Interview with Kane Ritchotte of Portugal. The Man, 7.1.13

A month after the release of their 7^th studio album, the boys of Portugal. The Man are on a whirlwind tour promoting the album that might be their most personal one yet.  Produced by Brian Burton (aka: Danger Mouse), Evil Friends contains a lineup of dynamic tracks that are firmly rooted in the psychedelic rock traditions of Pink Floyd and The Beatles while including elements of grungy Punk, Americana, Blues, and just enough Pop to ensure their addictiveness.  Drummer, Kane Ritchotte, was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his day to call in from El Paso, TX and talk to me about the meaning behind Evil Friends, what it was like to work with Danger Mouse, and funny sayings about camels…maybe.

KR: Hey, it’s Kane…

AB: Where are you calling in from right now, Kane?

KR:  We’re in Texas at Sonic Ranch Studios.  It’s amazing!

AB: The original birthplace of the Evil Friends!

KR: Yeah exactly.  We have a couple days off and have some friends here.  So we’re just hanging out.

AB: I know we only have a little bit of time so I’m just going to jump right in, if that’s okay with you.

KR: Yeah, no problem!

AB: Great!  Well, Evil Friends has been out for about a month now and it’s getting an incredible response.  I was wondering if you could share what you believe to be some of the biggest themes of the album and how you feel this album differs from previous Portugal. The Man albums?

KR: I think a lot of the theme is represented in the title, Evil Friends, because it is a nice contrast title to a very pop-y record, and I think a big theme throughout the entire record is contrast.  This album is similar to some of the previous records, like The Satanic Satanist, because most of the lyrics are very dark, but this is the first time we’ve every really tried to tie in a complete record.  There are lots of musical themes that come back in the album and it’s definitely a linear album.  We tried to make it so that you could listen to it back-to-back, on repeat.  I don’t know why you would.  We definitely haven’t (laughs), but if one wanted to…

AB: The tracks definitely do flow into each other very seamlessly and when you play the album all the way through, there aren’t really any stark shifts from one track to the next…

KR: Yeah!  It’s great for when we try to tie songs in live and we’re trying to set the flow…it’s good to have as many songs able to transition into each other as possible without compromising the energy of the set.

AB: Did you record them linearly like that when you were in the studio?

KR: We didn’t exactly record in order, but we wrote and recorded the whole album when we went into the studio.  It was just one big process.  I think that ended up influencing the continuity of the record.  I think you can hear that it was done in one process and that’s why it sounds complete.  There was also a lot of place-holding when we recorded vocals and lyrics because we were writing as we were recording, and there were a lot of different variations of songs.  For “Purple Yellow Red and Blue”, about a week before it was finished, it had a completely different chorus with a different vocal melody and different lyrics.  So during recording, when John [Gourley] would sing different parts, we didn’t know what we were going to like and keep and what we weren’t; there were a lot reoccurring lyrics and one of those lyrics was “evil friends”, and he says that in a handful of songs.  For this album, we were really influenced by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Wall, so it was really good to have reoccurring melodies and themes on this record.

AB: I know that this album was a first-time collaboration with Brian Burton, more commonly known as Danger Mouse, and the members of Portugal. The Man seem to agree that his influence on the album was really a matter of his level of taste, his ear for what’s working and what’s not quite there yet, and then pushing you guys to take it to the next level.  In what ways do you feel that he pushed you personally or influenced you during the recording process?

KR:  Well, first, I’m such a huge fan of his.  Recording with him was a completely different process than I’ve ever had recording before.   In my experience, you write an album, you rehearse the album, you go in and you record and it’s about performing at your best.  It’s about musical performance and vocal delivery and with [Brian], it’s just about the part your playing.  Even though he definitely has a specific sound to his records—they’re very stylized—he doesn’t necessarily go for something specific sonically.  He doesn’t say, “Oh, I want to do this thing that I like to do.”  He’s always just free-styling and very in the moment and it really allows the performances to have character.  It was a completely inspiring experience.

AB: Are there any tracks on the album that you are most proud of or that have a particular resonance for you?

