17 minute read
Music + Culture
[RECORDING]
Furs Things First
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How the Psychedelic Furs’ first album in 29 years, the forthcoming Made of Rain, came to be recorded in St. Louis
Written by THOMAS CRONE
Jason McEntire, in discussing the time spent with the Psychedelic Furs at his Sawhorse Studios, moves through the multiple rooms of his complex, which is located in an unassuming storefront in south city’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. He points to the places where various members sat and smoked, or where they tucked away to get some peace, or where singer Richard Butler holed up with a laptop in order to sketch out lyrical ideas. At one point, McEntire notices a couch where Butler’s bass-playing brother Tim sat for a good chunk of their sessions, simply plugging in there rather than in the primary working studio. Today, the studio’s house dog, a remarkably relaxed weimaraner named Joey, is sound asleep on the space, which is normally his own homebase. 3oor -oey had to find other hangs during the Furs’ stay at Sawhorse, a fascinating experience that speaks well to the modern music recording landscape.
As first reported by the RFT, the members of the Psychedelic Furs came to Sawhorse to record their first album in years, the forthcoming Made of Rain, due to producer Richard Fortus wishing to spend time in his hometown of St. Louis after an extensive year of touring with his longtime band Guns N’ Roses. Encouraged by his wife Stephanie, Fortus called on his old friend McEntire and signed on with the studio, with McEntire initially slated to be the album’s second engineer. When the group’s members were eventually able to settle on studio dates
Made of Rain, due May 1, is the first album by the Psychedelic Furs since 1991’s World Outside. | MATTHEW REEVES
“ [Fortus] has this crazy, encyclopedialike inventory in his head. He’d say something like, ‘Have you ever heard of the Klondike 4000? There were only twenty of these made and I have two of the twenty.’ ‘Well, no, I didn’t know about that. How would I know about that?’ And every day I’d walk in and there’d be a new row of pedals.”
that would accommodate their own touring needs, the recording process began in earnest, with the Butlers, drummer Paul Garisto and guitarist Rich Wood assembling at Sawhorse, and the band’s other members — keyboardist Amanda Kramer and sax player Mars Williams — adding their digital fingerprints elsewhere.
McEntire calls the experience “a real feather in the cap” for his studio. It was also a long-running situation, dating back years.
“They’d reached out to Fortus and he wanted to stay in town,” 0c(ntire recalls. ȊThe first email was just to make sure the equip
ment list would suɚce. <ou want to have a good amount of proper gear. God forbid they get here and say, ‘This is all you have?’ Fortus and I got together in March of 8 and were talking as far back as 2ctober of ’, or even earlier than that. The Furs were touring, in and out. They were kicking demos around with Fortus and he kept saying, ‘Don’t worry, it will happen.’”
Along the way, McEntire became the first engineer, to boot. According to Fortus, that was a natural outgrowth of working at Sawhorse. “What I liked most about Sawhorse is Jason,” Fortus says during a hometown break from his G N’ R duties. “He’s the biggest asset. It’s a nice room, but not real fancy. He’s a very talented engineer and I liked working with him.”
According to Fortus, the decision to lay the record down in St. Louis made more sense than one might think. Though the Psychedelic Furs is traditionally thought of as a U.K.-based band, its members live across the U.S., making St. Louis a good central location to set up camp.
“It made sense for us to record in St. Louis,” Fortus says. “Everybody in that band is spread out. One guy’s in the desert in California, one’s in upstate 1ew <ork. <ou’ve got Tim in .entucky, I believe, and Paul in D.C., Mars in Chicago. It made perfect sense. Not that hard of a sell.”
Fortus’ time as a collaborator with the Furs dates back a ways. His band Pale Divine (nee The Eyes) parlayed their too-brief run on Atlantic Records into an opening slot with the group, before Fortus would eventually split from Pale Divine to form Love Spit Love with Butler. Eventually, as that act ceased, the Furs would come back together, and Fortus served a stint as guitarist in the band before leaving for Guns N’ Roses and an insane amount of session and Continued on pg 37
touring work across every genre imaginable. Being sought out as a producer isn’t a completely new feeling for Fortus, and he’s been able to dabble in that successfully through the use of a high-quality home studio.
