Thrift Store Cowboys Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 8th 2010 6:45PM by Jane Kelly
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You'd be hard pressed to find a Thrift Store Cowboys review that doesn't use words like "desolate" or "desert-like." Living in the middle of Texas has something to do with that. Founding member Daniel Fluitt, who sings, plays acoustic, lap steel guitar and the saw, explains how they're influenced and promises that their next album will be "more upbeat."

How did your band form?

I met our guitarist first, before we were in high school. Collectively as a band we've been together for 10 years. We all met as music students at South Plains College (a west Texas school).

How did you come up with the name?

Jeff Dennis, our guitarist then, was at a Hank III show in Fort Worth. He saw this cowboy-looking guy wearing tight jeans, a pearl button shirt, and a cowboy hat. He said, "That looks like a thrift store cowboy!", and we decided that would be our name.

How would you describe your sound?

Our drummer Kris came up with the term "cinematic alt-country", which does a pretty good job of describing what we sound like. There's also some country, western swing, and mariachi happening.

What are your influences?

We're all influenced very differently. Eddie Vedder is one of my influences, and Kris likes jazz. We all love early Whiskeytown [nineties band fronted by Ryan Adams]. The band is like a melting pot of different styles. Being so different works well for us and has helped us develop our sound.

What is the craziest thing you've seen on tour?

We were on the road with DeVotchka playing in Phoenix, and it was during a rainstorm that really seemed more like a monsoon. There was flooding, the winds were like 75-80 miles per hour, and the rain was coming down sideways! It looked like a hurricane. Still a lot of people came out, because we were playing with DeVotchka probably, but we were happy that so many people showed up on such a crazy night. Right when we were finishing our third song the electricity went out. People started leaving so we grabbed our instruments, got off the stage, and just sat on the floor and started playing. Pretty soon people started coming around and everyone had flashlights or their cell phone lights and it was really beautiful. Right when we ended the song the electricity came back on and we were able to finish the set.

Where is your favorite place to play and why?

Joshua Tree is one of our favorites, and of course Lubbock. Whenever we play in Cedar City [Utah], we get such an amazing response. We always love playing there. Also Nashville because Amanda lives there, and it's better when you know someone who lives there.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

I wouldn't say we have any rituals, more of like a routine. The hours we spend together in the van brings out delirium and we'll talk in this psycho babble that no-one can understand, including us! We'll make up jokes from it and we'll have these inside jokes we use for the rest of the tour.

Does living in Lubbock influence your sound at all?

Completely. Lubbock is a huge influence. It's an island surrounded by dirt. It's impossible not to be influenced by it. We're five hours away from the nearest major city, so all the bands support each other. The population's like 220,000 people so the music scene is small but we're close.

What's the music scene in Lubbock like?

It's great! We have a fantastic scene. Like I was saying, one of the good things about it is that it's small, so we all support each other, and it doesn't matter what kind of music it is, people cross genres to see each other's bands. Shows are always crowded, and the audience is enthusiastic. People dance!

Would you agree with those who say all your songs are sad?

I wouldn't say they're sad, I would say dark. But I think our next album is going to have a more upbeat sound to it. Our songs change just like our lives change.

Does having so many members in the group make it difficult when writing songs?

Not at all. When we argue no one gets majorly pissed off about it. We're pretty productive because we all want the same thing. The song is our priority.

Will you talk about the fire you survived last year?

My girlfriend and I were sleeping when around 3:30 in the morning her cat woke us up by scratching at the door. I thought I heard something that sounded like someone was trying to break in the house so I ran to the window and saw flames coming out from the carport. We all ran out and in less than 2 1/2 minutes the entire house was engulfed by flames. We lost a lot; all of the band merchandise was ruined. But people bought melted CDs and other smoke-damaged band paraphernalia which helped monetarily and emotionally.

Did you all grow up in Lubbock?

All of us grew up around west Texas. This is a great area of the country -- it's cheap and in the middle, so it's a good place to tour from.

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