Casey Holfordinterview |
Casey: hey brad . .. is this you? Brad: Yep Casey: how you doin'? Brad: I am Allright and you? Brad: I am in NC and gunna see chris Chandler tonight Casey: very well thanks. kind of a hectic day here. chris chandler -- regret to say I've not heard him. what's he like? Brad: He is part poet/ part ringmaster all troubabor Casey: nice. sounds good to me. i wonder what a good working definition of troubador is? Brad: He lived outt ahis car fro a while and put 1.5 million miles on two different trucks i believe playin songs for whoever would listen Casey: ok. that works for ME. Brad: Yeah- can't wait to see him- sorry I missed you at the hoot Casey: don't worry about it. hopefully it won't be your last opportunity. i'm glad you got to be there. Brad: Me too- i may come up agian soon but not sure Casey: yeah, it would be good to plan it when there's something awesome going on -- like the summer antifest for instance. Brad: yeah- i am lookin at maybe hitting a weekend of that Casey: cool. i just found out from lach's mail that i am a "confirmed act". whoo-hoo! that's exciting for someone like me who has been on the scene a comparatively short amount of time. Brad: when did you meet up with the scene? Casey: i think i first came there in november 2001. at that point i was playing at the hoot, trying to get my act a little tighter and write new material. i've been performing for a long time, but i think for everyone the antifolk scene is a little daunting at first, because it is so hardcore supportive and , well, familial. i had never experienced anything like it before, and i don't expect to again. Brad: why do you think it is so different? Casey: i'm not sure. that's kind of a tough question. I think to an outsider it can seem a little odd, and certainly did to me, that everyone knows EVERYONE in this scene, and there seems to be some sort of collective inside joke that we all share to different degrees. I think the joke, looking back, is basically that we have some of the best songwriters in the world, just like Lach says. But as opposed to major label touring acts, what we mostly care about is the opinion of our peers in the scene, because we know that they're some of the best informed we're ever going to get. And that in itself is a kind of bond, but also, everybody wants to be FRIENDS. that is extremely unique and special. Brad: Everyone was very friendly to me this week Brad: I had tons of fun Casey: Yeah, you basically can't meet a friendlier group of creatives, especially in NY. I'm glad you had fun. I mean, a lot of people here are very grateful to you for maintaining such a comprehensive site for the scene. Casey: Including me! Brad: Hey i just knew that I had trouble finding about antifolk even you- and wanted to make it easier Casey: Well that is awesome. It's a great support network -- now we've got .net, .com, and .homestead . what next? not to mention Olive Juice and Permanent Records. Brad: You have tour a lot right? Brad: toured Casey: Well, a little bit. The only thing I've done that I officially called a tour was a little stint on the west coast a few months ago with Jenn Lindsay, which was a ton of fun, and really inspiring. I do try to play out of town as much as I can -- a bunch of people are playing at a fest up in the catskills this weekend, and I am doing stuff in MA and RI, and working on NJ and PA. So I guess there's some conservative touring going on. The whole thing about it is it teaches you how you can't really plan anything. I mean most of the gigs with Jenn out west, something always went wrong and we were like "Oh hell. OK, now what?" and then you fix it. But it's more work in a way than NYC. What's really rewarding is that everything you do feels more fresh, and everyone's excited. It's a clean slate. Brad: So you coming down south? Casey: Hey, I'd like to! It would be really cool to see some of the places folks (or antifolks) play in your neck of the woods. Casey: You have any recommendations? Brad: we can talk later about places- just wonderin if you were open o it Casey: Totally. I'm pretty much open to everything. Brad: Had you been to Cali before? Brad: The south is kinda funny sometimes Adam brodsky had some trouble in one of the most liberal towns in the state. Casey: No, I hadn't actually. It was double-cool because of that. I grew up in MA, which is about as far as you can get from there, geographically and mentally. I was excited to try my music out on people who were literally "coming from" a completely different place. I had just finished "Four Spells" at that time. Casey: (What town is that?) Brad: Asheville Brad: Chapel hill is has it beat but it is a close second Casey: Yeah, I would love to check out Chapel Hill again. What a beautiful place. Last time I was there, I was having visions of moving. Brad: I am moving to Charlotte soon Casey: Yeah, I remember you said that. Are you psyched? Brad: Sure- about having a job and being arpound close friends again Casey: Yeah. That's one of the things that keeps me here -- friends and family. My brother (who's a great keyboard player) and cousin actually both live in Brooklyn, and there are also a ton of people I went to school with here. Brad: Plus w/ me travelin a lot soon - it will be good for my wif eto have close friends near Casey: What kind of traveling are you up to? Brad: With my new job as a consultant Casey: Right, how far away? Brad: don't know yet find out like 4 days before I go Casey: Wow. That's