“What we did with the Furs is having the basic tracking done at Sawhorse,” Fortus says. “Then I did overdubs and some vocals at Dreamland in 1ew <ork with Richard and eventually redid most of those vocals at my place in St. Louis. Probably for nine out of ten things that I do for other people, I do at my house. I’ve got great mics and pre-amps and obviously all of my guitar gear there. The bottom line is that, in this day and age, things have sort of leveled out. Because you can have great studios anywhere. But when it comes to drums, that’s the one thing I’m not capable of at my house.”
At Sawhorse, the Furs’ seasoned drummer Garisto was able to play across two studios, with a larger and a smaller kit available in different rooms in order to gain different feels. Tim Butler found his home on the couch. And guitarist Wood was treated to something special, in the form of Fortus’ personal selection of vintage and modern guitar pedals, so many of which were brought in that Wood eventually wound up creating a small walking path into the corner of Sawhorse’s primary studio room.
“It’s insane, the stuff Fortus would bring in here,” McEntire jokes. “He’s got such a selection of gear that it was like Christmas for Wood. And he has this crazy, encyclopedia-like inventory in his head. He’d say something like, ‘Have you ever heard of the .londike " There were only twenty of these made and I have two of the twenty.’ ‘Well, no, I didn’t know about that. How would I know about that?’ But Rich Wood was in heaven, and every day I’d walk in and there’d be a new row of pedals.”
A lot of this work took place well over a year ago, though there’s an end in sight. With sixteen tracks fully sketched out at Sawhorse and beyond, twelve cuts will make up the final version of Made of Rain, slated for a May release. 5emarkably, it’ll be the first record under the Furs name since ’s World Outside, with the single “Don’t Believe” released at the end of January.
Fortus’ role, he says, is part of the new reality “of going to where the producers are,” which is what 0c(ntire is finding, as well.
“He’s a super nice guy and really, really bright,” says McEntire of Fortus, one of three Richards in the Furs’ camp. “I was almost more intimidated by the fact that he’s a St. Louis contemporary and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I wanted him to feel like this is as good as working with any 1ew <ork cats.
“I’m really happy that they felt content enough to come in for a second visit, and I’m happy to have pleased Fortus as much as the other guys,” he adds. “The producer is who you are trying to satisfy, while making sure that the band is content.” n
[HOMESPUN]
True Blue
Blue Lotus’ Stax Records tribute this weekend is a match made in soul heaven
Written by CHRISTIAN SCHAEFFER
In his dreams — where cost is no object, where making music is still a viable profession — Paul Niehaus IV would love to turn his Blue Lotus imprint into an honestto-God record label in the old-school tradition. He could keep a house band on the clock to back up the label’s roster; he could devote time and resources to artist development; he could take the operation from his well-appointed south-city basement to a full-fledged studio.
But in 2020, where low- or no-cost streaming has become the listener’s apparent birthright, running a label looks a lot more like an act of passionate zealotry. While Blue Lotus puts out its fair share of original releases from the likes of soul singers Roland Johnson and Gene Jackson, this weekend the label will host a tribute to Stax Records, a multi-singer tribute to the Memphis-based label that brought us deathless hits by Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes and more.
Niehaus admits that paying tribute to the label’s forebears is fun for the artists as well as good for the label’s profile, and he hopes that showgoers this weekend will seek out the artists’ own material.
“Man, it’s art versus commerce,” Niehaus says from behind the mixing desk of his basement studio. “People like something that’s familiar, I think. It’s something I think about a lot. That informs me a lot as an artist, to make St. Louis soul mainstays Gene Jackson and Roland Johnson will lend their voices to this weekend’s Stax Records tribute. | VIA BLUE LOTUS RECORDINGS
something that is both familiar and new.” The label has paid tribute to Stax in the past, as well as Motown and Chess Records. Niehaus notes that they tend to be successful shows that bring out a new audience, and the revue style of the concert gives each singer a few songs to put their stamp upon. “We get a chance to feature a ton of different artists out front, backed up by a house band,” he says.
