These days, there’s a whole lot of music out there.  Maybe there was a second baby boom sometime in the ’80s with the good economy and what not so there are just more young people around (seriously, though…). Maybe because of the internet it’s just become more readily available. Whatever it is, there are a lot of kids out there making music, and a lot of that music sucks (In defense of the youth, though, a lot of it is awesomely awesome, too. But a lot of it still sucks.).  Furthermore, names like Ke$ha show up in top rankings of music. At times, it seems like a frightful world underpopulated with great modern music.  Then comes a band like White Denim.  I know I’ve raved and adulated and basically kissed their denim-clad asses numerous times, but I stand by every exalted word. They are infinitely talented, highly under-acknowledged, and really freaking cool.  Despite the high level of skill in their music, they come off as laid back, and, based on this somewhat hilarious interview (frontman James Petralli is just plain goofy), it seems the recording process is relatively effortless, too.  Is there such a thing as too good of a band? Read and see. And then go get their new album, D, and listen to it. And then do it again. And again. You get the idea.

Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who?

James Petralli: I am James Petralli and I generally play guitars and human voice. Steve Terebecki plays electric bass guitars. Joshua Block plays acoustic percussion instruments. Austin Jenkins plays guitars. We all have played pianos and organs on our recordings.

CG: Where did you meet, and how did the band come together?

JP: The short story is Josh and I met in [Dallas Fort Worth Airport] and got along famously, we parted ways for a few years and met in Austin in 2005 or so, formed a band with our close friend Lucas Anderson called Parque Touch that was nasty and confrontational. We saw [bassist] Steve playing in a nasty and confrontational band called Peach Train, and we asked him to join us. Parque Touch became a quartet until Lucas moved to Russia, [and] the remaining trio then changed its name to White Denim, toured the world for some years, released two albums and two EPs, found Austin Jenkins after tracking the majority of D, did a few overdubbing sessions and tours, made Last Day of Summer together as a quartet, released it on our website, more touring now, released D…etc.

CG:  Who are some other bands you are listening to now?

JP: I like the James Blake record. It is packed with interesting and pleasing rhythmic, tonal, and harmonic ideas. There are so many interesting records out there. I don’t know where to start really…I can’t recommend Roberto Cacciapaglia and Jim O’Rourke enough.

Cover art for White Denim’s new album, D.

CG: Your music manages to remain multi-layered, dynamic, and interesting while still being catchy and memorable. How did you guys achieve this sound?

JP: I write as much as I can and I generally do this alone on my porch in Bawstin,Texas [cute]. I believe that the other musicians in this band are absolutely world class. It never takes them long to dramatically elevate the quality of the work. This is a very easy group to be a part of. In the rehearsal room and in the tracking room nothing is ever forced or too laborious. Josh has become an incredible audio engineer and producer over the years, which makes it very easy for us to move through material. Together we are completely self contained. This allows our creative collaborations to be very fluid. After five years of constant work our process has become very intuitive.

CG: What was the recording process like for D? How does this album differ from your other albums?

JP: I spent a month writing. The trio spent a month writing/recording demos/rehearsing. For the first time we spent a month tracking live to tape in a properly outfitted professional studio. The record sat around unfinished for three months for various non-musical reasons. Austin Jenkins joined the group. We recorded and released Last Day of Summer as a quartet. We spent an additional month overdubbing with Austin and mixing the record in the city of Austin with Michael McCarthy. We kept the phenomenal McCarthy mixes from those sessions. Josh Block mixed an additional seven or so tunes in another Austin studio (b-sides and remaining album tracks). The record was officially done in December of 2010. Everything was different for this record. We used to just party and press record. Party press record. Party and record. Press party and record. Party record. Record party. Party and press. Press. Party.

CG: Did growing up in Austin influence your music at all? Do you feel a sense of kinship with it?

JP: None of us grew up in Austin. Austin is a fine place to leave. Did I type leave? I meant to type live. We love it here. You can find us keeping it weird on the scene almost daily. The best chili’s restaurant in the world is right here in Austin. Also SXSW… I mean c’mon. Gotta love Austin, right?

(From left to right: James Petralli, Steve Terebecki, and Joshua Block. Austin Jenkins not pictured.)

CG: What has been a personal high and a personal low about your musical career so far? Any particular moments of awesomeness or embarrassing blunders?

JP: High: meeting idols and other notable celebs constantly. Low: Having to bum cigs off of them.

CG: So, what’s the story behind the name White Denim?

JP: It is a joke. We drew it from a list of other terrible band names out of one of JB’s stinky cowboy boots. I think it was Billiam Shakespeare who wrote something poignant about names right? like… “what’s the deal with all these names?” That’s the story behind the story.

CG: What is next for you guys?

JP: Touring, Writing, and Recording. All of equal nextness. Thanks for the questions.

(Check out their infectious track, Drug (pun intended), from D)

White Denim – Drug by WhiteDenim

In conclusion: yes, there is such a thing as too good of a band. And that band is White Denim.

For more White Denim, check out my concert review from their LA show, and read my album review of D.
Catch them next on tour on Friday, June 17th in Atlanta, Georgia at the Drunken Unicorn. Door open at 9pm, tickets are $10, ages 18+
For a full tour schedule, click here.