Nearly 12 years ago, Carl Broemel took notice of fellow guitarist Tyler Ramsey when their bands were touring together. Before Broemel’s My Morning Jacket would take the stage, he would home in on Ramsey, then with Band of Horses, during their opening sets.
“I couldn’t figure out how he was doing some of the stuff he was doing,” Broemel says. “He approaches the guitar in a very unique and cool way that’s different than what I do. And so it just kind of piqued my curiosity.”
The two developed a partnership that led to some live performances and eventually the recording of “Celestun,” their debut album, which will be released on Jan. 15.
“Tyler and I love like weird lost ’60s and ’70s acoustic guitar records, and we kind of thought, oh, wouldn’t it be cool to make one of those?” Broemel says during a Zoom conversation from his home studio in Louisville. “No one’s going to want it, but let’s make it anyway. And so that was sort of our starting point.”
The album is mostly instrumental, but the double single, released in September, includes “Nevermind,” with lyrics by Broemel.
“I really am happy with what those lyrics say in there, that it’s a little bit open to interpretation,” he says. “Obviously, it’s been a stressful time in the United States, and I question whether every day I must follow this information. [In the lyrics] I kind of disguise my strategy and like say, I’m asking for a friend. Is it OK if we never mind today, is that OK? Is there any value in that? is kind of what I’m asking. And I’m almost afraid to ask, because people might jump down your throat to say, no, you must fight, you must be a social justice warrior every minute. And I am all for that. But for me, sometimes I gotta never mind, and, you know, get my house in order and then I can help. So that’s sort of what that song is to me. And I got nothing against The New York Times. It just rhymed.”
You can watch our full interview with Broemel about his collaboration with Ramsey, how he welcomes the opportunity for a more out-front role compared to his job alongside gregarious MMJ frontman Jim James and how when it comes to his listening habits “he’s a little bit of a mainstream guy.”
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