Back
in 2012 mwe3.com featured a review of the Buford Pope album
Matching Numbers. Now in 2014, the acclaimed Swedish rock and
roll band is back in action with a fine new album
called Sticks In The Throat. Like its predecessor,
Sticks In The Throat is a solid, hard-hitting set filled with
catchy, anthemic pop-rock gems. The bands singer and songwriter
Mikael Liljeborg, now officially going by his stage name Buford
Pope, continues on in fine form and Buford gets solid support from
his band mates, Pelle Jernryd (electric guitar, slide and lap
steel guitars), Jörgen Lindström (bass), Mattias
Pederson (drums, percussion) and Amir Aly (piano, hammond,
wurlitzer). Played
with much verve and youthful aggression, the new songs on Sticks
In The Throat actually evokes a kinder, gentler time in pop-rock
history and to these ears at least, one can imagine fans of Bad Company
and even The Rolling Stones getting into Buford Popes rock grooves.
The title track is a definite highlight on an album that gets better
with each spin. A fine follow up album to the critically acclaimed
Matching Numbers, Buford Popes Sticks In The Throat
rocks up a storm. www.BufordPope.com
mwe3.com presents an interview
with
BUFORD POPE
mwe3:
What were the events that led to the 2014 Buford Pope album, Sticks
In The Throat and how did you come up with the title? Is there
a theme running throughout the album?
Buford Pope: I had a lot of songs recorded with acoustic guitar
and vocals. We decided to get together in the rehearsal hall, then
we started jamming out a sound. I wrote Sticks In The Throat
during the recording of the album. I dont remember how I came
up with the title, so I cant say I had a theme in mind.
mwe3: How about the lead off track Dont Take It
Out On Me, is there some social commentary on that track? The
innocent victims of a world gone crazy perhaps?
Buford Pope: Well, sometimes it feels like we all could do
a lot better down here and that includes me...
mwe3: How would you compare this new Buford Pope album with
the earlier release of Matching Numbers and how has the band
sound grown or changed over the past couple years?
Buford Pope: I think its much the same, even though it
has a rockier sound. The big difference is that this album is recorded
live. The more you play together as a band, the more groove you get,
hopefully... This time around we also spend more time together, and
that's an important ingredient.
mwe3:
Shes Got A Country Mouth sounds like The Eagles
or Poco in 2014. It might sound like a straight ahead country rock
song yet theres some solid rock dynamics. So is Buford Pope
more rock than country? Id say you guys are straightway rock.
Buford Pope: If you go from pedal steel to electric guitar
or the other way around something happens, its not always the
song. It could also depend on what mood youre in... I listen
to a lot of country, blues and rock. This time we just wanted to rock!
mwe3: Then again Stand Up For Your Man sounds like
Humble Pie. Thats the most rocked out track on the album. Is
that the other side of Buford Pope or is it part of the whole? That
song must be a real show stopper.
Buford
Pope: Id say its a part of the whole, though this
song was in the outtake box for a while, then finally it found its
way back in, and yes, its really fun to play it live.
mwe3: The title track is the highlight of the album. What inspired
the concept of Sticks In The Throat as well as the song and
is it very Springsteen inspired? Is there more social commentary there?
Buford Pope: Im a great fan of Springsteen, but I never
had in mind to try to sound like him, Its impossible... but
if you get that vibe, it makes me very proud! Yes there is more social
commentary, but Im not sure it has the same meaning as it had
when I wrote it.
mwe3: Is your own composition, Go Your Own Way
another social commentary? Not a republican, not democrat,
Pardon me saying, fuck that. (lol) Is that like the universal
apolitical anthem?
Buford
Pope: Haha... Weve all got opinions, but sometimes our opinions
are more important than the goal. If you stay in tune with your heart,
I dont think it matters if youre a republican or a democrat!
mwe3: Restless Stay sounds like Free or Bad Company.
Is the song biographical?
Buford Pope: It could be about growing up in a perfect world,
then you get restless just because its too perfect. Im
still on that highway, looking for a another perfect world!
mwe3: Give It Up has a kind of Exile era
stones vibe. Almost sounds like you can hear the maracas in the background!
Theres some definite mind games in the lyrics. Sounds like a
hit single to me.
Buford Pope: Hey... I answer with a big thank you
on this one!
mwe3: Youre The Drug I Like To Use and Ill
Get Over That deal with mind expansion of sorts, one almost
opting for love and the other more realistic, hence the latter Ill
Get Over That. Bell The Cat? I love the line Oh
these days, the sky is never blue, So I make it tangerine.
Buford Pope: Well, hmmm... I need more than one page to answer
this...
mwe3:
What Will Your Mama Say is a great way to end the album,
going out with a bang so to speak. Its a really great showpiece
for your band.
Buford Pope: Hey, thanks! Also one of those songs that I wrote
during the recording. To hang out and jam with these great musicians
can only inspire you to try everything that comes to your mind.
mwe3: You must be really proud of the Buford Pope lineup on
this fine new album. Whats the chemistry like these days with
the band and how about live shows youre planning in Sweden and
possibly other places? How far have you traveled to perform with Buford
Pope and where would you like to play live?
Buford Pope: Yes, Im very proud of this album and its
a thrill playing these songs live. I think we got something going
here. Were planning live shows all the time, though its
still too expensive to travel overseas as a full band, Id love
to play wherever, whenever!
mwe3: Whats new in Sweden these days and where are you
living these days? Whats your favorite part of Sweden? What
else have you planned for the rest of 2014 and beyond? What kind of
album would
you like to do next?
Buford Pope: The town Im in is called Helsingborg, and
my favorite part in Sweden is of course Gotland. Ive been so
busy giving this album my attention, I havent had the time to
think much further, but I still got a lot of songs waiting to be recorded...
Thanks
to Buford Pope @ www.BufordPope.com