We have long maintained that the most interesting people to hang out with are artists, musicians and authors.  (To all our architect, doctor, scientist, and even accountant friends, we still love you…really).  So one of the real joys of this little project is that we often get to talk to folks driven by their creative forces just because we rented some space on the interwebs and hack away at the keyboard every now and again.   For example, we had to a chance to catch up Tim Deaux of The Whigs just before Thanksgiving while he was driving north toward Memphis  to spend some time with family before the band hit the road again this week.

Our conversation with Tim was sort of like when your favorite record store guy (like Warren at Decatur CD or Andy at Tall Stax) introduces you to another customer who may be just as obsessed with music as you are.  Which is to say, it was a spontaneous conversation that covered a variety of topics where we were learning something new, and it seemed to go really quickly even though it lasted quite some time.

We found out that Tim and the band are true music lovers, listening to almost anything while they are on the road: including Randy Newman, Rage Against the Machine, Amazing Baby, Willie Nelson, Blaze Foley, and Animal Collective.  Tim told us he’s got a soft spot for 1990′s R&B and rap and isn’t ashamed of taking a little guilty pleasure in L.L. Cool J’s “I Need Love”.  We also talked about football coaches and hometowns and a few other things before I remembered to ask a couple serious music questions.

Tim was able to give us a great perspective on where the band has been and where it is going.  Tim was part a big part of the band this past year as they spent time in the studio recording tracks with three different all-star producers: Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Derek Trucks), and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon, Emmylou Harris).  Those sessions will form the basis for their next full length release, In The Dark, now expected to be released in early March 2010.

When asked what we might expect from the new record Tim told us that despite the fun they have playing in the studio, the band was still trying to capture the live experience in much the same way they did on 2008′s Mission Control.  If you have any doubts about that, check out two of the early release songs that will be on that record “In the Dark” and “Hundred/Million.”  You can grab them here if haven’t heard them yet.

It was great talking to Tim and it’s just another reason we are so excited to see him and The Whigs on Friday night at the Variety Playhouse.   One lucky A-Lister got on the guest list through our ticket giveaway, but tickets are still available so get yours and join us at the show tonight.