I hope you enjoy this interview I did with Ross Flournoy, lead singer for
the Broken West. Their fantastic new record,
Now Or Heaven, comes out Tuesday on
Merge Records. Their tour kicks Tuesday in Denver and includes a stop at Spaceland on October 4th.
You Set the Scene: So what neighborhood do you claim?
Ross Flournoy:
Silver LakeYSTS: How long have you been in LA?
RF: Four years
YSTS: Where are you from originally?
RF: I’m originally from Memphis but moved to Santa Barbara when I was 11. So I feel like I’m from both places.
YSTS: How about the rest of the band, where are they from?
RF: Dan’s from
Branford, CT; Brian’s from Seattle and San Jose and Robbie’s from Pensacola. Robbie just had a beautiful baby boy (Ryder), so he’s staying home for this tour. Our friend Sean McDonald’s going to fill in on drums. He’s a friend of Danny’s from
Berklee College of Music.
YSTS: Is this a headlining tour?
RF: It’s a mix. We’re headlining in the Northeast and South, opening for
Centro-Matic in the Midwest and
Langhorne Slim’s also on some of those dates. We’re also opening a show for
French Kicks and one for
the Walkmen.
YSTS: Those Centro-matic guys are super nice. Have you met them before?
RF: No, but I’m looking forward to it. I love that band.
YSTS: What inspired you to start playing music?
RF: Listening to a lot of music. Then for Christmas, when I was 11, I inexplicably felt the urge to ask for a red Stratocaster. And Santa brought it. And Santa and my parents didn’t think I would stick with it very long, but I really took to it.
YSTS: So are you self-taught? Or did you take lessons?
RF: I took a few lessons, but mostly self taught.
YSTS: Were there some new influences that came into play with the new record?
RF: Not directly in terms of specific artists.
YSTS: It definitely has a different vibe production wise.
RF: We’re definitely interested in trying new things specifically in terms of production and even songwriting. We wanted a slightly more ambient, atmospheric vibe on this one. And we were interested in the idea of “building” throughout a song. So instead of just starting full force right out of the gate, we wanted to try starting in one place and having things develop in terms of intensity as the song progressed.
YSTS: A few of the songs have cool, washy synth sounds.
RF: Yes, there was a LOT of playing around with synths. At one point the record was intensely synth driven. Then we backed away a bit and brought in some more guitars. A lot of that came from the guy who recorded the basic tracks,
Thom Monahan. He pushed things in a kind of darker, more synth territory.
YSTS: Then you went back in with somebody else to finish the record?
RF: We finished it on our own at Danny’s house. We tracked some lead vocals with our friend Anthony Caruso. He’s a great engineer with his own studio in Glassell Park called
Porchlight Recording.
YSTS: Seems like there are some slightly darker lyrics on this one.
RF: Yeah, there are. I don’t know if there’s a single happy song on the record. Variously the songs deal with impatient girlfriends, alcoholism, wayward siblings, and death in the family.
YSTS: It’s not an overly dark record though. It’s like a lot of my favorite music where the lyrics might be dark, but it’s still upbeat and fun to listen to.
RF: Yeah, it was similar on the last record too. We like to write uptempo pop songs. But when it comes to writing lyrics, it’s difficult to get inspired by happy things and get away with it.
YSTS: Now for the corny questions.
RF: Yeah!
YSTS: What’s your favorite breakfast spot?
RF: It used to be
Eat Well on Sunset, but it appears they’ve closed. So I would have to say
Millie’s. I love the chilaquiles there.
YSTS: Favorite Mexican restaurant?
RF:
Alegria. And the taco truck on Logan, by the Echo.
YSTS: That’s funny. When I
interviewed Aaron Kyle he mentioned that taco truck too.
RF: Aaron and I are actually brothers. Little known fact. Different moms.
YSTS: That might start a scandal.
RF: Or be totally awesome. I love Aaron. You couldn’t ask for a smarter, sweeter, funnier dude to be your brother.
YSTS: Burger?
RF: That’s a great question. Burgers might be my favorite food. I really love the burger at
Edendale.
