Q&A: There’s No “I” in the Spanish Gold Team
Dante Schwebel is not one of those guys who wants just his face and name splattered across the chest of a t-shirt – that’s just not 
his deal. As a member of City and Colour, the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist has seen how teamwork can really make a situation more ideal.
As Schwebel began penning songs centred around a Texas-Mexico border town setting, he knew that he couldn’t take the next step alone. Instead, he brought in some buddies.
First it was fellow multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada of Brownout. After the duo began to play around with Schwebel’s vision, another call was made shortly thereafter: enter Patrick Hallahan, the drummer for My Morning Jacket.
While Schwebel had established friendships with both men, said duo were unfamiliar to one another. But, as music usually does, it helped the chemistry come to fruition. Soon, the trio opted to go all-in on Spanish Gold, a band with an old school, occasionally fuzzy and southern rock vibe that makes you think about bandanas holding back manes of hair; country patios; cold beer; and stifling heat. There’s something very engaging going on here.
Recently, Riffyou.com got Schwebel on the line to discuss the trials of starting a band, how their debut album South of Nowhere came to be, plus why he prefers to have many hands on deck.
RY: Is one of the scariest parts about starting a new band and going on tour the fact that you don’t know if anyone will show up at your gigs?
Dante: “Well, starting a band is easy, because you just want to play music and I certainly don’t think too far beyond that. I start with writing a few songs, then recording a few songs, and then you get into this really weird spot where maybe you put together an album.
“Now, you’ve spent some money, and an investor comes up and says ‘I’d like to put this out and get you onto the road.’ Then, it’s decision making time. That is where we had to evaluate and [think] ‘are we going to be committed hard to this?’ We all shook hands on it and said, ‘let’s go for it and see what’s out there.’
“We’re constantly surprised. I’ve played with several different bands, but I never know what’s going to take or go thud. From that standpoint, this tour has been really enjoyable. We haven’t had a dull moment yet.”
RY: After you brought the guys together, how did Spanish Gold go about finding its sound?
Dante: “I’d have the lyrics and melodies [in mind]. Those guys have a range of musical styles that they can play or produce, so we would trade iPods and say ‘what do you think about this? Have you done anything with this kind of sound?’
“They’re also really good at reading clues. I would say something like ‘I’m thinking this Notorious B.I.G. thing and what if we put this Knight Rider guitar lick on it.’ All of a sudden, everybody understood what I was talking about and was able to translate that into music.”
RY: When the songs and subsequently the album started to come together the way it did, was there ever a period of doubt regarding the quality of the music?
Dante: “We did the first half of the album in three to four days, then we did the second half in eight months. I don’t think any musician should second guess himself. If you liked [the song] on Saturday, you should like it on Sunday, and you should like it on Monday. Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. You have to trust your instincts and the people you are playing with – that usually gets you there.”
RY: I’ve read that even though you had many songs in mind, you had little interest in embarking upon a solo project. Were you feeling a strong discomfort about that?
Dante: “There’s something lonely about being a solo artist. It’s great to make all of the decisions and feel like you’re in complete 
control at all times. But when things go bad, man, you really are all alone. When things are going really well, then you celebrate on your own.
“I’m a big sports fan and I like a lot of team sports. There’s something about that camaraderie. I’m not a big golfer, and that probably says a lot about my personality. I don’t sit, watch golf, and root for one guy. I really like teams. So when it came time to do this, it felt like we could create a team environment.”
RY: Now, you have played with a bunch of people before, including Dallas Green of City and Colour and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. What kind of lessons have you learned while working with those guys?
Dante: “I’ve learned a lot from working with Dallas – he’s been tremendous. He’s a team guy too. City and Colour is very much driven by Dallas, but seeing him go through all of it, he surrounds himself with people. He loves to be surrounded by a team. When [the team’s] working, it’s incredible.
“I certainly don’t envy some of the workload he has – he works really hard. There’s quite a bit on your shoulders in that role. Having Adrian and Patrick here to help me shoulder the load is really appealing. Putting out an album under my name just wouldn’t be exciting to me.”
RY: Plus, just having a band name can add a different appeal to a project…
Dante: “Yeah, definitely. It’s an easier t-shirt to wear.”
-Adam Grant
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