Electric Owls : Ain't Too Bright + Interview with Andy Herod

by My Old Kentucky Blog on Tue, 2009/05/26 - 3:00pm Post to Twitter

"I’m a clairvoyant, babe, listen if you will!" begins Electric Owls’ newest release Ain’t Too Bright, launching an album full of energy, optimism, and high spirits, with the music to back it up!   When Magic Show, the preceding EP, came out late last year, I was instantly attracted to the easy-going sound and inviting nature of the music. I think someone might say it has all of the elements of southern hospitality, as much as music could.

I mean, Andy Herod, frontman of Electric Owls, lulls you into toe-tapping and even singing along to a song about a man who murders and cannibalizes his wife!

Lots of great stuff here, soaring synths belly up to the bar with thoughtful vocal harmonies, folky finger-picked guitars toast to equally folky electronic drumming. I hear influences ranging from Black Sabbath to Bela Fleck or from Rush to Scissor Sisters.

I mean, take, Haint in the Holler, a danceable, country/trad rock/americana, catchy tune, and place it next to the anthemic track Magic Show, and you are really left with an album whose music is unclassified, with surprisingly well-executed diversity.

There are moments when this album teeters on the brink of full out ho-down, only to rebalance instantly with minimalist drums and momentum created from the Asheville, NC sound, where the band did most of the creation for this album.

Thoughtful, relevant, surprising, and full of personality and spirit, this album does not disappoint.

The Electric Owls just returned from a European tour. Their newest release, Ain’t Too Bright was released earlier this month from Vagrant Records.



MOKB : Is this band name a reference to Philip K. Dick or Bladerunner in any way?

Andy Herod : Initially, that did not come to mind, but I’ve seen the movie at least 20 times, so maybe a little bit..

It comes from a little antique owl lamp I bought at a garage sale in Canton, Oklahoma around the time I was thinking about doing a new project. It sat staring at us from the top of the mixing board with glowing red eyes throughout the entire session.

MOKB : Let’s talk about Cannibal Superstar. In an otherwise highly autobiographical album, this certainly stands out! What is the nature of your inspiration for this one?

Andy Herod : What are you talking about?  I killed and ate my wife and got away with it.

Oh wait, no that wasn’t me actually. It was this guy.

I heard/read this story a long time ago and thought it might be interesting lyrical material so I used it. I found out later that The Rolling Stones and The Stranglers both have songs about this guy too.

It’s a real life tale of the macabre. I don’t glorify it in any way and in fact I’m genuinely disturbed by it, but I was equally interested in having a pop song be from his point of view. I think it’s a very sad story as well, and I feel like that came through a little in the song.

MOKB : I am pumped (yeah lame word, but yeah) about the energy of Ain’t Too Bright. How do you think you capture the energy in your music?

Andy Herod : Hmm. I’m not sure. I think the songs where written during a very optimistic period for me. But I think the most important thing is to get people around you excited about it while you are recording, especially the people who are playing on it. And hopefully it comes across.

MOKB : You say that being in a band will ruin your life. And here I am killing myself to find people to play music with.  Am I (and so many countless, countless others) on the wrong track?

Andy Herod : No, playing music with people is one of the most amazing things a person can do with his or her time. It’s magical, it’s proof of some kind of metaphysical reality, it’s a way to come together and and have a great time with friends.

But like so many great things it can be ruined and maybe even ruin you if you take it too far and try to make it your whole life.

It’s probably a little like baseball. Baseball is a really great game at it’s core. But look at baseball players these days. What a bunch of douche bags.

I’m still pursuing music as a career because I just, honestly do not know what else to do right now. I’m open to suggestions.

Plus it keeps me traveling and I like that.

MOKB : I’ve never asked this before, but maybe it would have an interesting answer: who is generally the first person to hear your new, in-creation music? The object of the song, bandmates, housemates?

Andy Herod : It depends. For this record it was a lovely young lady named Kellie Woodbury who was kind enough to let me crash at her place while I wrote these songs. I demoed them on Garage Band and when she came home from work I would play them for her.

She was such a great audience because she seemed to genuinely love them so it kept me going.

MOKB : Have you always had a Southern influence to your music, or is being in the Asheville area changing the way you approach music?

Andy Herod : Part of the idea behind coming to Asheville was to put some of that sound in there. Also, Jason Caperton, who played all of the twangy guitars, is really good at playing that way because he’s a redneck. So I had some jams that I thought he would have fun playing on and it turns out I was right.

MOKB : What’s the music scene like there, I’ve not been, but I hear great things (maybe that’s a pun? certainly pun-ish).

Andy Herod : It’s eclectic and vibrant. Probably the two most generic words to describe a music scene, but it’s true. There are new bands cropping up every week which is a good sign. There are a lot of good, small venues here too like The Rocket Club and Emerald Lounge which is another sign of some good things going on.

And of course there is The Orange Peel which keeps large, touring acts coming through which is key to the momentum of a scene.

MOKB : I have to admit it, I’m loving this album right now. Really great stuff. If it doesn’t ruin your life, what road is the Electric Owls travelling down? More of the same or has a part of the production piqued your interest?

Andy Herod : I’ve started to write new songs. I’ll definitely do another record. It looks like it’s going to be quite different, but it’s also a little early to tell. I’ve been listening to The Pet Shop Boys a lot…Uh oh.