Deadstock (Louds Hymn) continues to explore the path and pathos forged on the three previous albums from Michael Rank and Stag (KIN, In The Weeds, and Mermaids). As Rank continues along his dusty rural road of alternative Appalachian music, he’s slowly and literally shedding what can’t be easily carried to the next gig. Long-standing members of Stag appear (John Howie Jr./drums and Nathan Golub/pedal steel) but acoustic guitar, fiddle, and mandolin set the tone, set the tune, and drive Deadstock. If you can catch Michael live that’s probably what you’ll see and hear.
Still stinging over love (loves?) gone wrong, Rank picks the scab, bleeds and bares his heart again. Skylar Gudasz adds beautiful supporting vocals which perfectly complement and sweeten Rank’s weary, heartworn, heartbroken lead. Chapel Hill’s most famous, perhaps most infamous, rocker has unexpectedly morphed over his last four albums into one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters. Deadstock is another honest remarkable album from a gifted and prolific artist. With four well-received albums released in under three years, Rank has to be a contender for the King of DYI Americana. Highly recommended.
Hal Bogerd: Four albums in just over two years. Separate from the writing, you must have a pretty efficient system to get the albums recorded.
Michael Rank: I’m a creature of habit and really enjoy repetition of process, so all four albums were built exactly the same. I record all my acoustic guitar and vocals at home on an old Tascam 8-track cassette recorder. I then dump all my tracks onto an external hard drive and hit the road. Any drums get recorded at Rick Miller’s (Southern Culture On The Skids) studio, Kudzu Ranch in Mebane, N.C. It’s a cinder block building so the drum sound is awesome. Then all the other performances of fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, guest vocalists, etc. get recorded at Jesse Huebner’s (Patty Hurst Shifter, Small Ponds) home studio, Blu Bunny Lounge, here in Pittsboro, N.C. Then all those tracks get sussed out with my longtime engineering/producing amigo John Plymale at his home studio in Carrboro. I then travel over to Durham, to Overdub Lane, to mix the albums. Mastering gets done with Dave Harris in Charlotte at Studio B Mastering. The cool thing about doing it like this is, at this point, all these folks know exactly what I’m after and the process gets real focused and refined on obtaining that vision. It’s cool.
Despite the speed you’re cranking out discs, these are far from lo-fi recordings.
I think the fact that I’m dealing in acoustic stringed instruments, by and large, and I use no effects or reverb with just the most minimal EQ and compression possible, all lends to a very dry and crisp sound. Which is my aesthetic. It’s what my ears dig.
Could you comment on the two new additions to STAG? Skylar Gudasz adds some great vocals and Chip Robinson of the Backsliders shows up on a couple tracks.
Skylar Gudasz. Over the course of the past year and a half or so, Skylar had quickly become one of my most favorite voices I had ever heard. Anywhere. She has such a gorgeous feel for the pace and intimacy of a song. I have just been so fortunate and blessed with the amazing talents and kindness of all the folks who have played on these albums. To then have Skylar come and sing on Deadstock, was just another dream coming my way. That’s honestly how it feels for me. And that holds true for every single artist on all these recordings. I will always be grateful to every one of them.
Chip Robinson. Man, how cool is that! I’ve always been a Backsliders fan. I mean, who isn’t? But, for me personally, it’s seeing Chip perform solo that gets in my head in such a rare way. He’s just so fucking good. Such a special talent. And I absolutely love the whole album opening with him singing with me. It’s perfect.
There seems to be a trend to a stripped-down STAG. I’ve seen you as a trio with Ron Batholomew (mandolin) and Gabriele Pelli (fiddle), and as a duo with just Ron.
It just feels more impacting that way to me. There’s a purity and a power to that minimalism of sound. And the gigs as a trio and duo have been so uplifting and unconfined for me. There’s a freedom and a confidence to go out on an edge that has been very very appealing to me with that line-up.
Any plans for a full band show?
Man, I got a gig coming up next week with probably 11 folks in the mix! That’s my “go big or go home” gig for the year!
Let’s add the details: Saturday June 28th at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, N.C., and Kenny Roby (Six String Drag) shares the bill. Any recent discoveries that you’re digging?
My radio show, The Dust Hand Sessions, has gone on a bit of a hiatus to accommodate my desire to spend more time at the organic farm I work at. But previously podcasted episodes still run every Friday morning. I’ve been listening to some great shit lately. I’ve really really gotten into a folk artist named Tyler Butler. I love every single thing he’s released. He’s truly special. I also adore Zachary Lucky’s album The Ballad of Losing You. From the songwriting to the performances, to the actual sound of the recordings, it’s honestly a perfect album. I’ve also become a huge fan of Bradford Lee Folk. I went to the IBMA music fest last year and Bradford and his band stole my musical heart. They were just so fucking good. His new album Somewhere Far Away is brilliant. Another artist I’ve been listening to non-stop is Jeremy Squires — a phenomenal singer/songwriter. You gotta check him out. Hmm, what else? I still can’t get enough of those early Felice Brothers’ recordings like God Bless You Amigo and I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with J. Tillman’s recreation of Neil Young’s Tonight’s The Night album.
