by Daniel Colussi | The Babies abide by the old adage that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. They aren’t a band that tries to reinvent the wheel, no they’re more into taking the old wheel out for an easy spin around the block a few times. There’s a peaceful easiness to this band, and maybe that’s because, as a so called side project, Babies principle songwriters Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone feel like they can let they’re primary bands do all the heavy lifting (that’s Woods and Vivian Girls, respectively). With The Babies they’re freed up to simply offer up what feels natural. In this case that’s concise and catchy pop songs. Truth be told the band has put a little fresh grease on their wheel — their new album Our House On The Hill ditches the overt fuzz of their debut for something more country and gospel-indebted. It’s cut after cut of three minute gems. And improved fidelity highlights Kevin Morby’s lyrics, which detail such modern travails as failed love, late rent, jerks and dicks – the kind of stuff we’re all familiar with. Kevin and Cassie were kind of enough to talk to me about writing songs, their new album, and In-n-Out Burger vs. the Waffle House.

Tell me about The Babies’ transition from a house party band into a more serious affair? Cassie: It was just the natural growth of a band. It was going well and felt good, so we kept doing it. The new album – Our House On The Hill – is a bit less scrappy than the first LP.

Can you tell me about your approach to the new album versus what aesthetic you were after the first time? Kevin: The new album was done in a studio rather than at my house, which is where we recorded the first album. We focused a lot of energy into recording OHOTH in a two week period, where the first one took us almost a year to get done. Also, working with Rob Barbato was a big help, too. That guy is a wizard.

Describe the creative partnership of The Babies — Kevin and Cassie, how do you collaborate on writing songs? What’s the process? Who’s the boss? Cassie: It’s different for every song. Sometimes Kevin writes pretty much the whole thing, sometimes I do, sometimes we straight up collaborate. Kevin: No gods, no masters.

Cassie you get to wail on your axe a little more in The Babies. Who are your most fave guitarists? Cassie: Neil Young and Greg Sage are my two faves. The Babies have toured a lot.

What are your feelings about Waffle House vs In-N-Out Burger? Cassie: I love both Waffle House and In ‘n’ Out. My loyalties are probably with Waffle House though, cause it’s kind of more sketchy. That’s the best thing about Arizona – it’s the only state that had both.

Touring, good or bad? Cassie: I like touring because every day is different and has the potential to be exciting, but you’re still following a strict routine. Kevin: I agree with Cassie, touring is a good balance of freedom and work. You’re doing what you want, you’re living the dream, but you still got a schedule to work with day to day. It’s the best “job” in the world, and I love doing it.

US vs Europe – which is better? It’s really hard to compare US and European audiences! I suppose an audience is an audience and people are just people. Sometimes they’re great, sometimes they suck. And as far as In and Out vs Waffle House is concerned, I’m going to have to play devil’s advocate against Cassie and say In ‘n’ Out, but only because they have those hot peppers at the ketchup bar. I do love Waffle House, though – smothered and covered.

The Babies with Dead Ghosts and Pleasure Cruise at The Media Club Thursday November 29th. Tickets at Zulu, Red Cat and the venue.

————————————————————————-

Daniel Colussi is the Music Editor of Scout Magazine and a contributing writer to Ion Magazine. A veteran employee of Zulu Records and tuneage aficionado, he DJs on an infrequent basis (about four times a year) and is a musician around town who plays in several ensembles.