Anti-folk from “The Big Smoke
Posted on 5th Sep 06 by Contributor | 
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Artist: Jeffrey LewisAuthor: Nicola Marie O Riordan New Yorker Jeffrey "Lightening" Lewis is best known for his part in the anti"folk movement and elaborate biographical" fictional and sometimes politically charged comic books. He began dabbling in the simplistic area of home"made cassette tapes in 1998. In 2002 Jeff" brother Jack and a few friends set [...]
Artist: Jeffrey Lewis
Author: Nicola Marie O Riordan
New Yorker Jeffrey "Lightening" Lewis is best known for his part in the anti"folk movement and elaborate biographical" fictional and sometimes politically charged comic books. He began dabbling in the simplistic area of home"made cassette tapes in 1998. In 2002 Jeff" brother Jack and a few friends set up a "real band" playing to audiences all across the states and Europe. After sharing bills with the likes of Cornershop" The Fall" Beth Orton" Frank Black" Daniel Johnston" Scout Niblett" the Mountain Goats" Radio4" Adam Green" Kimya Dawson" British Sea Power" The Fiery Furnaces" Thurston Moore" The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players" Suicide" Devendra Banhart and The Cribs" Jeff decides to go it alone for a tour of the UK and Ireland in August 2006. Armed with some clothes" a guitar" a tape recorder and some comics Mr Lewis sets out on his own for the first time.
It was my first time having the pleasure of attending a gig in The Unitarian Church on Princes Street so I really did not know what to expect. It was quite a relaxed venue" like going to a private concert in someone"s living room. Supporting "and assisting" Jeffrey Lewis on the night was Patrick Freyne of the band Patrick Freyne and His Bad Intentions. Jeffrey Lewis came on stage a little later than expected" and greeted us with a joke" " Sorry 'bout the late start up" I kept losing my place in the bathroom." Jeffrey Lewis really captured the attention of the crowd on the night with his colourful ballads and hilarious "low budget videos."
I catch up with Jeff for a brief chat over a pint of Beamish in the Quad.
Do you miss the security of the band"
Yes definitely" I would have never thought I would. I thought" wow" This'll be great" I'll be free to do what I want. But its kinda surreal" luckily I had Patrick helping me out tonight with my set.
What's you're favourite venue you've ever played"
There's been many but one place that's especially cool is The Pinelodge in Myrtelville. Very dreamlike" beautiful atmosphere. It's really hard to beat that. When I play there the shows are generally free. I mean it's a little hard for people to get there. You know they're not necessarily the most packed shows" or the shows that pay the most. It's just such a treat to get to play there. It"s just so different from the average dingy dark hole in the wall.
Have you done much in relation to your comics lately"
I"ve always got these comic books I"m working on I've got the new issue of my comic finished I'm gonna send it to the printers when I get back to New York. I actually would have been selling them tonight but I just didn't bring enough for the tour. It's hard to estimate. You know when you're leaving the house and you're carrying your luggage bag and it's like you know incredibly heavy and you're like I"m not gonna sell all this stuff. I gonna leave a couple of hundred of these comics at home. Eh" it"s hard to estimate.
Your lyrics are very colourful where do you get your inspiration"
If I knew where to get inspiration I would be able to do it more often. I feel like I"m not as prolific as a lot of songwriters that I know. Partially because I find it really hard to write a song if I don't have something to say. I feel like a lot of people are able to just write songs. I feel as though if I haven't had a really specific idea or something that I really feel like I can say it's difficult for me to write something. But on the other hand if I do have something to say well then writing a song can be quite easy because my style is I just sort of say it. There's no real masking of what"s going on so it's pretty straightforward.
What's the plan after this tour"
Well I"ve recorded a whole album of covers of Crass songs um they're an anarchist punk band from the early 80's. They're in my opinion one of the greatest bands of all times. I feel like their song writing is usually overlooked. It's buried under the walls of this very aggressive noise. And I figured if I" I don"t know" I just love their songs and I just recorded an album of covers of their songs to make the lyrics a little more clearer and the songs a little more listenable. Rough Trade have expressed an interest in putting it out and that might be the next album I release. I"m also working on a DVD of all my "low budget videos" which are the illustrated songs that I do. I'll be just putting together a DVD of all of that.
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