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Having Words With: Arbouretum
Thursday 11th October 2012 | James
We spoke to vocalist/guitarist Dave Heumann from Baltimore based folk-rock band Arboretum. Digest his mouth words reader, for he is the new Messiah.
Will this be your first time touring the UK? If not, where else have you played?
Our first time playing in the UK was in 2007. On that trip, we played more places along the East, like Coventry, Newcastle, and Nottingham. We've played a lot of places in the UK since, from as far west as Falmouth, up to as far north as Glasgow, and this past spring we played in Ireland for the first time.
You have a lot of mystic/folky imagery in your songs. Are you a spiritual man?
The proper answer to that question is a long one, but can be summed up with ‘yes’. I would caution to make a sharp distinction with that and religion though, which I have no use for other than as a source of imagery for songs, just as any kind of folklore is for me. The story of how we as human beings came to occupy such a position on our planet is to me a vast and fascinating one, and it is from this, with all its interwoven micro-narratives, that the lyrics tend to come from.
Can you reveal something of your recording process for this latest record Coming Out of The Fog?
Like the records of ours that came before it, it was something fairly vague and ambiguous until we actually went about the business of recording it. We had a rough outline and filled it in as we went along. Our friend and former band member Walker Teret was hired on as producer/band coach on this record, which resulted in my taking more of a backseat role than on our previous ones. It was our first time recording with Steve Wright. We did it at his studio, which is a pretty amazing place right near where we normally rehearse. His ear and awareness of things like tone and intonation is impeccable, and he's an incredibly hard worker who is skilled at communicating with people. Altogether it was a very positive experience making this one.
In addition, who or what has influenced your unique sound?
Lately it's been about the feeling we'll get from ideas collectively. If we're messing around and come across something everyone can get behind, we'll move in that direction. Specifically, the music has been more and more influenced by West African desert blues, mainly because it's something that still feels pure, unlike most current rock.
Dumb question: If you had to change your bands name now, what would it be?
No idea. I first had the idea of naming a band Arbouretum about 10 years ago, and I honestly can't recreate the thinking that told me it was a good idea in the first place. People constantly mispronounce it and spell it wrong, but at the same time it's a mantle we have assumed that has taken on a certain intertia of its own. The whole thing of having a band name is at once empowering and limiting. You can't really have a band name that encompasses as an entire universe of possibilities, as much as I'd sometimes like it to.
Finally, what can we expect from your live shows?
We want to make our live shows an all-encompassing experience. We're not up there doing this simply for something people can move around to, though it's of course great when that happens. We want to affect you at your deepest core, and the more you work with us, the more you suspend your disbelief, the better it'll go for everybody.
Arboretum are currently on tour in the UK:
4th Nov @ The Railway. Winchester
6th Nov @ Kraak. Manchester
7th Nov @ Moles Club. Bath
8th Nov @Start The Bus. Bristol
9th Nov @ Lexington (20th Anniversary Thrill Jockey Show). London
10th Nov @ Audioscope Festival. Oxford
11th Nov @ the Prince Albert.Brighton
By JDF
