Marcus Mumford released his first solo album, (self-titled), on September 16, although Mumford himself is uncertain about dubbing it a solo record. “I mean, it's the most collaborative piece of music I've ever worked on,” he says, “so calling it a solo record feels weird.”

While on tour supporting the album, Mumford visited The Current studio to play a couple songs and to chat with host Jill Riley. Mumford spoke frankly about the making of the album, and he talks about the invaluable contributions of his collaborators, who include Brandi Carlile and Phoebe Bridgers. Mumford also talks about his friendship with Elton John, and shares a bit of humorous advice Elton gave Mumford & Sons just before the curtain was raised on their Grammy Awards performance.

Watch and listen to the full session above, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Edited for clarity.

Jill Riley: Hey, I'm Jill Riley from The Current. And I am sitting with someone who I feel like we've had a long and storied history with here at The Current as we've been playing the band Mumford & Sons for a long time. Such a great audience in the Twin Cities and this market, really; the live music market for sure embrace this band. And so it's really awesome to have him back on his solo tour. Marcus Mumford is here. How are you?

Marcus Mumford: Yeah, I'm very well,

Jill Riley: It's nice to see you. I was just scrolling through some photos from 2008 when Mumford & Sons played at the 400 Bar, which, very small bar, I think you'd barely fit your kickdrum on the stage. But it was kind of fun to go back and kind of revisit, you know, the past and then up to where you are now. I mean, it's pretty incredible. And here you are with a solo record. It's called (self-titled). And when I first saw that, I thought, oh, maybe that's just like a placeholder we made because generally we say "self titled," instead of saying a name, but it's not called Marcus Mumford. It's called (self-titled). So I wonder, what was the decision in really like calling it that instead of your name?

Marcus Mumford: I didn't want to see too much of my name anywhere.

Jill Riley: But I think the word "self" is really impactful and powerful. Because this record really is about you.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah, but I like the idea that the stories, some of the stories on this record can be relatable to other people. So I like the idea that it can be their record too. So you can kind of insert yourself into it. That was my hope for it.

Jill Riley: Now, when it comes to being, you know, relatable, this record certainly has been relatable to a lot of people. I wonder if you could just take me back to where you started in making the record, like, when did you decide, you know what? This is the time that I'm going to make a record for me.

Marcus Mumford: I had advice from a friend who basically said, "Just write songs and see what comes out and let that guide you." So really follow the creative. And the first song I wrote was "Cannibal." And the second song I wrote was "Grace." And then I wrote one other, and I'd already had "Only Child" in my back pocket. And it just didn't feel like a band record, and I played it to the band, and they agreed. And, but then I didn't really know what it was then. So I hadn't yet decided to make a solo record, quote, unquote. I mean, it's the most collaborative piece of music I've ever worked on. So calling it a solo record feels weird, but... and I made that, I made the sort of decision that it was a solo record really late. Because I just wanted to keep writing songs for the sake of writing songs and not thinking about releasing them, or an audience or the live show, or anything that I felt could distract, because I get easily distracted from my primary job, which is to try and write songs. And I hadn't written any songs for a long time. So I tried to just stay in sort of a state of mind of writing and creating, rather than thinking about how I was going to release it, which included for me not thinking about it as a whole record until all the songs were written, which was like, December last year.

Jill Riley: OK.

Marcus Mumford: So it was quite late.

 Jill Riley: Was this at a time where you had maybe more time to, you know, sit with the idea of writing a record? I mean, you know, it wasn't long ago that the music industry was, you know, shut down. And as musicians and touring musicians, you know, you probably had a lot of, a lot more time on your hands than you anticipated.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah, but I didn't find the pandemic or any of the lockdowns in the U.K., which was pretty brutal, I didn't find them at all creatively inspiring.

Jill Riley: Yeah, you're not the first person to tell me that. Yeah.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah. For some people, I think it would be a dream to have the world in some ways, right? Let's be careful, because obviously, the circumstances were grim. But for some people, like the idea of being forced to stay at home, and be able to just create and having no distraction from that is a kind of attractive idea, or one that they would make the most of creatively. I didn't find that, you know, I found it not at all creatively inspiring. I mean, I was working on doing the music for a TV show while I was at home, and I had a studio, so in that sense, I was really lucky that I could work through it. And stay kind of occupied vaguely. But it wasn't really till the end or towards the end of the lockdowns that I started really leaning into it.

Jill Riley: Yeah well, you were busy being a human being and processing the whole thing, right?

