John: Okay, first up – it`s been three years since your last album. Why should anyone still care about The Glasspack and Dirty Women?
Dave: Well Johnny, that’s an odd question. I cannot tell you why anyone should care or not care about the Pack and our new record. I can tell you that we have not ceased to exist and we have not been lazy. Maybe you have not been paying attention since you have been elected president around here? Imagine that, a president that doesn’t pay attention to us little people. I heard you’re planning to support the war on drugs and change the site’s name to BonerRock.com. That’s very presidential of you Johnny, always thinking with your cock.
John: And what exactly have you been doing these last three years?
Dave: In that time, we have played many regional shows in including Detroit, Indiana, Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, and of course our home, Louisville. Some of these shows were with Danko Jones, Devil to Pay, Blade of the Ripper, Immortal Lee County Killers, Easy Action, Coliseum, and Christine. We also played Louisville’s up and coming Forecastle Festival last year and did some recording for compilations, including Small Stone’s Sucking the `70’s: Back in the Saddle Again. I also recorded and played a few shows with the Dirty Bird and my new band, Muddy Nasty River. I completed my college degree in graphic design. Brett (drums) did the same. This is why we couldn’t travel the country as much. Brett also started up a band called Litany’s Last Call. Anyway, where the hell were you when Dirty Bird was playing the East Coast Terminal skate park in upstate New York with Lucero?
A lot has changed within the Glasspack in that time. It was time to change, to do things different, and to slow down a bit. I spent an entire year writing songs/rehearsing, a week recording, and a month mixing. The mastering also took a month and the artwork took three months. We put everything we had into the new record and nothing was rushed. So put your little white ear on the speaker and you’ll hear three years of hard work.
John: How tough was it getting back into The Glasspack groove? And was there a time when you just thought, “Fuck it?”
Dave: Again Johnny, we never left the Glasspack groove. Maybe I should ask you, is it tough getting back into the Glasspack groove? Shouldn’t be, we’re bad, and we’re fast.
Of course I have thought to myself, “Fuck it!” Anyone who sacrifices their lives for your enjoyment has questioned their faith at one point or another. Actually, a thought popped in my mind when you said that. I had this same conversation with Tim Moss (Porn) a few months ago backstage at a Melvins show in Nashville. He told me “We’re lifers; what the fuck else are we gonna do?” Nuff said.
John: By the way, who the hell is playing with you in the Pack nowadays? The lineup is pretty fluid, isn`t it?
Dave: Fluid, sure. Most bands that make it past five years are pretty fluid, even if it’s not completely apparent. It’s how we survive, being able to adapt to any given circumstances at any given time. Right now, Brett Holsclaw is back on the drums. He’s a tough guy, been playing in the Louisville scene for close to 20 years now. If you see him, pat him on the back and address him as “champ,” `cause that what he is. And in Louisville, that’s a huge compliment, Muhammad Ali’s hometown. On bass, we got the baddest flinger playing guy in Louisville, Dave Mancini. He just a published his first book entitled the uninhibited thoughts and expressions of the life and times of david walker mancini and we’ll have those to sell at shows. It is a radical book. And then there’s me, singing and playing guitar. The Glasspack could never be pinned down to three guys, we’re a huge group of friends and one guy can’t do something, there is always another brother who can. It’s good for keeping the shows different and entertaining.
John: You`ve said that the past albums were recorded in 36 hours. With Dirty Women, you took your time. All things being equal, which works out better for The Glasspack?
Dave: Well, I have had the chance now to do it in 36 hours and 72 hours. I think it’s safe to say the more time you have to work on it the better it’s going to be. Unless, you overdo it, but it is kind of hard to overdo it on an indie label budget. We recorded Dirty Women in Louisville’s Downtown Recording Studios on a two-inch tape machine - our favorite. The owner, Nick Stevens, loves the Glasspack and he hooked it up big time for Small Stone’s budget. He also helped me produce the new record and he cared for it very much. His care and the extended time frame made a huge difference. He’s an older guy and I told him we wanted our record to sound like the first Black Sabbath and Grand Funk Railroad records. I showed up in the studio the first day, and he had those very vinyl records on the turntables. He did his homework. I don’t see why I should record anywhere else ever.
John: On Dirty Women, what are your three favorite songs and why?
Dave: Well, I can tell you that “Louisiana Strawberry” is absolutely my favorite song on the new record. And from the small bit of feedback I have received thus far on the record (it has just been released), I am not alone. Brett and Dave love the track just as much as I do. It shows a lot of the different angles of the Glasspack musically and especially that we can hold our own in the jam band department. I like long songs. I like writing them and hearing them evolve over time. To me this is the “Jim Beam and Good Green” of the new record. Plus, it’s special on an emotional level. I love Louisiana, its people have always been kind to my band and I. It made me sick to my stomach, everything that’s happened to New Orleans. It makes me sick that these people lost their homes. But it makes me smile that some people refused to leave their land. It’s not a sad song or a song to capitalize on someone’s bad time; it’s a song to both encourage and pay gratitude to the tough people who refused to give up because they love their land.
