5 Questions with The Roadside Graves

I was immediately drawn in the first time I listened to The Roadside Graves. In addition to our praise, heavyweights like Pitchfork and Stereogum both lauded their 2007 release What Happened to Him Could Happen to Anyone. It’s a new year, with new recordings on the horizon. I got in touch with John Gleason of The Roadside Graves to talk about Madison and records for our continuing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature. I’m gonna make sure the next time he swings through town, it will be to play on one of our stages.

I talked to you over the summer and you told me you had been through Madison, what did you think about the city and what did you do?

My wife and I took a long drive this summer, and prior to our radiator busting in Milwaukee we spent a night in Madison. I had prior interest in Madison, seems most of the writers/researchers I had read in Graduate school for my Education/Teaching classes were centered in Madison. My initial reaction was, Fuck! Why had I not gone away to college? Madison is inviting. I was instantly envious of everyone I passed on the streets. I assume I’m not alone. I walked State Street a few times and settled in for an afternoon drink at the Orpheum Theater. It was there I stayed for most of the afternoon and returned later in the night to see a movie. You have to put this in perspective, I realize seeing a movie is not an adventurous move in a new town, but being from New Jersey I was too excited to pass an opportunity to watch a movie and legally drink bourbon in the theater. The bartender attempted to prevent my wife and I from driving the Wisconsin Dells and he recommended an Indian restaurant on State Street. We hope to return soon.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of What Happened to Him Could Happen to Anyone? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

Our first release of 2007 was What Happened to Him Could Happen to Anyone. It was the label’s idea, and was intended to generate interest in our forthcoming full-length. It’s a mess of things thrown together. Most of the tracks were originally recorded by Jeremy and Rich and were featured on our self-released record, If Shacking Up is All You Wanna Do. Originally they wanted to have West Coast, our first “single”, and a few older tracks that we had released in the past. We attempted to make it slightly more interesting by recording a new song, Mosquitoes, and adding songs that had remained forgotten like Hell. Still, lesson to be learned it was never mastered, don’t ever assume, and remains to be a cyst on our cheeks. Though I am quite proud of our full-length, No One Will Know Where You’ve Been, which was released in the same year.

We just wrapped up our favorite concerts and albums of 2007, do you have any shows or albums that stood out as favorites for you this past year?

The new records by the National and Okkervil River remain on constant play in our house. I’m jealous of each record Damien Jurado releases. I jog to Sigur Ros. Bonnie Prince Billy’s The Letting Go keeps getting better each time I hear it. I bought Fleetwood Mac’s TUSK, finally. I re-discovered Steeleye Span’s Below the Salt in my attic. I play Pull Shapes by the Pipettes daily to annoy my wife. I was quite disappointed by the Leonard Cohen re-issues, but overjoyed at the Bee Gee’s reissues especially Idea.

The internet has dramatically altered the way artists can reach an audience. With things like blogs/myspace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

Now that 2007 can be canned and re-opened I can safely say that without blogs like yours the Roadside Graves would have remained a local band. We went from local to obscure. But obscure was enough to fire us up and motivate us to tour this past summer. Besides a few local newspapers, while on tour, we received no press/reviews in paper form. I don’t read newspapers anymore, well to be honest I never have, but I do use the internet routinely for information/entertainment . In fact, I recently canceled cable TV. I’d throw out my cell phone too, but my car is a piece of shit and I’m afraid of breaking down on the turnpike. Yet, despite such a positive influence the internet has had on our band I’m saddened by the fact that people are buying less and less records/cd’s from stores. I feel cheated when I don’t have something to hold while I listen to a record. I try buying records from iTunes and such but find that if the record is worthwhile I tend to buy it again at a store to hug, to grab, and to stare at. I’m the ideal consumer.

What does 2008 hold for The Roadside Graves with regards to recording and touring?

We have a new record written, My Son’s Home. Our plan is to record half of it in February, that’s all we can afford, and send it to some labels we admire in hopes it will find a home. The Roadside Graves will continue to tour this summer. We will be traveling from Jersey to Texas and then from Texas to the Great Lake area in July, with a stop in Madison. If you, dear reader, live anywhere in between Texas and Wisconsin and have the motivation to secure us a show please contact us through our myspace page. We will be setting up the tour ourselves and there is no living room too small that we won’t play! As long as it fits all seven of us.

Myspace: The Roadside Graves
MP3: The Roadside Graves – West Coast

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