Scott Tournet has recently let his hair down again: in more than one way. After 13 years with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals as a founding member and lead guitarist, Tournet is now exploring a place rhythmically and lyrically that would never have appeared had he not made a change. While Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were getting more produced and sheen, Tournet was itching to explore different genres, song structures, sonics and adding an oomph to his rhythmic ideas. Musically Tournet wanted to fill a creative void that was briefly filled with 2013’s Ver La Luz (his second solo album) and his on again off bluesy roots improv band Blues and Lasers,
Elektric Voodoo is Tournet’s new band based out of his current home of San Diego, CA that blends Afrobeat, deep space blues, Latin, psychedelic, and vintage rock & roll into something he calls “what would happen if Lennon, McCartney, Hendrix, and Fela made a soundtrack for a Clint Eastwood film.” With Elektrik Voodoo he’s doing just that and stirring up the pot, so to speak. This five piece ensemble is centered around the drums, percussion, and bass as all of the songs were built on driving rhythms that are undeniably propulsive. On top of the beats, layers of guitars, vintage keyboards, and undefinable sounds swirl and build into emotional peaks and hypnotic drones.
Tournet wanted to go musically where he’s never gone before and wrap it with an undeniable rhythmic pulse. He started by making imperfect loops from old wooden percussions found at yard sales around town: maracas, tambourines, shekere, congas, etc. Soon he’d play guitar or bass over recorded rhythms until he found something that felt right, then later the melody and lyrics hit. After recording the majority of the album, he connected with some like-minded musicians who loved what they heard and the recording project morphed into a proper band. Elektric Voodoo is Tournet (vocals, guitars, keys, harmonica), Mark Boyce (John Spencer Blues Explosion/G-Love- keyboards), Ty Kiernan (percussion), Matt Bozzone (drums), and Evan Lucas (bass).
Elektric Voodoo’s self titled debut album comes out today (9/27/16), and unlike other albums that take an unnecessary time to reveal its true self- this, one hits immediately with an uppercut and bites below the belt in all the right spots. Tastes of The Flaming Lips, Santana, Fela Kuti, Tame Impala and The Arcade Fire break though atop this soulful collection of songs that are birthed with unlimited potential. It would be wrong to say Elektric Voodoo isn’t a live band, but this album makes for as an important first statement as any debut. Glide had a chance to talk to Tournet about all things Elektric Voodoo and give us a first listen of the new track “The Other Side” below…
What most people may not be aware of is that before you formed the Nocturnals you had a monstrous pedal board and was pretty deep into “far out music.” You simplified very much over the past decade plus. Can you talk about your musical aptitude during the pre GPN days and how you most got your “weird on” in the early days of being a musician?
My most “weird” period probably consisted of going to a clothing optional and grade-less college in Vermont. Our version of partying was basically playing endless free-form jams and trading off on instruments until five in the morning. I had the keys to the music building and the school was in the middle of the woods so was a free for all. We had a Gamelan and there was a class just on Sun Ra. It was pretty amazing. For my senior thesis I put on a big concert which started with a fiddle, dobro, and guitar playing some instrumental pieces I wrote. I kept adding musicians and shifting genres until it all culminated in a 12 person ensemble with a horn section doing some hybrid of rock, jazz, and afrobeat. The music wasn’t really weird as much as it was very diversified.
After listening to the album in full it feels like Elektric Voodoo is going to be an expanding project with room for more percussionist, singers, etc. I’m sure you’re taking it one step at a time but do you envision this becoming an “orchestra or sorts” down the road?
Yes! I would love a horn section and some pedal steel. I’d be into a little more percussion and backing vocals. We shot a video with dancers that was really fun and fit the vibe, so that’s a possibility. That being said, I don’t want to mimic an Afrobeat orchestra. What was exciting me when I was making this record was that I was fusing world music grooves, popular song structure, fuzzed out guitar solos, country & western elements, analog synths, etc. My thinking was like, “what would happen if Lennon, McCartney, Hendrix, and Fela made a soundtrack for a Clint Eastwood film”?
As a guitarist what is your role in Elektric Voodoo? It appears your playing more in a rhythmic style to drive the songs beat rather than lead a melody with a solo. Does playing rhythmic limiting at all knowing that you have played leads and identifiable chords for a long time?
There are definitely a lot of afrobeat/James Brown style guitar parts on the record and I think that’s what you’re hearing. That being said, there’s also a whole lot of full tilt lead guitar on it too. It’s the most lead playing I’ve done on an album by far since Blues & Lasers. Songs like Mercy and The Other Side have blown out psych rock solos whereas songs like Ball & Chain and Secrets have cleaner tones but they are still solos. I tried a different approach to soloing with Expectation where I take what would be a traditional blues rock slide solo and I loop it, build it, and then reverse it which was fun. With this record I feel like I really ended up using the whole palette of what I can do on guitar. There’s a bit of everything I know how to do in there.
Afrobeat is the front sound that people will derive when listening to the album with psych following. Can you talk about your relationship to that genre and world music in general?
I first heard Fela Kuti and afrobeat in college and I immediately loved it. People talk a lot about Punk music and often the reason they loved it was because they felt like it was something they could play and relate to because it was simple. I felt that way about afrobeat. The parts are pretty easy to play and they just repeat over and over again. You can stop thinking and just meditate on the part. Something about me really connects to music where you’re allowed to do that.
