Thomas will make his regional film debut tonight with the premier of the film “Becoming Charlie,” directed by Andrew Behm. Thomas plays the father of a troubled youth with big dreams.
Screenings are at 6pm, May 8 and 9, at the Dearborn Performing Arts Center.
Check out the trailer…
After a long Winter’s sleep, AM will be performing at the Gangplank Records showcase as part of this year’s MetroTimes Blowout, on Saturday, May 4 at Go! Comedy in Ferndale, MI. Showtime is 8pm.
We’re thrilled to be part of a fantastic bill that includes The Blueflowers, The Barrettes, Touch the Clouds, and The Thornbills.
$20 buys you a 3-day pass to the Ferndale part of the festival, which runs May 2-4. $35 buys a 6-day pass to both the Ferndale and Hamtramck weekend, which runs April 25-27. More ticket info here.
Hi All!
Just a note to let you know that we’ve added a *follow* button to AM.com so you can have our blog posts emailed to your favorite inbox. You can find the follow button in the lower right-hand corner of the site.
If you have not do done so already, you can also join our email list. This list is used to send out semi-regular updates about shows and such. The list subscription window is at the bottom of the website smack-dab in the middle of the page.
Finally, a bit of underwhelming news. It turns out that AM will NOT be supporting Crime and the City Solution at their upcoming Detroit show on October 19. The show has been moved from the Majestic Theater to the DIA. We’ve heard rumors that DIA security expressed some concerns that they may not be equipped to handle our fans, but who knows? In any case, we apologize for the trouble.
Peace,
t
This week we’re pleased to preview the second track from Chasing Vapor, “If I’m Gonna Get Old.” This track was recorded during one of the last sessions for the record and is the second track on the album.You can stream the song in the player and on the album page here.
I’m gonna give my love a flower
Speak my mind, speak my mind
I’m gonna wait out the hour
Take my time, take my time
I can’t see what’s in front of me
Can’t remember what’s behind
Can’t recall for the life of me
All the dust that’s left me blind
If I’m gonna get old
I’m gonna get old with you
I’m gonna mend my suit
With a thread so very fine
I’m gonna fix my boots
Make them shine, make them shine
Gonna get out on the floor
With the woman of my dreams
Gonna hold her hand in mine
Let the spaces in between
If I’m gonna get old
I’m gonna get old with you
I never treated you how I should
Daddy never taught me about romance
But you were smarter than a whip
Sweeter than a sip
You always made me feel like I could dance
I can’t see what’s in front of me
Can’t remember what’s behind
Can’t recall for the life of me
All the dust that’s left me blind
If I’m gonna get old
I’m gonna get old with you
Welcome to the new AM.com. The new site goes with our new record, Chasing Vapor, which will be released on August 18, 2012. Over the next few weeks,we will be posting songs from the record along with other bits that we hope you’ll find interesting.
Our release show for Chasing Vapor will be on Saturday, August 18 at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our very special guests that evening will be The Thornbills. Doors are at 7:30 with music starting promptly at 8pm. See the shows page for more details. We’d love to have you there!
Finally, we’re pleased to present our first video for the new record, “Cutters,” directed by Tom Hendrickson. Check it out!
Peace,
Thomas
I’ve been on a big rockabilly kick lately–Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, etc. Today in the car I heard Gene Vincent’s “Cat Man,” not for the first time but for the first time, if you know what I mean. What struck me was the similarity between this track and another favorite from a different time, Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Thorn of Crowns.”
Here’s Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Thorn of Crowns”:
Now, “Cat Man”:
Kind of crazy! Not only is the rhythmic approach similar but the Bunnymen tune even has the fuzzed-out vocal whoops. I’d love to know if someone else has made this connection and I’m dying to know if the Bunnymen had the Vincent track in mind when they were writing their song.
This is a reprint from an article in The Review magazine. Interview by Bo White.
American Mars is another great Detroit band that dodges fame effortlessly like Robert Bradley or the Forbes Brothers. It seems as if these great musicians struggle between hope and despair while looking for the space between spontaneity and discipline. The answers are elusive but the truth is they need to stop and take a breath and smell the air in the house they were born into. American Mars is to roots music as Pink Floyd is to pensive atmospheric rock & roll.
American Mars consists of Thomas Trimble (vocals, guitar), David Feeny (pedal steel, guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Garth Girard (upright bass, electric bass, backing vocals) and Alex Trajano (drums). They are all superb musicians who know how to play economically and appreciate the spaces between the notes. Trimble’s lyrics are reflective and convey a sense that the divine can be experienced. This is modern spiritual music that you won’t hear on the radio. It’s just that good. David Feeny is an incredible pedal steel player and his well-placed grooves create an atmospheric soundscape that is irresistible.
Their 2008 release Western Sides may be one of the best albums released in the new millennium.
Review: American Mars has so much going for it. Great songs, great playing and a distinct vision. What are your roots?
Trimble: I think the foundation of the band comes from a love of two distinct bodies of music, the first being the rich body of American roots music, from Hank Williams and T-Bone Walker to Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Charlie Rich, and Bob Dylan. The second stream comes from some of the great post-punk groups that had such a big impact on us growing up, groups like The Clash, Joy Division, the Chameleons, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Did you have a mentor? an inspiration?
I can’t say that I have a mentor, but I guess that Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and PJ Harvey have the most impact on my sense of what I’d like to be in terms of a songwriter and an artist. They all represent unobtainable ideals of course, but that’s the point, isn’t it?
Did your musical vision coalesce around Western sides?
I’ve always liked the idea of groups periodically reinventing themselves so while I would agree that Western Sides is the most cohesive collection of music we’ve made, I’d like to think that we’ll continue to experiment with other things as we continue to make music together.
