James McCartney / Photo courtesy of Grandstand Media & Management
James McCartney / Photo courtesy of Grandstand Media & Management
While James McCartney notably played on the acclaimed Flaming Pie and Driving Rain albums of father Paul — also co-writing two songs on the latter studio release — 2010’s Available Light was his first crack at recording his own solo effort. Since that debut, James has put out two studio albums and one EP. His latest release is 2016’s The Blackberry Train, as helmed by Steve Albini, a man well-known for his work with Nirvana, The Pixies and PJ Harvey.
In support of The Blackberry Train, James will be performing at Rockwood Music Hall on Apr. 5 on the Marshmallow Maiden Tour. James spoke to Downtown about a variety of topics, including his history with New York and how he likes to spend his non-musical time. More info on James McCartney can be found at www.jamesmccartney.com.
Where was the first live gig you ever played in New York? What do you remember about it?
James McCartney: Rockwood? I think. Can’t remember. Atmospheric.
Did you spend a lot of your childhood in New York?
James McCartney: Not really. Went there for Summer holidays.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in our city?
James McCartney: Not really but love all the veggie and vegan ones. Hampton Chutney Co.?
I remember watching you perform on Letterman. Was that performance one of your proudest moments? Or is appearing on television not the biggest deal for you?
James McCartney: Not one of my “proudest” moments but was cool exposure. Love appearing on television, if it’s the right thing to do! Loved being on Letterman though. He’s a cool guy too.
Steve is known to call himself an engineer, not a producer. But does he get involved with the arrangements or craft of the songs?
James McCartney: Not at all, really. The whole point is to do it oneself.
Dhani Harrison appears on your latest album. Have you two always been friends?
James McCartney: Yes. We grew up together, inadvertently.
I know that you played on the Flaming Pie album. Had you recorded anything in a studio before that? Did you play in garage bands growing up?
James McCartney: Demos but not professional recordings which have been released. Didn’t play in garage bands growing up. Wish I had, but also kinda glad I didn’t and was thus different.
Touring aside, what’s coming up for you?
James McCartney: Everything? Yes, everything!
When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?
James McCartney: Doing Art! Yoga. Being in nature. Going to gigs. Traveling. Reading. Learning. Studying. Practicing in my own way. Living.
What was your favorite album of 2016?
James McCartney: None of them? Seriously, I don’t really listen to loads of music, but to give you an answer, A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead.
Finally, James, any last words for the kids?
James McCartney: Be strong, wise, stay true to yourselves, learn, have fun, enjoy, be peaceful, listen to your heart, be open-minded. Play, write, don’t think about it all too much, but keep at it! Play, play, play — write, write, write!
2016 was a breakout year for critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Frances in her native England. Following the success of her 2015 single “Grow,” Frances was nominated for both the BBC Sound Of 2016 and the BRITs Critic Choice Awards. She also performed at major music festivals and her music was streamed over 100 million times.
2017 is shaping up to be Frances’ United States breakthrough as last month brought the release of her contribution to the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, “What Is Love?” Mar. 17 is the release date for Frances’ debut full-length, Things I’ve Never Said, as featuring collaborations with Greg Kurstin, Jimmy Napes and Howard Lawrence. In support of Things I’ve Never Said, Frances returns to New York for a Mar. 27 performance downtown at Joe’s Pub.
Downtown had the privilege of conducting Q&A with Frances in advance of her U.S. return, getting to learn more about the artist behind the music. More on Frances can be found at www.francesmusic.com.
Frances: I’ve played a couple of shows there before. At Rockwood [Music Hall] and the Mercury Lounge. They’ve made me so excited to come back and play again because I find New York such an inspiring city!
Have you ever traveled to New York for pleasure?
Frances: Sadly, no. But it is a serious plan! I absolutely love it. I could definitely live there!
Is there a New York destination you hope to visit on this trip? Any favorite restaurants here?
Frances: I’m going to have to wander down Fifth Avenue, that’s a must. I’ll stop into Katz’s Deli — it would be rude not to — but I really want to do The High Line walk!
At what point in your career did you become just “Frances?”
