Interview :: Lord Huron [1.31.11]

LA's Lord Huron released two of the finest EPs of 2010, one even called Mighty, the perfect name for such a strong grouping of songs. We shot some emails back and forth with singer and writer Ben Schneider, who reflects on taking his music to the stage and why engaged people don't deserve to drown. His words and some of his songs after the jump.

32feet: What are your top five Desert Island Records?

Lord Huron: There is no remotely satisfying selection.
At the moment I’d say:

Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley
Neil Young – On the Beach
Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska
Radiohead – Kid A

32ft: You released two fantastic EPs in 2010, what are the plans for the Lord Huron project in 2011?

LH: Thank you very much. The band is about to head out on tour, and hopefully we’ll be doing a lot of that this year. We’re all anxious to get out there and prove ourselves in that regard. We’re very focused on our live show at the moment. I’ve been working on some new material and I’ll continue to record along the way, and hopefully get the band more involved in that process as well. Hard to say just what form that will take.

32ft: What is your sense of the differences between the two records?

LH: The two records were written and recorded pretty close together, so there are definitely themes running throughout. I’m trying to develop the storytelling elements, not just lyrically, but also the way in which the structures and sound choices complement the narrative. My hope is to make the songs as evocative as possible, and I think you can hear me working on that more on the Mighty EP.

32ft: The Lord Huron material has a delicacy and a texture that seems to challenge bringing it into the live environment. Who do you work with to make this possible and do you feel more comfortable on stage or in the studio?

LH: When the time came to put a band together, I called my old friend Mark, who was drumming around Nashville at the time. We’ve known each other a long time and he’s an incredibly talented guy. I knew from the start I wanted him to be involved. He came out to Los Angeles and we set to figuring out how to make the material work live. We decided we didn’t want to rely on any backing tracks. We knew we couldn’t recreate everything live and we didn’t necessarily want to. We wanted the live show to be it’s own entity, closely related to but distinct from the recordings. After some searching, we were able to find some killer musicians who are also great guys and we’ve developed the live show together. Recording is really enjoyable, but nothing beats playing live with such a talented gang.

32ft: I made an illusion to your music trafficking in the same World Music vernacular that Vampire Weekend made fantastically popular. Is this offensive or flattering?

LH: Neither, really. It’s true that the music draws from sources around the world.

32ft: We ask everyone this so apply it how you want: Lord Huron is on a sinking ocean liner and there is only one life jacket, who gets it and why?

LH: Sean(guitar) is engaged and we’d hate for him to miss his wedding, so he can have the life jacket. The rest of us Great Lakes boys are pretty strong swimmers.

32ft: What is one thing that people don't know that they should absolutely never forget about your music?

LH: If I need to point it out, I reckon it doesn’t matter much.

Listen :: Lord Huron - "Mighty"
Listen :: Lord Huron - "When Will I See You Again"
Listen :: Lord Huron - "The Problem With Your Daughter"