In the band's ongoing interview series "Drinks With",  their chat with the XX just posted on American Songwriter:

"I don’t see what me and Romy do as singing to one another,  so it doesn’t matter if my input doesn’t completely fit lyrically to what she’s saying, because we’re not singing to one another. We’re kind of seeing what we’re doing as side by side, and crossing paths. So I think that allows us to be a lot more genuine. I don’t have to put myself in her shoes, she doesn’t have to do the same. And yeah, I think that when we meet up, what we do is a case of collaging really."

Here is a link to the recent 'drinks with' interview that Skip did with Julian Casablancas. The interview was also featured on JulianCasablancas.com

Our dear friend Bryan Cates was personally invited by the guys in Band of Horses to open their current leg of U.S. shows. Logan is currently playing drums on the road with Bryan. If you haven't heard his music then get thyself to bryancates.com

Skip's 'Drinks With Phoenix' interview is the cover story for the July / August issue of American Songwriter magazine. The interview took place in Atlanta in April.

To read this and other 'drinks with' interviews, click here:

Skip: Were there any particular songs you heard when you were a kid, that made you want to write songs?

Branco: "We were ten years old when Thriller was released. And -- Thriller was a shock for the world, for everybody – even now I don’t really understand how it works. It’s like all the seams have been removed, and it’s this mysterious sphere or monolith. You can also feel that it’s the result of a tradition -- a tradition of secrets and a tradition of expertise. When you have that, of course there is this desire to create something new, but there is a tension between creating something new and this form [that is passed down]."

The band is very pleased to announce their recent signing to the Paris-based Fargo Records. The label (home to Andrew Bird, et al) will be releasing "OH TALL TREE IN THE EAR" to France, the UK, Spain, Germany, and other European territories.

"the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a very long time."

(from the band's tour with Alejandro Escovedo) 

Of course it was hardly surprising that Escovedo put on a show for the ages. However, opening act, Roman Candle, was more than a treat. The Chapel Hill via Nashville quintet played an exciting, passionate set, where each song seemed equally influenced by Gram Parsons as The Replacements as Talking Heads.

Skip Matheny’s lyrics swing from serious and sad, to clever and witty without ever seeming disingenuous; thus disarming the crowd and leaving them at the mercy of the band’s whim. Matheny is incredibly charismatic frontman, and has great rapport with the audience. We danced in the palm of his hand for the duration of their forty-five minute set – a rare feat for an opening act. Roman Candle is definitely a band that is on the rise, and after seeing them play last night – that’s the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a very long time. 

A video of roman candle playing WHY MODERN RADIO IS A-OK was recently featured on NME.com. The video was taken at wnrn in Charlottesville VA while the band was on the road in 2009.

"Right now, my kids are thrilled to be on the road with us just because it means they can go to hotels across America and jump on the beds," guitarist and vocalist Skip Matheny says...

Roman Candle has been slowly but steadily gaining fans throughout the U.S. and building a significant amount of buzz since the release of their first album The Wee Hours Review on V2...

I’ve dropped the ball on sharing the greatness of Roman Candle with you earlier. Their 2009 release Oh Tall Tree in the Ear has to be in consideration for most underrated album of the year.