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The War On Drugs

Adam Granduciel

Photo: Shawn Brackbill

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Interview: The War On Drugs' Adam Granduciel war-drugs-adam-granduciel-new-album-guitar-tom-petty

The War On Drugs: Adam Granduciel On New Album, Guitar & Tom Petty

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The low-key frontman talks shop on recording his band's latest release, 'A Deeper Understanding,' guitar candy and traveling the world
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 13, 2017 - 5:48 pm

Music is inextricably tied to location. From the Bakersfield sound and Seattle grunge to New York hardcore punk and West Coast rap, a city and its culture can shape a scene. For psychedelic-rock band The War On Drugs, the soulful and experimental musical mecca of Philadelphia has been home since their formation in 2005.

The War On Drugs: How Neil Young Inspired New LP

So when it came time for frontman Adam Granduciel to start creating what would become the band's fourth studio album, A Deeper Understanding, the choice to record in Los Angeles was truly a musical one. Rock albums by Granduciel's heroes, including Neil Young and Warren Zevon, captured a different sentiment that drew him in and ultimately helped shape the band's most inventive album to date, which Rolling Stone described as "an abstract-expressionist mural of synth-pop and heartland rock colored by bruised optimism and some of [Granduciel's] most generous, incandescent guitar ever."

We sat down with Granduciel recently at Recording Academy headquarters to talk about L.A.'s influence on A Deeper Understanding, how he likes to see the world on tour, what he'd ask Jimmy Iovine, and his parting thoughts on the loss of Tom Petty.

A Deeper Understanding's sonic layers are lush and mesmerizing but the songs they're built on are crafty, beautiful and dark. What was the biggest difference in the songwriting process between this album and 2013's Lost In The Dream?
I just wanted to be more prepared on my end so that if I was writing more and demoing stuff more, I could present [ideas] to the band and the spontaneity in the recording could be of a different sort.

I rented out my own studio in Los Angeles and tried to go every day, whether it [was] writing on the piano or guitar or work on demos. I started eight months before [while] on the road. I just ended up having more songs than I ever had in the past.

There's so much guitar candy on this record. What were the specific guitar influences for this album?
We did this benefit where Neil Young played as well. He was playing his classic Gretsch White Falcon guitar with the Bigsby [tremolo]. We were watching the dress rehearsal from the side stage. I was actually sitting on his amp rig and watching him rehearse. He was just going off with [the] bar. I was like, "Oh, it's so expressive." I have the same guitar but mine didn't have the bar. After that show, I put the Bigsby on that Gretsch of mine. Then, two nights later, we recorded three songs that are on the record. A lot of the inspiration [came] from that expressive quality of that Bigsby but I was [also] just thinking about all my favorite players, whether it was Neil or Mike Campbell — guys that use that bar and just try to find another way to connect with the guitar.

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Speaking of Neil Young, in a Pitchfork interview you name-checked him and Warren Zevon for making "L.A. records." What effect do you think recording in L.A. had on A Deeper Understanding?
Well, I think a few things. First, I would always think of an L.A. record as "sunny" or something, but then I started thinking, "Well, my favorite records that were made here are dark and sad and lonely." I never really lived here before, so I didn't really think I understood. I think from an East Coast point of view, you'd be like, "Oh, a California record's a sunny record." It's like you spend three hours in the studio because the rest of the time you must be at the beach.

[But] the cool thing was that, unlike any other city, there [are] all these places in L.A. There are so many resources for a recording musician, like studios of all levels, you know? [There are] so many world-class studios, but I would never have been able to have rented the place that I rented out anywhere else. It was just this mid-level studio that is pretty much a stand-alone building on the East side with a really great mic collection, Pro Tools and two rooms. It wasn't fancy, but it was perfect for what I needed. I was able to bring my own stuff in. The ability to work every day was a big part of L.A.'s effect on my process and the band coming out from Philly once a month.

You have a fan in Jimmy Iovine. Have you met the man before? What would you ask him if you could?
Actually, I have, but in the moment I wasn't prepared to ask him anything. I guess I'm just a huge fan of all the records he made in the 70's. … Now, he's [a] larger-than-life figure but back then he was just like a kid who loved music and was probably just like all of us — trying to find out how to make a record. There's no formula for it. I guess I [would ask him about working with] Bruce [Springsteen] making Darkness [On The Edge Of Town].

