West Virginia’s top legislative leaders don’t think clamoring over coal this election helps Appalachia’s already-sputtering industry.
A U.S. Senate race and two competitive House contests have hammered on fear of federal regulation further stifling coal.
Republicans lump Democrats in with President Obama, an ever-unpopular figure in West Virginia. Democrats zig-zag to show they don’t support his energy policies.
State House Speaker Tim Miley and Senate President Jeff Kessler say the dialogue is oversimplified.
The Democratic leaders point out other factors: cheap natural gas, thin coal seams, lousy markets and national and global competition.
Kessler and Miley are also from northern West Virginia, where natural gas production has boomed.
Some of West Virginia’s longest-tenured Democratic politicians, the late Sen. Robert Byrd and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, similarly criticized coal rhetoric.
["Break Line"] is like the history of West Virginia. -Anand Wilder
This week, “A Change of Tune” host Joni Deutsch interviews Yeasayer co-founder Anand Wilder about his indie Appalachian musical “Break Line.” The record features musicians from major indie/alt bands like Chairlift, MGMT, and Vampire Weekend, and the musical itself is inspired by West Virginia’s coal mining past. If you’re a fan of indie rock collaborations and classic rock operas, this interview is recommended for you.
Joni: I love how “Break Line” is an indie Appalachian romp of a musical. It’s not a stereotyped view of Appalachia. It’s a hip, cool, indie-alternative way of looking at mining culture.
Anand: Thanks! These songs were written in 2004, before Yeasayer was even a band, and a lot of them were performed by early Yeasayer. When I first played the show with Chris [Keating, Yeasayer’s frontman], we played three songs from the musical, and for the first few years of Yeasayer, we would play all these songs. Then when it didn’t make sense to sing about mining, once we started writing our own material, then we replaced it with Yeasayer stuff. We used to play these songs and they were people’s favorite songs. [Laughing] I have friends who still say, “Man, why did you take “Wedding Day” out of the line-up?”
J: I like Yeasayer’s music, but this just sounds so different.
A: I guess with Yeasayer, it’s all about forging ahead, being very new, using the newest piece of technology and samplers, and trying to be kind of relevant to contemporary music. And this was more of an homage to all of this classic rock that I grew up loving like Neil Young and David Bowie and that kind of stuff. It was all about trying to emulate that and not using any kind of crazy, new technology. It was trying to get that perfect sound as if it was a musical that was written in the 1970’s. It didn’t really make sense for me, as a band, to be retro in that way, because it’s already been done, but for some reason it made sense for a musical. It seems like if we’re going to do a musical, we might as well do it in the golden age of musical theater and rock opera.
J: To me, this sounds like an untapped resource. I’m not sure how many Appalachia rock musicals are out there. It’s taking a topic [like coal mining] and bringing it to the forefront in an interesting way.
A: It is like the history of West Virginia. Really, the musical’s historical facts were taken from West Virginian history, I just wanted to make it western Pennsylvania to kind of separate it from that. And the interracial romance, which I wanted it to be celebrated and legal in the musical and then everything falls apart from this labor conflict, and that would have been impossible in West Virginia because there were anti-miscegenation laws in West Virginia until 1967.
Joni: Let’s go back to the beginning to when you and Maxwell [Kardon, “Break Line” co-writer] came together and dreamed up this record.
A: We were old college friends, and we were in another band together with a guy named Evan [Voshnell], and we were trying to do the whole rock band thing in 2003, 2004. We were hitting walls with our sound and in Philadelphia, it was hard for us to get shows. Me and Max were talking about songs our dads would play us, and we struck upon this idea of telling this story about a fictional town. We were both history buffs, and the songs really just came so quickly in a way that I haven’t been able to write songs since. It was almost like channeling, where we would just come up with a riff or a line and the chords would just come very quickly. So I was really excited about this idea for the musical from the beginning, and I’ve had a lot of support from friends who thought it would be better than all the shoe-gazey post-rock that was happening then. And Max and Evan kind of disappeared, they went to Asia and Thailand to teach English, and I was left with my idealistic hopes of becoming a rock star.
J: Which turned out pretty well, I’d say.
A: [Laughing] Which turned out pretty great! I’m actually glad it happened. But I still felt kind of spurned by the guys like, “We had this great idea! C’mon, let’s run with this!” But Yeasayer started, and we played a lot of songs from the musical because they were all finished. Eventually I talked to my manager about getting this musical together, and now that Yeasayer has been touring so much, I finally found all these amazing singers. In our first year of touring, we were probably out for 300 days of that year, we met the guys from Man Man, who had been my idols living in Philadelphia. I asked “Pow Pow,” [Man Man’s] Chris Powell, to play drums, Ira [Wolf Tuton, Yeasayer’s bassist] was playing bass, Caroline Polachek from Chairlift got involved, and all these guys from the band Suckers to sing all these parts. Everyone had all these amazing voices, and I didn’t want to sing because I wanted everyone taking all the vocal duties to really make it a musical. Over the course of the last ten years, really starting in earnest in 2008, we slowly pieced together the musical and got the artwork together and now it just made sense to put it out in the lull of Yeasayer activity.
