“The Dirty Sessions” Now at iTunes
Mighty Fine’s The Dirty Sessions is now available at iTunes.
Upcoming Cat Power Dates
Afghan Whigs backing vocalist Susan Marshall will again be hitting the road as a part of the Memphis Rhythm Band with Cat Power. Catch ‘em if you can.
CAT POWER & THE MEMPHIS RHYTHM BAND
(Chan Marshall w/ Susan Marshall, Queen Ann Hines, Rick Steff, Doug Easley, Dave Smith, Greg Lundy, Jim Spake, Scott Thompson & Roy Brewer)
EUROPEAN CONCERT DATES:
November 1
ROUNDHOUSE - 7:00 PM
London, UK
November 3
PARADISO - 8:00 PM
Amsterdam, NL
November 4
ANCIENNE BELGIQUE - 8:00 PM
Brussels, Belgium
November 5
LE GRAND REX - 8:00 PM
Paris, France
November 6
VOLKSBUHNE AM ROSA-LUXEMBURG-PLATZ - 8:30 PM
Berlin, Germany
November 7
KAUFLEUTEN - 8:00 PM
Zurich, Switzerland
The Big (un)Easy
The Twilight Singers’ Greg Dulli ain’t about to do the lazy rockstar thing
By Mark Sanders
Greg Dulli doesn’t take too well to the easy life.
At least, this would seem to be the case, if Dulli’s songs bear even the slightest resemblance to his own past. The 41-year-old vocalist who first gained notoriety as the cigarette-stained voice of the Afghan Whigs, and later as the Twilight Singers’ main man, slathers his latest album (the Twilight Singers’ Powder Burns ) in the kind of self-effacing rhetoric fans have come to expect. Sleaziness, sexiness, copious drug use and a nod or two to ’60s R&B (and, curiously, arena-ready cock rock) frequently decorate–or some would say, mar–his albums, making you wonder whether this guy is for real, or whether it’s all a big satire.
Dulli’s not telling. During a recent phone interview, Dulli said simply, “I don’t equate drug and alcohol intake with creativity,” despite Powder Burns ’ frequent references to and glorifications of his personal demons. If he’s full of bravado on record, he sure doesn’t let on in conversation.
Yet the Hamilton, Ohio, native’s aversion to the easy life is also evidenced by his inability to sit still for long. Just look at what he’s been doing this year. Currently on the road with the Twilight Singers, he’s also working on an album with former Screaming Tree/current tourmate Mark Lanegan. Add to that Dulli’s production work with Italian rock group Afterhours, Powder Burns ’ relatively recent release (last summer) and–much to the delight of old-school Dulli fans–an Afghan Whigs reunion of sorts.
The “of sorts” part is something of a caveat, since the ’90s alt-rock group (best remembered for their breakthrough album Gentlemen ) is only reuniting to record two songs, slated to appear on a best-of collection called Unbreakable . Nevertheless, resurrecting his beloved old band is testimony to the guy’s work ethic.
As for the Gutter Twins project, Dulli says, “It’s something that’s been going on for three years. I think [Lanegan] has joined us now to expedite the process.” An album date hasn’t been announced yet, though Dulli notes that their combined catalogs allow them to perform, at their whim, completely different sets night after night, depending on their mood. (Notably, they’ve each recorded cover albums. Lanegan’s solo album I’ll Take Care of You was a folksy, blues-influenced outing; the Twilight Singers’ She Loves You featured covers by artists as diverse as Fleetwood Mac and Mary J. Blige.)
Lastly, in terms of Dulli’s hard-lived lifestyle, there was the recording of Powder Burns . The album is at some points more orchestral and at others more testosterone-fueled than its predecessors, possibly due to the drama involved with piecing the thing together. Dulli recorded it in his current home of New Orleans (he also lives in Los Angeles), partly before Hurricane Katrina, but also in the weeks afterward. In a story that sounds like the stuff of urban legend, Dulli recorded some of Powder Burns in a studio being run on a generator, between rolling blackouts and without running water.
So, if you run into Greg Dulli at his show this week at the Launchpad, be kind to him. Self-imposed or not, the guy doesn’t have it easy.
RIFTrock.com - Dulli Interview
RIFTrock.com - Rock music news and views
Ben Thompson
10/6
Writers note: My interview with Greg Dulli of The Twilight Singers and Afghan Whigs fame comes right before the Twilight Singers embark on a US tour to promote “Powder Burns” the band’s new disc. Greg was able to conduct the interview through e-mail.
