Langhorne Slim recently released Be Set Free, an album that encompasses everything good about the folk rock genre rejuvenated by the likes of the Avett Brothers. Maybe that’s why Sean Scolnick was so pleased to sit down for a chat before his show at D.C.’s Rock n’ Roll Hotel. Perhaps he’s just a really nice guy. Either way, Scolnick is perhaps the most gracious musician I’ve ever interviewed – he seemed outright excited to talk to me and get me into his show for free. At a nearby wine bar we discussed his alias and the meaning of home.
So have you been to the Rock n’ Roll Hotel before?
No, for whatever reason we haven’t come through D.C. as much as I would’ve thought or would like. We played here at the 9:30 Club opening for the Violent Femmes.
When was that?
Two years ago, or something like that.
I haven’t seen them in years. I like them a lot, though.
I grew up a very big fan of theirs, so that was a real thrill, to be able to do shows with those guys. And then we came around and played Black Cat and that was our first, as a band, national tour. So that’s years ago. And other than that – there’s probably a time or two that I’m forgetting – but for whatever reason it hasn’t been a constant stop, so hopefully it will become one.
Yeah. I like all three of these venues though, 9:30, Black Cat and Rock n’ Roll Hotel.
Oh, yeah.
I’m originally from Pittsburgh, and when I moved to D.C. I was amazed at how much more entertainment was coming through.
Well, yeah. Pittsburgh for some reason doesn’t have, like the options of places to play. I like playing there, but it seems fairly limited. More so than I would think. I could be wrong about it. When we go through we always play, uh, Club Cafe?
Yeah. Have you been there recently?
Yeah. We played some other place, too. Like a little Tiki bar kind of a deal. It might be a newer place.
I remember growing up there were a lot of different clubs that would stay for awhile, but then get closed down, and a new one would open. So Pittsburgh kind of has that problem. Since I was in high school the one that I’ve been going to most is Mr. Smalls Theater. They turned this church into a music venue. It was right near where I was living, and that one was really good. The acoustics are really good. But yeah, D.C. was really exciting in terms of music venues.
D.C.’s got quite a history of great stuff. There’s always been really good venues here.
Tell me a little bit about growing up in Langhorne. I assume that background is fairly important to you considering the name of your musical act.
Yeah, but not in the way that maybe somebody would think. For me, that’s where I grew up, and that’s where my mom still lives, and stuff like that, so it’s my roots. So that, for all of us, that turns us into the people that we are and everything. But I don’t know if it’s because I grew up there that I write or am into the kinds of music that I write or am into. It’s impossible for me to know. You know it’s just a little town outside of Philadelphia, a nice town, fairly boring. Spent a lot of time learning guitar. I took the name Langhorne, at the time – and I don’t feel this way about it now as I’m older; that’s when I was 18 – but at the time I couldn’t wait to get out of Langhorne or Pennsylvania. As I said, now, I’ve got no problem, I like going back. I just thought it was a great name. It seemed like in different kinds of music, like in blues music or even in like hip hop music, guys would take you know, names, have these sort stage names or aliases or nicknames, and I was for whatever reason drawn to that, instead of just having a band. And at the time too I didn’t have a band, so it was just me solo. I wanted kind of a, I don’t know…
Something snappier, that could be easily recognized.
Right. You said it better than I was going to.
I went to college at Allegheny in Meadville. Do you remember playing there for Dog Zone?
I do. Were you there?
Actually I wasn’t at that one. That was for our big spring festival, and every year when that happened I ended up being holed up doing work.
I remember there was a rapper that was there.
Astronautilus.
Yeah!
It was actually this hugely successful event unexpectedly, so everyone was talking about it.
That particular one? Or just the whole thing?
Yeah, the whole event.
Yeah, yeah. Well it was cool, it was fun for us. If I remember right, we had to like – well, we didn’t have to, but part of the thing was to make up a song or something about Dog Zone, and then they gave it to the audience to decide who wins, and he beat me.
