Musicians are an odd class of people. I never quite feel at ease with them, not fully understanding how their minds work, how they create what I love so much. And they make it all look so damn easy. Writers I understand, working with words as I do. Mathematicians I can somewhat grasp, having been in the presence of genius of that type. Their minds are constantly calculating, it’s no joke. Even visual artists don’t strike me as all that unusual, they’re looking at the world in a way that seems interesting but not too far out of the ordinary. It’s not as if I’ve not spent time with people who are smarter, or more capable, or experienced with their craft than I am with mine. I’ve not lived a particularly sheltered life, m’dears. In fact, I would reckon that I’ve crossed paths with more virtuosos and renown experts than the majority of the population.

But, people who write music are a true mystery to me. I listen to it intently. I fill my day with music and apply it to myself like medicine to alleviate my moods. I’ve sat in a room and watched someone write a song, seen them work out the melody, and add the words, and fill in the chords and harmonies. I can’t explain how it happens. They hear something I don’t hear. They just seem to pull it out of the ether. Ben Davis can’t explain it either and he has written some of the best songs of 2009 for Bad Veins‘ self-titled album.

Tuesday night, a week ago, I scuttled over to the Subterranean to meet Sebastien Schultz and Ben Davis who make up the duo that is Bad Veins. I put in the call to their manager to say I was there to interview them only to find that they were not in Chicago yet, alas! It was one of those nights when the band pulls up to the club, shoves their gear on stage, grabs a beer and on they go. I don’t know how they pull that off either, but they were wonderful. After shaking off some of the riding-in-the-van kinks, Bad Veins did a really inspired, if short set that featured all the tracks that I remembered from when I had seen them at the Abbey Pub in June. Playing with Irene, their 1973 reel-to-reel tape player, the album came alive to a crowd that embraced it wholeheartedly. Both times I’ve seen them play, Ben’s voice never cracks even when he sings those high notes so passionately.

After their show I met them upstairs, but finding a quiet space to chat proved to be a challenge. I give them loads of credit, these guys were very intent on doing this interview. And off to the fire escape we went, carefully propping the door open behind us. Yes, darlings, the Tart stood on a metal grate, three stories up and level with the el tracks (elevated rapid transit trains for you non-Chicagoans). It was both terrifying and intermittently loud! And by far, the most interesting interview location to date. I wanted to know how this band who made such an interesting album, one that went from demos to recordings without changing a single note by Dangerbird Records, achieved such a feat. What kind of person writes this stuff? How does Sebastien fit into this equation?

First off, yes it’s true that Ben writes the songs and that this project began as a solo act. But don’t jump from there to believing that Bad Veins is all about Ben Davis. This duo depends on one another. It’s evident in their performance, in the manner in which they engage with each other on stage. You find it in the songs themselves as well. There’s an interplay between guitar or keyboard and drum, and how they weave in and out of the background soundtrack that is played on Irene, all of which is a product of these two men. And throughout my interview they were a team, answering questions at the same time, finishing each others’ sentences, and interjecting ideas and corrections throughout. Listening to Sebastien drum it is clear that his roots lie in the music he grew up on, in punk rock. He told me how he listened to the early punk bands of 1976 and ‘77 “leading up to indie rock, and to poppy punk,” and bands like Hot Snakes. Watching Sebastien drum is watching someone lose themselves in the moment. I don’t think he’s thinking at all when he’s on stage, or at least when he’s playing. It looks to be a total and complete engagement with the song, the drums, maybe with Ben, maybe not even. I loved watching him, pay attention when they come to your town!

We talked about music journalism a bit. They do read reviews from time to time and even some blogs. I always wonder if musicians read my blog. It’s a huge ego boost to think they might, I have to admit, but also a little terrifying in case I get something wrong! I’ve had a few correct me and I’m glad of it. I’d rather be embarrassed than look foolish for leaving an error up there.  I did prod them about this issue because I had seen their tweet about a blogger who had obviously gotten something incorrect. I was wary!

The thing is, the “filter is no longer there. You can have the best journalists in the world writing online and the worst journalists, that aren’t even journalist, quite frankly, writing and not fact checking” stated Sebastien.

And he’s right. There is no filter out here on the ‘net. It is frustrating to see us getting things wrong. Ben goes on to say, “To be a band that has a record on a label, [a band] that is touring, you have to get people’s approval to get even as far as we’ve gotten, and we’re still a baby band.  And some guys who are blogging, they’ve not had to get anybody’s approval.”