Frances: At the very beginning, I think. My full name is Sophie Frances Cooke. But I really wanted a one-word artist name, and I felt “Sophie” looked a bit young on paper — lots of curly letters! Whereas Frances is more angular and I found it really fun to have a different name to walk onto stage with. It helped with stage fright at the very beginning.
Do you have a favorite single-named musician?
Frances: Gosh. Adele, Prince, Beyonce, Björk — the list goes on!
Frances: Probably “Grow.” It’s the first song I ever released so it feels very special to me. But I also love it as a song because I’ve never written a chorus melody like that since. It’s quite bizarre but works somehow!
What was the first song you recorded on Things I’ve Never Said?
Frances: I think that was also “Grow,” because I recorded it for my first EP. But of the new songs on the album, I think we started with one called “Don’t Worry About Me.”
Are there leftovers from the Things I’ve Never Said sessions? Around how many songs were written for the album?
Frances: So many leftovers! I think I wrote somewhere between 100 and 150 songs in the end. There are a couple that I’ve already put aside for my second album, though. I loved them but they were a little too mature for my first album. When I wrote them I knew straight away that they were for my second album!
How did you wind up working with Greg Kurstin? Was that an introduction from your label? Did you know of his band The Bird And The Bee?
Frances: It was an introduction from my label, yes. A very lucky introduction indeed! It was one of my favorite writing experiences ever, he’s just incredible. And yes! Not until after our session, but I absolutely love the music. I think my favorite is “Will You Dance?”
Touring aside, what’s coming up for you in 2017?
Frances: I’m touring a lot, which is very exciting! I’m also doing some writing for other artists, which I absolutely love. I’m working on some potential collaborations which is seriously fun. I’d love to write for some more movies after my 50 Shades Darker experience, and I’ll be scheming for my second album! It’s going to be a fun year, I think.
When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?
Frances: Hilariously, music! I always play music in the house, whatever I’m doing really. My family have some beautiful dogs so I love spending time with them, and my family, of course! I love going to the theater, watching movies, watching 10 episodes of Criminal Minds in one sitting. I love cooking, too. Normal stuff, really!
What was your favorite album on 2016?
Frances: Oh, that’s tricky. I love the 1975 album, Chance The Rapper, Beyoncé, Drake, new Radiohead. So many. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Lemonade.
Accomplished in multiple musical fields, Rob Mathes is a noted singer, songwriter, arranger, music director and producer. As an arranger, he has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Elton John, Bono, and Panic! At The Disco, to name a few artists. As a producer, he has worked with Sting, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, and Beth Hart. As a music director — or “MD” — he has overseen high-profile performances at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and the Super Bowl. Rob has also released several solo albums, which has led to him having two television specials on PBS. In turn, it is not particularly surprising that he is an Emmy winner and the recipient of Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.
On Dec. 18, Rob Mathes brings his annual holiday concert — 23 years and concert — to the Schimmel Center. Rob’s shows are known to feature world-class musicians, as including musicians from Saturday Night Live, The Late Show With David Letterman, and Paul Simon’s band. Rob spoke to Downtown about this year’s event, what else he has coming up for him, and plenty more. More info on all things Rob can be found at www.robmathes.com.
Where did the idea for the first Rob Mathes Holiday Concert come from?
Rob Mathes: My parents raised me as a Christmas kid. Once Santa came into view, I went into a kind of heat every year almost as if I was on a new anti-depressant. I loved the cold, the dark and the lights — everything — and I always saw the Christian part of the Holiday as this story about humility and grace entering the world right when it wanted a warrior. So from my teens I wrote Christmas songs. I admit a few were cheesy early on, but many came from the better tradition of Christmas music — i.e. the Bruce Cockburn record, the Ray Charles records. I grew up as a Pete Townshend and Beatles fanatic but who also listened to Stevie Wonder, Motown and Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. It was schizophrenic but wondrous.
