<br /> More detail here: http://diymag.com/2014/10/10/the-wave-pictures-announce-new-great-big-flamingo-burning-moon-album
More imminently are the Artistic Vice shows. D Tattersall gives a brief interview to promote them here: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11527694.The_Wave_Pictures_cover_Daniel_Johnson_in_new_show/
The Wave PicturesTHERE’S a difference between songs and records. Some great records don’t have particularly good songs, but Daniel Johnston’s songs are almost better than his records.”
When The Wave Pictures were approached to play a favourite classic album in its entirety for a Spanish festival, frontman David Tattersall admits finding the right subject was surprisingly tough.
“I thought there would be so many to choose from, as there are so many albums I love,” he says. “But it’s hard to find one where you would want to do all the songs.”
Initially the band hit on the idea of doing the first Rolling Stones album – a cover of a covers album.
“There’s Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away on there,” says Tattersall. “It seemed like a fun idea – but when we had a go at it we didn’t sound as good as The Rolling Stones, so we gave up on that idea.”
Having backed the singer-songwriter on a UK tour in 2009 the band already regularly covered troubled musician Daniel Johnston’s songs My Life Is Starting Over and Happy Soul. It seemed natural to choose their parent album.
1990’s Artistic Vice was Johnston’s first album recorded in a studio, following a series of self-produced live tapes recorded in basements and garages.
It was released not long after Johnston’s infamous manic episode following an appearance at South By South West festival in Austin, Texas – leading to his father having to crash land the two-seater private plane taking them back home to West Virginia.
The incident led to Johnston being committed to a mental institution with schizophrenia and a bipolar disorder, starting a long period of treatment.
Having already been championed by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain in the early 1990s, while Johnston was still in hospital, the singer-songwriter’s story was captured in the brilliant 2006 documentary The Devil And Daniel Johnston. His songs have been covered by the likes of Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, Eels, Beck, Bright Eyes and The Flaming Lips.
Johnston, who released his last album Space Ducks in 2012, is now managed by his brother Dick. He has played shows in Brighton backed by British Sea Power in 2012 and The Wave Pictures and Laura Marling in 2009.
“He seems pretty happy,” says Tattersall recalling their time together. “I would have thought it was the best possible life he could be living, because he’s really not very well.
“He was childlike most of the time – he wanted to talk about Queen and The Beatles and comic books. He’s not a dark person to be around.”
Having turned the festival show of Artistic Vice into a tour-only album and touring beast, Tattersall admits to enjoying playing the songs live.
“They are very uplifting songs,” says Tattersall. “We knew we could change the songs quite a lot and do what we wanted with them, but still retain their character.”
With the follow-up to Wave Pictures’ 2013 double album City Forgiveness due for release in February, Tattersall admits covering Johnston’s work hasn’t filtered into his own songwriting.
“There is something so honest about his songs,” he says. “They are very true, simple and direct expressions of how he’s feeling.
“I find myself drawn to more mysterious lyrics where you’re not entirely sure what the story is or what the motivations are.
“Honest lyrics and simple chords are something I should do more – but I think the simplest things are often the hardest to do. Doing the shows hasn’t changed the way I write songs – but I have considered the possibility.”
No comments:
Post a Comment