For this week’s show, the Stax songbook will be interpreted by a handful of local singers: Johnson, who has become Blue Lotus’ de facto marquee name, will be there. He and Gene Jackson will pay tribute to Sam & Dave, as well as perform solo sets. But it’s a few of the lesser-known names Niehaus is excited about: Tru Born, a guitarist and introspective singer-songwriter, will tackle the Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself.” Ms. Hy-C, who leads the soul-blues sextet Fresh Start, will handle another Staple classic, “I’ll Take You There,” and Brother Jefferson will interpret some of Albert King’s Stax sides.
In keeping with the label’s tradition — where a house band would back up the singers on the roster — Niehaus has assembled his own wrecking crew: Niehaus will be on keyboards, along with guitarist Bob Kamoske, bassist Gus Thornton and Kevin O’Connor on drums. A two-piece horn section will support the singers as well.
Many of those players have worked with Niehaus in the past; O’Connor wrote and arranged many of the tracks on Roland Johnson’s latest, Set Your Mind Free, and Blue Lotus released the last solo album by slide guitar virtuoso Kamoske.
“If you can build a community of talented, inspired people, the sum is greater than the total of the parts,” Niehaus says. Even though singers like Jackson and Johnson have been performing almost as long as Niehaus has been alive, the partnership between singer and producer demands some tutelage and collaboration.
“Roland likes to say, in conversation and interviews, ‘Oh yeah, I just come in and it’s one take.’ It’s not; it’s, like, 30 takes maybe, in truth,” Niehaus says. More than any other element, he focuses on getting the best vocal performance to stand at the center of these recordings. When it’s a lyric and a melody, you’re really trying to get the best take, because all the instruments and parts are cool, but at the end of the day that’s the most important thing.
“At the end of the day, the song is still the unit of measurement: How good is the song?” he continues. “How good is the lyric, how good is the harmony? When you press play, that’s the judge.”
This weekend’s Stax tribute is a relative blip in what Niehaus has planned for 2020: The label will release albums by Miss Molly Simms and Jon Bonham, as well as an EP of sun-stroked psych-folk by David & the Same Mistakes, a winsome project from relative newcomer David Meyer. As a musician, Niehaus plays with Bonham, Simms, Falling Fences and others; he also has plans to release his own singer-songwriter material, though the pace he keeps as label head, studio owner and sideman often keeps that pushed to the back burner.
Niehaus sees his role, and that of Blue Lotus, as part of a larger continuum of American music. Some projects like the Stax show pay direct tribute to the past; others use what he calls “archetypes of music” to expand on the established forms.
“There’s only twelve notes in music; there are only 26 letters in the alphabet,” he says. “So it’s not like you’re gonna do something that is completely new. I think a lot about what is new and novel and what is timeless and traditional.”
A Social Sweetheart
St. Louis rapper and entrepreneur Yvette’s viral internet fame is only the beginning
Written by YMANI WINCE
If you think you’re going to argue with a woman from St. Louis and win, think again.
It’s almost certain you won’t outsmart, out name-call, or have a larger catalog of insults to choose from than an STL queen. But one person in particular comes to mind when it comes to defending her space online. Enter Diamond Ȋ<vetteȋ Smith, a local rap artist whose knack for using social media has cemented her place in the clapback hall of fame. /ast month, <vette uploaded a short video of herself to Twitter in which she participated in the “Practicing to ____” trend that was happening online. In her video, <vette was pretending to practice throwing a drink on someone in the club. The video was hilarious and it instantly went viral, racking up more than , retweets and , likes. 2verwhelmingly, the internet enjoyed it. As for the haters" <vette took the time to respond to every single one. Of all the exchanges that took place during that glorious Twitter thread, there’s one that truly stood out.
“Do some of you ever get tired of being ratchet?” one user wrote. “Ask ya mama, she taught me everything I know,ȋ <vette responded with a smiling emoji.
Her experience going viral provided the perfect opportunity for <vette to promote herself. :hich is good, because not only is she quick-witted, she’s also a budding entrepreneur and businesswoman. One user wanted to know about the jumpsuit <vette was wearing in her video. Turns out, it came from the rapper’s online boutique. Others wanted to know about her lashes and hair. Those also come from <vette’s businesses. And that’s to say nothing of the following of fans she’s amassed over the past few years with her music.
