Toward the low sun: Jim Jim White White in 2012 The Dirty Three sticksman and serial collaborator selects his key long-players ome people always talk about ‘serving the song’,” muses Jim White, “which I don’t agree with. ‘Serving the song’ is usually code for not getting in the way, but a lot of time you want to make a stand, you know?” For all his protestations, the Melbourne-born, New York-based drummer has been a crucial, dynamic part of countless excellent albums – from Cat Power, Smog and Bonnie “S‘Prince’ Billy, to his own work with the mighty instrumental trio Dirty Three, alongside Mick Turner and Bad Seed Warren Ellis. “A lot of these things were done very quickly,” White explains. “Some people like you to have the songs before, and sometimes they like you to do it on the spot. It’s always a battle playing the drums, too – generally, if it feels good, that’s the version.” For the last few years, White’s main interest has been Xylouris White, his ferocious duo with Cretan lute player and singer George Xylouris; their third album, Mother, is out in January. “George is as into improvising as I am,” says the drummer. “Through playing with him I feel like I’ve learnt a lot With Warren Ellis about the nature of what might be called improvisation, which turns out to (left) and Mick be more of a continuum of music.” Turner (right) TOM PINNOCK in “impatient” instrumental trio Dirty Three, 2005 VENOM P STINGER songs – like, the hearing that sound from the car. The called KAJ back then, but by Moon so everything was shut down. It’s amazing microphones. I’ve made recording; we probably did eight or MEET MY FRIEND songs wouldn’t Dirty Three grew naturally, and Pix it was called Sing Sing. Same a really beautiful record. a lot of records with him, and in that 10 shows, just the three of us in a VENOM exist without that people reacted to it naturally. We just room, though. I think some of the studio too. Dirty Three are pretty station wagon. Bill drove. We came NO MASTERS VOICE, 1986 particular drum part. followed our noses. The band in tracks Chan did in Mick’s bathroom, DIRTY THREE impatient in the studio, we like to get back and went to Pedernales, a White teams up with future Dirty I can probably play general just happened, we made a maybe they were demos. I remember OCEAN SONGS on with it, so often the engineers studio outside of Austin, and put Three guitarist Mick Turner in this these songs now, a lot band for the bar – it looks unusual she had that [backwards] beat ANCHOR & HOPE/TOUCH & GO/BELLA UNION, 1998 have to do what they’re doing on the them down. I think it was a really squat-dwelling garage group of them are a couple [in lineup], but it wasn’t conceptual, sample for “American Flag”, and The trio enlist Steve Albini for one of fly, in terms of levels and stuff. good way to do it. I had first met Bill The first band of small phrases that it just happened. We put some of I played along to that. The way we their finest, most natural records “Deep Waters” is a long song, but in Melbourne, and I played on a I played in was are repeated. We these recordings on a cassette [Dirty worked varied song by song – for Mick and I were I doubt that we did much more than radio session with him when the called People recorded it in one Three, 1992], and that cassette found “Cross Bones Style” she had that both living in a couple of versions each. Because drummer wasn’t available at the last With Chairs Up day, we just ran its way to America. One day I was in beat, and she showed me it. “Metal Chicago at the we don’t have vocals, we can play in minute. And it eventually ended up Their Noses, through it. a record shop and someone said, Heart” she didn’t have anything time, and this the same room – we don’t ever take on a record, [2000 EP] “’Neath The and Mick had a “There’s these people from America for, but I’m sure we talked about it. was done at out one of the instruments and Puke Tree”. I became aware of Bill’s band, Fungus DIRTY THREE trying to find you guys, they want to Steve Albini’s replace it, that’s not really how it music around the time of [1997’s] Brains, and our bands would play SAD AND release you…” studio there. works. Years later, we did ATP and Red Apple Falls and [1996’s] The shows together. So that’s how I met DANGEROUS uncut “I had this idea Princess Diana died while we were they asked us to play this album – Doctor Came At Dawn. Then I was Mick – I went round to his house to TORN & FRAYED/POON VILLAGE, 1995 classic you’re not making a record, CAT POWER making it – I thought of it the other I thought it was great. living in Chicago, and I went on tour borrow a Laughing Clowns record to Warren Ellis joins White you know what I mean? MOON PIX that I wanted day when it was the anniversary. with him a few times. I love this tape. Then Mick went to England and Turner to form this You’re playing the songs, MATADOR, 1998 Sad And Dangerous we made when SMOG record – “Say Valley Maker” is with the Moodists and I started a long-running, expansive you’re not going, “Oh, from the White and Turner team up with the drums to we were just finding our sound, then A RIVER AIN’T TOO probably my favourite song on it. I band – Al [Secher-Jensen], Dugald instrumental trio 24th of April we’re making a Chan Marshall for this chilly, sparse be fundamental the next two records were done in MUCH TO LOVE came up with this beat with a roll in [McKenzie] and myself, and some of I came back from America with record now…” It was just us, in a exercise in restraint – recorded at the midst of massive touring. Then DRAG CITY/DOMINO, 2005 it for “Rock Bottom Riser” – it’s part the Fungus Brains guys – but then Venom P Stinger, and Warren had room, working out the stuff. Mick the height of the Australian summer in the songs” Ocean Songs was done with a bit The final Smog album was learnt of the style I was doing at the time. when Mick came back we made moved to town. We started playing had a four-track, but one track Chan had heard jim white more calmness, maybe we were at Bill Callahan’s house and honed I don’t think there was much Venom P Stinger. It was a really in a bunch of bands together, then didn’t work, so it was a three-track. Dirty Three on more prepared. From a drumming on the road discussion about this record. Bill exciting time to make a band. I had we formed Dirty Three with Mick, Wherever Mick’s four-track was, a jukebox. We point of view, I’d come up with this The core will have these songs that are so dropped out of university and basically to play in this bar, The that was Scuzz Studio, his bedroom did a show in I remember, with the drum part fluttering thing with the brushes. It musicians on worked out, but then he’s very happy someone gave me a room in this Baker’s Arms. There we would play at the time. He’d set up a couple of Boston and one coming in, then dropping out and was actually in response to this this album were with a first take on the drums or huge squat in the city. I’d have my some of these themes pretty long, microphones and that was the in New York, coming in again, being very happy pedal Mick had – in those days, you Bill, Connie something. The same with [2003’s] drums set up in this huge room – and the sound came from that. We record. There were no close mics and then Chan knowing when it was done. I think couldn’t just press a button and [Lovatt] on bass, Supper, too; that was done very you probably have four apartments took a photo first of all, with our on the drums, just the three of us turned up a little later in LA and someone said, “Do you wanna play make a loop, so it was never quite and me. We quickly. When Bill presents a song, now in that room that I was cars, then we made up some tunes, playing with three microphones asked Mick and I to go on tour with any more on that?” I said, “No, it’s adding up. I brought that approach went to Bill’s it’s all there, and then it was just up practising in. I’d play and make up and then we went down to the bar around the room. Warren and I at her in Germany. So we did that, then done.” It was just the two of us, or to my drums on the record a little bit. house in Texas, where we learnt the to Connie and I to get the bass and stuff.