| 512-Go!» | Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007 |
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Dax Riggs, formerly of Deadboy and the Elephantmen, is now performing under his new name and has released his first proper solo album, We Sing of Only Blood or Love, this year. We caught up with Dax to talk about rock, roll, soul, and how to forget the earth beneath our feet.
That Other Paper Can you tell us a little about your live show this year?
Dax Riggs It’ll be very powerful — and gentle at times. Very soulful.
TOP What do you think makes a live show great?
DR Soul, honesty, and a feeling of connection to the listeners.
TOP How about as an audience member?
DR I wanna close my eyes and be taken away to another dimension. I wanna forget about the earth beneath my feet and live in a dream for a little while.
TOP So you’re playing now under your own name, rather than with a different band, and you just released We Sing of Only Blood or Love.
DR It’s still a band, but I just didn’t feel the same connection to the name. I’d been doing it for about six years, and now I can change the name of the band every night. That’s more interesting to me.
TOP Aside from the name change, are there any changes, playing as “Dax Riggs”?
DR There’s more of a full-band vibe. There are stripped down moments in the set, but it’s mostly a lot bigger — a lot heavier now. And it’s a lot more musical. I’m playing with some really good people. The drummer was in White Magic and Early Man. And the keyboard/bass player played with Neil Hagerty. It’s the best band I’ve ever had.
TOP This new album, do you see yourself as shifting genres?
DR I think it’s the culmination of everything I’ve done in the past. I don’t see it as a massive change. It’s just more muscular and more musical.
TOP Have you been to Austin before?
DR Yeah, a bunch of times.
TOP What do you like to do when you’re here?
DR I like to play music with my friend J.T. Van Zandt. I like to stalk Roky Erickson. I like to watch the bats and go swimming at Barton Springs. I like it because it reminds me of New Orleans.
TOP Austin’s a very people-friendly city.
DR I have a lot of friends there, so I feel more at home in Austin than in Louisiana. I just bought a home in Austin, so when I’m done with my tour, that’s where I’ll be living.
TOP What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had on the road?
DR I guess meeting Henry Rollins and him being a big fan of what I’m doing. And Danzig. Just certain punk icons that dig what I’m doing. Making this record with Matt Sweeney — I was a big Superwolf fan — and we really vibed. We’re both into heavy music, but also songwriters. In between there, we’ve found this common ground of what we can do that we don’t hear. Real rock ’n’ roll with soul.
TOP Is there anything else that we should know about you when deciding who to see?
DR If they wanna be moved, and they wanna hear the best rock ’n’ roll that they don’t know about, they need to see us. And they need to bring drugs.
TOP I’m sure they will.
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