15.01.2019 Views

The Deli #56 - Altopalo, NAMM 2019, Queens takes over Brooklyn

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

RODES ROLLINS<br />

<strong>The</strong>re aren’t too many country singers that wax-poetic<br />

about the larger than life figures of our world. It seems<br />

like the cultural focus of the genre has shifted toward different<br />

stories with different motifs. Yet artists like Rodes<br />

Rollins are trying to change that with songs like “Mystery<br />

Man.” Appearing like a country-pop mirage on the horizon,<br />

Rollins’ vocals are watery and obscure, detailing a<br />

man in a “forsaken land” that cannot be shot dead. <strong>The</strong><br />

track is less about a character’s arc and more about this<br />

legendary figure’s reputation, and it plays out <strong>over</strong> haunting<br />

instrumentals that border on psychedelic with twangy<br />

guitars that become surprisingly soothing. With its soft<br />

sonic palette, Rodes’ 2018 material has the tempo of ballads<br />

and the melodies of lullabies, but a sense of unease<br />

and tension conferred by her vocals and the edgy and<br />

dark production transform these tracks in unmissable noir<br />

psychedelic gems. (TUCKER PENNINGTON)<br />

<strong>The</strong>re’s a very intriguing Spaghetti Western element to many<br />

of your tracks. How did that get in there?<br />

I’m immensely inspired my Morricone. Often, when I’m writing I<br />

Photo: Mark Peaced<br />

Electro-Harmonix Lester K<br />

/ Danelectro Spring King /<br />

Spaceman Orion<br />

Noir Folk Dream Pop Spaghetti Western<br />

think about Western landscapes and sounds. His music always<br />

<strong>takes</strong> me there.<br />

What did you grow up listening to?<br />

I grew up listening to Nirvana, <strong>The</strong> Beatles, and Cat Stevens.<br />

Mostly stuff my dad would play for my sister and I.<br />

Although sparse, most of your songs feature a subtle but<br />

“intense” production. Is there a team working on your recorded<br />

sound?<br />

I work mostly with producer Alex Goose and engineer Keith<br />

Armstrong. I write and arrange the songs in <strong>Brooklyn</strong>, and then<br />

I bring them <strong>over</strong> to LA where we record and work on the production.<br />

Alex is a real tastemaker and has an amazing ear for<br />

references. He collects records and can pull the most obscure<br />

references about that always help with production. Keith, is<br />

an incredible engineer with every guitar pedal imaginable. He<br />

knows how to achieve any sound, and he’s a real analog guy.<br />

Speaking of pedals, what are your favorite ones right now?<br />

Pretty much everything is drenched in verb, we used a lot the<br />

Spaceman Orion Spring Reverb and the Danelectro Spring<br />

King. I’m also a fan of the Electro-Harmonix Lester K, which I<br />

use to achieve a nice leslie rotator effect.<br />

the deli Winter <strong>2019</strong> 23

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!