M. Ward Tickets

M. Ward has been releasing consistently brilliant albums since his debut, Duet for Guitars #2, in 2000. Ward's music is instantly recognizable: just listen for his smoky voice (though he doesn't smoke); lyrics that can move from deeply affecting to wisely humorous in the space of a song; and his quick work across a guitar's fretboard. End of Amnesia, Ward's sophomore album, appeared in 2001, followed by Transfiguration of Vincent, which landed on many critics' best-of lists for 2003. Transistor Radio—a tribute to the independent radio stations of yesteryear—came in 2005 and won Ward further praise from fans and critics. Ward's latest album, Post-War, is his first recorded with a full band and offers further proof that this indie folk singer/songwriter is among music's most gifted young artists.

Ticketmaster recently spoke with M. Ward about the new album, his upcoming U.S. tour and his many other musical projects.

Ticketmaster: Your new album Post-War just came out on August 22, and you have a U.S. tour kicking off very soon in September. Are you excited to get out and play these new songs for a live audience?
M. Ward: I am. You know, I've had a year's break from traveling and my batteries are energized, so yeah, I feel ready to tour. I'm especially excited about this one, ‘cause I get to tour with the band that I made the record with. So, yeah, it's exciting. It's the biggest band I've ever brought on tour. A bunch of novelties for me.

TM: You recorded the new album with a full band, which is new for you. How do you think that has affected the music?
MW: Well, I wanted a more grounded sound than the way that the Transistor Radio record sounded, which, to me, is a little bit floaty and maybe sentimental at times. So having the drums as a foundation was part of the point for this new record...to go against the record that came before it.

TM: Who were your collaborators on the album and how did you get together with them?
MW: Uh, let's see. Well, Jim James came into town, because he was playing a show with My Morning Jacket. We scheduled a few days so we could just play around in the studio. He's always great to work with. I've been working with him off and on for the last three years, I guess it is. And he's just somebody I look up to, somebody who's capable of doing anything.  He's incredible.

TM: Who else were you playing with?
MW: Let's see. Adam Selzer, who engineered most of my first couple of records and engineered a couple of these new songs. Mike Coykendall, who engineered most of my last couple of records, engineered most of this one. Rachel Blumberg, who's a great drummer that I've been working with off and on for the last couple years. She just left The Decemberists. And there's a guy named Jordan Hudson, who just recently left this band called The Thermals. They're all Portland bands. So I feel really lucky to be able to have them on tour with me. 

TM: The new album deals with war, loss and change. What got you thinking about these themes?
MW: The headlines of the newspapers. Books that I've been reading. Songs that I've been hearing - ever since I was a kid really. You know, the biggest inspiration is and has always been older records and older production ideas...songs that have some of the greatest production in the world, by people like Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. And the records that came out of Sun Studios were a huge inspiration.

TM: On past tours, you've played both solo and with a backing band. You mentioned for the upcoming tour you will be playing with a full band. How would you compare playing solo versus playing with a full band?
MW: It's like apples and oranges really. They really don't have anything in common.

TM: What are the pros of playing solo?
MW: Well, the pros of playing solo are you don't really have to worry about other people's schedules to rehearse, you don't have to worry about waking up the neighbors, and you don't have to write a set list. But the pros of having a band are the obvious ones. The camaraderie, I guess you could say.

TM: I'm interested in your early days as a musician. You're a phenomenal guitarist, so when did you first pick up the guitar and become interested in playing?
MW: I picked up the guitar when I was about 14. And I learned how to play by reading chord charts in Beatles books, and that was the way I learned how to play really. That taught me every guitar chord that I will ever need to learn. If you go through their catalog and you're a guitarist, you'll be pretty hard pressed to find a chord that they didn't put into one of their songs - except if you're getting way out there, and I don't really get way out there that much. Thelonious Monk chords, you know, which are hard for me to incorporate into (my songs)...you know, I've never tried to incorporate a Thelonious Monk chord into an old folk song or something, but maybe one of these days. (laughs)

TM: I know you love the Beatles, but who were some of your other early influences?
MW: Well, the first live band that I ever witnessed was Firehouse in Los Angeles. And Mike Watt's been a really big inspiration, and it's especially exciting for this tour, because he's going to be supporting the California shows. So that just freaks me out how great it is.

TM: I know you were in a band before you went solo called Rodriguez. What kind of music was the band playing?
MW: You know, we were ripping off fIREHOSE. It was a trio and (we were) listening to fIREHOSE and Sonic Youth records and eventually more country-influenced music.

TM: Is the Rodriguez music available anywhere?
MW: No, but I don't think you're missing much. (laughs)

TM: Let's talk about your songwriting process. Do you start with lyrics, a guitar riff?
MW: There's no formula. The only formulaic thing about it is that it starts on the four track.

TM: Did the fact that you were working with a full band for the new record affect the songwriting at all?
MW: The composition I do alone with the four track, so I bring in the band and the full arrangement when it's time to flesh the song out. So that's how all songs start. Every record I've made is a combination of old four track recordings with new four track recordings.

TM: Does writing a new song come quickly for you or does it take shape over a long period of time?
MW: There's no formula for that one either. Sometimes they come like a lightning bolt, and sometimes it takes years to finish.

TM: I really love your cover songs. There's a Daniel Johnston song on the new album ("To Go Home"), and you've done several other covers in the past. How do you choose which songs to cover?  
MW: You know, it's really as simple as you just like the song and it gives you a certain joy playing the song. And that's about it, you know. You try songs out and if they feel right then you continue to play them. If it doesn't make you feel very good, then you stop right away.

TM: I also want to talk about your production work. You co-produced Jenny Lewis' solo debut. Can you describe what it was like working with her and how you two hooked up?
MW: We've known each other for a few years because Rilo Kiley was my backing band on a tour back in 2002 or '03. And we've just been friends ever since. She came into the recording process with her songs already written and having some production ideas. We just batted ideas around and just had fun in the studio. It was a blast.

TM: Has producing another artist's work affected the production on your own album? 
MW: Well, learning other people's songs always changes your own understanding of music and that's the way I learned how to play, learning other people's songs. Eventually everything that you learn turns into one big, giant stew, and basically that's the stew that the records come out of. So it's hard to put your finger on exactly what influenced what with any exact precision.

TM: Do you have plans to produce more albums in the future?
MW: I'm producing a friend of mine. He was in a band called For Stars. His name is Carlos Forster. And that should be out next year. I'm really excited about that project.

TM: What kind of music does he play?
MW: His songs remind me of a cross between Big Star and Brian Wilson.

TM: Are you going to be lending any guitar work to the album or just production?
MW: Yeah, a bunch of guitar on it. It's been a blast, and it's almost done.

TM: You have a new, animated video out for "Chinese Translation." I don't think I've seen a video from you before. How did the video come about?
MW: A friend of a friend turned me on to this animator who is from North Carolina, and I always loved the idea of doing a music video where I don't have to do anything. (laughs) So I was hooked, you know.

TM: So you're happy with it?
MW: I love it. I love it. I didn't have to wear one ounce of makeup, you know. (laughs)

TM: You recently played The Late Show with David Letterman. I found out too late and missed it. Maybe you can fill me in. How did it go?
MW: It was great. It was a blast. It's on YouTube. I just got an email that it's on YouTube.

TM: I'll have to look for that. What song did you play?
MW: "Chinese Translation." We had a great time. It was my first time doing Letterman. It was really great. It was at the tail end of a UK tour, so it was just the perfect way to end that tour.