HIP THERAPY MUSIC

In the third and final installment of our conversation, Victor Krummenacher talks favorite tunes and current projects, musicians that inspire him and might inspire you, how he manages his creative life, and the responsibility of nudging friends towards fulfilling new music.

Victor Krummenacher is currently a member of Camper Van Beethoven (yes, they still have plans!), as well as Camper’s offshoot Monks of Doom; DJ Bonebrake’s Two Heads; Dave Alvin’s The Third Mind; and the Portland-based band Eyelids… all this while creating a substantial catalog of solo work. He recently directed the John Doe Trio’s video for their song Destroying Angels. Busy guy!

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WH: Here’s a weird, random question: assume you’re on a roadtrip and you’re coming back from Portland to Riverside. Long time on the road. Who do you listen to and how? 

VK: Let’s see… I listen to a lot of jazz these days, a lot of it classic stuff, but I really enjoy electric-era Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, weirder 70s experimental stuff, there’s just something about the insane creativity that was going on at that point that I really thrive on. 

WH: And wasn’t Miles an influence for The Third Mind?

VK: Oh yeah, there’s an Alice Coltrane song on the record and electric Miles was a big influence in some of the stuff, especially some of the stuff Immy’s (David Immergluck, friend and Counting Crows guitarist) doing on guitar was greatly influenced by some of Miles’ electric records.

” I’m always checking out what my friends are doing.”

— Victor Krummenacher

I listen to a chunk of classical music too, these days, but I tend to start with artists that I really like and have a long history with, so, in the last year, I really like that Nick Cave and Warren Ellis record. The two Thurston Moore records — he did the one long, instrumental record called Spirit Council and he did a vocal record, I thought it was really great. I love the band he’s got now. The record is called By The Fire. And I’m always checking out what my friends are doing. I was working on this John Doe record that’s just out…

WH:  Is that the folk one?

VK: Yeah, it’s so essential, it’s just beautiful, it’s played live, the bass player is from Willie Nelson’s band. It’s just so essential. And that guy, he’s pushing 70 and what a singer! Such a great voice. I’ve been a fan of John’s for a long time and I think most of his solo records have been really great. John’s really good at stripping out all the bullshit. I’m really good at putting all the bullshit in there (laughs). It was pretty inspirational to work on this record for him — to work on his video. Otherwise, I’m a fan of Neko Case, I like Calexico…

WH: That being the case, what three bands do you think deserve more attention? Who’s under-rated? Who deserves some sunshine? 

VK: I don’t know… huh… I always thought John Vanderslice, his records can be downright difficult but he’s just so musically inventive and he’s so influenced by hip-hop. His ears are so open. I’ve never really understood why John didn’t get huge on a certain level because it seems like he’s very attuned, because he’s a studio operator, he’s really influenced by younger people that come in and work with him.

John is exposed more to what somebody 25 is thinking. He’s working with them in his studio and it’s really influenced his work. I think he’s super intelligent and he’s super creative, and I just don’t understand why he hasn’t gotten larger. That’s one.

Also, I’ll vote for Eyelids both because I play bass for them but also because I think they’re great songwriters. They’re a very solid, very pop, super intelligent band. 

WH: What does Eyelids have out and available?

VK: Lots. Go to MusicOfEyelids.com. Many releases over the last eight years. If you’re looking for a really great, pop, guitar-oriented band that is inventive — it’s not like they’re reinventing the wheel, they have built their own wheel in a certain way. So I would vote for them but that’s a personal bias.

For a third… I saw a woman perform at a festival in Portland. Mia Byrne. She’s an asian singer-songwriter. I just felt like her songs were good, solid, contemporary. She just struck me… a solid, inventive way of looking at current pop dynamics by just using a guitar. Certainly informed by the Billie Eilish and even Taylor Swift kind of thing, just trying to take that young, super-informed, intelligent, feminist point of view but just be a straighter songwriter. That’s the best way I can describe it.

Kill A Rockstar just signed her. She’s a trans artist and she’s been living in Nashville. We met through songwriter friends We were drinking, sitting around the fire with acoustic guitars, some pretty well-known songwriters, and she just blew my mind. It was like Joni Mitchell meets Porter-Waggoner-era Dolly Parton. Classic country influenced but with a lot of Joni, open tunings. It’s a very interesting combination. She’s the first Americana artist on Kill A Rockstar. 

