such as addiction . It just felt too personal and autobiographical to have it come from anywhere else but me and my name .
The name of the album , Kitchen Weapons , where does that come from ? It evokes a strange duality for people , where there ’ s the domesticity and comfort of a kitchen , and of course , the darker side of weapons . Just some of those things people don ’ t talk about in their private lives .
Can you talk about the relationship you have with Deer Tick ? Dennis Ryan , the drummer of Deer Tick , produced the entirety of Kitchen Weapons . He put a fifty-fifty effort into making that album because he not only produced it , he drummed on every track , and he sang on it . He played various instruments . He mixed it . It always felt like it would be great when the live show did come for Kitchen Weapons to incorporate Dennis somehow , and then when they were going on their tour , it really coincided nicely with when we were looking for a release date anyway . Luckily , they needed an opener and there we were . Chris and Dennis are our rhythm section for the Deer Tick tour that we are opening . Then Liz Isenberg , who is a great singer / songwriter and also has been in the orbit of Deer Tick for a long time — she sang on the first Deer Tick record — she is on the tour with us as well , playing piano . So is Shahjehan Khan , who is in our band , Ravi Shavi , and also in another band called the Kominos .
Tell me more about Kitchen Weapons . You said it ’ s about a breakup and it ’ s highly personal to you . It ’ s about the culmination of a ten-year relationship and the breakup and its aftermath . After the breakup , I returned to the house in which I had spent my twenties and lived with the band . That ’ s where I wrote and recorded the album , with just a mattress on the floor and very little things , but there was a piano in the basement . That ’ s what I put all of my energy into . Seeing it come to fruition with the help of my manager , Darren Hill , who runs POP in Providence , Harry Howes at Almost Ready Records , and Larry Webman at Wasserman has been rewarding .
CONTINUED ON PAGE 158
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l AUGUST 2023 93