The songs of Richmond Fontaine, who are about to tour Ireland, are stories from the underbelly of the US, writes Joe Breen.
Willy Vlautin doesn't sound much like a rock star. There is no sense of self-importance or overbearing ego from the 36-year-old. Perhaps that is because 10 years after forming Richmond Fontaine he only now has to come to terms with the idea of celebrity, albeit the minor type afforded to critically acclaimed alt. country bands.
Earlier this year, following the enthusiastic reception for Post To Wire, Richmond Fontaine's fifth album but only the first to receive any kind of distribution in Europe, the band played a series of well-received shows in Britain and Ireland, including one at the Kilkenny Rhythm 'n' Roots festival that featured only Vlautin and guitarist Dave Harding. "That was one of the funner gigs we have ever done. I spent the whole week trying to convince the guy who runs it to invite us back."
For their forthcoming tour the full band, including drummer Sean Oldham and guitarist Dan Eccles, will line out. For Vlautin, whose visit last time was his first venture outside the US, this is "a really big tour - for us anyway. We're doing shows in Ireland and England, Scotland and Wales. And then we're going to mainland Europe to do shows in Spain and Holland. I've never been to any of those places, so I'm really looking forward to it".
It's a welcome change of luck for the band formed in Portland, Oregon, 10 years ago and named after a drifter Harding met once. "We're not the best business-wise - we'd always shoot ourselves in the foot - and our records suffered from that, at least distribution-wise. But we're getting better and our records are being heard, which is really lucky for us."
Post To Wire, with its layers of intensity and atmosphere, complete with Vlautin's graphic lyrics, is certainly worth hearing. Initially, many, including this writer, thought it a concept album, as the tracks are frequently interspersed with readings of colourful postcards from one character to another. Vlautin clears up the picture.
"I didn't write it as a concept album, but I think the people I write about probably all live on the same block. They are all very similar, and whether that is a good or a bad thing I'm not sure, but it's the way I approach songwriting."
His muse is the American West and its many losers. "My mom's boyfriend used to like to drive around in the desert all the time, so I kind of fell in love with the West. And I grew up in Reno, Nevada, which is a gambling town, so it is a polarised version of ups and downs with a big underbelly, which is probably my biggest influence.
"I had a middle-class background. I had it easy. And my mom always said that if you show up sober in Reno with a clean shirt you will always get a job. But there are so many people there who have been destroyed by gambling. They're weak and they drink too much. . . . I think I was just pretty sensitive to all that."
He also had been smitten by roots music, in particular that of Dave Alvin and The Blasters coming out of Los Angeles. Merle Haggard and Tom Waits were other big heroes, as was Shane MacGowan. "My dad had most of the Pogues' records, and I liked the way he could tell stories from any time."
The storytelling skills of more literary figures also attract him. He cites the US novelist William Kennedy, author of Ironweed, and Frank O'Connor - "an amazing short-story writer" - as two key influences, although perhaps his biggest is Raymond Carver. "The reason I started writing was because of him. . . . When I read him it all made sense to me, like I'd been there."
As there was no space in the "redneck town" of Reno for his musicial ambitions he moved to Portland, "one of the most beautiful cities in the US", although this also has its disadvantages. "It's hard because, aside from Seattle, we live eight hours' drive away from any town we can play in. A lot of the nearer small towns would not be fans of independent music. People might come out for Garth Brooks but not for us. So we drive a lot."
Right now things are looking good for Richmond Fontaine. An album recorded at the same time as Post To Wire may be shelved. "We are debating whether we should put it out: it's a pretty bleak folk record which I really like, but we might go in and do a bigger record."
Whatever they decide, Vlautin has worked out the value of his songs for himself. "I started writing because I was feeling down, and in my stories I could control my situation. I've used it as a crutch. You can have complete control over the world, and that's comforting."
