We recently caught up with Ronnie Ferguson, one half of the Michigan father/son duo STREAKING IN TONGUES. Each day for the past two weeks the band has released a new song/video on Youtube for their latest, Live from Lockdown. The new album was captured in the duo’s living room with one microphone in early May. All of the songs have been previously released, but here many are reinterpreted, undergoing revelatory evolutions. The result is a hypnotic, intimate recording that plays out like a psychedelic night of prayer and lamentation.
“Kindergarten Prayer #1” by STREAKING IN TONGUES
“Young Again” by STREAKING IN TONGUES
DPN: Tell us about the recording of Live from Lockdown. What inspired the album?
RF: Being in lockdown. As everything changed, after a while we needed something to do to keep sane and stay motivated to get out of bed. Before the pandemic we’d been planning to play a couple release shows for our last album, Oh My Darlin’, so we’d been rehearsing pretty regularly. We tried to tap into a daily discipline momentum.
DPN: All of the songs were recorded previously…so why these songs?
RF: Yeah. All of the songs first appeared on either Knocky-Boo (The Eternal Playground) or Kindergarten Prayers, our first and third albums. They seemed like the ones to do, ripe for reimagining or whatever. As much as we try to do our best when recording, we’ve always thought of our songs as not set-in-stone. I mean, we try not to be too precious about playing them like on the albums. So some of the recordings are kind of stripped back to more simple instrumentation, but most are explored beyond the album versions. The one rule we had is that we would record everything in the living room live and only use one mic.
DPN: For a band that frequently uses multi-tracking and layering, recording live with one mic seems like it would be very limiting.
RF: Yeah, that was part of the point. To take away all options besides the essential.
DPN: Besides making music, have you been doing any other creative projects?
RF: Not really. Elliott and I had two friends staying with us for a while. During those first few months we would get outside as often as possible to hike in the woods or play croquet on an empty baseball field near our home. Besides that, online school and movie nights (when we could all agree on a movie). Saw Wings of Desire for the first time! It’s weird to talk about it like it’s in the past. It still feels like lockdown. Each day everyone has to check the reports. Though some people are starting to return to safe activities, some are still on high alert and very hesitant to leave home. We’re definitely more hesitant. But when we do go out we’re masking up and keeping away from others.
DPN: I can imagine that making an album during the pandemic was especially rewarding. Did you learn anything from the process?
RF: I don’t know if it was especially rewarding. In a lot of ways, it was less about making an album and more about just doing something collaborative and constructive. We’re proud of our work, but it was definitely more about the process. I think when approached in a healthy way, process (the journey) is what’s most important anyway. We always want to do our best, but sometimes doing our best is not paramount. So, in a way, it has been especially rewarding because it gave us a brief reprieve from worry and anxiety. With that said, it’s a live album without an audience, so it’s kind of a sad thing.
DPN: Besides your own work, have you been listening to other music?
RF: Definitely. I’ve been listening to music about every day and much of it is stuff I never heard before. A couple of friends and I have been meeting monthly on Zoom to share music. It’s been great fun and community during a time when it’s hard to find either. Anyway, here’s a brief playlist from the last week or so:
A musician from Ypsilanti named Jim Cherewick released a great song/music video about working retail during the pandemic. He’s also a gifted visual artist. You can check out more of his work at http://www.jimcherewick.com/
“Frosting on Fire” by Jim Cherewick
Another singer/songwriter I’ve been really enjoying is Lena Maude (www.lenamaude.com). She’s from the U.P. and like Jim, she’s a double-threat: musician/visual artist. Her album Dreamer’s Pond is delightful. Check it out.
“Just Making Noise” by Lena Maude
All the way from Belgium, Reagan Sloman’s debut album A Million Fat Cows with Soft Fuzzy Ears has been in steady rotation this year. Striking work. Along with being wonderfully tuneful, the album is a reminder of the power of the right words to capture big ideas. And most of the songs are short! Anyone can download the entire album for free at his website (https://embassyofwords.blogspot.com/). Do it. Definitely worth a listen. “General Strike” is one of his newer songs, I believe.
“General Strike” by Reagan Sloman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRSDR9LcsgI
James Brown 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! Yes, I know, I’ve been living under a rock.
Last but not least…Oddkin’s new album, The Truth Will Make You Oddjust came out. I had the privilege to play on it. Also, Rob made some fun art on Bandcamp for each one of the tracks. Lo-fi, outsider, goth, rock, electro it’s all in there. Also, I recommend his previous album, Recreating Reality. Wildness and bangers on both albums.
BANDCAMP: https://oddkin.bandcamp.com/album/the-truth-will-make-you-odd
DPN: How can listeners get a copy of Live from Lockdown and connect with STREAKING IN TONGUES?
RF: We only have hard copies at live shows. Otherwise they can listen through our website, Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, etc… Anyone can also connect with us on Facebook.
URL: www.streakingintongues.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/streakingintongues
BANDCAMP: www.streakingintongues.bandcamp.com
End of Interview