THE S/T SCOOP: …Trail of Dead Tells All About New Album, Interscope Split
Posted on August 27, 2008
Filed Under News, The S/T Scoop | 3 Comments
[Photos by Shawn Brackbill]
By Andrew Parks
The last time I spoke to Conrad Keely for a story, he was ‘borrowing’ the gargantuan office of an Interscope exec for the entire week. Not just conducting interviews for the afternoon; we’re talking some serious mi oficina es tu oficina action, as the …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead frontman chipped away at the artwork and sequencing of the band’s last major label album (2006’s So Divided).
In retrospect, the idea of Keely roaming free in a skyscraper suite (the room had a goddamn stand-in shower) is ironic to say the least. After all, Trail’s break from Interscope was far from amicable, leading Keely to completely reconsider his career path after more than a decade of tireless recording and touring.
“The last record had a lot of negativity to it,” explains Keely, as we sit down and talk about Trail’s as-yet-untitled new album at Chris Coady’s Lower East Side studio. “It was coming from being sick of putting up with what we had to do to survive. This record is more optimistic about looking forward. Not just about the new label. (The band recently launched its Richter Scale imprint, a division of the Universal-distributed Justice Records) We’ve also managed to overcome a lot of obstacles that have broken up a lot of bands and even made people quit music altogether. I got really close with that last record.”
“You could always just do your art instead, right?” I ask, alluding to Keely’s continued graphic design/illustration work.
“Or I could just live in the Bahamas on the beach,” he says.
“And sell weeed,” adds Jason Reece, Keely’s longtime bandmate and friend. “Like, ‘Hey dude, I used to be in that band Trail of Dead.’”
Lucky for us, ‘that band Trail of Dead’ is deep in the mixing stages of their first DIY-or-die disc, an effort that’s due out in January. Having heard a couple new cuts, I can honestly say two things: (1) “Bells of Creation” is a vintage …Trail of Dead track, with an insistent piano melody, careening guitars that crash like the waves in Keely’s lyrics, and drums that punch in and fade out at all the right moments, and (2) “The Betrayal of Roger Caseman and the Irish Brigade” one-ups many instru-metal bands (see also: Pelican, Russian Circles) in terms of its wall-of-sound approach and highly-orchestrated passages.
In other words, get excited, ye old …Trail of Dead fans—there’s life in these guys yet. And to prove that even further, Reece and Keely elaborated on a variety of topics as our conversation veered way off task …
Jason Reece on …
Songwriting
We always try to look at things like a movie or a novel. We’re not writing Tommy here, though—the new album is not a fucking ‘rock opera.’
Touring Europe, where …Trail of Dead’s guarantee is MUCH higher
They like music there, whereas there’s a lot of cynicism here. Maybe it’s good that we go there, then come back here and feel like losers.
Playing as a two-piece in the beginning
People really remember those first six months. The ones that saw it are always like, “Things just aren’t the same, man. You should go back to being a two-piece.’”
Having members spread across the country
We’ve got a New York office, an Austin office, an Oklahoma office and a Nashville office. We need an LA one; then we’ll be set.
50 Cent, a client of …Trail’s former tour manager
He was headlining this show in Nigeria and this pop star, who’s also kind of a thug, got mad at him, so he got a gang of guys with machetes and they were just gonna cut his head off. They got on a plane before things got too crazy, but they were ready to have a fucking war.
Brooklyn
As much as there are a lot of poseur fuckheads in Brooklyn, there’s also a vibrant creative scene that I like. It reminds me of Austin 10 years ago. It’s kinda strange how things come full circle. (Editor’s Note: While Keely moved to Brooklyn a few years back, Reece has remained in Austin, where he owns a Texas branch of Beauty Bar.)
The new record
We were trying to jam the songs out as a band instead of saying, “Oh, we’re going to make this studio record.” It’s a very human-sounding record because of that … This album is more about us in a room and changing it up—a new producer, a new label, all that good stuff.
Conrad Keely on …
Knowing moms in high places
The percussion [on "Wasted State of Mind," from So Divided] started as samples, but we got Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson to play real drums on the album. He happens to date the mom of one of our friends.
Germany
Music is like a political statement there. What band you listen to says a lot about your ethics and morals. It’s also a place where Bat Out of Hell and Dark Side of the Moon haven’t left the charts.
Bassist Neil Busch, …Trail of Dead’s first official post-Keely/Reece member
He had to talk us into letting him play bass. We didn’t want to go that route, being like every other band—with guitar, bass, drums. We just wanted him to make noise.
Bassist Jay Phillips, …Trail of Dead’s current bassist (who’s working in Afghanistan until January)
His playing on this record is very distinct. That was one of the things with our last bass player (Danny Wood): I wanted him to be more creative and McCartney-esque—just throwing ideas out there—but he was a bit intimidated, I think, by the idea of working with people he respected. He didn’t want to put his footprint there. Jay is just a natural, so a lot of what you’ll hear on this album is first takes from him.
Why he suddenly started playing keyboards onstage a few years back
It’s all about returning to my first instrument—the piano. When I was playing drums in the band, I got to a point where I was concerned about the health of my hands. Because they’re really delicate things and drumming is one of the harshest things you can do to your hands. I remember drumming when Doni (Schroader) was still in the band, then walking over to the keyboard and not being able to play because my fingers were so swollen.
So Divided
The last record was more like an EP for us, an experiment—a fun experiment—but this is more of a serious album that isn’t just about trying things out. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but there wasn’t a theme on the last record or any two songs that fit together, you know? One of the problems I had with the last record is I felt stumped every time we tried to play it live because it was such a studio creation. So with this (new album), I really wanted to write songs that I’d enjoy playing live.
War
I love war zones. In fact, I wanted to be a war correspondent when I was younger. Northern Island used to be a war zone, so when we played it back in the day, it was intense—people just walking around with rocket launchers on their back … People try not to think about war but the reality of it is poignant and very important. It says a lot about our human nature, how we have this innate animal thing that comes out of us. It happens with city people, too, in how it manifests through road rage. I mean, haven’t you ever sat behind a car and thought, “I could just get out of here and kill that guy”?
Growing up in Thailand
When I was a 3-year-old kid, I walked around the neighborhood and people would feed me or take me in, because everyone raised children in this big communal way.
The evolution of digital recording
Even auto-tuning has gotten to a point where it’s artistic. Like with T-Pain. Or Metallica.
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damn i loook like fat asssss haha…good one dudes…i like the interview
Fantastic. And the album was amazing. As was the next. I really can’t stop screaming Isis Unveiled on my commute home. I like to scream it at other drivers.