Fiddlehead released their excellent new album Death Is Nothing To Us last week (read our review), and to give us a better idea of where the band was at during the making of this great LP, all five members have told us about some of the things that influenced their contributions to these songs. Their picks range from musicians to a book on DC hardcore to the movie Kids to a James Joyce quote, and they’ve provided intriguing commentary on each pick. Read what they had to say below.
Our exclusive Death Is Nothing To Us vinyl variant sold out, but we’ve still got copies of our variant of Fiddlehead’s 2018 debut LP Springtime and Blind available in the BV shop.
Nick Hinsch (bass):
Banned in DC by Cynthia Connelly
One thing that runs through all of us in Fiddlehead is pride in the places we come from. In 6th grade I got the Banned in DC photo book as a gift from my mom. It had been recommended by a family friend, John Smith, whom I owe much to for the path I followed in music. John was the first person I ever met who had been around for the first wave of DC hardcore. I had found out about Fugazi the year before through reading a Matt Hoffman biography, and I shyly approached John at one of my mom’s dinner party’s saying, “My dad told me you like Fugazi.” John sat me down, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Son, do yourself a favor and look up Dischord Records and listen to Dag Nasty.” And here we are today.
But I poured through the photos in the Banned in DC book. I still have a perfect image of Chris Bald playing bass for The Faith with “poser” written on his bare chest while puffing out his cheeks. That book and the DC hardcore scene solidified that hardcore was something I was going to devote my life to.
DC hardcore has been the largest inspiration for my bass playing in Fiddlehead. Who doesn’t want to sound like the place they come from? But the looping basslines of Joe Lally and the high chord driven basslines of Gray Matter were the two main touchstones for what I wanted to bring to the table in Fiddlehead. To this day, “Long Division” and “Take it Back” are the first things I play when I pick up a bass. One may look to our song “Fiddleheads” to hear Joe Lally’s DNA and to the end of “Going to Die” to hear Gray Matter (“Chutes and Ladders” specifically).
Harley Flanagan
The process of growing, for me, has been the process of weeding out. As I try to grow as a musician and bass player, I’ve learned that weeding out comes in the form of the left hand. I was so eager to show all the notes I could play when I joined Fiddlehead. I wanted so badly to impress them with fills whenever I could force one in. Needless to say, I stepped all over the guitars, and I especially stepped all over Costa’s drums. As my friend Tome has told me many times on the tour of Asia we’re on as I’m writing this, “Nick-san, chillllllll.” Well, Tome, that has been the task of my entire life.
But getting to the point, Harley Flanagan is the god of right hand technique in hardcore. It’s where all his power comes from. I wanted to pull from his drum-following right hand technique for DINTU. Especially on songs like “Deathlife.” Harley also has a bass tone that sounds like a chainsaw. I wanted my bass to sound like I came from hardcore when we recorded DINTU. I kept saying to [producer] Chris [Teti], “make it sound fucked up! Make me sound like Harley!”
I think with all music, articulation of notes can have just as much impact as the notes themselves. Look at Thelonious Monk. His jabby pokes at the keys are often talked about more than his melodies. With Fiddlehead, I want the way I play and listen to stand out more than how busy I can make a part. To be simple is to truly embrace your craft.
Alex Henery (guitar):
Mike Brodie (photographer)
I remember having a Mike Brodie photograph as part of a collection of images that inspire me posted on my MySpace page back in 2010. Those photos have left such an impression on me that every time I see a freight train I look to see if I can spot a train hopper hiding in the back of a grain container. I also gauge the speed of the train and wonder if I could run fast enough to jump aboard and have my own adventure like Brodie and his friends.
Those images encapsulate the freedom and adventure of youth. But also the recklessness of flirting with death, risking your life for a moment of escape.