There’s one other… Black Belt Eagle Scout. She’s native American. I’m more interested in people who come out of more marginal communities, who can really deliver creatively. They give you perspective in an entertainment context that you can understand.

“If you want to be challenged by music then I’m all for it… But there’s a defensible position, where… I just want my music to be comfortable. So I always try and endorse people who I think can cross that delicate divide.”

— Victor Krummenacher

WH: THAT is the kind of stuff that I really want to get the word out on. I’m always looking for exciting new people!

VK: I think there’s this really important thing where people work in idioms that are familiar. If you want music to challenge you then I’m all for it, I think you should push yourself. But there’s a defensible position, where, my life’s hard, things are hard, I just want my music to be comfortable. So I always try and endorse people who I think can cross that delicate divide. How you do something that brings unique perspective to something that feels comfortable. It feels like a warm blanket in the best way but it also pushes your context. They’re small evolutionary steps but I think those are really important.

I’m the kind of guy that can listen to weird, skrunky jazz or white noise and I know that’s not for everybody. I think some people need music to be more comfortable, so I’m always with a mind towards trying to point people in a direction of stuff that’s got some experimental undercurrent to it or some point-of-view undercurrent that you wouldn’t necessarily anticipate. It gives you the warm fuzzies but also gives you a current point of view. 

“I’m not interested in playing my songs the same way twice. I’m one of those guys…”

— Victor Krummenacher

WH: Thank you! That is one of the most cogent paragraphs I have had yet in any of my interviews about why I’m trying to get new music out to people that are past 50. The desire to take a risk is just declining, and that gap that you discussed between the comfortable and the experimental is a tough one for people to span. People want comfort. But something that feels comfortable and still takes you somewhere different, THAT is my personal crusade. 

VK:  That’s really what we were trying to do with Dave (Alvin). I don’t want to sit still. Dave doesn’t want to sit still. I’m not interested in resting on my laurels or in playing my songs the same way twice. The Dylan approach works for me. I’m cool with that. You may hate it but I’m cool with having to guess! If that keeps him engaged… I mean, he’s a master! But yeah, some people just want something that feels good and I think there’s a lot of stuff out there for them. I think music’s good for you. You should just be looking for it!

WH: And that’s why I came to talk to  you — you’ve bounced around SO MANY interesting musicians! That deserves a shoutout.

VK:  Well, I love this community of people. When you’ve lived through what I’ve lived through, which has not always been easy, it’s important that I have friends that understand what I’ve done, who’ve been there. Yeah, I’ve got a day job, I’ve worked in corporate America, I’ve gone to an office, I know all that stuff and there is commonality in that for a lot of people. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some pretty good workplaces.

“Being a musician is this crazy act of faith where you up-end your life entirely and go do something insane for a long period of time.”

— Victor Krummenacher

WH: It sounds like you’ve had a lifestyle that’s similar to radio: it’s impossible to explain to someone that hasn’t been through it.

VK: Right. It’s impossible. So, I like being around musicians only because they understand. Being a musician is this crazy act of faith where you up-end your life entirely and go do something insane for a long period of time. It’s a lot more insulating than I think people think it is. Pretty lonely and solitary. Being around people that actually understand that decision, it’s got negatives and positives.

You asked what I do for fun, well I make music for fun. I direct videos for fun. And it’s work — I take a video job and I say… Jesus! The way I make videos, usually, I work with archival footage. You know, I just did this video for John (Doe). He’s an actor so he’s good at this. We did a few takes of him syncing to the song that were really good and that helped. But again, you agree to do it, they pay me to do it but also I like doing it but there’s this creative thing you have to get into.

Sometimes you sit and you procrastinate and you just have to stew with it. And then there’s this big push before you have any momentum, before I can show a rough cut, it’s just hours of researching stuff. I don’t know what it is but I do find it compelling and fun. I enjoy doing it but it’s not necessarily a fun process. Just embrace it if you’re creative-minded.

Creativity is it’s own means to an end. It is a satisfying thing for people. I think it’s a spiritually important venture. I apply it in all sorts of ways. Art percolates through your life in every conceivable way. the modern world confronts you with it all the time, it’s just a lot if it’s crap, right? I made the decision to do deep dives into all the work that I do with a mind towards A) doing excellent work and B) showing people if you put care into it, even if it’s in the commercial domain, if you put care and aesthetic guidance into it, it reflects back in all sorts of ways. It doesn’t matter what kind of project I take on. Part of it is pain, part of it is pleasure. It’s just a reflection of caring about things. 

