Summary

From 2012: Annie Rothschild of Paladino spills the beans on her musical journey, diving into how her roots in blues, thanks to her dad's iconic record label (Landslide), shaped her sound and career. From the early days of tinkering with piano and clarinet to her recent romance with the upright bass, she reveals how her eclectic influences, from Bonnie Raitt to the Allman Brothers, spark her creativity. The convo takes a twist as Annie talks about the unique blend of country vibes with a punk edge that defines Paladino’s music, showcasing the band's chemistry and collaborative spirit. They chat about the whirlwind of recording what was supposed to be a demo but turned into their self-titled album, all while keeping things real with a no-nonsense approach to studio time. Tune in for a laid-back yet insightful peek into the life of a musician who's all about staying true to her roots while exploring new sounds.

Chapters

• 00:12 - Introduction to Today's Guest
• 05:15 - The Journey of a Bass Player
• 09:37 - The Evolution of Paladino's Sound
• 14:56 - The Future of Paladino's Sound
• 17:46 - Touring Adventures and Family Life

Show Notes

Diving into the vibrant world of music, Sloane Spencer welcomes Annie Rothschild from Paladino to discuss the roots of her musical journey. Growing up surrounded by the rich sounds of the South, thanks to her father’s record label, Annie's introduction to music was as organic as it gets. She reminisces about her early days, from classical piano lessons to picking up the electric bass a decade ago, and eventually transitioning to the upright bass with Palladino. Their conversation unpacks Annie's influences, ranging from the blues legends like Muddy Waters and Bonnie Raitt to the soulful grooves of New Orleans. As Annie shares her passion for improvisation and the unique tonal qualities of the upright bass, listeners get a glimpse of the deep connection between her musical upbringing and her current artistic expression. The episode captures the essence of creativity, illustrating how Annie's background has shaped her approach to music-making and her journey with Paladino.

Takeaways

• Annie Rothschild's musical journey began with a childhood steeped in blues, thanks to her father's record label, shaping her artistic path.
• The formation of Paladino was a serendipitous event, showcasing how organic connections can lead to creative collaborations in music.
• Annie's transition from electric to upright bass illustrates the evolution of her musical style, embracing the rich tones of roots music.
• The chemistry within Paladino is a delightful mix of personalities and influences, creating a unique sound that blends country with punk rock elements.
• Annie expresses aspirations for their next album to reflect a more cohesive sound, highlighting the importance of production in music creation.
• The band emphasizes the joy of live performance, describing their gigs as a continuously evolving experience fueled by audience energy.

Links

• REMINDER: IGNORE ALL LINKS OR EVENTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FROM 2012
• Annie Rothschild of Paladino, later of Nocona
• You may also enjoy this conversation from 2015 with Lee Gallagher
• Toss a few in the Tip Jar!

Mentioned in this Episode

• Paladino
• Landslide Records
• Capricorn
• Widespread Panic
• Derek Trucks
• Guitar Center
• Bonnie Raitt
• Susan Stufsky
• Willie Dixon
• Steve Holland
• Mingus
• Allen Toussaint
• James Booker
• The Meters
• George Porter
• Mud Waters
• Allman Brothers
• Dwayne Allman
• Freddie King
• Van Halen
• Otis Redding
• Aretha Franklin
• T.L. Burnett
• Youth for Christ Choir
• Dorothy Love Coats
• Jim Scott
• The Jayhawks
• Ween

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Palladino band, Annie Rothschild interview, creative inspiration in music, blues music influence, upright bass playing, roots country music, modern punk rock sound, live music performance, recording process in music, self-produced albums, female musicians in blues, songwriting collaboration, music scene in Los Angeles, touring with a band, festival performances, influences of classic rock, music role models, unique band chemistry, music collaboration dynamics

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.800 - 00:00:16.520

Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock Music Uncovered My name is Sloan Spencer, and you're listening to Country Fried Rock.

My guest today is Annie Rothschild of Palladino. Welcome, Annie.

Speaker B

00:00:16.520 - 00:00:17.760

Thanks. Thanks for having me.

Speaker A

00:00:17.840 - 00:00:21.200

So glad to have you with us. How did you originally start playing music?

Speaker B

00:00:21.520 - 00:00:40.320

Well, I've been around music my whole life. My father owns a little record label based out of the south, and so then he's been feeding me blues my whole life, so I feel very lucky with that.

And. And I just started playing bass, I guess, about 10 years ago, just electric bass.

But I actually just started the upright about a year ago when Palladino formed.

Speaker A

00:00:40.560 - 00:00:42.840

So you didn't grow up playing an instrument, actually?

Speaker B

00:00:42.840 - 00:00:53.040

Well, that's not true.

