S.Carey will be appearing Friday, December 10 at The Mill. Show starts at 9PM
S. Carey’s new album All We Grow is not what you’d expect from someone who plays with Bon Iver. If Bon Iver hugs the center line of popular music, S. Carey’s car is parked crooked on the shoulder with its blinkers on and he’s down in the ditch picking flowers. At the same time S. Carey doesn’t poke sharp sticks in your ear–his songs are melodic and meditative, as inviting as they are sophisticated. I got to ask the man a few questions via e-mail:
LV: The songs on your album are elaborately arranged–not overproduced but with an almost symphonic depth and varied instrumentation. How are you presenting that in live performance? Who is playing with you on tour?
S.Carey: Yeah, there are only four of us so we are doing our best to arrange the songs with more basic instrumentation, but still capture the essence/vibe of the song. We all do our best to create soundscapes using bowed vibes that can be looped, bowed upright bass, delays and reverb on the electric guitar. Zach Hanson plays drums and vibes, Nick Ball plays electric guitar, Jeremy Boettcher plays bass, I play keyboards, guitar and a little percussion and Mike Noyce has been joining us on viola and guitar.
LV: Everyone asks artists what music influenced them, or what music they like currently. What music do you dislike and how is it a counter-example that informs your own music?
S.Carey: Pop country is pretty bad. Also, I hear a lot of singer/songwriters that are trying for the whole neo-folk thing but, nine times out ten, it’s just really boring. The lyrics are really cliche, and they just have nothing new to say. It’s fine to listen to, it’s pleasant, but it just reminds me that I really need to try to say something new. I need to listen to a variety of genres and draw from different angles. I need to pay homage to my influences while still having my own voice.
LV: There’s a lot of prominent piano ostinato on All We Grow that sounds a little like Steve Reich. Is that something you’ve listened to or is it just what came out in service of the songs?
S.Carey: I’ve been a Steve Reich fan since I was in college. I played a couple of his pieces and wrote papers about other ones. He was one of the only composers I studied in school that hit me on a super deep emotional level. “Electric Counterpoint,” “Different Trains,” “You are Variations” and “Music for 18 Musicians” are among the most influential [compositions].
LV: On songs like “In The Dirt” and “Action” the drumming is distinctly not a standard trap set. Are you playing something besides drums?
S.Carey: Yeah, I basically set up a bass drum flat like a taiko drum and then used some different wood surfaces to get a variety of click sounds. Also there is Cajon, which is an instrument used in Afro-Cuban and South American music, that can be heard in the background.
LV: You played drums with Bon Iver but they’re not prominent on this CD. Can you see doing a more ‘drummy’ album sometime?
S.Carey: I think that would be really fun… might happen… don’t know.
LV: What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?
S.Carey: Ninja Turtles… does that count?
