Highly intrigued as to how he arrived at this new musical juncture, we spoke with Boesel about the new album, as well as his upcoming tour, which kicks off next week.


Making Out Like Bandits: When did you seriously begin to write the songs that appear on Hustler’s Son? When were you aware these songs would become a full album?

Jason Boesel: I guess I seriously started writing songs in 2005. It was slow going at first. Most of the songs on the record were written in the year leading up to recording the album.

The number 26 seems to be a recurring theme on the song “Black Waves.” Can you explain the significance of this?

The number 26 sort of signifies a dead end to me. The end of the line, end of the road, etc… end of the alphabet.

“I Got the Reason #1″ has some connection to [Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band’s] Outer South. How did the idea to create different songs under the same name come about?

I wrote the song “I Got the Reason #1″ and played it for Conor. A few months later he wrote a song that seemed to accidentally borrow some aspects of my song. It was funny. He suggested we name the songs “I Got the Reason #1″ and “I Got the Reason #2.” We recorded both songs for Outer South, but mine didn’t end up going on.

How is it different to prepare for a tour in which you’ll be leading a band, as opposed to past tours, when you’ve been behind the drum kit?

So far, it’s quite a bit more nerve-wracking. I’m not used to singing or playing guitar, so it’s more of a struggle, and I have to be much more involved on every level. I’m really liking being more engaged, though. I’m really looking forward to the shows.

Who would you cite as important musical influences?

My biggest musical influences, on my songwriting, have probably been Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The best of the best.

Do you plan on playing drums on any songs while on tour?

I’m not planning on playing drums on anything on tour, but anything could happen.

Funny stories from any past tours?

Funny stories? Too many to tell. There was a huge fight over Pink Floyd once that was pretty amusing. I found a hundred dollar bill in the gutter once, in a terrible neighborhood, and was convinced there were drug dealers after me the whole night.

Favorite city to play?

I love playing Austin. It’s the absolute best.

Can we expect more solo albums from you in the future?

I would love to make more albums. It satisfies something in me that nothing else has, thus far.

Image by Butch Hogan.

There’s no denying that singing, song-writing drummers are just as much a novelty as they are a rarity (see Henley, Collins, or that guy from Night Ranger). But anyone who’s had the fortune of hearing beat-keeper Jason Boesel croon with Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band understands that Boesel means business. Best known for his work with Rilo Kiley and The Elected, Boesel recently came out from behind the kickdrum to record his solo debut, Hustler’s Son—a soulful, sinewy alt-country carousel that just might see him joining the ranks of multi-tasking greats like Levon Helm, Dennis Wilson, and Dave Grohl.

Produced by canyon folk champion Jonathan Wilson, Hustler’s Son boasts an impressive cast of collaborators—Mystic Valley Band member Nik Freitas, Dave Rawlings, Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink, and Rilo Kiley lead player Blake Sennett—but none more impressive than Boesel himself, who, after 15 years on the stool, has found his bearings as an unlikely frontman.

The album opens with “Black Waves,” on which Boesel sings of hurricane sand, crimes committed, and lovers led on. There’s also his strange fascination with the number 26. “Black Waves” is one of a handful of tracks that borrows melodies from Boesel’s Mystic Valley Band contributions (see “Eagle on a Pole,” from 2009’s Outer South). It’s also one of the album’s many sun-drenched ditties—though this one is not exactly luau-friendly, with its haunting guitar solo and howling organ accompaniment.

The album’s lead single, “Hand of God,” features yet another melody straight from Outer South (this one drawing from “Difference is Time”), but enhances it with a catchier hook, a more robust sound, and a little lyrical weight borrowed from The Band: “Saw a crystal ball rolling down the street, thought I’d try to hop a ride/God damn I couldn’t catch it. It went and left me mystified.” While Mystic Valley bander Taylor Hollingsworth’s presence (and by presence I mean guitar solo) is missed here, “Hand of God” works, but more as a “Difference is Time” reprise/Music from Big Pink homage than a standalone single.

“French Kissing” is a dreamy Lowell George-evoking waltzer with warm harmonies and sparkling arrangements that allow plenty of room for Boesel to show off his newfound vocal abilities. And later, on “Miracles,” Boesel manages to sing, “It’s only rocking and rolling, there’s nothing to worry about,” in a way that’s both more convincing and somehow less offense than the way Mick Jagger sang it before him.