When I saw you were coming to D.C., I remembered you from Dog Zone. For some reason, at Allegheny’s radio station, everyone there was really into folk rock music.
Well very cool.
So have you basically just been on the road doing a lot of touring and press the past couple months for Be Set Free?
Yes, pretty much. We’ve been on the road for a long time for the past few years. We take little time off. But yeah, this record came out a month and a half, or two months ago, or something. Yeah we’ve been on the road, we did a promo tour leading up to the release which was just independent record stores and radio stations, which was cool. It was the first time we’d ever done that. It was actually nice to see that independent record stores were still actually – I shouldn’t say doing okay, but from the people I was talking to it seemed like they were doing better than I’d thought. I thought… well, actually they’re totally fucked. I’m probably being too hopeful. But anyway, yeah that was cool. Now we’ve just been on this tour for about a month and a half or so. And we’ll finish off doing a show called Mountain Stage in West Virginia, and fly to Europe the next day, and tour over there. So just…
Very busy.
Very busy. It’s a good way to be. I can’t complain.
I thought it was this really great coincidence that Be Set Free was released the same day as the new Avett Brothers record.
That’s an interesting coincidence, yes.
Is that kind of a blessing or a curse?
Well… I think I know why you ask that, but how do you mean?
I thought that it was actually very cool, when I was listening to Be Set Free and saw that. I drew all these parallels in my mind. And then I mentioned it to a friend, and he said “Oh, well, that sucks for him.”
Because it’ll be overshadowed. Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I don’t think it works like that, really. A lot of the people that like them like us, and vice versa.
That’s what I was figuring.
Yeah. We share a lot of the same support. They have more people that know them, obviously, than we have know us, but I don’t really think it took away from us. I hope not, because we’re going to play some with those guys soon, and if it did I’m gonna beat them up.
I’m sure it will all work out then.
Yeah for us it was sort of more like, Oh that’s a funny coincidence.
A lot of your songs, and again, I think this is the same with the Avett Brothers too, seem to talk about feeling like a rowdy vagabond, but at the same time have this sincere, kind of sentimental feeling of longing for redemption and home. Do you feel like that’s you? Is that a dichotomy that attracts you?
It depends on what you mean by home. Redemption, yeah and home in the form of – and this will sound a bit corny – but you know, your heart or something. And you know, love and trying to figure out how to make sense of this crazy world. I think it’s a lot of songs about love and a lot of songs about making our way through our lives. If I could see a direct comparison, it would be maybe that they’re sort of shooting fairly straight. It’s kind of like simple ways to the point of that stuff.
Do you find that as you continue to make albums that you adjust to the studio environment more? Do you feel like on your latest record you had learned more, that you could use that environment to your advantage?
Yes. I definitely think so. I would say I was more comfortable and confident this time along, and I still have a long way to go to become more comfortable and confident. But I think a lot of good things happen with the uncertainty. I think a lot of what goes into making a record is what happens that is unexpected. It’s not all just mapped out. At least not for me. Maybe for some people.
Would you say that you’re figuring out ways to do more things that you couldn’t do if you were just recording live?
Well sure, as far as instrumentation or experimentation. Sure.
Tell me about something non-music related that you are really into. What’s something that you’re really interested in?
Cooking.
Yeah? Are you even able to do that?
Not much. No, it’s when I’m home with my girlfriend or when I go and visit with my grandparents or something like that. Then I try to get better at it. But I’d like to do that, I’d like to learn how to be a good cook and garden, which is something I don’t know anything about. Those things go well together. It would make sense, I think.
It’s sad that you can’t really get into that on the road. Those are actually two really traditional things that I think of when I think of a literal idea of home: cooking and gardening.
Well, and I think, too, that if you live a life where you’re constantly moving maybe you would be drawn to those things because it is sort of stable and homey. But also, I think a great deal of creativity and love have to go into those things. I’ll get around to it. Right now I have to stay on the road and keep doing this, but I’ll get the garden and a kitchen one of these days.
by Melissa Muenz
