With a self-titled platinum debut under his belt after his win on American Idol, David Cook has recently released his second major album, and is sounding like a seasoned veteran. The album’s unique take on the romanticism found within one’s sleep, and strong point of view within David’s lyrics have catapulted his latest effort into his strongest work yet. While getting to this place in his career was turbulent to say the least… David is ecstatic to be on the road touring for the album he’s so incredibly proud of. I had the pleasure of speaking with him today about all of this, and more… including your questions submitted through twitter…

You released your second major album, “This Loud Morning” this past summer, what were your goals for this one?
DC: I think musically, to out-do the last one. No disrespect to the first record, I thought we did amazing things with the first record, so the bar was set pretty high. I just wanted to put out a record that shows that I’ve grown musically over the last three years, which I do feel like I have. I really do feel like we accomplished that. I’m very proud of this record, and the songs on it. I’m proud of what the songs say, and what the record says. So far, the response we’ve got on the road has been awesome. To be able to take that much time on a record, and go out on the road and have people show up is a pretty powerful thing.

Now, you touched on it already, you mentioned how the record shows how you’ve grown… this album to me, it’s kind of hard to explain, it sounds more…complex. Bigger Choruses, a sort of “grander” feel to it, was that something you were shooting for?
DC: Thank you. Yeah, I wanted to really create more space between the floor and the ceiling in this record, between the highs and the lows. Part of that process is really just finding something to say. I think for the first record being on the road was really a whirlwind thing. It’s sort of hard to make sense of the world around you, especially when you live your life a certain way for 25 years, then you kind of have to erase the chalkboard and start over. It’s a lot to process. I think once I really tuned into what the record wanted to say, it all flowed pretty quickly, it just took a while to get there. I think getting into the emotional complexity of the record, or the lyrical complexity of the record, it really forced the music to go, kind of like you said, in a little bit more of a grandiose direction.

Lyrically, it seems as if there are some pretty romantic ideas as well…
DC: Absolutely. Yeah, I think there’s a lot of material when it comes to love, and it’s something everybody can relate to. As soon as I really tuned into that it seems like everything came together pretty quickly.

Other than staying true to who you are, and surpassing the last album, what was the inspiration behind this album?
DC: As we were on the roads the last record, all these crazy things were happening around me. Amazing things and terrible things, my brother passed away, my first record going platinum, I bought my first house, car, I got a dog… People care about things I have to say… all these crazy things; all of the sudden sort of just encapsulate my life. I didn’t really know what to do with all of it. So I didn’t deal with it… at all… I sort of shelved it and focused on the tour. Then got off the road, I was kind of excited, and it was time to put pen to paper, and my brain was a mess. I had all these things I wanted to write about, but I couldn’t make sense of them, let alone put them on paper. And that was scary. It was the first time since I’ve started playing guitar and writing songs that I had writers block, like ‘oh god, I can’t do what I’m supposed to do.’ It took kind of stepping back a minute and figuring out what was going on. I realized that the title of the record is pretty much a plot synopsis of the last few years of my life. Just waking up every day to this noise in my head, like a billion different things going on in my head. So sleep became this sort of reprieve. I started really thinking about that and how romantic that is, and how if your life is too crazy and too much, you can go to sleep… and create this entire alternate existence or yourself. That’s kind of where the basic outline of the record came from, kind of paralleling the rest of my life.

That’s incredibly interesting. With all that going on, did that play a role in why the album took a bit more time to complete?
DC: I think so, yeah. It’s trying to sort that out and find a way to make it fit in a way where other people can find a way to get something out of it. I don’t want to write in a way that’s so autobiographical that it’s lost on everybody else, that’s not my thing. I love writing lyrics that are open to interpretation. I wrote this song long before idol, and it was about an ex-girlfriend or something, somebody came up to me after a show and told me that that song helped them through their dad passing away. I thought that was so cool and so interesting, that that had nothing to do with what the songs original intentions were, or what I was writing about for that song. I went back and read the lyrics and was like, “oh that kind of does make sense in that context.” I love songs like that that the listener is given that freedom to find themselves in a song. I think trying to adhere to that, it’s all about experiences, and trying to put them into a context where it’s therapeutic for me, but other people are able to find something I may not even be thinking about. That’s what it’s all about is trying to connect, and find something for yourself, that’s what makes it amazing.

