Some years ago, Graham Winchester — perhaps best known for his drumming with Devil Train, Jack Oblivian & the Sheiks, Reigning Sound, and his garage rock duo with Seth Moody, Turnstyles — explained to the Flyer how, when it came to songwriting, he was ultimately a folk artist. “I’ll usually even write Turnstyles songs on the acoustic in sort of a folkie way,” he said. “And then I’ll bring it to Seth and go, ‘I need help rocking this up.’”
That described the songwriting process leading to his last album, Nobody Waters the Flowers, material he’d composed during the most isolated years of Covid lockdown. But now, with the release of his new LP, Feelin’ Like Dealin’ (Blast Habit Records), things have changed.
As soon as you drop the needle on Side A, one stomper after another storms off the turntable, all greasy guitar riffs, reedy Farfisa organ, and pounding drums. By track five, things veer into soul ballad territory a bit, but by then the singer-songwriter’s love of pounding rockers has been established. It’s a new emphasis in his work, and the key to it all, no doubt to the dismay of countless musicians’ domestic partners, comes down to one thing: buy more gear!
“I think since I did Nobody Waters the Flowers, I’ve collected more guitars,” he explains impishly. “Like, a lot of Teiscos and other Japanese ’60s brands. Those kinds of guitars and those kinds of drums are my weakness. I’ll buy one and be like, ‘Okay, that’s it. I’m satisfied.’ And then I’ll see another one. Because they’re often inexpensive. So I had a lot of different guitars to experiment with, and they definitely made their way onto this record. Also, getting a Farfisa [organ] made a big difference.”
Bear in mind that these gizmos are for both Winchester himself and for clients of his home studio. “It’s called TinyLand Studio because it’s a converted attic with shorter ceilings,” he explains. The late Cheyenne Marrs’ album, Everybody Wants To Go Home, was recorded there, as were parts of Frank McLallen’s Extra Eyes. Those artists all share Winchester’s love of old records. “I’m always trying to capture great tones, with a lot of warmth,” Winchester says. “I love that kind of ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s era of recording. I love using old Electro-Voice microphones and archaic instruments, you know, and just trying to capture a vibe.”
It helps that Winchester plays every instrument on the record — with the enthusiasm of a drummer who’s typically chained to his kit. “I’ve always thought of myself as a drummer/keyboardist,” he notes. “Drums are my first love and what I play in a lot of bands. Playing the keys is so much fun for me, but even then I feel like I’m almost like playing drum rhythms on the keys.” And yet his playing, from groovy Farfisa licks that recall Bill Black’s Combo, to saloon piano, to ambient Rhodes, and even extending to rock guitar, is on point throughout.
Those skills come in handy for the quieter material as well. Ironically, given the new garage rock energy of the album, the title song, “Feelin’ Like Dealin’,” which you might expect to be a raucous Fugs-like tune extolling the virtues of slinging contraband, is actually a sparse country waltz. “Lately I’ve been feelin’ like dealin’ with myself for the first time in a while,” Winchester croons, and it’s clear that the fellow who was once the wunderkind of the local scene is now both a dad and a middle-aged adult taking stock of his own foibles.
It may be those stripped-down songs that shine the most at Winchester’s release show, happening at Bar DKDC on Friday, July 24th, at 7 p.m., as he won’t be leaning into the album’s full rock band sound then. “I’ll start off solo, on acoustic guitar and piano,” he says. “For the second half of the set, I’ll have electronic drums with keys and me playing more percussion with my feet, and Seth playing bass. So, it’s kind of a different way of performing live for me.” Those who want to hear the record, on the other hand, can attend the listening event at Memphis Listening Lab on Wednesday, July 22nd, at 6 p.m.