Eventually I started to accrue real credits and started working with great musicians in studios thanks to the legendary producer Phil Ramone, who hired me regularly as an arranger, guitarist and piano player. I decided to collect the best of this music, released a few independent CD’s, put some of these musicians together and started giving this concert. Eventually an amazing Rabbi from Stamford, Rabbi Mark Golub — who hosts a talk show on Shalom TV — started coming to the concert regularly and I promised him some music. It became a true holiday concert, the Menorah, the Manger, the sleigh and reindeer.
Did you know that it was going to become an annual tradition?
RM: I had no idea. People loved the first concert and grew attached to a few of the songs that became our “hits” so to speak, the song “William The Angel” — which I eventually ended up singing with The Boston Symphony at Symphony Hall years after the Holiday event became a perennial — and the blues-oriented “When The Baby Grew Up.”
For someone who hasn’t attended before, what should be expected? Are there particular things that happen every year?
RM: It is an odd one, Darren. The original songs fall firmly into the singer/songwriter tradition. I grew up on Dylan, The Band and Stevie, so I write an equal amount of music around both the piano and guitar and it is the kind of singer/songwriter stuff that you might hear on WFUV. On the other hand, I grew up being raised equally by my mom and aunt, identical twin sisters both of whom were classical musicians who married men they met at Yale Music School, my uncle who played with big bands and was a composer/arranger and my dad, who was a classical clarinetist but who secretly was a folk music fanatic.
Because of this, I also adore Ellington and Gil Evans, Vaughan Williams and Mahler and have written hundreds of arrangements for various horn sections and string sections. So we do straight up swing versions of some carols and even a couple of Instrumentals for my six-piece horn section — full of brilliant virtuosos — that groove like music by The Meters and The JB’s. It is quite eclectic.
Who is in your backing band this year?
RM: It is the same group that has played with me for 20 years. Will Lee, the legendary bass player and studio session star from New York City, who played on the David Letterman show since the very, very beginning, is playing bass. We have two drummers, the great Shawn Pelton from Saturday Night Live on drums and Joe Bonadio, who is also an astonishing percussionist. Billy Masters, who played with Suzanne Vega and Dar Williams for years and who was often a part of my Kennedy Center Honors band, is my guitarist. Ricky Knutsen, a composer and keyboardist from Brooklyn, has played every single show since 1993. The six Horn players are Jeff Kievit and Don Harris on trumpet, Aaron Heick and Andy Snitzer on saxes, Mike Davis and Jeff Nelson on bones. Between the six of them the credits are insane. From Sinatra to Aretha Franklin to Springsteen to Paul Simon to Nile Rodgers to The Rolling Stones, these are six of New York’s finest.
Vaneese Thomas and James “D-Train” Williams are also unsung heroes of the vocal scene in New York. D-Train had big hits in the 80s but, along with Vaneese, became one of the first calls for any background vocal session had on major records over the last 20 years. Between them they have sung with Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Sting, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, etc. It is a great band and, while the show can be said to be about music that people the age of 35 to 60 will relate to, it is not staid and tired. This is a muscular evening musically, emotionally resonant and alternately funky, warm, resonant and meditative. To say it is appropriate for all ages is both true and somewhat self-serving. That said, it is an evening/afternoon I am very proud of and a focal point in my year.
Aside from the Holiday Concert, what is coming up for you?
RM: I have been doing a lot of work with the David Lynch Foundation, having produced the Music Of David Lynch record, recorded at the ACE Theatre in L.A. last year. There will be a big David Lynch event at the Kennedy Center in the new year and I think I will MD that event. I am hoping to do some more arrangements for both Twenty One Pilots and Panic! At The Disco who I have worked closely with for years and produced one of their records. I will musically direct a tribute to Jimmy Webb at Carnegie Hall next spring. When Sting finishes touring the new record with his long-time band late next year, there are plans for a London production of his musical The Last Ship, which I orchestrated and musically directed. Other things are floating.
You are a singer, songwriter, arranger, music director and producer. Do you identify with any of those categories more than others?
RM: I always wanted to be a singer/songwriter 24 hours a day, but I was so obsessed with music and it was coming at me from all sides at home. My uncle playing Sinatra and Ellington, my dad playing Dylan and Pete Seeger, my mom and Aunt playing Gospel music and Beethoven. I wanted to understand Mahler’s 9th, Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours, Stevie’s Songs In The Key Of Life — my favorite record ever made — Duke Ellington’s Blues In Orbit, and Radiohead’s In Rainbows. Therefore all four of the monikers above stand and I can’t pick. Schizophrenic indeed.