You co-wrote every song on the album, is that something you pride yourself on? Is it a complete “must” for you?
DC: It was a must for me on this record. As we got into it and I realized what I wanted to say, if I had something to say, and knew how to say it, why in the hell would I want someone else to say it for me? And that was sort of my mind set. It might be me pitching to the wind, but it just became important and apparent to me, that if I’m going to go on stage and sing these songs, and put myself in these songs then I better damn well believe it, ‘cause if I don’t, there’s no way I can expect any person in that crowd to buy into what I’m talking about. In that aspect, I guess I’m a bad salesman. It’s easier to sell my own words most of the time than somebody else’s.

Well that’s completely refreshing; it means more when an artist can connect to what they’re singing, versus an artist who sings someone else’s words.
DC: I know this is a heavy record emotionally. That’s what I wanted, but I would never expect anybody else go onto stage and put the emotion into these songs as I can. The words in these songs, I’ve lived them.

You’re touring for the album right now, how’s that going so far?
DC: It’s a blast! I live to be on tour. The idea of waking up in a different city every day and constantly changing stimuli around you is awesome. I love it. It helps to be out with two acts that I love being around, I love their music, I respect the hell out of them. Carolina liar and Gavin Degraw I love this line-up. It’s eclectic, but I think we all complement each other. To me those are the best tours. Where it’s never the same thing.

So, fans are curious about a second leg of the tour; dates, cities… I know stuff like that is hush-hush… but can you tell us anything?
DC: I wish I could. I can tell you that we’re working on dates. I can tell you that we’re staying on the road after were done with this leg with Gavin. I can tell you that I know some of the cities… I can’t tell you which ones… ::laughs:: Rest assured we’re going to stay out and, I’m not stopping anytime soon. How’s that for a vague, non-answer? I learn from the best.

Musically, who are you influenced by?
DC: On this record, I didn’t listen to a lot of music. I listened to a lot of comedy records, I don’t know how that parleys into this record, but for me I still get goose bumps listening to the same bands I did before; Our Lady Peace, Big Wreck, Jimmy Eat World, Foo fighters. I love the Foo Fighter’s new album, I think it’s incredible. I’m trying to think of the last album that I bought… hmm, as a matter of fact, I’ve got my ITunes right by me, stay with me, I’m going to open it up and tell you what the last record I bought was, and then you can judge me based off of that. Last record I bought was, Rachael Yamagata’s, “Chesapeake.” It’s a really great record.

If you could piece together a band with your choice of musicians, living or not, who would you choose?
DC: I get to build a full band, yeah?

Yes, you can even throw in a trumpet player if you want…
DC: Drummer has to be Bonham. That dude was incredible. On bass, Pino Paladino. We’ll go rhythm and lead guitar. Rhythm Guitar… oh man, that’s tough… I’ll go with James Hetchfield. I think that guy’s probably the best rhythm guitar player of all time. Lead guitar player ::long pause:: I’ll go back to that one. Vocalist has to be, Ian Thornley, from Big Wreck. Now back to guitarist… this is where it’s tough, there’s a bunch of wrong answers here… I’ll go Joe Satriani.

Why aren’t you choosing yourself as a lead singer for this?
DC: Oh come on! I’d be in the audience watching that show… well… maybe I’d be on the side of the stage watching…

Okay, we can give you a tambourine.
DC: Perfect! ::laughs:: I’ll take the tambo.

You’ve been involved with charity work, for example “Idol Gives Back.” How important is that to you?
DC: You know what, next to creating music, that’s probably like, 1B, that’s why I do this. I’ve been awarded this amazing platform, why not use it? I think to not use it would be extremely selfish, self-serving and one-sided. I don’t know how long this ride will last for me, I watched what my brother went through for a decade, and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. So I think why not take this platform and try to make sure nobody has to do that ever.

