A Conversation With James Petralli of White Denim

Written by Daniel Kohn Published in Interviews Thursday, 14 October 2010 09:00

white_denim_nme

Sometimes a name can be an accurate way to describe a band. But with White Denim, it is not. Something as simple as, well, white denim, doesn’t do the band’s eclectic combination of garage rock, dub soul, alt-rock, country and blues justice. Since its beginnings in 2006, the Austin-based outfit has been dazzling crowds with its brand of music. On September 23, the band self-released Last Day of Summer, under the Radiohead, pay what you want model. The collection featured a selection of 12 songs that the band had floating around since its beginning and served as an appetizer as they put the finishing touches on its soon to be completed new album. Bestnewbands.com caught up with White Denim’s James Petralli to talk about the band’s name, its upcoming tour of Portugal. The Man and what city the band is looking forward to playing.

DK: How did you come up with the name White Denim? Are you guys fond of white denim or is there another intrinsic value to the name?

JP: The name White Denim is pretty arbitrary really. It was a name that came up in the early stages of working on the band that made us laugh. We never had any idea that we would eventually have the opportunity to do interviews like this one, so we didn't give it much thought. It's a name for a rock band. There is something intrinsically hilarious about adults having that conversation in the first place.

DK: Are you guys excited to be touring with Portugal The Man? How did the tour come to fruition?

JP: Sure. We are always excited to play. I am not exactly sure how it came up. I think it was an agent on agent kind of thing. We were of course totally open and enthused to play some shows in front of their folks. I think we are really going to vibe out for a couple of weeks with them and hopefully become faithful pen pals afterwards.

DK: What city is the band looking forward to playing on the tour?

JP: Albuquerque and Boulder. We have never been. Oh, and Santa Barbara.

DK: What are the band's plans for the remainder of 2010? Are you going to continue writing and recording?

JP Yes, we are going to finish mixing a new record and then start another one soon thereafter.

DK: When do you expect the new album to be done? How many songs have been recorded and how does the general sound of the new album compare to the earlier material?

JP: It should be complete by the middle of November. We tracked 13 tunes for it over the summer, but it is super long so we will probably cut one or two tunes. I think it sounds pretty much just like us. There are some intense instrumental passages throughout the record, some tender moments. We expanded the stylistic palette a bit, and we also brought a few talented folks in to the studio with us. I am excited to share the record. I hope it comes out soon after we finish it.

With a new album and a tour, the remainder of 2010 is going to very busy for White Denim. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

Last modified on Sunday, 24 April 2011 11:34

Daniel Kohn

Ever since he first heard the opening chords to "Smells Like Teen Spirit," at the age of 11, Daniel Kohn has been hooked on music. Born in New York City, raised in the music hotbed of Long Island and currently residing in Los Angeles, Kohn has been writing since high school, when he realized he could get CDs for free. He's a sucker for '90s music, especially that from Seattle. Like a small minority of Americans, he likes football of the European variety, especially Liverpool. When he's not chasing down bands, you can find him at your local pub with a pint of Carlsberg, usually at ungodly hours cheering on his beloved Reds.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Latest from Daniel Kohn

More in this category: « Blood Red Shoes Walks All Over The Music Scene! Meet our Artists in Residence for October: Rumspringa! »

About 20 hours ago

From web

TV Appearance: LA rockers @BewareoDarkness just made their network TV debut on @ConanOBrien. New album and tour. http://t.co/F2bkpYkoKR

About 24 hours ago

From web

Interview: Samuel and Sinosa of LA avant pop band @folchen discuss their latest album and musical etch-a-sketch. http://t.co/yzE3rFnINV

About 2 days ago

From web

Review: Limits of Desire from Small Black. The "drum and drifting voice carries us through." @SmallBlk @jagjaguwar http://t.co/Q4PcACz0sa

About 2 days ago

From web

Featured Artist: The Neighbourhood, now touring the US, supporting their new album @ColumbiaRecords. @thenbhd http://t.co/wQH8As8arH

Follow BestNewBands.com on Twitter

Beware Of Darkness Perform Single, "Howl," On Conan

17 May 2013

Los Angeles-based rock band Beware of Darkness made their network television debut this week on Conan. The three-piece tore through their loud, bold, blues-rock single "Howl," a s...

Fol Chen on Their New Album, Musical Inventions, and Making a Whole New Kind of Sense

16 May 2013

I’ve always kind of imagined the members of Fol Chen writing songs the way scientists would conduct experiments in a laboratory, with beakers and Petri dishes and controlled explosions and all that....