music feature

The Dead Weather lives

An interview with “Little Jack” Lawrence
by   THURSDAY, APRIL 22

Nobody expected The Dead Weather to

survive. It was a one-off, a side project meant to
commemorate the sudden rescue of Jack White
and his failing voice by Alison Mosshart of The
Kills during a tour by White’s other side project,
The Raconteurs. When the two met at White’s
spanking new Third Man Records studio in
Nashville, Tenn., along with fellow Raconteurs
Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita, the resulting
jam session turned into a three-week recording
THURSDAY, APRIL 22
frenzy. This was quickly followed by the release
of The Dead Weather album Horehound and a
subsequent tour. Now the foursome of Mosshart,
White, Lawrence and Fertita have embarked
on a second tour following The Dead Weather’s
release of their sophomore album Sea of Cowards.
I recently had a chance to talk to Jack “Little Jack”
Lawrence—who plays bass, guitar and drums
with the band—about the new disc.

Birmingham Weekly: The first album was MONDAY, APRIL 26

an impromptu thing recorded in a couple of
weeks. Was the new album Sea of Cowards
recorded in such a short time period, or did
you spread it out because you guys were on tour
with other people?
Jack Lawrence: We started around July of
last year, maybe, just recording when we would The Dead Weather will appear at WorkPlay April 27.
get off tour. We would have a few days here and Left to right, Jack White, Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence.
there where we could get everyone together here
in Nashville. We started it that way, so it was a
longer period of time, but as far as the actual time
put into the album, it was about the same. I guess I’m wondering how much time and energy It keeps you honest? WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28
around three weeks total. you have to put into each band in order to keep Too many bands are making perfect music.
each one functioning smoothly? Well, not perfect to my ears, but they want to
I’ve only heard the single from the new CD, We all put a lot of energy into everything that make it perfect to the listener and it just gets a
but it seems to continue the driving, macabre we’re doing. I think we’ve always been like that. little stale after a while.
tone of Horehound. Is this album a move for- I think you have to. You have to really love what 4/29 JOSHUA JAMES & MATTHEW PERRYMAN JONES
ward from the first one? you’re doing and want to create art to be able We have a musician in Birmingham named
Yeah, I do. I think it’s a little more aggressive 4/30 TIM BRANTLEY
to be in anything, even if it was only one band. Dan Sartain who recorded a single at Third
this time. The first album was just us coming You take it seriously. This isn’t a joke for us. Man Records. I was curious if you’ve met him. 5/1 SIERRA LEONE REFUGE ALL-STARS
together, not knowing anything about how we This is what we do. We’re the type of people that Yeah, I’ve met Dan a few times. He came up and 5/4 DAVID WILCOX
were going to play together, how it would sound. like to stay busy and stay involved. It’s great to did a 45 at Third Man, and me and my wife took
It’s just us in a room and [Horehound] is what 5/5 DR. DOG W/ DEER TICK
be swamped, and every day you’re working on the pictures for that one.
happened from that. But this one we had toured, 5/7 AGES APART
something whether it’s The Dead Weather or The
we had been playing for a while, kind of being able Raconteurs or The Greenhornes for me. Alison, So what’s next for you after this tour? Is it 5/8 ELI YOUNG BAND
to play off of each other more. in between all of this, has been writing a Kills back to The Raconteurs? Do you have any other 5/10 RYAN BINGHAM & THE DEAD HORSES
record too, so she’s been bouncing back and forth projects? 5/13 HIGHTIDE BLUES
You originally only intended to release a 7” from studio to studio. So we do it for art. The Greenhornes are going to get ready to do
single, and then before you knew it you had a 5/14 SHELBY LYNNE
a few shows this year. We have a record that’s
whole album and toured behind that and now The new record was recorded at Third Man finished, and we’re just trying to get that out. I 5/18 THE VERVE PIPE
you’re touring behind a second album. When as well? want to say I’m excited to play Birmingham. I’ve 5/20 JOSH ROUSE
does the side project become a main project? Yeah, we did it at Third Man. never played there.
I don’t know. You kind of just do it and let it 5/21 MONTE MONTGOMERY
happen. We all have other bands, so it’s hard to So what’s it like working in that studio? I’ve 5/22 BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PRESENTS:
say. But this one feels like a real band. It did start DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
heard it’s just a dream, that it’s got everything Well, Birmingham, I hope you are as excited to
because we wanted a 7” inch that captured Al- you could want as far as producing a record by see The Dead Weather as Jack Lawrence is to see 5/23 PJ MORTON & NATHAN ANGELO
lison on the last show of [our tour with The Kills] yourself. you. They may not possess the name recognition 5/26 ANDY MCKEE
and came up here because Jack had just finished It’s kind of the fifth member of the band. It of their individual bands, but this is an under-the-
his studio, so it’s all just been a happy accident, 5/27 ELIZABETH COOK W/ THE FAREWELL DRIFTERS
does sort of shape you and you go with it. There’s radar supergroup. You would pay twice the price
but right now, this band feels real. We’re doing 5/29 TRUTH & SALVAGE CO.
also limitations to the studio. It’s small. There’s to see The White Stripes or The Raconteurs, and
interviews. We’re touring the world. It feels like only one tracking room and one control room. at a less intimate venue. The Dead Weather will 5/31 THE RESCUES
more than just a side project to us. Maybe to other You don’t have a lot of separation. We’re all in appear in the Workplay Soundstage on Tuesday,
people too. It’s hard to be in the eyes, or the ears, the same room recording. Big studios, you know, April 27, at 8 p.m., with opening band The Ettes.
of the listener. We’re not out to trick anyone, we’re
not out to say this band is this or that. You know,
you’re all in private somewhere. And we still
record on tape with 8-track. There’s no Pro Tools
Tickets are $25.
BIRMINGHAM
you put stuff out there and if people like it or want
to listen to it, it’s good. We’re not out there to
[a popular digital recording platform], there’s no Sam George writes about popular music and www.WorkPlay.com
freedom of having unlimited tracking, but it’s other topics for Birmingham Weekly. He is also an WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/WORKPLAY
manipulate anyone or anything. We’re just really good to put some limitations on a studio, I think. editor at the music web site bham.fm. Send your
inspired by one another, so all of this music is cre-
ated very easily for us, and we’re happy to do it.
comments to [email protected]. 205.380.4082
apr il 22 - apr il 29, 2010 B I R M I N G H A M W E E K LY 29