Music
56 AMERICANWAY
JULY 1 2009
since he already had a trio of solid records under his belt
and a strong following, singer-
songwriter PeteYornmayhave found it temptingwhen creatinghis newalbum to stickwith the formula that
hadworked for him in the past. But rather than take the easy route, he switched things up on his upcoming
release, titled
Back&Fourth
(Sony, $16).
Yorn, aNew Jersey native, recorded his first three albums—which he considers a trilogy— near his ad-
optedhometownof LosAngeles. This time, heopted to record in themore low-key localeofOmaha, Nebraska,
where Mike Mogis, a veteran producer who’s worked with bands like Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley, lives and
works. And locationwasn’t the only thing thatwas new territorywith this album for Yorn, who turns 35 this
month. “Onmy other records, I played all the stuffmyself and layered it on computers,” he says. “For this one,
I hadabatchof songs I’dwritten that I justwanted tocapturewithabunchof humans— real peopleplaying
music together in a room, feeding off each other.”
But choosinghismusicianswas no easy feat. “I had some ideas of people, and I knew it had tobe right,” he
says. “I knew it couldn’t be just typical sessionplayers.” Yorn admits that of all the positions he had tofill, the
drummerwas thehardest, partlybecausedrumswere thefirst instrument heever learned. “Thedrummer has
to feel it, and it starts from there,”Yorn explains. “He’s theheartbeat of it all.” Thegigultimatelywent toJoey
Waronker, who has spent time behind the kit playingwithBeck.
Add legendary producer Rick Rubin to themix, and the result is something special. Rubin, the cochairman
of Yorn’s Columbia label, hasworkedwith countless
big-nameartists, including theRedHotChili Peppers,
Johnny Cash, Metallica, and the Beastie Boys. “Rick
was a great filter for me, because a lot of times I’d
go in tomake a record and I’d be all over the place,”
he remembers. “I’d just have somany ideas and too
many songs, and hewas able to helpme organize it.
He helpedme pick the exact songs to record for the
record, and he doesn’t let you slide on lyrics at all.”
One thing, however, has remained constant on
all of Yorn’s albums: the influence of former Smiths
front man Steven Morrissey. “I’ll put Morrissey’s
whole catalogon shuffle and listen to it nonstop,” he
says. Lyrically, Iwant to somehowget thebalanceof
that in there. I just love his lyrics.”
Fans can expect even more from Yorn, who says
he has two additional records completed and ready
for release later this year, thanks to awriting spurt.
“I think one’s going to come in September, and I re-
corded the third one in six days up in Oregon with
Frank Black [of the Pixies],” Yorn says. “He was the
best to work with. Hanging out with that guy and
getting to talk to him about life and the world and
getting perspective was super powerful for me. It
was the best I’d felt infive years.”
fourthtime’s the
charm
Singer-songwriter PeteYorn takes a
different approach on his latest album.
By JamesMayfield
