What's been happening in your world, lately? Do you have any production currently in the works?
This year has been bananas. While I haven't been putting out a mass of original music, I've been remixing my ass off (Los Amigos Invisibles, Sunburst Band, Soulparlour, Shake Aletti, Based on Kyoto, Pablo Sanchez) and prepping new stuff for release (band recordings of my crew Starblazers, a track for the Stones Throw
Do-Over series). I also toured the States and Canada throughout June - July, and just got back from Europe. I'm heading over to Australia next weekend, of course, and hitting Japan the last weekend of this month. On top of all this, I've been busy with my radio show "Hit It and Quit It" which I co-host with my man Frank Booker. You can peep the archives at:
hititandquititradio.blogspot.com.
You're heading over to Australia soon - how often do you visit the country?
Usually I get over to rock spots three or four times a year, if I'm lucky. It's great being across the ditch and still telling people you're from Detroit.
You moved to New Zealand over eight years ago – of all places, why New Zealand?
It has a vibe to it, and a real DIY aesthetic when it comes to music. People are relatively down with good music and lifestyle and, as much as I love Detroit, this place has beaches, mountains, green things, clean air, low crime and no Wal-Marts. There are a lot of great musicians out this way who are open to trying new styles and modes of music; things that I had always wanted to try in Detroit, but hadn't gotten to that stage in my musical development. So being here has been great for the creative momentum – I get bored if I stagnate musically.
How often do you perform with the eight-piece live band? Is it going well?
It has been a minute, to be honest. We've been more focused on recording some new material, which will be out sooner rather than later (with remixes from the likes of James Pants, Daz-I-Kue, Julien Dyne, Frank Booker).
Tickets to Recloose's Sydney show are available from