Greg W. Locke: Tell me about your experience with the last album. It feels like a lot came from record that and you really played out a lot more than you had in the past.
Mark Hutchins: Sleepy Furnace was the first time I tried to make a real effort to push something, to get it out there, to get a little attention for the album. Granted, on a really small, microscopic scale. But, some folks responded to it and that was really rewarding. It motivated me to play more shows and play with different people.
GWL: Do you have a regular band right now? If so, can you tell me who all is playing with you? If not, tell me what we can expect at shows.
MH: I don’t have a regular band, per se, but there is a group of guys over here who I’ve been working with and — hopefully — will work with for a while. Casey Neal played a ton of banjo on the new album. He’s getting in on quite a few of the shows, doubling up on banjo and Nashville-strung guitar. Jon Ross played drums on it and has been doing live shows with me. Josh Hall has been helping out on bass, and another coworker named Lee Andrews is playing mandolin (even though there’s no mandolin on the album). Let’s see … Dan Greunke from Toledo has been playing guitar and singing with me whenever I can get him. He’s been totally essential to the Ohio shows. Most of his band (the Fairly Handsome Band) backed me up at a Toledo show a few weeks ago. I’m hoping to play with those guys when I go over there again in October. I love changing up the format whenever I can. We played an outdoor show a couple of weeks back that started out with me, solo. Then, Casey and Lee came up. A couple of numbers later, Jon and Josh came up. By the end of the set, it was full-out loud electric. So, I did my best to cram all the different formats into one set. Yeah, it may have been a bit of a challenge for the audience, but you have to ask, ‘Would I want to check something like that out?’ I thought, ‘Yes,’ so that’s why I did it. We played as a six-piece at the Brass Rail the other night. It was ridiculous. I loved it. But, I’m also going to do solo shows, acoustic shows with Casey and Lee, and full-electric shows. I’m spoiled, man! I want it all! I also want to keep challenging the songs and see how well they stand up to being played in different ways.
GWL: You recorded the new record at home, right? Can you tell me about that process? Did you do everything yourself this time around?
MH: We tracked the drums and the banjo at Jon Schafer’s place. He’s a friend and coworker, a drummer, and a really good engineer. He’s also been great for feedback throughout the process, because he’ll tell me if something’s not working. I did all the other parts at my place. The local pool had just opened when I started the album, so I’d get to work as soon as the kids left to go swimming. Not exactly a rock star setup, but it got done. Outside of Jon Ross’s drumming and Casey on banjo, John Hubner from Goodbyewave added some piano tracks and ambient guitar to a few tunes. His contributions were completely via email. I’m shocked at how well that works. Everything else was me.
GWL: This was going to be an EP, right? How did it become an album?
MH: Yeah, originally it was going to be kind of a country-ish EP. Controlled Conditions, Specialist, Occupational Hazard … those all have kind of a consistent vibe, and I was afraid maybe the other songs I was working on would make to odd of a fit. But, I eventually decided to put them all on there and make it an album. Now you get some country-style stuff, some rockers, some jangly pop. I think it’s more cohesive than it seemed at first. Unless you absolutely love jangly pop and absolutely hate old-school country, that is. Or vice versa.
GWL: Tell me about the twang. Where did this twang come from?
MH: That’s a good question. I don’t listen to country music! Somebody else asked me this a while back, and I didn’t have an answer for it. But, it made me think about it. I grew up in this area, so I’ve been exposed to country my whole life. Never actively listened to it, but it was always there. I’ve listened to things like Old 97s and Wilco and the Mekons – and Neil Young, definitely, so maybe whatever country-ish elements are kind of brought it out. I mean, it’s still ME. It’s not like I’m trying to mimic country tunes or make fun of anything. These were just fun songs to write and play, and they felt right when I wrote them, and they’re a bit of a change from the last batch. I mean, “Old Rodeo Frontman” from Sleepy Furnace was pretty twangy too. Listen to a good chunk of the songs on the first Vandolah album: there’s definitely twang going on. Maybe not to the extent of some of the songs on Liar’s Gift, but it’s always been there.
GWL: Do your wife and kids listen to your music much? What’s that dynamic like?
MH: They’re really, really supportive, but it’s not like my songs are blaring out of the speakers at my house or out of the family car on a regular basis. I have a hunch that, by the time I’ve done the upteenth mix on a single song, they’ve overheard enough to have gotten their fill by the time the album comes out. But they’re great about it. They know this is just what I DO. There’s nothing weird or mysterious or precious about it to them. I like that.
GWL: Tell me about the album title.
MH: The album title comes from the song title. I’m hesitant to define what it’s “about,” because that’s open to whatever the listener wants it to be about. Writers, songwriters, actors — they’re essentially professional liars. Is the talent to tell a good lie the gift that that person has? Or, is the thing they do a gift to the person who reads or watches what they’ve made? It’s both, I guess.
GWL: Can you tell me a bit about the stuntman theme? You’ve mentioned this to me a couple of times before and it seems like it’s all finally coming out.
MH: I had this idea for a concept album or whatever that involved a stuntman who’s hitting middle age and realizing he’s not the invincible guy he once thought he was. Stuntman in the movie/TV sense, not in the “Evel Knievel daredevil” sense. It’s a job. I know zilch about this stuff, by the way. Anyway, I thought it made a really good metaphor on several levels, even though it’s kind of dopey on the surface. The first Vandolah album was originally going to be a “concept” record, but the concept really didn’t have the legs to carry a whole album. But there are about five songs on that album that are cousins to the handful on Liar’s Gift with that concept in mind. So, I guess I DID do a whole concept album, but it’s spread across two different albums done nine years apart!
