We all have our demons. But few of us give them as much agency or address them as openly as Blake Rainey, who does so both figuratively and literally. The Atlanta songwriter and bandleader cut his teeth fronting power pop trio the Young Antiques, but since 2007, he and his backing band, the Demons, have striven to balance a love of high-energy hooks with more pensive and downcast examinations of the human condition. Rainey’s latest LP, the nine-song Helicopter Rose, delves deeper into his love for traditional folk and country, and features some of his most confident songwriting to date.
The record is largely a misty-eyed affair, but throughout it all Rainey’s barbed wit and gift for detailing the lives of martyrs and miscreants, wistful drunks and down-on-their-luck lovers, is on display. He writes with a storyteller’s touch, teasing out tension and drama from seemingly ordinary events and situations. But the longer you listen to the record, the more each disparate narrative begins to congeal around a singular theme, one that, as Rainey notes in our interview, speaks directly to our troubled times: “We all need to be rescued from something.” On the eve of his album release show, I spoke with Rainey about his new LP, his literary inspirations, and our collective need for rescue.
The idea of rescue, the struggle to be rescued from something, forms a major part of this record. Why did you select this as a guiding theme?
When I was picking the songs that were going to make Helicopter Rose, I started to notice this running theme of rescue in the lyrics — different types of rescue or the need for rescue, both physically and emotionally. A soldier lost at war, not being able to shake the memory of a lost love, the spiritual and emotional equivalent to being lost at sea, the title track and its metaphors about being trapped in a burning building. This theme was becoming clear as I started putting everything together as an album. At that point, it just felt right. These are uncertain times and I think a lot of people, now more than ever, need help in some form or fashion. We all need to be rescued from something.
From a songwriting perspective, this record is a change of pace for you. Can you talk a little bit about what sort of aesthetic you were going for and how that sound was achieved?
I was beginning to write more traditional folk and country songs, and even some cabaret and jazz-inspired music to go along with the rockers I usually write. I wanted to make an album that would weave together all the different aspects of what is sometimes referred to as “Americana,” and I wanted to explore the different corners of this really broad genre. And, ultimately, I wanted to show how all these different stylings can work together if you assemble them correctly.
You’re as much a storyteller as you are a songwriter. Generally, what comes first — the melody and the chords or the narrative? Or is it more of a mixed process?
The melody and chords are always first, but I’ll introduce the narrative early on in the writing process so that it has time to flesh out and form around the music naturally. I get the main melody and chord structure happening and then the words will start to form around all the nonsense I’m singing.
Credit: Kendra Rainey
In terms of your writing, are there certain authors that you look towards for inspiration?
I’m a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Lethem, Carson McCullers, Joseph Conrad, William Faulkner, T.S. Eliot, J.D. Salinger, Dostoyevsky, John Kennedy Toole… I could go on. Prose writers have influenced every song I’ve written. I wish I could write within the prose form, but I seem to be ready-made to write in the shorter form. It’s something I can accomplish more easily. Maybe one day I’ll write a book.
Your cover art is a work called “Havana, Cuba” by Sean Dunn. What drew you to select it as the face of your record?
Sean is an amazing photographer and I’d been admiring his work a lot during the making of Helicopter Rose. I asked him if we could use one of his photographs for the cover and he graciously agreed. I chose “Havana, Cuba” as the cover art because I literally could not stop looking at it and imagining myself being right there on that street with the cars honking and the people walking around and the blinding headlights. It was beautiful. And we all know the people of Cuba have been in need of all manner of rescue for a very, very long time. Sean had recently been down there and shot all of these amazing images, and we are absolutely honored to have one of them be a huge part of this record.
If you could’ve written one album or song, what would it be?
The album Rain Dogs by Tom Waits. One of my personal favorites.
If you could wish anything for Atlanta in 2017, what would it be?
I wish for the Atlanta art community to keep its collective head together despite the recent buyout of every property available around here. What you make is more about what happens in your headspace, rather than on a piece of land. Regardless of what happens around us, we’ll always be able to make art and make it great.
Helicopter Rose is out tomorrow via Southern Lovers Recording Co. Pre-orders are available here.
Blake Rainey & His Demons will celebrate the release of Helicopter Rose today at the Earl. They will be supported by Jeremy Ray and Ex Wives. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Admissions is $8. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: blakeraineyandhisdemons.com
Basecamp: blakerainey.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @blakeraineyandhisdemons
SoundCloud: @blake-rainey
Twitter: @BRandhisdemons