Cover art for “Break Line”
J: You brought upwards of 15 bands and artists to help with the musical. How did you approach them about helping with the record? Did you have to tempt them with food?
A: You know, I definitely did buy everyone lunch when they came in. [Laughing] But I think everyone knew that it was a small project that was weird and cool. There’s been so many articles written around 2008 about the Brooklyn community, but they were all kind of fake. None of us really performed together. Everyone was here with a suitcase and a dream to try to make it happen, so we thought, “Let’s make this real and turn this community into a project that everyone can work on!” And it lucked out. We found an awesome mixing engineer in Brit Myers, who had a great studio and could work for cheap since he was really into musical theater. He had just recorded the musical “Passing Strange,” which was pretty cool. Everyone was really game to get involved, but I don’t think I could do it again [Laughing]. I could get some of the guys to come again, but it was just a different time where people were free and ready to get creative.
J: So you’re not saying that you would commit to a sequel or prequel?
A: I think everything has been said about this particular town. But Max is a great friend of mine and an amazing song-writer, and we’ve been working on an upstate New York-based kind of musical. I think I might like it to be based in historical characters, so I’m thinking about maybe licensing the rights to a book. Try to make a certain book come to life. The musical, “Break Line,” is based on thinly-veiled characters who definitely have their historical figures that they represent. But I would like to do something where I can say, “Here it is: here is the town they are in, it’s a real town, here are the characters that existed, and here are their stories.”
A: Oh yeah! Well, I do want the next one to be much more water-based. That’s something I want to tackle because it’s something that we take for granted. We take for granted that water just comes out of the tap. Yeah, maybe. I need to apply for some grants from West Virginia or something.
J: You mention that you did some West Virginia research to find inspiration for the music.
A: West Virginia could just be called “coal” if we named our states around the industries they were based around. But yeah, I took a lot of stuff from there. There’s this great book called “Coal, Class, and Color” by Joe William Trotter Jr. about blacks in southern West Virginia in the World War I period. I think a lot of people misinterpret the musical as this staunchly pro-union tale, but it’s actually more of a nuanced thing. In musicals, it seems like you’re choosing one side or another, but I really wanted to use the musical to depict all these different sides and show strike breaking as not necessarily bad. I always loved the movie “Matewan” and that kind of “everybody working together” feeling, but I wanted to do something that was like, “Ok, maybe people worked together, but what was it really like if they hated on each other a lot?” It wasn’t always the big companies that were being racist, so I wanted to kind of explore that. When you’re singing pop songs, you can’t just sing from a real evil dude’s point of view. But in musicals, those are always my favorite songs.
J: Were there any musicals by Andrew Lloyd-Weber or others that you took inspiration from for “Break Line?”
A: We took a lot of inspiration from “Bugsy Malone” and Paul Williams. I guess “Little Shop of Horrors” was a big influence. And we were inspired by Neil Young and 70’s classic rock. We also love classics like “The Sound of Music,” “Oliver,” and “West Side Story.” Those were the ones were we thought, “If only we could be that good!” I know every lyric to every single song on “A Sound of Music,” it’s just hit-after-hit, and I’m not sure if that happens anymore with musicals.
J: You can’t expect it to be so immediately amazing that NBC puts it up on TV like “Sound of Music: Live!” or “Peter Pan: Live!” Maybe it’ll become an instant classic over time.
A: “An instant classic over time.” [Laughing] I like that. But it’s funny you mention Andrew Lloyd-Weber. “Jesus Christ Superstar” was a concept album with all these different singers. It was just an album that came out, and it was also our inspiration. Ok, you can have an album, and maybe one day it will become a musical and no one will remember it was a musical. It was like a demonstration record.
J: Let’s assume 10 years from now, someone off-Broadway, on-Broadway, somewhere in some dive in Louisiana decides to put on this musical. Do you have any stars or singers outside of the ones used in the record?
A: You know, someone asked me to do this. I think I listed all dead people. [Laughing] Sure, it would be great for Shelley Duvall to play some character. Harry Nilsson’s “Popeye” musical was a big inspiration because it wasn’t a cheesy, over-blown, contemporary musical theater kind of voice. It was more like speak-singing, so she was a big inspiration besides Dolly Parton and that kind of stuff. It would be so amazing if someone 10 years from now from West Virginia or Pennsylvania changed around some of the lyrics to make it make more sense. I would be so psyched.
