Lunch of Champions

David Brusie | Interview and Live Recording

Today, we interviewed and recorded Minneapolis pop songster, David Brusie, who has one stellar album, Half-Extravaganza, and many additional fantastic original songs to his name. David grew up in Boston, but has proudly called Minneapolis his home for the past three years. He has a regular gig at the Wilde Roast Cafe and can consistently be seen playing at other fine venues in town. Keep an eye out for his new album this fall! Read on for David’s thoughts on music, gas prices, and the Back to the Future trilogy.

Live Recordings July 7, 2006:
Flyover State
Nosebleed Seats
Big Five Star Spaceman

Lunch of Champions: What, besides music, are you passionate about?
David Brusie: I love film, which is a pretentious way to say “movies.” It’s so people don’t think you’re talking about Back to the Future, though I am definitely passionate about Back to the Future. But I LOVE movies, especially Spike Lee, Billy Wilder and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I love books, too - basically anything that can be categorized as “the arts,” I guess.
And, of course, my lovely fiancee Lizzie.

Why did you start playing guitar?
I don’t really remember, to be honest. I think there was just one hanging around, because my dad used to play, and I always loved music. I’ve played piano since I was 7, and saxophone since I was 11, so I was curious to try other instruments. Plus, when you’re a 14-year-old boy, you’re grasping at anything to be cool, and I was very much not athletic (and I’m still not), so that was left. It didn’t really work, but that’s okay.

What was the first song you wrote about?
All I really remember is that it was called ‘Feeding the Fish,’ and I think it was about general ennui and boredom. I was also writing songs with my friend Adam around the same time (8th grade or so), which had song titles like ‘Suddenly Bald,’ which were generally more light-hearted. My fiancee insists that ‘Suddenly Bald’ is among my finest moments, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Do you think it’s odd that people are willing to pay $8 a gallon for water that they could get for free, but they are up in arms about $3 per gallon of gasoline?
Yes. Luckily I don’t drive too much, so I probably drink more water than I use gas. But it’s tap water.

What kind of car do you drive?
A 1999 Nissan Maxima. It used to be my mom’s car. It’s a sweet, sweet ride; the ladies love it.

What bands have had the most influence on your songwriting style?
I think that’s changed over the past few years, but a few constants are people like Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Elliott Smith and Wilco. I like how those kinds of artists write songs that are basically standard pop songs, but they manage to do it in ways that are within that structure but still skewed and interesting. To me, that seems harder than just coming out of left-field with something totally random, because there are rules you’re working with. Which isn’t to say that people who come out of left-field are artistically weaker than pop songwriters or anything, but for some reason people working under those kinds of rules impress me more.

What groups are you listening to these days?
A lot of Replacements, constantly. I just got into them over the past couple years. Their new best-of is almost perfect. Just over the past few days I’ve been enjoying the new Thom Yorke record, and I also love the new Phoenix record, and in general the Mountain Goats. Also a lot of hip-hop, like Jay-Z, Common and Kanye West. And the new Gnarls Barkley record, which has yet to get old; the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, which is fantastic - I’ve probably heard their song “Cheated Hearts” a million times since the CD came out.
Locally, I really like the Hopefuls, One For the Team, Fitzgerald and Haley Bonar.

Any plans for a follow-up to “Half-Extravaganza”
Hopefully by the end of the summer there will be something to release. It’s definitely in the works, and probably titled “Flyover State,” which is also the name of a song. It’s just a matter of figuring out the arrangements, and narrowing down the song list from 20 to about 10.

Shim Sham Shufflers | Live at the Turf Club, May 2006

Shim Sham Shufflers

Anybody who has seen the Shim Sham Shufflers perform knows that they bring a special energy to the stage. I saw them open for Mark Mallman at the Hexagon Bar last year and was impressed by their witty use of costumes as well as fantastic dance moves. Then, about a month ago, I stumbled upon their performance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN.

For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to see the Shufflers live, I will explain what is going on.

Consisting of three ladies who, according to their mySpace page, are named, “Busty St. Claire”, “Chesty LaRue”, and “Hootie McBoob”, the Shim Sham Shufflers tap dance and flaunt their fabulous costumes to music that you would hear on Main Street in Disneyland.

The ladies regularly open up for established punk and indie rock bands such as Mark Mallman, Chambermaids, Huge Rat Attacks, and others. They are a delight to see and deserving of any artistic accolades that may be rained down upon them.

Eels - Live at Town Hall

I don’t know what it is about this band, but I think they are getting progressively worse. Eels With Strings is the culmination of that worseness to date.

I absolutely LOVE the early Eels stuff, but their most recent 2 albums have left me wondering when a shark will come and put these Eels out of their misery.