SXSW Preview:
Q&A with Brandon Beebe

Madison singer/songwriter Brandon Beebe makes his SXSW debut this week. I recently asked him a few questions about his record, playing in Madison, and traveling to Austin. 

Your debut, In This Place, was self-financed and a long time coming. What was the writing and recording process like? Where did you record and who did you work with?
“I started the recording of two songs back in early 2009 with Scott Lamps at his house, as just kind of a demo sort of thing. I finished the tracking for them at DNA with Scott some time later. I then recorded the basic tracks for ‘Ghost’ and all of the vocals in one night at Madison Media Institute with a class. I’m still so shocked and pleased at how well that session turned out. I mean, there were students kinda goofing off and laughing in the control room while I was trying to pour my heart out into the mic for my lead vocal. I just remember trying to block that out and connect with the emotional state that the song was written from. 

“Thankfully, there were a couple of serious and talented students in the class, and one of them, Brad Stubbe, decided to use me as his final project at the school. We tracked most of the acoustic guitar parts and drums for the album at MMI in private sessions, thankfully, after that. The rest of the album was recorded at my house for the most part, the exception being most of the percussion on ‘She’s the Moon’ which we recorded in Dave Skogen’s (of Cougar and Youngblood Brass Band) basement. Most of the vocals were done in my living room at strange hours of the night. Brad and I did the editing and pre-mixing at my place, and then the final mixing for most of the album was done at DNA by Mark Whitcomb, with the exception of two songs that Mike Zirkel did at Smart Studios before they closed their doors for good. He also did the mastering. I felt so fortunate to get in there for one of the very last projects as they had ‘officially’ closed down already, but they were still doing ‘unofficial’ stuff that you had to just inquire with Mike about… until they sold their board and all of their gear.

“Most of the writing was done prior to the recording process, although two of the songs were written during the sessions. ‘Elucidation’ was written for the sole purpose of making the transition between ‘Ghost’ and ‘She’s the Moon’ on the album. It changes the mood and tempo, as well as subtle rhythmical changes. Another interesting thing was writing and arranging the string parts, which came out of playing with various cellists and violinists and learning the range of what sounds good on them. I ended up rehearsing with two great players in Oregon during the winter of 2010, and recording all of the parts out there in one session. We recorded them to bounces of the rough album tracks, then synced them up with the real thing once I got back here.”

Either musically or personal or otherwise, what sorts of influences have had the largest impact on your sound today?
“That’s always tough, but I’d have to say it’s a combination of what I was exposed to growing up and what I’ve discovered since then. My mom loved folk music and The Beatles, and my dad would play soul, blues, jazz and worldbeat. I’ve loved artists like Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, etc. and they all had an impact on the album’s sound. As far as personal things, the album was influenced by a big break-up for one.“

You’re from Oregon originally. How much of Oregon is found in In This Place, and how much of it is Wisconsin or points in-between?
“Yeah, it’s got all sorts of places in it, really. ‘Ghost’ and ‘Ashes’ have direct imagery from a lonely Wisconsin winter living in a specific house, ‘Neon Trees’ has imagery from L.A., ‘Future Memory’ has images from childhood as well as past relationships, and so on… “In This Place” is taken from a lyric in ‘Neon Trees’, but it can also refer to being in an emotional or spiritual place as well… and trying to move on from that. That’s kind of the heart of the record.” 

What are your thoughts on Portlandia? Yay or nay?
“Love that show! Big ‘yay.’ And people often think I look like Fred Armisen. I’m okay with that…he’s hilarious.”

You opened a few months back for Meshell Ndegeocello at the Barrymore. Did you get a chance to meet her? What did you learn from that whole experience?
“Man, I really wanted to, but she had a whole protective force around her. They wouldn’t let me downstairs to even use the same bathroom as her. I had to walk all the way around to the front of house with the ‘common folk’. After the show, she had a car waiting and pretty much left right from the stage. She strikes me as a genuine person, probably quite down to earth, but very private… and that’s totally understandable.”

As a Madison resident, what’s it like to grace the Barrymore stage? How does it feel, good and bad, compared to smaller rooms like High Noon Saloon or The Frequency?
“Well, it’s interesting… the lights are so bright, you really can’t tell if there are 5 or 500 people in the audience. But it was such an attentive, participatory crowd and I could just feel the vibe even though I couldn’t see them. Of course, the applause was a nice clue. I love historic old theatres, and I’ve seen a bunch of shows there so it was great to be performing on that stage. Definitely felt more ‘special’ than a show at the Hign Noon or Frequency, though I’m quite fond of those venues as well.”

This is your first trip to Austin. The logistics of getting a bunch of equipment down there, and storing it somewhere, must be tough.
“Yeah, it was looking that way… I almost thought there was no possible way to make it all work and was feeling very alone in the process. I was trying to put some positive spin on climbing in and out of buses with all of my gear, going back and forth to San Antonio — there were no open hotels in Austin. But I sent a couple of Facebook blasts out there and it turned out that I have a friend living there now, so I have a place to crash and I’m getting a ride with Brad who engineered most of In This Place. But I still have to catch a one-way flight back here the morning after my show so I can be back here to play a show at Olbrich on March 17!”

What can Austin expect out of us Wisconsinites and Minnesotans next week?
“A big variety of music from some really top-notch acts. There is no real ‘Midwest sound’ at play here… I wish I could say, ‘We’re gonna show them Texans what the Midwest is all about!’ or something. Maybe if we all wear cheeseheads.”