State Champ Radio Rock
Page: 220
Through their ups-and-downs, good times, bad times and long bouts of silence, the thing that connected Neil Young and David Crosby was music. In a loving tribute to his old friend and bandmate in CSN&Y, Neil Young noted that while Crosby, who died at 81 on Thursday, “is gone… his music lives on.”
In a personal note posted on his Neil Young Archives site on Friday morning (Jan. 20), the fourth member of what is widely considered to be rock’s first true supergroup weighed in on the loss of his friend and musical partner, calling Crosby, “the soul of CSNY.”
Young wrote that Crosby’s voice and energy were “at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together.” Citing such indelible folk-rock standouts as Crosby’s anguished hippie anthem “Almost Cut My Hair” and the twisty, harmony-drenched title track “Deja Vu,” from the quartet’s 1970 debut album, Young said those songs and many others that Crosby wrote were, “wonderful to jam on and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept us going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was so memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.”
Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Crosby died on Thursday of unknown causes. Crosby was a seminal, pioneering figure in the folk-rock scene for more than six decades as a member of The Byrds; Crosby, Stills & Nash and then Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He also had a prolific solo career, especially in recent years, releasing new music at an almost frenetic pace as he battled a series of health issues.
Though the two were estranged at times, Young recalled the good years with the singer known as “Croz” to his friends, saying, “We had so many great times, especially in the early years,” adding, “Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.” Young sent his love to Crosby’s wife, Jan, and son, Django, as well.
“Lots of love to you,” he signed off. “Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!”
Nash and Stills earlier weighed in on Crosby’s death, with Nash writing, “It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years. David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.”
In a statement, Stills said, “I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to composer Gustav Mahler that stopped me for a moment: ‘Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.’ I shoulda known something was up. David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls. I was happy to be at peace with him. He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”
In a testament to the wide-ranging influence Crosby had to generations of singers and songwriters, his death was mourned by everyone from Melissa Etheridge — who asked Croz to be the biological father of her children in the 1990s — to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Jason Isbell, Hanson, Chuck D, Sebastian Bach, Rosanne Cash, the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and many, many more.
Elle King has already earned chart-topping hits including her Grammy-nominated breakthrough “Ex’s and Oh’s,” and her Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping collaborations including “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” with Miranda Lambert and “Different for Girls” with Dierks Bentley.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
On Jan. 27, King will bring her roots-rock swagger to her first full-fledged country album, Come Get Your Wife.
Prior to the album’s release, King sat down with Billboard at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium to discuss the new album, her approach to crafting her vivid, hilarious music videos, her foray into country music, her fashion evolution and reuniting with Bentley for their most recent collab, “Worth a Shot,” a song King says her collaborator had initially considered for his own album.
“I would never want to give anything less than 110% to making music, let alone country music that I care so much about and that has brought so much great joy to my life,” King says. “I asked my team to send me some songs, and a bunch of stuff got sent to me that was written for women and I didn’t necessarily connect with it. I said, ‘Send me songs written for men … send me songs Dierks didn’t cut,’ just kind of jokingly.
“I was working with [the album’s co-producer] Ross Copperman, [he] said, ‘Well, Dierks just finished his album and ‘Worth a Shot’ didn’t make the record.’ I said, ‘Great, ‘cause it’s for me!’” she says with a laugh. “I couldn’t put out a country album and not at least have something on there that is a nod to Dierks or to give respect to the person who changed my life and who showed me the most rock n’ roll I’ve ever seen in my life, which is country music. Country music has given me these incredible opportunities.”
The Ryman Auditorium proved an ideal setting to discuss the new project, which melds elements of country, folk, bluegrass, soul and rock. Country music’s “Mother Church” currently has an exhibit spotlighting the venue’s abundant rock n’ roll history.
“I came from the rock and the pop and alternative world and I was brought into country when I started singing with Dierks,” King says. “I was like, ‘This is more Rock n’ roll than rock n’ roll!’ Even the way I dress, it’s like ’50s western, kind of rockabilly, but it seems rock n’ roll to me. I love the rock exhibit–it’s cool because it’s not only Elvis and James Brown, but also Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.”
Watch Billboard‘s chat with Elle King about her upcoming album above.