J: I think this is a perfect merge of something people recognize and love, like Yeasayer’s name, and a cultural significance that people wouldn’t look into unless they had catchy music. Hopefully people will look into this, recognize 10 names in the cast, and look into its content.
A: That was my goal. I didn’t want it to be a solo album at all. I wanted it to be presented as a collective album. Even though I was the force pushing it through, getting all the actors together, I wanted it to be a group effort.
J: Did you have certain slots for the actors or was casting based on scheduling?
A: It was definitely on purpose. Like I wanted [Suckers’ frontman] Quinn Walker to be the main anti-hero. That was of the utmost importance to us, having the perfect voices. We had to change vocalists constantly because it just wasn’t working, and we had to adapt the story and change the lyrics so it made sense. It was really about finding the perfect voices. A lot of people surprised us. Aku [Orraca-Tetteh] from the band Dragons of Zynth, he plays Harvey in the musical and sings “Coal into Diamonds” and “Fathers and Brothers,” and his band is the most avant-garde, experimental band in New York, but he got in front of the mic and sung this sweet ballad. He was a total pro. But it was difficult to work with some people because I’m used to working with Chris and Ira from Yeasayer, and Chris can shred his vocals and is a great mimic. Other people have these wonderful styles, but I had to adjust the songs and coax them through it, so it was a real lesson in vocal production. Working with Ryan [Kattner] from Man Man, who has this really unique and awesome voice, it was difficult for him to hit the high notes, so we had to change some of the melodies around. We finally figured it out, which is great because I always imagined him as this cartoonish, evil boss in the mines.
J: I’m sure he appreciated that.
A: [Laughing] I think everybody was really happy. I had one person who didn’t want to be associated with it, so I had to change her name. That was weird. Her name is “Tanya Houndsley.” It’s crazy because her song “Hang Your Head High” was one of the most amazing vocal performances, but maybe she didn’t want that style associated anymore with her own solo career. You can figure out who it is. [Laughing] But other than that, everybody was really happy. I had a record release party and people came who couldn’t remember doing the record. [Laughing] Delicate Steve tweeted something like, “I played slide guitar when I was 24 and now my 29-self approves.”
J: Why didn’t you mention pepperoni rolls in the musical?
A: [Laughing] You know the reason we didn’t do it is because it’s western Pennsylvania, so it’s probably a Stromboli there. But you know, we were in the release/cast party and were like, “How do we not have any mentions of canaries in the musical?” It’s definitely incomplete, it needs revisions.
J: You could do a deluxe album and add in some songs… if you have the free time.
A: [Laughing] Yeah, right. Actually I’m getting a songbook made. A couple of songs were cut from the album, and one song we didn’t even attempt because too many voices were going on at once, but we had a demo though. So if someone wants to put on the musical, the songbook is there in full with the piano parts, the full story is there. It would be really awesome if some fan bought the songbook and posted a cover on YouTube.
J: I could dress up my sheepdog and have him mime the musical, if that helps.
A: Oh yeah! Various people have told me what the visual elements should be. It could be animals playing characters. That’s what’s so great about “Bugsy Malone.” It’s a little kid playing these historic figures. Or claymation would be great.
Anand Wilder is working on an upcoming release with Yeasayer. You can follow Yeasayer on http://blog.yeasayer.net/. To hear bits of the interview and songs that inspired “Break Line,” tune in to Joni Deutsch’s “A Change of Tune” this Saturday at 10 PM EST on West Virginia Public Radio.
Members of Congress, state government and industry representatives gathered in Bluefield Tuesday for the Bluefield Coal Symposium. The annual event gathers leaders to discuss the major issues facing the industry.
On the panel were Congressmen Nick Rahall and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Rainey and Alpha Natural Resources Senior Vice President of Environmental Affairs Gene Kitts. Sen. Joe Manchin served as the moderator.
The discussion covered a variety of topics ranging from carbon sequestration to the import export bank. Much of the discussion focused on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s newly proposed rule to cut carbon dioxide aimed at limiting coal fired power plants.
Panelists answered written questions from the audience, including one about how the federal government is working to create jobs in southern West Virginia while taking a stance against the coal industry.
Rahall said economic diversification is something the state should see the federal government as a partner in doing, not as the entity that will take the lead.
“Coal is number one, make no mistake about it, has been, is, always will be, we will never turn our backs on the coal industry,” he said, “but I think [we should] diversify our economy and have other industries in place so that we can have the retraining or other places for the coal miners however temporary it may be to go and work.”
Morrisey focused many of his answers on how his office is working to legally fight the EPA’s proposal by joining in an amicus brief with nine other states.
All of the panelists seemed to agree that new benefits for miners suffering from Black Lung as defined in the Affordable Care Act were a positive thing, although Griffith said the law should be repealed and those provisions introduced as a separate measure.
