: Jim White in 2012 The 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 -born, New York-based drummer has been a crucial, dynamic part of countless excellent – from , Smog and Bonnie “S‘Prince’ Billy, to his own work with the mighty instrumental trio Dirty Three, alongside and Bad Seed . “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 , his ferocious duo with Cretan lute player and singer George Xylouris; their third , 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 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/, 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 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 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 record to Warren Ellis joins White you know what I mean? 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 /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 ’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 . 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. In some ways this is one of the and played every week there. It was that time were playing in five or six later on we were all in one the three of us, in the studio with an It was recorded live, all in the same songs and rehearsed them for a few drums worked out. Once again, I more intentional records [in my always just the three of us – people bands together. I remember him summer, and she asked if we could engineer. There were no windows, room, with some overdubs, days. I think he’d just moved there, think it happened pretty naturally. discography], I guess. I had this idea would suggest getting a singer, driving up to my house one day – come and record this album, at the so you’d go in there and it was like its particularly from Warren, in the so it was just a suburban house, and It’s beautiful to hear those songs so at the time that I wanted the drums though. I like this record, because he’d just picked up the cassette from same studio where the Venom P own little world for a couple of days. only studio they had at Electric we set up in the lounge room. Then early – when he brings a song to you,

; stevens cat to be really fundamental in the it’s great to make a record when Mick’s house – and I remember Stinger record was recorded. It was I think it was just after Christmas, Audio at the time. Steve’s got we went on a little tour before it always feels like they’re all there.

92 • UNCUT • FEBRUARY 2018 FEBRUARY 2018 • UNCUT • 93 [2005’s] Cinder, which was very different – a lot of shorter things. I think that’s a good record too, but I like Toward The Low Sun. I put it on last night, for this interview, and it sounded good, like it had a fresh energy and stuff. Something like “Furnace Skies” was a bit of a different strand coming into the Dirty Three. We don’t have any plans for another record at the moment – everyone’s very busy, everyone lives on different continents. It’s different from when we were on the road all the time. But it’s fine, it’s a fun way to be. Let’s see what happens. XYLOURIS WHITE Rock solid: with GOATS improvisational OTHER MUSIC RECORDING CO, 2014 collaborator George Xylouris The start of a beautiful (and pretty noisy) collaboration with the Cretan lute player We met back before Dirty BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY no longer a bar band – if you find a parts on the spot. Then we listened Three started. THE LETTING GO new beat, what are you gonna do? to the versions and constructed Melbourne has DRAG CITY/DOMINO, 2006 You can play middle of the road with songs out of the four different takes a huge Greek White heads to Iceland for one of the double – you could play Air with different drum parts. Then I community, ’s finest LPs – which also Supply songs with the double – but learnt them as integrated parts, and and George is spawned the drummer’s recent the way we chose [on The Double’s we went to Albini’s. The record’s from a family of great musicians, so project, The Double Dawn Of The Double LP, 2016] is about 34 minutes long, and it took he ended up living in Australia for This was with super-rocking and repetitive. about that long to record once we’d eight years. I met him socially – [guitarist] got the sounds. Then we had the rest when we met, George couldn’t speak Emmett Kelly, of the day off, and the next day we any English at all, and my Greek is [] Paul & JIM WHITE mixed it. I think this record is very still bad now. That’s how I heard Oldham and successful on its own terms. The Cretan music for the first time, seeing [vocalist] Dawn FATCAT, 2007 parts sound pretty improvised, but him play. Then I heard his dad’s McCarthy, who A collaborative record with the New every note is where it’s planned to be, music [Antonis Xylouris, aka is amazing on this record. We York singer-songwriter – created in which is not something I’d normally Psarantonis], and for 20 years or recorded in Iceland, it was done in a unique fashion do. Just acoustic , drums and more I listened to that for enjoyment, the winter so it was really dark about Nina’s made a voice… I think it’s really great. not with any thoughts of playing it. 22 hours a day. I think this one has lot of records When Dirty Three started, we asked a really specific mood, and I like the with Albini, DIRTY THREE George to sit in with us, and that was drums. Sometimes I play a lot of they have a TOWARD THE LOW SUN very good. Then he moved back to notes, but sometimes the best thing really good ANCHOR & HOPE/DRAG CITY/BELLA UNION, 2012 Crete with his family, and George you can do is realise that maybe it working The trio’s most recent LP, and one of and his wife were always saying, doesn’t need so much. I played a relationship. their best, nearly wasn’t released “Come to Crete”, so finally I went little bit of on this album They first approached me for a We hadn’t done there a few years ago. We went to the [laughs], which is funny if you would record called Run To Ruin – we did a record for a studio and started playing, and have seen it. Will’s great like that – that with Albini out in France. She while, so we that’s how the band started. That when I toured with him a couple of always had these big bands with had a go at was four years ago, and we’ve been years after that, I sang for the first these beautiful arrangements, and recording and doing it ever since. Along the way we time, which was really fun. What I I suggested that we do a record and then put it aside also met [’s] Guy Picciotto, so noticed on The Letting Go was what I would do all the analogues of – we didn’t Goats was recorded in his studio. an amazing singer Will had become. harmony and accompaniment on know if we had it or not. Then quite Guy’s amazing, he’s like the extra He’d do different takes, adjusting his the drums. I came up with this some time later, I was recording member of the band. We have a band vocals, and I hadn’t realised what approach of doing it – Nina would with Cat Power in Malibu, and we too, George, Guy and me – we play control he had developed. When we write the songs, and bring them to had days where not much was with the filmmaker Jem Cohen, who finished the record, we went out to a room we’d rented, then we’d play happening in the studio. So I was I’ve known for years. A lot of the the countryside for a day. It’s so them for the first time and record driving around and I thought I’d Xylouris White records are really beautiful there. Emmett and I got to them on a little disk recorder. Then revisit it, and it sounded really good. early takes – but there’s one song on know each other on this tour with we’d record them the next day, and I wrote to Warren, and Mick and Goats that we recorded 16 times in a Will, and we both expressed interest the next day, and the next. Nina Warren said they had been doing row, maybe more, and it was actually in this idea that we wanted to have a tends to play the song the same each that too, and we realised it was a the last version that we used. I guess bar band. So I went out to Chicago in time, so I would improvise different record. The record before that was essentially George is a Cretan folk the winter, we rented this room and musician, and we have a number of played the basics of rock’n’roll all improvisations on that record – or at day long. On the afternoon of the least, I guess they’re improvisations, second or third day, this change “On the second or third day, this change because how do I know? happened, and we realised we’d happened, and we realised we’d discovered or invented a new discovered or invented a new rhythm” Xylouris White’s Mother is out on Manolis Mathioudakis rhythm, ‘the double’. “Shit!” It was January 19 on Bella Union

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