Interview: Woodpigeon

We talk about the band’s brand new album, Die Stadt Muzikanten, along with German folk tales, Michael and Janet Jackson, and of course, the band, which for this tour Hamilton has dubbed The Woodpigeon Blues Explosion. So without further ado, we give you Mark Andrew Hamilton of Woodpigeon.

Meet You At The Show: Hey Mark. Thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. Firstly, there is a huge list of musicians who you have listed on your myspace page as band members. When it comes to writing and recording new music, how much of the process is you on your own and how much do you rely on other people?

Mark Andrew Hamilton: I’m lucky to work with such an incredible group of people, and it’s always been a very collaborative process when working out parts. Quite often, I’ll hum something to someone and they’ll play it back with their own twist on the idea. It’s a great way to work. For me, making a record has always been a process of spending time with friends and people I really look up to. Some of the greatest experiences in my life so far have been while making these records.

MYATS: Your sound has been compared to the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Belle & Sebastian and Simon & Garfunkel. How does it feel to be compared to such great artists and do you agree with the comparisons?

MAH: I think that a lot of music writing is based on comparison, and that those comparisons are quite often connected to a short-term memory of musical history. I’ve never really approached a song with the idea of trying to sound like anyone else (Simon & Garfunkel would be the biggest inspiration on that list, but I am a big fan of the other two as well), but it’s nice getting favourable comparisons to people who have great reputations.

MYATS: Who do you yourself use as inspiration when writing music?

MAH: I suppose that I have a few touchstones and heroes that I look up to when it comes to songwriting and record making, but the majority of them are rooted in the 1960s. The Kinks are a huge influence on me, as are The Velvet Underground, and other groups like The Left Banke and The Beatles. That said, my songwriting process is one where I just kind of sit down and do it vs. really thinking things through in that way …

MYATS: What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

MAH: A huge range of things — my parents played things like Carole King and Iron Butterfly around the house, and I spent a lot of time exploring the 1960s and 1970s through their record collections. My mother has a great collection of 45s ranging from ? And The Mysterians to Bobby Darin. I seemed to go through phases of exploration — a jazz phase, a punk phase, a traditional country phase — and a lot of that was influenced by what I would find around my family house. Another definitive moment in my musical life was finding a cassette copy of David Bowie’s Hunky Dory in a parking lot at my elementary school. It split my mind wide open. (Now there’s a record that I’d like to make).

MYATS: What was the first album you ever bought with your own money and do you still have it?

MAH: I bought Michael Jackson’s Thriller on Easter Day 1984 or 1985, and I still have the tape. It’s beige. My first compact disc was Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. I don’t know if I still have that, but writing about it really makes me want to hear it again.

MYATS: My German isn’t very good, could you explain what your latest album’s title means and why you chose to title the album in German?

MAH: Die Stadt Muzikanten is a purposeful mis-spelling of Die Stadtmusikanten, which translates as The City Musicians. It’s based on the German Folk tale Die Bremen Stadtmusikanten, which takes place in the city of Bremen, the birthplace of my Oma. I chose it as the title as the folk tale tells the story of a group of animals scaring away a group of bandits, and it seemed to fit. Here’s an image from the folk tale:

That’s the formation in which the group of animals “sing away” the bandits …

MYATS: Your music is loud, exciting and a lot of fun. How do you manage to reproduce the experience on your albums live? Or is the live show a different experience entirely?

MAH: Playing these songs live is always a bit of an adventure for me, as they’re quite often different from the recorded versions. This tour, in particular, is largely based on the rhythm section, and one of my favourite drummers in the world is along for the ride (his name is Chris Dadge, and he runs the experimental / improv record label Bug Incision). Previous tours have focused on things like a full string section and acoustic guitar, or a full-on 8-piece onslaught. This time out we are 5 — the Woodpigeon Blues Explosion.

MYATS: Which songs from the new album are you most excited to play live and why?

MAH: I always have a good time playing ‘The Pesky Druthers (Parts 1 & 2)’, and there’s a pretty cool re-write of ‘Morningside’ that’s in the setlist at the moment. On the record, ‘Morningside’s an acoustic tune with about a dozen picked and strummed guitars. The new live version is a driving ‘70s-style song that Mr. Dadge compares to Fleetwood Mac meets the Doobie Brothers (in the best possible way).

MYATS: What would you say the highlight of your music career has been thus far?

MAH: I’m constantly amazed at the great things we get to do and the great places I get to go. A few of my favourite moments have been touring to Iceland, and sharing the stage with folks like Calexico and Micachu and the Shapes. I always feel like such a kid in those situations, and sometimes I almost forget that I’m also there to play, just like them. (I’m also bunking with Maggie MacDonald at the moment, and that’s a pretty big thrill too. Have you seen her calves?)

MYATS: What’s next for you guys after the current tour you are on? Any plans to tour the US or Europe?

MAH: We’re booking a May tour of Europe, and have already announced the first big show of that tour at the Union Chapel in London. It’s surreal to think about playing there, as my iTunes has recordings of performances in that same chapel by Bjork and Beck. So. That’s a bit weird, but very exciting.

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We would like to thank Mark Andrew Hamilton for taking the time to answer some of our questions and we are more than excited to check out Woodpigeon live, next Thursday, February 18th, at La Sala Rossa. Opening will be Betty Burke and Montreal’s Jane Vain & The Dark Matter.

Tags: Beck, Betty Burke, Bjork, Bobby Darin, Calexico, Carole King, Die Bremen Stadtmusikanten, Die Stadt Muzikanten, Interview, Jane Vain, Janet Jackson, La Sala Rossa, Mark Hamilton, Micachu & The Shapes, Michael Jackson, Montreal, The Kinks, Thriller, Union Chapel, Woodpigeon