BAND PEOPLE

Lesser-known musicians share the struggles and joys of playing backup.

Nicolay, author of The Humorless Ladies of Border Control, frames his book around interviews with those in the rock world who “straddle the fuzzy boundary between collaborator and employee.” (It’s a subject the author knows firsthand playing in bands like the Hold Steady, though he says little about his own experience.) Support musicians are often free from the pressures of being beholden to any one group; in-demand drummers Josh Freese and Jon Wurster talk about the gratification of working with a variety of leaders. They’re also free of a lot of nonmusical labor like talking to the media; multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse recalls getting to play the organ at Fenway Park while Neko Case did phone interviews. They also sidestep emotional labor; Mountain Goats bassist Peter Hughes notes that frontman John Darnielle handles a signing line full of fans sharing traumas with him, so he’s content just to pack up gear. But “band people” also endure constant uncertainty about their status, make less money, and are asked to thread the needle of displaying their talent without hogging the spotlight, yet also being personable and a “good hang.” Nicolay draws on sociological literature about leadership and group dynamics among musicians generally, but his original research focuses on established alternative and indie-rock acts. It makes for fun reading—interviewees dish plenty about bad experiences, especially socially inept bandleaders—and goes deep on a neglected population of musicians. However, it’s also a missed opportunity to explore multiple genres and interview younger musicians who operate under a more difficult economy. The artists he interviews, he writes, succeeded “in a way that their younger counterparts can probably no longer realistically imagine.” Why not talk to them?

A lively if narrow peek at the artistry at the edge of the stage.