Don’t call it a comeback. When we started this website, we were accused of being “catty”, “mean-spirited” and “more arrogant than Pitchfork” (a personal favorite of mine). We frequently referenced other blogs as, “The Cool Kids” because they alluded to their close friendships with the bands they wrote about and acted holier than… me. But as time passes, we recognize our frequent pot-shots (Stereogum still won’t answer our apologies for our Grizzly Bear attack) are counter-productive and have decided to play the “karma” game.

In actual fact, there are a plethora of great blogs out there and we felt that the “right” thing to do is to contact the people behind them so that we can ask them a few questions and get a sense of the people behind the flickering screen. And what better website to start with, in our quest to become kind-hearted, than David Gutowski and his website, Largehearted Boy (http://blog.largeheartedboy.com)? A bastion of knowledge about music, film AND literature, LHB links to the best stories on the net. Where most websites are content to cut and paste the dozen bookmarks they have on their browser, you get the sense that David trolls the ‘net, looking for those little nuggets that everyone else misses. They’re a daily read for us and they should be for you as well.

We hurled ten questions at a guy who updates his site every day (show-off!) with tons of content and got our responses back…..within 48 hours! Here’s a look behind the curtain at one of the best in the biz.

TDOA: I went back and looked at your top ten albums of 2008. One of the things that jumped out at me was the variety of music that you listed; from the calmness of Beach House to the chaos of No Age. Do you find that you are drawn to one type of music more than another?

DG: When I listen to music, usually the songwriting and musicianship are what catch my attention first. Largehearted Boy mostly covers indie rock, alt-country, and folk, but electronica, hip-hop, jazz and world music occasionally slip in. I try to listen to all the music sent my way, as well as everything recommended by friends and blog readers, so my musical worldview is constantly expanding.

TDOA: As we grow older, our musical tastes change. Can you give us a brief synopsis of how your taste has changed over the years?

DG: I am definitely more open to genres I dismissed before I started the blog, like pop and hip-hop. When I was i high school and college, my tastes were almost exclusively indie rock, then in the mid-90′s I fell in love with Guided By Voices. Since then, I try to approach every artist, song, and CD with an open ear.

TDOA: It’s gratifying to read a blog of someone who is growing older, yet their taste in music isn’t narrowing. However, this isn’t the norm. Why do you think people become less adventurous in their musical choices as they grow older?

DG: Even in the internet age, finding new music can be a daunting task. Most people don’t take the time to grow their musical interests because they just don’t have the time, and are mired in the musical era of their high school and college years.

TDOA: Obviously you get your music from a variety of sources, but are there a few places that you find consistently help you find great new music?

DG: My friends are still the best source for new music. they are scattered all over the country, and are always letting me know about new bands and sending me links and mp3s. The artists themselves are often a great resource, whether they send me their own music or recommend someone else’s.

TDOA: Record labels have a history of trying to influence radio stations to get their bands played and I think we’re starting to see it on the internet too. Do you ever feel like an effort is being made to get you to publicize a band that you might not have written about previously?

DG: I am usually up front with labels, publicists, and artists that I only cover music that I personally enjoy, that usually clears up any future miscommunications. Some publicists have been a bit pushy, but it is always easy to say no for me.

TDOA: We don’t see a lot of references to concerts on your site. Do you go to shows? Please name a couple of great concerts you’ve seen in the past year.

DG: When I started Largehearted Boy, I was living in a small town in north Alabama, about equidistant from Nashville and Birmingham. I wold see shows in both towns, but never felt a huge part of either local scene, so I decided not to write show reviews or photograph bands.

Since moving to Birmingham, I see a show or two a week. The city has actually attracted more quality indie acts over the past few years, with some great local music, promoters and venues fueling interest in the city.

A local blog, Bham.fm, threw an amazing aftershow featuring local bands during Birmingham’s City Stages music festival this June. Vulture Whale and Dirty Lungs blistered through their sets, and it was a great way for the local music community to come together for great music, as well as showcase our local music to visitors.

May’s delightfully heavy and dark Isis/Pelican show stands out as well, drawing a different element of the city’s music fans to one of our best music venues, the Bottletree. We don’t get a lot of good metal shows, and I enjoyed this one immensely.

TDOA: If you could meet any one musician, writer or director (living) who would it be and why?

DG: I am actually more drawn to the work than the artist. I usually shy away from meeting authors and musicians in person, preferring to enjoy their artistic output without being colored by their personality.

TDOA: What inspired you to start your own website?

