Courtesy bowerbirds.com

In an ever-evolving social climate currently dominated by apathy, North Carolina’s Bowerbirds represent a deviation from an unhealthy social criterion. When the band graces the stage at the Iron Horse Music Hall Saturday Night, they will be accompanied by not only their music, but also their advocacy for hopefulness and social awareness, concepts that are the archetype for their respective lives.

When I first was exposed to Bowerbirds, I was immediately astonished with the trio’s ability to use largely minimalist instrumentation to create an overwhelmingly powerful, yet intimate listening experience. The band’s stripped down lineup of guitar, bass drum, and generally violin or accordion, serve as a catalyst for songwriter Phil Moore’s artistic vision, while his lyrics are an instrument of progress and compassion.

After conversing through e-mail with the band, I discovered that this profound minimalism is an extension of their very being. Drawing from their constant interactions with nature and their collective distress over the current state of the planet, the band has crafted music that aims to lend support toward a more sustainable and less destructive culture, while additionally endeavoring to model their own lives in a manner that mirrors their musical ambitions.

Beth Tacular, who plays a variety of roles within the group, was kind enough to take time out from their current tour to answer a few questions regarding the band, their music, the future and life off the stage before their performance in Northampton.

Brian Wood: For starters, who are the members in the band and what roles do they play?

Beth Tacular: Phil Moore is the songwriter and he writes the guitar and lead vocals and plays guitar and high-hat at live shows. Mark Paulson plays violin, piano, percussion, and sings, as well as records the albums. I play accordion, autoharp, and percussion and sing.

BW: If I’m not mistaken, a bowerbird is an animal known best for its elaborate theatrical mating rituals. Which forces me to ask, how did you all land on the name “Bowerbirds,” and what kind of significance does it hold for you?

BT: I found out about bowerbirds from a children’s encyclopedia I was reading to get ideas for paintings, during the summer when Phil was starting to write the songs that would become the basis for our new band. I couldn’t believe they existed. They were so amazing. We liked the way they were described in the encyclopedia: as being these birds that compensate for their sort of unassuming looks by building intricate art to attract lovers.

Also, bowerbirds sort of represent the genius of evolution to us, and our not even having known they existed represents to us how many species we will never know ever existed, because this civilized culture is currently wiping them out way too fast, as part of this ” great extinction” we are causing.

BW: Your latest album, “Hymns for a Dark Horse,” was one of my favorite releases last year. The albums title implies a sympathy for those under the radar. Was a particular “unknown” a focal point or inspiration for this album?

BT: The dark horse (or underdog who has a remote chance of winning) in the title, is the idea that we might be able to stop our civilized society before it finishes wiping out the rest of the rain forests, killing the oceans, imprisoning all our young poor people, numbing ourselves with prescription psychoactive drugs so we don’t notice we are turning all our land into wasteland, lawns or pavement and eventually wiping ourselves out (because we can’t survive without a healthy land base or healthy minds)

The songs are hymns, songs with deep spiritual meaning to us in which we decry the devastation the culture at large is causing, and with which we announce our desire to sidestep that culture and be part of the positive culture that has always existed alongside this destructive culture since the beginning of time. We don’t really need to do this to the Earth’s body – killing all these ecosystems in the name of profit. This culture is like a smallpox disease that will maim the Earth and make it suffer, but leave it alive. At least we don’t have the ability to totally wipe out life on Earth.

BW: The album’s lyrics make frequent references to nature. Do you find this to be a constant source of inspiration for you?

BT: Yes. We decided to move out to the country, after having spent a lot of time in cities and in wilder places, and we finally realized we feel a lot calmer and more in touch with life when we can interact with wild plants and animals on a regular basis, and when we have some peace and quiet. Also, it’s a lot easier to not spend a ton of money, which means we don’t have to make a lot of money, which means there is less reason for us to do work that supports endeavors that are exploiting people or nature.

BW: I have read that you were building a home from largely recycled materials without the aid of power tools. What inspired such a rustic project, what have you taken from it, and what’s the latest status on it?

BT: We were inspired to build our own home by our friend Aimee Argote, of the amazing band Des Ark, who told us she was using the money her grandmother had saved for her college education to instead build a mini-cabin to live in, so she wouldn’t have to pay rent and could be able to afford to tour and always have a place to come home to.

We had been thinking about buying a house either in town or in the country. It turned out that we really couldn’t afford to buy a house anywhere, if we wanted to be able to tour and also make mortgage payments, and still be able to work on art and music as much as we wanted to. We bought an airstream and started looking around for cheap land in the country, and we found some really great land in a cool area with plenty of interesting people, and pretty close to Chapel Hill and Raleigh. We were going to try to build our home sort of normally, until we realized that would cost us like $60,000, so we are trying to build it for a sixth of that.

It’s really fun to scrounge around for used materials, and we are saving a lot of money, and the house will have more character. We started the cabin by using logs from a 100-year-old tobacco barn that we dismantled off of someone’s property, so it was free. We are totally learning as we go, but we have gotten some pointers from a couple friends. Right now we are finishing framing the roof, and then what we have to still do is: put on the roofing and siding, order wool for the insulation and install it, finish the whole interior of the house, install the windows and doors, add the porches and balcony, and like 100 other things. It’s kind of overwhelming. But every night at the airstream we go out to the cabin as it’s getting dark and just sit in it and feel very, very happy.

I’d say something we are taking from it is it is automatically simplifying our priorities and slowing our minds down to a calmer pace. It’s connecting us to the weather more. We get to feel what it’s like to spend a day outside working in 17-degree weather with a bad wind chill. We get to really appreciate things like long underwear, our tiny wood stove in the airstream, down coats (we are birds) and warm blankets.

BW: Do you see the experience making its way into any of your future music?

BT: Yeah, definitely. One of our new songs is actually a sort of love song duet between me and Phil, and it’s not a syrupy version of love, but it has more to do with the way we fight but keep coming back to each other. I think the process of building a home together is much harder on a relationship than playing in a band together or running a design business together, but at the same time is an amazing thing to share.

BW: Have you ever played Northampton before? If so what are your thoughts on the city and the musical environment? If not, what kind of atmosphere are you
anticipating?

BT: We haven’t ever been to Northampton before. We have no idea what to expect.

BW: Are there any plans for a new album in the near future? If so what can listeners anticipate?

BT: We are re-releasing “Hymns for a Dark Horse on Dead Oceans,” with two bonus tracks, and it will also be on vinyl for the first time. This should come out in April or May, in stores nationwide. Then we will be recording and releasing another album sometime soon, depending on how quickly it comes together. We are playing a few new songs on tour, so people can get a sneak preview.

Bowerbirds play along with openers Phosphorescent this Saturday, March 1, at The Iron Horse in Northampton. Tickets are $10, and doors open at 10 p.m. For more info on the band or to purchase tickets visit www.iheg.com.

Brian Wood can be reached at [email protected].