October 5, 2011 by The Wichitan

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8 Wednesday

October 5, 2011

he twichitan www.thewichitan.com

Up close and personal: Preston Pugmire

Q: I agree. The imagery in your

JOSEPH CHRETIEN FOR THE WICHITAN Traveling musician, singer and songwriter Preston Pugmire put on an intimate performance at MSU Thursday night. The concert was held in the Clark Student Center. The event was hosted by the University Programming Board. Although there was an audience of about 35 students, he gave an excellent performance. As lights dimmed and the small crowd gathered closer to the stage, the one man show put on a live presentation worth attending. Within an hour long set, Preston utilized his audio gear to manipulate his voice and pitch of his guitar. He danced with his audience and even crooned love songs through a megaphone as he stood on chairs. He did all of this to make his event not only a concert but also to build a connection with those who came to see him. After the show we chopped it up about his performance, his travels, music, love and more.

Q: You covered artist like Janet Jackson and Justin Bieber, who are some of your biggest influences?

A: Fiest, Phoenix, One Republic, Ra-

diohead, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, its all about the melody for me man.

Q: On stage you said you were from Idaho, how’d you end up per-

songs was reminiscent of some other great love songs. How long have you been writing for yourself?

A: Since I can remember.

I’ve always had a hand in music, I’ve been in 5 or 6 different bands since I was 15, including an adult contemporary band with my dad. The first time I saw Radiohead’s video for the song “Just” in ’95 I thought if I could make people feel the way I did when I heard that or just make that one instant connection with someone through song its all worth it.

Q: Chris Collins Preston Pugmire performs in Commanche for MSU students in the Clark Student Center Thursday

forming here at Midwestern?

Right now I’m on a college tour which is great since my demographic is college students. I’m doing about 70 shows a semester, my next stop is S.F.A. in Nacogdoches.

ent angles, everyone is either in love or wants to be in love. So in that sense it’s a relatable subject across the board. Or you could just say it makes the song writing process easy. (laughs)

Q: You spoke about your wife Q: Just listening to your music, sub-

during an interlude in your performance, would you say your music Q: A lot of songs you covered and helped you out in your love life? those from your self titled album were about love. Why would you A: (laughs)Definitely man.I was in say you emit so much love in your love with her and didn’t know how to tell her. music?

The majority of this album was recorded during a time in my life that was full of love. I like to write from a lot of differ-

So that’s the formula if you want to get married. Just write a song for the girl you love three years before you want to get married and you’re good. Its foolproof.

She came to a show in Idaho where I performed a song called “Soundtrack” which she figured out was written for her. Three years later we got married.

ject matter and delivery I’m assuming [Lauryn Hill’s album] “Miseducation” is an inspiration as well?

A: Yeah it is, and I’m glad you men-

tioned that. That album covers so many different types of love. There are few albums that I think are perfect from beginning to end but that album is absolutely perfect.

Part of the reason your live performance was so entertaining was because you created loops and incorporated studio voice effects on the spot. How long did it take you to master this unique live performance?

A: I’ve been experimenting with loops

for many years now but to tell the truth I just got this style of live performance down last year. I use the Boss50 to route everything through and my foot pedals have different effects that allow me to do things like record patterns, drop the pitch an octave and add reverb all while I’m on stage.

Q: How can people hear more about and your music?

Check out prestonpugmire.com which leads to my band camp, you can listen to the album there before you buy it. Other than that I try to reply to fans, so feel free add me as a friend on Facebook.

Feist finds dark side with 2011’s Metals ORLANDO FLORES JR. FOR THE WICHITAN

A lot has changed for Leslie Feist in the last four years. After the release of 2007’s excellent The Reminder, Feist began a whirlwind ride to the top of the charts, selling out concerts worldwide. She gained various award nominations and sold more than 1,000,000 copies worldwide (761,000 in the United States). She even appeared on Sesame Street with Elmo. Feist became a bona fide star, all thanks to one catchy tune and an iPod commercial. The difference between The Reminder and her newly released Metals doesn’t just lie in the subject matter, but in the overall sound and tone of the two records. The Reminder itself was a big transition from Feist’s previous effort. Let it Die (2005) was more of a showcase for Feist’s promising talent, touting singer-songwriter-like acoustic tracks. With The Reminder, Feist broadened her range to the overly poppy “1234,” the textbook alternative “Past in Present,” the experimental “Honey, Honey,” and of course the acoustic singer-songwriter “Intuition.” With Metals, Feist instead focuses on a cohesive, dark, outrageously well-produced art-rock sound rather than an eclectic bag of goodies as before. While some would attribute this to growth as a musician, the proof may also be in the recording conditions. Metals was written and recorded in a small cabin by the Pacific Ocean in California in February as evidenced by a note and drawing Feist, herself, left on her website. While the road can be a lonely place, which is what most of the subject matter of The Reminder pertains to, it is very spacious and there is a lot of room to breathe. Much like the recording atmosphere, The Reminder allowed Feist to breathe and open herself up to new sounds. Her loneliness resonated and expanded over each song and gave it an airy atmosphere. But there is a lot of difference between the open road and a small cabin. The emotions pouring out of Metals seem secluded in a small space with just herself and her music. Where life on the road allowed her to learn and see new things, Feist exiling herself to the small cabin, allowed her to be alone with her thoughts

and focus all energy into dark and brooding arrangements for the album. Tracks like “The Bad in Each Other,” “Caught in a Long Wind” and “Undiscovered First,” are good examples of this new sound. Metals is not the depressing album that The Reminder was, it is in your face brute honesty that does not hide behind a mask. What you are hearing is what you are getting; and with this newfound honesty, we see Feist at not just the highest point of her musical career, but also her most personal. Lyrically, Metals falls somewhere between Let it Die and The Reminder – not in quality, but in content and context. Let it Die was essentially a breakup record, as evidenced by the title. The Reminder somewhat followed the same suite, telling tales of lost love, breakups and then recollection and remembrance of the affair (This is well illustrated in its closing moment, “Intuition.”). Metals is a little more abstract. Most of the album seems to deal with the conflicted feeings of not sure when something should end. This is evidenced on the track “The Circle Married the Line,” with lines like “It’s as much as it is / as what it is not,” and speaking of a constant search for clarity pointing to the end. The album’s single “How Come You Never Go There” ups the ante by stating “It’s true enough we’re not at peace / but peace is never what it seems / our love is not the light it was / when I walk inside the dark I’m clam,” and also, “We’re living proof we gotta let go.” Lastly, the heartbreaking and haiku-filled “Comfort Me” spells the cracks in the relationship more clearly with the bitter “When you comfort me / it doesn’t bring me comfort / actually.” Based of this, it’s safe to say the title is a metaphor; while a metal is nice and shiny on the outside, inside it is hard and cold, much like a dead relationship. It’s also safe to say that although this is the best album of Feist’s career to date, it is nowhere near as accessible as The Reminder. While some will applaud the cohesive, avant-garde pop nature of the album, others will feel alienated by it – especially those who were first introduced to Feist in her sparkling blue body suit singing and dancing in an empty warehouse to “1234.” However, an excellent body of work should not go unrewarded. Expect this album to make many year-end lists and be nominated for numerous awards come next year. The Verdict: 91%