The Elected- Babyface by MMMusic
In between the transition from lead guitarist of indie band Rilo Kiley to center stage with his own band, The Elected, singer-songwriter Blake Sennett found a lighter-hearted perspective on music.
Despite his two-year break from the music industry, Sennett’s latest album Bury Me in My Rings is laced with what he is best known for — not-too-sweet lyrics on conventions of love, smooth, poppy beats and a whispery voice.
While in town for the band’s concert at Emo’s last Friday, Sennett met with the Texan to discuss his musical hiatus, his latest album and child acting career on “Boy Meets World.”
Daily Texan: This is your first album since you kind of, well, left the music world in 2010. So what inspired you to come back?
Blake Sennett: I think I missed it. I think I did a lot of soul searching. Also, I was excited to try things with this fresh perspective that I think I’ve been able to cultivate over the last two-and-a-half years.
DT: Why did you decide to leave in the first place?
BS: I think I was disappointed. I felt a little stagnant, a little stale spiritually and emotionally. If you’re around the same people for years it can make you a little, well, bitter and weird. I didn’t want to be like that. I needed to step away from everything and see what that felt like and experience that perspective.
DT: So how is Bury Me In My Rings different from previous albums by The Elected?
BS: I think it’s a lot less self-conscious. It’s a lot more stream of consciousness. I tried to focus more on narrative and story arc in songs versus on the last record, or really the last two records, where I wrote a little more abstractly and a little more from pain probably.
DT: You’re also the lead guitarist of Rilo Kiley. What was the transition like to The Elected?
BS: It’s a little more stressful. You can’t just wing it, you have to have a lot more focus. When you’re playing guitar behind that person you don’t feel it as much when shows go bad or even when it goes well. You take shows a lot more personally.
DT: Okay! A few less serious questions. What’s the strangest thing to happen at one of your shows?
BS: I think the first time at a Rilo Kiley show that a kid peeled back his sleeve and showed a big Rilo Kiley tattoo on his forearm, I think that was pretty weird for me.
DT: Cool or creepy?
BS: It’s a lot of pressure! Someone inks up for you and it’s on their body for life. You don’t want them to regret it. Like I loved Primus so much when I was younger, but if I had a Primus tattoo on my forearm now I would be like “WEIRD.”
DT: Have you ever Googled yourself?
BS: Oh, yeah. Definitely. Not for a long time, though. I don’t really like doing it.
DT: Well I have, and —
BS: Googled yourself?
DT: No, Googled you! And you were on “Boy Meets World,” something children of the ’90s like myself find very exciting. So what was your character?
BS: I was a bully, Joey the rat, for about 20 episodes.
DT: What was your favorite episode?
BS: There was one where I had to do some wrestling, and a pro-wrestler came in to show us how to do some of those body slams and stuff. It was pretty awesome. I think I was wrestling Ben Savage (Corey Matthews) in the show.
DT: Did you win?
BS: Oh no, he’s a hero — I’m pretty sure he beat me.