Manchin’s stance was that the coal industry has never before had an enemy in the federal government. Instead, he said, federal leaders have reached out to help the industry during previous declines.
“We never had the federal government doubling down when times got tough, making it almost impossible for us to survive. We’ve never been hit like this before,” he said in closing the discussion.
“We’ve always had government who would reach out and be your partner, but we can’t survive if the federal government doubles down.”
Recent upgrades could help a Putnam County power plant save $10 million annually by moving coal more quickly on barges.
The $6 million investment at Appalachian Power’s John E. Amos Power Plant in Poca reduces the time to change a barge from 45 minutes to five.
Parent company spokeswoman Tammy Ridout says the company can now unload a full barge while an empty barge is pulled away. The technology became operational in April.
She says the added capability lets Appalachian Power buy more barge coal, and less delivered by trains. The company can now buy an additional 2 million tons by barge instead of rail each year with a savings of about $5 per ton.
Ridout says the change ultimately benefits power customers.
The Department of Energy has named a new director for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which has offices in five states including West Virginia.
The DOE said in a press release that Grace Bochenek will manage day-to-day operations for more than 1,000 employees from their Pittsburgh office. Those employees work on new technologies to manage and use fossil fuel energy.
Bochenek has more than 25 years of technical and management experience with the Department of Defense, most recently as the first Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Former director Anthony Cugini of Pittsburgh resigned last fall and was later indicted on a federal obstruction of justice charge. Cugini committed suicide in January, about a month after pleading not guilty.
The N-E-T-L has offices in four states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon, and Alaska.
From Boone County banker Lee Milam's experience, each round of coal mine layoffs that hits southern West Virginia stifles his community's already-fragile…
From Boone County banker Lee Milam’s experience, each round of coal mine layoffs that hits southern West Virginia stifles his community’s already-fragile economy. Thursday’s news was especially bitter. Coal giant Alpha Natural Resources revealed plans to shed 1,100 workers at 11 West Virginia surface mines and related operations by mid-October. In Boone, where about 2,400 people work in coal mining, two mines employing 462 people could be shuttered.
Potentially, that’s 462 fewer folks, averaging a salary of nearly $85,000, spending money around town.
“If you own a restaurant, you’re a coal miner and you just don’t know it,” said Milam, president of Whitesville State Bank. “If you’re a banker, you’re a coal miner. They’re your neighbors and your friends.”
For the many Appalachian critics of President Barack Obama’s energy policies, Alpha’s timing Thursday sparked a rallying cry. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency kicked off long-awaited public meetings on proposed limits on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, part of the administration’s plan to stem global warming.
But bigger, systematic challenges facing Appalachian coal have been percolating for years, including less-expensive natural gas, lousy markets and dwindling reserves.
National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich said Alpha’s plans are just “the opening shot” of the EPA rule’s impact on coal. States have until June 2016 to submit carbon-reducing plans and could have to comply in 2017, or 2018 if they partner with other states.
When Alpha partly laid blame on EPA regulation for layoff plans, it set off a chain reaction of political finger-pointing in West Virginia. Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the state’s fears over EPA rules became reality. Several GOP congressional candidates heightened attacks against Democratic foes for being on the same side as Obama.
Outcry against Obama by West Virginia Democrats and Republicans alike is nothing new. He lost badly twice in the state, and his emissions rules have only made him more vilified.
The problems aren’t all regulatory, though.
“There’s no question that the declining use of coal for electricity generation nationwide is resulting in less production of coal,” said James M. Van Nostrand, director of West Virginia University’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.
Easily reachable, thick coal seams have been mostly picked clean. Competition is stiff from states such as Illinois and Wyoming, the only state producing more coal than West Virginia.
Alpha also noted that international prices of coal shipped to European power plants are at a four-year low, while prices for coal used to make steel declined more than 20 percent in less than a year. Markets are oversupplied, Alpha said.
Coal’s decline was projected before EPA offered the emissions rule. The industry employed about 123,200 coal miners last year, almost 20,000 fewer than in 2010, according to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration figures.
Next year’s projected coal haul for Central Appalachia is supposed to dip to 113.6 million tons nationally after reaching 185 million tons in 2011, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.
“I think it would be a real tragedy if working families in West Virginia wrongfully believe that if the EPA regulations stopped, then coal mining would come back,” said Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy.
The reality is a somber one in southern West Virginia’s coalfields, where many residents know no other way to make a living.
David Hodges, assistant fire chief with the Whitesville Fire Department, said many of his department’s 30 volunteers received their 60-day possible layoff notice from mines Thursday.
“There’s no other industry in southern West Virginia,” Hodges said. “We have coal. That is what we have, that’s what these guys depend on.”