DG: I bought the domain in late 2001 to host my Guided By Voices radio stream, and started the blog as a bit of a lark. I had been reading several blogs, and was impressed with the opportunity to share what I found interesting with the world. In a couple of months the content tailored itself toward music, literature, and pop culture, and the blog became a daily part of my waking hours.

TDOA: Do you have a goal for your site or is there something specific that you hope that people “gain” from reading your site?

DG: I often hear that people have discovered musical artists, albums, and books after reading about them on Largehearted Boy. Sharing what I love, and hopefully introducing music and literature to others is my goal.

TDOA: If you could vote one band “off the island”, who would it be?

DG: I am a “live and let live” guy. Every artists has his fans, and I would hate to deprive them of music I may not appreciate myself, so I would keep all the bands on the island (I just wouldn’t visit their beach).

You can read LHB every single day at: http://blog.largeheartedboy.com. Thanks for taking some time for us, David.

UPDATE:  Due to the tremendous amount of traffic and response this post has generated, I”ve decided to add a quick introduction/interpretation.  The purpose of this entry was to complain about the lack of scope that other music sites seem to be exhibiting.  It was prompted by reading an article on Grizzly Bear’s favorite emoticons on a website that will remain nameless.  There have been a zillion great albums released this year and there are som many signed and unsigned bands out there that are compelling and who need the publicity.  My own lack of interest in the Grizzly Bear album, doesn’t indicate that it’s not without merit; it’s just not my cup of tea.  The following article was intended to “shock” people into thinking about their tendancy to blindly follow music websites who don’t make an effort to cover new and exciting music.  And with that…

I want to like the new Grizzly Bear.  It’s certainly part of the “if you’re a blogger, you must like this album” newsletter.  TDOA has developed quite a following and I’m thrilled with our daily traffic, the musicians that follow us and the ease with which we’re able to get interviews.  Is it commercial suicide to hate on the album that most people will put in their top 10?  Or is it worse to pretend to like an album that you hate?

Definition of MOR via Wikipedia: “MOR (Middle of the Road) music is a commercial radio format.  Conceived as a format that would include music of almost universal appeal due to its… gently inoffensive sentimentality, it is often the format of choice for doctors’ offices, waiting rooms, department stores, and other public and semi-public places of business. The combination of the music’s largely unchallenging, decorous quality and its association with being piped in to places one is compelled to remain has drawn the format its detractors.  The term “middle of the road” is used pejoratively by genre-specific music aficionados to describe musicians who avoid “edgy” (innovative) material, and who calibrate their musical appeal to blandness.  These are people who probably also like… singers who avoid the sexual tug of the blues, and the glorious noises of rock and hip-hop in favor of tremulous expressions of chaste emotion”.

Since our inception, we’ve questioned why people become make less adventurous musical choices as they get older.  The consensus from musicians and writers we’ve interviewed seems to be that as our lives become more complex, we prefer music that doesn’t challenge us.  It’s easier to listen to music we’re already familiar with or to ‘bland’ music devoid of strong emotion.  Our brains are taxed with the pressures of life and the last thing we want to do is listen to music that expresses anxiety or requires deep concentration or contemplation.

Music blogs have redefined the music industry and should be proud that they have provided an invaluable  resource for people who are interested in music.  But what happens when the bloggers get older and less adventurous?  Stereogum, Large Hearted Boy, Pitchfork and a few of the other “cool kid” blogs have been running for a few years now.  Think about their musical choices over the past year while you read the definition of MOR.

Stereogum’s review of the new Grizzly Bear album included this line: “At its heart, it’s an album about the space and place between loved ones, which the band alludes to quite literally: “In the end you’ll never find … Will I return to you, will you return to me” (on the opening “Southern Point”); “I told you I would stay” (“Two Weeks”); “I can’t get out of what I’m into with you” (“All We Ask”); “If it’s all or nothing, then let me go” (“Fine For Now”); “They’ll try to keep us apart” (“I Live With You”); and on.“  Lyrics like this would have been fodder for some great zingers on Pitchfork a few years ago.  Now they quietly sip a cup of tea and tell you that this is the best record of this year.  Grizzly Band are great musicians, but so was Steely Dan.  Some of the most emotional, challenging records in history have been made by bands who freely admitted to just learning to play their instruments.  We frequently talk about bands losing the trail after they become ‘fat’ from success and make boring and bland records.  Veckatimest would be perfectly happy playing in your dentist office, barely noticed.  The repetitive phrasings, the sugary ‘ooow waaah’ background vocals remind me of Tears For Fears.

Why are we prasing this band as experimental or innovative?  Well, it’s because the cool kids are getting old.  I’m sure Grizzly Bear are nice people, but personally I don’t like cold oatmeal.  Challenge me.  Make me cry.  Make me think.