You're on the road now, going across the U.S. and then heading to Europe. When you get to a town, what do you like to do to get a sense of the culture?
I like going out to find a local coffee shop. It's embarrassing to admit that I have an app called Beanhunter, which tells me the closest single-origin coffee I can get. Last tour, I really got into the whole sub-culture. I had the hand grinder and the single origin — then the Aeropress [coffee maker] and the scale.

I also love trying to find an awesome guitar shop because I just like to go in and play guitar for an hour or two. [And] record stores. Now, we actually have a backstage record player we tour with in its own case, so it makes buying records on the road a little easier because you actually can be like, "Oh, I want something to pump me up for tonight's show," or "tomorrow when we load in, I want to chill out to this."

One last question: We lost the great Tom Petty recently. How important was he to you as a songwriter and as an artist?
[He's] one of my favorites. ... He had a catalog of hits before I was of age. Then, when I was in my teens, Wildflowers came out [in 1994] — maybe to some it was like a new kind of Tom Petty, but it hit me so intensely when that record came out. It was like a reintroduction to a lot of different kinds of music for me. His band was so important to him. The Heartbreakers were what you imagine being in a band would be like — best buddies and great players and guys who took it all really seriously.

As he grew older, his material was just as relevant and just as exciting and the band's just as killer. … It seems surreal that there's no more Tom Petty, in person. It's true that the music lives on because [with] a guy like that, [there are] centuries of information there.

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60th GRAMMY Awards Rock Field

60th GRAMMY Awards Rock Field

(L-R) Adam Granduciel (The War On Drugs), Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Shade Balderose (Code Orange), K.Flay, Jonny Hawkins (Nothing More), Ice-T (Body Count)

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Turn Up These 9 Facts On The Rock Field Nominees 2018-grammys-9-things-know-about-rock-field-nominees

2018 GRAMMYs: 9 Things To Know About The Rock Field Nominees

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Heavy, loud, raucous, and intense — dig into this year's rock nominees with these crushing nuggets of knowledge
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 13, 2017 - 12:35 pm

"They said rock and roll was dead," the smooth voice of Common scoffs in the latest 60th GRAMMY Awards TV Spot as video plays of contemporary guitar god and GRAMMY winner Jack White pounding and pummeling his instrument. Rock's not dead — and musicians such as White keep it alive.

The nominees in the Rock Field for this year's GRAMMYs reflect a very bright — and loud — future for a genre that refuses to stay stagnant. From newcomers who are impossible to ignore such as Code Orange, Avenged Sevenfold and The War On Drugs, to prestigious rock royalty like Metallica, Foo Fighters, and the late Chris Cornell, this year's crop of nominees are as dynamic and electrifying as the genre they represent.

The four categories up for grabs are Best Rock Performance, Best Metal Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album. Peel back the layers as we look at some under-the-surface details about this year's Rock Field nominees.

1. Crushing It With Meshuggah & Code Orange

The competition for Best Metal Performance this year is literally brutal. The category's heavy-hitting street cred is exemplified by two bands nominated for the first time who are about to head out on a U.S. tour together: Pittsburgh hardcore outfit Code Orange and Swedish metal goliaths Meshuggah.

"We started the band at 14. We're 24 now," Code Orange singer/drummer Jami Morgan told Billboard. "We've grinded every year, eight months a year, in a f*****' van, just to prove our f*****' point. … So [being nominated for a GRAMMY] feels right to me. I slept easy that night knowing that the world was correct, and that's it." 

Across the Atlantic, Meshuggah have been unleashing extreme, punishing albums and live shows in one incarnation or another since the late 1980s, but they have really pushed the genre forward with their willingness to incorporate intricate rhythms into their crushing riffs. Meshuggah's persistence has paid off as the band gets their first GRAMMY nod this year for Best Metal Performance for their song "Clockworks" from their eighth album, The Violent Sleep Of Reason.

2. Nothing More Score Most Noms

Who has the most rock nominations this year? Foos? 'Tallica? Nope. Try Nothing More. The San Antonio-formed rock band features magnetic frontman Jonny Hawkins, who originally served as the band's drummer. Now stepping squarely into the spotlight, Hawkins and Nothing More are nominated in no less than three of the four Rock Field categories — Best Rock Album for The Stories We Tell Ourselves and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for their single "Go To War" — tripling their chances of taking home their first GRAMMY.

