The Blackbirds Sing: An interview with Bradley Skaught 

I first heard Bradley Skaught with Belle Da Gama, a project that the late Scott Miller worked on with him. The Bye Bye Blackbirds' 2011 album We Need The Rain made me a real fan. Bradley was kind enough to answer a few questions I had.

Andrea Weiss: Power pop, or modern pop/rock, can mean so many things right now. Would you categorize the BBB’s as any particular style?

Bradley Skaught: You know, I don’t really tend to categorize like that much. I tend to lump everything together under the banner of “rock and roll,” which feels all-encompassing to me! Anything beyond that starts to feel like marketing, and that’s too non-creative and non-musical to get worked up over.

AW: Your albums have been self-released in the past. Why a label this time?

BS: I have to admit… it’s still self-released! I got bored with the generic label name we used for the last two and wanted something more fun. Sadly, I’m still my own boss and I can’t quit/fire me. I could use a raise.

AW: How did Doug Gillard and Chris von Sneidern, who made the album sound great, get involved as producer and engineer?

BS: I’ve known Doug a bit since way back when I played in the Yuji Oniki band, and Doug’s wife was my first roommate in California! I love his work so much – all the amazing records he’s been involved with, plus his own songwriting and solo records. I always had it in the back of my mind that I’d love to have him work with us, and when we had this particular batch of songs written we all felt like it was an album that really deserved some extra care and attention. Similar thing with Chris. I’ve been a huge fan of his since the 90’s, and over time came to discover that he’s also a top-shelf engineer. We wanted to record in a really nice, classic room and Chris’ studio is in the same building as Hyde Street, one of the great old San Francisco studios. So we got to use Hyde Street, Chris’ place, and take advantage of his amazing ear for rock and roll.

AW: I really like the video for "If It Gets Light." Where was it filmed, and how did Jonathan Segal get involved?

BS: I’d seen a video he made for a recent Dave Alvin project and it felt like a good fit for “If It Gets Light.” The footage is existing footage that I sent to Jonathan – just some stuff filmed at the Starry Plough in Berkeley and the Ivy Room in Albany – and he brought the wild psychedelic effects and stuff on his own. He’s been a supporter of ours for years, which means a ton, really. Again, look at his body of work. It’s encouraging when someone like that says you’re doing something cool.

AW: This album has a slightly different sound from your previous albums. Did the songs just evolve that way, or was there a plan?

BS: Just evolved, really. Totally different studio, engineer, producer, etc. So that’s going to bring new sounds. And then it’s just whatever the songs demand. They’re really the guide to every decision. I will say it’s very much our live sound, minus some of the decorative stuff like horns and things, of course.

AW: There is a jam on “If It Gets Light,” which is new and good. Did the song just lend itself to that, or was there the idea that it needed it before it happened?

BS: A bit of both. Sometimes I have ideas that are in the back of my mind for a long time before an opportunity arises to apply them. I’d always wanted to cut loose with something like the jam on that song, and when I found myself writing it I realized the opportunity to really go for it had presented itself. The Velvet Underground’s Complete Matrix Tapes set is one of the most listened to collections I own. I think we were able to channel that spirit a bit with our own style.

AW: The album's lyrics are about founding member Lenny Gill’s long illness and recovery, and they are very positive, happy, and healthy ones, which is wonderful. Was Lenny the sole inspiration for them?

BS: Actually the whole thing was written way before any of the stuff with Lenny’s heart went down! But all the songs seem to deal with struggles and losses and challenges in a way that certainly resonated with what we went through with that, too. You know, we’ve lost some really good friends and people from our musical circles, and on top of that the struggles of our times and places – the political landscape, wealth disparity, gentrification, this feeling of things fraying around the edges. I think a lot of just living in Oakland has fed into these songs – Ghost Ship, homeless encampments in public spaces, venues closing, people on the margins pushed even further out. I think the songs sit right where the personal and the public are the same thing. But you’re right, they’re not defeated songs. They’re survivor songs. But luckily not Survivor songs.

AW: Is there anything about Lenny that readers should know?

BS: He’s doing great! He survived the heart transplant and worked his way back to recording and playing shows, and not just getting back to living, but thriving. He’s a force of pure mellow positive energy, that guy. I don’t think there’s a question that his attitude and the way he navigates life has allowed him to survive numerous health scares that would probably have derailed most of us.

Andrea Weiss