INTERVIEW WITH HAYSEED DIXIE
You play in the Westcountry a fair bit – what do you think of this part of the UK?
We like any place with hills, and water, and women, and beer. You have all of those things.
Local band Pronghorn, who you’ve toured with before, say they play ‘cowpunk’ how would you describe your type of music?
We have always, when pressed, described ourselves as Rockgraass. But trying to describe music with words is like trying to dance about architecture. You really do have to just come to the show and experience it. Like Billy Joel said, “You can’t get the sound from a story in a magazine aimed at the average teen.” Not that there is any single “average” teen in existence . . . but I digress . . .
What are your favourite songs to cover and why?
“Have a Drink On Me” because it’s a drinking song, “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend” because it’s about cheating, “Bohemian Rhapsody” because it’s about killing, “Hell’s Bells” because it’s about hell, and “Highway To Hell” because it’s about all four of those things.
Are you doing any of the summer festivals? And what are you looking forward to most about the British summer?
We’re doing several . . . Cropredy and Sonisphere being the biggest ones. I’m actually hoping that the weather will stay nice this summer because I ride a motorbike on our tours and it’s a LOT more fun when it isn’t pouring down rain.
How many different instruments do you play and what’s the weirdest one?
In the band, we play banjo, mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass. All but the guitar are varying degrees of weird. And the way we play all of them extremely weird, at least by most peoples’ standards.
Do you have any nicknames? If so where did they come from?
Not really. I know that’s a boring answer, but it’s true.
What’s your most outrageous gig experience?
There are too many to list. Honestly, most of the really outrageous stuff happens either on the way to the gig or after it. And it wouldn’t be proper for me to disclose much about any of those. Suffice it to say that when you travel to 150 different cities a year for 10 years, a lot of stuff happens along the way that would flat rattle most people. And most of it is stuff that you can’t really talk in public . . .
What do you miss most about home – and where is home?
Where is home? That’s an interesting question. I was asked that by a fellow behind the Immigration desk in an airport a while back. And I really couldn’t think of a good answer. Then he said, “Well, where do you live?” And I said, “Hotel rooms, most of the time – every once in a while a bed or on somebody’s couch.” He said, “Hotel rooms and couches where?” And I said, “Well, all over the place. A different town every night. Sometimes a different country every night.” This went on for a while. Finally, he asked in exasperation, “Where are you from?” “Oh, that I can answer directly,” I said. “Nashville, Tennessee.”
What I miss most about Nashville is pan-fried corn bread, pulled pork barbeque and turnip greens cooked with just a bit of smoked country ham.
Hayseed Dixie play Gloucester Guildhall on April 24, Millennium Music Hall in Cardiff on April 29, Frome Cheese & Grain on May 26, Grillstock in Bristol July 3 and Launceston Town Hall on July 4.