I played piano and clarinet and off and on for years, but just picked up the bass about 10 years ago, and then now I barely play the electric anymore at all. It's only upright.

Speaker A

00:00:53.360 - 00:00:56.880

So early piano and clarinet lessons didn't ruin your interest in music?

Speaker B

00:00:57.930 - 00:01:16.090

No, actually, I loved piano. I was kind of like, I learned classically trained and I always wanted to know how to improvise.

Like, I grew up in Atlanta and I always wanted to learn how to play like, you know, Allman Brothers and Skinner. And then eventually I just kind of like fell out of it a little bit and then got. Got into the bass a few years after that.

Speaker A

00:01:16.330 - 00:01:24.490

You grew up with a classical training in instruments, but I totally get the wanting to play your own thing. What led to you starting to actually play music that you wanted to play?

Speaker B

00:01:24.900 - 00:01:45.940

So funny. Just one day I just, like, needed to play the bass. I don't know why or how. I think tar, like, never appealed to me.

I think six strings versus four just seemed like a little difficult.

So, yeah, I just cruised down to Guitar center and bought a bass and amp and started fooling around, you know, trying to play old blues tunes and kind of had this urge to do it, I guess.

Speaker A

00:01:46.100 - 00:01:51.510

Did you have any, like, female role models in terms of bass playing or guitar playing or. Or was that even an issue?

Speaker B

00:01:51.750 - 00:02:33.780

Gosh, actually. Well, Bonnie Raitt, just. She's my idol and, you know, guitar player, but just being grounded in the blues and all. She's done for blues.

I've always looked up to her. And also Susan Stufsky, definitely a role model. She's such a great singer and performer, and she's awesome.

But, yeah, those are the only females I've ever really looked up to. There's some upright players I was definitely inspired by, like, Willie Dixon, who I've named my bass after James Singleton.

I love all New Orleans music is really, really great. And recently I've been getting into a lot more like jazz, upright jazz players like Steve Holland and Mingus. So the upright tone is so special.

It's so powerful to try to be a part of it and, you know, have it flow through you, I guess.

Speaker A

00:02:33.780 - 00:02:41.620

Is the point when you talk about old blues and you. That you grew up listening to and stuff with your dad and then what you also personally like, what kind of stuff?

Speaker B

00:02:42.020 - 00:03:05.920

Well, like old New Orleans music. Alan Toussaint and James Booker. And that scene has always been really powerful to me. Like, I've. I've listened so extensively to all of music.

Really, really inspiring. And, you know, the Meters. George Porter is one of my favorite bass players as well. But I don't know why.

I've always had an affinity for just like old, like, roots music in general. Why? Like, I don't know. That's why I love Paladino, actually. Although it's kind of a different. We're more of a country.

Speaker A

00:03:06.400 - 00:03:09.600

What were you listening to? The roots music that was inspiring beyond.

Speaker B

00:03:09.600 - 00:03:42.290

The old blues, Muddy Waters is probably my favorite performer of all time. But I grew up listening to a lot of the Allman Brothers. Dwayne Allman, fantastic. And Freddie King has been a huge inspiration as well.

I remember my dad gave me my first tape that he made for me. It was Van Halen's Jump.

I was like 4 years old and then came like all Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin and all that Atlantic record stuff is really, really cool and really powerful to me. My dad owns a record label called Landslide Records.

He's closely related with Capricorn, Widespread Panic's first album, and Derek Trucks first album.

Speaker A

00:03:42.530 - 00:03:50.520

I am a proud owner of one of the original album releases of Widespread Panic. Before it got picked. Yeah, before it was picked up and then redone.

Speaker B

00:03:50.520 - 00:03:55.840

So he sold the rights to Capricorn in 1988 for that record. That's so neat that you know the label.

Speaker A

00:03:55.840 - 00:03:59.160

Oh, yeah, that's crazy. Well, that's really cool.

Speaker B

00:03:59.400 - 00:04:14.000

So lucky to have that. Like, just to have a taste for music.

Like, I don't know, to have somebody who's like, so inspired and inspiring to just constantly be feeding me music still to this day. Like, I was just getting into this gospel record recently. T.L. burnett and the Youth for Christ Choir.

Speaker A

00:04:14.000 - 00:04:14.600

Oh, wow.

Speaker B

00:04:14.600 - 00:04:36.920

72 Chicago. This incredible gospel record that's like super soul oriented. I'm like, dad, have you listened to this and he's like, no, he's like, but have you.

Have you hear Dorothy Love Coats and all? It's all in the universe of music that you don't know exists. And you think you know, right? Yeah, I'm really getting into gospel these days, actually.

Like, I don't know how or why, but yeah, I like kind of soul.

