Rollingstone.com: Brody Dalle on Spinnerette, the Breakup of the Distillers and Hubby Josh Homme
On her first album since the Distillers broke up in 2005, singer Brody Dalle returns with a new band, Spinnerette, and a new sound that’s less straight-ahead punk than bruising, eccentric rock. Set for release this Spring, Ghetto Love is also her first musical project since giving birth to a daughter. The album’s overarching theme is difficult relationships, beginning with the gloomy, explosive “Cupid.”
She cut the record at Pink Duck, the Burbank, Calif., studio Dalle built with her husband Josh Homme and is joined by multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes, drummer Jack Irons and former Distillers guitarist Tony Bevilacqua. Early results were revealed in January on a four-song EP (available here), including the title track’s collision of melody and wild, frazzled guitar. “I couldn’t imagine making a Distillers record right now. It’s so far away,” says Dalle, whose new recordings show the vocal influences of Blondie and Cibo Matto, with less rasp and more melody. “I’m more into the musicality of something now. I love writing songs … I’m honing in and making it my craft and discovering new things.”
One of those new things is a club remix of her “Sex Bomb” by DJ Adam Freeland. “It’s really exciting and fascinating because it’s totally not part of my world,” says Dalle, who will soon hit the road with a touring lineup of Spinnerette. “I don’t know if I want to be topless in Ibiza, but we can kind of get there musically.” Rolling Stone caught up with Dalle to discuss the breakup of the Distillers, the formation of Spinnerette and life as a parent, after the jump.
What ended the Distillers?
We all just grew out of it. We had gotten into some really unhealthy habits on the road that we brought home and kind of isolated us from each other. There was a lot of infighting and generally unhappiness. Except for Tony. He’s the one I felt the worst for, because he had just joined the band. He had been our roadie for six years, and we said, “Come play guitar!” and that was it.
Did you ever feel trapped in the Distillers sound?
I did feel like that was the end of the road. I felt like it was an era that was over, something in a time-capsule you find in the backyard. I want to make music that is really modern and progressive that you can’t pin down. The experience of growing up in the Distillers was incredible, and I would never take it back. But it just didn’t fit right now.
How did your new band come together?
It came together as we went along. I got pregnant in May of 2005. It wasn’t planned but it was totally what we both wanted, so that put everything on hold. I had a long time to think about what I wanted to do. When I was pregnant, I felt so far removed from being a musician. The guitar could have been a lamp as far as I was concerned.
Even though you were surrounded by it?
I was really in the observing mode. A lot of things were changing...
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http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/03/20/brody-dalle-o...