A key to the success of Måneskin is their musical eclecticism. They can cover a ‘60s tune like the Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” or a 2000s hit like The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me,” and bring each into their own style — while at other times, channeling the White Stripes or Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while the Italian quartet possesses standard rock band qualities that have endeared them to old-school audiences and radio programmers, they also flaunt their individual personalities, gender fluidity and knack for showmanship in a way that encourages young listeners and TikTok users to hop aboard the bandwagon, too.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Måneskin’s exuberant cover of “Beggin’” blew up around the world in 2021, four years after the band first performed the cover. Since then, original tunes like “Supermodel” and “Mammamia” have earned millions of streams, the band opened for The Rolling Stones before headlining in the U.S. last fall, and in a few weeks they might take home the best new artist Grammy. Yet Rush!, their third album out this Friday (Jan. 20), carries the weight of expectation as their first full-length since stepping foot on the global stage.
The contributions of Max Martin on multiple tracks suggests a major pop bid, but Rush! spans the punk energy of “Kool Kids,” the balladry of “The Loneliest” and the groove-ready rock of “Gossip,” which features a guitar solo from Tom Morello. The album revels in the diversity of its four perspectives. As bassist Victoria De Angelis notes, “We don’t have actually similar tastes at all. We all have very different tastes and music backgrounds, so we influence each other in the writing process.”
While color-coordinated in chic brown and tan outfits, the four members of Måneskin – De Angelis, singer Damiano David, guitarist Thomas Raggi and drummer Ethan Torchio – sat down with Billboard for a Zoom discussion on their music, ethos and chemistry. (Note: this interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)
While you’ve had a fairly even split between English and Italian lyrics on your past releases, the majority of Rush! is in English, with only three songs being sung in Italian. Is this a strategy to get you to a larger audience?
Damiano: It’s not a strategy. Basically, when we started being a band and writing songs, we started writing in English, because 90% of our influences are not strictly English, but English-sounding. We had to learn how to write music in Italian because we never thought about it. But then we got big in Italy, and we had to start doing it – and also because it’s our language and we want to do it. But now we finally had the chance to make almost the whole album in English, because it’s like going back to our beginning. It’s what we are most used to doing.
Victoria: We really never forced it. It’s always been quite natural and in the moment. We do what we feel. I think also because we wrote most of the record while we were in the U.S., so we were getting inspired and seeing a lot of shows there, meeting artists and stuff.
“Beggin’” has over a billion views on YouTube now. How has its success influenced what you’ve been trying to do since then? Have you felt pressure to follow that up?
Damiano: No, I think that for us we managed to take only the best part out of it, because that song drove behind all the other songs and all the catalog. Fortunately, it was not just that song. It [the success] happened while we were thinking about this new record, so we just thought that drive could only make us our music more open and reach more people. It just gave us more hype to write the album, because we knew that this time, it was going to be different.
On your first album, Damiano wrote nearly all of the songs. The second album was a group effort. And then on Rush! you brought in outside songwriters and producers, like Sly and Rami Yacoub. What was that process like this time?
Damiano: We just wanted to shuffle the cards this time. We have played together for more than eight years. We just got to a point where we thought that we were able to put the band’s signature on every song. But we were also able to embrace not just one direction, but keep it more random, and follow each one’s different tastes and let each one of us lead in different songs. So writing the songs was easier. But then it was harder to pick [a track list], because with this method we wrote many, many more songs. We wrote like 60 songs, so it was very hard to pick these 17.
Ethan: If it were limitless, we would have done a record with 50 tracks.
You worked with Max Martin on four of these tracks. What was that experience like?
Victoria: This thing he’s known for, pop, is what drew us to him, because we want to try something different and to be stimulated in a different way. We’re used to doing music in our vision, and we know how it is to get in the studio and jam, the four of us. We still do it and we’ve done it on a bunch of songs on the record, but we also wanted to try something new.
We were very curious about this match because we love doing covers – “Beggin’” is a pop song. We play them and make them in a completely new flavor and version. So that was the match that we wanted to try with him, to get a bit of his pop sensibility and advice, but then take it and turn into who we are and make it more dirty and sound like us. I think he really understood what we wanted.
The first time we met him was at our show, where it really shines through what kind of band and energy we have and like. It was very easy in the studio, because he got it, and respected our identity and who we are. It was just like a school – understanding a different way of doing stuff. He has years of experience, so he really gave us some good advice.
