story by Megan Holmes
photo by Karl Raschke
There are certain bands in the history of music that are so specific
in their sound and make such incredible music that it's hard to just
ignore all that they are. Low is one of these such bands. They are
so delicate in sound and tempo that you could probably hear a pin
drop when they play. But the intensity and creation of the sound that
they explore and devour makes their music worth so much more.
With slow tempos, quiet voices and minimal instrumentation, Low has
put out six full-length albums of soft and beautiful music since their
formation a decade ago. The twin engine behind Low's unique sound
is the Mormon and married couple Alan Sparhawk (guitar/vocals) and
Mimi Parker (percussion/vocals.) The Duluth, Minnesota, trio is rounded
out by secular friend Zak Sally on bass. Low's fourth and fifth albums
- Secret Name (1999) and Things We Lost in the Fire (2001) - were
recorded in Chicago by Steve Albini. The group's latest offering,
2002's Trust, was mixed in London by Tchad Blake.
I had the chance to visit Duluth where the temperature is five degrees
out and buying gloves at a convenient store seems to make sense. After
watching Low play an epic benefit show to Mr. Starfire himself, Sparhawk
and Parker sat down with Chicago Innerview and gave me the heads up
on touring with Radiohead, their daughter Hollis, and just why Duluth
is so damn appealing.
|
SPARHAWK'S INNER VIEW
|
|
"People will be quite sick of giving
up their money in the name of Low by summertime."
|
|
 |
Chicago Innerview: How did you guys end up mixing Trust at Peter
Gabriel's studio?
Alan: There is this guy Tchad Blake who used to be in L.A., and we
met him many years ago when we were out traveling with this band Soul
Coughing. They had done a few records with him and we were all fans
of his work, especially the new Lisa Germano record. I have been nagging
him for years to work with us and he was always pretty into it, but
was busy with Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel. Finally he said he would
mix the record. The twist was, at the time he was working in England.
He said it would be easier for us to just go to him and do it at Peter
Gabriel's studio.
Chicago Innerview: You toured this summer with Radiohead. What was
that experience like?
Alan: It was cool. It was a real honor. Going into it we just kept
an open mind, assuming that it was going to be really weird. It was
just not our world, but it did turn out better then we thought. We
had good reactions and felt welcome. The Radiohead guys were really
nice and their whole crew took care of us. What could have been the
most horrendous and nerve-wracking experience turned out to be a very
easy and casual tour to do.
CI: Your new 10" just came out on Cameron Crowe's record label.
How did that get started?
Alan: We got a random postcard from them several years ago that said,
'Hey we like your music, we've been listening to it a lot on the set'
(during the filming of Vanilla Sky). We were like, 'Oh great, thanks!'
They sent us a couple videos. Recently, they started putting out these
10-inches just for fun. They asked us and that was cool. It was kind
of a chance to do something different. They only did like 1,500 copies.
CI: What is your favorite Low record?
Alan: I guess I would say the Christmas record. It's just kind of
this quirky sweet little thing that I just like. It's probably the
only one that I actually listen to more than when we were mixing it.
It's rare that we listen to anything that we do.
CI: Are there any musicians that you would want to tour with?
Alan: I think PJ Harvey would be cool. I think something that would
be really fun is to be Gillian Welch's opening band and then also
let us be their backing band during the encore, so we could play some
Neil Young songs and their song 'Wrecking Ball'. It would also be
great to be Morrissey's band. So, Morrissey if you need a band give
us a call. We know you have a new record coming out pretty soon. If
you need a backing band, we're really cheap. If you don't mind kids
running around sometimes. We could stay out of the way. We'll be real
good. There are a lot of really great bands to play with. Most of
them would probably get sick of us after a few shows though.
CI: What have you guys been listening to that you enjoy?
Alan: Wait, I think it would be great to do shows with Wilco! We've
been listening to the Gillian Welch record and Wilco, also Jimi Hendrix.
I listened to The Strokes' record, some Neil Young. We are not as
hip to stuff as most people are. We're mostly just watching a lot
of Finding Nemo.
