Navigating the Blues with The Reds, Pinks & Purples
A chat with group mastermind Glenn Donaldson
We all navigate the blues differently — even in music.
Some artists — from Robert Johnson and Ma Rainey to Muddy Waters to Robert Cray — have stuck to a more traditional form of the blues that has its roots in the African-American South. Then there were the bards of the 1960s, like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, artists who offered up their version of the blues based in a sort of urban poetry.
There have also been artists who have pulled off the neat disparity of writing introspective (sometimes even gloomy) lyrics but couching them in catchy melodies. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the English band Squeeze sometimes excelled at this — as did The Smiths a few years later. So it should come as no surprise that Glenn Donaldson — who, for all intents and purposes, is The Reds, Pinks & Purples — is a big fan of The Smiths.
Donaldson, however, is a half-generation removed from those bands — plus he’s American. Although The Reds, Pinks & Purples only released their debut album, Anxiety Art, in 2019, he’s been kicking around the San Francisco music scene for many years. Back in the aughts, Donaldson was part of The Skygreen Leopards and other Bay Area bands. But since launching The Reds, Pinks & Purples, he’s been on a roll, issuing six albums (plus various EPs and singles) in as many years!
Unwishing Well, the latest RPP disc, arrived earlier this month. True to form, it’s 10 songs of mostly melancholy sentiments couched in jangly, guitar-based melodies. More than ever before, Donaldson’s concerns center on the music business itself — specifically the challenges of making it as a musician in an age that doesn’t encourage that. Hence song titles like “Learning to Love A Band” and “Your Worst Song is Your Greatest Hit” (which would do Morrissey proud!). Despite the somber subject matter, Donaldson also has a wry sense of humor that makes its way into his lyrics. If I have any complaints about this album, it’s that I wish there were more songs and perhaps a bit more variety in tempo — but those are minor quibbles. Unwishing Well is an impressive addition to The Reds, Pinks & Purples’ rapidly expanding catalog.
I recently got a chance to chat with Glenn Donaldson for the Rock and Roll Globe.
Tell me about when and how you recorded Unwishing Well. Was this album recorded in the same way as the last few or were there some differences?
I recorded it at home with minimal equipment. I would love to go to a studio and work with a producer at some point, but doing it all myself is more efficient. I can experiment without spending too much money. I have been using essentially the same method since 2018 for The Reds, Pinks & Purples [but] maybe I have gotten better at mixing over time. I am doing my best to make it sound good and listenable, even radio-friendly. I love pop music.
AUDIO: The Reds, Pinks & Purples “What’s Going on with Ordinary People”
“What’s Going on with Ordinary People” is a strong opening track. I was wondering what inspired it [and if] the people you know have been going through more difficulties since the pandemic hit? Because that’s been my experience.
I’m sure everyone has noticed, or maybe social media has shown us, that there are some intense internal struggles going on with seemingly ordinary people. Maybe no one is really ordinary anymore. But I don’t have an agenda when I write; I just want to capture a feeling. It seems like you understood it through your experience, and that’s how it should be with songs.
I read an interview where you cited The Smiths as an influence. Tell me a little more about your thoughts on them and perhaps on the pop music that was coming out of the UK in the ’80s.
For sure. The Smiths seem the most obvious comparison to what I do sonically. [They’re] very humorous in a genius way and I wanted some of that in my songs. But I am a massive music fan, influenced by so many things. In terms of UK ‘80s [stuff], I would mention the English Beat and The Jam; I heard them years before I heard The Smiths.
American punk would be just as influential, though. Hüsker Dü, The Descendents and Rites of Spring into the era of what they used to call College Rock: American Music Club, R.E.M., The Replacements, Opal and so many more things that are not considered rock or pop at all. My only limit is what I can achieve with my crude musicianship.
You’re also a photographer and some of your pictures grace the covers of Reds, Pinks & Purples albums. What do you get from the medium of photography that’s different from music?
The iPhone turned me into a photographer of sorts. Then I bought a slightly nicer camera which I used to take some of the cover shots. I see some beautiful stuff in my neighborhood and my natural inclination is to turn the things around me into songs or images.
I recently interviewed The Umbrellas, another band from San Francisco. It seems like the Bay Area has a pretty fertile music scene these days, but I’m curious to get your take on it.
It started very small with 30 people at shows. There was that magical moment when the bands were just playing for each other — 2015 [through] 2019, let’s say. I was enjoying that time very much, before anyone had a record out — maybe just a tape.
It’s [been] neat to see it grow. The shows have gotten bigger and everyone is making records. I hope everyone makes their masterpieces and has a good time before it all inevitably comes apart. The Umbrellas and April Magazine are my neighbors, and my band mostly lives around here too. It’s a joy to have nice people around who like music.
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