Speaker A

00:04:37.160 - 00:04:43.400

I'm a little surprised at all the jazz and blues because I would not have said that right away from listening to Paladino.

Speaker B

00:04:43.890 - 00:05:11.170

I know, it's funny. We are a cool combination. I mean, I'm a huge music snob. I wouldn't, like, be in this band if I didn't think that tunes were really powerful.

It's definitely like a roots country, but with like a real modern punk rock edge to. It comes from Johnny, our lead singer, and then Chris, our lead guitar player. Johnny grew up in Southern California, and Eric, Chris from New York.

They've got, like a huge punk rock thing going on. So it's kind of like a neat combination of modern, cool, modern sound, but really, like, authentic.

Speaker A

00:05:11.550 - 00:05:19.390

You were talking a little bit about picking up the electric bass about 10 years ago. @ what point did that become more than just something you were doing on your own?

Speaker B

00:05:19.790 - 00:06:25.050

You know, it's funny, I lived in San Francisco for a while and I moved to la and just randomly I was talking to a girlfriend about how I was playing bass. And that would be cool to sort of look looking for a band. But I just kind of started over in la.

And then one of her best friends had just mentioned to her that they were looking for a bass player. It was just totally kind of meant to be. And then I went over and rehearsed with them. And magic happened, I thought.

And then we were rehearsing the next week at Johnny's house. Johnny and I were. And he had this upright just laying around that he never really played.

And it's a big beater and, like, I couldn't take my hands off it. And like, here you go, you can take it. And now I really need to give it back. But, yeah, it all happened really organically. It was meant to be.

It just kind of. We all fell into it together. Johnny and Adrian, our other guitar player, have known each other for 20 years.

And Johnny is actually like, he's a brilliant songwriter, but he's also a brilliant artist. He's kind of a shut in. And this is his first band. Adrian was like, okay, this is all coming together. It's time to start a band.

Like, it's Time to do this. It has been really a cool ride. Hey, this is Annie Rothschild with Palladino, and you're listening to Country Fried Rock as.

Speaker A

00:06:25.050 - 00:06:29.890

Y' all just sort of fell into this as the band. What led to developing songs together?

Speaker B

00:06:30.290 - 00:07:33.200

Well, Johnny had a lot of songs that he were like, we were partially done, or he had ideas about. And then he and Chris started collab a lot. Chris is a brilliant musician who has been. Who's toured the world with a number of bands.

Brings in a real sensibility and, like, a real strong direction the songs, you know, gives it a more of a modern edge to it, for sure. He's also a fantastic performer and one of the greatest guitar players I've ever known. I mean, killer slide player.

So I think that they kind of just started developing all the songs together, and then we all just started rehearsing. We rehearsed twice a week for six months before we even played a gig. And now it's just. It's. You know, you can feel it in our rehearsal space.

Like, everyone's kind of come into their own position in the band, which is totally fascinating because this band is full of characters, and just the chemistry that happens between everybody is fascinating, really. You know, everyone has a specific place in it. Like Johnny.

Johnny will come in with a song, and Chris will kind of help arrange it, and they'll be agreeing or disagreeing. And Adrian is just like. She's like, the one that just doesn't take any. Okay, let's stay on track here. Yeah, it's really fun to watch.

Speaker A

00:07:33.360 - 00:07:39.200

As you refined what you were doing with frequent rehearsal, how did it go as you first started performing out?

Speaker B

00:07:39.280 - 00:08:31.710

Actually, our first gig was at Silver Lake Lounge eight months ago. Or, yeah, I guess about six to eight months ago. It was, you know, it was cool. It was a perfect club. It was a good sound system.

Young guy was really on top of it. And I feel like we're just getting better and better. As long as we don't drink too much before the show, which we're, you know, we're not doing.

You know, our gigs are definitely becoming smoother and more refined. We're getting down. We've been experimenting with different set lists, trying not to change too much about the song.

Like, sometimes one of us will be like, wait, we should be doing this slower, or we should speed this up, or we should change this intro or whatever. And then usually it's like checks and balances. Like, someone will be like, no, dude, it's good the way we did it.

Let's not, you know, rearrange everything. So. And it's good. We have an odd number of people in the band. We can agree, like, okay, three versus we have. The voice of reason is our drummer, John.

He's the one. He's been playing drums his entire life and he's an incredible drummer. He's always the one that kind of like is like the tiebreaker when you're.

Speaker A

00:08:31.710 - 00:08:38.410

Dealing with bluegrass or old time bands. The bass line is what drives the rhythm. But you've got a drummer, so how does that work for your interplay?

Speaker B

00:08:38.570 - 00:08:53.770

When we first started playing together, I totally glommed onto Johnny's upright immediately. And then we're starting to play and then I was just really learning how to play it and it's a totally different.