crazy. Keeps you on your toes. You could make a documentary about getting whisked around the country. Brad: It would be boring- I think we'll see Brad: You like the idea of lo-fi? Casey: Well, you'll have to excuse me cuz i was a film student -- I'm accustomed to 3.5 hour documentaries about dubious stuff like that. Casey: lo-fi -- what do you mean by that? Brad: hahah Casey: are you talking recording aesthetics? Brad: Yes and you said you liked lo-fi when I asked about the CD covers Casey: Oh right -- yeah I generally like really chunky ugly things in a visual sense. I think that might be just a lot of art school and looking at radiohead album covers. Casey: on the Four Spells cover, the picture is pretty inscrutable. Casey: People usually don't know, but it's traffic cam pictures from the web of the Brooklyn-Queens Expwy. (BQE) Brad: ahhh Brad: How is the film stuff Casey: Hmm. the film stuff is basically not happening for me right now. I really enjoyed making films in school, but it's tough when you don't have any money or time. But I was also really interested in sound design back then, and now i work in a recording studio. The only film thing i've done in ages was yesterday -- me and Spencer Evans were extra's in a film by David O'neal, another great songwriter here. Brad: Is music more your thing anyway? Casey: Yeah, it really is. I've been an artist for a long time, but in the ten years I've been writing songs it's become gradually apparent to me that it's what I really want to be doing. I love a lot of things, but music is basically telling me that it's what i want to do. Brad: What music really turns you on and why does it do it? Casey: Hmm. turns me on. Basically, I get turned on by stuff that surprises me. For instance, I was talking with Spencer last night about Diane Cluck and how her music completely cleaned my head off the first time I heard it. That's what I like. But there are so many different formulas for that -- a band called Neutral Milk Hotel really does that for me too. My brother's band, Darediablo, makes me lose my mind regularly. Multiple times I've seen Jenn (lindsay) play and been swept away. Basically I love music that makes me forget where I am and puts me in a primal state. One of my huge influences is Patty Larkin, and I went through a long phase where every time she got onstage and played a song, I just lost my f'in mind and cried and everything. And it's not an intellectual response at all, it's instinct. I think that's what you have to trust with this stuff, otherwise you never learn anything. Casey: I could name a lot more but it's a long list. This is something i could talk about forever. Brad: Me too- see the site Casey: Yeah I know! Brad: what other kinda stuff do you get into? Casey: Music-wise? Brad: no- Casey wise Casey: oh ok. Well, I still really like to draw occasionally. I grew up doing that and it's still really satisfying to make something on a page that you're happy with. I love sound editing and mixing, and i do that whenever I have an opportunity. And I am a total cafe´ hound -- I sit somewhere by myself and blaze through trashy mysteries or (lately b.c of Jenn) Ramona Quimby books whenever possible. And I really love to travel. I'm not a big driver but I totally love buses and trains, just watching things go by. Brad: been to europe? Casey: France. Years ago on an exchange program. It was amazing -- not so much paris but small towns. I think the next place I really want to hit is London -- I am a big TS Eliot fan and have this sort of creepy "unreal city" in my head with lots of brown fog and winter moons and stuff, and I know it won't be like that but I need to see it. Casey: (How about you?) Brad: yep exchange as well- Brad: France also hit london Casey: ahh. lucky man. Brad: yep- great time had by all. Listen to Roger Manning the whole time- that was when antifolk REALLY hot me Brad: hit me Casey: yeah. I feel so inexperienced talking to you -- I just know the tip of the iceberg where AF is concerned. Brad: you knwo so much more than I do I am liek 1-2 years behind Casey: Whatever, man! You got the history! That's what counts. Brad: Not all of it just the peeps who had Cds Casey: Well. True it's not a huge percentage, tho i guess more now than ever. Brad: Burners help Casey: Totally. Where would we all be without them? A lot poorer, probably. Brad: hahah Brad: I would be poorer Brad: Plus I love the idea of Mix Cds as opposed to tapes Casey: I heard you sometimes make AF samplers for the uneducated. Brad: I made one for Jenn but Haven't mailed it yet, plus it has some stuff I liked before antifolk Casey: Right - B.AF . A very important period in America. Brad: haha no i just didn't know about it then Brad: When did you first hear of it? Casey: I guess i knew people who could be defined as anti before I actually knew the term -- James O'Brien for instance. I was running into him and his music like 3-4 years ago, I think before either of us were even cognissant of the word. Casey: We used to play some of the same places in MA and RI. But that was before there were even the beginnings of an anti-scene around there. Brad: Yeah- I don't knwo if he really uses the term but I think he fits it allright and hey I can pretty much put who I want on the site I guess Casey: Yes, I think you can. And i'm sure he doesn't mind. Casey: But really, the first time i heard the term was reading up on the fort and lach and sidewalk and all. I don't know for sure who claims to have