CI: Speaking of your daughter, do you encourage her to pursue music?
Alan: Yes, we actually make her practice the violin four hours a
day. We expect nothing but perfection. Mimi: I asked her once, 'Do
you want to play guitar, or drums, or sing?' And she told me she wanted
to be a singer. Alan: Actually, we asked her what she wanted to be
and she said she wanted to be in jail. Mimi: No, she wanted to be
a prisoner. She can play music in prison.
CI: When you introduce her to music, what will you play first?
Alan: Well, she already listens to a lot in the van. She thinks everyone
plays music. We'll be listening to a CD and we'll have a friend in
the van. She'll turn to them and say, 'Is this you? That must be your
band.' Mimi: One time Alan had this Zeppelin DVD on. Hollis walked
into the room and Robert Plant had his back to the camera and he's
got all this long curly hair, and she looked at Alan and said, 'Oh
is that mom?' Alan: It was real matter of fact. Mimi: You just hope
that she doesn't get into the top 40s, but there's not a lot you can
do to avoid that. Alan: Cheap Trick was in the top 40. Mimi: Yeah,
but not for her time.
CI: What is your record label Chairkickers about? Does it consume
a lot of your time?
Alan: I am getting more used to managing my time. Chairkickers started
out as a name to put out the Christmas record on. Then that turned
into doing a single. I have another band The Black Eyed Snakes and
we thought we could put out that music too. Then we started including
other people in town. It's nice to help people out. I am not a future
powerhouse label boss, for sure, but it is fun to help out people
we know. I think we've put out some really great music with those
people.
CI: What do you like about living in Duluth?
Alan: We have family here. We've been here long enough that we have
really established some great friendships. It's close enough to stuff
if you really want to go you can, but far enough so that it's not
caught up in other city stuff. It's the perfect big small town.
CI: Where did your relationship with the band Ida start?
Alan: A long time ago, Jenny Toomey gave us their CD. She said they
would be cool to tour with. A few years went by and then we did a
couple shows with them. We were nervous because they were these hot
shot indie rocker superstars and they were kind of tough looking.
Mimi: They told us the same thing - that they were afraid of us at
first. Alan: Our first show with them was in Portland. We were sitting
outside before the show sizing each other up. Then we just started
fighting. Ever since then we just can't get out each others faces.
Mimi: We just became fast friends. Alan: We have similar attitude
about certain things. It works out good. Now they have a kid and we
have a kid. It would be great if they were in a band. They could get
Kim Gordon's kid and Frances Bean.
CI: You guys did the Mothman Prophecies soundtrack. How did that
come about?
Alan: Another little weird fluke. This director Mark Pellington was
asked to do a short film for TV and he asked us to do the music for
it. Then I was in L.A. and thought I would just go and say hi to him.
At the time, he was finishing up the editing for Mothman Prophecies.
He invited me to play a couple things for the soundtrack. He really
liked what he heard. We did the beginning and ending songs. It worked
out alright.
CI: What is next for Low?
Alan: We're going to slowly work on some recording this winter. Just
try and get something finished for summer. We're putting out this
3-CD collections of our B-sides. That will come out sometime this
spring. We're gonna try to be happy in the wintertime. Mimi: We might
have to go to somewhere warm. Alan: Yea. Maybe New Mexico. Don't you
think that would be fun? Mimi: Sure.
CI: What is next for Chairkickers?
Alan: Unless we can find a really great label to put out the Kid
Dakota record, I think that we might be putting that out. However
I think someone really big and huge who has lots of money should come
out and give them money because they're really good. If someone would
give them a chance, they would blow people's minds away.
CI: Will you be releasing a DVD of your videos?
Alan: Yea. It keeps getting put back. There is a documentary and
videos. It is being put out by someone else. I think it should come
out sometime early next year. Probably the same time as the B-sides
rarities. People will be quite sick of giving up their money in the
name of Low by summertime.
Low will play at the Logan Square Auditorium Dec. 12.