And the guys, you know, were like, maybe you should play electric a little bit. And I was like, no, actually I'm going to just play.

Speaker A

00:08:53.850 - 00:08:54.570

I'm going to.

Speaker B

00:08:54.650 - 00:09:28.510

You're going to have to bear with me. You know, I took some lessons and started. I picked it up really quickly. Still picking it up, obviously, but really, really just took to it.

John is a very technical drummer. He and I normally come up with the rhythm together. It's kind of like I'll throw something out like, hey, what about this bass line?

Or what about that one? And he'll say yes or no, or, you know, why don't I do this kind of fill? And like, we definitely try to play off each other.

Whatever is best for the song. Whatever is best for the moment. Nobody is trying to be a hero or trying to stand out at all. Whatever is happening at that.

Just trying to do right by the song.

Speaker A

00:09:29.080 - 00:09:37.560

It's all happened kind of quickly for you in terms of falling in together, rehearsing, having the gigs. What led to recording the songs?

Speaker B

00:09:37.960 - 00:11:26.700

Yeah, it has happened. It's so funny. It really has happened so quickly, almost shockingly, you know, fast.

I think that a lot of that has had to do with Adrienne who's, you know, acting as our manager. And she's. She's just the most beautiful and brilliant gal.

I mean, she's so on board and so on top of it with reaching...

Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity.

Country Fried Rock Music Uncovered My name is Sloan Spencer, and you're listening to Country Fried Rock.

My guest today is Annie Rothschild of Palladino.

Welcome, Annie.

Thanks.

Thanks for having me.

So glad to have you with us.

How did you originally start playing music?

Well, I've been around music my whole life.

My father owns a little record label based out of the south, and so then he's been feeding me blues my whole life, so I feel very lucky with that.

And.

And I just started playing bass, I guess, about 10 years ago, just electric bass.

But I actually just started the upright about a year ago when Palladino formed.

So you didn't grow up playing an instrument, actually?

Well, that's not true.

I played piano and clarinet and off and on for years, but just picked up the bass about 10 years ago, and then now I barely play the electric anymore at all.

It's only upright.

So early piano and clarinet lessons didn't ruin your interest in music?

No, actually, I loved piano.

I was kind of like, I learned classically trained and I always wanted to know how to improvise.

Like, I grew up in Atlanta and I always wanted to learn how to play like, you know, Allman Brothers and Skinner.

And then eventually I just kind of like fell out of it a little bit and then got.

Got into the bass a few years after that.

You grew up with a classical training in instruments, but I totally get the wanting to play your own thing.

What led to you starting to actually play music that you wanted to play?

So funny.

Just one day I just, like, needed to play the bass.

I don't know why or how.

I think tar, like, never appealed to me.

I think six strings versus four just seemed like a little difficult.

So, yeah, I just cruised down to Guitar center and bought a bass and amp and started fooling around, you know, trying to play old blues tunes and kind of had this urge to do it, I guess.

Did you have any, like, female role models in terms of bass playing or guitar playing or.

Or was that even an issue?

Gosh, actually.

Well, Bonnie Raitt, just.

She's my idol and, you know, guitar player, but just being grounded in the blues and all.

She's done for blues.

I've always looked up to her.

And also Susan Stufsky, definitely a role model.

She's such a great singer and performer, and she's awesome.

But, yeah, those are the only females I've ever really looked up to.

There's some upright players I was definitely inspired by, like, Willie Dixon, who I've named my bass after James Singleton.

I love all New Orleans music is really, really great.

And recently I've been getting into a lot more like jazz, upright jazz players like Steve Holland and Mingus.

So the upright tone is so special.

It's so powerful to try to be a part of it and, you know, have it flow through you, I guess.

Is the point when you talk about old blues and you.

That you grew up listening to and stuff with your dad and then what you also personally like, what kind of stuff?

Well, like old New Orleans music.

Alan Toussaint and James Booker.

And that scene has always been really powerful to me.

Like, I've.

I've listened so extensively to all of music.

Really, really inspiring.

And, you know, the Meters.

George Porter is one of my favorite bass players as well.

But I don't know why.

I've always had an affinity for just like old, like, roots music in general.

Why?

Like, I don't know.

That's why I love Paladino, actually.

Although it's kind of a different.

We're more of a country.

What were you listening to?

The roots music that was inspiring beyond.

The old blues, Muddy Waters is probably my favorite performer of all time.

But I grew up listening to a lot of the Allman Brothers.

Dwayne Allman, fantastic.

And Freddie King has been a huge inspiration as well.

I remember my dad gave me my first tape that he made for me.

It was Van Halen's Jump.

I was like 4 years old and then came like all Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin and all that Atlantic record stuff is really, really cool and really powerful to me.

