Interview

With the Upcoming WMUA Spring Kick-Off Concert this Sunday at 1, I got a great chance to interview an up-and-coming singer/songwriter. The full story about Jesse Elliott, the brain behind These United States, is in today's Collegian. It was an exciting interview and one of the more unique ones I have had. So because a lot of what was said was chopped and cut for the article to create a story, I figured it to be a good idea to post it on our blog for everyone to read.

In my Humble opinion, These United States debut release "A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden" is one of the best albums so far this year. So I was excited to correspond with Elliott. And after reading up on him, my curiosity really grew and I tried ot branch out for some more unique, or i felt they were unique, questions.

So here is the e-mail Correspondence between Elliott and myself in an uncut/unedited format.

Kevin: Let me preface this question sheet. this is pretty extensive. SO I understand that time may not lend you to answer all of these on a timely manner or at all. It would be great if you could have it done ASAP, and all of the questions. It will allow me time to paint the picture in the paper for the profile that will probably be done (instead of the boring old preview).

My first question has to be about your Band's name: Where did it come from? And how often do you get confused with that mid-90's Presidents of The United States of America? (I have gotten that reaction when I tell people to pick up your album.)

Elliot: Geography. Philosophy. A brand-new same-old pan-American Dream.
Often. Occasionally with the country, too. Or the soccer team that calls the District of Columbia home. Which is weird.

Kevin:Next would have to be the Borges quote at the end of your e-mail. I am one to notice literary and obscure references. What type of things influence your song writing? Do authors writers and great thinkers influence your songs? (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem from the Muppet Show can't be your one and only influence.)

Elliot:Writers and great thinkers influence everyone. It's the trickle-down effect of culture - Reagan would be proud! Except the hippies won! Or are winning. Subtly. Every day. Look around at culture, at what's considered the norm now. Bastards. I am influenced by everything I ever see or hear. I'm very easily influenced, which is good and bad. I don't have much within me, but I am an amazing sponge and thief!

Kevin:You just had a tour with a new band every night, outside of your three good friends. How was that?

Elliot:Inspiring. See above. We stole their hearts. And they stole ours. It was orgiastic. Is that a word? There were 3 of us - me, Tom, and Robby - and every night, all of a sudden, somehow, there were 6 of us, 7 of us, 9 of us! We were all around us - we hardly knew how we had surrounded ourselves so quickly - fungus in a petri dish! It worked!

Kevin:Did the crowd pick up the authenticity each and every night? And mentally how much did it wear on you having to teach a new group of musicians our songs each night?

Elliot:I hope so. Some of them certainly seemed to. Some wanted what was "us." Some wanted what was not us. People always want different things. We split the difference. The teaching was exhausting, but it was the only things that kept us going. Drive straight from Denver to Minneapolis, though a blizzard the last 4 hours, from 3 am to 7 am, and you better have some beautiful new creative souls waiting for you with a cup-o-joe in one hand a Budweiser in the other.

Kevin:You also have toured a lot, and I mean a lot, over the past few years. What type of people have you met along the way? Are there any that stand-out for any reason at all?

Elliot:Everyone in Boise. And everyone in Salt Lake City. They are mad, all of them. They are the craziest mountain people I have ever met, and I have met a lot of people in a lot of mountains.

Kevin:I see you are slated to record in May, but you have a bunch of new tour dates announced, are you still going to try and record a new album or has it been pushed back?

Elliot: Sure, why not!

Kevin:This one is coming out of left field...What is the Federal Reserve Collective exactly? I have seen it mentioned in many articles about you, but no real explanation. If you could elaborate on this project it'd be great.

Elliot:Not at all. That's coming from within us, actually. That's a large part of who we are. That's why we love playing with new people, why we did this tour, why we gather the first Monday of every month at Iota and play new songs and jump up on each others' songs without invitation and get drunk and surly with each other. We are such an unsightly lot. Vandaveer, Kitty Hawk, Revival, Rose, a million more, we never know who exactly. We all ended up in DC somehow, so why not spend our lonely hours at the waning of the empire together? In other words: a collective.

Kevin: What was your favorite band so far to play with on the road? (Don't give me the generic "They were all great" answer. Everyone has a favorite.)

Elliot: They were all great! AND our favorite was The Scourge of the Sea - Lexington, KY, boys extraordinaire! We've known them the longest of anyone, that must have a lot to do with it. The night was magical. The Dame, the main venue in town there, is shutting down soon - gonna be ripped to shreds, I think. So it was a bittersweet, angry, exultant night, that one. We high-fived Stephen Trask! Chris Sullivan voila-ed a clarinet out of thin air, and blew into it with a Righteous Fury! Scourge! of! the Sea! Scourge! of! the Sea! Scourge! of! the Sea!

Kevin:Is this you first time in Northhampton/Amherst? If so, what do you expect? If not then: how was your experience before?

Elliot:Yes! We expect everything! Please have everything waiting for us!

Kevin:Living in the Nations Capital you must be around politics all the time. What is your stance on a lot of key issues (i.e. the war in Iraq, the floundering economy, oil and food prices.)?

Elliot:My stance: None of us have any idea what to do with the world we woke up on. Isn't that a shame? What a marvelous place.

Kevin:Five favorite Albums right now, or five that are on your tour bus right now that you can't stop listening to?

Elliot:Bus? Ha! Nonetheless...

Two Sheds - Strange Ammunition
David Dondero - South of the South
Why? - Alopecia
These United States - demos for our new album
Buck 65 - Stituation

Kevin:At each stop on your tours what is something you try to do when you go to a new place? (i.e eat some local food, drink some brews with the locals, that type of stuff.)

Elliot:Walk, get ground under our feet. Local brewery or brew on tap, hopefully a new pale ale or IPA. Ask people where they're from originally and how they ended up where they are now.

Kevin:What books do you read while on tour? (Or newspapers ,whatever you read.)

Elliot:Walt Whitman. Over and over. Put myself in a trance. Tom went fr the Camus again last tour - The Myth of Sisyphus. The local alternative weekly, anywhere we go. As many trashy music magazines as we can find, for news on Beyonce and other people who we admire and envy and covet.

Kevin:Finally: Your lyrics are well crafted, and your music is layered well. How long does it take you to write a song and it's lyrics?

Elliot:Thank you! The song is usually written in one burst - maybe pored back over and edited several thousand times after that (I used to work at a newspaper), maybe just left as is. These days, the music is left as skeleton as possible until we can all get together to discuss it. Usually I just have a riff in my head. That's really all I care about is riffs. And where the kick drum is placed.

-Kevin Koczwara

P.S. How did you get such an awesome beard? (I am serious, I love my beard and all but, yours is pretty bad-ass.)

Elliot:Aw, shucks, Kevin! ha! :) I got it from my dad. He inspired me starting at a very young age to be the beardiest I could be. Didn't tell me as much, just led by example.




These United States Daytrotter Session Click Here! Or the Picture!