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18 November 2010
While Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt are both from Iowa, it took the blues clubs of Tucson, Arizona to unite the two songwriters. After realizing that they were made for each other, they relocated to Minneapolis. In other words, The Pines might have Midwestern written all over them, but there is definitely more to this band and their haunting, timeless folk ballads than their background might suggest. As they prepare for their upcoming UK tour in support of their highly recommendable third album, Tremolo, we spoke to David about the joys of being from Iowa, working with Benson's father, renowned folk-producer Bo Ramsey, and why they don't really see the point in moving to New York or Nashville.
Interview by Soren McGuire
Hi David. You first ran into Benson Ramsey in Arizona. How soon did you discover that you and Benson shared the same musical understanding?
About five minutes, to tell you the truth. As you know, Benson and I are both from Iowa, and more than anything, that was our foundation. It took us very little time to discover that we had the same sensibilities. What took more time, was to find out in which direction we should take this common ground between us.
So how long did it take you to work out the actual sound of The Pines?
Honestly, we're still going for it. It took us about two years with the two of us just playing guitar together, and mostly doing so on stage, playing four hour gigs at blues clubs in Arizona. That's a great way to get things going. We didn't have set lists, cause we had just met each other, so we would play old blues stuff like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Skip James and all these songs. That all helped form our own songwriting.
Do you think there's a certain Iowa-sound?
I actually do. Folk music and roots music has a regional identity, and with Iowa, it's basically space and time. There's a lot of open space in Iowa, and there's not a whole lot of people there. You find songwriting that leaves much to the imagination, and music that's not all cluttered with tons of hooks. There's a sensibility to Iowa songwriters, and it's very beautiful.
As mentioned, you first met Benson in Arizona, where you first began performing and writing together. How did being in Arizona influence you?
Without sounding too literal, Arizona has a way of putting a certain edge to music. Calexico, who are from Tucson, are a magnificent presence down there, cause they embraced the geography. We're very much influenced by early blues and folk music, and some of those guys were farmers or preachers, and their environments were intertwined in their music. When you're in Arizona, you're on the edge of America, and just like Iowa, there's a sense of isolation. It's a beautiful place, but it's also very harsh and inhabitable. I think in our music, we took some of those sounds and feelings of wide distances with us. It was a matter of survival for Benson and I down there, trying to find our path, far from our home. That's what we learned down there in Tucson - to embrace our surroundings. They were so foreign to us. I mean, we had never spent time in the desert before!
After leaving Arizona, you moved to Minneapolis, a place known for giving birth to some of the greatest bands in history - The Jayhawks, The Replacements, Hüsker Du to name a few. There must be a lot of influence to be drawn upon up there?
Absolutely. Minneapolis isn't an enormous city, but it is an urban oasis of the Midwest. When we first got here, we sought out Spider John Koerner right away. He would play quite often all over time with Tony Glover, and they were a big part of that Americana roots scene in Minneapolis you talk about. There's a lot more music being represented in Minneapolis than in Iowa. There's a strong jazz scene and a strong rock n' roll scene, all things we hadn't really been exposed to before, in Iowa. The guys in our band are jazz musicians, and they brought something to our sound that's really unique. Folk and roots artists can be very straight forward in their approach to songwriting, but jazz musicians see the sound in a way that makes them very exciting to work with.
Well, despite the fact that it might be the rock n'roll capitol of the Midwest, it's still a long way from New York, Nashville and Austin. Have you ever thought about moving to a bigger city where you could easily book more shows and make more money?
I don't think it really is a draw, considering how the musical landscape, business wise, has changed with the Internet. We love playing the bigger cities when we tour, but we also play a lot of small towns in the Midwest. And we like doing that, we love the small town sense of community, and the attention they give to the music itself. As opposed to the city, where a lot of people come to see you because there's a big buzz about your band.
Please tell us about the new album, Tremolo.
Something that's very unique about Tremolo, is that all of the songs, except for the two cover versions, were written within a month and a half. It has a very immediate and urgent feel to it, and we kind of thrive off the challenge of saying "it feels like it's time to make an album, so let's write it as we go along," as opposed to just taking the songs that had been around for quite some time, the ones we had been playing for a long time. We recorded the record in a day and a half, and it captures the band in that certain point in time. There's a lot of different ways to make records, and that was one of urgency.
It's produced by Bo Ramsey, who apart from being one of the finest producers in folk music, also happens to be Benson's father. What was it like working with him?
It's a true privilege and a pleasure to work with Bo in the studio. You know, the way he approaches the music with the studio setting is a tremendous reverence. Also, there's a complete removal of ego. If you listen to the records, he has produced over the years, you get a sense of someone who's really trying to serve the song and let the music speak on its own terms. And that's what it was like working with him. When a song came up, he would ask what the song is trying to say, instead of putting his own stamp on everything. It's a very selfless, but determined process working with Bo, and he adds to every aspect of the studio. He makes people rise up and perform at a certain level. He understands where we're coming from, so it's just a beautiful match.
Can't it be difficult working with your bandmate's dad?
I would say, by and large it's a very sympathetic thing. You hit the ground running working with Bo. When you have that selfless approach, like I said, where the songs are the stars of the show, you're really on the same page. You share a common ground, and with Bo, Benson and myself all being from Iowa and having that Iowa sensibilities, what you have is really a bunch of people going in the same direction.
You think Benson would say the same thing if I asked him?
I really do. The funny thing is, Benson gets compared to Bo so often, but he really has a very unique, individual approach to music. As far as making records go, we both like to make records with people we know and love. Some day we might work with someone we don't know, but there's a lot to be said about making music and records with friends and family.
Tremolo is out now on Red House Records. Their tour starts on November 24 in Hempstead (they play two shows in London on the 28th and 29th. For more dates and music, go to ThePinesMusic.com