Ethan: He’s so caring. … Something I really learned from him are the rules in the music writing process. You can follow them, you can not follow them. It’s a choice. But I learned this for him.
What was the most unusual process this time around?
Victoria: Basically, we would always just go in the studio and jam. I think we learned what was very useful was just to record all the jamming. Tom Morello literally jams for five hours, records everything, and then he listens back to five hours of recording and finds all the small, cool parts he has played. Then he picks the best ones and makes the song out of it. That was a really cool way of doing it.
Ethan: You need patience.
Thomas: Exactly. Because if you stay in that moment, really natural, you can take the best part with the best energy.
Your younger fans love how you embrace gender fluidity, at a time where, in both Italy and America, LGBTQ+ rights and protections are still an issue.
Damiano: Yeah, sure. I think [Italy] is still a few years later than USA because, like everything we import in Italy, it takes a few years to start. But things are starting to change. People are starting to build a situation where it’s possible to think about changing things. And there’s always more and more people, especially of our age or slightly older, 20, 30, that are creating communities and groups and are speaking up about things that have not spoken up for too many years. I think we’re in a good place right now.
In 2021, you did a TV performance in Poland, a country that is more religiously conservative. How did the Polish TV censors respond to the kiss between Damiano and Thomas at the end of that performance?
Damiano: You could see all the people of the same age of us were super hyped, and all the parents were like, “Oh, s—t, what’s going on? Do I like it? Should I like it? Should I not like it?” Half and half, as always.
Victoria: I think that moment has a really big meaning for our audience there, from all the people from the community, because there’s really a lack of representation and they face a lot of issues. Even now in Italy, as you said in America, it’s still a s—t situation, where people struggle for their rights and everything. So it’s never to be taken for granted anywhere, but especially there everyone was literally telling us, “It’s so homophobic here, you can’t even walk with your girlfriend or boyfriend or wear what you want.” That’s why we wanted to make a statement about it. I think it meant a lot for fans, so that was the most important thing.
What’s the most personal song on the new album for you?
Thomas: “Gossip,” because I wrote the main riff one day when we went in the studio in L.A., and I remember that we took that main riff on the Dropbox of the old songs. We said, “Okay, this is a really cool riff and good riff,” but after another session, I remember that we just took the main riff that became “Gossip” with Morello and the other stuff. I was very happy at the time.
Victoria: I’d say “Kool Kids,” because it was one of the first songs we wrote, and it was one of the first riffs I came up with, so I’m very proud of that riff. I love that we had the courage to make such a powerful, strong, punk song in a mainstream record nowadays.
Ethan: Victoria stole the one that I want to say. So I’m gonna say another one, “Read Your Diary,” because I love the harmonic progression that Thomas has done. I also like the drums a lot. How they sound in the song is very cool.
Damiano: “Timezone.” I think it’s not the easiest song, but the easiest to read. There’s no metaphors, it’s very clear what I’m saying. I’m not trying to hide behind double meanings. It’s just a circle of thoughts, without any censorship.
Some years ago, David Crosby lamented a lack of outlets for his songs.
“I’ve written so many things,” he explained while promoting in the early 2000s, when he felt he was experiencing a creative renaissance. “When you’re in a band they got tossed in with everybody else’s songs. And no record company wants to release as much music as I’m ready to. It’s a struggle, man — but I just keep writing and keep creating, and one day hopefully everything that I want to will come out.”
Despite that, we’ve heard plenty of songs over the years from Crosby, who died Thursday at 81.
Whether on his own or with The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young), CPR and, most recently, the Lighthouse Band, Crosby’s idiosyncratic touch with a melody and a lyric was showcased in abundance. Intimate and personal, confounding and meaningful, he was a craftsman guided by a wide array of muses, stylistically and topically. He channeled Woody Guthrie and John Coltrane, Pete Seeger and Ravi Shankar, Bach and The Beatles. He made memorable music from political and social commentary, romantic longing (and, occasionally, fulfillment) and from the well-chronicled struggles with substances that periodically derailed his life.
