TWILIGHT SINGERS Post-Katrina strife flavors new album

Greg Dulli, who is from Ohio, wanted to help New Orleans in its recovery.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Greg Dulli has some issues of late. As former Afghan Whigs singer and current songwriter-visionary for the Twilight Singers, this isn't that much of a surprise.
"Well, you know, life is a challenge," said Dulli, calling from Los Angeles. "I mean, dude, listen to all of my records. I'm always going through something."
On top of going through some personal substance abuse issues, which Dulli refuses to talk about, the recording of the recently released third Twilight Singers disc "Powder Burns" took place in pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. A resident of the Big Easy for years, Dulli, a native Ohioan, felt a sense of responsibility to his adopted hometown to help in its recovery.
This included a clandestine mission by producer Mike Napolitano to elude the law and rescue the "Powder Burns" session tapes from the studio. Then last fall, while New Orleans was still under martial law, Dulli returned and recorded, often using generator power during the rolling blackouts that were common in the city, what could be his best project since the Afghan Whigs days.
The resulting 12 tracks possess a distinct sense of urgency, with Dulli attempting to come to terms with not only his own demons but the reality of the horrific hurricane and its subsequent chaos.
"There was a certain point that I did become conscious of the parallels between my personal experience and the experience that I shared with thousands of other people down in New Orleans," Dulli said. "I'll put it to you this way. You can't have seen what I and everyone else who saw it saw and not be affected as a human being, let alone a songwriter or artist. Just the sheer destruction and image of the apocalypse that I looked at on a daily basis crept into my blood."
About the new album
Recorded over a two-year period, the new disc features a wall-of-sound approach with "I'm Ready" and "Bonnie Brae" standing out. Up next for Dulli is the tour, which may or may not find him performing Whigs material. However, he's so happy with the songs found on "Powder Burns" that he guesses the entire album will be played at some point throughout the tour. You can see Dulli and the Twilight Singers May 24 at the Grog Shop.
Considering everything he's been through recently, as well as his entire career with the Whigs having a loyal cult following without much mainstream attention, Dulli admits success is relative. Sure he wishes he could make a career out of music, but he owns two Los Angeles bars to help make ends meet when he's not recording or performing.
And as far as that dangling carrot of mainstream success, Dulli has better things to think about with his time. "Bro, I get my due when I wake up every day," Dulli said. "I give myself my dues. My due doesn't come from outside sources, it comes from within."
XThe Twilight Singers will perform at Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, at 8 p.m. Wednesday. For tickets, call (330) 747-1212 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.