erasing clouds
 

100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Twenty-Nine: Chris Funk of The Decemberists

instigated by dave heaton

It's always great to watch an unconventional band grow in popularity, especially when their music is growing as well. That's certainly been the case with the Decemberists, whose smart, rewarding pop songs bear their own distinct personality, yet are constantly evolving. It's been fours years since I reviewed their debut album Castaways and Cutouts, on Hush Records, before they moved on to Kill Rock Stars and released the even more diverse, majestic Her Majesty the Decemberists and Picaresque. And their fourth album The Crane Wife will be released by Capitol Records, a big step toward fortune and fame, I suppose. They're becoming well-known for the right reasons, though: for their music and its uniqueness. In many ways their music keeps getting better, more complicated and textured. I look forward to continuing to follow their journey, and enjoy their music. Check out their website for information. Chris Funk plays a variety of instruments with the band, like guitar and pedal steel. In the Picaresque liner notes he's billed as "The Tamarack". A "tamarack" is apparently "An American larch tree usually found in swamps"... which must be why he's dressed like a tree on the album cover.

**************************

What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

Given we just came out of the studio and finished our new record ("The Crane Wife") I would have to say hearing a song come from it's infancy to it's grander, finished form. That said, it's also nice to sit in my living room and space out while I play my Weissenborn and just see what happens.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

Being expected to be an "entertainer" which I suppose is related to touring. If you have people paying to come see you perform you can't half-ass it, which is unfortunate for music and expression in the pure sense, but I think we a re a pop band which perhaps has a different mindset for me than just plunking away at a keyboard in the basement. Being on stage is really, really fun and the music can come alive through a shared medium, the air.

Though that said, there have been many nights where you are so beat down from "the road" and it really feels like you are on automatic pilot, a robot on stage. The crazy thing is when that happens often people will tell you after the show that you just played the best show they've ever seen and you know deep inside that it was terrible for you...now how can that be musical? It's really strange...it doesn't happen that often, but when it does I want to shoot myself in the mouth as I have so much respect for music as it's how I understand my place in the world, how I identify who I am, how I express. Crazy...

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

I have an ongoing "side project with beats" like everyone else in indie rock! Seriously, it's called Knock-knock, it's myself and a hip-hop producer from a group called Lifesavas...we go into my basement, get stoned and make songs up. The goal is to have folks come sing on the tracks which is underway. Barsuk records is going to release it. I also have a record coming out called Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble which is an instrumental acid folk sort of record (now that folk is fashionable, I didn't want to be left out just with my electronica side project) where I play most of the instruments though I'm telling people it's me and my neighbors, well, I guess the cats out of the bag. It comes out on Hush. And, I want to do a square neck dobro record. I was talking with Colin yesterday and he asked me if I was going to do a bluegrass record on Dobro as I've been fixing up my Dobro (which I really don't play in the band so much and I'm obsessed with Jerry Douglas) and I said no, but now I am. He's got all the good ideas. I'm going to try and get the Decemberists to be in it with me as they are all the best musicians in town...haha...

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

Recording was the church where we recorded "Picaresque". It was hot as hell, our producer got stuck with a needle cleaning up one day. I guess it just made it super low key and fun...we got loaded every day as there was no air conditioning and a bunch of folks would drop by... Performing: Well, one of them was on a stern wheeler ship on the Columbia River with my friend Ashleigh. It was some sort of rich guy's party and the boat would just go from point A to point B, having to make these dramatic turns. Like Fitzcarraldo except no natives or grace or opera. I threw up.

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

Well, i remember moving to the Pacific Northwest and finding out about Modest Mouse and Built to Spill and Elliot Smith and Quasi and other bands that were still underground 11 years ago...but you know, they were just records among the many I had been listening to all along...so to answer your question I think you can find out about local band X before they "hit big" but you are who you are and you like what you like despite your environment. I went through a huge hip-hop phase 3 years ago and the Northwest is typically rock turf, so it has very little to do with me and my musical choices I think. I'm an old man though...

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

5 days ago. I just had a baby girl so I'm around the house a bunch these days and I'm finding time to practice which I haven't had the time to do in a year or so with touring and all. It's a song written on my square neck slide guitar, it sounds like John Fahey. I'm unoriginal. My girlfriend likes it though.

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

Well, I'm less interested in "new music" in any genre. I've been buying so many old records and it's funny to discover that musicians rehash old ideas and the folks how did it first usually did it the best! I think I'm less interested in the "flavor of the week" as I'm tired of being let down by journalism, you know, all this hype around a group or an album only to discover that it's just a pretty good record and the press needed something to talk about and I spent $15.00 on a pretty good CD when I could have used the money to buy a really great piece of vinyl. This is a recent thing for me. That said I'm sure there are loads of great new records out there that I am missing, which keeps me coming back to the same music blogs or magazines. That's what is really nice about the internet, that I can peek into an album via sample MP3s right from my dining room table and check out the hype before I commit to a new record.

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

I sort of hinted at this, and it changes, but I guess the 60's and 70's at the moment, no genre in particular and all of them; bluegrass, old time, folks, rock...a really rich period where anything could still go.

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Wow...I hate these questions. I'll give up a few. People know him, but John Fahey. He's such a great composer...along those lines is Peter Lang who is another finger style guitar player who never got the Thurston/Jim O'Rourke stamp of approval. I really like all of John records, but "The Yellow Princess" and "Death Chants, Breakdowns, and Military Waltzes" are up there. John Hartford is one of my favorites as well. Is an amazing banjo, fiddle, clogger, singer. "Mark Twang" for first timers...

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

For some reason when I hear Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" I always get choked up and often have to skip it, probably because Smashing Pumpkins murdered it. I think it's actually a happy love song...The theme from Brokeback Mountain always makes me cry to, god I'm cheesy. I guess something like "Knoxville Girl" or "Banks of the Ohio", you know, a good old fashioned love song where the main character gets drug down to the river and beat to death or drowned hahahah...

band photo at top copyright Alicia J. Rose

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.


this month's issue
archive
about erasing clouds
links
contact
     

Copyright (c) 2006 erasing clouds