Is giving fewer interviews a good thing?
Yeah, of course. But I want as many people to hear us as possible, and interviews are just another way to get people to hear our music. You are the only constant in the Heartless Bastards. When putting together your current touring band, you reconnected with Dave Colvin and Jesse Ebaugh, who were members when the band first came together in 2003. Why not put together a brand-new lineup? They are really talented guys. I think they’re perfectly capable of playing as well as hired gun musicians. Plus, I would rather have friends come along than total strangers. It’s more enjoyable that way. For The Mountain, how did you hook up with producer Mike McCarthy, who has also worked with Spoon, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and Patty Griffin? Somehow, he had heard of us and contacted my manager. But I love all those Spoon records. McCarthy is the first real producer the band has worked with. Were you nervous about surrendering control in the studio? A bit. Plus, I was going through
