Curt departure

Gordon Lightfoot classics inspire former Meat Puppets frontman to slow things down for his psychedelic solo effort Snow

By Mary Dickie

Strange things can happen under the Arizona desert sun. Wild psychedelic country punk, for instance, might arise out of the influence of shadowy figures from the north, like The Poppy Family and Gordon Lightfoot.

At least that's what happened to Curt Kirkwood, founder and principal songwriter for the legendary Meat Puppets, whose recent, mostly acoustic solo album, Snow, is stripped down enough to reveal a distinct Lightfoot feel.

"Oh yeah, he was an early influence," said Kirkwood over the phone from his home in Austin, Texas. "He was on the radio so much in the '70s, it was hard to avoid. I didn't set out to write Gordon Lightfoot songs, but I'm definitely a fan. He's spooky, and so are The Poppy Family and Terry Jacks. Seasons In The Sun is incredibly creepy. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, If You Could Read My Mind... when you tone my stuff down, you're going to hear that stuff come out. I don't have any boundaries there -- I love a lot of different music."

The Meat Puppets burned brightly in the '80s and early '90s, influencing punk and grunge musicians like Nirvana before the substance-related problems of Curt's bassist brother, Cris, blew the band apart. Curt has continued to record, both as the Meat Puppets and in bands like Eyes Adrift and Volcano, but this is his first solo album, and it's an eye-opener -- Meat Puppet songs, but slower and gentler, with pedal steel and even horns in the arrangements.

"It wasn't really my idea to do it," Kirkwood said. "I was eating dinner with Pete Anderson (who has produced the Puppets in the past, as well as Dwight Yoakam and other country singers), and he asked if I wanted to do an album. I had lots of songs written, and mostly I just let him pick the ones he wanted to do.

"It's hard for me to distinguish it from a Meat Puppets thing, and that's where Pete came in handy. He said it should sound like this, and that helped distinguish it. I wouldn't think to put a horn on there. It was nice to have the production taken out of my hands. I think that's what was essential to make it different enough to stand out as a solo record."

Kirkwood has also reunited with his newly sober brother to make another Meat Puppets record, along with former Primus drummer Tim Alexander.

"I've got a lot of songs laid down already," he said. "It's going to take some time to work it all out, so I imagine next year is realistic for a release. I'm definitely avoiding too much country stuff -- there's sort of a ragtime-player-piano thing I'm working on right now. I'm having fun thinking about it."

Curt Kirkwood plays the Horseshoe Saturday with his son, Elmo, backing him, and the Handsome Family also on the bill.

ARM IN THE BOAT: Tonight, ex-Red House Painter Mark Kozelek plays Lee's with Shuyler Jansen, while Ghostlight is at Amigo's and I Can Put My Arm Back On, You Can't play the Boat with The Inflation Kills, American Geography and Bush League. And on Saturday afternoon, check out Dodge Fiasco and Selina Martin at the Sorauren Park festival, then head to Mitzi's Sister for the after party with Holy Microphone.