You might want to take the viral chatter tagging the new songs by the D.C.-born rockers the Walkmen as “rootsy” with a large grain of salt. A fan video of “Your Southern Heart,” which the band played at the Santa Barbara Bowl, is posted on the Web and has spurred the Americana format comparisons. But keyboardist-guitarist Pete Bauer said that the song played and sung by frontman Hamilton Leithauser is just one rendition — and the song’s title might change, too.
“We called it that because we just needed a name,” he said with a laugh from the band’s tour bus as it made its way across the country for a series of concerts with the Fleet Foxes. “It was really just Hamilton playing. With the new songs, we’re incorporating a full sound. I’m playing a lot of guitar instead of organ, which I personally enjoy a lot. It’s more rock ‘n’ roll.”
| Onstage |
| The Walkmen and Fleet Foxes |
| » When: 6 p.m. Friday |
| » Where: Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia |
| » Info: $25 to $40; ticketfly.com; 877-4FLY-TIX |
Although the band is still touring behind its 2010 album “Lisbon,” Bauer said the members are ready to start recording their next studio album in about a month. The band has plenty of songs to consider for the album and has teamed with producer Phil Ek, known for his work with Fleet Foxes and Built to Spill.
“Before you record them you have hopes and dreams of what it will be like, and then it might become totally different than what you thought it would be,” Bauer said of the new album. “Phil seems like a wonderful fellow. It seems like we have a real good thing going.”
Ek had reached out to the band after working with Fleet Foxes on “Helplessness Blues.” When the band and Ek worked together to record 18 songs at a friend’s studio in Trenton, N.J., members were impressed with the sophistication he instills in recordings.
“He is polished and his records sound very, very hi-fi,” said Bauer. “They are big productions. I heard that on the Fleet Foxes’ records. That’s sort of how they play, though. They play magnificently with each other.”
Not that many would argue that the Walkmen are far behind. The proto punk rockers with an ear for retro developed their sound by listening to the masters, including Elvis Presley, who adopted the “less is more” approach to songs. That has struck the right chord with fans, including those that follow Fleet Foxes.
“We find they are more attentive audiences than usual,” said Bauer, noting the band usually has opened for such hard rockers as Incubus. “Their audience is more like our audiences. They really pay attention and let you do what you feel like.”
