for a quick chat.
First off the bat; How are you? How's the road treating you? AS:"Very well. We just did a 4 week leg in the u.s. and about to go to UK/Europe. The road is great - we ate breakfast next to Maria Sharapova in Memphis."
I see your playing Whelen's in Dublin later this year, one of my favourite venues to play by far! Do you yourself have any particular favourites worldwide? AS:Whelans is great. Been there before. Well, we did have that show at christchurch cathedral years back - that was a great time and a great honor. It sort of set the precident for lots of church venue shows to come. Different places have their different charm. We've had lovely shows at union chapel in london, but then shitty cbgb's was a blast, too. So far for RGC, the best has been spain.
Is playing live with Retribution Gospel Choir quite different to playing with Low? There's a real spiritual element to a Low gig, people generally treat you with the same same kind of hushed reverence usually reserved for royalty. Are the RGC audiences quite as respectful? AS:There is an intensity to RGC that is still spiritual. I think some people still feel that despite volume, etc, but mostly people act like it's a rock show.
You've always struck me as an incredibly humble, modest individual. A few years ago I saw Low at the old Birmingham Academy (now a smouldering heap of rubble) and you guys took to the stage without any airs or graces; setting up your own instruments in-front of the crowd and even changing your guitar string mid-set. Your onstage persona too is incredibly warm and your stories always manage to raise a chuckle. How do you keep a level-head in an industry surrounded by such monumental egotism?
AS:We've just never been into the drama and ego show. Desperate self esteem drives alot of my perceived humility, but we came from a very practical working-class background. The artist/audience relationship is sacred.
Your obviously a prolific writer (what with the abundance of bands as well as your solo project) but how do you decide what songs fit which band? There have been cross-overs in the past (most notably with 'breaker) which have worked a treat in both incarnations. AS:I've never been an intentional writer. The song comes, you get out of it's way, and it will usually tell you where it needs to go. some songs can go either way. I try not to think about it too much.
You've been very open in the past about your struggles with depression and how it's affected your loved ones as well as your career. Do you think people should be more open about mental illness and do you think it's somehow related to the creative spark? Or is that just the media romanticising it to some extent? AS:I do think people could stand to be more aware of mental illness. Going through it certainly opens your eyes, but there's really no way to prepare someone for it other that just to eat healthy and get your sleep. I'm doubtful of the creativity/insanity correlation. Artists maybe look more obvious when it happens, but everyone is succeptable. Insanity is not creative.
The documentary 'You May Need A Murderer' was an incredibly intimate piece of work which showed both you and Mimi at an incredibly vulnerable time. Do you ever regret giving the film-makers such disclosure or was the experience in some way cathartic for both of you? AS:We had been in a few docs before, so i was not all new, but even though it ended up being me talking alot, you have to let go and trust the mind of the filmmaker. We've always been honest to who we are, so nobody has to act. Being publicly examined is strange, flattering, and ultimately unsatisfying, so you just relax.
Sorry to come across as a gushing fan but your music really helped me on a personal level growing up, are there any bands or artists you'd say affected you in such a way growing up in Duluth? AS:It's sort of embarassing, but pink floyd really was the cerebral event for me as a kid. here was a band very boldly cutting into the psyche of fear and depression. There was something friendly and comforting in that depth. It told me there was nothing music couldn't touch
I must say I was slightly disappointed to see your collaboration with Morgan Thorson won't be making it across the Atlantic. I've seen similar shows in the past (such as Sigur Ros's collaboration with Merce Cunningham) and have composed music myself for alternative dance choreographers and it always amazes me how two artistic mediums can draw so much from each other. What's the experience been like so far and is there anyone else outside of the musical spectrum you'd be eager to work with? (I'd love to see you try your hand at more soundtrack work) AS:We would love to do more soundtrack work, but it's a tough gig to get. Working with morgan has been wonderful and it's challenged us in ways we really needed. It is very different in many ways - different scheduling, different writing, improvisation, and deep collaboration with a whole group. Morgan is a very intense choreographer, and dance is about as primal as you get, it's been wild.
Much like Radiohead, Tom Waits, Scott Walker or countless other shape-shifting artists you have managed to evolve and change whilst retaining what made you special in the first place. But as a fan I have to ask, will Low ever return to the style which made their name (what I consider to be the holy trinity of 'I Could Live In Hope', 'Long Division' and 'Curtain Hits The Cast') or would you say you've moved passed that sound altogether now? AS:It would be very hard to just go back to a certain sound. Over the years we learned as we went, and let the songs slowly draw us into new territory. The last few records have been all about pushing our comfort level and ignorance. Some of the new songs are very quiet and intimate, and that seems to still be the go-to when we play live, so who knows. We're still the same people that made those records.
I remember hearing (I think it was on the DVD which came with the temporary relief box-set) that you and Zak initially started Low as a reaction to the loud, fast music which was popular at the time. Now I'm hearing alot of music in the underground such as Sunn 0))) and Jesu which is moulding the aesthetics of metal to your glacial template. Do you see any of these bands as kindred spirits to a young Alan Sparhawk? AS:I don't think so. People have been playing with the extremes forever - it's where the real meat is. Those guys have beards.
I know you probably wouldn't consider yourself an 'inspirational' guitarist but the way you tune your guitar (Open G) has actually adversely affected my playing and song-writing style. There are songs I'd never have written without first altering my tuning in order to learn Low songs. What made you want to experiment with alternate tunings in the first place? Because I can say first-hand it's easy to be a more expressive player in an open tuning. AS:I started using that tuning in the 80s. I was a fan of sonic youth, so it did all kinds of stuff to my poor guitar before i found a tuning that i liked on my own - i later found out it was open g. Open tunings are great - there's the immediate satisfaction of being able to play chords with one finger, but then over time, you find it's possibilities. It's all about voicing, drones, and knowing the scales.
I think with 'White Wolf' you might actually have written your purest pop song ever Alan so kudos, it almost sounds like something The Replacements could have written in their early days. In fact the album as a whole has a 'classic' rock vibe to it ('Electric Guitar' especially to my ears sounds alot like 'Meddle' era Pink Floyd), is this something you intended or is it a sound which occurred more by accident than design? AS:It's just how the songs went. I'm not sure if it's just from growing up in the midwest before mtv, or just the sounds that happen when you open the lid. It sounds 'classic rock' because we're using the same format that's been used over and over for decades. we didn't plan anything.
How is your work with the school project in Kenya coming along? and where can people go if they want to help/make donations? AS:Kenya has had some wild times the last few years, so despite the school being finished, the community has been under stress. There's always more that could be done. I think the'site is http://www.laleio.com
What in your opinion is the best song you've ever written? (I don't mean to colour your answer in any way but I genuinely think 'Will The Night' is utter perfection) AS:There's few faves. Will the night is one. Walk into the sea, Murderer, John Prine and a new song called $20.
And finally are there any plans to record/tour with Low again at any point later in the year? 'Drums & Guns' was very much a game-changing record and I'm eager to see where you'll take the band next. AS:We have new songs and we're figuring out how we want to record them. Drums and guns was intense to make and i think someday people will come back to it. The next record will be horrible and less people will like it.
Cheers Alan, it was a pleasure
‘2’ is out now on Sub Pop
Thanks to Matt & Lisa @ inhouse pr
RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR'S WEBSITE
Benjamin Hiorns
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