Session Date: October 12, 2009
Artist Hometown: Denton, TX
Links: Bandcamp, DanielFolmer.com
Recorded by: Michael Briggs
Note: This is an older session and may not exactly follow the “3 Questions / 3 Songs” format.
THE QUESTIONS
Michael Briggs: We’d like to welcome Daniel Folmer,… how have you been?
Daniel Folmer: Good.
MB: So, tell us a little a bit about your new album Dead End. Is there any kind of a theme or concept behind it?
DF: There is. Uhm. I think, lets see, what year was that? January 2008, I think, is when it was recorded. Is that right? Do you remember? Because I went to visit Shane and them in Portland. And I brought the album. And I showed it to them. The whole thing is about, everybody, like all my friends left town, except for one, I mean that I kept in touch with like every single day, the guys that I moved out here with. Uh. Shane and Cody and Jack. They all moved. Well, Jack stayed. Basically, everybody left. I didn’t have any like, other than T.J. and you, and… Brent and… Luther. Uh. Nobody really. I didn’t have any everyday friends. So everyone left. That’s the concept. And It’s about driving yourself into the ground in monotony and wasting away slowly.
MB: So who recorded it? Who all played on the album?
DF: Mr. John Congleton, recorded it, at his studio, Elmwood, which is in Oak Cliff. And then, um, Justin Collins played drums on it and Cody Seals, one of the guys, who’s also, he’s about to leave for fucking Portland, so, like, the whole thing is appropriate, cause we’re releasing it right before he leaves, like the release show will be the last show he plays with me, and then he’s going where everyone else went. My last official friend. I don’t have any friends left. The world is gonna end. Um. And then Sean Kirkpatrick played on it. And then… T.J. played the boner. That was pretty much it.
MB: Cool. So you’ve been writing and recording music around the North Texas area for several years now. How have you noticed your music as well as the music scene around you changing over time?
DF: I don’t know if anything has really changed as much as it’s just different people now. Um. I think stylistically things have changed, um, more to something I enjoy, more, um, people aren’t really thinking about creating, they don’t think “Well, okay, I have an archetype in my mind and I want to create this type of band”. Everything’s kind of fusing together in this big, uh, like Kentucky Friend Chicken bowl of music. And I like that. It’s like, you know, music scenes are gonna be the same forever. I mean, there’s no difference between this one and you know, some other town in the 60’s, except for slight deviations.
MB: What about your own music? Has that changed over the years? Or do you think it has?
DF: Oh. Shit. I think, um, I don’t know man. Of course, like I said, stylistically things are always gonna change, but I think its changed with me as a person. Like, as I grow, you know, less, less depressed all the time, or if I get mad all the time, or whatever, that’s what’s gonna come out.
TJS: The scenery changes as you move down your path.
MB: What is your writing inspiration? What compels you to keep writing songs and making records?
DF: Oh man. That’s a huge question. Atapus complex? No. Probably. Complete narcissism. Um. I don’t know man. Its, like I said, as my life changes, whatever I’m going through at the moment, is what I write about. When I wrote this album, I was sad, because you know, my closest friends were leaving. You know. When I wrote any other album, they’re all about specific things that are going on in my life at the moment. So, as long as there’s shit going on in my life, which there will always be shit going on in my life, I will write. And there could be, I could be fucking playing it for like, I could be 60 years old and playing that shit for my nephew or some shit. And it wont matter. Cause I’m expressing myself. That’s my inspiration: self expression. Which is selfish, inherently. So… next album’s about hockey.
MB: The big question is…Why do your songs contain so many pronouns?
DF: Well. Cause, if it is self expression, I’m expressing myself. And I’m singing to other people. So you would think pronouns would need to be involved.
MB: So, you’re going to school. You’ve been going to school for a long time. What are your goals with that?
DF: Oh. Fuck. I don’t know. I mean, I can go back to my education at any time. I’m not really limited by it. I’m gonna have to get a deferment on my loans. That’s about it.
MB: So there’s a release show on October 17th at J&J’s in Denton. Are you planning to do anything special for that show? Maybe, play the whole album in order or something like that? That would be pretty cool. I think. In my opinion. That’s how whole record release shows should be. Just play the record and that’s it.
DF: I am doing something special. I’m not playing the whole album in order. If everyone in my band didn’t have jobs, that would probably be possible. Uh. But not everyone, I didn’t want to work all of my band mates to the point where they don’t wanna practice or play anymore. Uh. No. I’m actually gonna be doing some songs with the other performers, Sabra and Nick and, um, Glen. Nick and I are gonna do a Silver Jews song. Glen. I haven’t really bugged Glen about it yet. Sabra wanted to do “Tick Tock” together, maybe we can do that one. Um… Yeah.
MB: Cool. Anything else you would like to add? Or anything on your mind?
