The Coal Porters Interview: SXSW 2010

The Coal Porters story began when bandleader and mandolin player Sid Griffin moved to London in the 1990s after marrying Kate St. John of the Dream Academy. Griffin, a mainstay of the Paisley Underground movement of the 1980s with his band the Long Ryders and a founding father of the alt-country scene, hooked up with Scottish standup comedian and guitarist Neil Robert Herd to form the world's first alt-bluegrass band. The band -- now featuring Andrew Stafford on bass, Carly Frey on fiddle and Dick Smith on banjo -- ust released is latest album, 'Durango,' in January. They will be playing seven shows at SXSW 2010. Spinner spoke with Griffin from his home in London.

How would you describe your sound?

I like to describe our sound as "alt-bluegrass" or, as a friend of mine said, bluegrass for people who don't like bluegrass. We all loved the Velvet Underground and the Clash, and we bring some of that energy into a traditional music form. People may be turned off initially when they hear we play banjo and mandolin, thinking we're singing things like 'Froggy Went A-Courtin',' but we sing about contemporary topics like war and greed. Some might find it odd that I'm an American leading a bluegrass band in England, but it's a lot easier to stand out here than the US. Where I grew up in Kentucky, this music is in the people's bones. Here, however, I'm unique.

How did the band form?

It was actually a fairly tragic tale. The band was known then as Western Electric. Our drummer was in a terrible accident while riding his bike. A car that was eluding the police hit him. He was in very rough shape, really knocking on death's door and in a coma for a few months. Even after he awoke from the coma he faced a long and arduous recovery. We promised we would not play any electric shows until he recovered, and we kept our promise. We were anxious to play so we decided to play acoustically, and we found that we really enjoyed doing so. When the drummer finally made a recovery, he decided he wanted to do something else, and we've carried on ever since.

What are your musical influences?

Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, and the Byrds have always influenced me, but for this band our influences are classic bluegrass musicians like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley. We listened to Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder a lot, as well. When we heard Steve Earle's 'The Mountain' with The Del McCoury, band we knew we were on the right track. I love songwriters who can tell a story. The band loved Joe Strummer and The Mescalleros, and that influenced us in that we figured if that Limey could lay claim on this Afro-Reggae thing so successfully, then we could embrace bluegrass as our own. I knew Joe, even sold him a couple guitars; he was a lovely, lovely guy and is sorely missed.

Is there a story behind the band's name?

Oh, it's a stupid story, so I'll try to keep it short. I was living in L.A. at the time and I had some money and some free time, which I used to enjoy the finer things in life, such as the beach. I was running out of money and decided I had to get another band together. The Long Ryders name was trademarked, so I needed a new band name. A struggling screenwriter neighbor of mine scribbled dozens of names on a pad and the name "The Coal Porters" just jumped out at me. I loved that it was a pun on so many levels. Of course, there's the songwriter Cole Porter but also coal porters who worked on the docks of London and were the guys who rode the railroads just shoveling coal, which must have been the worst job ever. I just thought it was hilarious. If we knew that we'd be successful, we would have thought of a better name.

Care to share any crazy tour experiences?

Well, I'm saving most of those stories for my memoir, so I can't divulge too many. One time that really stands out was when we playing in County Armagh in [Northern] Ireland. This is real bandit country, sight of some of the worst violence in The Troubles, so we were really on edge. We played a show for a pretty good crowd, and things were going well. However, there were two guys who really got our attention. The first was, like, our biggest fan ever; he was dancing up a storm and yelling his approval after every number, seemingly having the time of his life. The other was the complete opposite, shouting his derision, swearing at us and letting us know he thought we were the worst band in the world. We were afraid violence might break out between the two factions. After the show, the first guy invited us back to his house for a couple of beers and we gladly accepted. Well, we get to the house and who should walk out of the kitchen but the second guy, our biggest critic. It turns out they were brothers and the one's idea of a good time was to go out and support bands, while the other found enjoyment from doing just the opposite. It was a weird night, to say the least.

The Long Ryders are considered pioneers of the alt-country, or No Depression, movement. Do you feel you've influenced that music?

I know we've influenced a lot of those bands and I'm very proud of that. I remember playing a show in St. Louis and being approached by three young guys who told me they loved the band. They were in a band called the Primitives that was mostly doing Black Flag kind of music but wanted to add some country elements to their sound. They picked my brain about everything. They wanted to know what bands should they listen to and what guitars they should use to achieve a certain sound. They were like sponges avidly soaking up all the information I could give them. It turns out they later became Uncle Tupelo. On another occasion, I met Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. At the time the band was called Mr. Crowes Garden and they were doing a jangly R.E.M. thing. Chris even had really short hair and kind of looked like Mike Mills. He asked me tons of questions about Gram Parsons and all kinds of roots music. The next time I saw him, he was on MTV and the band was now called the Black Crowes.


James Meyers is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.