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Orville Peck

Photo by Daniel Mendoza / The Recording Academy

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Orville Peck On The Music That Made Him, 'Pony' & The "Visual" Way He Creates

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The Recording Academy catches up with masked country star while On The Road at Austin City Limits 2019
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Jan 2, 2020 - 12:00 pm

Masked country performer Orville Peck is an enigma if ever there was one. Never without a handmade fringed mask, the Canadian singer-songwriter broke through last year with his mononym'd debut album, Pony.

The Recording Academy caught up with Peck while On The Road at Austin City Limits 2019, where we talked about his influences, the music he grew up with and more.

Orville Peck Talks Influences, 'Pony'

"My parents exposed me to lots of different types of music," he told us. "Country, obviously, but also glam rock, punk, gospel, soul, world music, you name it."

Peck certainly carries a proto-punk mentality when it comes to his influences; he cites '70s punk pioneer Patti Smith as one of his idols. "Patti Smith had a big impact on me," he says. "When I was like 14 years old, I wanted to be a musician but when I bought Horses—which is funny because my album's name is Pony—it made me feel like I could make music in a different way than I knew how when I was a kid."

Speaking of Pony, which dropped n March of last year via Sub Pop, Peck explains that he "just wanted to make my love letter to a classic country album." 

"[It's] the country that I love," he continues. "It's just my stories of places I've been, people I've known, people I've been with, things I struggle with."

Hear more from Orville Peck in the interview above, including the "visual" way he approaches the creation process and more.

K.Flay Talks Inspiration, Politics & The Argument That Led To Her Making Music

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GRAMMYs On The Road With Jimmy Herring, Sorne And Wheeler Brothers

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GRAMMY.com conducts interviews backstage at Utopiafest in Texas
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Jimmy Herring

Sorne

Wheeler Brothers

The Recording Academy Texas Chapter recently played host for GRAMMYs On The Road at Utopiafest in the Texas Hill Country community of Utopia. GRAMMY.com conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including guitarist Jimmy Herring, eclectic collective Sorne and country/rock quintet Wheeler Brothers.

Herring discussed the various styles explored on his latest album, Subject To Change Without Notice, artists with whom he has collaborated and career highlights, among other topics.

"We really don't think, 'OK, we're going to play a country tune now, or we're going to play a rock tune or a jazz tune,' because to us music is music," said Herring. "If we wanted to achieve anything with [this] record, it was to get people to not care so much about labels in music."

An alumnus of Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute, Herring is the lead guitarist of the Southern rock/blues collective Widespread Panic. Adept in styles such as rock, country and jazz, he has collaborated with artists including Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, drummer Billy Cobham, Allman Brothers Band, and Derek Trucks. As a solo artist, he released Subject To Change Without Notice in August. The album contains seven original compositions and covers of Horace Ott's "Miss Poopie," John McLaughlin's "Hope" and the Beatles' "Within You Without You."

Sorne frontman Morgan Sorne discussed the project's beginnings, performing live and his favorite GRAMMY moment, among other topics.

"In taking what's on record and presenting it to an audience, the biggest thing that I feel is important is to be as sincere as possible," said Sorne. "[I] allow myself to be as vulnerable as I can be as a performer."

Featuring Deano, Kevin Naquin and Sorne, Sorne are an Austin, Texas-based collective blending visual art with poetic lyrics, pulsating drums and visceral chanting. The group's debut album, House Of Stone, was released in 2011 and features 13 tracks written by Sorne, including "Golden Death Chant." Sorne are currently on tour in the United States, with dates scheduled through November.

Wheeler Brothers discussed recording their upcoming album, the Texas music scene and music education, among other topics.

"Whenever we're off the road, we head down to [our] ranch and record," said vocalist/guitarist Nolan Wheeler. "This [new album] will be different from Portraits in the fact that we're recording it from the ground up in the studio."

With a sound fusing traditional folk with blues, country and Southern rock elements, Wheeler Brothers feature three brothers, Nolan, Patrick (drums) and Tyler (bass) Wheeler, A.J. Molyneaux (guitar/vocals), and Danny Matthews (vocals/guitar). Their debut album, 2011's Portraits, was released on GRAMMY winner Ray Benson's Bismeaux Records. Wheeler Brothers won the Best New Band award at the 2011–2012 Austin Music Awards. Fresh from their appearance at the 2012 Austin City Limits Music Festival, the band have U.S. tour dates scheduled through January.

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GRAMMYs On The Road With Punch Brothers And Quiet Company

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GRAMMY.com conducts interviews backstage at Austin City Limits
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Punch Brothers

Quiet Company

The Recording Academy Texas Chapter recently played host for GRAMMYs On The Road at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, held Oct. 12–14 at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The Chapter conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including folk/bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers and indie pop/rock group Quiet Company.

Punch Brothers' Chris Eldridge and Paul Kowert discussed the band's instrumentation, the derivation of their name and their songwriting process, among other topics.  

"The instrumentation kind of defines the [band's] sound in a way," said Kowert. "We don't really play bluegrass as we've come to know it, but it's definitely a starting point and common ground for all of us."