Marcus Mumford: Yeah. And it was the longest period of time I'd ever been at home since high school. Because we just went straight out in the road, you know, started touring. I mean, we were here in '08, that's wild. I finished school in '05, so we were already touring the U.K. for a couple years before coming here. So yeah, I hadn't been at home for very long at all, like, so COVID was the longest period of time I'd been at home. And that, for me, provided some structure and some kind of routine that was helpful in my life to try and, like, clear away some of the shambles. So I took the opportunity for that. And from that, I think, came this record.

Jill Riley: Yeah, with the first song, you know, "Cannibal," when you wrote that song, I mean, you know, I mean, just outside of like, really getting into a studio to record it, I have to assume that you had made a demo, or you played it for someone. Were you scared to let that out? I mean, it's a song.

Marcus Mumford: I didn't think about putting it out for ages.

Jill Riley: OK.

Marcus Mumford: I didn't even think about who was gonna hear it. I just wrote it, recorded a demo, and kind of moved on to the next song, really, and then just kept going, writing more songs and more songs. Thinking again, it would have been a distraction for me thinking about how to release it, or how people were gonna listen to it or anything like that. I left that till quite late in the process, like this spring, really, to start thinking that through. So no, I just wrote it, and wrote another song, wrote another one and another one. I kind of wrote a lot of songs for this record, actually. Whittled it down in the end.

Jill Riley: Yeah. And I mean, this is the song that kicks off the record. And, you know, when you put on a record, and you hear that first song, it's like, OK, well, how is this gonna relate to like, the arc or the story of an album? And it's a heavy one. You've talked about it. It's, you're, you're dealing with some pretty serious trauma, and it comes out in the song. You know, what was the reaction, when you played it for people, maybe just people in your circle or, you know, trusted friends or, you know, what was the reaction?

Marcus Mumford: I only ever played it as a one, two; I played it "Cannibal" and then "Grace." I never played "Cannibal" on its own, because they're a pair of songs to me, and a sort of yin and yang. So the reaction was pretty... from some people, was pretty intense. But that's not really my responsibility, you know? I didn't really like, focus too much on that, really. I mean, a lot of it led to encouragement to keep writing. Yeah, most people I've played it to said, like, "Keep writing. This is good." That was encouraging. Much better than the alternative— "You should, you should stop now!"

Jill Riley: "I think we should stop here."

Marcus Mumford: "Let's cool it there."

Jill Riley: Right. Now a song like "Grace," and you say that they're really related; they're a pair. What does that word mean to you? Like, how does it come up in your life? It has a few different meanings, how you carry yourself, the grace of God, that, you know, like, how you treat others. What is that word, like, what does it bring up for you?

Marcus Mumford: I think it brings up the idea of abundance to me. And the idea of healing. So that it's not just getting over the line, struggling over the line, but it's actually like living life more to the full on the other side of the line. And that's what it's felt like to me, you know, freedom and grace. That's what, I think that's what it means to me.

Jill Riley: Yeah, freedom is a big word to describe it.

Marcus Mumford: I think I was looking at the opportunity to begin again. That feels like grace to me. And that's what I wrote the song for, like "Cannibal" ends with the idea of beginning again. And then "Grace" as a song is about the process of beginning again. And like, and for all that it can involve, like humor, and freedom and joy, all of which I think is embodied in that song, you know.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Marcus Mumford here on The Current; the new record, (self-titled). Now, when it came time to record the record, tell me about who you worked with: producer, where did you record it? 

Marcus Mumford: Yeah. So I started at home, my studio at home, and did some demos. And then I send them to Blake Mills in L.A., who's been a longtime friend of mine. And we'd always talked about collaborating more. We toured together. We did an Elton John cover together once, of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," and that was my favorite recording experience I'd ever had. And then we wrote the song "Only Child" together a few years back, which is on the record. And I took the songs to him and, and really just wanted to explore what it would look like working with him. And how he would challenge me, because we'd been friends for a long time, he wasn't, he was just in that kind of really sweet way that friends can be, he was super honest with me about where he thought I could improve as a writer. And so we went for it, we just dived in straightaway, and went for it. And it was really a mind-opening experience for me. And we would invite people through the studio; you know, other collaborators, which was really fun.

And other musicians he'd worked with that I hadn't, who ended up on the record, we kind of put together a different band for each song really. Played a lot the instruments ourselves, and then we'd be like, "Who would suit this on the kit?" You know, we call up Steve Ferrone, or Jim Keltner, who played on a bunch of the tunes; he's my favorite drummer of all time. So it was pretty fun. And it was a long... you know, the sessions lasted for a long time. It was over a year we were recording in fits and starts. But it was, yeah, it was wonderful. I loved it.

