It's about two questions into my Pretty Girls Make Graves interview. I've got bassist/band leader Derek Fudesco on the phone, and I'm fairly certain that he is solidly stoned. My inquiries are met with long pauses and giggles. Lots of giggles. I've gotta ask:
"Dude, how high are you?"
"Um, yeah, well, I just got out of the van after three days," he says guiltily. "I'm, uh, a little fuzzy."
I offer to call Fudesco back at another time, but he insists we continue the interview. At one point, he says that he wants to "share love with the readers." When his band plays Wednesday at Orpheum in Ybor City he wants audience members to buy him "shots, weed, something."
Which I guess is an acceptable request considering Pretty Girls Make Graves (named after a song by The Smiths, who stole it from Jack Kerouac) is saying goodbye. Last year, the Seattle five-piece released their third and finest album, Élan Vital. The title is French for "vital force" and, yes, the album has plenty of it. Lead singer Andrea Zollo sings in full-voiced glory over a catchy mix of post-punk guitars and keyboards augmented with indie rock oddities like trumpet, saxophone and accordion. It's the kind of disc that's full of vitality and promise — and still the band is calling it quits.
Their stop at the Orpheum this week is part of a farewell tour that ends June 9 in their hometown. The decision to disband came after Nick Dewitt said he wanted out. On Élan Vital, he's credited with "drums, samples, vocals, trumpet and piano." In addition to Fudesco, Zollo and Dewitt, the band includes Jay Clark (guitar, keyboards, saxophone) and Leona Marrs (keyboards, accordion, vocals).
"We kind of all talked about it and figured there's no real point in getting someone new and starting over," Fudesco says. "People wanted to do different things, y'know? He pauses for a few seconds and then adds, with a giggle: "Nick's leaving, and he's irreplaceable."
Is Fudesco being sarcastic? It's hard to tell. Like I said before, the dude's baked like apple pie.
You might think there would be tension between the musicians considering Dewitt's decision to leave, but Fudesco sounds totally cool about the band spending the majority of four weeks together in a cramped van. "It's great, it's been a really good trip," he says. "I think we're going to have a really good time."
And Fudesco isn't losing any sleep over the fact that Pretty Girls Make Graves might be letting down some of the fans they've cultivated over the last six years. "I haven't even thought about that," he says.
I pretend to be a super fan and implore Fudesco to keep the band together, telling him Élan Vital is the greatest record ever made and that I just can't imagine life without Pretty Girls Make Graves.
He giggles and then says: "I have a title for this article, but I want credit for it."
"Fine," I tell him. "Let's hear it."
"Mind fighters," he says with a giggle. "Actually, that's the name of Nick's new band."
Fudesco giggles some more. Then he stops. I let the silence linger. He returns to the task at hand — answering questions about his band and their farewell tour. "I really don't know what to say," he continues. "If anyone is really upset about it, all I can say is that if we didn't break up, the stuff we'd be writing wouldn't be [Pretty Girls Make Graves]. The sound wouldn't be the same. It makes more sense to start something new now that Nick has his new band."
In 2004, Pretty Girls' original guitarist Nathan Thelen bailed. Marrs replaced him, giving the group a more cinematic sound, courtesy of her keyboard playing, and a down-home element, thanks to her lively accordion work. Fudesco agrees that the dynamic changed when she joined. "It got a lot sexier," he says with a giggle. "The music got a lot sexier. I'm just talking about the music."
I figure that, considering Fudesco's condition, I might get the real reason why Pretty Girls are breaking up right when they're in the national spotlight, with their latest album garnering glowing reviews and reaching No. 24 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. I read Fudesco an incendiary quote by his bandmate Jay Clark — "I can't necessarily say that I would buy our records if I wasn't in the band" — hoping it will inspire him to dish. What's Fudesco think of that statement?
"I love it," he says. "I don't think I would buy one of our CDs either, but if I did, it would be the last one."
We return to the subject of Élan Vital and Fudesco finally displays a little enthusiasm. "It's way more fun to play [in concert] than the others," he says. "Leona plays accordion, Nick gets on the bass; we mix it up a lot more than in the past."
I can hear what sounds like equipment being unloaded from the van. The band's scheduled to play Milwaukee a few hours after our interview. Do the musicians have any pre-game rituals? "We have a prayer circle and share one glass of wine," Fudesco deadpans.
I have to ask him if he's serious.
He cracks up.
The stoned bassist has pulled one over on the music critic.
"Nah, actually, before the show we're running around looking for everyone so we can go on stage," Fudesco says.
It's difficult to determine if Pretty Girls Make Graves plan on going out with a bang or are simply fulfilling tour dates set before they decided to bag it. Will the group phone it in or play their asses off? Fudesco doesn't exactly sell the show. "This is probably the first tour where there is no stress and worries," he says. "'Fuck it, let's just have some fun.' Sometimes we'd play shows, and if it didn't go, we'd be all bummed out. But now it doesn't matter, because we won't play the place ever again."
Another giggle. A big one.
What does Fudesco plan to do after his band throws in the towel?
"Walk the earth," he giggles.
This article appears in May 16-22, 2007.