Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Conversation with River City Extension, Part 4

Patrick O'Brien and Joe Michelini at Simple Gifts 4 last year.

"I'm Not There," First Aid Kit, "Jackie," Politics

Note: This is the final installment in a series of posts (Part 1Part 2, Part 3) in which I've shared with you portions of my conversation with River City Extension's Joe Michelini and Patrick O'Brien. We sat in my backyard, drank a few beers, and had a long chat. You'll hear crickets, dogs, planes, trains, bottles and glasses knocking around. You'll also hear some very interesting insights on music and beer.

It's time for the final installment of my conversation with Joe Michelini and Patrick O'Brien of River City Extension. Just in time, too. The band play The Stone Pony tomorrow night for the fifth go-round of their Simple Gifts Thanksgiving Eve show. It's become a Thanksgiving tradition here, and this year's show features some excellent local acts in gods, EdTang and The Chops, and Prehistoric Forest. The band will also be accepting food donations for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties at the door.

We got back to talking about Deliverance, and Joe, Pat, and I spent some time on Joe's philosophy about how to record a slower song as we discussed Deliverance track "I'm Not There."

The new record doesn't display the overt Americana of its predecessors. Part of that, I think, is due to the lack of a banjo on any of the songs. We find out the reason for that, and Joe and I each make a confession about our own experiences seeing Swedish country duo First Aid Kit play live.



Finally, we've spent a good deal of time discussing an album that just about nobody has heard yet. I wanted to touch a bit on some of the newer music from Joe that's been out there for a while, so we talked a little bit about a couple of songs, like "Jackie," that didn't make it onto the record.



We also touched on the idea of making a political statement in music and why River City Extension doesn't do that.



I'd like to thank the guys for spending so much time with me, talking, and drinking beer. It was fun, and just thinking back on it puts me in a festive holiday mood. Simple Gifts is always a great time, and there are still tickets available.

You should go.

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