Trevor, for you this is your first album with the band.
What was it like being the new member or the odd fellow out, if you well – pun
intended – in a group of guys who have played together for so long?
Trevor: It was like walking into the women's sauna by
accident. It was like being a substitute teacher in 1985 and having spit
wads thrown against the scrim during the movie. It was like bumping into
an oak tree while texting an ex-girlfriend who owes me money. It was like
buying a VCR last week. It was like Charles Ives' piece for two pianos
tuned a quarter-tone apart. It was like making a smoothing with cayenne
pepper and cinnamon. It was like
trying to convince an Australian you don't have rats in your backyard.
How did the rest of the band welcome Trevor and how did it
come that he would be a member of the band after Kevin’s departure?
Trevor: I was the obvious choice because I can play
anything, anywhere under any condition with anyone under the influence of
anything or not. That may sound arrogant but I assure you it's just a
matter of hygiene, awareness and honesty. You can do it, too. The rest of the guys welcomed me with a surprise visit
from my mom who made her famous blackberry pie. The next day I had a
fried egg sandwich.
Being a band that is comprised of members from other bands,
when you got together did you not go through some of the motions new bands have
of how to write the music, come up with a style, etc., was it all discussed
before getting together?
Duane and Mike run this ship. They write the music and
ultimately make the executive decisions about the "direction" of the
band, which, from my perspective pretty much seems like "let's be a rock
band.” Once we start rehearsing the music and shaping the songs each individual
becomes responsible for nuancing his own parts all of which are disposable at
any given point depending on what kind of mood someone else is in.
Making this record it only took six days, is the
blitzkrieg working environment your style?
Trevor: Apparently so. Time is money, my friend, and
I'm running out of both. Being a band that experiments with so many sounds and
styles, you don’t fit into a genre. What do you categorize Tomahawk as?
Duane: I would call Tomahawk the current kings of hard
pop. That, or the current dukes of art sleaze. Or the dykes of hazard.
Hahaha....
Because Tomahawk is hard to classify, is that why the new
record is called “Oddfellows?”
Duane: No, we called it "Oddfellows" in
order to differentiate between ourselves and "The Fine Fresh Fellows".....or
was it the "Fine Young Cannibals"??.....
This is your first record in almost six years, why the
long gap?
Duane: We had to take a gap because I was in prison. I
killed a man in a Laundromat for looking at my wife's underwear. They let me
out to do the album and tour. I have to go back in 2014, so who knows, next
time we talk I could be a Canadian citizen.
What was it like getting back into the studio with
everyone and working on new material?
Duane: It was great being back together, actually.
Our sessions had a good vibe, things moved along nicely, etc. Seriously, it
felt like we were doing good work.
Being that it only took six days to make, how much
pre-production went into the album?
Duane: We rehearsed for a week prior to going into
the studio. We did all the basic tracks and dubs in 6 days, but then the vocals
and samples took another week, then it took another 2 weeks or so to mix. So in
reality the album took about a month, as I recall.
After working on the record in Nashville, did the
city inspire you in any way?
Duane: I've been living in Nashville for 13 years now.
There is some inspiration for me, at least. There's loads of great guitar
players here to keep you on your toes, and the songwriting craft is serious
business here as well. Then there's the shrimp and grits, bbq, moonshine, etc.
Who came up with the cover art?
Duane: The album art is by Chicago based comic artist
Ivan Brunetti, who's awesome. I like the bright yellow "Curious
George" feel, don't you?
Will fans have to wait another six years for a new record?
Duane: No, either there will be another right away or
we'll never do another.....depends how the warden is feeling that year, I
guess.
Where does Tomahawk go from here?
Duane: Tomahawk goes bad, nation wide! Cross continental!
Intergalactic! I'd be happy to go anywhere, really. Normal life can be so
boring....but we'll see---if we do another album, it might be large-scale
grandiose longer pieces, or it could be more stripped down short sharp
shocked tunes, or both perhaps?
