Have you ever heard Sean Rowe sing? If you have, you’re quite familiar with the quality of his deep, baritone voice and the power that is has to make the hair on the back of your neck stand upright. If you haven’t, you ought to. On the road in support of his latest record, “New Lore,” Rowe makes a return visit to the Granite State – this time at the Music Hall Loft on Friday, Feb. 2.
EDGE caught up with Rowe to discuss the record, songwriting, almond flour pancakes and milking purple dragons. Yes, you read that correctly. Now, read on.
EDGE: Let’s talk about “New Lore.” What sort of goals did you have for yourself when you set out to make this record?
Rowe: Well, I don’t really set goals so much when I go into the studio. I find that as I get into the recording process any goals or preconceived notions of what the song is going to end up sounding like pretty much goes out the window. Sometimes that’s good; sometimes it falls on its head. You just never know. I just wanted to make a record that was believable and uncluttered so I could get the stories across. Of course, I had some sonic ideas for the aesthetic of the songs, which is why I wanted to work with Matt Ross-Spang. He ended up engineering and co-producing this record. Matt is pretty much a genius in getting those Memphis/Sam Phillips-esque sounds on a record. But the important thing is he knows where to find the best barbecue in Memphis.
EDGE: Why music? Why do you seek it? Why do you create it? How’d it come calling to you?
Rowe: I suppose that music is so alluring because it allows you to speak in another language to express what would be otherwise nearly impossible with just words. It’s all very mysterious. You never really get a handle on the process. And that makes it unnerving, delicate and ultimately mysterious at the same time. I have no idea how I have a knack for it or why. Could be that there’s just a couple of brain wires that fell into the right place.
EDGE: Has there been a moment or experience that led you to try it out as a means of making a living?
Rowe: There wasn’t really a moment it was really just a sense of how unrewarding my work felt before I made a living from music. Once I spent three days, for eight hours a day putting the liner into soda bottle caps. I like writing songs better.
EDGE: Did you seriously just make pancakes out of acorn flour? Please, go on… What other wild recipes are going to show up in your impending yard inspired cookbook?
Rowe: Absolutely! Wild food is a passion of mine — just as much as music really. Acorns are a labor of love in the deepest sense. It takes a great deal of work to go from a raw acorn to a finished acorn flour that can be used in all kinds of breads and the like, but, it is incredibly rewarding. Acorns were a staple food to indigenous cultures all over North America and especially in California. I need time to process wild food. I feel a kinship with the people who knew this land far better than we can imagine today. Foraging gets me in touch with the reality of nature, the beauty of our natural resources and just makes me feel really freaking good.
EDGE: Okay, back to music. What’s with all the tape on your guitar?
Rowe: Before I put the tape on my guitar it was completely unconscious. In other words, the lights were not on upstairs. It didn’t feel like anything to be that guitar. But now, after I put the tape on, She came alive. She’s now a fully sentient being capable of thoughts and feelings and, unfortunately, she’s also capable of getting hurt.
EDGE: I love the line “Maybe the mountain in our eyes, Look more like a molehill from the other side.” How do songs, or this line in particular fall into your existence? Do you have to think hard about songwriting, or does it just “hit you”?
Rowe: I think it’s just a matter of having an idea of what you’re trying to say and then turning that idea on its head so that it approaches the meaning from a different angle and yes it’s understood.
EDGE: You’re headed back to New Hampshire for a gig at The Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth. What can folks expect this time around?
Rowe: Oh, I would say they can take comfort in the same ol’ Sean Rowe that they are used to seeing live: letting it all out
EDGE: Last time you were in the Granite State you milked a purple dragon. What can top that? What are some other memorable curiosities from the road?
Rowe: Actually, nothing can top the purple dragon. The only thing I regret is how that milk tasted!
For more information on the show, visit www.themusichall.org.