When I started working on the album cover for our new LP I wanted there to be that sense of danger but in a heavenly setting. There’s an abstract nature where you are unaware how high up these kids are dangling from a tree branch. They could fall to their death, they could already be in heaven, all of these responses would be valid. Danger and beauty, hand in hand. This is what Mike Brodie achieves so perfectly in his photos and definitely had a big influence on me making this album cover.
Thom Yorke
What I love about Thom Yorke is that I can sense his dedication to the details in everything he does. The man has released great art for over 20 years and every project has something in it that left me in a state of awe. The Radiohead album rollouts have been a huge inspiration, the selection of directors and creatives they work with is of the highest caliber and always complements their music. This is something I’ve tried to replicate with Fiddlehead, and I feel very fortunate to be able to collaborate with a lot of talented artists to bring our ideas to life.
Thom’s solo work and many other projects all highlight his passion as a musician and his desire to create, it’s what is at his core, to make great art. In his singing, guitar playing, directing, dancing or writing you can sense he puts his heart and soul into it. His prolific nature inspires me to keep putting out new work and start new projects, and not just limit myself to one thing. Thom has consistently pushed the envelope artistically and while that isn’t the aim for Fiddlehead, it challenges me to try new ideas and make sure we’re making songs that are our own.
Alex Dow (guitar):
Grand Forks, North Dakota
I landed in Grand Forks on a trip with my father April 2023. The temperature was 10 degrees Celsius, overcast sky, and there was a view of vast flat land from the window. The pilot said, “Welcome to North Dakota, you’ll learn to love it.” He was right.
We met up with my dad’s old friend Greg, who lived on four football fields of land 10 miles outside of Grand Forks. He had about 50 totaled cars, a bobcat, a crane, a few generators and a hangar with an airplane on his property. His house is a thrifters dream, loaded with a large museum’s worth of antiques and oddities. I found myself in Greg’s living room – which was the only place with cell service on his land – and I saw a knock-off Jackson guitar next to a Crate practice amp. Greg saw me looking and said, “don’t be shy, try it out.” Sometimes I pick up the guitar and just don’t feel inspired. At this point in time, Fiddlehead was 3/4 done with the writing process for DINTU, and I’ll never forget how inspiring it felt rehearsing the songs in that very moment.
Modest Mouse – Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again (Live at The Social, Orlando, FL- February 2004)
Modest mouse have been a special band to me since freshman year of high school in 2003. However, I had never heard this live album until last year when my friend Nick Cogan, of Drug Church and Militarie Gun, showed me it. I’ve since listened to it many many times, and it’s just as good as it gets for live recordings. It sounds incredible. I may like this version of “Never Ending Math Equation” more than the one on Building Something Out of Nothing. Not only has it inspired my playing on this record (note “Fiddleheads” ring out/feedback or “Give It Time” glassy tone), but it’s also inspired how I play live- angular, loose and melodic as possible.
Shawn Costa (drums):
Vinnie Colaiuta
An absolute prodigious force in the drum world, whose work spans four decades, and features some of the most breathtakingly sublime drum work recorded in human history. Vinnie has worked with the likes of Frank Zappa, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, and Tori Amos, to name a select impressive few. The aspect of Vinnie’s drumming that I appreciate most is his adept musicality, and his ability to always navigate the ways in which his particular skillset can enhance the composition. His drumming can only be described as equal parts powerhouse and complexly nuanced. While my skillset withers and pales in comparison to the almighty Mr. Colaiuta, I faithfully subscribe to the core tenets of his musical approach. I play, singularly, to serve the song and to help find pathways towards augmenting the incredible musicianship of my Fiddlehead brothers. My sole aspiration is for the placement of every single drum hit to be musically meaningful, dynamic, tasteful, and essential to the song. While I may never possess Colauita’s transcendent level of talent, his philosophy of musicality informs every aspect of my drumming.
