The Wooden Birds Interview: SXSW 2010

Songwriter Andrew Kenny, best known as the frontman for the American Analog Set, hatched the idea for the Wooden Birds in 2004 while writing songs for AmAnSet's 2005 album 'Set Free'. Rather than relegate the songs to AmAnSet b-sides, he tucked them away for another project. That project would be the Wooden Birds' 2009 album 'Magnolia,' released on Barsuk Records. Joining him in the live lineup are guitarist and vocalist Leslie Sisson, drummer Sean Haskins and guitarist Matt Pond. Spinner.com recently spoke with Kenny at SXSW about guns, video games and, of course, assaulting Lou Barlow.

Describe your sound in your own words.

It's a vocal heavy, mellow rock band, a la Andrew Kenny. It is what it is, you know?

What's the most interesting description you have heard from someone else?

I think the most flattering and compelling comparison to the Wooden Birds has been Fleetwood Mac, which I feel like I've always drawn a lot of inspiration from, but maybe this project is more than previous projects. I think it's the fact that Leslie and I sing a lot together, and it's very rhythm-focused music. That's the comparison that I see that I always get excited about.

There's a Lou Barlow-type vibe on "Magnolia."

I love his voice. If I could knock him out in an alley and steal his voice, I probably would. But then we wouldn't have any more Lou Barlow records.



How did your band form?

I found the people I wanted to be on the road with, and I found the people I wanted to put this band together with and said "Alright, you've heard the record, what do you want to play?" And Leslie wanted to play lead guitar and sing, and I thought that was great. Our guitarist since the summer is Matt Pond from Matt Pond PA. We were on the phone talking about his new record, making some notes and talking about mixing, and I asked. I was totally shocked when he joined, and I was still shocked but less so when I realized how great he was at being a Wooden Bird.

Sean Haskins I've known for a long time. I've played solo shows since the Analog Set did their last tour, and he's always been my drummer, so he was already versed with the back catalog.

I love playing the bass; I'm not going to lie. It really, absolutely is crucial to be played in a certain, special way to be part of the Wooden Birds, and it just made sense for me to play it.

What are your musical influences?

I listen to a lot of rhythm-based rock, and I listen to a lot of mellow music. Lyrically, I draw from experiences of myself and my friends – more so from my friends than from me because I am both blessed and cursed with knowing people that are way more interesting than I am.

How did you come up with your band name?

When I imagined the sound of this project I was putting together...I just thought it would sound like a wooden machine of some kind, like a clock if it were made of wood. We've been on tour over this last year, and we see posters, and all the images of birds have all been wooden and still, like sculptures. The way that I thought about it, it would be a bird in motion that just happened to be made of wood.

What's your biggest vice?

No question, my biggest vice is that I waste a lot of time playing video games. Not so much arcade games, but more like PC-based or home console-based games. It's a huge waste of time; I wish I had never started. My first game system was an Atari 2600, and the first game I really got into was Adventure, which was a save the princess-type game. I don't really play a lot of shooter games or racing games. I play a lot of adventure-ish, swashbuckling, save the princess games.

Do you play video games on tour?

I did for the first Wooden Birds tour, which was the first time I had a laptop. I feel like it took me out of the moment and I wasn't as focused on the shows. I'm really proud of this band, and I just kind of figured everyone deserved a lot better than a lead singer that was as concerned with leveling his frost mage as he was with putting on a rock show. So I have phased out the game play when I'm on tour, and for that reason I've probably lived a healthier lifestyle, at least mentally, when I'm on the road than when I'm at home. You know, I don't drink a lot, I don't do any drugs, I only curse in very specific situations, and that's my vice.

What's in your festival survival kit?

A pen, a watch and the one-page schedule that comes in the (Austin) Chronicle, folded into eighths in my pocket. I would always have a lot of water with me, because it seems like being dehydrated is what makes people tired and irritable. It'll rain one day and the rest of the days will be warm, and you need to drink a lot of water. I think visiting Austin for SXSW is a little different than living in Austin for SXSW. I definitely enjoy visiting more than I enjoy living in Austin for SXSW.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I feel like I enjoy Justin Timberlake more than people that have only recently met me might think, or think I should. I like a lot of pop music. I listen to a lot of R&B and rap, and I'm not guilty about it exactly, but it does seem a bit indulgent for a songwriter who prides himself on music that is often introspective or understated to listen to 'Low' by Flo Rida. I thought that was a great single, but I wouldn't expect someone to size me up on the street and expect me to be into it.

Beatles or Stones?

No question at all, definitely theRolling Stones. Obviously, they're both icons and definers of a genre, but I will always be on the Stones' side.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

There have been a couple of times when guns come out. Living in Texas, you see guns, people carry guns, and people in my family have guns. I grew up shooting guns and being a good shot, and that was important that you learn how to shoot, and all my major birthdays as a kid I received firearms. I remember my first pellet rifle, my first .22 rifle and my first shotgun. Those were like 10, 12, 13 - those were big birthdays. Be it a promoter or a tour manager for another band you're playing with, whenever it comes out that someone's got a gun, it's weird. There have been a couple times over the last 10 or 15 years when someone pulls out a gun.

Zack Zoeller is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.