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Thank You.

by Kim Ruehl of Seattlest

We first became privy to Willy Porter years ago when he opened for Tori Amos at the University of Central Florida, and we still dig his impressive guitar skills and rootsy acousti-pop songwriting. He'll be rolling into town tomorrow night to play an early show at the Tractor with the amazing ladies of Raining Jane. We got him on the phone this week for a little insight into what he's been up to lately. Enjoy!

Willy Porter and Raining Jane // Sat., Sep 13, 6 p.m. // Tractor Tavern // $17 adv, $20 dos

How long have you been on tour this time?
We actually just started this West Coast tour. I’m in Eugene, Oregon, and the tour is just a two-week run of the West Coast.

Does your family travel with you?
No, I just travel with the sound engineer. It’s just two of us on the road.

Tell me a little bit about the transcription project you’re working on.
I started working with John Stropes who is from Wisconsin and teaches at the University there. A couple of his students are friends of mine, but I’ve known John for years and really just admired what he was doing. He’s done a lot of transcribing for Leo Kottke, and he also did a book called Sonority of Silence. John is very painstaking in his detail. When he approached me to do a couple of songs for a book, I was very flattered. We worked really hard on this first song. The transcription is 30 pages for one tune. They just really dug into what I was doing in a way that most people don’t have the time or patience to get that detailed in terms of guitar technique, but they’ve really done a great job. It’s been a blast to work with them.

That’ll be really cool. What do you usually do when you’re writing? Do you write down what you’re playing, or is it just stored in muscle memory?
I have a chord diagram block. Its’ one of those stamp-it blocks. I’ll write out the tuning and then I’ll go through and write out what the chords are, based on finger positioning more than anything else. Because I find, if I start to try to write things out as I go, I just cramp out creatively. You have to catch it quickly, and that’s the system I’ve found that works best for me.

Is there a new record in the works?
Yes, there is. And I’m hoping that in the next couple months [it'll be done]. I’ve been working off and on, but I’ve also been working on being a dad more than anything else. I’ve given myself room to pause…I want to make a really good record. I don’t want to just put something out haphazardly. I’m so much more focused on kids and having a family. That’s kind of taking priority over music.

How has that changed your songwriting?
It’s changed in that there’s a time limit on when you can be creative. Now it’s when I’m on the road—that's the time I have to write and really focus on music. When I’m home I can grab 10 minutes here or 15 minutes there. It’s just a different rhythm. Before I had kids, the morning was dedicated to writing and making music. Now the morning is dedicated to kids and getting them to school and taking care of domestic chores, as it were. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s a time management issue more than anything else.

Going back to the record company thing, do you think records really matter as much anymore? It used to be that you’d get really excited about a release date and go to the record store…people don’t really do that now. So where do you think that leaves CDs and the product? As somebody who has just started a record label…do you try not to think about that?
Well, I’m still encouraged by it. I think people still really enjoy buying a CD from an artist that they see at a show. It’s really not age-specific. People still buy CDs at shows. It’s turning into a t-shirt now. A friend of mine put it that way a couple of years ago. That’s what’s happening to recorded music is that it’s turning into a souvenir item at a show, as opposed to something you buy in advance and really study. I think the majority of people that listen to acoustic music still want a CD. They’re still out there. You’re just going to sell less, but that’s how it works out. But having said that, the people that get stuff for free on the internet, they’re the same folks who’ll come to shows and buy a t-shirt or a CD. I ask people after shows, you know, "Where did you hear about this music?" And they’ll say, "Well, a friend of mine sent me a couple tracks and that’s why I’m here." Then they end up buying the record because they want to know more about the artist and the music. We just have to figure out a way to creatively convert more of those [people].

What bands are you listening to lately?
I’m still stuck on that Radiohead record Kid A. I think that’s a brilliant record. I still love a lot of Jeff Beck. The album Warrior is one I can’t get enough of. That’s the one that George Martin—I guess Sir George Martin—produced. I was so blown away by the humor and emotion of Jeff Beck’s guitar playing that it pulls me back every time. Those are the two that have me right now.

Have you been to Seattle often?
I have. I’ve come through many times with a lot of different people. I love the Tractor. I love the aesthetic of that whole Ballard part of town, so it’ll be nice to come back.

We have one writer who’s obsessed with this question, so I have to ask it for her. What’s your favorite sandwich?
My favorite sandwich? Wow that’s a great one. I’ve got to go with peanut butter and jelly. You can’t fuck it up. It works every time. Plus, on the road, you never know what kind of mystery meat you’re going to get. I’m not a veggie at home, but on the road I tend to be more of a veggie.

Are you familiar with that place in New York that does all peanut butter sandwiches?
Yeah, you know I’ve heard about that. But if you’re ever in Ann Arbor, Michigan, you gotta go to Zingerman’s and have the pastrami. It depends on what town you’re in. That brings up a very good point, what your favorite sandwich is.

Yep, it’s something to think about.
Warren Zevon said it best when he said "Enjoy every sandwich." That’s what Zevon said to David Letterman. Your friend’s got a really good point.

Posted at: http://seattlest.com/2008/09/12/where_seattlest_interviews_willy_po.php

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