Ben: Greg, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for me. I’ve been a big fan of yours for many years now and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.
Ben: The new album, Powder Burns, is excellent. It seems a bit more uptempo than the earlier Twilight Singers discs, what influenced you during the recording process?
Greg: I think that my joining the Italian rock group, Afterhours for their tour a year ago rekindled my interest in hard rock. I really enjoyed playing electric guitar again and i think that carried over more than anything else.
Ben: It’s pretty well known that you love New Orleans. Were you in the area last year when Hurricane Katrina hit? And how did the hurricane affect your writing/recording of Powder Burns?
Greg: I was in Italy touring with the aforementioned Afterhours when Katrina arrived. However, I maintain a residence in New Orleans and had begun recording there just a few weeks before the storm. There was never a question in my mind that I wouldn’t finish the record there. It is my favorite place to write and record. The fact that it was apocalypic and virtually abandoned when I returned last October certainly influenced my feelings and observations. I don’t see how they couldn’t have.
Ben: The show here in Omaha, NE is being billed with Mark Lanegan. Vocally, Mark has had a fairly limited role in the Twilight Singers, what brought about the decision to bring him on tour this time and what will he bring to the band on stage?
Greg: Mark has been touring with us since May and has played approximately 50 shows with us so far this tour. It is a cabaret act in a sense, and as he and I have been collaborating on a project recently, we saw it as an excellent excuse to dress rehearse the Gutter Twins dynamic.
Ben: Between the revolving door of additional musicians for the Twilight Singers and the set lineup of the Afghan Whigs, which type of band setting do you prefer to work in?
Greg: The set dynamic in the Whigs worked for us then, because it was who we were at the time. Once that ended, I was left to experiment and continue to do so. I’m just walking down the road…
Ben: You’ve done lots of work with other bands and musicians through your career, from Muggs to Afterhours and Lanegan among many others, what draws you to work with these other musicians and contribute in such a big way to their records?
Greg: I am a fan of their music and am humbled to be asked to participate. I really love to play, I have since I was a boy and I like the learning experience of collaboration.
Ben: Speaking of Afterhours, I love their new disc, tell me a little about how you became involved in that album.
Greg: The Twilights did a tour with them in Italy during Blackberry Belle and we hit it off. They asked me to produce their next album and I took them to a studio in Sicily and built it with them from the ground up. I ended up co-writing 4 songs and playing on almost all of them, so they asked me to join the band for a bit and I ended up moving to Italy for almost a year.
Ben: Summerskiss.com has begun looking for bands to do an Afghan Whigs cover album. Your music is very inspirational and influential, my wife and I even played “66″ and “John The Baptist” at our reception, how does it feel to know that your music has touched so many people in different ways?
Greg: Well, I’ve always thought that music moved in a communal way. It has been my constant companion since I can remember and I think that when someone can evoke a feeling you’ve felt either conciously or not, there is a connection to the writer and performers that is almost familial.
Ben: There’s also a note on Summerskiss about a possible reunion of the Whigs, can you tell me anything about it?
Greg: We recorded two songs for a retrospective and that is all. There will be no tour, no new album. Just old friends hanging out for a week.
Ben: Are there any surprises or new songs you’ve been working on that you’ll be bringing on the road this tour?
Greg: Of course.
Ben: Lastly, I always like to ask what kind of bands my interviewee is listening to lately. Are there any new bands that you’re excited about?
Greg: Slender Means from Seattle and The Hiders from Cincinnati
Ben: Thank you again for your time and the interview and especially the years of great music. I look forward to seeing you in Omaha next month.
Greg: Ciao, amico mio.
“Live with Me” on the Anti-Hit List
TheStar.com - The Anti-Hit List for October 28
5. THE TWILIGHT SINGERS, “LIVE WITH ME”
Even if you’re not familiar with the Massive Attack version (a new song included on their recent Collected compilation), rest assured that Greg Dulli & Co. know exactly how to tinker with it: transform it from a desperate plea into something closer to an implied threat. The implied menace lurking beneath what should be the emotional subjugation of the singer ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable level.
Powder Burns - Albuquerque Tribune
The Twilight Singers is former Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli’s latest project, and this is his fourth album under the moniker. Dulli explores the dark underbelly of love on such tunes as “Bonnie Brae,” where falling in love is all about the rapture, the situation, that moment of emotion, but this being Dulli you know it never ends well.
