2008 Woodie Awards
Shearwater talks music and new album before Iron Horse stop
Brian Wood, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: Arts & Living
JM: Like I said, they are different. I just did a tour with Bill Callahan where I was just playing electric guitar for him. I hadn't played electric guitar in someone's band since I was like 16 years old, which was just a blast getting to do that again. With that being said, I feel like Shearwater has been getting better and better and I'm really enjoying the way the band is playing now and I'm really excited about this new record and the shows that go along with it.
BW: I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of your latest album and personally, I believe it's your strongest effort to date. In your own words, how does "Rook" differ from some of your previous albums in your mind?
JM: Well, thank you very much. It's more focused and strangely more human to me in some ways. It's a little bit more restrained than the last record in some ways but I also felt like it was pure and deeper and has a wholeness and the sort of consistency and purpose to it that I'm really proud of.
BW: I know only the one single from the album has really been released so far, but what kind of response have you gotten so far from fans and music critics alike?
JM: We're in that nervous period right now where we're waiting to hear what people think, ya know? It seems to be really positive so far, a lot of people have told me they really like the record. A violinist who played on the record, I had finally gotten a copy to her the other day, she had just came in and played when we were in the middle of making it, didn't really have a sense of what it would be like when it was finished, and she was really really happy with how it turned out. And that meant as much as anything to me, ya know, someone who was in there while we were making saying it turned out a way that is satisfying.
BW: The first thing that really jumped out at me about your newest album is the artwork. Could you talk about what the significance of the image is and maybe how it was taken? It is really a remarkable visual.
BW: I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of your latest album and personally, I believe it's your strongest effort to date. In your own words, how does "Rook" differ from some of your previous albums in your mind?
JM: Well, thank you very much. It's more focused and strangely more human to me in some ways. It's a little bit more restrained than the last record in some ways but I also felt like it was pure and deeper and has a wholeness and the sort of consistency and purpose to it that I'm really proud of.
BW: I know only the one single from the album has really been released so far, but what kind of response have you gotten so far from fans and music critics alike?
JM: We're in that nervous period right now where we're waiting to hear what people think, ya know? It seems to be really positive so far, a lot of people have told me they really like the record. A violinist who played on the record, I had finally gotten a copy to her the other day, she had just came in and played when we were in the middle of making it, didn't really have a sense of what it would be like when it was finished, and she was really really happy with how it turned out. And that meant as much as anything to me, ya know, someone who was in there while we were making saying it turned out a way that is satisfying.
BW: The first thing that really jumped out at me about your newest album is the artwork. Could you talk about what the significance of the image is and maybe how it was taken? It is really a remarkable visual.
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