Taken in total, Crosby’s body of work offered a lot to take in, but was always worth the effort. And from that big stash, these are 10 of the best, in alphabetical order
An outpouring of love and reverence hit social media when the news broke that The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash founder David Crosby had died at age 81.
Memories poured in from Crosby’s peers, including bandmates (and sometime adversaries) Graham Nash and Stephen Stills, with whom he formed CSN in 1968.
“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed,” Nash wrote on Facebook. “I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years. David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.”
In a statement sent to Billboard, Stills shared: “I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to compose Gustav Mahler that stopoed me for a moment: ‘Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.’ I shoulda known something was up. David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls. I was happy to be at peace with him. He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”
Crosby was also remembered by Melissa Etheridge, who asked the folk-rocker to be the biological father of her children in the ’90s. “I am grieving the loss of my friend [and] Beckett and Bailey’s biological father, David,” Etheridge wrote on Instagram. “He gave me the gift of family. I will forever be grateful to him, [son] Django, and [wife] Jan. His music and legacy will inspire many generations to come. A true treasure.”
Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Lalah Hathaway and more famous friends and fans pay tribute to Crosby below:
I don’t know what to say other than I’m heartbroken to hear about David Crosby. David was an unbelievable talent – such a great singer and songwriter. And a wonderful person. I just am at a loss for words. Love & Mercy to David’s family and friends. Love, Brian pic.twitter.com/Hjht7LeGiv— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) January 19, 2023
Grateful for the time we had with David Crosby. We’ll miss him a lot.— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) January 19, 2023
I can’t begin to say how influential Crosby, Stills and Nash were for me. I’m grateful David Crosby lived, and so very sad he’s gone.— rosanne cash (@rosannecash) January 19, 2023
As much as I loved his music I loved his thoughts on Twitter as well. Rest In Peace David Crosby ✌️ thank you for the lifetime of inspiration https://t.co/Vdoc6j6LdL— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) January 19, 2023
Tonight at 7pm PST my friends and neighborhood will howl and then blast CSN to honor this beautiful soul and legend. If you do this, please send me videos RIP David Crosby!! We love you. pic.twitter.com/F2LKMmm9LY— christina applegate (@1capplegate) January 19, 2023
David Crosby, the influential folk-rock icon behind The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at 81, Billboard confirmed Thursday (Jan. 19).
His career began in 1964 with The Byrds, with whom he earned two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits in “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season).”
In 1968, he joined forces with Buffalo Springfield’s Stephen Stills and The Hollies’ Graham Nash to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. The trio released their self-titled debut album in 1969 and earned the best new artist award at the Grammys — which remains Crosby’s lone Grammy win, of 10 nominations. Neil Young joined the group for a series of live performances and recordings, with that iteration called Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In his lifetime, Crosby earned 22 top 40-charting albums on the Billboard 200 through his solo and collaborative work, including 10 top 10s and a trio of No. 1s, all with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970’s Deja Vu, 1971’s 4 Way Street and 1974’s So Far).
Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, for his work with The Byrds and with Crosby, Stills & Nash.
He was MusiCares’ inaugural person of the year recipient in 1991 and is one of only two individuals in Grammy history to have received two nominations for best new artist. He was nominated for that award as part of The Byrds (1965) and won as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969). The only other individual to be twice-nominated in that category is Carl Palmer, who was nominated as part of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1971) and again as part of Asia (1982).
Below, find photos throughout Crosby’s life and career, from the mid-1960s to now.
Five Finger Death Punch moves into a tie for the most top 10s in the history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, as “Welcome to the Circus” rises 11-10 on the Jan. 21-dated ranking.
“Circus” is the band’s 29th top 10, equal to the totals of Foo Fighters and Shinedown for the most since the tally began in March 1981.
Five Finger Death Punch first hit the top 10 with the No. 9-peaking “The Bleeding” in March 2008.
Most Top 10s, Mainstream Rock Airplay
29, Five Finger Death Punch
29, Foo Fighters
29, Shinedown
28, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)
27, Godsmack
26, Van Halen
25, Disturbed
25, Metallica
All of the band’s charting songs have hit the Mainstream Rock Airplay top 10 dating to “Lift Me Up” in 2013; “Circus” extends the streak to 20.
The Ivan Moody-led group is currently riding a record run of No. 1s: nine in a row, dating to 2018’s “Sham Pain.”
