Daniel: After LAT ended, I took a month off and then started writing with a nylon string guitar. I loved LAT but it was incredible to be able to write without any lyrical, genre or musical “expectations.” I wrote 50-70 songs, sometimes two or three a day. I would send to Brian for his changes and we felt like a story was appearing. Then I started writing multiple versions of each song. Different music brought out new meanings to the songs, which seemed a lot like plot and character development. So I decided to write a novella to sketch out the story. That ended up giving incredible production direction for the album and we knew what each song represented in the story. At some point I will put out the novella, but we want the listener to write their own story before we tell them what we think it is.
We wanted this album to have a very distinctive feel and sound and to be very “off the cuff,” with an emphasis on Brian’s voice and the acoustic instruments, and sparse drums. We didn’t want the big, panoramic sound of LAT records.
Brian and I went to Phil Pritchett’s studio for a two hour session. We had a mic on my guitar and a mic for Brian’s vocal. We played all the songs to an old Hammond drum machine with no more than two takes per song. There were no fixes, that’s the guitar and lead vocal you hear on the album. Then the whole band, Mark, Shawn, Pete and Aden, came in and cut the rest of the core instrumentation during a two day session. Then we spent four months making sure the mixes stayed true to our vision for the album.
The story is about a Gen X character who approaches middle age and feels lost. He inherits his father’s 1970 Ford Ranchero and takes a roadtrip from Colorado to Terlingua, near Marfa, and eventually to Mexico City. He rediscovers his true self along the way. A major underlying theme is Gen X’s coming of age experience as old and new technology was colliding. So each song has very strong elements of old technology (acoustic instruments) and new technology (synthesizers, drum machines). But from an 80’s perspective, so “new” technology includes the warble of old cassette and VHS tapes like it would in 1985. That collision of technology is also present in our videos, where a somewhat lofi song is interpreted with AI videos.
On the final song, "Mexico City (Reprise)", the technology finally goes away and Brian’s vocal no longer has a filtered effect, representing that the main character has found his true self.
Name three musical acts that have been most influential for you. Why?
Daniel and Shawn: Classic
artists like the Beatles, Kinks, Pete Townsend, who all could write thematically.
And newer artists like Wilco and Calexico for their musicality and willingness
to challenge the listener. Tom Petty, Prince, Stevie Wonder and Ryan Adams!
What albums are on heavy rotation lately?
Daniel: Calexico, Spoon, Damien
Jurado, The Cure, Mute Math - entire catalogs.
What music did you listen to growing up?
Daniel and Shawn: Beatles,
Cars, Van Halen, SRV, big band, jazz, new wave, Cars!
What artist(s) would fans be surprised to find on your playlist?
Daniel and Shawn: All things
Yacht Rock, Yo Yo Ma.
What is your favorite venue to play? Why?
Daniel and Shawn:
Knuckleheads, Kansas City because the audience is always so receptive, and
Dublin Castle, London because of the history and how welcoming the Brits are.
What is your favorite concert memory as a fan?
Daniel and Shawn: Ryan Adams
and the Cardinals, Kinks, Van Halen with David Lee Roth, They Might Be Giants.
As a performer?
Daniel and Shawn: Our last
show as Left Arm Tan at The Post in Fort Worth, and Dublin Castle, London.
What is one thing still left on your 'bucket list' as an artist?
Daniel and Shawn: Tour with
Calexico and play Red Rocks.
You're organizing a musical dinner party, followed by an informal jam. Which three artists (living or not) do you invite?
Daniel and Shawn: Tom Petty. Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico would be incredible. Dave Grohl, and
Sting.
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