Formed by former Nickel Creek member Chris Thile (mandolin), Punch Brothers' lineup features Eldridge (guitar/vocals), Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo), and Gabe Witcher (violin). Their debut album, Punch, was released in 2008 and features eight songs, including Thile's four-part "Blind Leading The Blind" suite. Antifogmatic was released in 2010 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Bluegrass Albums chart, garnering Punch Brothers a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "New Chance Blues." They earned a second nomination that year for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for a cover of U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" featuring Dierks Bentley and Del McCoury. Their latest album, Who's Feeling Young Now?, was released in February and peaked at No. 1 on the Bluegrass Albums chart. On Nov. 13 the band will release a five-song EP Ahoy! featuring the single "Another New World."

Quiet Company discussed performing in their hometown of Austin, Texas, recruiting band members from the Internet and stories from the road, among other topics.

"[The Austin City Limits Music Festival] means a lot to everyone everywhere, but especially in Austin," said frontman Taylor Muse. "For us to be recognized by our home city … is very validating."

Based in Austin, Texas, Quiet Company was formed by Muse and includes Cody Ackors (trombone), Thomas Blank (keys/guitar/vocals), Matt Parmenter (bass/piano/vocals), and Jeff Weathers (drums). Muse has cited influences such as the Beatles, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer. Quiet Company released Shine Honesty in 2006, followed by 2009's Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon and a six-song EP, Songs For Staying In, in 2010. In 2011 the band released We Are All Where We Belong, an album featuring 15 tracks written by Muse, including "You, Me & The Boatman." Quiet Company are scheduled to play select dates in the United States through November.

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GRAMMYs On The Road With Blitzen Trapper And Of Monsters And Men

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Backstage with Blitzen Trapper and Of Monsters And Men at the Sasquatch! Music Festival
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

The Recording Academy Pacific Northwest Chapter played host for GRAMMYs On The Road At The Sasquatch! Music Festival, held May 25–28 in George, Wash. The Chapter conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including indie country-rock group Blitzen Trapper and six-piece indie pop/rock group Of Monsters And Men.

Blitzen Trapper vocalist/guitarist Eric Earley and keyboardist/vocalist Marty Marquis discussed performing at Sasquatch!, the Pacific Northwest music scene and musical influences, among other topics.

"It was an exciting time when we were teenagers [in the Pacific Northwest]," said Marquis, regarding the development of the grunge genre in the early '90s. "I think it energized a lot of people to really get invested in playing rock music."

Formed in 2000 in Portland, Ore., Blitzen Trapper features Earley, Brian Koch (drums/vocals), Marquis, Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboards), and Michael VanPelt (bass). After releasing several independent albums, a self-titled set in 2003, Field Rexx in 2005 and Wild Mountain Nation in 2007, the band landed a record deal with Seattle's Sup Pop Records. Their label debut, Furr, was released in 2008 and attained moderate success on the Billboard 200. The EP Black River Killer was released in 2009, followed by Destroyer Of The Void (2010), which peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. Blitzen Trapper's most recent release is 2011's American Goldwing.

Of Monsters And Men discussed songwriting, performing at Sasquatch! and advice for aspiring artists, among other topics. 

"We write everything before [entering] the studio," said vocalist/guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson. "The songs develop a lot in the studio, but in a different way."

Formed in their native Iceland, Of Monsters And Men are a six-piece indie pop/rock group featuring piano/accordionist Árni Guðjónsson, vocalist/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson, guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, and Þórhallsson. After winning a battle of the bands competition in Iceland in 2010, the group earned a record deal with Universal Music Group and in 2012 released a four-song EP Into The Woods. Their full-length debut album, My Head Is An Animal, was released in April.

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GRAMMYs On The Road With Ray Wylie Hubbard And The Werks

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GRAMMY.com conducts interviews backstage at Utopiafest in Texas
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Ray Wylie Hubbard

The Werks

The Recording Academy Texas Chapter recently played host for GRAMMYs On The Road at Utopiafest in the Texas Hill Country community of Utopia. GRAMMY.com conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard and genre-spanning jam band the Werks.

Hubbard discussed his musical style, the Texas music scene and his favorite touring stories, among other topics.

"I feel very fortunate to have been able to have seen Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, Freddie King, Ernest Tubb, and Gary Stewart," said Hubbard. "The thing about Texas I think that's really unique is that you pretty much have to write some pretty damn good songs. There's kind of this level that's been set."

A fixture on the Texas music scene, Hubbard launched his solo career in 1975 with the release of Ray Wylie Hubbard & The Cowboy Twinkies. Hubbard signed with Willie Nelson's short-lived Lone Star records label for the release of 1978's Off The Wall, an album containing the politically minded "Red Neck Mother." Though Hubbard continued to play live, he did not release his next studio album until 1992's Lost Train Of Thought. His recent albums include Snake Farm (2006) and A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) (2010). Released in March, The Grifter's Hymnal was co-produced by Hubbard and reached No. 15 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.

The Werks discussed performing at Utopiafest, their latest self-titled album, touring, and their relationship with their fans, among other topics.

"[The album is] a mix between funk, rock and roll and electronic music," said drummer/vocalist Rob Chafin. "We're trying to create our own little genre of music."

Founded in 2005, the Werks are an Ohio-based quartet consisting of Chafin, Dino Dimitrouleas (bass/vocals), Norman Dimitrouleas (keyboards/vocals), and Chris Houser (guitar/vocals). The Werks' sound fuses elements of psychedelic rock, funk and electronica. The group's debut album, Dig It, was released in 2007, followed by 2009's Synapse. The Werks' latest album, The Werks, was released in April. The Werks hosted their own festival, the Werk Out Music & Arts Festival, in Thornville, Ohio, in September.