“Circus” is the third single from AfterLife, Five Finger Death Punch’s ninth studio album, to reach Mainstream Rock Airplay. The title track reigned for four weeks beginning in June 2022, while “Times Like These” ruled for three frames starting in October.
Concurrently, “Circus” lifts 25-24 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 1.4 million audience impressions, up 7%, according to Luminate.
“Circus” also ranks at No. 14 on the multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs list after peaking at No. 4 last June. In addition to its airplay, the song earned 577,000 official U.S. streams in the Jan. 6-12 tracking week.
AfterLife bowed at No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart last September and has earned 134,000 equivalent album units to date.
If The 1975 wanted to find love for one of their earliest hits, then they know what the secret weapon is: a co-sign from the biggest pop star in the world, via a live rendition at their own concert.
Taylor Swift, who has long shared a mutual appreciation with the U.K. alt-pop quartet (and who may have even worked with them on still-unreleased Midnights sessions), made a surprise appearance at the first of their two headlining gigs at London’s O2 Arena last Thursday (Jan. 12). She played an acoustic version of her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Anti-Hero” — technically the song’s live premiere — and then treated 1975 fans to a solo cover of “The City,” the group’s first-ever single and a highlight of their self-titled 2013 debut album.
Unsurprisingly, the performance — which enraptured social media and made headlines around the world — led to a considerable bump in consumption for The 1975’s original “City.” The song’s daily official on-demand U.S. streams nearly quadrupled from last Wednesday (Jan. 11, the day before the concert) to the following Friday — from 13,000 to 49,000, a gain of 276%, according to Luminate. The daily streams fell back from there, but still remained in the 20,000s, well above where it was before it got the Swift bump.
As for “Anti-Hero,” the other song Swift played — well, it probably doesn’t need any additional exposure to help its streams at this point. But it does hold on for an eighth week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week, making it her longest-running No. 1 to date.
Did you know that Depeche Mode‘s 1987 Music for the Masses single “Never Let Me Down Again” was a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit? Neither did we — in fact, our records show that the song actually peaked at No. 63 in Feb. ’88 — but according to HBO’s new post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, it’s one of the songs featured in Fred Bronson’s essential The Billboard Book of Number One Hits compendium, which characters on the video game adaptation play over the radio in order to send coded messages to fellow survivors.
Regardless of its chart peak, the use of Depeche Mode’s dark synth-rock classic in the pilot episode’s chilling final scene — an ’80s song is meant in the show’s universe as a message of trouble — inspired many of the new video game adaptation’s millions of viewers to go play it themselves. “Never Let Me Down Again” more than tripled in official on-demand U.S. streams overnight, from 26,000 on the day of the premiere (Jan. 15) to 83,000 the next day — a gain of 220.5%, according to Luminate. (Depeche Mode even helped welcome the newly interested by adding a “Heard on Episode 1 of The Last of Us” parenthetical to the title of the song’s official YouTube video.)
Of course, when you start talking about minor crossover hits from the ’80s alt-pop underground being revived by blockbuster TV shows in 2023, all minds naturally go to Kate Bush and Stranger Things. The song has a long way to go still before showing that kind of renewed impact just yet — but it’s certainly a message that when it comes to catalog hits being given new life by dramatic TV syncs, a lot of artists are going to want to be taking a ride with The Last of Us.
When it comes to the Venn Diagram of rock and avant-garde classical, few figures can honestly claim trailblazer status within that sliver of shared space. But there are few humans like John Cale.
Born in a Welsh mining village during World War II, Cale eventually found his way New York City, where he helped turned classical ideals upside down as part of La Monte Young’s Theater of Eternal Music, before more or less inventing underground rock alongside Lou Reed in the Velvet Underground. Since then, his solo career has touched on everything from baroque pop to ferocious rock to moody electronica to modern classical. Hell, his production credits alone would make him a legend, having helmed pioneering efforts from The Stooges, Nico, Patti Smith, Squeeze, Alejandro Escovedo and more.
Now in Los Angeles after living much of his adult life in New York City, Cale has no interest in slowing down. On Friday (Jan. 20), less than two months ahead of his 81st birthday, Cale releases his new album, Mercy. It’s 12 tracks of enigmatic electronic soundscapes presided over by his resonant voice, which is alternately warm and harrowing as he welcomes an eclectic group of next-generation indie artists to collaborate with him — including Laurel Halo, Animal Collective, Weyes Blood, Actress, Sylvan Esso, Fat White Family, Dev Hynes and Tei Shi.
