{photo by Landon Arkens} I was recently invited to sit in on a rehearsal with Jeremiah Nelson's newly formed version of Patchwork which includes Luke Bassuener (drums) of Elden Caulder and This Bright Apocalypse and Josh Tyack (bass) who hosts Rock Chocolate on WSUM from 9:00 to 11:00 on Wednesdays and is a former member of Elden Caulder. Also joining in was Shawn Drake a violin player and sometimes stage companion with Patchwork. The new version of the band performs tonight at Cafe Montmarte along with the Chris Koza band.

Listening in on their rehearsal gave great insight to how a fledgling band works. Though Nelson has been playing around as Patchwork solo for quite some time the assembled group has shared the stage only three times and has practiced five. It is interesting to watch them collectively work out the kinks that comes with this and even more intriguing witnessing their cohesiveness.

“Josh has added a lot of bass lines that weren’t there,” Nelson says of Tyack’s playing in the band and their live show. “Sometimes I get tired of playing some of that old shit,” he says about his Work and Worry EP but he adds “some of that old material feels like it has new breathe breathed into it in this new setting.” This rejuvenation shows when they go through one of Patchwork’s oldest songs “Kicking Apples” which I have heard numerous times, but with this lineup seems new.

Patchwork is preparing their (his) first full length album slated for release in early August and tentatively titled “Take Me Down the Interstate” which is taken from their song “Interstate Love Song 2.0” about growing up, and yearning to escape; typical fare for a Patchwork song. When I asked about Nelson’s lyrical themes he simply stated that they come from, “living in small towns and wanting to get out.” he goes further and state, “Let me say this Austin, MN is a really shitty town.”

Jeremiah Nelson is definitely no stranger to small towns or cities. We first met a few years ago while we both lived in Oshkosh, WI through a mutual friend. Even back then you could see the shiftlessness in his eyes, the escapism that riddles his music. When he moved to Madison I wondered how long this rolling stone would gather moss and given his first couple weeks in town I didn’t think it would be long.

Jeremiah was subletting a place a block from mine on East Washington but due to what would be considered the usual actions of any Madison slumlord opted to move out. He soon took up “residency” at vacant warehouse, I use quotations because Jeremiah was in reality a squatter. “It was going really good at first at the warehouse,” Nelson says of his time there, “but then you got infested with mice and mold” Bassuener adds. “Things were dark for a bit but since moving here (a flat off Williamson St.) things have really opened up.”

Patchwork rehearse a few new songs and stop to talk about the odd time signature, one of which is in 7 time on “What Do They Need” There is stop point in the song in which Luke is having a difficult time not playing through. I inquire what inspired playing more Math driven music…take a moment to imagine Math-Folk…and Nelson doesn’t make the usual reference to an appreciation for Free-Form Jazz, for which Jeremiah studied at University, but to a musician from Oshkosh named Stephen McCabe formally of The Willis and now the lone member of the amazing Octopus Attack.

“A lot of Jazz musicians are purist dickheads,” he responds to my inquiry. When I read the quote back to him he is quick to correct, “Let me rephrase that,” he pauses, “I was a purist dickhead when I studied Jazz. There comes a point when you are looking more at technique more than sound and I don’t want to do that.” We go into great length about the merits of Jazz which the band floors me with their knowledge of before I excuse myself and walk back home.

I leave and smell Spring in the air. Parents stroll along the sidewalk with their children in tow, and everyone who owns a grill is putting it to full use. I tip my cap to a passer-by and I forget all the trivial things that cloud my day to day and sing Patchwork songs while I walk. I am not usually the singer-songwriter type but Jeremiah Nelson may be able to convert me.