Buzz Blog

Before the weather becomes way too chilly for anyone to do anything mildly rambunctious, this weekend had a number of awesome events and concerts that were well worth your time to check out. For myself, the State Room had a fantastic CD release show for Six Feet In The Pine, who released their first full-length album. The evening came complete with a music video premiere from the band, Vincent Draper opening the show, and a special performance from the 2 Bit Babes. Today we've got interviews with the musical performers, along with photos snapped from that evening. (Special thanks to Patrick Carnahan of Cracked Glass Photography for photos.)

Vincent Draper
Vincent Draper on Facebook

Gavin: Hey Vincent, first off, tell us a bit about yourself.

Vincent: That's a tough one... I like to drink gin and watch The X-Files alone in my one-bedroom apartment. I fly-fish as much as possible, and I really like Anne Rice books.

Gavin: What first got you into music and what acts did you love growing up?

Vincent: I've been making music, in some fashion, for nearly as long as I can remember. There was a time, I was probably in first grade, and I vividly remember writing "do's" and "dum's" on a piece of lined paper. I had had this really intense, stirring, dramatic and triumphant melody in my head, and I didn't want to forget it. I was positive it would be the next Utah Jazz theme song. The next day I couldn't recall the memory, but I knew I had it written down. I excitedly pulled the paper out of my dirty pants pocket, only to realize it made absolutely no sense what so ever. Here I am, 20-some-odd years later, still trying to write an NBA run-out song.


Gavin: You're originally from Seattle; What brought you to Utah and made you want to stay?

Vincent: My family moved to Salt Lake when I was very young. I didn't have much say in it. I love Salt Lake and consider it my home. But I still feel a lot of the Pacific Northwest in my person.

Gavin: What was it about folk music that appeals to you the most?

Vincent: I believe there is a Jenny Lewis lyric in that she sings, "Folk singers sing songs for the working..." I love that. I think that's the real truth for me. Or at least that's what keeps me connected to folk. I think that a lot of us in the working class have a tendency to be dreamers and romantics. I really identify with the longing and the hope that you only hear in really great folk tunes.


Gavin: How did you first break into the local music scene and started performing around?

Vincent: I'm STILL TRYING to break into the local music scene! I first started playing Salt Lake with a band called My Valkerie. We would play anywhere we could, Moe's, Kilby Court, Slow Train, we used to play at this late night coffee shop in Bountiful a lot. I learned a lot from those earlier days. Then I played with the Small Town Sinners and we started playing more bars like Piper Down, Monk's, and Bar Deluxe. Kaci from Bar Deluxe was a big help. She got the sinners some killer shows and when I started playing as Vincent Draper she was really supportive and got me on some really neat bills.

Gavin: Some fans may know you best from your band, The Dirty Thirty. How was it forming that group and gaining a following around Utah?

Vincent: The Dirty Thirty was kind of a reincarnation of the Small Town Sinners, and still kind of is, I suppose. It was meant to be a mystery backing band that changed all the time. Some kind of grand collaboration. While that idea has kind of been put on the back burner, I like to think that we've yet to see the last of that bunch.


Gavin: What eventually led to you dropping the group and going at it as a solo performer?

Vincent: Folks grow up, fall in love, start families, or they get really great jobs. I love and prefer the group dynamic. It's just Genevieve Smith and I, for the time being, but that's not necessarily by choice. It's just the way it is right now.

Gavin: How has the dynamic changed for you personally from working as a unit to doing everything on your own?

Vincent: Genevieve is my better musical half. She IS the band these days. I do play solo sets, but that's just when she's already playing in her other band, Wing and Claw. They're super badass.


Gavin: Last year you released Salt Lake City: A Love Story with Charles Ellsworth. How did the idea come about to work together on that, and what was it like putting that record together?

Vincent: Well, Chuck is just my best friend. We used to hang out all the time and play shows together and get burritos and stuff. Pressing vinyl was a life-long goal that we both shared, and we just put our heads together and went for it. The recording was one of the best experiences of my life. It was so much fun. I wish I could just hang out in a studio with everyone that worked on that record forever.

Gavin: What did you think of the attention the record got, and how do you view that album nearly two years later?

Vincent: I was absolutely dumbfounded when I saw some of the reviews it had. I don't think I'd ever been so flattered. As for my view now, I like it. There are things I would change if I could go back in time, but that's just part of creating art. I like this sort of darkness that seems to be present throughout most of that record. It's kind of hard question to answer, I haven't listened to it in so long.


Gavin: What projects have you been working on lately, both your own and with others?

Vincent: Well the amazing guys from Hectic Hobo have been letting me sit in on guitar with them lately and they have backed me up as well for a few of the most fun shows I've ever played.

Gavin: Any plans to put out a new record soon, or are you just writing and recording for now?

Vincent: I actually finished recording this fall. I got the master this week and I am really excited. We should have a full length out next year.


Gavin: What are your thoughts playing this release show with Six Feet In The Pine?

Vincent: Oh, my God. Those guys are insane. They are the coolest in every possible way! It was such an honor to have been asked to be a part of their show. Their musicianship is surpassed only by their kindness. If you catch them live, bring a spare pair of socks.