DF: Man. I’m really liking soda right now. I’m on a real soda kick. I love soda. Also… Kettle brand chips. They’re delicious. Um. Back Yard Barbeque.
Daniel Folmer: Good.
MB: So, tell us a little a bit about your new album Dead End. Is there any kind of a theme or concept behind it?
DF: There is. Uhm. I think, lets see, what year was that? January 2008, I think, is when it was recorded. Is that right? Do you remember? Because I went to visit Shane and them in Portland. And I brought the album. And I showed it to them. The whole thing is about, everybody, like all my friends left town, except for one, I mean that I kept in touch with like every single day, the guys that I moved out here with. Uh. Shane and Cody and Jack. They all moved. Well, Jack stayed. Basically, everybody left. I didn’t have any like, other than T.J. and you, and… Brent and… Luther. Uh. Nobody really. I didn’t have any everyday friends. So everyone left. That’s the concept. And It’s about driving yourself into the ground in monotony and wasting away slowly.
MB: So who recorded it? Who all played on the album?
DF: Mr. John Congleton, recorded it, at his studio, Elmwood, which is in Oak Cliff. And then, um, Justin Collins played drums on it and Cody Seals, one of the guys, who’s also, he’s about to leave for fucking Portland, so, like, the whole thing is appropriate, cause we’re releasing it right before he leaves, like the release show will be the last show he plays with me, and then he’s going where everyone else went. My last official friend. I don’t have any friends left. The world is gonna end. Um. And then Sean Kirkpatrick played on it. And then… T.J. played the boner. That was pretty much it.
MB: Cool. So you’ve been writing and recording music around the North Texas area for several years now. How have you noticed your music as well as the music scene around you changing over time?
DF: I don’t know if anything has really changed as much as it’s just different people now. Um. I think stylistically things have changed, um, more to something I enjoy, more, um, people aren’t really thinking about creating, they don’t think “Well, okay, I have an archetype in my mind and I want to create this type of band”. Everything’s kind of fusing together in this big, uh, like Kentucky Friend Chicken bowl of music. And I like that. It’s like, you know, music scenes are gonna be the same forever. I mean, there’s no difference between this one and you know, some other town in the 60’s, except for slight deviations.
MB: What about your own music? Has that changed over the years? Or do you think it has?
DF: Oh. Shit. I think, um, I don’t know man. Of course, like I said, stylistically things are always gonna change, but I think its changed with me as a person. Like, as I grow, you know, less, less depressed all the time, or if I get mad all the time, or whatever, that’s what’s gonna come out.
TJS: The scenery changes as you move down your path.
MB: What is your writing inspiration? What compels you to keep writing songs and making records?
DF: Oh man. That’s a huge question. Atapus complex? No. Probably. Complete narcissism. Um. I don’t know man. Its, like I said, as my life changes, whatever I’m going through at the moment, is what I write about. When I wrote this album, I was sad, because you know, my closest friends were leaving. You know. When I wrote any other album, they’re all about specific things that are going on in my life at the moment. So, as long as there’s shit going on in my life, which there will always be shit going on in my life, I will write. And there could be, I could be fucking playing it for like, I could be 60 years old and playing that shit for my nephew or some shit. And it wont matter. Cause I’m expressing myself. That’s my inspiration: self expression. Which is selfish, inherently. So… next album’s about hockey.
MB: The big question is…Why do your songs contain so many pronouns?
DF: Well. Cause, if it is self expression, I’m expressing myself. And I’m singing to other people. So you would think pronouns would need to be involved.
MB: So, you’re going to school. You’ve been going to school for a long time. What are your goals with that?
DF: Oh. Fuck. I don’t know. I mean, I can go back to my education at any time. I’m not really limited by it. I’m gonna have to get a deferment on my loans. That’s about it.
MB: So there’s a release show on October 17th at J&J’s in Denton. Are you planning to do anything special for that show? Maybe, play the whole album in order or something like that? That would be pretty cool. I think. In my opinion. That’s how whole record release shows should be. Just play the record and that’s it.
DF: I am doing something special. I’m not playing the whole album in order. If everyone in my band didn’t have jobs, that would probably be possible. Uh. But not everyone, I didn’t want to work all of my band mates to the point where they don’t wanna practice or play anymore. Uh. No. I’m actually gonna be doing some songs with the other performers, Sabra and Nick and, um, Glen. Nick and I are gonna do a Silver Jews song. Glen. I haven’t really bugged Glen about it yet. Sabra wanted to do “Tick Tock” together, maybe we can do that one. Um… Yeah.
MB: Cool. Anything else you would like to add? Or anything on your mind?
DF: Man. I’m really liking soda right now. I’m on a real soda kick. I love soda. Also… Kettle brand chips. They’re delicious. Um. Back Yard Barbeque.