Our Interview with Blake Sennett of The Elected

It was my first time, interviewing an artist that is, and I had a million things running through my mind as I awaited The Elected's front man Blake Sennett to show up at Home in Silverlake. Was I going to freeze up? Was he going to be a total prick? Would there be that awkward first date silence where you both look at each other waiting for the other person to say something? After all, I have been listening to Blake Sennett's music, whether it is with Rilo Kiley or The Elected, for over 10 years now, so the last thing I wanted was to meet someone whose music I respect and love so much to not live up to what I envisioned in my head. This was the first direct contact I was going to have with a member of Rilo Kiley, if you don't count me bumping elbows at Coachella in 2009 with Jenny Lewis in the VIP tent (yes that really happened and I blew my chance to make her my wife!)

I was relieved when I experienced none of those concerns. Before we even began the interview we sat there talking for 45 minutes about a range of subjects from music, to travel, to relationships. There was free flowing conversation coming from both sides. Oh yeah, and the music we were there to discuss Bury Me In My Rings, the new album from The Elected had me all giddy inside to hear about Blake's view on the time off after the split of Rilo Kiley and how it would influence his work on the new album. Bury Me In My Rings gives listeners a good understanding on where The Elected was and where they will be headed moving forward.

SYFFAL: This is actually the first interview I'm doing so you are popping my interview cherry right now. And I didn't know how it was gonna go, but like any first date with the first question that I ask them to build the conversation is, who are 3 of your favorite artists right now?

Blake Sennett: You ask a girl that on your first fucking date man? The first question you ask her? And you have a girlfriend? Wow.

SYFFAL: Yeah. I think who a girl listens to musically says a lot about their character, and quite frankly if I don't like their musical taste I'm probably not going to like them very much, to date at least. So why not ask it in the beginning?

Blake Sennett: Tom Waits, Tammy Wynett, and Townes Van Zant. I don't know if they are my favorite of all time, but they are definitely in there. Now I want to check my iPod.

SYFFAL: Do you follow sports at all?

Blake Sennett: Yes. Very much so.

SYFFAL: So I've got to ask this then: Blake Griffin or Blake Sennett: Who wins in a game of horse? Because something tells me you've got ups.

Blake Sennett: Is that a joke? I would get destroyed by Blake Griffin in a game of anything basketball related. Yeah Blake Griffin would beat me in anything athletic related at all. I would like to interview Blake Griffin though. Look at the Clipper team. Look at the prices for Clippers games right now; Clippers season tickets are a steel right now. Those same tickets cost $300,000 dollars for the Lakers.

SYFFAL: With the new album, it's been 5 years; do you feel that break was something you needed?

Blake Sennett: Yeah, sure.

SYFFAL: Do you feel like it gave you that perspective on where you wanted to go, if you were even going to do another album; do you feel that you needed that time to sit down and refocus?

Blake Sennett: I don't know if that time period was as meaningful as the post Rilo Kiley time period. What is that that 3 year period? That 2.5 - 3 year period was more meaningful than the 5 years away from The Elected. That was just a more significant event in my life, Rilo Kiley. The Elected was not that significant at the time. This record is probably more significant than the other two The Elected records whether it's better, worse, it's more significant to me, and it feels more significant. So yeah those 2.5 - 3 years were more important to me.

SYFFAL: It's also a bit of a different sound than what we've seen on previous records, which I think is great. Take Babyface for example, when I first heard that opening riff, I knew that sound, but it is something I associated with Rilo Kiley, not The Elected. But it is great to see with your project. You are pulling from all your different experiences to put together something that is different and new for The Elected.

Blake Sennett: I think there was a tendency during my Rilo Kiley tenure to keep all my best stuff or all my most upbeat or up tempo stuff for Rilo Kiley, this time I didn't have to do that.

SYFFAL: One of the things that I was talking to my friends about is that you can see the range on the album and I always bring that I hear traces of Elliot Smith influence. Do you think that he has had an influence on your work? I know you recorded your first album in his studio. Do you feel like it is a fair comparison to say that some of your sound is like Elliot Smith's?

Blake Sennett: I would say that Elliot Smith is definitely an influence. We recorded our first album in his studio and he didn't even charge us for that. I mean with Elliot Smith, I can't do what he did vocally, so I mean, I don't know maybe I could.

SYFFAL: Well I think the good thing is that with The Elected being your sole priority now, you can play around with the sounds and see if you could do what he did vocally you know? So The Troubadour is this Tuesday for the record release of Bury Me In My Rings. Are you happy that you get to do your record release in your back yard. Or do you not feel that LA is your home?

Blake Sennett: I would say that LA is home. (Car screeches). I'm not sure I understand your question.

SYFFAL: Is there somewhere else you'd rather start out your tour?

Blake Sennett: Ok, I get what you mean. If I lived in Hawaii for instance it probably isn't a real booming music place. Yeah I'm glad that LA is a big music town and that I live here.

SYFFAL: The Troubadour is on my short list of favorite places to see a show in LA. Where is your favorite place to do or see a show?

