Q&A: Daughn
Gibson
Daughn Gibson, a 32-year-old Pennsylvanian, sauntered onto
the alt country music scene almost imperceptibly. Born Josh Martin, the
singer-songwriter has dabbled in a roster of odd jobs at an adult bookstore and
truck driver recruiter. His music career began, in earnest, as a drummer for
the metal band Pearls & Brass.
With a blend of electronic grooves and tender
Americana-style storytelling, Gibson’s debut All Hell dropped in 2012 on
White Denim and was enthusiastically received by critics. Gibson was soon
signed to Sub Pop and went to work on his second album, Me Moan. While
the gritty narratives of struggle and heartbreak remain on his sophomore
effort, the production is fuller and sonically lush with unorthodox instruments.
Once you’ve heard it, you won’t soon forget Gibson’s
distinct—and occasionally divisive—baritone, comparable to the likes of the
Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt. Daughn’s voice is rough, unnerving, and
weirdly irresistible. We spoke to this charming underdog during a brief break
in his summer-long tour schedule.
Q: Yours is the first bio I’ve read that mentions the
artist’s height (6’5”) and weight (200 pounds). How did that get in there?
A: [Laughs] My friend Matt Corvette from the band Pissed Jeans
helped me out with my first record. We’ve been friends since I was 6’3” and he
decided it should be in there.
Q: You were born, and continue to live, in Pennsylvania , which is
unusual considering most artists seem to live in California or New York . What’s made you stay?
A: I grew up an hour from New York and an hour-and-a-half from Philly
and I never had any reason to completely relocate to either of those places. I
have the best of both worlds; the bucolic scenery here and the excitement of
the city nearby.
Q: How did you make the transition from Pearls &
Brass to Daughn Gibson?
A: The main thing about Pearls & Brass was turning up the
volume, though I’ve always loved blues and country. The transition wasn’t
completely strange. It’s the result of working by myself.
Q: In their review of All Hell, Pitchfork
said, “His characters are washed-up, pathetic, and old.” Would you say that’s
accurate?
A: Yeah, sometimes even when I include myself in the
songwriting. I try to empathize with the characters when writing from their
point of view.
Q: Are the characters real or imaginary?
A: They are mostly fragments of my imagination, though there
are bits and pieces from people I’ve come across in real life.
Q: You’ve said All Hell is a “product of
isolation.” What was “Me Moan” a product of?
A: When I say “isolation,” what I meant was that making a
record with a band is about getting a six-pack and fleshing out ideas. With All
Hell, I had no one to coordinate with—by choice—and didn’t bounce ideas off of
anyone. It was purely from the pit of my head.
Q: How did touring change the way you wrote Me Moan,
knowing you were going to perform it live?
A: It completely changed what I was doing. Pearls & Brass
was about getting sweaty and turning it up and that element was missing when I
toured for All Hell. I kept in mind, “The next album has to be sweaty and
louder.”
Q: What kind of tools and instrumentation did you use
to achieve that sound?
A: I did most of the stuff at home, then went into a studio in Chicago and added
flourishes. There’s acoustic guitar and pedal steel. I brought in a cellist and
a piano player as well.
Q: You’ve had a lot of odd jobs. Which was your
favorite and why?
A: I was a Broadcast Tech for a while and went around
refurbishing news vans. That job kept me on the road constantly, traveling to
small towns. It’s different from touring, where all you really get to see is
the back of a warehouse. When I was a tech, I really got to see the small
towns, talk to people, eat the food.
Originally published on Vita.mn in July 2013.
Originally published on Vita.mn in July 2013.