:hat makes <vette’s rise to popularity most striking is that none St. Louis rapper Yvette didn’t expect to be an internet star, but now that she is, she’s taking full advantage. | MONARCH PHOTOGRAPHY
of it was planned. She wasn’t an avid user of social media, nor did she have many followers on any platform. She never even truly planned on being a rapper; it manifested naturally.
That all changed once <vette started posting videos of her covers to popular songs. In , she freestyled over Dej Loaf’s “Try Me” and wasn’t expecting anything to happen once it was online. /iterally overnight, <vette’s video had gone viral. She woke up the next morning to more than , followers on Instagram, which continued to rapidly climb. By 8, <vette was being booked for performances, began traveling and started to take her music more seriously.
“I had that moment when I got my first booking,ȋ she says. ȊI was like, Ȇ:hoa. <’all actually listen to my music" <ou’d actually pay me to come see my music?’”
But transitioning into a rapper came with some hesitation. <vette didn’t want to be seen as a rapper, mainly because of all the criticism women in hip-hop face.
“I didn’t want to be considered a rapper because I didn’t want all the backlash,” she says. “I never really labeled myself as a rapper. I just started to take things seriously back in 8.ȋ
<vette has the talent. She’s amassed a following of listeners who enjoy her confident and alluring freestyles over instrumen
tals including Megan Thee Stallion’s “Sex Talk” and Soulja Boy’s “Donk.”
0ost notably, <vette’s single “Ratchet Twerk Song” exploded onto the St. Louis scene and across the web. It’s a bold track, complete with direct instructions and the kind of sexual energy that makes one question their own zest for intimate relations. It’s a fun song that speaks to the kind of music <vette does best. She raps with a clever intensity that feels like watching two best friends lovingly insult one another. And it’s hard not to like her, especially when <vette uploads videos showcasing her smile while delivering venomous lyrics to fun instrumentals of your favorite throwback songs.
“I get it from everywhere,” <vette says of the inspiration behind her lyrics. “I could maybe be having a conversation with somebody, and I could say something funny that rhymes, and I’ll think, ‘Oh I could make that a song.’” As her popularity increased, <vette admits that she fell victim to the pitfalls of getting deeper into the music industry. Last year, the rapper says she signed on to a deal that completely took advantage of her. She says she trusted management that insisted on getting her signed.
“Blindly, I signed a contract, and I didn’t see it as a mistake then,” she says. “But when it was time for them to start booking shows, that’s when everything went downhill.” <vette says that she e[perienced a loss of control of her image. She was being prompted to post certain content on social media, or encouraged to present herself in ways that were inauthentic. At that point, she wanted out. She realized all of the legal jargon in her contract was strategically placed. To most people, legally binding agreements are not simple to understand in plainspeak. <vette covered her bases by having multiple people read over her contract, so that she did not miss anything. Unfortunately, she was duped into believing her management paid a lawyer to help seal the deal.
“The worst thing I ever did was sign a contract,” she says. “For any upcoming artist, I will always tell them, ‘Don’t sign anything, you can do it all yourself.’”
And that’s the kind of attitude that has fueled her success. <vette is an entrepreneur with dreams of living the sort of luxurious lifestyle she’s always imagined. She knows her audience and how to use social media to her advantage. More recently, she joined the website OnlyFans — but with a twist. <vette decided to use the subscription-based platform as her personal vlog. She plans to create videos of herself giving inspirational chats, as well as teach her viewers how she started her businesses.
“I would see people promoting it, but I’d only see it being promoted for porn, “ she says. “I don’t do that. But let’s see if I can push this out and make it something positive. It’s free money for people to just watch me be me and not have to be naked and sell my body. <ou’re paying for knowledge.ȋ
As a young woman with several talents, <vette is also finally taking time to focus on putting out a proper music project. She hasn’t decided whether it will be a mixtape or an EP, but she says she’s excited to show her fans more of herself on her tracks.
“It’s gonna be about my life, ratchetness, heartbreak — everything,” she says. “We’re gonna scramble everything into one.” n
