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[ Music Recommended | Roadshows | Music Features ] | |
| Sebadoh, Richard BucknerLiberty Lunch, Friday 26 Long plagued with a reputation for erratic live performances, Sebadoh's last trip through Austin yielded both a brilliant show at Liberty Lunch and proof that the band had found their feet and conquered the stage. Yet as Lou Barlow, one of the band's two frontmen, becomes busier and more diversified, what with the mass appeal of his other project Folk Implosion and all, the lengthy hiatus between appearances may have had some fans concerned. "Sometimes I would imagine that this time around there's gonna be this fear of, 'Why am I playing loud rock music? I've been doing this for years, blah blah blah,'" says Barlow from his new home in Los Angeles. "But when we started playing, it kind of felt like it did when we were making the record, which was really good, really full. It felt like I still have a lot to learn as a guitar player, and that there's so much more to understand about playing live. I like that feeling, like 'Oh, I could do this for another couple years.' "It's cool, there's something there to be followed up on." Part of the blame for the delay goes to label wranglings, as time and negotiations were required to release The Sebadoh with a double imprint of Sub Pop and Sire, which Barlow also sees as a good thing. "I think Sire has a desire to do well by us, or do well by the record, so I think they wanted some time where they could realistically listen to the record, hold the record, decide what they wanted to do with the record. That takes time. It's worked out well. I've been working on finishing up a Folk Implosion record, tying up a lot of loose ends at home and trying to lock in deals before we hit the road and throw our lives into the record, into touring. It's kind of cool that we have a little bit of time." And as far as beating the rep? "I try to shut out what other bands are doing live and how great Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was last time they were in town and try to focus on my own relationship to playing live and not to worry too much about how great it is or whether people are gonna love it. I try to improve what I know I can improve and try to focus on that. When I focus on that, I'm not as nervous when I play -- 'cause that's the worst. Sometimes it can make for a good show, but a lot of times it just makes me, like ... defensive. I can be kind of a jerk." Jerk or not, Sebadoh have the live show nailed down, and considering the wealth of benchmark tunes in the band's nine-record catalog, well, this is the kind of rock show Liberty Lunch was made for. |