8 Questions with Leigh Marble

contributor: Justin Parris – May 11, 2009

Leigh Marble is a Portland songwriter veteran with multiple releases under his belt. He also is involved in multiple projects other than his folk rock solo music.

1. So you moved to Portland from New England in the late 90’s. What was the music scene like in New England then and what was it about Portland that inspired your exodus?

There were a couple scenes I was involved with out east – one was the New England coffeehouse folksy scene, and the other was college/indie rock, the noisier stuff in general. I played out solo in the former scene, and in a couple different bands in the latter, and have been recording music (my own and others’) for a long time. I moved to Portland when I finished with school in Providence, and I was looking for a good town in which to live, record, write, and perform. Plus Portland had Elliott Smith and some other songwriters that I was into… although in general, the music scene here still kinda had a grunge hangover at that point, and the folky side of things tended towards bluegrass, so it was a big change for sure.

2. You’ve been playing music here now for around a decade. How have the local music communities you’ve been a part of changed and grown? How do you feel the overall Portland music scene has changed?

At some point, acoustic-based indie music started sounding vital and alive again. That’s been nice to see. Relating to the post-grunge years again, it seemed like back then, “acoustic” was just what loud bands sometimes did on the side, like the MTV Unplugged thing. I’d talk about wanting to do a band that was primarily acoustic, yet aggressive, and just get blank stares. Now I’m happy to say, there are bands in town like the Builders and the Butchers, Run on Sentence, and Nick Jaina, that have acoustic instruments as their core, and respect and work with the rawness of those instruments. Bands that recognize that the wheezing grind of an accordion can be a lot more raw and unsettling than the predictable blare of a Marshall stack.

There’s plenty more to be said about other ways that the Portland music scene has changed, in terms of it acquiring a musical identity at a national level, musicians operating with greater professionalism (sometimes), more locally-focused media coverage, etc. However, that might devolve quickly into round-table punditry, so I’ll just leave you with my 2 cents on the acoustic music resurgence.

3. You’ve got a split 7″ with Erin McKeown (Anticipation Et Denouement), two full length albums (Peep and Red Tornado), and a re-mix album of Red Tornado (Twister) under your belt. How long has it taken you and what has the journey been like going from releasing a split 7″ to someone whose recorded two albums and does a remix album?

Hmm, yeah, it’s been quite a journey. “Anticipation” was ten years back. Then it was another five years of bumbling around with songwriting until “Peep” was done. During that five year interim, The Buttery Lords were getting started, and my focus as far as performing was with them. I was still writing songs and recording them at home, but I was having a lot of trouble finding a toehold in the live music scene as a folky performer. Not smooth enough for the dinner crowd, but not rock enough for the clubs. When I started recording “Peep”, I still had in mind to do a straight-ahead folk album. However, I had a lot more fun once I started playing around with adding bits of rock elements in there, and I finally started to shed some of my purist attitude about doing capital-F Folk.

Then, when I went to mix “Peep”, I worked with Jeff Saltzman for the first time, and that helped to sever more of my attachments to a purist folk approach. Arrangements that I had envisioned as, say, “a big acoustic rhythm guitar, with just a touch of this other weird warbly guitar part”, Jeff would suggest more highlighting the weird part. Once I sat back and listened, and played the mixes for other people, I started coming around to his point of view. The acoustic guitar didn’t always have to sit front and center, and the sonic variety brought in by other parts was a lot more engaging for the ears.

Then, a lineup change later (lost my old drummer, gained a keyboard player and a new drummer), we started working on “Red Tornado”. More Americana & rock elements were in there from the start, although acoustic guitar was still the primary instrument. I mixed with Jeff again, and again benefitted from his fresh ears on the sounds. Around the time that “Red Tornado” came out, I was starting to do some remixes for various bands, and when a friend of mine mentioned wanting to do a “Lucky Bastards” remix, that got me thinking about doing a remix album of a bunch of “Red Tornado” songs. Turning tracks over to other musicians for no-holds-barred remixes was yet another step in the widening of the sonic palette… and thus was born the “Twister” EP.