John: Gimmie your thoughts on the previous Glasspack albums. Pull no punches.
Dave: American Exhaust was a band that just wanted to piss everyone off in Louisville that was into art rock or so called indie rock. The album was recorded over two weekends on an old eight track Tascam machine in Will Hancock’s (Powderkeg`s engineer) basement. (Special Note: the reels stayed in the basement and were ruined in a common Louisville flood.) It was recorded for Man’s Ruin Records. I was super pissed when they folded. However, I picked my head up and went to a public loan place to get a loan with 35% interest. I put it out on a quickly made up label, Riverock. Believe it or not, I made all the money back and a little for the band. The songs are extremely raw; I had just learned to sing and play at the same time. I still enjoy that version of “Whiskey House’ very much. This album made me believe in myself. It was mixed with me near, same as Dirty Women and resembled everything I listened to, like old Monster Magnet and Mudhoney. It is a treasure to me and I will probably never sell it to a label. I would and have however let labels do small runs of it on vinyl, maybe discs. This was my favorite record, now Dirty Women is.
Powderkeg was a band that was in a hurry to get some good distribution, better recordings, our name out there, and a few new songs. We also wanted to be a part of something bigger like Small Stone, which was extremely smaller then that it is now. Since American Exhaust was limited to 1,000 on CD, we figured we would re-record a lot of it. We did. The versions of the songs on each album are drastically different. I really liked the recording of the guitar on Powderkeg, it had a lot of natural reverb from the giant room we did the recording in. The drum sound lacked a bit. And this was a rushed thing; we recorded it in 36 hours. That was not enough time. Brett did a lot of video recording of this album while it was being recorded. I really enjoy “Demolition Derby” and “Mrs. Satan.” I wasn’t as happy with this one as American Exhaust, But I did what I could with the time and money that was offered. This album lacked my presence for the editing/mixing sessions.
Bridgeburner was a band that needed to do something else, a new batch of songs. I wrote a bunch, but somewhere between this point and American Exhaust, I had lost my desire to make an album, not a group of songs. Or maybe I just forgot about all that. Touring was wearing me out. I have always enjoyed albums most that were recorded as an album, not just a group of songs. I had probably the worst time trying to rehearse this material. And when we recorded, Marc (bass) had just been informed that he was coming down with MS. It decided to act up while we were recording in Detroit, so we got Sammy Vail to finish it fast. Again, we only had 36 hours and with the haze of all the contraband, Marc’s MS, and a hard time rehearsing properly, it is the worst thing the Glasspack has ever done.
Don’t get me wrong, it does have good songs. I really enjoy listening to “Lil’ Birdie” and it is still part of the live set. I also love “Peepshow.” It was only a jam in the studio that was never supposed to be released. I argued with Small Stone over it, but they said we needed to make the record longer. I called Bob Pantella who was mixing it and had just joined Monster Magnet. He thought maybe it would be a good idea to ask Ed Mundell (Monster Magnet) to do a lead overdub. We tried it, it turned out brilliant. Again, this record seriously lacked my presence for the editing/mixing sessions. I did make notes for Bob, but SSR didn’t see that he got them.
Dirty Women is a band thats returned to its roots of song writing. It also got to see me in the editing/mixing sessions. Actually, I was all up on it. I refused that it be edited and mixed without me. Actually, I probably would have stolen the reel tapes if it would have been planned to go down any other way. I knew all this stuff I am telling you about the previous records and decided it was all going to change on this record. I also decided to do my vocals different since they never quite turned out the way I wanted them ever on anything. This record was going to be under my control completely just like American Exhaust. It was also going to be an album, not a group of songs. I also decided this album absolutely needed to be recorded on analog equipment and rehearsed beyond the point of belief. I wrote almost all the leads too, something I usually never do. The other thing is, all the songs were played live many times before recording which means the kinks were worked out before we entered the studio - this was Scott at Small Stone’s idea. Good idea, it helped a lot. That is about the only opinion I took from anybody for Dirty Women except that which Nick Stevens, the co-producer, gave me in the studio. I wasn’t gonna listen to anyone for Dirty Women but myself. I thank Small Stone for giving me the chance to do the record I always wanted to do exactly the way I wanted to do it.
John: Out of the three-recorded covers (“TV Eye,” “Jimmie Shelter,” “Rock `n` Roll Singer”), which one turned out the best? And which one turned out the worst?
Dave: I am sure that it`s “Rock and Roll Singer” - you spelled it wrong, Johnny. No really, that’s the best cover we have ever done. It was recorded for Small Stone’s Sucking the 70’s: Back in the Saddle Again, which I guess came out this year. Those other two covers you mention, I don’t really care too much for. I generally don’t care at all for doing covers. I think it’s a waste of time and recording. I would like to cover a Captain Beefheart or John Lee Hooker song one day, but that’s about it.
