1) How do you two normally write songs? How do they get fleshed out and recorded, then?
Duke: Some of the songs on Bamboo were reworked drunken basement jams. Other songs were written independently and brought to the other person to add their special touch. And the last batch of songs were written in a truly collaborative effect; one of us would have a musical idea and the two of us would work with it until we got it right.
Coconut: I credit the Duke for recognizing those basement jams were worth keeping. There was one rare case where a dynamic melody came out of a very late and strange hour, it was just a matter of fitting lyrics to the melody there after. I would never have known this had the Duke not sent me a recording of that night. In other instances, I'll labor through 50 or 100 takes until I find what I'm looking for. And the Duke may not like what I send him in the end...I'll have to redo it! There is definitely a Coconut or Duke hand in each piece; however, nothing was done in the writing partnership without the other signing off on it. This was kind of painful at times. We had to be brutal to each other's work. But it was also freeing and fun once I realized, I do not need to have all the ideas.
2) Do you two still live far apart from each other? How often do you meet to practice/tour/play?
Duke: Being that we mostly work apart, we record parts of songs and share via email and ftp. Once all the parts are finished we assembled the songs little by little. Joe is in Eau Claire while Lucas lives in Bethlehem, PA. Outside of a Joe PA visit back in early May to finish up the album, we haven't played together since November 2008. There is no touring Coconut and The Duke at this time. But we are hoping to play out with some surrogate partners. If/when Lucas moves to the Midwest, there will be a touring Coconut and The Duke.
3) Is there a particular theme to "In the Bamboo..."? What do you normally write songs about?
Duke: If we were to give Bamboo a "concept" it would be the idea of things that invade. The title track is a lament about a possible future when exotic, invasive plant species overrun all native plants. We took the idea of invasives to another level in regards to the styles of music represented on the album. There is a surf song, a country ballad, a reggae tune, a spaghetti western ode to margaritas. Plus the usual more folky and jazzy stuff we are accustom to playing.
Coconut: We scrapped a lot of songs to arrive at an album 'concept'. We knew we wanted to try different popular content, but the music had to be interesting or something we'd want to listen to. I think we learned being able to write well crafted songs is being able to edit well.
Duke: I don't think we ever sat down and said, "Let's write a song about....". Most of the material came from an organic place and time. We never consciously set out to write a song about honeydippers (septic trucks). My son is fascinated by them. I had this melody and chord changes that sounded nice. I originally intended it to be an instrumental. But Joe thought it needed words. So we wrote and rewrote many verses until we came up with ones we liked. The best way to sum up our writing process is a line from the song 3rd Night - "The song has a mind of its own". As a duo, we let the music dictate where it was going.
Coconut: The benefit of being a song writing team is the themes or meaning end up being more dynamic than if I were to sit and write them myself. I like a little tension in the song. I like when art gives enough to make one curious, but does not give it all away. The songs 'Venison Jerky', 'Honeydipper' are "about" two distinct points of view. In 'Honeydipper' it's from the point of view of the user and the Honeydipper operator. Each of us wrote a verse. In 'Venison Jerky' we're talking about a severed relationship: my leave from the East Coast: my writing partnership with Lucas. We were singing to each other in that one.
4) Are you looking to someday pursue the project full-time? or is it more for fun?
Duke: Coconut and The Duke is a stress reliever. After a long day of being a stay-at-home dad, making music with Joe brought me back to earth. It keeps me sane. It would be great to generate enough income to sustain the duo and make more albums. I don't think we ever intended it to become a fulltime job.
Coconut: Song writing was the best therapy. Having gone through a very difficult divorce, break-up songs suddenly starting making a lot of sense. I'll keep my day job and continue to write songs. I'm of a the mindset that a person doesn't need to do one thing. The thinking of a Landscape Architect can apply to music.
Duke: We do it for fun, for our enjoyment. We believe our pleasure comes through in the music and can maybe, bring you some pleasure while listening.
23.7.09
Sorry! Not Playing any Cock Rock Bars Near You...
But planning for a concert/CD release is in order - coming this fall!!!
Article in Volume One Magazine
http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/701/Put_Da_Duke_Wit_Da_Coconut.html
14.7.09
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