Lightning FayCheval Sombre October 25, 2010
Somewhere between the backwoods blues of yesteryear and the blissed-out drones of late '80s space rock, Cheval Sombre has managed to carve out a musical niche that's quite his own. Since his stunning eponymous debut (Double Feature Records, 2009), Cheval has been quietly building up a loyal following based on a series of intimate shows both in the U.S. and abroad.
A rather private guy who generally eschews the dictates of indie-rock self-promotion, Cheval was good enough to speak to me, and I couldn't be more tickled. This interview was conducted via email.
Lightning Fay: One of my favorite things about the Cheval Sombre album is the really accomplished blending of space/drone-rock ambience with the immediacy of the acoustic guitar. While most rock music leans heavily on blues progressions, you really play up that aspect -- you even do a couple of traditional blues numbers on the record. How much of a conscious decision was it for you to feature the acoustic guitar on this record?
Cheval Sombre: I wouldn't call it a decision, really. Up until the recording of the album, I had just really settled into playing this acoustic guitar my father had given me when I was young. It was the primary instrument on which I wrote, recorded, and performed. So there it is on the record. My aunt taught me a little blues run when I was small, and indeed, it took, the blues did.
Fay: The record was produced by Pete Kember (aka Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3, Spectrum, EAR), who also plays on the record, as do Dean Wareham and Britta Philips (Galaxie 500, Luna, Dean and Britta). How did it come to pass that a relatively unknown artist such as yourself ended up working with such an all-star cast of characters?
CS: I sent some early, finished recordings to Pete, whose presence I heard precisely and singularly as the one and only missing element from those works. One never knows when sending a package across the sea. When, some time later, he contacted me to make plans to record, I reached for a good champagne, so thrilled I was. Some months later, while we were recording, at nights he was staying at D&B's place on the Lower East Side. He played them what we were working on. ...
Fay: After the record was made, it was released on Dean and Britta's own label, Double Feature Records. In fact, it was only their second release, after a re-release of one of their own records. Can you talk a little bit about what effect, if any, it had on your own confidence to have all of these famous musicians taking such an active interest in your work?
CS: Hmmm ... I think Cheval Sombre was the third Double Feature release, wasn't it? Well, I can tell you that having the record released on a label run by musicians I admire deeply was well, stunning -- especially at a time of such trepidation and cynicism in the music industry -- I think it took great courage for D&B to release it. I should say that I felt blessed that Pete, Dean and Britta were involved -- I felt understood, relieved, and at home. But it had nothing to do with fame. It was their music which seduced me, their sounds. The effect of our collaboration was that a miracle was produced, something larger than all of us, kindred as we are. It was all, and is, just miraculous.
Fay: You perform both with a band (sometimes including Sonic Boom and/or Dean and Britta) and as a solo act. Despite the prominence of the vocals and the acoustic guitar on the record, the keyboards and sound effects really help to give an aesthetic voice to the music. Do you find it difficult to perform this material on your own? Do you approach the solo sets differently than the sets you play with the band?
CS: I'm not particularly interested in rules, or getting hung-up on gear, equipment, or particular approaches -- at least not at the moment. Whether I'm alone or working with others on stage, all I want is deliverance. Deliverance for everyone in the room. There are states of grace attainable through symphonies as well as through one, lone voice. I prefer to allow the night and circumstances of the moment to dictate how the performance might go. But it is difficult, no matter what, to sing, to give in such a way, every single time for me, alone or not. But it is a struggle which feels like one of the very highest pursuits there is.
See video of Cheval Sombre performing live.
Fay: Lyrically, the songs on your record have a really strong narrative component, and the album is filled with characters (sometimes named, sometimes not). Can you speak a little bit about storytelling in your music? Is there an autobiographical component to your work?
CS: There's a song on the album about a girl in a film I once saw -- her character. But in singing to her I think I was also singing to myself, too. But yes, it's true that people in my life inhabit my songs, just as they inhabit my days and nights and dreams.
Fay: In addition to the traditional numbers "Troubled Mind" and "I've Been All Around This World," you also cover a Doors song on the record called "Hyacinth House." Despite my obligatory classic-rock phase in high school, I'd never heard this song. Are you a big fan of the Doors, or did this particular song just speak to you on some level?
CS: Well, there's a lot of cruel things that clever people like to say and will continue to say about The Doors, but when my older brother played them for me when I was just a kid, I instantly liked their sound. It sounded cool to me. It still does. Speaking of debuts, that first album of theirs is quite the impressive record, isn't it? As the years wore on, I slowly discovered their other albums here and there, and yes, "Hyacinth House" does speak to me -- I relate to the weariness of the song, both sonically and lyrically. It seems to me to be a song about needing to fade -- longing for a place without impositions ...
Fay: What are you listening to these days?
CS: These days? Just got through a Fairport Convention collection, which was really nice. What else? A little Amadou & Mariam, Dana Gillespie, Roxy Music, Eddie Cochran, the mixes from the new album we're doing.
Fay: I understand you're working on a new record right now. What's in store for us, and when can we expect it?
CS: Yes -- it's almost finished, recording-wise. There's some truly lovely folks who've been playing on it -- we've had a beautiful time making it. Don't know when it might be released. I hesitate to say too much about it, before mixing and such. But I can say that I'm really pleased with it thus far, and that each time I take a listen, I feel as though we've achieved something glorious --
Fay: Looking forward to hearing it! Thanks, Cheval.