Gavin: What can we expect from you going into next year?

Vincent: If all goes according to plan, a release, a tour, and whole lot of X-Files!


Six Feet In The Pine (L-R: Callie Reed, Phillip Richter, Jennifer Yruth, Devin Lee, Matt Conlin & Michael McGinn) 
SixFeetInThePine.com

Gavin: Hey everyone, first off, tell us a bit about yourselves.

Devin: We are Six Feet In The Pine, a macabre folk/bluegrass band from Salt Lake City.

Gavin: What got each of you interested in music, and what did you enjoy listening to growing up?

Devin: My older brother had an extensive CD collection when I was growing up so I had a broad selection from an early age. I was mostly into punk and 80's metal.

Jennifer: I'm a classic rock kind of a girl, my influences are Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, and Drive-By Truckers.

Callie: Public school orchestra, Bach, Jimi Hendrix, and Radiohead got through to me.

Michael: I started playing guitar at age 11, learned every Nirvana song, is self-taught, loves experimental music, and started playing bluegrass mandolin at age 23.

Matt: At a young age, I was taken by his father to see Itzhak Perlman perform, and there was no going back from there.

Phillip: I took piano lessons at an early age. As for musical taste, "Butt-rock" was his flavor.


Gavin: How did each of you break into local music and what had you performed with prior to this band?

Devin: Each of us cut our teeth playing different genres than what we play together now. Richter and I played guitar in metal bands for many years. Reed played with various bands around town. Conlin has played bass for half of the bands in the valley. Yurth escapes on Thursdays to jam with her rock band. McGinn has been in bands since he was 15 in New Jersey.

Gavin: Had any of you met prior to forming the band or were you all strangers from the get-go?

Devin: We came together as strangers and have learned about each other through sharing our music.


Gavin: How did all of you come together to start up Six Feet In The Pine?

Devin: It all started with 4 songs and an ad in the local classifieds. I met original member Noel Black through an ad on KSL, and quickly realized they were onto something. Through the same channels came Yurth who proceeded to push the darkly lined envelope with her warm, rich vocals. Co-creating songs, Yurth and I tap our boots, write words, and build harmonies that mature into densely arranged macabre folk/bluegrass - in its most moody, morose, and "minor-key" glory.

Gavin: What would you say was the biggest influence to going more for Bluegrass, Folk, and Americana with your sound?

Devin: For me, it all started when he borrowed a banjo from a band member's girlfriend.

Jennifer: It was all kind of downhill from there. It was something different than what I had been engaged in before. Lee's songs, even without words, seduced me. I didn't know I was gong to like this kind of music as much as I do.

Michael: I recall going to real old time bluegrass festivals in the pine barrens of New Jersey, hearing old men and young kids speaking the same musical language around the campfire.


Gavin: Being a six-piece group, how is it for you writing music as an ensemble?

Devin: Each band member plays a role writing their own dynamic accompaniments. The songs evolve naturally as a whole. A lot of pickin' and jammin' along with a lot of hard work. There is power in the camaraderie of our group that shows up in the music as well as in our stage dress.

Gavin: How was it for you to get out and start playing venues around the state?

Devin: When you combine drive with dreams, and a crew of talented people, it makes it possible to embrace opportunities and perform well. We have to trust each other and know that this train is moving. Since 2013, members of the band have changed. Myself and Yurth, original members, pressed full steam ahead, which was the inspiration for "Dead Beat," a train song which will have its music video premier at The State Room show.


Gavin:  What was the reception like to your first EP back in 2014?

Devin: Our original EP was received warmly and got people excited about who we are. We sold out the first 100 copies within months. There are some people out there who have been with us for a long time. We greatly appreciate the support.

Gavin: This upcoming show will mark your album release, what was it like recording the music for this album?

Devin: Recording at Full Fidelity Studio was an incredible experience. Interesting, challenging, and rewarding.

Michael: The studio is a different place to make music, bluegrass is usually on the back porch, but it gave us a chance to really hone the songs. Some beautiful moments unfolded on those recordings and a lot of hard work and effort showed up too.

Jennifer: Steve [Phillips] really knows how to bring out the best in people, and he insists on it.


Gavin: After all the sessions, what were your favorite tracks that you ended up loving to play every night?

Devin: l think our favorites would be "Still Black Water," "Hit The Floor Jack," "2-Bits" and "Dead Beat."

Gavin: What are your thoughts going into this show and playing with Vincent Draper and having 2 Bit Babes perform?

Devin: We are very excited to feel the energy of a sold-out show. We have been working on this album for the better part of a year so there is a lot of anticipation and desire to get out and play it in front of everyone. We are honored to have Vincent Draper and the Two-bit babes get the party started.


Gavin: Are there any plans to tour outside of Utah yet?

Devin: We are in the planning stages of doing a "tour swap," so to speak. We hope to broaden the traditional idea of a local community by bridging music with surrounding states to exchange venues and opportunities with bands in cities we'd like to visit. Utah can't hold us for long.

Gavin: What can we expect from you as a band going into 2016?

Devin: We are going with a dual approach, balancing studio time and performing. We will be back in the studio laying down new music, including five originals that we plan to debut at our CD release show.