GWL: What’s the plan for the new album? Lots of shows? Release shows?
MH: I want to play as many shows as I can, within reason. I’m not touring by any means, but I do want to hit more places regionally. I’m sure the shows will be solo and full band and everything in-between. I’m going to Ohio on October 1st, which is when Liar’s Gift “officially” comes out. I’ll be doing a breakfast show plus a night show there. Then, I’m doing a house show/release party over here on the 7th.
GWL: Tell me about this house show. Are you nervous about having people over to your place?
MH: I really liked the vibe of the Sleepy Furnace release show at One Lucky Guitar. People were there specifically to hear the music and I really appreciated that I could do an unplugged acoustic show and pull it off. Not that there’s anything wrong with a noisy bar, mind you. I just like a less-conventional venue for a release party, and this one’s going to be at my house. Hey, I get to throw a party for myself, invite my friends over, play music, and sell CDs. I’d say that at my age, that’s a pretty cool gig.
GWL: I know that Robert Pollard used to have some influence on you, and maybe Wilco here and there. And maybe Kurt Vonnegut and some other stuff you’ve mentioned here and there over the years. Is there anything behind these songs? Anything from cartoons your kids watch? Books you’ve read? Work? Anything?
MH: My favorite influences are the ones I’ve kind of forgotten about. Does that make sense? I mean, I know I put a couple of little trumpet parts on the album as a direct result of listening to a Bon Iver song. But, I didn’t realize how much of an influence, say, the Smithereens were until I stumbled back onto one of their songs. That’s the ultimate guitar tone for me. I can’t point to anything specific as far as influences on this album. I hope I sound more like me than like my influences at this point. I hope.
GWL: You’ve been pretty prolific over the years. Are there songs on your computer that you’ve never put out?
MH: I’ve slowed way, way down in the last few years. There’s not really much to speak of sitting around. In fact, a few of the tunes on the new disc had been around for quite a few years, just waiting for the right “home.” These days, it’s just as valid to put out singles and EPs as it is to do albums. It may be more interesting to move in that direction, because you catch your creative spark and follow through, instead of assembling ideas and saving them for a full length. Unless you’re Kevin Hambrick or Josh Hall or John Hubner. Each of those guys has probably written and recorded an album in the time it took me to say this.
GWL: What about all these pre-Vandolah songs and tapes? Will those ever see the light of day? Do you play any of that stuff?
MH: I don’t really revisit stuff I’ve done. Some of the Vandolah tunes I still like to play, but going further back, a lot of that music was dependent on the band that was playing it — and that’s a compliment to the people involved at the time, that those songs are so tied to them and not just to me. It kind of lives back then, I guess you could say. There’s been some talk about re-pressing/re-releasing “Please,” but I don’t really have the wherewithal to do it. I’m more inclined to get excited about what might be next.
GWL: Can you tell me a bit about the pre-Vandolah days? Maybe a story or something? A description of a time in your life?
MH: Well, I had an acoustic duo in the late ’80s to mid ’90s called This Year’s Fad. We rocked it out as best we could, usually tried to play at full-band volume. Think Violent Femmes meets the Replacements, I guess. We actually opened for Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens once and actually got to play and sing backup on a Smithereens song. We ALSO opened for a lizard once. No lie. We were playing some outdoor fest in Cincinnati and were finishing up our set when a guy dressed like a zookeeper came up to the stage with a covered cage, put the cage down on the stage, and said, “Hey, great job, guys,” like a total headliner. We laughed all the way back to the car; it was our Spinal Tap moment. Ton was my first real try at a “loud” band, started up with my best friend, Todd Holtsberry. It was kind of heavy and melodic and started up literally at the same time “Nevermind” came out. So, thus we were “grunge.” It was a really collaborative band and a lot of fun. We put a lot of time into it and played all over the place — coming from a town like Defiance at that point, it was really novel for an original band to be playing out regularly, or outside of the garage, for that matter. I’m pretty proud of that. I moved over here in the mid-’90s and played a lot of solo shows, because I couldn’t get a band together. So, of course, I put a band together back in Defiance around 2000. That was called Grace Engine. It was a 3-piece with Joe Robles, the drummer from Ton, and Skip Skeens. They still play and have a band together called Flat Tire Ambulance.
GWL: How do you feel after you finish up an album and send it off to a label? Relief? Excitement? Regret? Haha.
MH: First, there’s relief, followed by, ‘I could’ve tweaked that, should’ve done another mix of this’. But, really, it’s not like I’m under some kind of public microscope. More a matter of trying to do the best you can. I think I mentioned before that this is all kind of playing pretend anyway, so you have to remember to enjoy it for what it is. I’m lucky to still be putting out songs and playing shows at this point.
GWL: Tell me about Toledo. I know there’s a label there that helps you out and you play with some dudes from there and often play shows there. Is it still as regular as before? Still rocking Toledo?
MH: Toledo is my second home, musically. I still play over there about as much as I do here, and it’s a cool scene. The guys at the Old West End Records label are helping promote my stuff and booking shows there, and Ben Langlois, the label head, helps out on bass from time to time. He’s even played accordion with me on a couple of occasions. I love playing the Village Idiot in Maumee whenever I can, and the shows in Bowling Green, Ohio are always fun. I used to play over there a lot in the “old days,” so it’s a kick to play clubs I played 10, even 20 years ago. That’s what makes me appreciate places like the Brass Rail over here: it reminds me of the bars I used to play over there.
