It really is hard to overstate the importance of American Music Club, they are one of the defining bands of modern times. In fact, because they are virtually unknown outside a core circle of dedicated fans, it's tempting to eulogise unreservedly about them.
The problem with this, however, is that when you describe the kind of music American Music Club make, it tends to put people off.
A San Francisco outfit, they are fronted by Mark Eitzel – the main songwriter and a man who is synonymous with a genr
e called Sadcore.
Other bands write songs which talk about being a little bit blue, but American Music Club articulate those deep moments of intense, wounding sadness.
Now, people’s lives are tough enough at the moment without whiling away their free time listening to a brand of music that doesn’t so much suggest depression as envelop the listener in a cloak of despair.
American Music Club are arguably the greatest exponents of the genre.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have lighter moments – the music often leaves you bruised, admittedly, but it’s oddly uplifting.
And the experience of listening to this band is one of the most satisfying you’re likely to have, especially if you want music to move you in overwhelming ways rather than whine away in the background.
So, with all this in mind, an interview with Mark Eitzel is something of a daunting prospect, given his musical reputation and the profound effect he has had on music.
He is across the world in San Francisco, where the local time is way past midnight.
“He’s been out at a bar and had a few drinks,” his agent says with a note of caution in his voice.
In real life, Mark is nowhere near as morose as on record, though you figure to be so downbeat 24 hours a day wouldn’t be possible.
Even in pictures – he’s the one with the beard and the hat in case you’re wondering – he appears approachable and kind.
“I need to pee really bad,” the musical legend admits.
I’ve had better starts to interviews but press on, asking if he enjoys being on tour.
“Noooo,” he said, like a teenager who has been told tidy his bedroom.
“I want to stay in my house, I would rather be at home and have a life.
“I don’t enjoy it before I go on tour, but I like it when I’m doing it. Going to a new city every day for two months, it’s a drag.”
There are so many times when he breaks into a laugh, and puts on voices, that I’m never quite certain about when Mark Eitzel is being truthful and when he’s feeding me a line.
And I’ve toned down his copious swearing so as not to upset more sensitive readers.
“We’ve gotten much better over the years,” Mark said.
“We’re like old losers, we should be in wheelchairs at this point.
“Life is short, you do your thing and people either love it or they hate it.
The full article contains 534 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
