by Jane McCarthy
Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan seem to be star-crossed bandmates. While both pursuing solo careers in LA, the pair met-up out of mutual appreciation, tried playing each other’s songs, and never looked back. This summer, their collaboration as The Milk Carton Kids saw the release of Prologue, an album chock-full of folk gems that are beautifully subtle and tell stories that stay with you.
On a recent evening at Edendale, I caught up with the duo to chat about their songwriting process, what “old-timey” really means, and why they’re giving their record away for free.
Jane McCarthy: When did you guys start playing together and how did that come about?
Joey Ryan: Think we met for the first time in December of 2009. Kenneth was playing a show with his band at the Hotel Café, and he played that song of his- Memoirs of an Owned Dog. I felt compelled to go up to him afterwards and tell him what a great song I thought it was. Then a couple weeks later we ran into each other and Kenneth I guess doesn’t remember this, but he said something to the effect of, “You’ve got to come over and hear me play guitar on your songs”. This was our second meeting, and I thought it was really kind of forward of him.
Kenneth Pattengale: Yeah, I’m not that brazen typically.
JR: Right. But you were.
KP: Joey claims I don’t remember. I insist that it never happened.
JR: But it did. And I thought it was particularly forward, but I went. That day when we played guitars and sang together, I actually thought it sounded horrible until Kenneth played it back (he had put up microphones so we could hear it), and I guess I wasn’t listening or something because the recording was incredible. That’s when I realized there was something happening.
JM: You guys were both pursuing solo work at the time.
KP: Very unsuccessfully.
JR: To varying degrees of un-success, I should say.
JM: But the work itself was good.
KP: Yeah, I think we both stand by that work. It never really caught on with a greater audience, certainly not the way this permutation has.
JM: What’s writing together like? It’s got to be a departure from having worked independently for quite awhile.
JR: Yeah, that’s the most profound part of it for me, because I’ve never felt comfortable allowing anyone else to poke their head in as much and to have such an influence over my writing. But I’ve always felt comfortable with allowing Kenneth that sort of access, and I think hopefully you know, it’s vice-versa. And I think that’s really brought both of our writing to new levels.
When you think it’s done, to put it to someone whose writing you respect immensely and say, “What do you think?” And to actually be open to the fact that they might want to change something about it, and then to be reassured almost every single time that what they do come up with is the right thing. It’s just really encouraging and sort of expanding. Or it has been for me as a writer, not to mention musically.
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