Have any of your experiences with the charity work influenced any of your songs for this album, or possibly songs that haven’t made it onto an album yet?
DC: Yeah, actually, “We Believe,” off the new record, was written not long after I went to Ethiopia for Idol Gives Back. This was about two years ago. I went up there and there’s an immediate culture shock going halfway around the world, but then to hear these stories and see these people, then come back to the states and watch us bicker about seemingly trivial things, it really hits home.

It kind of puts everything into perspective.
DC: Yeah, absolutely. So I think to be able to sit down and put pen to paper, and again, have that platform, I think that song is a pretty important part of the record, absolutely.

Is there any song in particular that you’re most proud of?
DC: Yes! “Circadian.” Just because of the journey that it took to get that song done. It was one of the first songs we started with. It took us about 9 months to really get it right. That song has 216 individual tracks on the final version of that song, so there’s a lot going on, and all of those things are important to the vibe of that song and the record. Chasing that down and going on the journey from start to finish was grueling. I’m probably more proud of the end result given what we went through to get to the end of that song.

Are you working on anything now? I know you’re touring, and have a lot going on, but do you constantly write?
DC: I’m constantly writing. It’s just not a real focused thing at this point. If a lyric strikes me, I’ll write it down, if a riff strikes me I’ll record it on my phone or something, so just kind of bits and pieces until we put it all together at some point.

You’re training for the LA marathon while touring, how do you find the time to fit it all in?
DC: The thing about being on the road is that it’s busy, but it’s a lot of hurry up and wait. So, you know, three days a week I just try to get up early and go knock it out. If it’s raining I’ll go to the hotel gym, or just suck it up, put on a hoodie and go for it. It’s just about trying to take on a fresh challenge and push myself. So far as much as I dislike running, I’ve actually kind of enjoyed it.

Last night, I took to twitter and asked your fans what they’d want to know about you, ad my page just blew up. So I have a few for you. The most prevalent being, do you have plans to tour abroad?
DC: We keep talking about it, and it seems like something everybody’s on board with. The last I heard is we’re working on dates.

Okay and another group has commented on the covers you’ve done thus far on the tour, and wants to know if there will be any other surprises?
DC: I think as we get into it, I hope this works out in fans favor, but we get bored pretty easy. And I hate playing the same stuff every night. So I’m sure new covers will pop up, new set lists will pop up, and maybe even brand new songs will pop up. New stuff will pop up every now and again I’m sure.

How many guitars do you own now and do you have a favorite?
DC: 21, which is absurd. And my favorite is still my white Les Paul studio. I loaned it to that Idol bus tour and it got busted, so I’m debating on whether or not to repair it right now.

No good ever comes from a story that begins with, “I loaned my guitar to…”
DC: I know, right!?

Before I let you go, is there any sort of scoop… something random… anything that you can give us that maybe hasn’t been published on you before?
DC: The unfortunate thing about that question is my fans are pretty hardcore, so I don’t know if there’s anything that’s not already out there. My mom made us cookies… they’re on the bus. They’re pretty awesome.  I’m trying to avoid them at all costs so I don’t fall off the wagon. That’s pretty much the scoop on us so far. ::laughs::

Well… that was enthralling… ha-ha.
DC: Ha-ha, yeah. I know right, there’s your headline!

So just to wrap it up, do you have any messages for fans, current or future?
DC: Thanks for finding some of the music first and foremost. That’s reason why I got into this. People are coming to the shows and singing along and all that, it means the world. I have a job because people are finding something in what I’m doing. Anybody that’s not on the train now, come hang out, you might like it!

Source

American Idol, and after a certified platinum-selling first post-idol album, David Cook is back with his highly awaited sophomore album ‘This Loud Morning’. I got the chance to sit and chat with him about his album, the perks of winning American Idol, beating the likes of Bon Jovi and The Beatles in the Billboard charts, and which stand-up comedians inspired him to write his new album. 

This is your second album after your first post-idol album went platinum. How did it differ from the first album in the way you recorded and wrote it? 

