Those who didn’t run (excerpt) – COLIN STETSON by Constellation Records
A few months back I interviewed Colin Stetson about his new album, A History of Warfare, Vol. II. Beyond promoting his music, we talked about his past affection with Dungeons and Dragons, his love for Sci-Fi, and his plan to one day release his very own comic book. (Cough, cough, the Nerdist Theater is in the back of Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles, cough…) Basically, if anyone could win the award for Nerdist’s favorite saxophone player, Colin Stetson would demolish all opposition.
Stetson has been on tour with another Nerdist favorite, Bon Iver, who I saw play in Los Angeles last week. I left the theater depressed. I could have sat there for another two weeks. The band killed. No, wait, they destroyed, demolished, and then built it again just so Justin Vernon could take out a lazer gun and blow it up. The set was jaw-dropping. Countless “I love you Bon Iver†shouts erupted throughout the concert, but, during Stetson’s solo, there was silence. At that moment, if you turned on a mute button, the theater would be filled with wide-eyed hipsters unknowingly swallowing bugs. He did a good job, to say the least.
Anyway, Stetson and I were able to catch up after the show. Around 5 or so seconds after the “hellos†I’m pretty sure I scared him when I awkwardly yelled “SOWHENISYOURCOMICBOOKCOMINGOUT?†Now, nerds, I didn’t want to pressure the man, he’s been pretty busy, being on a world tour and all… But at least he knows we remembered! Simultaneously releasing an album with a comic book should happen all the time! Colin, you could start the best trend ever.
We touched on his forthcoming album, which he will record after touring. It will be called A History of Warfare vol. III, completing his trilogy. Literally, it’s a trilogy. He writes his music by writing stories first, which makes tons of sense and is awesome. Crazy awesome. I then pestered him to start watching Community, mainly for the Dungeons and Dragons episode, which sold him. That was the point I stopped working, but not before Reggie Pace, the Trombonist/Beatboxer, told me he loved Nerdist! Victory! Chris, add one more to the people who like Nerdist list! Suffice to say, Stetson and Bon Iver should do a Nerdist podcast and maybe give us some of their awesome.
And also, go to their show!
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Stetson has quickly become one of my favorite sax men. As someone who plays sax myself, I’m dumbfounded by his athleticism and the diversity of sound. His technique is unmatched. I also think it’s pretty great that he is bringing the Saxophone into the consciousness of a younger generation that hasn’t necessarily been exposed to it much yet. Thanks for the article, Becca!