The album’s star track, “Getting Healthy (Good Luck),” is a straight and narrow, wheel-on-fire mélange of heightening melody and sundry metaphor, featuring not only some of Hustler’s Son‘s best lyrical and vocal work—Boesel channels Townes Van Zandt here—but also some impressive, less-is-more noodling from fellow Rilo Kiley cohort Blake Sennett.

“I Got the Reason #1” clarifies, in its namesake alone, that it’s the predecessor to Outer South’s similarly titled track, though it shouldn’t have to, considering it is a largely superior rendition with substantial lyrical improvements. Boesel keeps this version candid and without cumber: “I don’t care anymore about what you do behind your sliding glass door/What it is, why don’t you do some more/and who it is, why don’t you do them a favor and…” “I Got the Reason #1” weighs in as Hustler’s Son’s most epic number. Its robust rhythm accompaniment combined with layers of sublime organ work, subtle lyrical substance, and soaring vocal harmonies result in a dust storm of Americana sound.

More Wilco than Rilo, more Cardinal than Mystic, Hustler’s Son is a commendable solo debut, chock-full of swaying, pacific-themed alt-country crooners and soulful roadhouse ballads, making it truly one of the first great albums of 2010.

No point in quitting when you’re ahead though. Here’s a look at some of its upcoming and very exciting projects that will surface in the coming months.

Midnight Masses, who signed to the label in November, is finally ready to release their debut EP, Rapture Ready, I Gazed at the Body. It’s a somber affair written in the wake of frontman Autry Rene Fulbright’s father’s death, and, from both a musical and lyrical standpoint, the four tracks on the release achieve more complexity than is found on a lot of albums three times the size. In other words, this one’s well worth the wait.

Pre-orders are shipping now through the Team Love store, while the EP’s official release date is next week, on December 15.

Meanwhile, Jason Boesel steps away from the drum kit to put his songwriting skills and throaty vocals to good use. The Rilo Kiley/Mystic Valley Band percussionist will release Hustler’s Son, which is technically his first solo record, but sees contributions from so many members of that particular brood (fellow Mystic Valley Bander Nik Freitas and Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett among them) that it’s more of a family affair. Which is just fine by us.

The album will drop January 10, 2010. Preview some of the tracks over at Jason’s MySpace right now.

And while you’re at it, listen to the Christmas classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” courtesy of A Weather. The band re-envisioned the song and recorded it over an orchestra of guitar and organ arrangements, and while it’s pretty, it’s not the most exiting news coming from that particular outfit’s corner these days. The band announced earlier this week that a new album is in the works and slated for a March 2010 release. Cove, the band’s debut from 2008, struck that razor-fine balance between heartening and heart-breaking, and if the artwork below is any indication, Everyday Balloons will deliver more of the same.

Tracklist:
01 “Third of Life”
02 “Winded”
03 “Ducks”
04 “Seven Blankets”
05 “Midday Moon”
06 “Newfallen”
07 “Newfallen”
08 “No Big Hope”
09 “Fond”
10 “Happiness”
11 “Giant Stairs”
12 “Lay Me Down”

Jason Boesel is best known as the man behind the drum kit for acts like Rilo Kiley, The Elected, and, most recently, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. Anyone who snagged the latter’s 2009 album, Outer South, will also be privy to his capabilities as a songwriter (which, I have to say, sometimes outshone Oberst’s own on that particular release).

He’s putting his many musical talents to good use, as Team Love announced last week that Boesel will release a solo full-length, Hustler’s Son, early next year. At his side during the recording process were fellow Mystic Valley Bander Nik Freitas, Band of Horses’ Blake Mills, and producer Jonathan Wilson. The album’s talent list also includes Benmont Tench, Orenda Fink, David Rawlings, Taylor Goldsmith, and fellow Rilo Kiley Member Blake Sennett.

Grab the country-drenched, organ-dappled track “Hand of God” right now.

Hustler’s Son is out January 12.

Hustler:
01 Black Waves
02 Hand of God
03 French Kissing
04 Burned Out and Busted
05 New World Mama
06 Miracles
07 Hustler’s Son
08 Getting Healthy (Good Luck)
09 I Got the Reason #1
10 Was It, Man?
11 Winking Eyes