Can you recommend…
… three new bands?
There’s this woman named Dri from Orange, Kansas, and she has a record called Smoke Rings that I’m really crazy about. After one of her shows she gave me a CD, and as I left I had the CD in the sun visor of the car with the window down, and as I drove off I did a U-turn and the CD flew out of my car into the street. It was really late and I was tired and I was like, “Oh God, do I really want to get out of the car and get it?” I sat in the car for ten seconds looking at it, then I ran out and got it. She’s a really, really great singer.
 
This may not be fair, but my brother Gordon is touring with me right now. He has a new album, it’s called True Confessions. He makes drone music, using a lot of field recordings and live sampling. It’s called Concern.
 
I’m not so good with new stuff usually, most of what I listen to is pretty old. But there’s this band called The Donkeys from San Diego. I’m from California, and nothing reminds me of California more than their music. They’ve been best friends since they were in my high school. It’s just really hard to shake that musical connection with people that you know really well. It kind of sounds like Cream, and the Grateful Dead, and the Velvet Underground.
 
… three old bands?
 I’ve been listening to Irma Thomas a lot lately. There’s this label from Portland, Oregon called Mississippi Records who do vinyl-only re-issues, and they put out a compilation of some of her early soul recordings from New Orleans. That’s about my favourite music in the world right now. I think she’s as good a singer as Aretha Franklin, but she didn’t quite get the attention.
 
Another record actually that I got from Mississippi Records was a reissue of this Michael Hurley record called Armchair Boogie, recorded in the late 60s. It’s a folk record with some of his friends play occasional accompanying instruments. He reminds me a lot of John Prine, who’s a country singer with kind of a real sad humour. It’s one of my favourite qualities in music where something gives you contradictory emotions. Cat Power has covered a bunch of his songs.
 
The other thing that I got recently that I love is a collection of the Staple Singers’ early church recordings. Just the most haunted sounding music with really minimal arrangements. Usually the guitar playing is really heavily vibratoed, and maybe there’ll be a snare, and then there are just the sisters’ voices.
 
… a film?
Tender Mercies, with Robert Duvall and Tess Harper. It was made in the 70s, set in Texas. An alcoholic, retired country singer is trying to make a fresh start at his life, just working in a small gas station. He gets recognised, and people who are fans of his music come into visit him. It’s a man up against his past. It’s just like this really quiet, sweet kind of movie.
 
… a book?
I’ve been reading a bunch of books by Lorrie Moore. The first one I read was Self Help, her short stories. I’m gonna mention another writer. Mary Gaitskill, who’s another short story writer. Her stories are so brutal, and usually after I finish a Gaitskill book I would chase it with a Lorrie More book, just because it’s so much more gentle.
 
… a record label?
In Chicago there’s this reissue label the Numero Group, who’ve been doing regional discographies. This series is called Eccentric Soul, and they’ve compiled labels from Miami, and Detroit and Chicago. It’s beautiful music that for the most part has never been on CD before.
 
… a website?
I’ll think about it for a minute.
 
… something on YouTube?
There’s this commercial for a barbeque restaurant in Oklahoma City, called Mr Spriggs BBQ. The theme music is like this really slow-jam R‘n’B song that was recorded for them. It is the catchiest, best song. Absolutely no irony, I just think it is an amazingly effective commercial. I was driving to Texas for SXSW recently, and we were gonna be stopping in Oklahoma City, and they were like “Where shall we eat?” I was like, “We have to go to Mr Spriggs BBQ!” Because of the song I remembered the phone and the address.

 
… a radio show?
There’s a talk radio show from Seattle called Too Beautiful to Live, with Luke Burbank. He’s a former national public radio correspondent who was living in New York and moved back to Seattle where he’s from to host this show. It’s just like a three hour talk radio programme on AM radio, but they don’t talk about politics and they don’t take callers. They just pretty much just talk, live.
 
… something to do on a day off?
I’ll go for a bike ride down to this Vietnamese market in Chicago, or on the other side of the city there’s this Ethiopian market, so usually I go and do some shopping. If the weather’s nice, I take a lot of bike rides.
 
… a song everyone should hear?
I’m gonna have to go with the Mr Spriggs BBQ commercial. It proves that advertising isn’t necessarily an evil thing.
 
Have you had enough time now to think of a website?
Umm… I recommend that everyone get a Gmail account. My life greatly improved when I started using Gmail.
 
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is on tour in the UK until April 27