Speaking to Billboard ahead of Mercy’s release, Cale talks about what excites him now (Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator), the Bowie/Cale collab that never happened, the man who heckled him during a drone concert and why “irritating” music is important.
There are a lot of interesting collaborations on Mercy. How did those come about – were these artists fans of yours who reached out, or just folks who ran in the same circles?
What happened was I put on a bunch of Velvet Underground 50th anniversary concerts in Europe and the U.S. [in 2017] and I got to know them that way. We all have a certain character; Fat White Family, for instance, are a rambunctious group of musicians and they come at you from all sorts of angles. That makes them fun to work with. I like the edge they had on the verses [on the Mercy track “The Legal Status of Ice”]. Animal Collective are a very funny group and they fit this particular song, “Everlasting Days,” because of all the harmonies they have. They’re not quite as off as Fat White but I still enjoy them. Their multiple harmonies — I love the Beach Boys, so I’m bought and sold there. They’re unorthodox in the best possible way.
Were these collaborations primarily in person, or via email?
They were in person. The way it happened, I’d written the songs and finished them before I went on tour. When I was on tour, I was hoping some work could be done in the studio for me to finish the album when I got back. And the pandemic happened. Unpleasant situation. Very strange. I thought, “Well, that really screws up my recording plans,” so I listened to all the songs and wondered who I could get to add their style and singing.
Weyes Blood [on “Story of Blood”] is definitely a very passionate and deep vocalist. With Sylvan Esso and “Time Stands Still,” Amelia [Meath] and Nick [Sanborn] were in L.A. at the time. I love their harmonies and rhythm sensibility, so we had them come in. It’s a perfect example of serendipity and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
The song “I Know You’re Happy” featuring Tei Shi stood out from the rest of Mercy. Not only does it feature guitar as compared to electronics, but it’s a bit more upbeat. It even ends with a laugh.
I wanted to be a tribute to the duet style of Motown, Marvin [Gaye] and Tammi [Terrell] — and I called Dev Hynes [who plays guitar on the song] and he suggested Tei Shi, and she was perfect. She has a phenomenal voice and a range to go with it. It’s a relaxed vibe, but she has this great spirit about her performances.
You seem to pay attention to a lot of new music, whereas many people hit a certain age and just stick with listening to what they grew up with. What do you attribute that curiosity to?
Keeps me sane, actually. I had all the Snoop, Eminem and Dre addictions, and then when things started moving and shifting, it was to Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator and Vince Staples, and eventually a masterful poet like Kendrick Lamar. Hiatus Kaiyote, who I ran into in Australia, have phenomenal vocals. The ability in that band — there’s only three-to-four people in it, but it’s outstanding. It’s the orthodoxy I try to stay away from. If they’re making mistakes, I take them as a style issue. There have always been people that made something excellent and exciting out of mistakes.
When looking at today’s alternative music scene, how do you think it compares to the scene you came up with in New York City in the ‘60s, whether with the Velvet Underground of the Theater of Eternal Music with La Monte Young?
I blame it all on them. That’s exactly what was going on. We were really annoying to a lot of people – I’m talking about the VU. The avant-garde in New York was annoying, and got on a lot of people’s nerves, especially the classicists. If you run into any ‘60s avant-garde or whatever, if you go to a concert, you get yelled at. I remember La Monte – we did a concert at Rutgers, a 90-minute drone thing – and somebody in the audience at the end of the performance yelled, “You should be ashamed of yourself, La Monte.” And I thought, “What a weird notion to have in an avant-garde concert.” He wasn’t fazed at all. He said, “So should you be!”
We were very happy, because we knew we were in the right aisle of the supermarket. A lot of that was serious – the guys with La Monte and Andy [Warhol], they all had an edge to them. They were persuasive, or if not persuasive, then persistent. You had to get something unusual out of your music or nobody really cared. I’m not saying your concert has to be headache-producing, but it has to be restless and irritating. What are you worth if you’re not irritating people? Nowadays, there’s a lot of people in Washington doing that very well.
