3 Questions with Grieves

Seattle MC talks Sweden and singles

(Caron Nicole Photography)

By Alex De Vore
In August, the Seattle-based songwriter/musician/MC known as Grieves released his fifth full-length album, Running Wild. It’s earned him no shortage of praise—which is, to be fair, a pretty regular occurence for the guy. Still, having seen Grieves straight wreck Santa Fe once before, we just knew he’d make the perfect 3 Questions subject ahead of his Meow Wolf show this Friday Nov. 17 (7 pm. $20. 1352 Rufina Circle, 395-6369). And it goes a little something like this …
I read recently in an interview that you’ve become “more mature.” What the hell does that mean?
I don’t know! I think that’s what people use to say something is different. I mean, assuming what? My previous work was immature? If anything, this record is more authentic to who I am as a human being, and if taking that step makes me more mature … if you’re looking at it from a standpoint of seriousness, my previous records would probably stand up to be a bit more mature.
Running Wild was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden. Was there any particular impetus behind that?
Kind of. I always wanted to work with the [Swedish] producer Chords, and it had never worked out, timing-wise. He had the available time, so I flew out for a week and made three or four songs and was happy with the experience. His team got back to me and said, ‘Alright, let’s do it,’ and that doesn’t really happen off the bat. I’ve known his body of work for a long time. … I don’t want to do the same shit I’ve been doing. I want to tackle new ground.
You’re known for full-length albums. Do you think there’s still a place in the industry for that, even since it’s become so singles-heavy?
To be fair, I have no idea. I do want to dabble with singles—I have all this material I’ve never released—but I need to find a way that feels cohesive to me and not just random. That doesn’t work for me, especially in gauging the depth of an artist. But I do want to try things differently. I don’t want to be the old dude who refused to get with the times.
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