3. Metallica: Still Hardwired …

Speaking of the Mighty Met, they're back in the mix this year with two nominations stemming from their return-to-form Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, the thrash pioneers' 10th studio effort. In fact, 2017 is "the best year for Metallica in probably a quarter of a century," according to its outspoken drummer/songwriter Lars Ulrich, a fact backed by a quick look at the band's month of August alone.

With this momentum still building, a solid 36-plus years into their career, Metallica show no signs of slowing. Now James, Lars, Kirk, and Robert can add two more GRAMMY nominations to their banner year, one for Best Rock Album for Hardwired … and another for Best Rock Song for "Atlas, Rise!" 

4. The War On Drugs' Los Angeles Masterpiece

Few albums in the rock world played as well with blogs, critics and a wide range of music fans than The War On Drugs' dreamlike guitar-athon, A Deeper Understanding. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Adam Granduciel, the Philly-based band cut the album in Los Angeles, lending a sun-drenched sadness to its songs and arrangements. Granduciel also drew influence from one of rock and roll's forefathers, the great Neil Young.

The War On Drugs: How Neil Young Inspired New LP

"We did this benefit where Neil Young played as well. He was playing his classic Gretsch White Falcon guitar with the Bigsby [tremolo bar]," Granduciel told GRAMMY.com. " I was actually sitting on his amp rig and watching him rehearse. He was just going off with [the] bar. I was like, 'Oh, it's so expressive.' I have the same guitar but mine didn't have the bar. After that show, I put the Bigsby on that Gretsch of mine. Then, two nights later, we recorded three songs that are on the record. A lot of the inspiration [came] from that expressive quality of that Bigsby."

5. Mastodon's New Heavy

Continuing their evolution on their conceptually heavy seventh studio album, Emperor Of Sand, Mastodon seek their first GRAMMY win. The Atlanta-bred band scored their fourth and fifth career GRAMMY nominations for Best Rock Album for Emperor Of Sand and Best Metal Performance for "Sultan's Curse." Despite the band's jovial nature and sharp sense of humor (on full display in their music video for "Show Yourself"), the dark themes of Emperor … are drawn from channeling the pain of tragedies that have touched their lives into healing.

"Some of the closest people to us were in the middle of some battles with cancer and some heavy-duty illness," drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor told GRAMMY.com. "If we were open and honest with everyone about what the record was about, then we knew that it could maybe have a positive impact with someone else."

6. August Burns Red, Again

The band Alternative Press calls "one of the most sophisticated metal groups operating" is back with their second-ever GRAMMY nomination, this time around for their intense track, "Invisible Enemy."

But August Burns Red proved something more this year than their staying power — they demonstrated they have a sense of humor. The music video for "Invisible Enemy" featured puppet versions of the band performing the song, which was the first single off ABR's eighth album, Phantom Anthem.

7. Much Respect To Cornell, Cohen

The great landscape of rock lost two of its peak performers in the past couple of years with the deaths of Leonard Cohen and Chris Cornell. Cohen, who gave us impossibly rich and delicately dim songs, lands a nod for Best Rock Performance for his haunting work on "You Want It Darker" from his final album of the same name.

In the same category, Cornell earned a nomination for his sincere and soulful single, "The Promise." Though the song was originally written for the ending credits of the 2016 film of the same name, it was released as a single just two months prior to his tragic death on May 18.

8. Body Count Stand Tall

One of the most recognizable names in the Rock Field is not necessarily one that the average music fan associates with metal. But Ice-T, legendary rapper, popular actor and commanding frontman, and his band Body Count, have been pumping out heavy, socially charged mayhem since 1990. This prowess is on full display in their single "Black Hoodie," nominated for Best Metal Performance, the band's first career nomination.

9. Meet Kaleo And K.Flay

You might have already heard Icelandic rock band Kaleo, whether you know it or not. The band's bluesy rumbler "No Good" was featured on HBO's 2016 show "Vinyl." Now Kaleo receive their first GRAMMY nomination for the song that brought them into the homes and phones of millions as "No Good" is up for Best Rock Performance.

