From 2007 to 2012, songwriter Jesse Elliott led acclaimed rockers These United States through five studio albums and nearly 1,000 live performances in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appearing everywhere from Glastonbury to SXSW, Daytrotter to Lollapalooza. In early 2013, Elliott was stopping over for a month in Denver on his way to a new life in New York. But as the members of Ark Life met each other, journeyed into the mountains, and started playing music together, it became clear he’d have to stick around a little longer. The 3-part harmonies of pianist Lindsay Giles, bassist Anna Morsett (also of TUS), and guitarist Natalie Tate blended too perfectly with veteran Denver drummer Ben Desoto (Nathaniel Rateliff, The Czars). Fifteen months and 150 shows in, Denver garage-soul upstarts Ark Life have toured coast to coast, sharing stages with Of Montreal, Gregory Alan Isakov, PHOX, The Moondoggies, The Head & the Heart, Mount Moriah, Ryan Bingham, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Ha Ha Tonka, and more. With a similarly buzzy sound to contemporaries like Alabama Shakes, Clear Plastic Masks and J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Ark Life achieves that seamless hybrid of rock and R&B. Their infectious grooves are bursting with gospel-tinged, full-bodied vocals and smooth, folksy harmonies. With their 2014 album The Dream of You and Me recently released, Ark Life is starting to not only grab These United States fans’ ears, but also ears of true Americana rock everywhere. Glide is premiering their newest video for the track “What You Want To”, followed by an exclusive interview with front-man Jesse Elliott.
I wanted to begin by asking how and why you decided to form Ark Life? These United States seemed to be gaining some good momentum after your fifth album.
Yeah, honestly, These United States is still one of my favorite bands, and I still love all the people I worked with and will work with again on that. There were just all these other exciting things pulling everyone in different directions – relationships, musical projects, the usual – and it just felt like a good moment to take a break from that. So we weren’t thinking in terms of momentum, we were thinking in terms of inspiration. I guess that’s why we’ll probably all make better rock-and-rollers than business folks. Ark Life was a very accidental musical byproduct of a new life I was living, instead of the music causing the lifestyle, if that makes sense?
Is it true you recently relocated to Denver, CO? What are your overall thoughts on Denver and all the changes taking places for legal “medicine” and a continually growing downtown community?
Here I sit now. Just an amazing place, really experiencing this tremendous re-blossoming across the board — the music and arts communities, the food and comedy. And of course the mountains and the sunshine are eternal, at least by human measurements. I’ve heard about this medicine you speak of. Is that something I would need to see a doctor or a shaman for?
One thing that that really stands out are the wowing three part harmonies and the R & B influenced sound – was there anything in particular that you were listening to that made you want to go in that direction some? It’s inspiring how you managed to incorporate this into your songs but still maintain an Americana flair.
Thank you. I like America a lot of the time, and I’ll always love harmony – they seem like natural partners, in their best moments. What I was listening to most was just the singers themselves – Lindsay Giles on the keys, Anna Morsett the bass, Natalie Tate guitar. When we first started playing together, just for shits and giggles, they were just playing along on those instruments. As I started to hear more of their music – they’re all really modest about that, so it takes a minute – I realized I’d be crazy not to incorporate these gorgeous voices all around me. No surprise that I’ve quickly become all of our friends and fans fourth favorite vocalist. That is as it should be.
How long did it take to write and record The Dream of You and Me? What was most challenging about the process of finalizing this recording and the most rewarding?
Hard to say, really. It was a more drawn out process than I’ve ever experienced before, in the best possible sense. We sat around a lot of living rooms. We played a lot of shows. We introduced a lot of songs, and kicked a fair number out. Where does the writing begin? The recording was quick, maybe 9 days total, but the writing never really began and will never really end, you know?
Can you say that this is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding times you’ve had as a musician and band leader and what advice would you give to other band-leaders to form other musical outlets rather than stick with one entity?
Yes. Always just basically say yes.
“What You Want To” is about a perfect a rock song as it gets- how did that one come together and is it as much fun to play as it is to listen to?
That’s an interesting one, actually, cause it’s the only one that we tried way back when as a These United States song, for our fourth album. It just never clicked. Nothing in particular, probably just that I personally didn’t have a clear enough picture of it in my head at the time to make good decisions about what to put where. As with a few of these Ark Life tunes, the secret glue became the vocals. I hadn’t thought about the song in several years, and as soon as I heard Anna and Natalie and Lindsay start singing all these other songs together, it popped back into my head from the deep dark ugly recesses. Ben plays a sick beat on it, too. That is rock and roll, and yes, that is fun.
You work with These United States has a large geographical theme – from the band name to the vast musical styles and your collaborations with musicians all over the U.S. Was there any type of theme running through this Ark Life debut and what was the lyrical inspiration?
As a great man once sang – and that man was the Unthinkable Molly Brown, who at the time was quoting me, I believe – “Maybe I’ll invent the wheel again / cut through the land / call it a knife? / Maybe I’ll build up the dream of an ark / invite a few friends / call it a life?”
How would you best describe what it is that really inspires you to either pick up a pen or pick up an instrument and write a new song for Ark Life these days vs what got you moving creatively with These United States?
I think it’s all the same thing. The muse, boredom, angels, assholes, whoever you see around you on the street or don’t see by the ocean. Maybe I take that initial reaction to the universe and all its strange animals off in a different direction these days, but it’s still all the same basic stupid infinite human desire to throw a temper tantrum into the vast amused void. Marty the landlord in The Big Lebowski, for instance. Very far out.
Your infamous for your constant touring and Ark Life has already played 150+ shows in 15 months- obviously there is no slowing down for you. Has touring with the new band given you a new outlook on the life of a touring musician at all?
I hope there is some slowing down for me somewhere. That’s what I was trying to do moving to Denver, actually. Then I met all these damn wonderful people again. We move well together. Not perfectly. No band moves perfectly, and if they do they’re probably not terribly interesting people. But we’ve learned the right speeds to move and not move together, and we’re still learning, and that is what they call a band, as opposed to musicians.
Having shared the stage with numerous artists and collaborators over the years- who has inspired you the most and taught you the most valuable musical lessons?
Well, it always comes back to your closest sources, if you’re lucky. Anna has her project The Still Tide. Natalie Tate has rounded up some really amazing people who go by Chimney Choir to play her music. Lindsay writes these amazing tunes all by herself that I hope she someday lets someone else hear – “You’re With Me” from the album is a part of one of those, actually. Ben writes songs, too, but only Lindsay has overheard one of those gems. Recently, we got to spend a lot of time with Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats, since he produced most of the album. His new self-titled album EDJ is gorgeous. Marc Benning and Rebecca Marie Miller and Adam Arcuragi and Paleo and Aaron Latos and all these other overflowing human fountains who chipped in little bits and pieces to our journey so far – these are a few of my favorite folks.
Can you share with our readers your favorite Ark Life gig so far?
No. They have to come to it. We’re waiting for them. But not in a creepy way. But kind of.