Jill Riley: You mentioned you know, when we started talking, you said it's almost strange to call this a solo record because you had so many collaborators. Like it didn't it didn't feel like it was, you know, just you. There were, you know, you mentioned some of the musicians and the, you know, the guest appearances. I mean, you've got Brandy Carlile; she's incredible. Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo. And I had to look up a name. And then I realized who it was: Monica Martin, from PHOX, from our neck of the woods, here in the Midwest. And as I was looking down that list, I thought, that had to have felt like a bit of a change of pace. I mean to have, like, so many women present. I thought that was kind of cool. How did that, you know, how did that affect, you know, recording?

Marcus Mumford: Massively. It sort of infused the record with a spirit and an energy that it really needed, I think. I'd worked in a male-dominated environment for a long time, and that's fine, but given the opportunity to work again with women — because I started my career out working with Laura Marling, she kind of taught me the ropes, really, and I was her drummer for a few years. And then on record, I hadn't really worked with women since, really, which is, had to be fixed. And I really launched myself into it. And it was, I didn't realize at the time how necessary I think, you know, in my moments of vulnerability, the strength of these women around me was, it was really crucial to the making of the record. You know, Brandi early on, I played her "Cannibal" and "Grace," and she put her arm around me and said, like, "Dude, whatever it takes to get this record out of you, I'm here. 

Jill Riley: Wow.

Marcus Mumford: Which was really, which was a real turning point for me making the record at all. Because it was obviously a space, I wasn't necessarily comfortable in away from the band and wasn't sure about how that was going to go. And to have the encouragement of her, who's, she's become like a sister to me, really. She's more like a soulmate.

Jill Riley: Oh, that's awesome.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah, she's dope. So, and the others as well came along, and, you know, Clairo was, she really led me through the process of writing "Dangerous Game. Completely relied on her, which was awesome. And humbling, you know?

Jill Riley: Yeah, I'm so glad I that, just to have that... I think, I mean, I will say this as a woman, that there is, there is a strength, and maybe some nurturing. But I think that, you know, we, as women, you know, whether it's natural or taught that, that yeah, that we're I think we're really able to offer in a variety of situations, not just you know, child rearing, but really as like a friend and someone that can offer support and encourage vulnerability. 

Marcus Mumford: Yeah. And there was a toughness and a resilience that I think the women on this record brought to me and called out of me that I wasn't able to access on my own, which was dope. 

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Marcus Mumford here on The Current. (self-titled) is the solo record. What has the live show been like? How did you approach that? Because, you know, without having, you know, your bandmates, Mumford & Sons, did you think "OK, well, I could stand on a stage by myself with a piano, guitar." Or did you think like, "Well, how do I fill this in?" You know, like, how did you want to structure the show.

Marcus Mumford: I wanted to... Well, we're halfway through this U.S. tour, and it being the first tour — the record's only been out a few weeks, really — so I wanted to kind of try and present the record with a full band properly. So I went around and asked some guys to come join me. And then asked the right support to make the show feel like a whole show, not just me on stage. So Danielle Ponder joined us for the first half. And the A's are with us on the second half, which is amazing. Amelia [Meath] and Alex [Alexandra Sauser-Monnig], who are also in Mountain Man, and Amelia is in Sylvan Esso.

Jill Riley: Oh, right! Sure. OK.

Marcus Mumford: Alex grew up here [in Minnesota], actually. This is a hometown show for her.  This is awesome, yeah. And I wanted to play all the songs on the record. It feels like, it's a one-off tour; you know, I'm not gonna do this lots. This is a sort of period of time in my life where I present this record live, which is the only, really the only way I know how. And I play some band songs on my own. And then do some Basement Tapes songs. And we kind of mess around, play a cover or two. And then, and then play the whole record, which is what we've been doing. And it's been interesting. I think some people show up to the show expecting kind of a Mumford & Sons show, which is completely natural. And it's my job to kind of guide them through how different it is. I think most people have been digging it. I'm sure some people don't like it. It's different! So, but it's been really, it's been really fulfilling. And I wanted to do it in theaters and spaces like the Palace here, which is just such an amazing place. And I haven't been to some of these rooms for a long time. So I was really stoked about that. And I wanted to get around the whole country. I wanted to do the opposite of a Vegas residency. 

Jill Riley: Yeah, okay!

Marcus Mumford: It's not time yet! So to go to people, which has been really, really fun.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Marcus Mumford here on The Current. The record is (self-titled). We've been playing three of the songs: "Cannibal," "Grace," "Better Off High." So it was cool that you started with maybe a deeper cut from the album as we kind of get to know, really, kind of the narrative and get to know more about you as a, kind of, as really like a full person. Again. I really hope that, that you've heard great feedback, because it really seems like this one's hitting home with a lot of people.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah. And I think, you know, it's not as commercial a record as a Mumford & Sons record is. And it was just what was in me for this period of time. And I found it really fulfilling putting it out, and kind of the theme for me has been no shame. And it's felt pretty shameless. And that's not cool, you know? And then it's, it's just a record in what I hope to be a long series of records that I get to produce in my career.

