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If The Shins got The Band pregnant it might sound like Jeff Markham & The Last Call. Think hummable folk rock with no artificial ingredients, sung by dudes with beards—in this case Markham. “We’re not really stuck in the vein of doing a rock format or folk format,” he says. “If you come out to see us, the set is more rounded. Metal roots that will kind of pull through from time-to-time.”
The Asheville quartet, which also features multi-instrumentalist Justin Lee, drummer Jonny Darko and bassist John Hamrick, recorded a five song EP “Best of Time” earlier this year. The title track is leafy, Zach Braff-ready indie.
Markham says the band plans to record a full-length album, anywhere from 12 to 30 songs, in the near future. The singer says the album will be self-recorded and self-produced. “It’s hard to tell somebody else what you want when you’re recording. We want to go for a little more raw sound, not so polished. We’re tight and together, but we’re kind of a rough band.”
What inspired you to do a music video for “Baby It’s Gone” (on the Lazoom Tour Bus) at a time when MTV is pretty much dead and fans mainly access video via YouTube? It’s just fun. I’m a visual person and I like to do as much as I can with bands. In between playing shows and writing songs and trying to record demos and albums, I like to explore every possibility that’s out there. Also, I think it helps for people even if they like your music to see what you do.
What was one of your favorite music videos from when you were a kid? I remember the first one that actually caught me was “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana. Just because it was at a time of the hair metal bands, and I remember seeing these guys that looked totally normal. It was just more real than anything I’d seen.
What aspects of Asheville do you find most inspiring as a musician? There’s a lot of really open-minded people here and also a lot of transients, kind of gypsy people who come through on their way to somewhere else. But also it’s a beautiful place—it’s the mountains. You’ve got great music, lots of bluegrass, country and folk. Tons of musicians for such a small place. This is the perfect place if you’re into that kind of Southern music.
What are one recent artist and one classic artist you guys are into? Collectively something we discovered a while ago is the Avett Brothers. They’re high-energy folk. It’s just the kind of music that makes you feel good, and they’re incredible songwriters and vocalists and they harmonize. They’re doing folk music but with this younger kind of sound.
Jeff Markham & The Last Call play Smiley's Acoustic Cafe at 9 p.m. July 25. The show is free.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/jeffmarkhamandthelastcall.