4. What label do you currently work with, what other artists are on that label and how did you go about becoming a part of it?

I’ve run a tiny label for years called Laughing Stock Records. I “founded” it (i.e. got a P.O. Box) with the idea of putting out other people’s records too, but it became apparent after a while that I just didn’t have the inclination to take on that project in earnest. Regardless, it has been helpful to have a seperate business name, since I record and perform under my own name.

5. Who makes up your band and what is the creative process like? Do you come in with a roughly hewn stone and hand out hammers and picks or do you come in with an almost finished statue and let the band make little changes?

The full band is Ben Macy on organ, piano, & accordion; Jason Russell on drums; and Jesse Emerson on bass. I sing and play guitars live, and do whatever else in the studio. Generally, the songs are done when I bring them to the band, and as a group we focus on fleshing out the arrangements. Lately, though, I’ve started bringing new material in a rawer form to the band – like just a verse or two of lyrics and a chord progression – and seeing how the structure of the song is shaped by the sound of the band. That’s been fun and productive, and I’ll continue to play around with that.

6. This is a website focused on promoting and supporting local talent. So what Portland bands or artists are you into or excited about right now?

Besides the ones I mentioned above, I’ve been a fan of Shoeshine Blue for a long time. Mike’s a friend of mine, and I’ve gotten to mix some songs for him, and I got him to play on “Red Tornado”. Aside from our professional and personal connections, though, I’m still compelled just as a listener to go see Shoeshine play. They spin a beautiful musical web, and I’ve been to see them more times than any other Portland band.

Also, in no particular order, locals I’ve been listening to lately include: Bryan Free, Rachel Taylor Brown, Chris Robley, So Sadly Fucked

7. It’s refreshing when people don’t take themselves too seriously and are open to exploring other musical avenues. For example, you have a hip-hop side project, The Buttery Lords. How did that come about and does it feel fun, liberating, or exciting being able to explore or exercise different musical muscles like that?

The Buttery Lords came about in a really spontaneous way. I barely knew most of those guys when we started, but was friends with the drummer, and he mentioned that they were thinking of starting a rap band with live bass and drums. I thought that sounded fun so I told them, hey, I’ll play keyboards if you guys want. From the first practice though, they got me to rap, and along with the two other MCs (Hub and Baby Powder Fresh), we’ve remained the core of the group ever since. It has been very liberating, yes, and it was with the Lords that I first really got comfortable with performing. We started with doing basement shows, loud & sweaty, and without the baggage (physical and cultural) of playing a guitar, the only thing left to do was to grab a mic, hold on, and rap your heart out.

8. What’s on your table currently (recording, shows, etc.) and what are your expectations and aims for the near future?

I’ve been working on new material for the next album. That’s in the early stages still, and having gone through the remix process with “Twister”, I’m approaching it with a very open mind and a wide array of arrangement ideas. I’m playing next month (June 7 @ Mississippi Studios), at Rachel Taylor Brown’s CD release show. That’ll be just myself and Jesse (on bass), doing a stripped-down and creepy opening set. After that, though, I’m taking a month or so off from shows, to concentrate on both writing/recording the new album, and to re-tool the live band setup. Unfortunately, Jesse and to some extent Ben have a limited ability to play out of town right now, so one thing I’ve been trying is a guitar/drums duo format. Actually, Jason and I just did a show in Eugene the other night like that, and it went very well. I used to play as a duo with my old drummer, just drums and acoustic guitar. This time around, though, I’ve been working with electric guitar, going for a fuller sound. I’ve been listening to a lot of Daniel Lanois lately, getting into his spacey ambient Americana, and those sounds of tremolo and delay are definitely influencing this process! So, I’d say my expectations for how things will move forward have changed quite a bit this year already, but I’m in a mood to break out of ruts and smash walls and whatnot – so after some growing pains I’m finding myself enjoying the growing.