Jill Riley: So what is the future for Mumford & Sons?

Marcus Mumford: Getting in a room and playing each other the songs we've written.

Jill Riley: Yeah? Great!

Marcus Mumford: Of which there are a bunch. Yeah, yeah. Ben [Lovett] came to the show last week.

Jill Riley: Oh, really? Yeah.

Marcus Mumford: He jumped up and we played together and it was so fun. As soon as he opened his mouth to sing, we sang a couple songs together. It was like, "Oh, that's why we're in a band together. That's so fun!" So yeah, the next step is just finding the time to get in a room together and play some songs, which I think will be the beginning of next year.

Jill Riley: OK.

Marcus Mumford: And we're pretty stoked about that. It's gonna be fun. 

Jill Riley: Very cool to hear.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah.

Jill Riley: I love it. Marcus Mumford, here in The Current studio, and my final question: I have to note, you mentioned his name when we were talking and I was like, "I'm going to come back around to that." When did you first meet Elton John?

Marcus Mumford: Did I mention his name?

Jill Riley: You sure did!

Marcus Mumford: Did I?

Jill Riley: You did. Well, you talked about doing an Elton John cover.

Marcus Mumford: Oh, there you go! You're right! You're right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Jill Riley: I am paying attention!

Marcus Mumford: You are!

Jill Riley: I am. But seriously, like when did that friendship come up?

Marcus Mumford: I first met him at the Grammys, right? It's one of those really name-droppy stories, because it was like [speaking in a plummy accent] "I was at the Grammys with Elton..."

Jill Riley: Fine, that's fine! You were at the Grammys, you were deserving! So.

Marcus Mumford: We played together in the Levon Helm tribute.

Jill Riley: OK.

Marcus Mumford: And just before the curtain came up and we were about to play on the Grammys live, we'd been rehearsing and stuff and hanging out, and he was so sweet; he knew all the stats for our band, like deep knowledge of our band and how we were performing on the radio and stream numbers and all this stuff, which I have no idea about. He's got sort of this sort of strategist mind; it's amazing. And  just before the curtain comes up and we're alive on the Grammys in front of however many tens of millions of people he calls Win [Marshall] over, and I'm next to Win, he calls us over and he goes, "Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!" And this like [speaking in an announcer voice] "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome..." And he, as the curtain [rises], he goes, "Now would be a terrible time to get your dick out!" And then it kicks into, and then we're playing and we're like, starting the show, like, laughing. It was really funny. And since then, really, he's stayed in touch.

He's been really faithful as a friend, and a kind of mentor. He's like my, sort of godfather, weirdly, in the music industry. And he's like that with lots of people. And he calls me up on personal stuff and, and just is super supportive and kind. And initially, when I told him I was writing some songs, I didn't think they were band songs. He was like, "Whatever you do, don't do anything outside of the band. It's too precious a thing." And then I played him the first three songs and he said, "I've completely changed my mind. This has to be a solo thing." And has, ever since then, been super supportive about the record, so.

Jill Riley: That's awesome.

Marcus Mumford: Yeah, he's he's very generous. 

Jill Riley: Tell him hello for me.

Marcus Mumford: I will.

Jill Riley: If you will.

Marcus Mumford: I will.

Jill Riley: The next time you see him. That's awesome. Well, you know what? Yeah. Thank you for coming by.

Marcus Mumford: Thank you for having me. You guys have been so kind to us over the years. I'm grateful.

Jill Riley: It helps that you make great music.

Marcus Mumford: Thank you.

Jill Riley: We're not as kind maybe if it wasn't as great, so...

Marcus Mumford: Right. I get it.

Jill Riley: No, but really, it's been, it's been really fun to kind of just be witness to, just again from 2007, 2008, whenever it was, to where you have gone and where you're going to continue to go. So best of luck, OK?

Marcus Mumford: See you next time.

Video Segments

00:00:00 Only Child
00:04:21 Grace
00:08:25 Interview with host Jill Riley

Credits

Guest - Marcus Mumford
Host - Jill Riley
Producers - Derrick Stevens, Rachel Frances
Video - Evan Clark, Erik Stromstad
Audio - Eric Xu Romani
Graphics - Natalia Toledo
Digital Producer - Luke Taylor

External Link

Marcus Mumford - official site