By Jen Carlson
Members of The National, clockwise from left: Matt Berninger; Scott and Bryan Devendorf; and Aaron and Bryce Dessner.
About a year ago, Brooklyn-based band The National was catapulted into the spotlight after the release of their third album, “Alligator.” Considered their best to date — and in my opinion, one of the best albums of the decade so far —it’s cast an even brighter light on the band’s barstool poetry and downtrodden yet anthemic sounds. Thanks in part to a tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, they’ve also won over new fans, and I couldn’t be happier for these Ohio transplants, composed of two sets of brothers and one best friend: Scott and Bryan Devendorf (guitar & drums); Aaron and Bryce Dessner (bass & guitar); and Matt Berninger (vocals). Recently I had a chance to ask bassist Aaron Dessner a few questions before their show at Webster Hall on Sunday May 21st.
The show on Sunday is at Webster Hall, but it was originally at Bowery Ballroom and some fans were upset about the change. Any comments on why that happened?
It didn’t occur to us that it could be an issue before the switch was made. But in hindsight, I can understand why some people were upset. Bowery Ballroom is a more intimate venue than Webster Hall. That being said, we are excited about the challenge of playing Webster. The same thing happened with our show in London that is coming up. It was at a place called Scala that [seats] 800 people and it sold out in a day or two so they moved it to a place twice the size called Koko. There was no complaint at all, but that might be because the bigger venues in London tend to be these old theatres that are nicer.
What are your favorite Downtown venues and bars?
Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge and Tonic for music. I don’t really go to bars much in the city, but our drummer Bryan goes to music trivia night on Tuesdays at Belly (on Rivington Street). He’s quite good at trivia.
Are there any New York bands you’ve been listening to lately?
[There are] so many great musicians live in NYC, so yes. As far as lesser known artists, I like Diane Cluck, Doveman, Baby Dayliner and Pela. And I saw this incredible Burmese percussionist Kyaw Kyaw Naing, who lives in Queens, play recently.
Your sound has been described as “urban emo.” What do you think about that term?
The phrase makes me cringe.
How would you describe your sound then?
To me it’s just a form of rock and roll. All I can say is we’re as influenced by classic rock as we are by folk music and classical music. Some people say [we play] literate rock. But I think that sounds pretentious.
How do you guys come up with new music? Where do you find inspiration?
Typically, I’ll come up with a guitar or rhythm-based idea and as a group we develop it together. And Matt writes lyrics on his own –which comes from snippets from conversation, movies, books… So it’s not as if we sit down and write a song together. It sort of evolves as a collage of ideas. And as far as inspiration—New York City is definitely a backdrop for all of our songs because we all live here.
There are two sets of brothers in the band. How does that influence your music?
Musically, my brother and I — we’re twins— play in a way that to me [sounds] obvious that we’re brothers. It’s intricate…we have a way of nestling these guitar parts together, which to me comes from learning how to play music together. I think it’s the same with Scott and Bryan. People sometimes notice that in our songs there are a lot of dynamics, and there’s no one sound. There’s [also] a sense of closeness [among us]. It’s more than just a band; it’s a family.