Blake Sennett: Probably Troubadour. I think Troubadour is probably the best club in LA. Laid out really well, sounds good from most areas. There are some clubs of similar size that don't sound as good. It has a great history. Elton John, Neil Young. Come on.

SYFFAL: Do you guys have an opener on Tuesday?

Blake Sennett: Yeah my buddy Mike's band is opening, they are called The Chances.

SYFFAL: Are you a big book guy in your free time?

Blake Sennett: I wouldn't say big. I was a huge reader growing up, but yeah I like reading a lot.

SYFFAL: I am a big reader too. I was a big Jack Kerouac guy. I just got finished a 3 series called The Hunger Games. Probably the best book I've read in 5 years I'll give you a quick rundown. It takes place in a post apocalyptic society

Blake Sennett: Oh Cool!

SYFFAL: There is a capital city where all the rich and powerful people live , and there are 12 districts outside of it. Every year 1 boy and 1 girl from each district are randomly selected to be part of the hunger games which is a battle to the death.

Blake Sennett: Don't tell me too much it sounds great! Did you read it on your iPhone?

SYFFAL: I read it, I like holding books (gives me strange look). I do! But I also haven't tried an e-reader either.

Blake Sennett: There's the real answer. I was the same way. I was like Fuck THAT. I bought the kindle, gave the kindle back, but then I bought an iPad. I read my first book on an iPad and I was like this is how the next generation of people is going to learn to read it, and its way greener. I wonder what the statistics are on all the shit that it takes to make the iPad which is more green the iPad or books themselves. You get all these free books on the iPad. I just read Uncle Tom's Cabin on the iPad, absolutely shocked at how sublime that book is. Just unbelievable You should read it. You're a fan of history, pretty historical book.

SYFFAL: I think my point was about this book is that it is about 1000 pages and I'm not a fast reader and I read it in about a month that is how good it was.

Blake Sennett: The Hunger Games? Who wrote it? Maybe they will have it on e-books

SYFFAL: Susanne Collins

Blake Sennett: Should I check the kindle version? It's gotta be on there at least. A lot of time they do exclusivity deals.

SYFFAL: Go for it. I hope you aren't disappointed. So you know we were talking about Away We Go and Alexi Murdoch doing the soundtrack for that movie. Is there a movie out there that you wish you could have scored?

Blake Sennett: Oh Fuck. That's to presume that the score that they did was subpar, and that I wish I could improve upon it?

SYFFAL: No, regardless of how good the score was, is there a film out there that makes you say "Man I wish I could score that film!"

Blake Sennett: One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest. Great score, great movie, kinda minimal kinda weird

SYFFAL: Great film, great book too.

Blake Sennett: One of the few films that stands up to the book.

SYFFAL: Yeah they are making a movie of The Hunger Games and I hope they don't ruin the book by not doing it justice on screen.

Blake Sennett: You know after I finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, it made me think why am I buying new books shouldn't I be reading Moby Dick? I mean there are so many out there that I haven't read.

SYFFAL: I hear you, one book I'll always remember is reading Hatchet when I was younger. I would definitely recommend that book. It's about a boy's survival in the wilderness after a plane crash. You know it's one of those coming of age stories they get you to read when you are younger.

Blake Sennett: Hatchet? Never heard of it. I'm gonna search for Hatchet. To the phone! How about your Celtics huh?

SYFFAL: Yeah that hurt man. I mean Miami is good. I watched all the games. Miami Heat came up in the 4th quarter and the Celtics didn't. That was the series

Blake Sennett: That Rondo elbow thing was really gross. Yeah it was gross

SYFFAL: You know they are an older team, they could have done it but they couldn't close it out. The last game was a perfect example, they were up 8 with 2.5 - 3 minutes left and gave up 16 points.

Blake Sennett: They are like old and slow, the Lakers are slow too. Everyone else got young and fast. Hatchet is like not free.

SYFFAL: It's worth the money.

Blake Sennett: I don't know man it's pretty expensive.

SYFFAL: How much?

Blake Sennett: 6 bucks

SYFFAL: Haha

Blake Sennett: Hatchet, gross, gross word.

SYFFAL: So we're doing this thing called Pop Culture Collides where we invite artists to cover theme songs from our favorite movies and TV shows from our childhood in the 80's and 90s. Any chance you'd be interested in doing one for us?

Blake Sennett: Sure. Like something like Out of This World you mean?

SYFFAL: Yeah like for our first one we had The Robotanists do You're The Best Around from The Karate Kid.

Blake Sennett: Oh Wow.

SYFFAL: We're starting to ask the artists we sit down with to be a part of it.

Blake Sennett: I mean the Family Ties theme song is pretty amazing (Blake begins to sing it on the spot). You know if you watch the reruns they don't even play the full theme song for you?

SYFFAL: Exactly that's something we all remember. Awesome. Family Ties it is. Looking forward to hearing that one from you. We'll stay in touch and put it together when you get back in LA hopefully.

Blake Sennett: Of course.

SYFFAL: Thanks again for sitting down with me now we'll turn this recorder off and go back to shooting the shit.

Blake Sennett: You mean I'm all done? Great.