And I’ve limited the number of records or CDs that I press now. I pressed 500 this time and said when they’re gone, they’re gone. And that actually drives people towards it. In general I keep the pressings tight and small and when they’re gone, they’re gone. So a lot of my solo work is out of print. I’ve gone through a lot of pain to make sure it is available in digital form.

“I’ll defend streaming in that it’s a way to keep certain music alive… but it’s difficult for people to figure out how to curate through that stuff.”

— Victor Krummenacher

Because of the controversies about streaming I’m just keeping (my catalog) on Bandcamp. I’ve got a distribution deal to get my whole back catalog on streaming but I’m just waiting to pull the trigger on it. Things seem very volatile right now. I’ll defend streaming in that it’s a way to keep certain music alive and available for people, but it’s difficult for people to figure out how to curate through that stuff. It comes down to people. It’s incumbent on the community of music lovers and musicians to direct people in important directions.

My friend Mark Caro, who works for the Chicago Tribune, has got a podcast called CaroPop that I quite like. His tastes are Elvis Costello, Robyn Hitchcock, Chris Stamy, that’s his wheelhouse. He does really good, long-form interviews. He’s a real fan at heart. Also, he gives the idea that people like me are not alone — a lot of people have been making really good music in quiet, limited situations for a long time. There’s a world of people like us. 

“It’s very interesting to watch that side of the world and how powerful and entitled it is.”

— Victor Krummenacher

On  a similar basis, the design firm I work for, I work for an artificial intelligence firm and their clients are Microsoft and the Department of Defense. I go and give them my creative mind and they pay me decent money and then I go and take that money and make freaky art. I’m comfortable with that relationship and I know how to not make waves and I know how to do the song-and-dance. It’s very interesting to watch that side of the world and how powerful and entitled it is.

I don’t really know the solution but I do know that massive disparity doesn’t play out well (laughs). I’m just trying to get along. And the thing about being a creative, this is the difference between the day job and the night job. The night job, when Eyelids goes to play, and their pretty well-known in Portland, they’re pretty vibrant and wacky on stage and it gives people a lot of joy and I think, considering the state of things, that joy is more important than less. That’s also part of the motivation of doing it. 

WH: I’ve got a musician friend in Portland who also runs a tight little studio and he’s got the business stuff in the day but then he goes out and plays at night and that’s what keeps his soul going. 

VK:  Yeah. Yeah, for me its community and it’s also giving back at a certain level. That’s just part of it. People want to see things that bring them joy. 

WH: And it’s fun now to see someone live. There’s a pent-up demand.

VK:  Oh yeah, I was able to do a video project in San Francisco a while back, kind of prior to things opening back up, but they had a small, socially-distanced, masked audience and that worked out fairly well. It was, like, WOW! It was just songwriters with guitars and I was just so happy to do it. I finally did get back out on the road with Eyelids and I was opening for them solo, that was in October, and that was a great run. People are just going to have to start figuring out how to manage the risk because the Covid’s not going away. We’ve just been left on our own, they’re not going to give us any guidelines, it’s gonna be what it is. 

WH: Ok, last question: first song that comes to mind– what song would be your pick of the week? Of all the music you’ve encountered, knee-jerk reaction, what’s the bes song you can think of?

VK: Man, I got it. It’s been around but I’ve been really into this Radiohead side project The Smile. I love this song on the record, it’s called “The Smoke.” It’s the coolest. It reminds me of old post-punk in the best way but then it’s got this ethereal bridge section where they bring in these horns, it’s almost like an Isaac Hayes/Memphis Horns kind of thing. It’s like Radiohead but with this soul undercurrent, it really sounds like they’re listening to a lot of reggae music right now. I’ve been a pretty big fan of Radiohead for a long time and I think this is a really cool project. If you were looking for something that’s kind of cool and groovy, it’s got a nice groove to it as well. The song “The Smoke” by The Smile is great. That’s my tune of the day.

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Many, many thanks to Victor Krummenacher for talking with me at such length about his favorite tunes and current projects. If something he said particularly struck you, please share it in the comments section below and feel free to hit him up at VictorKrummenacher.com.

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