“Forty Dollars” is a dystopian take on the Beatles - where “Love is for sale” and “All you need is love” and “She loves you yeah-yeah-yeah” - but deep down you know she really doesn’t mean it.
Swirling violins and cello help create a mood throughout, while indie icon Ani Difranco lends her voice on a few songs (”Bonnie Brae,” “Candy Cane Crawl” and “Powder Burns”). There’s an underlying soulfulness, befitting Dulli’s Motown sensibilities (”My Time (Has Come)”), while multitracked, echoey vocals propel the indie pop rocker “I’m Ready.”
There’s a breakthrough of sorts on “Underneath The Waves,” where he proclaims: “I become alive.” That sentiment is echoed on “There’s Been An Accident,” where, with equal measure of elation and dread, Dulli sings: “I’m alive/It kinda took me by surprise.”
It seems the poet of dark spaces and even darker living sees the light, putting his demons - sex, drugs and rock n’ roll - to rest, finally. And on the title track he gains a bit of redemption.
Dulli is able to pack more emotion and feeling into three minutes-plus than some people will ever experience in a lifetime. In the bio, he says that during the recording process he sobered up after seven years of a drug/alcohol-induced haze, and the mesmerizing results are grandly and ultimately uplifting.
Dog Train: Kids Songs for Grownups Too
Dog Train is a fantastic CD/book combo written by Sandra Boynton and geared at the preschool set. Why does this make Summer’s Kiss? Because it features Mark Lanegan on a great little song called “Sneakers.” It also has performances by Spin Doctors,
Five for Fighting and Kate Winslet w/ Weird Al Yankovic. Ah, life never fails to provide surprises.
As a new dad, I’ve been collecting every album I can find of kid-appropriate songs that won’t drive me crazy. This one’s near the top of my list.
Of course, my 3 month old daughter and I did spend most of yesterday afternoon listening to Houses of the Holy. So, there’s always that.
Preview “Sneakers” by Mark Lanegan
→ Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side at Amazon
→ Dog Train at iTunes
Powder Burns - Contactmusic.com
Recorded in New Orleans a few months after Hurricane Katrina, generators standing by to supply electricity, and in Milan, Powder Burns is former Afghan Whigs lead man Greg Dulli’s finest work in a decade. The Twilight Singers’ fourth album (if you include the insipid covers album), it updates their 80s rock sound (think Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Doves, mixed with some Stone Roses funk), ably supported by guests such as Ani DiFranco, and Joseph Arthur, but the focus rarely strays from Dulli’s singer-songwriting, melodramatic vocals and thick, dense slowcore rock. There is an awful lot going on, with anthemic choruses, and nods to the Beatles as likely to appear as classic metal guitar solos. The Twilight Singers seem destined to spend time as a critical favourite, and are as unlikely to break through with this disc as with anything Dulli has ever done - there is no leeway given for a casual listener on Powder Burns, no let-up, no easily accessible material. Some people just seem to prefer it that way.
Rating 8/10
Mike Rea
Demons Begone
Tucson Weekly
Demons Begone
Greg Dulli is not the man you think he is
By STEPHEN SEIGEL
When Greg Dulli tells me during a phone conversation that he had seen The Pogues perform the previous night in Los Angeles, I call him a “lucky bastard.”
“I’ve been called worse, Stephen, believe me,” he retorts.
He’s been called suave, debonair, sexy, swaggering and cool, but he’s also been called an asshole. He has a self-admitted “reputation” that precedes him. But before you judge Greg Dulli, you should know that he’s undergone some remarkable changes over the last few years that have helped to reshape and redefine him, to make him a new–and, yes, improved–man. And it is that Greg Dulli–far more kind, funny, generous and warmhearted than anyone might expect–who’s on the other end of the phone.
Dulli began his musical career as the singer, primary songwriter and guitarist for the Cincinnati-based Afghan Whigs, whose first couple albums and a handful of EPs were released on Sub Pop (save for their self-released debut album), before they inked deals with Elektra and Columbia for their last three full-lengths. Though they resided on Sub Pop during its initial “grunge” heyday, the Whigs never fit the mold of the sludgy stuff churned out by contemporaries such as Mudhoney, Tad and Nirvana. Instead, they embraced their unclassifiable status by merging whinnying slide guitar with melodic power-chords, bobbing bass lines with inventively busy drumming, and integrating it all with elements of Motown-era soul. Over it all, Dulli’s voice alternated between an impassioned croon and a tormented belt, recounting tales of lust, betrayal, self-loathing and just about any other type of angst one can imagine.
