▼ Music Midlake members Eric Pulido, Jesse Chandler, Eric Nichelson, Joey McClellan and McKenzie Smith, from left to right. courtesy Midlake/Barbara FG Thicker Than Water As Midlake prepares to release a new album, its members talk about a new collaborative way of music-making, going with the flow and living in Denton. BY VINCENT ARRIETA O 16 16 n a chilly January day in their hometown of Denton, mem- bers of the4 folk-rock outfit Midlake are having a spirited discussion about bagels. “Supposedly it’s the water you use that makes the difference, but I don’t know what the science behind that is,” keyboardist Jesse Chandler says. “I’ll recommend you some amazing bagel places to check out if you’re ever in New York, and word to the wise: supposedly if you’re heating up a ba- gel, you’re supposed to wet it first. That’s supposed to help with the ‘mouth feel.’” Chandler involuntarily cracks a smile, and his bandmates join him in a fit of laugh- ter. “I can’t believe I just said that word in an interview,” he says, laughing. “I’ll tell you what, Jesse. The Andy’s [Bar] kitchen isn’t being used at all, so if you want to start your bagel empire down there, do it,” says singer/guitarist Eric Pulido, referring to the Denton bar some members co-own. “You’re going to need to import that New York water, baby,” jokes drummer McKen- zie Smith. “It’ll be called ‘Jesse Chandler’s Mouth Feel — wet your bagel.’” The abundance of laughter is a candid snapshot of Midlake in their element: re- laxed, spontaneous, with an excess of free- wheeling energy. The band is gearing up to release For the Sake of Bethel Woods, their first LP in nine years, on March 18. Midlake became woven into the fabric of the then-burgeoning folk-rock revival with the release of their 2006 breakthrough al- bum The Trials of Van Occupanther and its hit single “Roscoe.” Soon, tours with the likes of Band of Horses, The Flaming Lips, Cold War Kids, and festival slots alongside Daft Punk and at Coachella became Mid- lake’s home away from Denton. The band then found their most ardent following in Europe, where they earned a fan in Ricky Gervais partially because of their 2010 follow-up album The Courage of Others and its incorporation of sounds by the likes of Pentagle, Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull. Chandler says that, particularly in the U.K., people often come up to the band and tell tales of Midlake’s music being passed be- tween generations. “Someone once told us af- ter a show, ‘I named my son Roscoe,’” he says. “Roscoe” was later was named the 90th best song of the 2000s by Rolling Stone. What have the men of Midlake been up to for this near-decade? “Two master’s degrees,” jokes Pulido. “Side projects, solo stuff. We stayed active, stayed friends and did stuff to- gether like [the band] BNQT. I just think it was a conscious decision to do other things because we were so immersed in doing Mid- lake. I think it was healthy to branch off and do other musical things, play with other folks and be with friends and family.” “I never stopped,” says guitarist Eric Nichelson. “We were always working, and when we took a break, I still did that, but with my own things. When we came to- gether and said ‘Hey, let’s make a record,’ it wasn’t hard at all. We just shifted our focus.” The last time Midlake was on the radar, they had just seen the departure of longtime singer and sole songwriter Tim Smith (no re- lation to drummer McKenzie Smith) in the midst of preparing for their fourth album. Undeterred, Pulido took up vocal duties and the band started over with a new, collec- tivist approach to songwriting, resulting in 2013’s Antiphon, which was written and re- corded in six months. “It was daunting when Tim left, because he had such a pivotal songwriting role,” Pulido says. “Whether it was because of our own stubbornness or willingness, we really wanted to do what we said we were gonna do. Not only to our fans, but to our label, and to ourselves.” Midlake decided that the songwriting du- ties would be shared by the band’s six mem- bers, a decision that continues with For the Sake of Bethel Woods. If anything, according to Pulido, the band’s collectivist writing iden- tity has only improved on the new record. “Even McKenzie got into that side of things as well,” he says. “Obviously, his rhythms have been huge to the band for so long, but even just writing ‘Gone’ was one where McKenzie was the core of that idea. I felt like it was easier, more natural, and enjoyable.” “You would think that situation could be a ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ kind of vibe,” Chandler says. “But I think we figured out a way, especially on this album, to just move things a lot quicker. Part of it is just perspective from waiting so long and work- ing on a lot of other projects. We got a lot of perspective that didn’t come during the first incarnation and ended with touring Anti- phon. It seemed like it was sort of a frenzy from the beginning of the band all the way to the time to pause and reflect. Everybody went and had kids, among other things. “The perspective you get from that time off, you’re able to get the essence of some of the ideas quicker as a band than before rather than waiting for one guy to come up with stuff. You’re sometimes twiddling your thumbs not knowing what to do.” For guitarist Joseph McClellan, after working on his own solo project under the moniker Joseph M, he found it was easier to bring his own songs to the table for Midlake. “I feel like I’m definitely growing as a songwriter, learning things about myself and how I create,” he says. “It’s a lost opportu- nity if these people aren’t able to have their voices heard in this situation, as opposed to being directed, ‘This is what I want you to play.’ There’s creativity and information that is lost if you don’t utilize it.” Pulido, who also performs solo as E.B. The Younger, compares Midlake’s new- found communal attitude to that of his all- time favorite band, The Band. “There’s a comfort where you’re not the star, you’re just the sideman. It takes the pretense away,” he says. 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