DAY JOB: ED MCGRATH OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

Ed McGrath has been around the New Brunswick music scene for a while, first with The Purpose, which begat Trashtalk in the Kingdom, which has now begat the sonically dense and complex American Landscapes. Their songs seem to sprawl out and wind around courtesy of mathematical algorhithms filled with jazzy dissonance. (Snappy!)

Day job: Arborist

What's the worst or most interesting thing that's happened to you at work?
One time we (the crew of McGrath Tree Service) were pulling a tree over using the truck (4-wheel-drive) with a rope tied to it for extra strength to help get the tree down. Most of the time we just pull them over by hand on take downs. This time we had a hand line and the truck because it was especially tricky, you see it was by the wires, so we didn't want the tree to crush the phone and power lines. Well, it just so happened at the same time kids were walking home from school and decided to walk across the street directly in front the truck at the exact same time the truck was supposed to be pulling the tree over. With the truck not moving, so as not to run over the children, the tree subsequently went side ways and did in fact crush the lines, people lost power and phone in the area.

This is the sole reason why I no longer want to have children.

Does work ever conflict with your music?
No, my father owns the company, so I have never had a problem. He plays guitar too, we even play in some bands together, so he understands that music is more important to me than tree work could ever be.

Do you have health insurance?
No, which has sucked in the past. For one, my knee came out of socket on one of our jobs. I just rode the couch for three weeks then went back out to work. It was really amazing, my knee was the size of a football, and had varying hues of green and purple -- quite beautiful.

Who are the three people you'd most like to have at one of your shows, in terms of helping your music career?
I really don't know. Who could help us? Maybe Rick Rubin, maybe one of the dudes from Sub Pop, but most likely the friendly bartender at the venue.

If Wal-Mart approached you about using your music in an ad, for a large sum, would you do it? Where do you draw the line, if anywhere?
I personally would not do it -- what would they want with one of our songs anyway? I don't think the kids are gonna be like "Yo, did you hear that landscapes song in the Wal-Mart commercial for those super low priced sweatshop jeans, it totally sold me, I bought six pair." Maybe for a film, or for some respectable company (if they exist), but Wal-Mart, Christ, why not just put out a Hitler Youth revival record if we are going to do that?

Any additional thoughts on the conflicts and intersections of work and art?
Conflict directly affects art. If work is a conflict for you, then I say let it also fuel your creative side. Fuck, they get your time for far too little as it is -- the more you can get out of it the better.

Day Job is a weekly column examining the contradictions, conflicts and convergence between work and art.

What's the worst or most interesting thing that's happened to you at work?
One time we (the crew of McGrath Tree Service) were pulling a tree over using the truck (4-wheel-drive) with a rope tied to it for extra strength to help get the tree down. Most of the time we just pull them over by hand on take downs. This time we had a hand line and the truck because it was especially tricky, you see it was by the wires, so we didn't want the tree to crush the phone and power lines. Well, it just so happened at the same time kids were walking home from school and decided to walk across the street directly in front the truck at the exact same time the truck was supposed to be pulling the tree over. With the truck not moving, so as not to run over the children, the tree subsequently went side ways and did in fact crush the lines, people lost power and phone in the area.

This is the sole reason why I no longer want to have children.

Does work ever conflict with your music?
No, my father owns the company, so I have never had a problem. He plays guitar too, we even play in some bands together, so he understands that music is more important to me than tree work could ever be.

Do you have health insurance?
No, which has sucked in the past. For one, my knee came out of socket on one of our jobs. I just rode the couch for three weeks then went back out to work. It was really amazing, my knee was the size of a football, and had varying hues of green and purple -- quite beautiful.

Who are the three people you'd most like to have at one of your shows, in terms of helping your music career?
I really don't know. Who could help us? Maybe Rick Rubin, maybe one of the dudes from Sub Pop, but most likely the friendly bartender at the venue.

If Wal-Mart approached you about using your music in an ad, for a large sum, would you do it? Where do you draw the line, if anywhere?
I personally would not do it -- what would they want with one of our songs anyway? I don't think the kids are gonna be like "Yo, did you hear that landscapes song in the Wal-Mart commercial for those super low priced sweatshop jeans, it totally sold me, I bought six pair." Maybe for a film, or for some respectable company (if they exist), but Wal-Mart, Christ, why not just put out a Hitler Youth revival record if we are going to do that?

Any additional thoughts on the conflicts and intersections of work and art?
Conflict directly affects art. If work is a conflict for you, then I say let it also fuel your creative side. Fuck, they get your time for far too little as it is -- the more you can get out of it the better.

Day Job is a weekly column examining the contradictions, conflicts and convergence between work and art.