The transition from band-member to solo artist can be a difficult line to walk for many musicians.
But for Nate Mendel, this journey into the spotlight feels long overdue. Currently the bassist in The Foo Fighters (and formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate) Mendel has now decided to take the lead and embrace his most ambitious musical project to date, Lieutenant U.S..
A far cry from the bands that established his name, Lieutenant US replaces visceral outpour with intricacy, stadium rock with meticulous layers of experimentation that spans the genres, culminating in a remarkably forward thinking, ambitious debut album If I Kill This Thing We’re All Going to Eat for a Week. Dissecting the record and this huge development in his life, we caught up with Mendel on the phone from Australia amidst Foo Fighters' gargantuan world tour.
Gigwise: How long did the solo album take to make?
Nate Mendel: It was probably around a year working on it all and writing stuff, but that was fitting it around Foo Fighters' work and other things, I wasn't just in a room 9-5 working on it all year. I actually got some advice from a bandmate before I went into the studio, which was exactly what I was looking for. He told me "Just be prepared, don't go in there and think magic's gonna shoot out your fingertips, concentrate on the sound and the performance." So that's what I did!
It must have been quite nervewracking to make a transition into being a solo artist?
It was. I don't know what it's like for most people when they make their first record, especially when they're not 25, but I didn't want to embarrass myself basically. I'd never sung or played guitar for anybody before, so even playing in front of the sound engineer was weird. Being the person that drives the song and communicates how it needs to sound was different. I've been in bands for 30 years but never worked in that way.
Was it somewhat refreshing actually being able to take charge?
Well, once I realised people weren't gonna walk out of the room or mock what I was going to do, it became fun and exciting. It was essentially a week of me being scared and overly precious, and then it became an enjoyable process.
Perhaps that sense of fear almost pushes you to work harder and try new things...
Why didn't you tell me that earlier? [Laughs] It's totally true! That's actually what I would tell myself as a backstop, like if things weren't going well or I was nervous about certain situations when making this record I just saw fear as a good thing. You don't get many opportunities as a musician to feel scared shitless.
Plus it makes it more interesting, rather than going into a studio knowing exactly what you're gonna get out of it...
It's funny because that's what you would want, but looking back on it working like that would just be horrific. Although i've mentioned there being challenges, I think they forced me to be interesting and try something different, which I think I've achieved. Of course though there are some albums that feel predictable, but are so well crafted that you can't help but love them, and that's just another level of songwriting.
Listen to Rattled by Lieutenant below.
What else are you listening to at the moment?
I'm listening to quite a lot at the moment actually, Taylor [Hawkins] from my band showed me a group called Flo and Eddie which I love. I'm really liking Balthazar as well, and we're gonna be touring with a group called Yukon Blonde in a few weeks as well, so i'm listening to a lot of them.
You had a lot of guests on this record, from Paige Hamilton of Helmet to Joe Plumber of Modest Mouse and a host of others. What made you decide on these guys for this project?
I kind of got the idea to collaborate from Dave, as he likes to get people in and get things done quickly, bringing that sense of spontaneity into play. So we just called Paige and asked if he'd come down, despite only meeting him once 20 years ago, but I really liked his playing so wanted him on the record because I thought he could bring something really interesting.
Yecause you end up getting a few different perspectives on the record's sound...
Exactly, and at the same time I had specific visions for what I wanted people to do, which I felt worked well in conjunction with the ideas that were just swirling round my head for so long.
Did you find it tough to get those ideas out then?
I don't think so, but that being said I'd definitely take a simpler approach next time. It's probably a natural and forgivable hazard though to layer too much shit on the first record, and being more economical is just part of the process of development. I was laughing about trying to be mature when I was going into this, when in fact I was just a complete novice.
I like that sense of naivety and subtle fear in a debut album though...
It's interesting you said that because that was actually a mantra of mine throughout the making of this record. I mean it was tough making demos for people who have never heard you sing before, so I would tell myself 'what i'm lacking in craftsmanship, i'll make up for it through the creativity that comes from naivety", using it as a positive thing rather than a negative essentially.
You're playing SXSW later this month. Are you planning on taking this record out to play live?
Yeah that's the plan. We've got a couple of shows around the states over the next month, and then i'm bus with Foo Fighter's stuff for a few months so i'll see what happens after that.
It must be nice switching between playing the biggest stages in the world with the Foos, and then more intimate venues with Lieutenant?
Yeah man I love it! I mean this is currently the biggest tour our band has ever done in Australia, and the sheer size of the operation here is mindboggling. But then in a week and a half i'm gonna be in a tiny van with five other guys driving to a Holiday Inn! I love that contrast, it makes me appreciate what we've got with The Foo Fighters. Anyone will tell you that the most interesting and fun tours they've ever done are the tiny ones, as there's just more room for error and unpredictable moments. On the tour we're on right now there's people whose job it is to stop anything interesting happening, and it's gonna be fun to change that.
If I Kill This Thing We Eat For A Month by Lieutenant U.S. (Dine Alone) is out now.
Listen to Lieutenant's debut album below on Rdio.
