David Lowery

In the nerve center.

The room is the “nerve center,” as he calls it, where most of the staff and whatever musicians are recording at Sound of Music usually begin and end their day. Lowery has adopted it as his office. “It’s the place that if I’m recording a record we sit in there in the morning and drink coffee and talk about the record, or later on that night we drink beers and talk about how it went.”

Lowery says that room is where he takes care of everything he does that’s not on a guitar. For the next two weeks that means finishing an album with Camper Van Beethoven, his influential band from the late ’80s. He says the band “shambled back together” after he got a few of the members to play with Cracker. “New Roman Times” is a concept album Lowery says is “a little more electronic” and “has a very prog-rock element.” It will be the band’s first in 15 years.

“It’s about warfare, fundamentalism, God, and hopefully it’s done in a fun way,” Lowery says. “It ends up being like political satire, but we hope a good rock record.” — Carrie Nieman

Richmonders can catch Camper Van Beethoven on Brown’s Island where it’ll share the bill with Cracker for the opening of the Friday Cheers season May 7. Cracker’s last album “Countrysides” is available at record stores. Camper Van Beethoven’s “New Roman Times” is scheduled for release in September.

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