Hi! So that our readers can know a bit more about you, please introduce Smoky Ghosts of Big Trees
Hey y’all. Smoky Ghosts of Big Trees are three Californians, Jeff Brenneman, Dirk Doucette, Jay Jardine, and me, the Okie, Andrew Troutman. Those three guys write alchemically great melodic song structures. They’re great musicians. I’m not. I write the words, sing ‘em and maybe throw in some guitar too. Three of us used to pick and grin in Smoldering Ashes, and we have a nice musical family tree, having played in 17 Pygmies, White Glove Test, Sandbox, judyjudyjudy, Jack and the Rippers, and I think Dirk was even in an incarnation of Gene Loves Jezebel, among others. We grew up classic rock, punk and that first blast of post-punk alternative with a DIY bent.
You recently released your latest single from ‘Gunfight in Your Mind’ and it’s brilliant. For anyone who’s yet to hear it, how would you describe the track?
Thanks for listening to “Gunfight in Your Mind”. My impulse is to summarize it as too much coffee and a Pere Ubu bender, and there’s some truth in that. I was also reading some Old West history at the time, about the founding of Oklahoma City and the glory days of Dodge, before people got the heck out of there. It was interesting how blurry the line between the lawman and the outlaw often was, and you could kind of make your own situational ethics Venn diagram of that, if you had a Spirograph set. I just imagined all those conflicts blowing up inside my own head. Also, we were wanting to throw an uncharacteristic punch to start things off. I wanted to contrast the volatile verses with that poppy chorus. The basic track got us 90% there. I had the title and lyric ready to go. Nearly blew out a vein in my head singing it, though. One of my favorite things about it is it’s one of three songs where I was able to harangue and cajole those guys into singing backup vocals. Okay, I blackmailed them.
Where did you record it?
All of this album was recorded in Escondido, California and Seongnam, Republic of Korea. Because of the virus and travel restrictions, we couldn’t get together as often or as easily as we did for the previous disc. Be grateful, there are no songs about the pandemic on the record. And there’s no auto-tune or any of that weird stuff on the vocals that I don’t know how to do anyway.
Your music interweaves so many different styles and sounds. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Roy Wood jumps to mind, because that madman can play anything, writes great melodies and seems out of this world wacky. “Boulders” is such an insane tour de force. I’d be happy to just watch him make a record, but he doesn’t seem to record much. The other guys have their own choices, I’m sure. We all like Pere Ubu, Camper Van Beethoven, Shakin’ Abe, guys like that. Fun to play with any of them. I’d like to sing with Emmylou Harris. That’s what I’d say on Santa’s lap.
What’s been your favorite musical experience to date?
Mick Mercer put us on the radio in the UK on his fantastic show, and Indie Criolle in Ecuador, of all places, showed some love and airplay to three tracks off our last one. We got better reception outside the US, for some reason. But, I get a kick out seeing these songs travel to far flung places, because I like those far flung places too. I’ll chase these songs anywhere.
Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?
Seongnam, Republic of Korea is where the plush Lippy Waiter International Music offices are located. We’re part of the Seoul metroplex, but we get a lot less of the traffic and pollution here. We haven’t played shows here, and rock is definitely on the back burner in Korea. There is a cool trio called Say Sue Me down in Busan. We haven’t met them, but their records are a blast furnace and highly recommended.
Can you write what was the best performance in your career? How do you remember it?
What comes to mind is a gig in a previous band where our only guitarist didn’t show up. I was on bass, but out of necessity picked up the guitar, and tried to remember everything the Roy Clark Big Note Guitar Songbook taught me, while trying to show another member how to fake it on bass. We were opening for a metal cover band. In the end, we let it all rip, sloppy rock and roll at its finest. Probably NOT a great performance, but in my memory we were Dylan and The Hawks at the Manchester Free Trade Hall that night.
Can we expect a new EP or an album from you in the near future?
Not sure about the near future, BUT Smoky Ghosts of Big Trees’ own Jeff Brenneman has a poppin’-fresh EP under the name BRENNEMAN, which is called “‘Marcos.” You definitely should get that on Bandcamp, demand he sign it for you, and then listen to all the songs about his sordid teenage years. It’s well worth it. He’s also got some vinyl with Shakin’ Abe singing one of his songs, and he won’t let me hear it, probably because Abe outsings him.
Finally, have you got anything to share regarding upcoming gigs, and what have you got planned for 2023?
First, y’all get yourselves a copy of “fin(n)”. The CD is available only on Bandcamp, so far, although digitally you can get it anywhere, come July 7. I’m recording in a little side hustle called Ye County Snipers because I can’t let all these words go to waste. Doucette and Jardine play in a lot of beat combos and Brenneman cohosts a Paisley Underground podcast called “Paisley Stage, Raspberry and Rhyme.” As for Smoky Ghosts of Big Trees, we’ll see if “fin(n)” finds its way into some hearts and then I will tune up my Telecaster. Would be nice to play some of these weird songs here in the Pacific Rim.