Do you think that’s still true for NYC — that it’s a city that can foster artists making “irritating” music?
Yeah, sure. New York has its thing. Nobody is going to take that away from it. In the ‘60s, that was the time for cultural revolution, with the art, painting and music; it all went together. It’s taken a while for it to come around again, but it will always be there – they’re really persistent and I’m glad of that.
With the internet, do you think it’s easier for outside-the-box artists today?
In a way yes, but in another sense, people don’t really appreciate it. They have to fight for it. It’s a strange position to be in. All those people in La Monte’s groups, they really had to fight for what they wanted. With La Monte, it was the dark corners of the room they would insist illuminating. I respect him for it.
Do you keep in touch with him?
I saw him about a year ago. He pops up every once in a while; we run into each other. He’s a funny guy. It’s the Mormon background that keeps him alive.
I know at one point you and him had a disagreement over authorship on the Theater of Eternal Music’s recordings. Is that over?
It’s water under the bridge. He had a party the other day and had a big orchestral idea for it. He’s moving on.
The ”Night Crawling” video has a great animation of you and David Bowie prowling around NYC in the late ‘70s. Why did you go with that?
That’s just something I wanted to remember. I wanted to pay tribute to David Bowie. You run into people sometimes and you really want to work with them, but you suddenly find yourself out of time and you have this great feeling of the sensationalism of the possibilities. David appeared on the scene, and I was doing a concert in Town Hall. I said, “If you’d like to join in on ‘Sabotage,’ I’ll show you how to play the viola.” And he was more than happy. Then he had to leave town and do his own touring. I was disappointed.
Life gets in the way. So this video looks back on him, while another Mercy song is titled “Moonstruck (Nico’s Song).” Did that start out as a tribute to her?
No, it didn’t. It bothered me because I knew the song reminded me of someone, but I wasn’t sure who until I finished the track – then it was obvious it was Nico I was talking about. And it was with a lot of affection.
The Marble Index, her 1968 solo album which you produced, is one of my personal favorites.
I think historically with her songs, over time, they’ve gotten better. People are purely listening to them. They’re not there to hear what they imagine was a Velvet Underground idea – it wasn’t. She was doing what Jim Morrison told her to do – sit down, write your words on paper, and then put it to music. And then you have a catalog of what you’re doing, and people can come back to your music. And I think that’s happened.
She came out of her shell. She would sit with her harmonium and notebooks and sooner or later you’d have another song. It was always surprising to me. In the albums, there was always one song that was really a childlike song. Between one album and the other, you’d find something quiet and irresistible about her melodies.
The title, Mercy, reminds me of your 1974 album, Fear, both of which are rather big concepts. Why did you want to make an album addressing mercy?
I think I stayed away from it. I paid attention to it and paid tribute to it, but I didn’t linger on it. I stayed away from the liturgical, religious side of the topic.
Yes, but there are religious overtones on the “Story of Blood” video.
Yes. “Story of Blood” was kind of a gargoyle of songwriting methodology. Boy, was that a good sentence or what? I managed to hold hands with the rest of the album beyond the first song, “Mercy.”
This is a random question, but I noticed your 1984 album on Ze Records, Caribbean Sunset, isn’t on Spotify. Is that by choice?
No — I’m glad you brought it up, I’ll research it. Michael [Zilkha, Ze Records co-founder] is a lot of fun – a bit of a giggle.
You have a studio in Los Angeles and have lived in America for years. What is it like when you get back to Wales, where you were born?
It’s always a surprise. Most of the time when I go to Wales and perform, they’re moving and shifting around. The young musicians from there are really good. I just did a concert there with Welsh Sinfonia [Sinfonia Cymru] and they were really good. They paid attention to everything going on. I was impressed with how they got the music to talk back to them.
It must have changed a lot since you were living in Wales.
I tried to have a rock n’ roll band in Wales and it didn’t work. It was kind of depressing. I decided the avant-garde was a better bet, and when I got to London, they were just as annoyed with the music I was interested in as the people in Wales. There are these cracks in the musical sphere that are really the result of people trying to make up your mind for you. [These days] they have a lot of very accomplished composers in Wales and I was really impressed. They have a stream of young composers that put their mind to what they want to do and it’s working.
