Turn it down: Pete Yorn interview

A survey of Lansing's musical landscape

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Songwriter Pete Yorn plays an all-ages, acoustic solo set Sunday at the Loft. The New Jersey native’s musical genesis happened in the late ‘90s in small Los Angeles clubs. After he signed with Columbia Records and released 2001’s “Musicforthemorningafter,” he hit the alternative mainstream with hits like “Life on a Chain.” In 2009 he released a collaborative album with actress Scarlett Johansson and followed it up with a solo, self-titled disc on Vagrant Records. Last year he released a record with his band, the Olms. Yorn talked to us by phone from Santa Monica.

What are you up to these days?
I’ve been in the studio on and off for a bit now. I’m finishing up the new solo record. There is no tentative release date but if all goes right it should be out in the new year.

Planning on breaking out some new songs at the Loft?
I’ll probably break out some new stuff. The show is solo. It’s just my guitar and me. I wanted to do something really stripped back, but it’s really high energy. There is no set list. It’s a lot of taking requests and just having fun with the intimate crowds and playing songs from my whole catalog, new stuff and covers. It’s really freeform.


I hear you’re a fan of the late songwriter Chris Bell of Big Star.
Coincidentally, I'm playing a concert tomorrow night in Los Angeles. It’s an autism charity. We’re going to play Big Star’s first two records in their entirety with Jody Stephens, the original drummer from Big Star, along with an all-star band. The song I’m going to play is Chris Bell’s “I am the Cosmos.”


What drew you into Big Star and Chris Bell? I'm writing a lengthy story about him at the moment.
First of all, let me say I think it’s so cool that you’re writing about him and drawing more attention to him as an artist because he was amazing. Very few times have I heard a song and it just stopped me in my tracks and I just listened to it over and over. I heard Chris Bell’s song “I am the Cosmos” and it just fucking cut right through me. I didn’t know what the hell it was. Then I did the research and found out how tragically he died. Out of all of his songs, that’s my favorite. Scarlett Johansson and I did that for our covers record a few years ago.


Your “Day I Forgot” LP featured R.E.M.’s guitarist Peter Buck. How did that happen?
The R.E.M. guys liked my first record. They invited me on tour and we became close. They were one of my favorite bands growing up. I wanted to write songs and play guitar like R.E.M. when I was 13. So that was really heavy, special and affirming. I am actually going to see Mike Mills tonight. He’s part of that Big Star concert we’re doing. He’s playing bass.


Did you play in any high school bands?
Just for fun. I had high school bands and we’d jam in my basement. My first experience singing live was a talent show at my high school. We played “Talent Show” by the Replacements. I was the drummer and sang from behind the drums. It was a really small suburban town. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything, but there was always that “Born to Run” idea that when you grow up in a certain place you take it for granted and you can’t wait to get out of there and get to the big city.


What was your life like leading up to the recording of “musicforthemorningafter.”
I was in college up at Syracuse. My whole plan was to go to law school. Music seemed like a pipe dream. But around my junior and senior year I was just writing so many songs during those cold Syracuse winters. I decided it was pretty safe to try music right after college and if it didn’t work I could always go to law school. That way I wouldn’t be 30, practicing law and regretting that I never tried music.


So you got serious about music after college?
I moved to California in 1996, right after graduation. I just started playing around, developing my stuff. I got a really good gig at this place called Largo in West Hollywood. A lot of great singer/songwriters were performing there. Elliot Smith was playing in there. Aimee Mann, too.


So how did you land the deal with Columbia Records?
I had the opportunity to play for Columbia in their offices. It was so nervewracking. I had just written a song called “Just Another.” I played that and “Murray” for them. He said, “We’ll be in touch.” Then a month later they sent someone else out to California to come see me again. I feel like a day or two before that I wrote “Life on a Chain.” I played it for him and he said, “Let’s make a record.” It still gives me chills right now talking about it.


TICKETS:
An Evening with Pete Yorn

w/ Westrin & Mowry @ the Loft, 8 p.m., all ages 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing Sunday, Oct. 5 $28/$25 adv.

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