Landon Pigg

Singer-Songwriter Landon Pigg is about to have the best month ever, as they often say on TV. His sophomore album, The Boy Who Never, is being released on September 29^th on RCA Records. Produced by Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Tom Waits) the record includes a new arrangement of Pigg's commercial friendly single "Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop." Pigg will be packing up and taking his songs on the road, playing a club tour with Erin McCarley beginning on September 19^th in Tucson, Ari. and wrapping on October 13^th in Columbus, Ohio.
 

As a cherry on top of his musical sundae, Pigg is set to co-star in the upcoming roller derby film Whip It, in theaters nationwide on October 2. Pigg plays the role of Oliver, a guitar-picking musician who falls for Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), a teen girl with a passion for the quaint little sport of roller derby. A true musician by trade, Whip It will be Pigg’s feature film acting debut. With a new album, tour, and movie all lined up for the next month, we were lucky enough to get a few seconds to ask Pigg his thoughts about it all.


 
Tell us a little about your new album, The Boy Who Never.

Well, it’s a fun listen first of all. There are eleven songs with two B-sides. It’s got your faster songs that will be more of a fun live experience, and it’s got some other songs that make more sense with a couch and a glass of wine. Jacquire recorded it mostly on 2-inch tape, and it was tracked mostly with the same bundle of musicians, so there’s a level of family that takes place. The Boy Who Never spanned Nashville and L.A. during its recording.

Who are some of your inspirations?

A Beatles bass line here, a Gershwin melody there...I don’t know. I have gravitated toward people who are consistently pushing the boundaries creatively and breaking new ground, as well as people who have learned how to play a superb game inside the box. That could be anything from Warhol’s soup cans to Britney Spears "Toxic."

What’s your favorite thing about being a musician?

I enjoy the turnaround time. The fact that I can feel something, or have an experience on Tuesday, let’s say, and have a brand new song to listen to by Friday. There’s a feeling of instant gratification in music, whereas in film, there is more overhead. It may take several years for an idea to manifest.



How did you get involved with Whip It?

MySpace.

What was it like on the set? Any funny stories?

Set was great. I mean, a lot of doing nothing, of course. But the way I saw it, I could easily have been doing nothing in Nashville. Luckily there was an old school tape player installed in the wall of the trailer, so I asked my folks to kindly send over an old box of cassettes. Harvest Moon and Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack ensued.
 

There was one night in Detroit, when I walked into a speakeasy late at night, and who do I see making noise on stage... Juliette Lewis and Eve were sharing rhymes, and Drew Barrymore was holding it down on the drums. Improv jam session I was informed. The cast was filled with positivity.

Do you have any plans for future acting roles?

I’m not too good at making plans. I just kinda start walking and then see what happens.
 

Yeah, my brother and I grew up playing hockey in Chicago when we were tykes. I know you meant roller skating, but that just popped in my head. One time on our first day of practice, we went out on the ice with our skate guards on. Nothing says pro like leaving your skate guards on. We couldn’t figure out why we could stand up. We tried to hobble off without anyone noticing...not sure if it worked.

What do you like to do outside of the music world?

Playing H.O.R.S.E. is pretty fun. But we usually change it to P.I.G.G, with an extra ‘g’ at the end. We’ve done it that way since the Chicago Bulls were on top.

Tell us a little about your upcoming club tour.

The club tour should be a good time. The testosterone and estrogen levels should be fairly balanced. First me, then Erin McCarley. It will be fun to see everyone again; it’s been a while since I’ve done a west coast to east coast tour.