originated it, but that's genesis for me. Brad: No he is cool with it. he had a tour diary up for a while Casey: Yeah I know. I was kidding, ha ha. Brad: any other people in teh mass area that you think should be on teh site? Casey: I think you should get pamela means on there. www.pamelameans.com . she is awesome, and just about as anti as you can get. she has been working in NE for years and has a lot of material released, and she's awesome. Casey signed on at 4:40:18 PM. Brad: I have two of her cds Casey: nice! is she on the site already? Brad: Nope i have not contacted her- would she know the word? Brad: I like maybe i should Casey: possibly. but if not i'm sure she could get used to it. She's super nice and she'd probably be pretty flexible about the whole semantics of it. Brad: cool Brad: On teh map is about the plane crash in Queens right? Casey: yes it is. Well, I wrote it partially in reaction to that. on the same day. but it's about everything from september to then pretty much. Brad: were you in NYC when that was goin on Casey: yeah i was. i moved to brooklyn on September 9. Brad: What do you do jobwise? Casey: well, I was a temp for a long time. now i work at a little recording studio in manhattan for two guys who write songs for popstars. it's very surreal. Brad: hahaha- any big hits come outta there? Brad: make the music business feel weird? Casey: hits -- actually yeah a few. it's strange. music biz -- well, i never had a great feel for it anyhow. it's all odd to me. Casey: but i do hear and deal with names of people that you normally see in Virgin superstores and that is weird. Brad: We don't have virgon down here- but I went to one at Union Square this week Brad: Virgin Casey: yeah so you see what i mean. Brad: yeah Brad: You wanna be a big star later? Brad: Not that you are small now, I mean hey you got a fanpge and all Casey: Ha ha! big star --Mmm. I can't picture it. I'd be satisfied if I could play as much as i wanted to and survive off it. I guess that's my answer to that. Brad: and tour the south regularly right! Casey: oh yeah. you know it. Being able to eat some real barbecue once in a while is reason enough. Brad: Lexington style! Brad: Well I mean i would love for the people on the pages to get semi-big Casey: totally. Casey: right semi-big. but it's all a matter of context -- i never could have imagined even being in the place i am now a few years ago. Brad: You got any questions for me? Casey: umm. who are you going to do this with next? you got a list? Brad: Yep at the bottom of teh homepage you can join. Brad: about 30 people so far have and only like 3 that are on the pages Casey: oh right - i will. no i meant a list of possible Interview Subjects. Brad: I have contacted a couple people. I actually got anders to do one we finished when you first got on. I was afraid you weren't gunna make it. I need to get ahead on them, I have been putting em together last minute Brad: recently, at first I was on top of things Casey: Right. anders the anti-drum hero! Brad: I have a lot of Mad libs now Brad: RIGHT!!! Casey: he's playing with like sixteen people -- yeah i saw the libs. the one with Toby was hilarious. Brad: Toby hasn't done one---- Casey: really? oh i thought i saw his name in one. Maybe my mistake. Brad: I mentioned his name in teh one I did for last week. I had a couple out at teh time and no one had gotton back to me so I did one myself and mentioned him. It is up now , but will be gone soon and Roger Mannings will be up Casey: ah. cool. i would think it would be right up toby's alley, though. Brad: haha- Maybe- He has been great to teh fansite Brad: he has done some diary enties in teh peaches tour diary Casey: he's one of my favorite dudes. we've actually been talking tentatively about doing a little writing together (ssh) or at least a few shows. Brad: (You don't want it posted?) Casey: no man, you can post whatever i say! come on, be ruthless! Casey: toby doesn't give a damn and neither do i, so it's cool. Brad: If I was ruthless I would make shit up and have you say it Brad: I thought about doing that anyway.......hahahahah Casey: wow. then we'd all have to be ruthless though, and then it would be such a ruthless world. Brad: you know it Brad: Fast five questions I have to get ready to go... Casey: ok . jeez. fire away Brad: Do you work out, exercise? if so what do you do Casey: absolutely not. i walk a lot. Brad: Dogs or cats? Casey: both, but cats. Brad: yuck Brad: weirdest place to have sex? Casey: cafeteria. when bingo's going on. Brad: Have you done it? Casey: sure, i'm really good at bingo. Brad: hahaha Brad: what kinda guitar(s) do you play Casey: yamahas -- one twelve string acoustic and one hybrid hollow body acoustic electric six-string, with a humbucker and a piezo in the bridge. both discontinued models. Brad: Last one---- Casey: uh oh Brad: Fave painter Casey: oh. umm. Casey: have to say van gogh. he makes my head spin. Brad: get em Brad: Thanks so much for doing this! I hope that it was fun Casey: totally. thanks for having me, nice place you got here. Brad: thanks- I should have it up sometime by Tommorow mornin' Casey: sweet! congratulations on a great site. Brad: I am finally kickin' steve espinola outta the interview page Casey: right. Brad: Thanks- It works cause the people on it rock Brad: And it is fun to mess with Casey: i look forward to seeing what you do next. Brad: Thansk me too. Just playin it by ear. brad Casey: peace/casey |
The Casey Holford Interview |
