speed of dark

Indie Mom and I had seen David Bazan previously this year, opening for Ben Gibbard at UCLA's spacious and elegant Royce Hall. His appearance at downtown Pomona's scruffy Glass House this past Monday could not have contrasted more, especially as far as the personal connection with the audience that the smaller venue provides. I was so sorry that Indie Mom was too sick to join me.

A small but devoted audience watched as Bazan performed songs from his extensive catalog on a stage bare except for his small amp and a fake white Christmas tree. As he has done frequently in other performances, every few songs he asked, like a professor in the middle of a lecture, "Are there any questions at this point in the show?"


Members of the audience took the opportunity to ask about some of Bazan's compositions, his future plans, and a recent article in the local Inland Empire Weekly. He answered all questions politely and generously. I wished I had bothered bringing my recorder so I could catch all those details, but the best I could do was scribble notes blindly in the dark.

On Black Cloud: It will be known as David Bazan's Black Cloud, and he will sometimes perform with this band and sometimes solo.
His favorite podcasts: Bazan listens to podcasts frequently, especially on the road. He likes NPR, and This American Life is one of his favorites.
What he's reading: He's been enjoying Jack Kerouac's On the Road.
Work he's most proud of: The current EP Fewer Moving Parts (Barsuk). Bazan says he learned to sing after making that recording. He says he now can't stand to listen to himself on Pedro and the Lion's Achilles Heel (2004) because he sounds tranquilized. I was glad to hear him make that criticism himself, because I think that is why I've never liked PTL that much.
About Headphones: Yes, there will be another Headphones album sometime because it's contracted.

Someone asked what advice he has about songwriting, and he replied to the effect that doing it a lot makes you better at it. He advocates what he called "free-writes," where he "opens the faucet" and just lets things come out without editing himself. He says he's spent a lot of time in the past couple of years since splitting with PTL partner T.W. Walsh just trying to figure out if songwriting and performing is something he still wants to continue doing. He concludes that he does enjoy songwriting "as a vocation."

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
1. Weeds In the Wheat
2. Transcontinental
3. Cold Beer and Cigarettes
4. Please Baby Please
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6. New song, Untitled
7. Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives
8. Hot Girls
9. Harmless sparks and fewer moving parts
10. ?
11. New song: Curse Your Branches
12. Options
13. Lost My Shape (co-written with Jason Martin of Riverside, CA)
14. Bands With Managers
15. Hallelujah

I "borrowed" "Please Baby Please" and "Curse Your Branches" from this post at Hard To Find a Friend blog, where you will find the recordings of an entire David Bazan performance. Don't forget to order a Peace On Earth Christmas compilation while you're there--benefits go to Toys For Tots.

I found "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" at Daytrotter.

MySpace | Website | Label: Barsuk Records
Headphones Website
Buy at Amazon.com and iTunes

Show Schedule:
Dec 12 2007 - BOTTOM OF THE HILL w/ J. Tillman, San Francisco, CA
Dec 13 2007 - INDIGO DISTRICT w/ J. Tillman, Eugene, OR
Dec 14 2007 - MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS w/ J. Tillman, Portland, OR
Dec 15 2007 - CROCODILE CAFE w/ J. Tillman, Seattle, WA
European tour begins Feb. 4, 2008, in London--see MySpace

David Bazan previously on Speed of Dark: with Ben Gibbard at Royce Hall, UCLA
Related post: J. Tillman at the Glass House