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The Lindbergh Baby

Broderick: The Lindbergh Baby grew out of a long-time desire to express my ideas through the tried and true medium of rock 'n roll. For a bunch of years in Burlington, I'd been working with an underground theater and puppetry troupe with a whole slew of Renaissance types driven by the will to create art for art's sake. This collective eventually atomized, and The Lindbergh Baby was born. I've listened to all kinds of music since childhood, always wrote poetry, and began playing guitar in my late teens, so it's been an organic if slow progression. The Lindbergh Baby has consistently been made up of myself and whomever else I can cajole into playing. I ask the most talented folks I know to lend a hand, and so far it's been working out.

How did you end up working with Michael Moynihan and Annabel Lee of Blood Axis?

Broderick: I received a letter from Michael Moynihan a few months before Blood Axis was about to embark on a small tour of Europe. He was looking for a drummer for the tour, and I saw that as a plate quite worth stepping up to. Michael and Annabel offered to play with The Lindbergh Baby at a gig I had coming up around the same time, and this morphed into a Blood Axis rehearsal as well. Soon after, The Lindbergh Baby opened for Changes and Blood Axis in New York City at Tesco's Black Easter event and had the opening slot at the Flammenzauber V Festival at Castle Heldrungen in Germany. We've gotten by with a little help from our friends, as they say.

Were they involved in any of the writing or arrangements on the album?

Broderick: Most of the songs on the record existed in some form long before this recording was made. Everyone brings their own ideas to the table, however, and the other players are all very accomplished musicians. I provide the basic melody and chord structure, but this still leaves a lot of room for exploration and improvisation. Michael and Annabel certainly 'write' their own parts, though, as does Amber Rae with her vocals and Herr Kammerer with his amazing guitar. Everyone plays as they see fit.

There are more country and Americana influences in your music than you usually hear from dark folk acts. Musically speaking, who are your biggest inspirations and influences?

Broderick: Yes, I agree that there is a real twist of psychedelic country to The Lindbergh Baby. I think it's the landscape in all of us finding expression. These ideas of liberty and self-reliance that have become unfashionable in parts of the world can still be unearthed in the Green Mountains. They are an inspiring place to live. And besides, I'm a 'damned Yankee,' and there's no changing that. Musically, I'm influenced more by old-time music and Appalachian folk than anything 'new' going on. I'm heavily influenced by the lyrical writing of Robert Hunter; he and Jerry Garcia wrote an incredible amount of solid songs. I also grew up listening to punk and black metal when they were in their prime, and I think those influences can be found as well; you just might have to dig a little deeper to discover them. I listen to everything from Al Bowlly to the Electric Hellfire Club. Johnny Cash is an influence, but also Liz Phair, so it's a broad spectrum.

What do you prefer, playing live or working on new material in the studio?

Broderick: I enjoy them both well enough. This was my first record, and it was a real learning experience in the studio. I'm extremely pleased with the end results. Both studio engineers we used had skills and Bob Ferbrache did a fine job with the mastering. There is a certain sonic quality to the record that I find very satisfying. We rarely play live, but both playing live and recording are a chance to get together with some of my favorite folks, so I welcome the opportunity to do either. There is travel involved in both as well, as everyone has been moving about lately, so both are adventurous. I look forward to putting together a follow-up effort.

One of the most enigmatic tracks on the new album is 'Cassilda's Song,' which incorporates both an Enochian invocation and lyrics from Robert W. Chambers. Can you tell us a little about how you came to put that song together?

Broderick: The genesis for Cassilda's Song comes from a ritual written by Anton LaVey called Der Wahnsinn von Andelsprutz (or The Madness of Andelsprutz), which begins with a reading of the 17th Enochian key followed by lyrics from the book The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers. I knew this diabolical book was a big influence on both H.P. Lovecraft and Anton LaVey, and thought it was time the song was put to music. As far as I know we are the first to do so. For the recording of the Enochian invocation, we traveled to Ottawa and had Magister Robert Lang from the Church of Satan read it in the ritual chamber of what's affectionately called The Black House North. It was a dramatic experience, and I think that is duly reflected on the album, as the response to it has been strong and favorable.

Tracks like '13 Stars,' and 'Media Boss' are almost punk in that they seem to take aim at conventional socio-political ideologies of both the left and right. Where do your own politics lie, and how important a role do they play in your music?

Broderick: I'm not much for politics and therefore not much for political correctness, though I do favor politeness and champion pranksters. With the songs, I like to give voice to different aspects of the American experience, both past and present, as I relate to them. There is always a position beyond, or better yet, above the right or the left if a position needs to be taken, but I don't see that need arise very often in my day to day life. I'm not out there making decisions for other people. So I don't see the music as political. It is music, though, so I think it is rebellious by nature.

The photograph, alchemical symbol, and quotation on the album artwork are intriguing. Can you tell us about each? How do they connect to one another, and how do they connect to the themes explored on the album?

Broderick: The photograph was taken from an old yellow clipping of a protest being staged by the Fountain of the World cult, most likely from the late 1950s. And the alchemical symbol stands for sulphur or brimstone. I worked closely with Kevin Slaughter of Scapegoat Publishing on the design aspects of the CD, and he did a great job capturing the spirit of the record visually. The quote of 'Act now, think later, or you will die!' was taken from a note that was found on the Collar Bomber of Erie, PA, a strange case where a man with a bomb locked around his neck was forced to rob a bank and sent on a wild goose chase to find three keys to unlock the bomb. He failed and was killed. Although these elements are seemingly unrelated, they work together as a whole to demonstrate a dark undercurrent of American history that I find unique and interesting. There is a part of the American experience that is ultimately an occult experience that sometimes gets pushed to the side and overlooked. It often surfaces in the form of mysterious crime, extremism, or what is commonly referred to as conspiracy theory. I could go on to decipher the references contained in each song, but I wouldn't want to spoil the fun.

You've played with acts like Changes and Blood Axis, both of whom have generated a fair amount of controversy. Has any of that controversy or criticism spilled over into your own musical efforts, and if so, how have you dealt with it?

Broderick: I'm grateful to share the stage with legendary acts like Changes and Blood Axis. Those bands are made up of some of the best, strong-willed, productive and intelligent people I have come across. Controversy and criticism have always followed those that think for themselves, but that being said, we haven't had any troubles. A few reviews have politicized the album more than I think it needs to be, but I've realized that the inability to pigeonhole the record is frustrating for some people. I think the sort of ilk that protests things have come to realize that they have much more to worry about than anything a few musicians have supposedly said.

Will you be touring to promote the new album? Do you have any other upcoming plans you can tell us about?

Broderick: I'd like to get out and play some this summer, and David E. Williams has suggested that we play at Germ Books in Philly, so that may materialize. We've yet to perform since the album was released, and we've never been a touring band as we've all been quite busy with our lives and other projects, but we've still managed to get the record in a lot of hands, so it's been good to see that people still care enough about music to go out or online and buy it. I appreciate that people are willing to take a chance on something new and in many senses musically different. Currently I'm teaching myself to play an auto-harp I received as a family heirloom, and I'm learning to ride a unicycle as well. I'd like to get a follow-up release to Hoodwinked coming out within the next year or so, and if the stars align and the opportunity to play arises, you're certain to see The Lindbergh Baby strike again.