24
march 2021
THE COMET
rebel in the rearview mark pickerel’s new lp
by ron evans Mark Pickerel may be the Kevin Bacon of the Pacific Northwest music scene. Not only was he a founding member of one of the area’s most influential bands - The Screaming Trees, he’s also been in Truly and The Dark Fantastic, and over the years he’s worked with The Dusty 45s, Brandi Carlile, Neko Case, Duff McKagan, Mark Lanegan and a little outfit called Nirvana, just to name a few.
and atmosphere, and there’s plenty of both in this collection. Every song belongs in a David Lynch film or maybe some postapocalyptic love story set in the desert. Especially his take on Lucinda Williams’ “Essence” featuring Star Anna, which has been on repeat for half the day here at Comet Headquarters.
Pickerel enlisted the help of many notable local and semi-local folks to work on the His current musical operation, Mark Pick- album including Jeff Fielder, Star Anna, erel and His Praying Hands has just re- Ian Moore, Drew Church, Johnny Sangleased a collection of cover songs and out- ster, and Jack Endino. takes recorded over the past decade, Rebel In The Rearview. The album feels quite When not in the studio or on the stage, cohesive in spite of being an assembly of Pickerel manages his records, clothing new works and old ghosts alike. Suitable and memorabilia boutique Roadtrip Rehomage is paid to these songs that clearly cords with a booth at the massive Thorpe mean a lot to Pickerel - but the eerie ‘dusty Antique Mall and some real estate at Jertrails and broken hearts’ arrangements and rol’s in Ellensburg. We sat down with the his trademark bass/baritone vocals feel so artist to chat about the LP, a little Screamat home in these tracks that you’d never ing Trees, and his life inside and outside of the music industry. know he didn’t write them. Pickerel knows the importance of subtlety Tell us about the origin of this collection
of songs. Are they mostly one-off record- and my limited talents on display. Hearings as stand alone works or outtakes of ing collaborators like Jeff Fielder (Indigo previously released albums? Girls, Mark Lanegan) add their talents and personalities to my songs gives the mateEarly on in this Covid nightmare, I was rial a dimension and an element of mystery trying to figure out ways to keep busy that and intrigue that I could never produce on didn’t involve getting into small rehearsal my own. spaces with my mates, and I started going through old recordings to see if there were How would you describe the Ellensburg any forgotten songs that might be worthy landscape, musically speaking - past of a release. After some digging, I came up and present? with around twenty songs, all in various forms of completion, some dating back a I find the terrain of this landscape so indecade or more, some from a session that spiring, and I can credit the old Yakima I started just about a week before Covid Canyon Highway alone with inspiring as lockdowns. I called Johnny Sangster, who many as five or six songs over the years. is an ace producer (Mudhoney, Posies) and During my younger years, I didn’t see the an incredible multi-instrumentalist (Neko beauty in most of my surroundings, save Case, Praying Hands), and asked if he’d for maybe the obvious majesty of the Casbe comfortable having me spend a few cades towering over the fields of hay. The days in his studio with him (masked ex- beauty of the sagebrush and basalt rock cept when stepping into the vocal booth), was far too subtle for me to capture my doing vocal and guitar overdubs, etc. We attention. I was preoccupied with a world spent a couple of weekends doing some re- on the other side of the Cascade Curtains, pairs to the original recordings and ended man-made architectural triumphs and up completing every song from my list. I street culture. I would have eagerly tradthen sent everything to Martin Feveyear ed this tumbleweed terrain for a concrete (Mark Lanegan, Shim, Dark Fantastic, jungle. But now I am awake to what it has Brandi Carlile) to mix. I decided that, from to offer, and I like to think that some of the a marketing perspective, it made sense to subtle beauty makes its way into my own release all the covers together. My think- songs, and much like nature, I’m willing to ing was that, since it’s been several years wait for someone to appreciate something since I released anything, this might be a I’ve created. Subtlety is a rare artform that good way to introduce myself to a whole I have become more acutely in tune with or new audience, on the backs of some of my on the search for, not just in art and music favorite artists: Townes Van Zandt, Secret but in cooking (another hobby), fashion, Sisters, Leonard Cohen, Amy Winehouse interior design, lyrics, literature etc. and more. I also wanted to familiarize myself with how to promote a record in the Alongside your music career, you have digital age before I get to work promoting been in the retail business since leaving my release of originals later this year. the Screaming Trees in the early 90s. Mostly dealing in music and cultural As the lineup of featured performers on ephemera you seem passionate about. the LP will show, you have worked with Does the love of one gig trump the other many groups and artists over the years. these days? Some musicians seem content putting out solo works for the most part but you Not at all. While it’s true that sometimes I clearly have an interest in group per- have to focus more attention on commerce formances and collaboration. How does than on creating music, it’s not for any lack that play into your creative output? of creative inspiration or loss of interest in performing but simply that it’s sometimes Right. You know, I could probably get easier for me to see the immediate results away with performing more of the parts of a day curating recent acquisitions, flipand instrumentation on my own records, ping thrift finds, etc., than to spend the but the truth is, I don’t think I would enjoy days working on songs while bills pile up. listening to them as much if it were just me At the end of the day, I feel that these two
