Interview: Thom Daugherty - Agitproper (Plus Free Song Download)
Former guitarist from US band The Elms, Thomas Daugherty, has just released his own album under the name of Agitproper. LTTM found out what Thom has been up to since The Elms finished, and what inspired his new music.
Most people will remember you from The Elms - what have you been up to since the band ended?
After The Elms disbanded in 2010, I spent a year and a half on the road as The Band Perry's guitar player. A great gig, but traveling 200+ days a year playing somebody else's music didn't have the same allure as playing music that I was partly responsible for. So I decided to come off of the road about a year ago to produce and mix full-time. This is the most fertile, creative time in Music History, and I really wanted to participate in that somehow. I figured that I should take everything I learned from my experience and use it to help others make their own music.
Tell us a little bit about your new project Agitproper and what the inspiration behind it was?
There have been so many interesting things happening in the world the past several years, and it has always shocked me that nobody is writing songs about those things. I feel that the artistic community should be more attuned to matters of Justice than anybody else, and yet, nobody is singing about them. I grew incredibly frustrated about that, so I decided that I should try writing some songs myself.
There was one particular event in the news that I read about on the bus one night after a show, and it upset me so much that I penned the second verse of "Solidarity."
It felt good to get these thoughts down on paper, even if I had no plans to ever record them.
But then, as I was thinking about New Year's resolutions and what goals I wanted to set for myself for 2013, I had this nagging thought that in addition to helping others record and release their music, I should record and release something of my own finally.
That also meant singing for the first time, which was so terrifying, but I knew I had to.
Free Song Download
Used with permission.
Which is your favourite track on the EP and why?
"You Got the Blood of an Innocent Man on Your Hands." It's about two stories that got a lot of traction here in the U.S., and in both instances, I felt they were tragic and shouldn't have ended the way that they did.
But that song is also very meaningful to me because I got to trade back-and-forth in the guitar solo with Tyler Burkum (Audio A, Mat Kearney, LEAGUES), who's been a great friend to me for years. I always wanted Tyler to join The Elms as a second guitarist, and while it never worked out, this was the closest I could get to it. His solo is so manic, too! He kicks it off on the left side, and I answer him on the right.
I mixed the album too, and sonically, that one came together easier than the others.
How did you come up with the name Agitproper, and what's the meaning behind it?
It's a combination of the words agitation, propaganda, and proper. I think all art should evoke some kind of feeling in people, and for me, Agitproper was the sound of frustration - ranting and raving about injustice through song because I felt powerless to do much else about it. All of my friends represent different ideologies all along the spectrum. For the ones who feel the same way that I do, I knew they'd love the point of view that I was coming from, and for everybody else, I knew they were going to tell me, "I love the guitars, but it's so hard for me to listen to because it feels like straight-up propaganda."
And that's fine. I love diversity of thought, and wish more people were writing socially-conscious music, regardless of which part of the spectrum they're coming from.
What's your song writing process?
Musically, I didn't have much to do with it. I'd be riding my bike, or driving my car, and the music would just appear. Everything. Guitars, bass, drums, and melody. Even the tones/sounds. All I had to do was document it somehow so that I'd remember it later.
Lyrically, that was a struggle. I felt the broad themes, and maybe had an outline of where I wanted to go in the song, but I've never been a lyricist. This was my first crack at writing the words, and I had to force myself to just write them.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?Zeppelin and Pearl Jam have always been fighting it out to be my favorite band. I love Rock & Roll, but to be honest, Rock & Roll bands have been so boring lately, so I've been listening instead to a lot of M83, The Naked and Famous, Kavinsky, and Vampire Weekend, too. I'm not sure how much of a direct influence those bands have had on me, because I still made a guitar album, but I think they at least encouraged me not to be afraid to try something a little different with the guitars. I wanted all of the guitar tones to sound completely blown-out, not "textbook." I'm hoping people would think of the Agitproper EP as forward-thinking Rock & Roll.
In your opinion, what makes the perfect song?
Anything written by Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.
What advice would you give to any aspiring singers or songwriters out there?
Don't do it. Listen to your parents.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?
"Step" by Vampire Weekend.
What does the next year hold for Thom Daugherty?
There are some really incredible, young and vibrant artists that I'm working with right now, and I can't wait to finish their records and help them along. I wake up every day wanting to get better as a producer and mix engineer.
Also hoping to get started on a follow-up EP for Agitproper, get a band together, and maybe play some of these songs on the road?
Find out more at Agitproper.com