On a spell of downtime for the band, when they were between labels, Dulli recorded an album with friends and session musicians called Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers. But after the Afghan Whigs signed with Columbia, the label urged him to hold off on releasing it until after the Whigs’ Columbia release, 1998’s 1965, came out. 1965 would prove to be the band’s last album.
“I think it had reached its logical conclusion,” Dulli says of the breakup. “I think you know it, just like you know it in a personal relationship. I think it’s probably the same reason people get divorced, break up, move out of houses–it has gone as far as it can go. And sooner or later, the pony wants to break free and try other pastures.” It didn’t make matters any easier that, by that point, the band’s four members were each living in different cities, spread across three time zones.
With the Afghan Whigs relegated to the past, Dulli revisited the Twilight Singers album, retooling it with the help of British electronica duo Fila Brazilia. When it was finally released in 2000, Whigs fans were jarred by what they heard: ambient, late-night, soulful, folkish songs that employed acoustic guitars, piano and strings, backed by electronic drum beats, and featuring a number of vocalists. The pony had indeed found new pastures.
The album served as a template of sorts for what the Twilight Singers would continue to be, not in sound, but in theory: malleable. Each subsequent Twilight Singers album has included a different roster.
“I think I have always had an immense curiosity about other things,” Dulli explains, “… I’ve met so many talented people throughout the last 20 years, and I’ve moved around so much, that I think I just wanted to see what I sounded like with somebody else. And then after that, what I sounded like with this other person. So it became this kind of–I’m not gonna say schizophrenic–but, uh, polygamist way of working, you know what I mean?”
That polygamist way of working has rounded up some unlikely collaborators. 2003’s vaguely psychedelic Blackberry Belle, which stepped up the tempo of its predecessor, included appearances from blues guitarist Alvin Youngblood Hart, Galactic drummer Stanton Moore, that dog veteran and multi-instrumentalist Petra Haden, former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan (who has appeared on the Singers’ subsequent two albums and is a member of the current touring band) and onetime Prince muse Apollonia Kotero.
2004’s She Loves You showcases one of the components that have endured throughout Dulli’s career: his love for and strength in reinterpreting cover songs. But perhaps more importantly, during its making, Dulli found the inspiration to leave behind his longtime drug abuse.
“I felt like I was dying,” he says. “I didn’t recognize myself physically or emotionally anymore. I was hurting people left and right. And I think I had the elusive moment of clarity. And once I put a month between myself and drugs, there was no turning back. The last time I did class-A felony drugs was March 10, 2004. … I went cold turkey, bro. I’m such a stubborn, pigheaded Taurus that once I make up my mind, I have tremendous willpower. Lightning struck, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s it. That is it. The end.’”
Being clean would provide fodder for the latest Twilight Singers full-length, this year’s relatively hard-rocking Powder Burns–along with another life-changing event.
Dulli lives part-time in Los Angeles, and part-time in New Orleans. He returned early from Milan, where he was on tour with Italian band Afterhours when Katrina hit. Unable to return to New Orleans, he stayed in Brooklyn, where he was joined by Powder Burns co-producer Mike Napolitano. The day the New Orleans airport reopened, the pair flew back to the Big Easy. For a week or so, they helped out friends. “And then probably the eighth day back there, we started to work on the record,” he says. “And the power kept going on and off, so we had some generators, and it was surreal, probably like in a siege mentality. … I had no choice (but to resume recording), with what I was witnessing. Going down into the places where there was 20 feet of water, the trees were dead, the animals were dead, there were no birds. … Man, you would have to be a closed-off motherfucker not to be massively changed by your surroundings.
“I started to see a parallel between myself and my former demons, and what was happening in the city at the time, and I began to kind of draw the lines together. I’ll never forget this record for that. … I’ll never be who I was because of those events.”
Twilight Tour Starts Tonight
The latest leg of The Twilight Singers’ marathon Powder Burns tour kicks off tonight in San Francisco.
→ the twilight singers fall 2006 tour
→ photos of ts from their last stop at the great american music hall
thx to darren for the photo
The Gutter Twins: Saturnalia The long awaited debut from Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan
Order CD at Amazon.com
