Young rocker Pete Yorn embodies the
best of both worlds, or at the very least, his two favorite
styles of music. "I love the emotion and the lyrics of American
roots-rock, and I love the emotion and the melody of Britpop,"
says Pete, adding, "I love Bruce Springsteen and the
Smiths." With his debut album, musicforthemorningafter
(Columbia), the L.A. - based artist echoes David Bowie, the
Psychedelic Furs, the Replacements, and John Mellencamp, and
manages to make it all sound fresh and original. Part of the
secret of Yorn's success is his understanding of Britpop song
structure. "The verses all have minor chords, while the choruses
all have major, poppy chords to them," he explains. Indeed,
Yorn's songs are streamlined and very hooky by design. "I'm not
into clutter in songs-the vocal starts quick, and the verses
roll right into each other," explains Yorn.
A New Jersey boy by birth and raising, Yorn started playing
drums as a child and moved on to the guitar at about 13. "Once I
learned to play, I was immediately writing songs," he says. Once
he was enrolled at Syracuse University, his songwriting
exploded, in part because of the climate. "The Syracuse winters
are so harsh, there isn't much else to do."
Much as Yorn is concerned with songcraft, he also takes a strong
interest in building a recording's sound. "Over the last few
years I've learned a lot about how to layer guitars, especially
acoustics," says Pete. "When used correctly, it's a really nice
complement to any song, adding a nice fullness even if you just
play one droning note." (www.peteyorn.com) |