Singer/songwriter Kristine Flaherty a.k.a. K.Flay dug deeper into her inner rocker on her sophomore album, Every Where Is Some Where, adding more grinding guitars and flashes of darkness to the sound of her 2014 debut, Life As A Dog. After a decade of releasing mixtapes and making a name for herself in the underground hip-hop scene, K.Flay became the first artist signed to Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynold's Interscope imprint label, Night Street Records. Now she's being recognized for her work as a songwriter on "Blood In The Cut," up for Best Rock Song, in addition to an engineering nod for Every Where … for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

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The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

Neil Young

Neil Young

Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

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Neil Young Archives Gives Fans Free Access neil-young-launches-massive-online-career-spanning-archive

Neil Young Launches Massive Online Career-Spanning Archive

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The GRAMMY-winning rock icon opens his vaults for free on the same day his new album drops
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 1, 2017 - 4:56 pm

Neil Young launched a massive online archive containing a comprehensive collection of everything the Canadian rock legend has recorded as a solo artist and bandleader, all for free — no small treasure trove for Young fans.

The collection, titled the Neil Young Archives, is available for free via a new website, complete with simulated vintage gear as the user interface, includes a timeline and high quality Xstream audio. The website launch comes hand-in-hand with Young's new album with Promise Of The Real, The Visitor, also released today.

Neil Young: P&E Wing GRAMMY Week Celebration Speech

"We developed this site to provide fans and music historians with unprecedented access to all of my music and to my entire archives in one convenient location," reads a post on Young's Facebook page. "My team and I have spent years developing this site to make it both enjoyable and easy to use. The site allows me to share with the world the material I've spent a lifetime creating and collecting. I hope you enjoy it."

To celebrate the release, Young is streaming a free webcast concert on his new site at 8 p.m. EST. Happy digging!

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Tom Petty

Tom Petty

Photo: Neville Elder/Getty Images

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Tom Petty's Friends And Family Say Goodbye tom-petty-laid-rest-private-service-california

Tom Petty Laid To Rest At Private Service In California

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The late rock and roll titan honored by friends and family in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 17, 2017 - 3:02 pm

Late rock and roll hero Tom Petty was honored by friends and family at a private service on Oct. 16 at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Recording Academy Remembers Tom Petty

Petty's tragic death on Oct. 2 after going into cardiac arrest came just after the conclusion of his 40th Anniversary tour with his legendary band the Heartbreakers. A Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Petty has charted albums in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 in each of his five decades as a recording artist. His most recent recording with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 2014's Hypnotic Eye, entered at No. 1, his first career chart-topping album.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaU7v8MByMl/?taken-by=inviteloveinvitelove

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A post shared by Annakim (@annakimwildflower)

While the speakers and attendees of the service are unknown, AnnaKim Violette Petty, Petty's daughter, posted a photo from the private service with a caption citing a lyric from the song "The Dark Of The Sun" from his 1991 album, Into The Great Wide Open.

Read More: Jack Antonoff, Paul McCartney, Lorde Mourn Tom Petty

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

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Interview: Fall Out Boy Talk 'MANIA' & Kids Music fall-out-boy-fall-mania-kids-music-star-wars

Fall Out Boy Fall In On 'MANIA,' Kids Music & 'Star Wars'

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The GRAMMY-nominated quartet talk touring, new album, why Kanye West is the new Axl Rose, and making a difference through their #FOBChampion campaign
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 10, 2017 - 5:29 pm

Fall Out Boy have covered a lot of ground since their 2005 GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist. These darlings of modern pop/rock have blown up stages, charts and radio airwaves with hits like "Uma Thurman," "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" and "Centuries," survived a three-year hiatus and triumphantly returned stronger than ever.

Fall Out Boy: Evolution Of Rock And Roll

Now in their 17th year as a band, Fall Out Boy are preparing for their world tour in support of their seventh studio album, MANIA, due out Jan. 19, 2018. Three of the four members are fathers, and being on the road is as much about maintaining connection with family as it is about connecting with audiences. With three singles from the new album already released — and a brand new philanthropic project, #FOBChampion, underway — Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley, have plenty on their collective plate.

Fall Out Boy paid a visit to the Recording Academy headquarters in Santa Monica to perform an acoustic set and for a sit-down to discuss everything from their new album and tour to the music their kids can't resist, baseball and their favorite Star Wars character.

The MANIA tour begins in less than a month. What are the things that help you keep your sanity on the road?
Wentz: It's probably different for everybody. I know for sure like [the] phone and anything that can FaceTime home is good.

Stump: I don't know that I am particularly sane on the road, so I think this tour I'm making somewhat of an effort to maintain that. So I have a little day planner and I'm going to try to stick to that. That's like a big thing.

The new album arrives in January, but fans have already heard three of the songs. A recent Twitter poll showed "The Last Of The Real Ones" as the overall fan favorite. Which one is your favorite so far, and why?
Trohman: I'm gonna agree with the fans on this one. Fan favorite.