YSTS: Have you been to
Apple Pan?
RF: I have, and it’s good. I just don’t love it as much as other people do.
YSTS: How about
Father’s Office?
RF: Yes, that’s a tasty burger, but so Westside. You and I will be excommunicated for even knowing about that place.
YSTS: They just opened one in
Culver City, so it’s a little more accessible now.
RF: No shit. I had no idea.
YSTS: Favorite bar?
RF:
Edendale. Hands down. Even though it’s not a bar, I love to drink at
Spaceland too.
YSTS: Drink of choice?
RF: Bourbon on the rocks. 90% of the time it’s Jack Daniel’s, but I like just about any bourbon.
YSTS: I’ve been stepping away from Maker’s Mark lately and exploring some new bourbons.
RF: Like what?
YSTS:
Evan Williams, Evan Williams Single Barrel and
Basil Hayden’s.
RF: I like Basil Hayden’s. How’s the Evan Williams?
YSTS: It’s a good cheap bourbon. Like $8 a bottle if you find it on sale.
RF: It doesn’t taste like goat piss?
YSTS: You might have to mix it with club soda. It’s probably not as smooth on the rocks.
RF: I’ll have to look into that because I’m broke.
YSTS: What’s your favorite thing about living in LA?
RF: Everything. I love it here so much. The weather, the mountains, the light. The light is my favorite thing about California. It’s like nowhere else in the world.
YSTS: Yeah, one of my good friends from Kansas City freaks out about the light every time he’s out here.
RF: It’s truly remarkable. It’s like walking through a golden window.
YSTS: What’s one thing you’d change about LA if you could?
RF: The traffic. Seriously, that might be my only complaint about LA.
YSTS: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
RF: That’s a tough one. Well, since we’re talking about LA, two LA movies spring to mind that are definitely among my favorites of all time –
LA Confidential and
The Big Lebowski.YSTS: A couple of classics. That might be a better question for this interview actually. Favorite film about LA.
RF: Well if that’s the question I’d have to say it’s a tie.
LA Confidential and
Fletch.
YSTS: Favorite book of all time?
RF:
Go Down, Moses or
Light in August by Billy Faulkner
YSTS: I think I’ve only read,
As I Lay Dying and
Sound and the Fury.
RF: Yeah, those are the most well respected ones I think. But
Go Down, Moses and
Light in August are a bit more accessible and in my opinion, better. But maybe that’s just because I’m an idiot and couldn’t really understand
As I Lay Dying and
The Sound and the Fury.
YSTS: Any Tivo-able TV?
RF: Oh man. Now we’re talking. My favorite shows of all time would be
The Sopranos,
Six Feet Under,
The West Wing,
CurbYour Enthusiasm and
30 Rock. We’re way into
30 Rock. It’s hilarious. I also quite like
Mad Men.
YSTS: Yeah,
30 Rock’s great. We’re finally getting ready to start
the Wire.
RF: Yeah, I want to get into that. Everybody loves that show.
YSTS: Your five desert island records?
RF: Oh man. This could change in 20 minutes. But right now off the top of my head….Teenage Fanclub’s
Grand Prix, The Rolling Stones’
Exile on Main St., LCD Soundsystem’s
Sound of Silver, Faces’
Long Player and Nick Lowe’s
The Convincer.
YSTS: I don’t know that Nick Lowe record.
RF: It’s fucking brilliant. There’s a song on there called “Lately I’ve Let Things Slide.” That is probably one of my top five favorite songs of all time. You should download it immediately. You would love it.
YSTS: I’ll definitely check it out. Last question. Who are some of your favorite local bands?
RF:
The World Record,
Le Switch,
The Parson Red Heads,
The Henry Clay People,
Radar Bros. I finally saw Henry Clay People not too long ago and they were AWESOME.
YSTS: Yeah, they’re a great live band.
RF: So much fun to watch.
YSTS: Their new album’s great too.
RF: I can’t wait to hear it.
YSTS: OK. That’s all I’ve got for you. Thanks Ross.
RF: Thanks for taking the time. It was fun.
MP3: The Broken West - Auctioneer 
