Kim Ruehl: Where did the title Hope for the Hopeless come from?
Brett Dennen: It's a line in one of the songs....in the chorus. I like to name my records after a line that really sums it all up. I think that song is a good [representative]. It sums up the way I'm writing right now, and it represents the album. I think that's a catchy line that's [about] accepting and appreciating struggle, not being complacent in hard times. It's about joy in struggle, being optimistic.
Do you find that being optimistic in these times is difficult, or is that what you feel like music does for people?
I think it's definitely difficult.
Do you feel like music is a way that people find hope?
Yeah it's easy to be negative. It's easy to suffer. It takes a lot of effort to look at the bigger picture. In my own personal life, it's easy to [get down on things] and enjoy life when it's hard. If you can use your suffering in a way to turn it into something positive...it's difficult as an artist to put a message out there all the time and reach out to people. I can just hope the message I put out there is a positive one.
How does your songwriting process work?
Usually I'll get a melody in my head and I'll try different chords...I think about phonetics a lot and how words sound...just the way words come out, the power certain words hold and what they communicate when taken out of context. I'll get a good phrase or a good line and build off of that. I usually don't get so critical of the words until after I've written a lot of them. I'll usually write, write, write, write everything down, try not to waste words. And then I try to just boil it down to the simplest way I can find it.
What did you do differently this time around, compared to your last record?
I think that's one of the things right there: being a little more open with the lyrics. The last record, there was a lot more words. Every song had a lot more verses. This time, I wanted to be more about conservative minimalism with the poetry, and just be more concentrated and focused. With the music, I wanted to have less production on some songs. And then on the single, I wanted to have it a little more produced so it would come across as more polished. That was a conscious decision, so that this album could be played on the radio more people could hear it. I wanted that one to be easily understood and appreciated, rather than acoustic, folky, and raw, like I've played in the past. I wanted to have some of the songs have more of a broader appeal to attract people into listening to the other stuff on the record.
Tell me about working with Femi Kuti.
That was one of the most positive, intense, creative experiences I've ever had. He comes from an incredible family of musicians. His father's a highly respected musician...I think he's a really powerful person. Everything he says is [full of] similes and metaphors, and it's really inspiring to be around him. I was really inspired.
When I've seen you live, you seem to feed so much off the energy in the room. I'm wondering if, when you're in the studio, do you just go in the zone, or do you have any rituals you do in the studio to get there?
I drink a lot of yerba mattes to get energized and get more present in my body. It's a really healthy organic stimulant. I's similar to coffee, just as a way to get more energy. People call it caffeine, but it's not completely caffeine. It promotes health and good judgment, and makes you have a lot of energy. Every time you record, you want to perform your best, because you never know if that's the one you're going to keep. When you play live, you're talking more to the crowd...but when there's no crowd there, you have to find some way to stimulate yourself or get in the mood. Any time the record button goes off, I'll [take the chance] to run around or do yoga, stretch, get inspired by the other musicians in the room. It's also a big thrill. I haven't recorded so much in my career, so it's still...an emotional high. The whole process makes me happy.
Do you ever get writer's block?
Yeah, I have a little bit of it right now. I think it's because, for the record, I wrote around 40 songs. Since I made the record, I've been working on five songs, but I haven't been able to finish them. I think it's because I've lost a little inspiration. What works the best is to try to find new [things]...paintings and people...try to be more abstract to get my creative juices flowing. I try to just jam. I think everything comes in waves. When I lose inspiration to write, I tend to get really into my art and painting, find another creative outlet. Usually, after a while, I find more inspiration from music.
Interview date: 10/16/08