John: You`ve got a couple of side projects going on, notably Dirty Bird and Muddy Nasty River. What are they all about, and how difficult is it writing music for three separate bands and keeping each distinct?
Dave: Anything I play on and I am responsible for writing the tunes for is gonna have a surely familiar ring. However, there are subtle things I do differently in each one technically and idealistically.
Muddy Nasty River is special. It contains one of my oldest friends, Mark Campbell, and my beautiful wonderful Kentucky Woman, Jamie. It is more about the blues in standard tuning and a less abrasive sound. The lyrics are way more personal and we can play a set so quiet you can hear yourself breathing. I also try to sing a bit more as opposed to the frantic vocals of the Pack.
Dirty Bird is the party maniac band with no care, a release from the work of the Glasspack. Any good musician would hate this stuff; any good punk rocker would love it. It’s strictly party, whereas Muddy is feeling, and the Glasspack is a bit of both. Brett’s band, Litany’s Last Call, is also a far thing from the Pack. They play in jazz clubs around town and Brett actually sings and plays guitar, something is he good as well as the drums. He can do anything. It’s not very difficult to keep these things separate and distinct. They all have different musicians involved.
John: Back in June, you wrote an article on the Louisville music scene. What`s it like (the scene, not your article)?
Dave: Once truly glorious in unity, now it is being split apart by success and an overabundance of clubs. Lots of great bands, but no one is coming together to play unprejudiced shows that include various genres, which would unite the scene for something too big to imagine. Too many things going on at once dilute the potency. But we would never want to be another Seattle or San Francisco, so it’s better this way. I can tell you there is no overabundance of Kentucky born musicians here, people keep moving here and claiming it there home. Home maybe, but I was released into the world here and it’s in my blood.
John: Tour plans – name `em.
Dave: First off, we’ll be playing the Small Stone Recordings 2007 SXSW Showcase on Friday March 16 around 7:30 pm at Room 710 in Austin, TX. This should be good because we’ve rocked that stage apart a few times before and Austin is like our second home. Plus, I have been itching to leave home lately. We’re gonna burn that shit down to the ground. Also, Muddy Nasty River will be playing the Small Stone SXSW Day Party, the same day as above, around 1:30 pm. We’re gonna be bringing a lot of merch with us. The Glasspack merch shelves are overflowing, it’s like a fuckin` flea market and shit.
Next, we’ll be playing shows at home and getting ready to do the first ever Glasspack East Coast U.S. Tour with Louisville buddies Blade of the Ripper. We’re so stoked to be able to do this, we’re gonna burn that shit up too. You can find the most current version of the tour at www.myspace.com/kentuckymotherfuckers.
John: You gonna play “Louisiana Strawberry” or “Mopar Fire Paint” live?
Dave: “Mopar Fire Paint” has never been played live. I cannot figure out how to sing it and play guitar at the same time. It also needs another guitar player and we’re a trio. It is basically a studio track I wrote right before recording Powderkeg. Sorry. We will play “Louisiana Strawberry” but don’t expect to hear dueling leads and Moog effects; it’s the trio style. Actually, most of the songs on Dirty Women were written and recorded to be easily adaptable to the live trio. But there is definitely some variation. I hate live acts that play the same shit every time anyway. It’s like they are a cover band of their own band. Ya understand?
John: And what do you have planned after that?
Dave: Right now I am finishing up the artwork for a Glasspack/Muddy Nasty River split 10” brown vinyl record. It’s to be released on a new label in Detroit called Sleeping Village Records. I also just finished up their logo design. They will be numbered to 500 on brown vinyl with art I designed myself of my basset hound Lemmy. One side will have the Glasspack live on Louisville public radio WFPK from a couple years back. It features Todd from Slint playing bass. The other side will have the first Muddy Nasty River recording. Both sides have been expensively edited and remastered for the vinyl. I am receiving the test pressings tomorrow and hope that StonerRock.com will carry some of these in the All That’s Heavy Store here with the rest of our releases. And just so you know, we love Danno and everyone here at SR.com. I always try to go out of my way to things special for you guys.
I am also writing songs for the Muddy Nasty River’s first record which I know will be called “The River Bottom Nightmare Band.” More info on that later in the year.
This is real premature but I have been talking to Bob from Monster Magnet about recording a record together and we got some other great guys in mind for bass. I might actually just be singing on this one, something I have been wanting to do for a while. Well see how this goes. We may either get Todd from Slint or Steve from FHJ for bass. It’s still a pipe dream.
I am sure I will continue to do some things with Small Stone and Sleeping Village. There will probably be other projects as well. I am not happy unless I am extremely busy being creative. We really want to go to Europe. Hopefully this will happen. I can tell you this, which is very classified. Go see the Glasspack this year - you may not get another chance ever.
John: Apart from this interview, what was the dumbest thing you`ve ever done?
Dave: If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough. You know that story, Johnny?
