Westberg, the LA-based husband-wife duo, keeps their web presence minimal, so it was an honor to get some thoughtful answers to my questions for 5 rounds. Their new song, “Butterflies,” is an off-kilter pop confection about falling in love. Once you read about the pair’s songwriting philosophy and influences, you’ll hear the song, off their new EP Boomer Studies, in a whole new light.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
Judee Sill’s “The Archetypal Man.” It’s an incredible joining of country music and baroque from 1971 that fulfills some of the promises about chamber pop that Brian Wilson hinted at with Pet Sounds. It’s still one of the most startling and original records we’ve ever heard.
Tell us about the first song you wrote.
The first song we wrote as a duo is called “Golden Sea,” some 20 years ago. We were college friends with Rachel Corrie, the young lady who was killed by an Israeli armored bulldozer. The song is about and for her.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
When we’re at our best it’s melody first, I think. Melody is the most mysterious thing in all of music, one could study great melodists for a lifetime and never make hard and fast rules about why what they do works- so much seems to be exceptions and inspiration!
Who would you love to collaborate with? why?
We’d love to do a Traveling Wilburys thing with Judee Sill, Townes Van Zandt, and Elliott Smith- probably mostly because it’d mean they’d all still be alive. Beyond that, they all share that fathomless depressive affect that makes their music so cathartic. What if they made happy sparkly Americana together?
Or maybe Coil, they’re really still the weirdest.
What do you think you could do to make your music or shows more accessible to a more diverse audience?
This is a great question. I think we probably still have more questions than answers on this topic. Heartland Rock seems to us like one of the more conspicuously white holdouts in American music- maybe that’s why it hasn’t been revived. Know any BIPOC folks who wanna make heartland rock with us?