My dad owns a record label called Landslide Records.

He's closely related with Capricorn, Widespread Panic's first album, and Derek Trucks first album.

I am a proud owner of one of the original album releases of Widespread Panic.

Before it got picked.

Yeah, before it was picked up and then redone.

That's so neat that you know the label.

Oh, yeah, that's crazy.

Well, that's really cool.

So lucky to have that.

Like, just to have a taste for music.

Like, I don't know, to have somebody who's like, so inspired and inspiring to just constantly be feeding me music still to this day.

Like, I was just getting into this gospel record recently.

T.L.

burnett and the Youth for Christ Choir.

Oh, wow.

72 Chicago.

This incredible gospel record that's like super soul oriented.

I'm like, dad, have you listened to this and he's like, no, he's like, but have you.

Have you hear Dorothy Love Coats and all?

It's all in the universe of music that you don't know exists.

And you think you know, right?

Yeah, I'm really getting into gospel these days, actually.

Like, I don't know how or why, but yeah, I like kind of soul.

I'm a little surprised at all the jazz and blues because I would not have said that right away from listening to Paladino.

I know, it's funny.

We are a cool combination.

I mean, I'm a huge music snob.

I wouldn't, like, be in this band if I didn't think that tunes were really powerful.

It's definitely like a roots country, but with like a real modern punk rock edge to.

It comes from Johnny, our lead singer, and then Chris, our lead guitar player.

Johnny grew up in Southern California, and Eric, Chris from New York.

They've got, like a huge punk rock thing going on.

So it's kind of like a neat combination of modern, cool, modern sound, but really, like, authentic.

You were talking a little bit about picking up the electric bass about 10 years ago.

@ what point did that become more than just something you were doing on your own?

You know, it's funny, I lived in San Francisco for a while and I moved to la and just randomly I was talking to a girlfriend about how I was playing bass.

And that would be cool to sort of look looking for a band.

But I just kind of started over in la.

And then one of her best friends had just mentioned to her that they were looking for a bass player.

It was just totally kind of meant to be.

And then I went over and rehearsed with them.

And magic happened, I thought.

And then we were rehearsing the next week at Johnny's house.

Johnny and I were.

And he had this upright just laying around that he never really played.

And it's a big beater and, like, I couldn't take my hands off it.

And like, here you go, you can take it.

And now I really need to give it back.

But, yeah, it all happened really organically.

It was meant to be.

It just kind of.

We all fell into it together.

Johnny and Adrian, our other guitar player, have known each other for 20 years.

And Johnny is actually like, he's a brilliant songwriter, but he's also a brilliant artist.

He's kind of a shut in.

And this is his first band.

Adrian was like, okay, this is all coming together.

It's time to start a band.

Like, it's Time to do this.

It has been really a cool ride.

Hey, this is Annie Rothschild with Palladino, and you're listening to Country Fried Rock as.

Y' all just sort of fell into this as the band.

What led to developing songs together?

Well, Johnny had a lot of songs that he were like, we were partially done, or he had ideas about.

And then he and Chris started collab a lot.

Chris is a brilliant musician who has been.

Who's toured the world with a number of bands.

Brings in a real sensibility and, like, a real strong direction the songs, you know, gives it a more of a modern edge to it, for sure.

He's also a fantastic performer and one of the greatest guitar players I've ever known.

I mean, killer slide player.

So I think that they kind of just started developing all the songs together, and then we all just started rehearsing.

We rehearsed twice a week for six months before we even played a gig.

And now it's just.

It's.

You know, you can feel it in our rehearsal space.

Like, everyone's kind of come into their own position in the band, which is totally fascinating because this band is full of characters, and just the chemistry that happens between everybody is fascinating, really.

You know, everyone has a specific place in it.

Like Johnny.

Johnny will come in with a song, and Chris will kind of help arrange it, and they'll be agreeing or disagreeing.

And Adrian is just like.

She's like, the one that just doesn't take any.

Okay, let's stay on track here.

Yeah, it's really fun to watch.

As you refined what you were doing with frequent rehearsal, how did it go as you first started performing out?

Actually, our first gig was at Silver Lake Lounge eight months ago.

Or, yeah, I guess about six to eight months ago.

It was, you know, it was cool.

It was a perfect club.

It was a good sound system.

Young guy was really on top of it.

And I feel like we're just getting better and better.

As long as we don't drink too much before the show, which we're, you know, we're not doing.

You know, our gigs are definitely becoming smoother and more refined.

We're getting down.

We've been experimenting with different set lists, trying not to change too much about the song.

Like, sometimes one of us will be like, wait, we should be doing this slower, or we should speed this up, or we should change this intro or whatever.

And then usually it's like checks and balances.

Like, someone will be like, no, dude, it's good the way we did it.

Let's not, you know, rearrange everything.

So.

And it's good.

We have an odd number of people in the band.

We can agree, like, okay, three versus we have.

The voice of reason is our drummer, John.

He's the one.

He's been playing drums his entire life and he's an incredible drummer.

He's always the one that kind of like is like the tiebreaker when you're.

Dealing with bluegrass or old time bands.

The bass line is what drives the rhythm.

But you've got a drummer, so how does that work for your interplay?

When we first started playing together, I totally glommed onto Johnny's upright immediately.

And then we're starting to play and then I was just really learning how to play it and it's a totally different.

And the guys, you know, were like, maybe you should play electric a little bit.

And I was like, no, actually I'm going to just play.

I'm going to.

You're going to have to bear with me.

You know, I took some lessons and started.

I picked it up really quickly.

Still picking it up, obviously, but really, really just took to it.

John is a very technical drummer.

He and I normally come up with the rhythm together.

It's kind of like I'll throw something out like, hey, what about this bass line?

Or what about that one?

And he'll say yes or no, or, you know, why don't I do this kind of fill?

And like, we definitely try to play off each other.

Whatever is best for the song.

Whatever is best for the moment.

Nobody is trying to be a hero or trying to stand out at all.

Whatever is happening at that.

Just trying to do right by the song.

It's all happened kind of quickly for you in terms of falling in together, rehearsing, having the gigs.

What led to recording the songs?

Yeah, it has happened.

It's so funny.

It really has happened so quickly, almost shockingly, you know, fast.

I think that a lot of that has had to do with Adrienne who's, you know, acting as our manager.

And she's.

She's just the most beautiful and brilliant gal.

I mean, she's so on board and so on top of it with reaching out to people and trying to get our name out there.

And then Johnny has a lot of connections in Los Angeles with different music folks and I do too.

We had a.

Have a great recording studio 101 recording that.

He's known, this guy David, David Ives forever, who's a really, really talented engineer.

And we went in there and recorded 10 tracks actually about a year Ago on my birthday.

Yeah.

And just belted them out and everyone said, no, no, this is just going to be a demo.

This is not going to be anything.

I'm like, o.

All right, okay, cool.

And of course it's our album, right?

But it was really, really fun.

And luckily, like, we've got so many talented ears, you know, and everyone.

It's a very cohesive, like, decision making process of what songs made the album, what songs didn't make the album, or this one, what kind of forms our sound, but gives a good overview of what Paladino is all about.

But the sound is definitely growing for sure since then.

Like our first record, 10 or 11 songs on it, and hopefully our next one will have at least that or more.

Chris is actually bringing in a lot of songs now as well, which is adding kind of a more rockabilly aspect to it, which is cool and really fun to perform live.

You know, a lot of high energy stuff.

Like when Johnny first started bringing a lot of the songs in, he was playing like a lot of slow, slow, more rootsy country songs.

And Adrian and I were both like, no, this is not going to fly.

We need some faster, more upbeat things.

And lo and behold, he's just got a huge cat dog.

He's okay.

What about this one or that one?

You know, like dim and gutless Jig is a good example of that.

And Lonely Mountain.

All right, so you went Into Record at 100:1 recording and the intent was kind of a demo.

You walk out the door, you got an album.

Were you working with anyone in producing that or were you all producing it yourselves?

No, it's all self produced.

Johnny and Chris definitely had the most to do with it.

And then David was kind of.

David Ives, our engineer, was kind of just like the one like the voice of reason in the corner.

Right.

You know about things.

But no, we didn't actually work with a producer, but I'm sure we'll probably have one on our next record that can help just kind of channel the sound into more cohesive unit.

Like on this record on Paladino, like self titled, you know, we've got some slow stuff, some really fast stuff, kind of.

I mean, being that we kind of did think it was gonna be a demo, we tried to just give an overall view of what the band can do.

Next record will probably be a little bit more fine tuned as you know.

You'Re moving forward and you know that you're going to go for a more cohesive sound next time.

What specifically would you be looking For.

For a producer to bring to the studio process for you all in the next one.

I would love for somebody to come in and just be able to make.

Have a better big picture of what our place in country music and rock and roll is.

Actually one of the things I love about the band is that I feel like the sound is pretty unique.

Brings in, like, roots country, brings in punk, and it's definitely different from anything I've heard.

So somebody that kind of has a better sense of the big picture of what works and what doesn't, what's avant garde and what's not, what's powerful and what's been done before.

Because we are kind of a throwback band, we bring in lots of elements from vintage sounds.

Like the slow country songs we do on the record.

Like Too Many Rivers and Green Green Grass.

Johnny's definitely a purist with old country music, so it's just kind of flowing through all of us.

And it would be nice to have somebody on board that had more of a vision of the future.

Hey, this is Annie Rothschild with Paladino.

Check out our record@paladinomusic.com.

Are you the kind that think that, you know, vintage gear and vintage recording would bring something to that, to the song?

It's funny you say that, actually, because I only listen to vinyl.

Kind of think the analog recording definitely beats digital.

But I know digital is so much easier, you know, and you can play around with it a lot.

But the problem with that is that a lot of artists, I feel like just overproduce, over produce, you know, which can lead to just disaster.

Like, you've got to know kind of when to stop, when to actually just go with the song.

And it's great when we can do it in just like a take for our record.

Like, we'd actually.

Nobody got more than three takes unless you begged for it.

Everyone only got three takes.

And then normally, either Johnny or David or Chris, it's like, nope, you're done.

You begged for it.

Like, really, like, no, please let me do it more time.

But the most fun is when you can just do it.

Just belt it out in one take and just not mess with it and have somebody that says, don't mess with it.

Have you all had any of those kind of discussions about who might be able to bring something like that to the table for you?

You know, a little bit.

I happen to be a huge fan of Jim Scott.

I think he's a terrific Producer.

He's done a lot of the Wilker Records, Eric and Susan's last record.

I think he has a real sensibility about what's good.

Like, is there another take in us, or do we have the best one?

It would be really great to work with them.

It's astute to notice what it is that a producer can bring to your team.

Has there been anything else that you think would really benefit you all as a group in terms of another element to the team that would help you get your musical message across?

We had a friend of ours sing with us one night.

Michelle Vidal, great Peruvian gospel singer.

She sat in with us on a tune, this old Mexican song called El Cancion.

Mexican Nick's Teka.

And that was really, really special.

It would be really, really neat to have, like, a powerful.

Really, like a.

She's like an opera singer.

Wow.

But that might not necessarily go with all the rest of the songs.

Adrienne and I are singing are starting to sing a lot more backup.

Some songs that we perform that we just sang would really, really cool to have, you know, just the girls, but all five of us have started singing, like, at all the shows.

That's really, really fun.

It would be neat maybe to have a fiddle player fit in on some of the tracks.

But I think overall, we're trying not to get too carried away with other elements.

We have three guitars, bass, drums, and the songs are so tight that there's almost, like, not much room for anyone else to kind of join in.

Yeah, it's funny, actually, like, I come from a whole different universe of music where we're from, from South.

So I've never really listened to a ton of fun music except, like, the Ramones.

Those elements really come in from Johnny and Chris and Adrian.

You know, that was kind of like their.

Like, Chris and Adrian lived in New York forever, and we're at CBGB's all the time.

And they know everything about that genre, as does Johnny.

I come in kind of a little bit more of a blues perspective.

I think the relationship between bluegrass and punk music, tight.

What does California then bring to your sound?

Being in la, actually?

Like, it's so.

There are so many bands here, I mean, and so many people have told us, like, don't even try to get popular in la.

We're living in la.

Make any money working in music in la.

So much competition, the LA music scene.

It's like.

It's so funny because, you know, my dad is like, annie, well, you know, you.

We started playing shows.

He's like, well, how much are you getting paid?

And we're like, you almost, like, have to play for free.

There's so many indie bands out here.

Right.

The scene is definitely saturated.

So that's why it's really fun to tour.

And I can't wait to play in the South.

I think it'll be really cool.

Everything I know about the LA music scene comes from musicians who are within the scene, all of whom think whichever they're part of town is.

Is the place to be, and that the rest of them are all bogus.

And that's practically a quote.

So you mentioned that y' all played in Silver Lake.

Is that your area?

Is that where you play regularly?

It's funny.

We're actually kind of spread out, but we rehearse in Venice, actually at the old the Monkeys old studio.

Cool.

Like this back house behind Chris and Adrian's house.

It's really funny.

But, yeah, the guy from the Monkees, they rehearsed there a lot.

Generally.

Like, we're always in Venice.

And then I live on the east side, actually, near Pasadena, so.

But I love.

I'm more of like an east side kind of indie hipster wannabe.

And those guys are on the west side, kind of like closer to the beach.

But I don't know.

We almost drive all over the place.

We played in Orange County.

We generally play shows on the east side, though, like Echo or in downtown, like a Villains Tavern or One Night Gypsy.

That's kind of more of our scene, I think.

Let's talk touring.

Is this in the works?

Yeah.

As far as our tour, we're definitely planning to hit some festivals this summer.

And we love the California coast all over.

Like, we're playing in San Francisco.

We plan to San Francisco all the time.

And we're hoping to do some festivals, which I think we've done.

We're definitely getting calls to do some shows in Austin and Texas.

Yeah, we'd love to make it out.

I'm sure we'll make it out to the South.

Georgia and Tennessee and South Carolina.

It's a little different living in a van with other people versus meeting them twice a week to rehearse.

Do you all have a game plan on that?

When we tour, we generally.

Well, Adrian and Chris actually have two little babes that come with us.

Oh, my goodness.

The whole family's on the road.

I know.

And we bring Adrienne's Aunt Barb, who is just one of the coolest ladies I've ever met in my life.

She's Southern and she takes care of the kids.

I know it's really fun having the kids on the road, actually, because they're turtle characters too.

But, yeah, we love being on the road.

Like, we're really good on the road, too.

We definitely feed off of it.

Our first show, we're always like, we're so excited and we're so on fire and then just kind of going on from there and changing things up a little bit, trying to keep it fresh.

But we love touring.

Really, really fun being out there with everybody.

The only brutal thing about that is that normally I'll end up sharing a room with them.

Lucky you.

I mean, just waking up.

Like, I do not know how people do it every day, but, like, we come back, we get back from the club at 2 in the morning and at like 6:30 or earlier, the kids are just on fire, ready to play.

And I always, like, end up, you know, taking the kids to breakfast done in the hotel and stay awake while we're eating breakfast together.

So it's exhausting.

But it really, it's really, really fun, though.

But it's too bad they can't come to the shows with us, right?

Wear them out a little bit.

They are kids, actually.

Little Maisie is four, and last time we did the show, like, she was able to come and she just would come up to the stage and Little George is not even two and she'd be, like, crawling around the pedals, like, while we're playing.

Like, wait, that's hysterical.

Both of those kids are so musical, too.

It'd be really, really fun to have Maisie, like, sit in, sing a song.

We might have to get around singing.

I'm saying, give her a little egg shaker or she's a great sing Tambourine.

Have you gotten to go out to any shows and has there been anyone you've enjoyed seeing?

I love seeing live music and, like, I go out every weekend.

I mean, I love to soak it in, hear what other people are doing and kind of keep my finger on the pulse a little bit.

I saw the Jayhawks last night at the Fillmore.

That was kind of interesting.

That was a great show.

Some of the best shows I've seen recently.

Alan Toussaint always just, like, so stellar.

Oh, actually, I got so lucky the other day in la.

A friend of mine tipped me off that Ringo was playing at the Troubadour Noon.

Little and I went down there and somehow to watch that.

But seeing, like, Ringo Starr play with, like, a hundred other people, he and his new band, including Joe Walsh, that was Pretty stellar.

But, yeah, I saw a Ween show recently that I thought was fantastic.

I really like Ween and just like the band, you know?

Like, if there was one band that I would strive for our band to be, like, it would be the band.

There's so many songwriters.

There's a lot of different styles coming together, and that's kind of like.

That's my vision for Paladino.

I know that upright bass players have various techniques that they love.

I attended an entire lecture one time on how not overuse the slap base.

I understand you're working on your upright base skills, but do you have a particular upright bass specific trick you'd like to learn?

You know, I was laying flat, too, and it's such a fine line between overusing that, I don't know, I usually just try to play in the pocket.

Basically, my trick.

I mean, just try to, like, fill in the blanks wherever it is.

And drive it.

But, yeah, I don't necessarily have any, like, specific technique that I use.

Really.

The hardest thing is Palaces, girl.

You know, you're constantly using lotions and creams and stuff like that on our faces and bodies, and they just didn't go away so fast.

That started showering with gloves on.

I never thought of that.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, they go.

They go away really, really fast when you're a girl.

So I'm trying to get some tricks from the guys, you know, Like, I'm constantly, like, trying to massage them and make them tougher, you know, Brown is Spalding about that.

She does about that.

It's funny to me, like, that some people only listen to one band, too.

I have friends who, like, only listen to Fish, or they only listen to Widespread, or they only listen to bluegrass or whatever.

And people just dial into that one thing, and then that's their thing.

I have to say, like, I'm definitely the complete opposite of that.

Like, and I've gone through phases with all of those.

Did Fish tour in high school, I went through a bluegrass phase, like, run through.

But now I'm just really, like, I'll probably dwell in New Orleans for the rest of my life.

You know, be there.

The gospel thing with me is coming.

I mean, Haley Jackson is.

She's my idol.

But I think overall, like, just roots music in general has always really appealed to me.

My favorite thing about playing in this band are just all the people in the band are such characters.

They're all such stars and interesting, fascinating folks in their own right.

It's brilliant how it all kind of comes together.

The chemistry between everybody.

We all haven't killed each other.

We all, like, love each other.

Can collaborate to the degree that we can.

That's really, really special for me.

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