| VOYAGER: When
you were looking for a new singer, did you want someone
who might sound similar to Reid, and could carry the old
material off in a similar fashion? TRAFTON: Yeah, not even subconsciously. We didn't look for that directly, we were just open to whatever fit the bill in our minds, and we all just knew without even speaking what we wanted. Luke is just a great technical singer and he can cover all the bases. We didn't even really know what we were going to do as a band, if we were going to forge into a totally new direction or continue doing songs from the past, so we didn't have any concrete ideas on what we wanted, we just knew it when we saw it and when we saw Luke we knew it and that was that! VOYAGER: Did you also listen to a demo to see if his songwriting skills were up to the Strangefolk standard? TRAFTON: We did do that too, yeah, and actually we co-wrote most of the songs in Strangefolk, so that was another thing that we knew we could lean on was that it wasn't Reid writing every song and then when he left all the songs went with him. That left us with a fairly large repertorie. VOYAGER: Now that you're no longer with Mammoth, do you think you would like to be with a label again, or do you prefer the do-it-yourself route? TRAFTON: I like the independence because we can call our own shots, but at the same time when it comes time to put another project together we have to find the funding and that becomes a little more difficult. The freedom is grat, but the financial burden can be great so having a label is very nice when you want a budget for a record and have a tour budget and all that, but at the same time your hands are tied behind your back and they're the ones pulling the strings. The level of compromise versus the level of what you're willing to accept in the line of financial freedom. VOYAGER: Any plans for a CD with this new lineup? TRAFTON: We don't have any concrete plans right now but we're definitely talking about it. We would like to do it as soon as we can. We plan to tour a lot and rebuild the base by touring and then between tours hopefully slip into the studio again. Instead of taking a chunk of time we'll do it piece by peice. I would like to do it this year and have it ready by next year. One thing Strangefolk is famous for is not releasing records on any timely schedule! VOYAGER: Now that the problems of 2000 are behind you, how are you feeling in 2001? TRAFTON: I've felt really good. Its been really good. Reid leaving was the last major tree falling in the forest of shaky timbers (laughs). I feel the music we're making now is satisfying me a lot, we're all having a good time, the new guys have added a totally fresh perspective and fresh enthusiasm. I feel good. I'm having a good time, and that's the point of it all. |
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More with new Strangefolk singer Luke Patchen Montgomery ahead. |
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