Musical duo Dusty 4 Track have been a Nottingham live music staple for several years now, and a must-listen band for anyone looking for chilled blues, whiskey soaked vocals, and foot-stomping riffs. Not long ago they put out their debut album: How Did I Get Here?, so it seemed like a good time for us to catch up with Benjamin James (organ/guitar) and Will Jeffery (guitar/vocals).
You're both seasoned musicians, tell us about your previous musical projects…
Ben: I've done jazzy covers as KaBen for YEARS before making myself obsolete by giving Kat guitar lessons! Thanks to Harleighblu, I supported the likes of Chaka Khan, Charles Bradley (RIP), Roy Ayers, Rag'n'Bone Man, the Hot 8 Brass Band, and travelled all over Europe. With Natalie Duncan I played at Ronnie Scott’s, watched by my teenage crush, Cerys Matthews, and Goldie!
I got to raise hell with the infamous Invisible Orchestra, tried my hand at electro with Indiana, dabbled in reggae, afro-beat, jazz, soul, and played with sci-fi sunshine pop (yes that is a genre) pioneers Spaceships are cool. They took me to Glasto, NXNE, Canada and Iceland (the country rather than the Heron foods rival). Twenty years ago I even played at the Whisky a Go Go (Los Angeles) with an unsigned rock-funk band, but that's another story…
A few years later, I replied to a Facebook ad Will placed, looking for a guitarist for a blues duo which we've been doing ever since... long before we were Dusty 4 Track.
Ben (on behalf of Will): He doesn't talk about it much but many years ago, Will was in a signed band called Hhymn (recently reformed). Back in the day, at a record label party, (with Primal Scream) he was asked who his favourite band was. He replied "The Stone Roses" without realising he was talking to Mani, (RIP) their bassist. He was also a great solo artist, and the gristly half of Girl and the Stone… but perhaps best known for co-creating Nottingham foot stomping legends 94 Gunships!
Your new record How Did I Get Here? is out on (orange!) vinyl and sounds great. Who was involved, what was the recording process?
Will: The recording was mostly Ben, to be honest. I recorded my parts either in his music room or the little corner I have at home. We’d send each other stuff and the tracks just built that way. I did give a bit of a brief that they had to sound like they’d been recorded on a four track recorder, but I think some sound bigger!
Ben: Yes, Will mostly smashed out his vocals and acoustic guitar and left the rest to me.
The album finale Dancing Shoes is a raucous live recording featuring Tom Dempsey (drums) and Russ Clark (bass), but other than that it was all our own work!
Ben is the blues man. I like weird little melodies and hooks, and the juxtaposition of depressing lyrics along with a foot tapping feel
The album touches on themes of love, revelry, and redemption. It feels like a 24 hour loop of indulgence, questionable choices and atonement. Is there a story behind it?
Will: There’s not really. There’s definitely a theme to a few of my songs where I’m thinking that the world is a bit shit at the moment, run by dickheads and how I need help to get through it. In Wake Me Up, the wolves and monsters are a nod to a depression that could’ve been. Get Down is on the ‘get down and boogie’ thing, but the song is actually about how everyone seems to be struggling and that we should cause chaos!
Ben: How Did I Get Here? is about waking up with a hangover, or with someone you shouldn't be. Stay probably fits your ‘debauchery loop’ description best! The Cross is about a destructive, unhealthy/co-dependent relationship from the point of view of someone who still romanticises it from the inside.
You've got quite a mix of sounds and genres. Was this deliberate and do you have a preference when writing?
Will: My preferences when writing songs can vary. Ben is the blues man. I like weird little melodies and hooks, and also the juxtaposition of depressing lyrics along with a foot tapping feel.
Ben: We each bring different sonic palettes. Will is 1960s folky/twee.. like a pair of corduroy trousers. I'm more tasteless and 1970s, like a pair of tiger print cowboy boots.
Will, your voice seems to come from the same husky realm as Tom Waits and Rod Stewart. Is it fags/whiskey/practice or did you sound like this as a child?
Will: I can’t sing normally. That’s the sound of me cheating and I’ve been getting away with it since my twenties. With that voice I don’t necessarily have to sing in tune… I think smoking did help a little!
Ben: Legend has it, he fell into a barrel of bourbon as a baby, and had to use a cigar as a snorkel for two weeks to survive.
You've played lots in Notts, do you have any music venues you'd like to shout out?
Will: Rock City is an iconic music venue. It would be nice to be asked! My favourite that we've played is probably Rough Trade.
Ben: I'd like to shout out The Grove at Sneinton Market, which is a tiny independent gem! Also, Jam Café, The Chapel and Peggy's Skylight.
You're signed to I'm Not From London. What is it like working with Will and the gang?
Ben: Anything can happen... or indeed not happen. It is an exciting adventure, like herding cats… in a monsoon… while wearing a blindfold. But Nottingham would be a significantly less fun and colourful place without a Will Robinson in it!
What other acts in Nottingham are you currently enjoying?
Will: I really like Connexion Man. Got surprised the other day by a young up-and-coming artist called Ol Bailey. Vivien Ivy is awesome as well.
Ben: It's not new but Georgie - Live! At Trinity Church, is amazing. Chloe Rodgers' Delphian Lullaby is always on at my house! I also recently heard Tilly Greenwood for the first time. What a voice!
Where can people hear the album and what's next for Dusty?
Will: We’ve got LPs for sale at gigs and available online. Our next gig is a support slot at The Grove on Sunday 31 May.
Ben: In a world exclusive for LeftLion, we can also reveal that the album is available to stream right now! (But please buy the LP! It's orange vinyl!)
How Did I Get Here? is out now on orange vinyl and available to listen to online. See Dusty 4 Track and friends live on Friday 26 June at Fisher Gate Point.
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