They say it takes years to write your first album and months to write your second, For me it was the other way round, as I released my self-titled album straight after Idol. And it has taken a few years for me to write my second album. After releasing my first album we wanted to have a bit of a grass roots approach and I did a 3month college tour, and a 7month theatre tour. On this album we really pushed tempos more, made it very upbeat and I included a lot more emotional stuff from my life. It is definitely the most therapeutic record I’ve made (David’s younger brother Adam died from brain cancer in May 2009).

Tell me about your single ‘The Last Goodbye’, and are you a Jeff Buckley fan?

I do get asked that a lot (if I am a fan of Buckley’s ‘The Last Goodbye’) and we were trying to think of alternative titles for the song but when it came down to it, there was no other title for my song. I wrote it with Ryan Tedder (from One Republic). We wanted to write a fun, happy up-tempo song as it is lyrically about relationships. It is about a relationship that no longer works, but you have to say goodbye to that person and wish them the best in life.

Tell me about putting your album together and some of the people you worked with?

Ryan Tedder from One Republic and I wrote about 10 songs for the album, of which we used half of them on the album. I also worked with John Reznick from the Goo Goo Dolls, the guys from Better than Ezra, and Steve Van Zandt form Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band.

You weren’t originally intending to audition for Idol, but you did, and ended up winning season 7. How has life changed since?

Yeah I originally accompanied my brother to the audition and ended up auditioning myself. At the time I tried to get a job at a music magazine back home in Missouri. As I progressed in the American Idol auditions, I found out the magazine offered me the job and needed me to start straight away. By then I was told I was going on to Hollywood Week. I then had to make a decision if I should take the magazine job or keep going with the AI auditions, and I chose the latter. Since then life has changed a lot. It is really tough being a musician playing shows all the time and trying to make that your day job. But with a huge show like Idol, TV’s no.1 show, it opens up a whole world of opportunities I would’ve never had. I now get to do my two favorite things: play music and travel.

What specific things have you got to do as an Idol winner?

I’m a huge baseball fan and getting to throw the first pitch at a few pro baseball games was awesome. I also had the opportunity to do batting practice at the new Shea Stadium. I was able to do the lambo leap too. (Asha: what is the lambo leap?) It’s something that the Green Bay Packers do every time they score a goal and mine was more of a Lambo stumble! I also was able to perform for Hilary Clinton, as she is a huge American Idol fan. But I was a little scared as it wasn’t something planned, I came out as a surprise during an event she was speaking at and I kept thinking the Secret Service guys would tackle me any second! One of the coolest places I’ve got to play at was Manila, in the Philippines, a place I probably would never have been able to play at had I not won idol.

You recently performed on the American Idol stage once again, the same night Stefano Langone was eliminated. How was it being back on that familiar stage?

  It was very nerve racking. I still get very nervous being on that stage. I guess I still have residual effects from my time on the show and that anxiety comes back to me every time I am here. But I am a huge fan of this year’s finalists. They are really talented people.

Your cover of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is played during every elimination night, how does it feel being a continual part of American Idol?

It’s such an honor. Past winners like Carrie Underwood have also had their songs used during eliminations on American Idol so it’s just great that the show continues to support us, it’s like a big family.

Your mom met Steven Tyler when you played Idol recently, I heard she was really nervous?

My mom was so cute, she was telling all her friends and the family the next day “I was on the new twice!!” I hadn’t met Steven before either so it was great to meet such a legend.

What would you say to people out there reading this who want to audition for Idol, how would you encourage them?

Just do it! Prepare to get no sleep. Most importantly, know your voice and your style, that will be your biggest advantage.

Finally, what music were you listening to while preparing for your album, and what’s on your ipod right now?

Funnily enough I didn’t listen to a whole lot of music as inspiration for my album, I actually listened to a lot of stand-up comedians. I listened to people like David Cross, Paul Thompkins and many more. But right now I am listening to the new Foo Fighters ‘Wasting Light’ album, and old school Silverchair ‘Neon Ballroom’. Their song ‘Ana’s Song’ is so emotional and really deep, I like that.

David Cook’s album ‘This Loud Morning’ is released everywhere on June 28^th. The single ‘The Last Goodbye’ is out now on itunes and stores everywhere.