Stump: I feel like, in a lot of ways, our songs don't really become what they are until you play them live, and that was an amazing one. The first time we played it live it was like, "Oh, yeah, this one is special," because there's just something really natural about the way we play it. It's just fun and exciting for us.

What influence did producer Jesse Shatkin (Katy Perry, Sia) have on the sound of this album?
Wentz: Jesse's awesome. I think that it's a fine line finding somebody who understands pop music and pop radio but at the same time is super creative. Whatever direction you're headed in, he's like, "Let's steer that way." Especially being in a band, because there's obviously four distinct personalities and different instruments and he's really good at navigating that. You can definitely hear it in "Champion" for sure.

The VMA-nominated video for "Young And Menace" juxtaposes these odd monsters with a very real struggle of a broken family. Can you tell us where this concept came from?
Wentz: The first inception of it is like that moment in Elf where he's like, "Wait, I'm like not an elf," you know? What is the darker version of what that is? But I think that it's feeling like an outsider where you're supposed to feel at home, and you can apply it to our culture or the world or yourself.

That video was really important and then we just had these monster suits so now we're just kind of like, "Let's skateboard with these things" (laughs). These ideas have been less thoughtful.

The philanthropic work you're doing with #FOBChampion: How do you hope the campaign will spread a little light during dark times?
Wentz: We've always tried in different ways, but I think that we live in a culture where it's really easy to complain. And it's really easy to say thoughts and prayers about everything that happens, which I think is important, and I think it's important to motivate people, but it's also important to execute, you know? That's what we're trying to do with our fund, and especially [by] going locally and to individual markets on the tour where there's kids trying to do good and seeing their empathy. I think that's important to encourage.

Take me out to the ballgame ⚾️  s/o to the @cubs, thanks for having us pic.twitter.com/g1Bww0wOSF

— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) September 17, 2017

You guys led "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the 7th-inning stretch at a Cubs game in September. Who's the best baseball player in the band? And the worst?
Wentz: I might be the biggest nut. I wouldn't say that I'm a total nut, but I grew up playing and stuff.

Stump: And I would be the worst at baseball. I think I would be an easy answer.

Hurley: Joe's surprisingly got a really accurate arm.

Trohman: Yes, I have good hand-eye coordination. I'm also good at any time I have an itch on my body — I know exactly how to scratch it immediately without missing and hitting a different part of my body (laughs).

Now that's a secret talent — impressive.
Trohman: Now it's publicly known.

What's the last great "new" song you heard by any artist?
Stump: I feel like this is one of the hardest questions to answer because when you're working on a record, I feel like you can't listen to anything else. There's so many mixes and things that you're going over, exchanging notes, "Oh, we're going to change this and change this … the new Fall Out Boy record (laughs)." I've listened to it a lot.

Trohman: That and we're probably all listening to like a different child's movie soundtrack on repeat.

Stump: Yes, that too.

Trohman: I think that's part of the problem because like three-quarters of us have little kids. So it's a demand always. It's a fight.

Stump: The soundtrack to "Super Why!" is great.

Trohman: I love the Moana soundtrack but that didn't come out recently, but it's great, and I listen to it at least 17 times an hour.

Stump: The weirdest thing is that my kids also [listen to] "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. That we get all the time.

You've talked about how "genre is dead" and how rock and roll has become constricting. What is the most rock and roll thing left in our culture?
Wentz: I don't know if I'm the right person to answer the question, but I think that true rock and roll is this changing, evolving thing. So when I listen to Kanye West and see this guy's got a floating stage, I'm like, "That is pretty rock and roll."

Stump: I feel the stuff Kanye does on stage is very Axl Rose. … Everywhere we go people are always asking us about rock and roll as if it's this ancient thing that's not around anymore. We're like, "Nah, it's pretty alive. It just looks and sounds different and acts different, but it's very much the same stuff."

Wentz: I'm starting to think that they might consider us the rock and roll oracle. They come to us, and they're like, "what is rock and roll?" (laughs)

Lastly, toss-up question here: Who is your favorite Star Wars character of all time?
Stump: Oh wow … that's a really tough one. I'm just going to say Yoda. I really loved Yoda before I saw him fight. I mean, it was still cool. I don't hate the prequels as much as you're supposed to, but Yoda in [The] Empire [Strikes Back] is one of the best things ever.

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