Sebastien rightly adds, “There is a difference between a music journalist and a blogger who’s just started his site 10 mins ago.”

I am all for everyone having a say, but it is the same argument we have in the university community wherein, the difference between what the newspaper says on a subject and what a peer-reviewed, scientific journal says is a very important distinction to keep. Yes, that newspaper might have used the same sources and have as much authority. But it has an equal or greater chance of exactly the opposite. The journal article has zero chance of that opposite situation and 100% chance of good and tested sources. Of course, music blogging isn’t science. But the fact remains; it’s sometimes aggravating for bands to deal with the press.

And the printed press can be just as challenging. Ben reports, “we get reviews forwarded [from various sources] it’s fun to get every now and then. It’s fun how contradictory they are sometimes. They say ‘the blogs totally missed the mark, this record is totally worthless, forget Bad Veins!’ And the next one will say, ‘these guys made such a great first record, that I’m scared for them cause they can’t top it’ And these guys have totally conflicting opinions. You have to just ignore it all.”

Sebastien adds, “ You let it be, it’s in its own little world.”

It boils down to why musicians do what they do. And Bad Veins got to the point: ‘I write songs because if I don’t I feel like I’m not doing anything with my life [as opposed to writing for critics or for fans] so I just write.”

I grill Ben on how he writes a song. It’s a topic I’m determined to decipher in this lifetime! He says, “melody and lyrics come at the same time… I think a song is gonna go like this… a chorus and a verse, the bulk and the hook usually comes in the first sitting and then it turns into real work from there. I usually have a keyboard, I’ll have it set to a clarinet sound or something. I’ll say, ‘that’s an interesting sound,’ that might lend itself to a particular chord progression or key change and every sound I experiment with kind of inspires me to write a certain kind of song, so I usually just work off of sounds that I like in the first place, and those sounds turn into whole songs.”

I ask him, “and a certain kind of song meaning also holds a certain kind of lyrical meaning?”

“No not necessarily. I don’t think they go together. For example the last song on the record… D and F sharp minor, back and forth [he hums it to us] and I was just doing that one day, that change,  and ten minutes later that song was written.”

“And that doesn’t say to you a mood, in terms of words?”

“I don’t know if it does or not; well if it does, it’s entirely intuitive, and I don’t think about it. Yeah, I guess they kind of match. I mean ‘Go Home’ I guess has it’s own kind of vibe. The lyrics and the vibe of the song and the melody go together. I think that part, I kinda don’t know how to explain.”

“Yeah that’s the answer I always get, (laughing) that’s what musicians are, …” and I shake my head in resignation. I’ll never figure this out.

“Well it sounds really corny, but it’s almost like you don’t have anything to do with it, it just kind of happens.” Ben says.

I end the interview, (after we get found out from our hiding place by a rather annoyed looking venue staffer), by asking the general, corny question: “If you could be any instrument you wish and be played by any virtuoso you chose, which would you be and by whom?” It always seems to take them by surprise, and get a laugh. Sebastien chose to be his own favorite instrument, the drum kit and to be played by one of his favorite drummers,  William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate. Ben’s answer was both predictable and contrary! “I’d be a handful of confetti thrown by Tom Waits!” I had counted on the Tom Waits part. The confetti was what threw me.

Before we said goodbye I asked them about the next album. It was a question I had told myself I shouldn’t ask. I knew there must be a lot of pressure to come out with something big. This one had been two years in the making and even though it had only been released in June, people were looking ahead. It just popped out of my mouth, I couldn’t stop myself from bringing it up, I”m sorry!

“Yes”, Ben said, “I feel tremendous pressure because I haven’t given myself time to write.”

“Do you write on the road?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet, no. It’s like that magic we were talking about, that you can’t control. You only have to let it happen. You only have to put yourself in a situation that it can happen. And I haven’t gotten my head there in a while. And I think about it every day. I can’t wait till we’re done touring so I can lock myself in a cabin and just focus.”

What Bad Veins will produce once they get that time to focus will surely be wonderful. Ben and Sebastien are thoughtful and self reflective people who look at the world and themselves with a critical eye. Their music is full of the emotions of every day life yet it’s performed in a way that even complicated feelings find a home in it…. Oh, and they also happen to make pretty damn good pop songs. Look for their new website coming out soon, you heard it here first! xoxo

“You Kill”
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