TALK TIME:Lo-fi troubadour David Kitt returns with a new, ESB-inspired album, 'The Nightsaver'. He talks to
EOIN BUTLER
You wrote, performed and produced your new album, ‘The Night Saver’, entirely on your own. Did you miss having a producer to bounce ideas off?
Not really. I mean, it was the same on Small Moments and The Big Romance, so it’s kind of like returning to the formula of those records in a way. Besides, I’ve got the harshest critics in the world to bounce ideas off. They’re called my friends. They don’t let me get away with much!
Some previous albums had obvious themes – 'Square One' was about falling in love, 'Not Fade Away' was about the breakup of your marriage.This one is probably about my relationship with music more than anything else. I've always written about what I know, and the circumstances I'm in at the time will always come through in the songs. I'm still really proud of the stuff that I've done in the past. But I feel as though I'm getting back to making the kind of music I'd want to find if I was going into a record shop again.
In a recent interview, you described yourself as being in a precarious financial position. Yeah, but I'm sick of talking about that now, because it sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself, or going "poor me". A lot of people are in a tough position these days, certainly a lot of musicians. So relative to them, I'm probably doing okay.
When I read that, I just wondered if you'd sold the naming rights to the album off to the ESB?To be honest, the name did originally come from that ESB ad. But I think it's an appropriate title and I don't think it will suggest the ESB ad to everyone, which is a good thing! It has a lot of different resonances to me, there's no point in saying what exactly, but it evokes something, I hope.
Did I hear somewhere that you're planning a trip to Nashville?Yeah, my dad has always dreamed of going there, he's a massive country fan. So my brother and I have sometimes talked about going with him. We're all huge fans of roots and blues too, so maybe a stop-off also in New Orleans and Memphis, too. But there's nothing set in stone.
It is almost a decade now since the release of 'Small Moments'. Does that make you pause for thought?I don't really think about it. It's only when you start doing interviews that you start getting asked about these things. I'm in the middle of working on another album with my brother and I'm more excited about doing that than sitting here talking to you. Maybe you think about the past more when you're running out of ideas, but I'm not, thankfully.
Headlining the second stage at Oxegen in 2003 must stand out.That was a really, really special night. The White Stripes had pulled out of the festival at the last minute and the Flaming Lips were moved to the main stage. So I was asked to step in. My usual backing band included two members of Redneck Manifesto, but they'd already been booked to play on another stage at the same time. So I had literally five days to put a new band together. The fact that we pulled it off, and had 10,000 people going nuts in that tent, was very, very special.
You've said that the world doesn't need another soul record by "some guy from Ballinteer". But as I recall, you closed that night with a rousing cover of Jackie Wilson's 'Higher and Higher'.Yeah, but that's a killer song – it wasn't written by some guy from Ballinteer! (laughs) The hardest moments to achieve are moments of shared experience. Eamon
Dunphy said that about sport, but it applies equally to music. Something happened that day, when everyone was singing Higher and Higher, that was quasi-religious almost. But you know, I did a gig last month for about 30 people in a living room in Austria – using the house hi-fi system as my PA – and that was just magic too.
Anything you'd have done differently looking back over the same period?I don't know . . . I mean, if I had the wisdom that I've earned from making certain mistakes, then I'm sure that there are one or two things I'd do my best not to do again. But there's no point in going into that. The value of the detours and the regretful passages in life is that you learn certain lessons. So I'm more of a "no regrets" kind of guy.
The Nightsaveris out now on Gold Spillin’ Records. Kitt is currently in the middle of an Irish tour. www.davidkitt.net