DeadJournalist.com Exclusive Interviews:
Dead Confederate
Chuck Norton, DeadJournalist.com
10.26.08
MP3 - Dead Confederate - The Rat
In what is proving to be the another golden age of music in the Atlanta/Athens, GA region, the latest band finding a national audience to go with its critical acclaim is the band Dead Confederate. The band, who was named a 2008 "Artist to Watch" by Rolling Stone magazine, performed their single "The Rat" live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on October 10, 2008.
Originally hailing from Augusta, GA, about 100 miles east of Atlanta, the band began playing together in high school, but officially formed as Dead Confederate eight years later, in 2006. The band, Hardy Morris, Brantley Senn, Walker Howle, John Watkins, and Jason Scarboro, now call Athens home.
On September 16, 2008, they released their first LP, Wrecking Ball. In support of the album, the band is in the midst of an extensive US tour which concludes with a December 20 show in their hometown of Augusta.
For more information on the band, visit their Web site, DeadConfederate.com or their MySpace page at MySpace.com/deadconfederate. They also have started a blog, called the Wrecking Blahg, which the band is updating regularly.
DeadJournalist.com is proud to bring you this exclusive interview with Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate.
To what do you attribute to the band’s success to this point? How does it feel to be achieving the industry buzz and success that you have been encountering in the last six months?
HM: As Dead Confederate, we've been playing together since 2006. But some of us have played in other bands before and we've all jumped around in the same music circles since we were young in Augusta. As for "buzz", I guess it's nice to get recognition for your music. We've just stuck together, written, listened and tried to write honestly. I guess some folks are relating with the record.
The band has been described by some as a southern version of Nirvana because of your lyrical content and driving chords and dark melodies. For someone who hasn’t heard the band’s work and is reading about Dead Confederate for the first time, how would you describe your sound?
HM: Sure, there is some early 90's to our record (thats when we grew up), but there is as much Pixies and SY as there is Nirvana. There are also lots of other influences. Pink Floyd and 70's psych was something we all bonded over early on. I would describe it as dark and honest and dynamic i guess. Or as one critic in Baltimore put it yesterday, "Indie-rock, sad
bastard music".
Walk us through the writing and recording process of Wrecking Ball, the band’s first full-length album. What did you learn about the band coming out of project that you didn’t know when you started?
HM: Brantley and I (the two songwriters on Wreckingball) both wrote the songs on acoustic gtr. We then brought them to the band and they added their ideas at practices. We made demos and played them live for over a year. As for the record, we recorded all live piled in a little concrete room in Austin, TX. We called the studio "the dump".
The song most people may be familiar with off both your LP and the EP, 1, is “The Rat”. When did you first write the song? How did it evolve to the LP version?
HM: That was written by Brantley and was a huge influence on the band. It was kind of when we "found our sound" as cliche as that sounds. We just wanted to do the song a bit differenly for the LP so as to not regurgitate all over the EP version, which had its own feel. So we kind of slowed it down, changed the intro and made it more loud/quiet/loud I guess. I love them both.
Is there a specific song, or songs, off Wrecking Ball of which you are especially proud?
HM: I don't know if it is because I sing them, but I have a different connection with them all. I'm a lyric guy I guess.
The band is in the midst of a lengthy national tour. What is the best part of being on the road? Conversely, what is the most difficult?
HM: The best thing is meeting and hearing other bands and seeing cool towns. The worst is having a bunch of us in one hotel room and hangovers.
To the band, what is the most important aspect of performing in front of a live audience?
HM: To have the audience be into it. To somehow translate the songs and make them feel what we feel if that is at all possible. It probably isn't possible, but if you come close I'm sure it at least makes for an experience. We have lights and a lot of volume, it makes for a unique vibe in the room.
Which do you enjoy more, performing live or writing and recording?
HM: I love all three in very different ways. It would be too much to write here.
The last five years has seen a resurgence of the Atlanta/Athens music scene. Having been in and around it for most of this decade, do you find satisfaction in the success other bands and artists from the area are achieving? Is there competition between the bands or is there more of a scene of community?
HM: Competition? No way. I'm sure that happens in lots of places, but I don't really get it. Athens is super supportive. Everyone goes to the shows and no two bands sound alike. It is a special place for sure.
What artist or artists have influenced the band the most musically?
HM: I kind of mentioned some of that earlier, but Brantley (who plays bass and writes as well) has been a big influence on my writing personally.
The band has a fantastic blog, er blahg, with some utterly hilarious stories and artwork. Are there some topics you won’t post about? Is the blog something you see the band continuing to keep up in the future?
HM: Oh absolutley, we are just getting started. Anything goes for now so we can see how folks respond. It should be interesting.
How important is the internet in marketing Dead Confederate and finding you avenues for you music?
HM: Obviously the internet has turned the music industry upside down, but it is a great tool for bands nobody knows like us. I think the ways the internet can help a band is nearly inexhaustible these days.
What were you listening to in 1998?
HM: That was my last year of high school, so Neil Young (always), early Allman Bros. (stoner) and I also listened to a lot of Pantera at that time.
Is there an artist that you’ve encountered recently that you’ve been recommending to your friends?
HM: I like that Deertick record a lot.
Which do you prefer: MP3, CD, Tape or Vinyl?
HM: Vinyl for sure.
One Drink; One Movie; One Album:
HM: PBR tall boy; Last Picture Show; Harvest (Neil Young) .