A conversation with Sam Fogarino of Interpol
Interpol plays the Tabernacle tonight (Mon., Nov. 1)
Interpol and White Rabbits play the Tabernacle tonight (Mon., Nov. 1). $32.50. 7 p.m.
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Interpol returns to Atlanta tonight, playing songs from its dark and career-revitalizing fourth album, Interpol. With the departure of bass player/poseur extraordinaire Carlos Dengler, the group has upped the ante by enlisting post-rock founding father David Pajo (Slint) for the touring lineup. Songs from the new album are bleak and inwardly expansive, taking shape far outside the post-punk traipse of of the group’s origins, with a lattice of orchestral rhythms and narrative bits that reveal murky pop atmospherics and damaged emotions in a tangle of songs that unfold in a cohesive album experience.
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Drummer and recent Athens, GA transplant Sam Fogarino (pictured right, hiding his face) took time out to talk about the group, the record and how it all came together.
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Chad Radford: How’s life on the road for Interpol these days?
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Sam Fogarino: It’s been really good, actually. The best it’s been in a good number of years to be honest. The new live Interpol configuration has put a fire under our collective arse. And really, it’s nice to be playing with some guys who actually want to get on stage with no pretenses or anything like that.
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That brings up a good point, which is that Carols D plays bass on the new record, but he’s no longer with the group, correct?
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That’s correct, he’s no longer in the band and we’ve been playing with David Pajo from Slint and Tortoise, which is very cool. He’s such a cool guy and right now he’s just kind of playing with us. We haven’t even considered writing new material because this record has only been out for a month or so. We started working on it almost 2 years ago at this point - January of ‘09, so it feels like we should be not touring, but actually going back into the studio to record. But we’re hitting the road now, so recording is still a ways off.