You have been honored with Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk Award honors. Which was your first nomination of note?
RM: The country artist Kathy Mattea won a Grammy for her Christmas record, the title track of which was my song “Good News.” That was not a personal Grammy nomination like my production of Bettye Lavette’s Interpretations, but it was the beginning and meant a lot. I won my Emmy Award for musically directing and arranging the Kennedy Center Honors show. That year I had done a massive multi-genre arrangement of “Here Comes The Sun” for Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, The Silk Road Ensemble, Emanuel Ax and Jamie Laredo and James Taylor, all conducted by John Williams. That was easily one of the most astonishing moments of my life. The point was to illustrate Yo Yo Ma’s musical playground and how he crosses borders. He was one of the honorees that year. Wow!
Awards aside, is there an accomplishment that you are most proud of?
RM: There have been moments that transformed me: Accompanying Al Green on piano when he sang “Amazing Grace” at the 9/11/02 Concert For America I musically directed for NBC. Writing and conducting a full orchestral version of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking” for an African Choir, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Bono and The Edge at Carnegie for Bono’s Red Charity last year. The first studio session writing string charts for Bruce Springsteen. He came up to me in the middle of the session at the old MSR Studios on 48th Street and told me “you’re my guy from now on.” Huge!
Musically directing and arranging the Obama Inaugural at the Lincoln Memorial. Co-producing a few records with Sting, who was a huge influence on me when I was young. Writing the National Anthem arrangement for Renée Fleming for the 2014 Super Bowl. Having Lou Reed personally thank me on his album The Raven for a simple string arrangement I did — a first. There are many more but these stand out.
Your list of credits is essentially a who’s who, between Beyonce, Bono, Elton John, Sting, Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma…All sorts of genres, to say the least. How does work usually come to you? Do you have a manager or agent pitching you? Is it more word of mouth?
RM: My manager is Jonathan Daniel at Crush Management. He manages Sia, Lorde, and Fall Out Boy, among others. He has saved me in that most people like myself get called for “Adult Contemporary Music.” He has hooked me up with Butch Walker and Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy and many others. He has single-handedly kept me young — to a certain extent (laughs). He is smart and unpretentious. Super-important. But a LOT of my work comes from word of mouth.
Is there anyone you haven’t yet worked with but still hope to?
RM: I would love to work as an arranger with some younger hip-hop artists, because whenever I have written string or horn charts on those records, most of which were produced by my friend Just Blaze, he TURNED THAT SHIT UP! There is a spirit in that community and that music which just will not be denied. It is the center of popular music and has been for a while. So much of it is so vital, passionate and intense that when you bring in ideas coming from an arranger’s head, they get channeled in a way very unlike just a sweet string arrangement on a pop or rock ballad you can hear in the background.
I would love to produce a record of spirituals for Mavis Staples with a big gospel choir, orchestra and rhythm section. Mavis was great to me through the years when she came to sing some of my arrangements at the Kennedy Center. We performed a concert together in Connecticut. I think it is a long shot but I would love it.
When not busy with work, how do you like to spend your free time?
RM: With my three daughters and wife — Emma, Sarah, Lily and Tammy…Studying music, I want to look at every note in Elgar’s Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre VERY closely. Reading the late and long Charles Dickens novels and re-reading The Brothers Karamazov. Writing my OWN music, one of the reasons the Holiday concert is such a joy).
RM: I am completely floored by the new Bon Iver record. I don’t listen to Beyonce’s Lemonade all the time but recognize both its power and its brilliance. Solange’s new A Seat At The Table record is beautiful and vibey and my daughter and I have listened to that a lot. I just discovered the band Fink from England and love the Jules Buckley arranged record they did with the Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam. Maybe my favorite though is A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead. The new Lisa Batiashvili — brilliant violinist — recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto conducted by Daniel Barenboim is ridiculously great.
Finally, Rob, any last words for the kids?
