Stirratt showcases side projects
Wilco bassist ponders band chemistry while on tour with The Autumn Defense.
Published Feb. 9, 2007
John Stirratt, frontman of The Autumn Defense, might be one of the most well-traveled pop musicians in America.
His rock 'n' roll odyssey began with the twang of a banjo in the bayou of New Orleans; he first learned the instrument through the influence of his father, a Dixieland musician.
Stirratt played in several bands around the southeast including a U2 cover band and an alt-country band called the Hilltops.
He ended up in the vast prairies of Illinois in the mid-'90s, toured with alt-country legends Uncle Tupelo and eventually landed in Chicago as the bassist for Wilco.
Now with The Autumn Defense, Stirratt and partner-in-crime producer Pat Sansone evoke sounds from the sun-kissed West Coast, evoking bright '60s pop in the style of the Beach Boys.
The band is on tour this winter and will make a stop today at Mojo's to promote its self-titled third album.
Stirratt said he feels the album is an improvement on previous efforts and stays true to the influences seen on the band's previous two albums.
"It's sort of picking up where the last record left off in terms of our '60s pop influences," Stirratt said. "But I think we wanted to take a little more time to work with the sounds and try to make it a little more crafted than the last two records, which were more session-based, live-sounding albums."
Stirratt places a strong value on the idea of partnership and collaboration in any band and contends that the foundation of The Autumn Defense is not necessarily the music but the friendship between the musicians.
"It was really me getting to know Pat," Stirratt said. "I had known him just briefly through the late '80s southeast rock music scene. We got to know each other and formed this friendship."
Sansone, who plays multiple instruments, produces and mixes for The Autumn Defense's albums, has also performed as a session musician and produced albums for artists including Andrew Bird and Joseph Arthur.
Stirratt said Sansone's collaboration with The Autumn Defense began as an attempt to produce a solo album.
Even though his travels have taken the band far and wide, Stirratt said he still draws inspiration from his younger days in New Orleans.
"The place is just so musical," Stirratt said. "It's everywhere. New Orleans radio was great to grow up with. Just to have that kind of character is just amazing. Just to hear so many kinds of music everywhere, it has to leave an impression. I guess it's in your blood."
In the middle of diverse individual musical endeavors and periods of growth, Stirratt and Sansone still plan on touring with Wilco in the spring.
"The main project we're both working on now is the Wilco record," Stirratt said. "And we are going to tour (with Wilco) starting in April, and I guess part of the reason The Autumn Defense has to tour at off-times of the year is because Wilco's schedule is so busy. That's been pretty full-time."
Despite beginning many new projects since his days in Uncle Tupelo, Stirratt still references the experiences he had while working with his old band. His time working with frontmen Jeff Tweedy (who would go on to front Wilco) and Jay Farrar shaped much of his values and perceptions on performing.
"I think they had a really strong band dynamic," Stirratt said. "You had two songwriters in a band kind of sounding the same. I always loved that — when you almost can't tell the difference between songwriters. Their voices are so similar."
Stirratt said in order for a band to survive, the band members must make music with people they get along with. He said he remains unfazed by the pressures of being a part of multiple musical projects at once.
Instead he enjoys the opportunity to have different collaborative experiences simultaneously.
"Ultimately, whether it's a two-man band or a six-piece band or a situation like Wilco where you have a prominent singer-songwriter heading the band, you're still hoping to get this synergy from having a group of people around," Stirratt said.
Stirratt said he hopes the audience at Mojo's draws an appreciation for the band's collaborative and creative endeavors.
"I think they can look forward to good, capable interpretations of songs from the record," Stirratt said. "Nice harmony singing and a lot of phat tones."