As far as world music goes, I’m not particularly advanced or studied. A monumental influence for me was seeing the Santana performance from the Woodstock movie. That still moves me. I’m pretty “Americanized” in my tastes and my pedigree. Really all I’ve done is flip the switch on the rhythms. I reached a point where I just got bored with American rhythm. Especially these days when it seems like almost everyone is doing the computer based dance music thing. It’s always the same re-purposed disco beat. I just don’t find it interesting when there are all these other exciting rhythms to explore.
You seem to have really gotten comfortable as a lead singer- singing this beat driven music that you can kind of float your vocals on, vs being an eccentric frontman appears to be a natural fit. Did you have to work or architect yourself into this format as the voice?
Thank you. Singing is funny. I think there is this idea in our culture that you just open your mouth one day to sing and you’re either gonna win American Idol and be a star or you’re terrible…no in between. I think for years I struggled with this mentality because I didn’t have that kind of big, immediately transfixing voice. I also am not a loud and dominant personality in the way that lead singers often are. Despite all this though, I write songs…a lot of them. I’m intensely passionate about it. I have to do it. I love it. That drive has pushed me to stick with it and over time I found my voice. I look to guys like Jeff Tweedy or Beck who don’t have traditionally amazing voices but who found a way to combine their voice with music in a way that’s compelling.
The first track “Secrets” combines Afrobeat over pop rock structures- usually more heavily rhythmic music doesn’t balance rock or pop elements effectively but you’re able to pull it off. How did you put these two together?
This song probably best embodies what I was going for on the record. Oddly enough, it was the easiest and quickest song to record. It just happened. I came up with the main guitar part, then the part where the voices go “whoooaaah”, and then I added a few chords for the chorus. The base rhythm never really changes. I added some pedal steel and harmonica which gave it a bit of a western vibe as well. It was like making soup and you just keep throwing in whatever you have in the spice cabinet!
Than you have a track like “Mercy” that reminds me of the psych prowess of Tame Impala – very current and relevant. “The Other Side” is expansive and jubilant with a significant solo. What can you tell us about those two songs?
“Mercy” is a cathartic journey. Musically, it started with an obsession I had with three different songs by The Flaming Lips, Secret Machines, and Alberta Cross. In all of these songs there was a pounding and totally repetitive rhythm where the bass and drums don’t change but the chords over it do. The guys in the band have taken to calling it our “death march”. It’s militant for sure. There’s a bunch of free form noises throughout the track I got by overdubbing analog synth and heavily effected guitars and picking out the most interesting moments. I also had the horn players play free form over the middle section and created a kind of sonic collage with all the elements which was fun. snagged that technique from a Jay Bennett solo album; I’ve always thought he was brilliant.
“The Other Side” is the only other song with horns and the guys did a great job on this track; I love the way this one came out. John Staten’s drumming is beastly. It’s my favorite bass playing I did on the record. The song is honest and fun at the same time which isn’t always easy to do. It concludes with another filthy fuzz solo. It was really exciting to record.
Your prior solo album Ver La Luz was an album of experimental sounds focused around themes of darkness and pain with an overshadow of optimism- Elektric Voodoo seems more of a reawakening and coming back in true form – your vocals even sound immediate and in the moment. Would you describe this as your most realized and true to form effort?
Ver La Luz was heavy. It was deeply personal. I’m proud of it and I needed to make that record but it was very indicative of that particular moment in time for me…I had got sober a couple years before it and then had a pretty bad relapse. I wrote Ver La Luz during the first couple months of being sober again. When it came time to tour I was in a different place and I didn’t want to be up in front of people singing those super personal songs -I was uncomfortable.
I have been sober for a few years now so when I wrote this record I was really healthy and grounded. I had strength and vitality and I think that comes across. I had been off the road for a long time and had some time to really rediscover who I was as a person and a musician. I kept thinking about who I was before I joined the Nocturnals. What parts of myself had I shut off to help that band grow? All these influences that I hadn’t touched on in so long but were still there, waiting. That rediscovery felt good and natural and right. I had access to my whole self.
How have the live shows gone so far and what type of response have you gotten?
They’ve been great! It takes a little time for a band to develop real chemistry. We’ve played about 8 or 9 shows now and it’s really starting to gel. Other musicians particularly seem to love what we’re doing which is always a nice vote of confidence. Lot’s of people from the audience come up after the shows and want to know what kind of music we are playing which I think is cool.
What brought you to the San Diego area? Must be quite a difference from the northeast?
My girlfriend (now wife) lived here. Yes, San Diego is pretty different from Vermont. The weather is amazing, I’m not gonna lie. I’ve got a lot of roots in the northeast so I do miss it though. I miss the fall the most. San Diego is very laid back, which I love. It’s easy to lead a healthy lifestyle here. ‘m still figuring out the regional music scene. There are some serious musicians here but there seems to be pretty strict lines between the beach/reggae scene, Blink-182 style punk thing, indie rock, etc. You can run into that anywhere though. I’ve always disliked that part of the music world. I’ve never really felt like I fit into any “scene” really.
Looking back as being the founding member of a band that might have ended not the way you might have envisioned, would there be anything you would have done differently musically and personally looking back on the past decade prior to going on your own?
Musically- I would have continued to self-produce our records. Personally- I would like to have been less guarded. So many people come into your world so quickly when your star is rising. It became overwhelming to me so I would shut down or check out. Looking back, I would have handled it differently and been less closed off. That being said, I don’t regret where it all led me. I’m a lucky man and I’m very grateful for where I’m at and all that I have.
One Response
My little adopted Brother ‘Scott Victor Pritts Tournet’ has come out with his own music. No one ever needs to call him former guitarist of any band. His new disc stands on it’s own. I thank him for not crapping on his former band walking out the door. I liked you in that band but I love you in this band and can’t wait to see it live.