Parquet Courts singer and guitarist Andrew Savage once requested prior to an interview that he would not be asked about being “a Texas band”. Apparently the band didn’t exist in Texas and wasn’t even an idea until they all made the move to New York. So now that the record has been set straight, the Brooklyn four-piece released the Tally All Things That You Broke EP, their third release on What’s Your Rupture? last October. It followed their excellent sophomore album Light Up Gold, which earned high critical acclaim. I was lucky enough to sit down with Andrew before his show with White Fence and CCR Headcleaner at the Great American Music Hall on January 16th.
What brought on these White Fence shows you are co-headlining?
“We’ve known the White Fence guys for a while now, we’ve played some shows with them and hung out with them a few times. We get along, we like the band and you know we’ve actually been trying to play some shows with them on the west coast for a while now, so it’s finally come to fruition.”
Who are some of you favorite artists coming out of the Bay Area right now?
Well yeah, I did ask CCR Headcleaner to play this show, I’ve never seen em before so I’m looking forward to it tonight.
What can we expect from the new album? Any set date?
No set date yet but it will come out in Spring of this year. It’s kind of a different affair of our previous records, but I think all of our records from American Specialties to Light Up Gold to this one are all pretty different. It’s got a different attitude but I don’t think it’ll be alienating to anybody……Parquet Courts fans will get what they want.
Some of you biggest influences right now, band wise?
Right now? Let’s see, lately I’ve been listening to the first Roxy Music record; not that that’s really a new thing but lately I guess I’ve just been listening to it more than normal. I’ve been listening to a lot of Cock Sparrer lately and I’ve been listening to a lot of country music I heard growing up, like a lot of Merle [Haggard], Waylon [Jennings], David Allen Coe. I like honky tonk kinda shit, Jerry Jeff Walker, a lot of Townes Van Zandt. But now that I say all this it’s tough for me to decide if these are influences or just bands I’ve been jamming lately. As I speak I’ve got Dead Moon’s Kicked Out – Kicked In playing.
Check out the full audio interview below as well as a track from Parquet Courts’ latest EP:
Photos by Ryan McDonald