ACL Interviews: Widowspeak

widowspeak acl bannerWe’ve now got one weekend of live music under our belts so it’s time to do a little reflection from what just went down.  I see no better way to do that than with a few interviews we lined up with festival performing bands.  Next up on our list of interviewees is previously ACL spotlighted band, Widowspeak.  Read more for full interview.

ATH:  You guys have been really busy this year, with a full-length, and now an EP.  To what do we owe the frantic pace of production? Or is the EP mostly leftover from Almanac.

Widow: The EP represents both leftover ideas from Almanac ideas, but also songwriting territory we were navigating while we were touring.  We definitely like to continually be working on new ideas, but focused ones, and The Swamps just kind of happened while we have been writing for the next LP. It felt different from e other material we are working on, like a complete story.

ATH:  Your sound is fairly quiet in nature, which is perfect in small rooms, but how do you feel it translates to open air venues like the ACL Festival?  Will you alter things at all in order to meet your own sonic expectations?

Widow: While we are sometimes quiet in mood, we are pretty good at adapting sonically. Even in small venues, it’s more about adapting to the energy of the crowd and the space, so outdoors and festivals for us are more about letting the music compliment that vibe.

ATH: Your tour schedule looks like you have the whole week off in Austin before heading out to New Mexico?  You guys have any must do plans to act on while in town?

Widow: Well we’re driving down to McAllen for a show, but other than that we’ll probably just be hanging out with friends, eating barbecue and tacos, hopefully finding a swimming hole. We love Austin, love just walking around the city. We also have to dip-dye some t-shirts we just got printed. Craft time.

ATH:  Along those same lines…we’ve seen you several times here in town…what are your favorite haunts or spots to hang out at in town, or are you still sort of discovering your own version of Austin?

Widow: We probably have a pretty entry-level opinion of Austin, but we love Torchy’s, Longbranch Inn, Barton Springs, Magnolia diner, and the Mohawk.  Those are places we go to every time we are in town, but always love when locals anywhere give us suggestions, and hopefully this week we’ll get to know the town even more.

ATH:  Captured Tracks, as of late, has seemingly begun to expand their catalogue, opening up to a wider variety of music.  Do you feel that the direction your music has gone still has a home there, sonically speaking?  Are you excited to see what the label is doing as far as branching out in all these different directions.

Widow: I think it’s really cool that they are doing so many reissues, and bringing attention to records that went unnoticed the first time around.  Sonically we’ve always been just a little distanced from the prevailing sound of the label, but we love it as a home. We don’t really know what the future will bring or what directions we’ll go in, but I am definitely excited to see how the label will grow.

ATH:  You guys will be traveling a great bit on the road in the next few weeks.  What will you all be listening to on these long road trops through West Texas and beyond?

Widow: We have a bunch of cd’s, everything from Patsy Cline’s greatest hits to some new Captured Tracks records to Hotel California. We also love picking up new stuff from used record stores, dollar bin cd surprises. Sometimes we stream stuff with a tape adaptor; we really love those Tropicalia compilations, basically anything Brazil.

ATH: I always loved the old school style of naming your tours each time you hit the road.  What’s the name of the current Widowspeak tour?

Widow: This Widowspeak tour is probably called “20,000 Miles of Dreams”. Or something equally ridiculous.  We are doing a lot of driving, putting a lot of miles on the good old Tahoe, seeing America. I hope she makes it.  We love tour though, it’s exhausting but completely worth it to get to play for new people.

Thanks again for the time!  If you missed these guys this weekend, you can still check them out next Friday at 12:45 on the Samsung Galaxy Stage.

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