Gretsch Drums
After years of playing Sonor SQ series drums, classic Ludwigs, and Tama drums (all truly incredible drum companies), I developed an intrigue and curiosity for that “classic Gretsch sound.” The list of recording artists who have endorsed the company over the years is astounding: from Max Roach, to Tony Williams, all the way down to Mark Guiliana, Mike Johnston, and Keith Carlock. The Gretsch legacy is ever enduring and ceaseless. Gretsch is the epitome of a “vibe” drum, and they’re known for being sonically distinctive in the studio. Their patented 30-degree bearing edge (most companies cut the drum shells at 45 degrees), creates a resonance and attack that few other drum companies are able to produce. The head to shell contact allows for a more musically rich, and expressive tonal character, that is suited for legitimately any musical styling. I utilized a combination of a USA Custom and a Brooklyn series for the tracking of DINTU, in addition to my Keith Carlock solid brass snare. My new Gretsch set up played an undeniable influence in my performance on the newest record.
Pat Flynn (vocals):
Kids film & soundtrack
I was in grade school when the movie Kids came out and with an NC-17 rating. It took me years to see it, but when I did my heart jumped out of my throat after the opening scene when “Daddy Never Understood” came on. That feeling has always stayed with me as an example of how command one’s attention for a desperate and worthy topic.
The movie kinda broke me. I was 14 when I finally saw in my first year of high school and something about Harmony Korine, Larry Clark and Lou Barlow’s teamwork for the film and score gave me a heads up that innocence, like youth, will eventually be lost to us all, never to return. I shouldn’t have seen the film at such a young age.
I bought the soundtrack shortly after watching the film and became obsessed with Slint’s “Good Morning Captain.” The guttural “I miss you” at the end crushes the soul every time for me like it’s the first time hearing it.
I’ve been chasing the task of evoking thoughts and emotions in such a visceral way ever since. In both explicit and implicit ways, the Kids film and soundtrack color this record.
“James Joyce Quote”
I need some light in my life. I don’t think I’m wired to wallow. So, while dark films and music like Kids and its soundtrack provide the image and sound to my sadness, I seem to always need a balance, hence why this quote from James Joyce is framed in my house and why our records always leave off with some sense of hope.
Fiddlehead is very much a product of the connection we have made with perfect strangers in the church-like moments I call Fiddlehead shows. This quote tends to stand out in my brain when I think about how we went from being a project intended to never leave a studio, to playing shows in Bangkok and Berlin and putting out a third LP. Again, the love and praise to the good people who have supported us is endless.
Fiddlehead also made a Spotify playlist of songs that inspired the new album:
Fiddlehead will begin a North American tour in September, including NYC’s Webster Hall on September 23 with Never Ending Game, Praise, and Mary Jane Dunphe. All dates:
Fiddlehead — 2023 Tour Dates
08/23 Brisbane, Australia @ The Zoo
08/25 Sydney, Australia @ Crowbar
08/26 Melbourne, Australia @ Howler
09/22 Boston, MA @ Royale #
09/23 New York, NY @ Webster Music Hall &
09/28 Chicago, IL @ Metro ^
09/29 Toledo, OH @ Ottawa Tavern $
09/30 Detroit, MI @ Edgemen $
10/01 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace $
10/06 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
10/07 Los Angeles, CA @ Ukrainian Culture Center *
10/08 Ojai, CA @ Ojai Women’s Club *
02/17 Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 ~
02/18 Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny ~
02/19 Manchester, UK @ Canvas ~
02/20 Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms ~
02/21 Bristol, UK @ Thekla ~
02/22 Southampton @ The Loft ~
02/23 London, UK @ The Garage ~
02/24 London, UK @ The Garage ~
& w/ Never Ending Game, Praise, Mary Jane Dunphe
# w/ Never Ending Game, Praise, Ankle Biter, Downtalker
$ w/ Restraining Order, GUMM
^ w/ Buggin’, Lifeguard, Restraining Order)
* w/ Fury, Kumo 99
~ w/ MSPAINT