KR: Actually, my favorite songs on the album are the ones that I don’t even play on.  My favorite song is “Hip Hop Kids” which was recorded in Texas on an LP at Sonic Ranch when the band thought they were going to be self-producing this album.  We ended up scrapping the entire album, but kept ["Hip Hop Kids"] and “Sea of Air” from those sessions because Brian really liked them and we really liked them, and I had nothing to do with those tracks.   I also loved “Evil Friends” really early on, back when the song was just called “20” because we didn’t have any titles; we were just numbering them.  Oh, and “Someday Believer”!  That’s a song that I think, once the album is out for a while and people become more familiar with it, I think that song will stand out.  It does to me. 

AB:  Cool!  Do you have a favorite part of the process from writing and recording, to performing the music?

KR: I really enjoy performing.  I like recording, but I really like when my “job” is done in that sense and then I can be helpful or influential as another set of ears in the room.  That’s another thing that is really cool is that Brian’s gift is his ears—his taste and his ears.  That’s what makes producers really successful, is that ability to know how to solve the problem they’re hearing sonically and Brian is so capable.  It’s very easy for him to assess a problem that he hears and come up with a solution for it.  So, just being another person in the room, available to assess things like that is my favorite part of the process—in the recording process at least. 

AB: I know that your father is in the music industry as well and played with some pretty big names and I’d love to know who you feel are some of your greatest musical influences.

KR: Well, my dad’s a guitar player and he worked with a bunch of bands in the 80s and he’s amazing!  He always has been and will be my biggest influence, even though he plays a different instrument.  Early on though, his peer, Greg Bissonette, got me started off on drums.  He’ll also always be a really big influence.  I kind of owe every thing to him.  I’d say nowadays I really look up to songwriters, producers, and musicians who play other instruments than what I play.  Although I do have a handful of drummers that I hold very dear, I don’t feel like I am very influenced by them right now.  It’s getting to work with people like Brian [Burton] or meeting people in other bands, or other producers—that’s what ends up inspiring me the most. 

AB:  Well, my last question for you is kind of an odd one.  I always feel like band members take on family-like dynamics and as a relatively newer member of Portugal. The Man, it seems like you might have a little bit more of an objective perspective of what roles your various bandmates play.  I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that and about how you fit into the dynamic as well?

KR: Well, I joined the band just a little over a year now and I am the newest member.  The only person I knew was Noah [Gersh] who I grew up being in bands with.  So, hopping on a tour, on very short notice, with a bunch of strangers, especially in a somewhat successful band was a little intimidating.  But when I got there, everyone was very warm and reminded me so much of the dynamic that I’ve had in the past with the bands I played in back home with my best friends.  With Zach [Carothers] and Noah (Gersh], and John [Gourley], and Kyle [O’Quin], we’re all just best friends and it’s very collaborative.  Portugal. The Man is primarily John’s vision.  He’s kind of like an artistic director and he has his hand in practically everything that’s going on, so he’s always the guy we go to for reassurance or direction.  It’s not because we idolize him or put him on a pedestal or anything like that—it’s just because it’s his vision and he’s got the clearest vision of what it should be.  There’s a really funny saying; it goes, “A camel is a horse by…” …wait…aw, shit!  I can’t remember it! I’m going to try to remember it, but basically, what it means is that a vision is clearer if it’s seen through by its creator rather than being diluted by other people’s visions.  So, [Portugal. The Man] is [John’s] vision and luckily enough, he’s the kind of guy who likes to collaborate and he wants to be in a band as opposed to having a solo project.  He gives us so much room and so much space to be creative and to work with our strengths and there’s a lot of mutual respect and brotherhood.  John and Zach, both being Alaskan boys, are very family-oriented and just like a family, we are all very, very close and everyone looks after each other.  But, I would say that the roles are very interesting.  There’s a lot of direction from John and then everyone’s personalities end up kind of seeping through and naturally, when you’re in a band with anybody, they influence you just because you’re surrounded by them. 

AB:  Well it certainly feels like you guys have a lot of synergy right now!

KR: Oh yeah!  It almost feels like a new band, like we’re in “new band” honeymoon phase or something.  It’s great!  We’re all happy and we love each other.  Wait a year (laughs)…

AB:  Well, I know our time is pretty much up but thank you so much for taking some time out on your day off, I hope you guys continue to have wonderful travels while touring, and we’ll look forward to having you here in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on July 12^th!

KR: Thank you and I can’t wait!  Have a great day!