"spread the feeling" An Interview With Joe Pernice

After nearly a decade, The Pernice Brothers are back with their new record Spread The Feeling. I recently talked to Joe Pernice, covering everything from Scud Mountain Boys and the late, great David Berman, to some of his various side projects and, of course, the new album.

Photo by Eric Perez.

Let’s start with the new Pernice Brothers record Spread The Feeling. What was the recording process like?

It took a while because I had scrapped an entire album, but after a few years decided to revisit the songs. Ended up working on four of them very slowly. The rest remained scrapped.

Was it frustrating to have scrapped an entire album or are you satisfied with the outcome?

At the time it was very depressing. Worked long & hard on the songs and recordings. But in the end, the songs I abandoned deserved it.

I noticed that Spread the Feeling is only currently available on vinyl and as a Bandcamp download. Are you officially against streaming services?

Until the revenue split becomes better for the artist/songwriters, yes, I am.

Some of the songs on the new album, especially tracks like “I Came Back” seem rather personal. Do you generally tend to write autobiographical songs or do you prefer to keep a distance between your personal life and your songwriting?

It honestly varies. Some songs are true, others are only partly true.

Going back to the beginning of your career Scud Mountain Boys was more country/Americana influenced than your later work. Were there any artists in particular that inspired this sound?

I think back then I was listening to a lot of Jimmy Webb's tunes. A couple other guys in the band had much better country music vocabularies than me. But we all listened to many different styles of music.

SCM disbanded in 1997, but you reunited with them in 2013 for a new album and tour. What prompted this reunion after more than 15 years?

We got older & wiser & realized we all still liked each other and liked making music together. Stuff that happened in the past was best left in the past.

After the breakup of SCM, you formed the Pernice Brothers with your brother Bob. Was it your intention to go in a more power-pop esque direction with this project or did it happen unexpectedly?

I actually formed PB while Scud Mountain Boys were still together. It was an outlet for more traditional pop music.

“Chicken Wire” from the album Overcome by Happiness was named in 2007 by AOL Music as the “No. 1 Most Exquisitely Sad Song in the Whole World.” What was your initial reaction to receiving this title?

I actually laughed.

After Overcome by Happiness, you left Sub Pop and started your own label, Ashmont Records. What prompted you to start your own label?

I wanted control of my music. I most likely would have been dropped if I hadn't left Sub Pop.

Between the first two Pernice Brothers albums, you released two solo albums- Chappaquiddick Skyline and Big Tobacco. Why did you release these two albums under different names, rather than as the Pernice Brothers?

Those records were side projects. I felt like the material didn't fit PB.

In 2006, you played a troubadour on the TV show Gilmore Girls. How did this role come about?

The creators of the show are fans. They were very good to me. Besides using my tunes in the show, they asked if I'd appear on the show. It was a pretty fun experience, to be honest.

In addition to your various musical projects, you’re also a writer. Your novel It Feels So Good When I Stop, was published in 2009. How long have you been writing for?

I guess I've been writing since high school. Things heated up when I went to grad school a few years later.Sometimes I write more than other times, but it's been going on for a while. I should be much better at it by now.

Your most recent album was Into the Lime with the New Mendicants, your band with Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub in 2014. How did you first meet Blake and decide to form a band?

I met Norman in 2000 when my band opened for TFC. Years later when we were both living in Canada, we started hanging out, playing music. Just made sense to start a band.

David Berman of the Silver Jews recently passed away. What was your friendship with him like?

He was definitely a friend. Mostly we told each other jokes.

David Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains) died of a suicide in August.

I read that members of Scud Mountain Boys were part of the original scrapped sessions for the second Silver Jews album, The Natural Bridge. Were you involved with this project at all?

I was. We recorded three or four songs together. But David didn't want to use them because the songs sounded a lot like Scud Mountain Boys...which makes sense. I liked the tracks we did, but versions on The Natural Bridge are way better.

What did you think of his final album, Purple Mountains?

I haven't heard it yet. Not ready.

Finally, with long awaited album now released, what are your plans for the near future?

Going to play some shows and keep recording.

Spread the Feeling is out now as a digital download, as well as vinyl and CD.

( https://pernicebrothers.bandcamp.com/album/spread-the-feeling )