RM: By kids you must mean young people. I say “get busy.” You are a better generation than we were, more talented, quicker and with more passion than I can even remember…I can’t wait to hear your music. Come to my holiday concert. You may dig it and, if you don’t, tell me what sucked and I will LISTEN. I am NOT one of the old, cranky musicians who says, “It ain’t Aretha. It ain’t the Beatles!” The talent out there is ferocious right now. I am blown away and, don’t forget, by the time Bob Dylan was 25, he had written “Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” “Chimes Of Freedom”, and “Blowin’ In The Wind,” not to mention the albums Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing It All Back Home and Blonde On Blonde. A word for the kids? “GO!”
After forming in 2003, U.K. quartet Syd Arthur first emerged with its 2006 self-titled album. Although great press, good touring opportunities and major label interest would follow the band for years, Syd Arthur opted not to sign to a big label until 2013. Apricity, Syd Arthur’s second album for the Universal Music Group’s Harvest Records will be released on Oct. 21. Prior to the new release for Harvest, Syd Arthur — which includes vocalist/guitarist Liam Magill, bassist Joel Magill, drummer Josh Magill and violinist/keyboardist Raven Bush — will be appearing at Terminal 5 alongside Jake Bugg on Sept. 27.
Liam spoke to Downtown about what is coming up for the acclaimed “pop psyche” band. Syd Arthur can be followed on Twitter and Facebook. More info can be found on Syd Arthur’s website.
What do you wish more people knew about Syd Arthur?
Liam Magill: Just more about us in general, really. We are an eclectic bunch with a lot of interests and skills. Music is our lives.
How often do assume that one of you is named Syd?
LM: This happens every now and then, but mostly people say it jokingly.
There are now three Magill’s in Syd Arthur. Are there any other musical siblings or relatives in the family?
LM: There are. Our youngest Magill brother Callum plays keys and composes music.
A lot of people call Syd Arthur a “psychedelic rock band.” Is that something that you like? Or do you have a better way of describing your sound?
LM: We don’t mind the term “psychedelic rock band.” Another way to describe the sound is “pop psyche,” because we as a band have a strong pop sensibility.
What do you remember about the first time you ever played in New York City? Was it as part of the O Music Awards for MTV?
LM: Yes, that happened and was a great experience. I think the first gig in New York City was a small club showcase at The Mercury Lounge. I remember we landed in NYC and The Zombies were playing in Central Park, it was summertime. We wandered the streets and the subways, it was very exciting.
As your band formed 13 years ago, is there a tour that you look back on most fondly?
LM: I guess our first tour we organized in 2009 I look back fondly on. It was our first big trip with the band outside of Kent and London. We made some great friends and connections along the way, notably playing a show at Darlington Uni in the west country. Also, some early touring we did in France with a French band we met through the Kent Uni.
I understand that you conceptualized and co-directed your band’s video trilogy. Have you always been so involved with video projects?
LM: Yes, we have always been involved in every aspect of the band. The videos this year and previous videos have been made by ourselves and close friends.
Your fourth album is set for release in October. When did you finish recording Apricity?
LM: The album was finished during last winter. We tracked it over the summer in California then brought our material back to the U.K. and finished it up back home in Kent.
How does Apricity compare to your last album Sound Mirror?
LM: We have a new drummer Josh on this record, so that has changed the dynamic and rhythmic element. Some different beats. We feel the record focusses on bigger melodies and themes instead of being overly-intricate. Also we’ve been getting very into all sorts of synthesis so that has been working its way into the sound more.
A lot of labels had been interested in Syd Arthur prior to your signing with Harvest Records. What is it that led you to choose Harvest?
LM: The Harvest label felt like the perfect home for the band. We liked the team and the prospect of having our label in L.A. It was also a classic label back in the day that we all got a lot of inspiration from, so to become a part of that lineage was something really special.
When not busy with Syd Arthur, how do you like to spend your free time?
LM: There isn’t much free time these days, but reading, playing go, making art, skateboarding, raving.
What is the last concert that you attended for fun?
LM: We went and watched Morgan Delt in Hackney last week, which was cool.
