Monday, 4/28/97 Singer/songwriter’s melodic style spills success
for band Singer/songwriter’s melodic style spills success for
band
By Brendon Vandergast Daily Bruin Contributor Doug Martsch is
not your typical rock star. No dysfunctional childhood, no drug
rehab dramatics, no MTV guest host spots, no drunken nights with
groupies. Not even a slew of big-time rock star friends. "I think
the closest I’ve been was when I was playing in a band called the
Treepeople when I lived in Seattle for a few years," remarks
Martsch, the singer/guitarist/songwriter of Built to Spill, who
play at the Troubadour tonight and in Westwood Plaza Tuesday night.
"We opened once for Dinosaur Jr. and Nirvana. That’s when I met a
lot of small-time people before the Northwest grunge scene took
off." Martsch, the brains behind the pop-infused trio, has played
with his fair share of bandmates, from the Treepeople to his
current side band the Halo Benders to Built to Spill, which has had
a different lineup for every record. Martsch has befriended many
Northwesterners, including his current band makeup of bassist Brett
Nelson and drummer Scott Plouf, who has also played with the
Spinanes and Beck. "Yeah, those guys played on the new album and
are on the tour with me. Right now we’re on break between our
three-legged stop, each with 10 dates. It has gone smoothly so far,
but my family doesn’t like it, so I’m at home right now with my
3-year-old son and my longtime girlfriend." Home is close to Twin
Falls, Idaho, where he spent his childhood before moving to Boise
for high school, to Seattle after that, and back to Boise to settle
down with his family. Martsch seems content in his home environment
on this lazy afternoon. Over the phone, his laconic, soft-spoken
voice pieces together thoughts about the new album, touring, his
new label, Warner Brothers, and Joe Strummer from the Clash. "He
was always the cool one. I didn’t like that Mick Jones guy," claims
Martsch. Built to Spill’s new album, "Perfect From Now On," is a
wondrous pop experience that explores the sea of layers and
textures with a cornucopia of melodic hooks. Martsch’s songwriting
is uniquely fine, and his tweedy voice is infective and effectual.
But, compared to Built to Spill’s previous release, "There’s
Nothing Wrong With Love;" the new album has extended songs, with
only two clocking under six minutes. Martsch explains that it
wasn’t his main intention, but that’s how it came out. "I wanted
all the different parts to fit together smoothly. The longer the
song is, the easier I can change it around, ya know, add a catchy
layer or tempo change or something. When it all came together it
had an epic feel." Epic or no epic, his record label was
considerably trustworthy and confident with Martsch’s recording.
"(Warner Brothers) gave me full control, I think they came into the
studio once and that was it," says Martsch. "It was nice to do
exactly what I wanted with the new album." Nevertheless, the
label’s gamble with Martsch’s musical ability has paid off well for
old and new fans so far. The album is second only to Pavement’s
"Brighten the Corners" on the alternative retail and radio charts,
and has been seeing rotation on L.A.’s KXLU and UCLA’s campus
station KLA. Not to mention the album’s highly acclaimed reviews,
specifically lauding Martsch’s attuned songwriting and esoteric
instrumentalism. But Martsch prefers to clear up his critics’ rough
subjectives. "(Critics) say my music is very personal and my
(lyrics) are very unique, but writing is not my entire focus. In
fact, I write the melody and meter before I write the words. The
words are minimal to me. I like the overall sound of the music much
better," exclaims Martsch. Also, he doesn’t always write love songs
as some might believe. His influences are more vague. "I wouldn’t
classify my songs as love songs. I mean, I have songs about my
girlfriend, and she helps me out with many of the words, but I
can’t really pinpoint what I write about. I just try to keep the
rhyme." For now, though, Martsch doesn’t have to write to meet the
deadlines for his two current bands, the other being the
aforementioned Halo Benders. The tour schedule gives him and his
bandmates time to relax between shows and especially valuable time
with his son before he heads to Los Angeles. Surprisingly, this
will be Martsch’s first trip to L.A. as the Built to Spill unit.
Along with a sold-out show at the Troubadour, UCLA’s Westwood Plaza
will be only the second time Built to Spill has played in the
Southwest. When asked about his past college campus experiences,
Martsch complains about one incident in Utah. "Yeah, we played at a
Salt Lake City college at like, 9 or 10 in the morning. It was
pretty bad. I’m definitely not a morning person." Hopefully,
Martsch’s inaugural memory of our beautiful campus won’t be tainted
by the large construction site leering beyond the Plaza stage. "So
far the tour (has) been great; we have good luck on our side."
Built to Spill play a sold-out show tonight at the Troubadour and
Tuesday at Westwood Plaza. Built to Spill Tour Dates (Performing
with Modest Mouse)