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pixie punk
> Teenager of the Year <
2923 Posts |
 Posted - 03/31/2006 : 06:54:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Apesy
Wait...what? Dave Philips is now part of Robert Pollard's official backing band? Holy hell, that's great! How'd that happen?
-=Apesy
Robert Pollard performed at Antone's in Austin, Texas, as part of the South by Southwest music conference.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - It's just past 1 a.m. Sunday, and the South by Southwest Music Conference is taking its last breath. Four nights of almost nonstop live music are being exhaled by Robert Pollard, whose old band Guided by Voices was a staple at the annual music festival.
A sure sign that the party's not over yet -- the conference, that is, but also the party that has been Pollard's life -- the 48-year-old singer walks onstage at Antone's nightclub carrying a tray full of shot glasses.
"It's time for the obligatory indie-rock icon set," he cracks in his deadpan tone, signaling his new band to kick up a storm of Who-like noise.
On the surface, it looks like not a lot has changed for the former GBV frontman, who put his old band in the ground after 20 years with a final Chicago show on New Year's Eve 2004.
Pollard's SXSW showcase last weekend resembled a typical GBV gig, with its alcoholicky overtones and fast, breathless pace. Also, his new solo CD, "From a Compound Eye," could easily pass for one of the 16 GBV discs (which were pretty diverse, anyway).
Talking by phone a week before SXSW, though, Pollard said things are different from his point of view.
"For starters, I took about a year off after the end of the band to get my head straight, and that worked out great," he said at home in Dayton, Ohio.
"But it's different because I don't have that name around my neck -- Guided by Voices. I was getting tired of the various comparisons: This lineup or this album wasn't as good as that one, that sort of stuff."
He went on (this guy is never short on conversation): "I also wanted to look at the whole body of work, see what worked and what didn't, and really assess things. I've done that, and I feel sort of energized now, ready to roll full-steam ahead."
The famously prolific Pollard frequently released solo albums and worked on side projects during GBV's tenure. In fact, "From a Compound Eye" was finished before the band played its final show. He made it with his new right-hand man, Ohio producer Todd Tobias, and played a lot of the instruments himself.
"One of the factors in deciding to break up GBV was I had started working with Todd and it felt great," he said. "I honestly don't see myself making albums with anyone else now."
True to form, he has finished another solo CD that's coming in October on Merge Records, the Superchunk-affiliated label that issued "Compound Eye," and he's already working on a third.
For now, though, Pollard's focus is on his first major solo tour. He assembled a pretty stellar band that includes Superchunk drummer John Wurster, guitarist Dave Philips  (of Frank Black & the Catholics), bassist Jason Narducy (from Bob Mould's bands) and guitarist Tommy Keene, who has toured with Paul Westerberg and issued his own albums.
"Basically, the guys approached me over the years about working together, so I called them this time," he said.
On tour, the new lineup is playing the same sort of clubs where GBV played, such as First Avenue on Thursday. Pollard is also leading the band through some scattered GBV songs. At the SXSW showcase, those included "Make Use" and "Maggie Turns to Flies."
Despite all that, the singer said these shows feel different than a GBV tour.
"They're a little less drunken, including myself," he said (remember, though, this was before SXSW). "They're a little more diverse, too. Tommy plays keys a lot, which is different."
But he admitted his solo career probably won't often fall far from the GBV tree.
"Not to take anything away from all the members of Guided by Voices, but we went through like 40 or 50 players in that band," he said. "GBV always was my thing. I'm proud of it, and I always will be."
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Dave Phillips Live MP3's w/Robert Pollard
"If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate."