Mapache on songwriting, collaboration and their new album Swinging Stars
Petal Motel contributor and author, photographer, wanderer, and all-around brilliant creative Roberto Johnson was kind enough to interview Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci about their new record, Swinging Stars. Mapache has been dear to my heart ever since I saw Sam and Clay singing under the stars at Landers Brew Co. (RIP) here in the desert, long before it became my home. Mapache is integral to the overall web of Petal Motel and I can’t believe it took this long to get them on here. Read on as Roberto inquires the source about their magic.
Mapache’s music is the heartbeat of the California sound. Across their brief tenure, the band has gradually evolved from a humble harmony duo to full-fledged cowboys of cosmic folk. Formed around songwriters Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci, their honest and laid back style has grown increasingly endearing over time, the symbiosis between its two core members making each release as easy to love as the last.
When it came time to record their latest batch of songs, Finch and Blasucci opted to leave the confines of their native Los Angeles for a more remote destination, one better suited for the music they had up their sleeves. That base ended up being the Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, a secluded outpost overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the hills of southwest Marin County. Previously the home of sessions for My Morning Jacket, Cate Le Bon, and labelmates Allah-Las, the setting offers a vibrant backdrop of tree-shaded shrublands, roaming critters, and trickling creeks making their way towards the sea – imagery with a longstanding place in the Mapache songbook.
Swinging Stars, the resulting album from the Stinson Beach sessions, is the boldest Mapache record yet. At 14 tracks and nearly an hour of runtime, the LP offers a comprehensive view into the rich songcraft of the band’s rapidly expanding discography. Like the rest of their work, it’s an album that sounds best in the sun, a stoned symphony of carefree coastal choogle and canyon songs infused with subtle psychedelia and an unmistakable Angeleno influence.
Building on the electric sound first uncovered on last year’s Roscoe’s Dream, the energy captured on Swinging Stars is rustic and raw. Foregoing the airtight arrangements of their previous work, Finch and Blasucci instead lean the group in favor rollicking grooves and a more unvarnished aesthetic, a reflection of their prowess as a live band, where at times they resemble a jam outfit more than anything else. The finished product is far from polished yet completely entrancing, more akin to Crazy Horse than the Everly Brothers or CSN. Lead single “People Please” ranks among the most swinging Mapache songs to date. “French Kiss” showers over a classic R&B melody with waves of cascading guitar and piano.
Also notable throughout the album is the distinction between Finch and Blasucci’s songwriting styles, a result of living apart for the first time in several years. Blasucci’s pop sensibilities come through on the sensual opener “Sentir,” the dramatic Harrison-esque ballad “Ghosts,” as well as “Amazing,” where his piano provides somber backing for Finch’s tempered revelations. Finch’s catharsis, meanwhile, is embedded in a deep sense of place. His lyrics often seek refuge in nature, as on the breezy rhythms of “What A Summer” and the high and lonesome “Encinal Canyon,” using elemental allusions as a means of preserving a memory or conveying genuine pathos. Still, the band’s synergy remains intact, as seen on the instrumental centerpiece “Home Among The Swinging Stars.”
As with past projects, the tandem isn’t afraid to look outside of their own arsenal for inspiration. “Reflecting Everything” marks the first original composition on a Mapache record from drummer Steve Didelot, whose playing also appears on every track. His tune gets the full cosmic treatment, aided by producer Dan Horne’s sublime steel and Finch and Blasucci’s honeysuckle harmonies. A faithful cover of Pacific Range’s “Rainbow Song” maintains the dreamy atmosphere, Horne’s crescendos veering on pure euphoria. One of the album’s most subdued tracks, “Where’d You Go” features maybe the most significant external contribution: an acoustic guitar spot from revered country-folk craftsman David Rawlings that sounds right at home alongside the band’s wholesome twang.
Five albums in, Mapache remains many things: a sterling pair of voices, a powerful and shapeshifting songwriting partnership, and a stronghold for authentic heritage revivalism. Swinging Stars is perhaps their magnum opus – a celebration of the band’s metamorphosis from Echo Park charmers to the quintessential California band.
What inspired the idea to take this project elsewhere and work in a more secluded way?
Clay: Previously all the records we’ve made we’ve done at home or very close to home, which is wonderful, but we wanted to try something new. We’d had a few friends work up at this studio at Stinson and we visited once or twice and knew it was special and that we wanted to work there at some point. It was exciting to try recording somewhere that was already such a beautiful place with such a strong vibe, and somewhere everyone would sleep and eat and live the entirety of the recording process.
Musically, this record feels more raw and groovy than anything you’ve released so far. How would you compare the sounds and inspirations explored on Swinging Stars to that of past projects?
Sam: We wanted this record to feel more live. We wanted guitars to be hot and vocals to be raw, so we just threw up some mics and went for it.
The album bio mentions how this was the first time you’ve been able to lean into your own personal styles, in terms of the songs you each brought to the table. How much does trust play a factor in allowing each other to follow your own tastes and interests, knowing eventually it’s all going to come together?
Sam: It’s important for us to be open minded and proactive about welcoming new styles in from each other. That’s how we collaborate best.
Dan Horne’s been by your side for every Mapache record up to this point. How has your relationship with him evolved since you first started recording together? What do you value in his approach as a producer and bandmate?
Clay: For better or for worse, we can all sort of read each other’s minds at this point. I like working with Dan because we can all communicate pretty well with each other. He keeps things simple, he lets the songs and ideas breathe. He focuses on a simple way to make something sound good, it doesn’t get too complicated.
On the same note, Steve Didelot has become an increasingly integral part of the band, both on the road and in the studio. “Reflecting Everything” is definitely an album highlight. What is it about Steve’s presence that is so essential to the music you guys are making?
Sam: Steve is like our brother and he brings so much to the group. We love playing and collaborating with him. It was great having him on Roscoe’s Dream and having him back for Swinging Stars made it all feel even tighter. It was a lot of fun to work on his tune.
How does the contrast between the full-band dynamic and the stripped-back acoustic sound a lot of people first associated with you continue to serve you as songwriters and players? Do you think it’s an instance of one mode helping the other and vice versa?
Clay: Some of our music just sounds better electric, or the other way around. Having both outlets just gives us a few more voices to use to express ourselves. It’s also really fun to take songs that were originally acoustic and play them with a full band and see how they morph and evolve and feel fresh.
Hispanic influences have been central to your work from the start. Being from Los Angeles has a lot to do with that, as do your individual backgrounds. Why has incorporating Spanish elements remained important to you guys? Is it second nature at this point or is it something you feel a responsibility to keep exploring?
Sam: We don’t feel any responsibility to continue exploring it, but we do feel a different type of freedom in expressing ourselves through the Spanish language and words that allow us to say things differently. We like embracing that style of music that has been so present in our lives since childhood.
Naturally, California scenery always finds its way into your songs. “What A Summer” and “Encinal Canyon” feature some really beautiful imagery, which the music also reflects. How do you most often connect to nature these days? What does that do for your headspace when it comes to creating?
Clay: I try to surf, bodysurf or swim every day. The ocean is an abundantly fascinating environment that pretty powerfully stimulates all your senses. The colors and feelings and smells and all the life in the ocean give me the most creative fire.
It’s not uncommon for you to feature some left-field instrumentation on a track or two for each record. The flute on the title track stands out. How did that wind up in the mix?
Sam: We love R. Carlos Nakai, who was a big inspiration for that.
There’s a really nice cover of “Rainbow Song” here as well. You have close ties with Pacific Range, so covering one of their songs isn’t necessarily a surprise, but you manage to interpret it in a fresh way while staying true to the original. What inspired this version of that particular song?
Clay: For me, that song was a sort of calling out to someone you love who seems to be lost and slipping away and that was happening to someone we love so much, so covering that song felt right and resonated deeply.
Four albums in four years is quite a run. Not to mention, you guys are constantly on the road, often playing two sets a night. It seems like the band’s commitment to touring has really helped you grow an audience in an organic way. Even so, travel expenses and the wear and tear of playing live can turn it into a grind. How do you keep yourselves and the music feeling fresh?
Sam: We all feel very comfortable on the road. It’s a lifestyle that feels right and we would be doing it regardless of the promo it might get us. The grind is what it is. We get tired and grumpy and fuckin’ broke, but it’s what we love to do and we love to see the people that like our music and play it for them in person where we can all be together and connect. All the love and support we get on the road always keeps us going and it all comes back around.
David Rawlings has a wonderful feature on the closing track to Swinging Stars, surely a cool moment for you guys and the band. Between those types of collaborations, extensive touring, and recent solo endeavors, the last couple of years have been pretty jam-packed. Is there something the band hasn’t had the chance to do yet that might be on the horizon?
Clay: Having Dave on the record was a huge honor and our grom selves would shit their pants if they could see us now. There are a few other heroes of ours from different musical backgrounds we want to try and get involved in future projects. Sam and I have also talked for a long time about making some sort of movie. Like a pirate movie or something. Stay tuned.
Press photo by Nydia Gonzalez