Did it feel like you found your unique voice?
I do feel like we found a voice on that record, both in terms of the kinds of sounds we were trying to make and in the different kinds of stories we were trying to tell. The song “Western Sides,” which ended up giving us the title of the record and the cover art that our bassist Garth developed for the record really helped focus our thinking about the record as an album rather than a collection of singles. It felt good to see that vision come together.
Personal experiences become universal themes when laid down in a song structure. Did writing about everyday life touch you in a personal way?
Personal experiences are usually at the heart of how songs begin but it’s interesting how the meanings of songs change over time. A good example is the song on Western Sides called “Long Walk Home.” That was written about a very specific time in my life but when we play that now, three or four years after it was written, it seems to have taken on a different context, at least in my mind. On the other hand, there are other songs that I’ve written about specific experiences that I tend to forget about and it’s only when we play those songs that those memories come back. When those memories happen to be painful or intense, the experience of singing those songs can be jarring.
Do you find that you enjoy writing more when you can tell a story that you are personally or emotionally connected to?
Yes, but the challenge for me as an adult with adult responsibilities is that the bounds of my everyday experience tend to narrow around a set of routines, getting kids to soccer practice for example, that make coming up with new ideas difficult. I struggle to find things to say that I think other people will find interesting. I guess that’s why I’m so impressed by songwriters who can write about adulthood in new and interesting ways. For the last few days, I’ve been listening to David Bazan’s new record and I’m just blown away by what he sees in everyday life. My friend and fellow songwriter Karla Richardson is also amazing in that regard.
How would you describe your music on Western sides?
On Western Sides, we focused on presenting well-crafted songs featuring sounds and textures that would resonate with roots-oriented audiences while also incorporating some of the more textured, experimental sounds that had characterized some of our earlier work.
What is your strength musically?
I’m a very limited guitar player but I can usually carry a tune. I think my biggest strength is the ability to get out of the way, out of the way of the songs, the ideas, and what the other guys in the band are doing.
What is your Achilles heal? Are they different sides of the same coin…the paradox of opposites?
I have two nearly ruptured Achilles heels. The first is an innate lack of natural talent. The second is a lack of time to practice and improve. My goal now is for people to see that there is something rewarding about doing the best with what you have at hand. Thankfully, the rest of the band is really, really good so a lot of my shortcomings are obscured.
What do you think about the Detroit music scene?
I’m inexcusably uninformed about the Detroit music scene. I’ve never been much of a scene person so it’s hard to say. I do know that there is very good music being made here. I really like the Blueflowers, Legendary Creatures, and I’m a big fan of everything that Ryan Allen does. I hate the fact that he’s so prolific but that’s all about to change so I’m very happy in a twisted kind of way.
Do you think Detroit can ever recover its former glory?
I don’t know but I am very proud of the fact that as a people, Detroiters just seem to have an incredible capacity to keep going. In spite of the poverty, violence, and segregation, Detroit also continues to be a place of exceptional creative potential. I think the same can be said of the whole state of Michigan.
American Mars has been at it a long time. How do you keep going?
We’re not worried about anything other than making music we feel good about so the fact that we’ve never attained the level of recognition or success as other bands we’ve played with doesn’t smart anymore. We don’t tour so there’s rarely time to figure out we don’t like each other.
Any last questions or comments?
These are great questions. I really like the idea of adults finding ways to continue to be creative despite all the things in our lives that work against that. There’s a heroism in that that I really admire. The exuberance of youth and the ability to be relevant has its place but there’s something about the doing that endures.
I’m not a huge fan of year end lists but…here’s ten records that meant a lot to me in 2011.
1. PJ Harvey-Let England Shake
2. Wye Oak- Civilian
3. Great Lake Swimmers-Lost Channels
4. Hey Rosetta-Seeds
5. David Bazan-Strange Negotiations
6. Paul Simon-So Beautiful or So What
7. Elbow-Build a Rocket Boys!
8. Low-C’Mon
I’ve always loved the Stones but they scare me. Of course that’s part of the reason I dig ’em. Goat’s Head Soup, “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Monkey Man,”–turn on the lights! When I was in eighth grade my cousin and I were into Tatoo You. Over recess one day we both tried to figure out the boot on the inside sleeve. Is that fur? A cloven hoof? It still gives me the shivers. Mick’s take on all things carnal was a lot to handle for my white boy brain. I remember listening to Some Girls, and the song “Some Girls” in particular, with headphones hoping my mom wouldn’t walk in.
But I want to talk about guitar sounds. For as much as Keith has a reputation for just plugging in and letting it rip, I’m constantly amazed by the range of fantastic guitar sounds that he and his collaborators have come up with over the years. Brian Jones and Mick Taylor deserve much of the credit of course, but I was led to write this post based on my random encounters over the last couple of days with the intros to both “Brown Sugar” and “Happy.”
As most people who know me know, The Edge is one of my heroes. The sound of his rhythm guitar on the album version of “Pride” leaves me in awe every time I hear it (I still remember hearing it for the first time as my alarm clock went off one 11th grade morning). But the guitar sounds and iconic intros in songs like “Brown Sugar,” “Happy,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Street Fighting Man,” and “Bitch” seem so classic, it’s easy to look past how fantastically original they sound. I’m not a tekkie but any sense of the word so I’ll leave it to others to offer their dissertations on how the Stones got the sounds they did (even though I know “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is an acoustic guitar mic’d through a cassette tape recorder). The closest I get is when I get my Tele to sound like Keef on “Waiting On a Friend.”
Oh, and then there’s “Shattered.”
