Ancient History | Interview | New Album, ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’
Ancient History, the brainchild of Pittsburgh’s own mad music scientist Don Ducote, stitches together lo-fi alchemy with solid indie roots, resulting in a fantastic third sonic manifesto in his discography.
Ducote’s been around the block, from the gritty streets of New York to the sun-drenched boulevards of Los Angeles. He’s shared studio air with Chris Kasych, lent his sonic wizardry to UK songstress Emma Gillespie, and even recorded at Adrian Grenier’s Wreckroom. As Ancient History, Ducote first hit the scene with ‘Tracks’ in 2013, followed by the equally mind-bending ‘Good Friend Electrical’ in 2017.
Since relocating to Pittsburgh, Don Ducote has made a significant impact on the local music scene. As co-owner and A&R of Wild Kindness Records, he has signed and produced work for bands such as Slugss, Rave Ami (formerly Honey), It It, Dinosoul, Thousandzz of Beez, and Bat Zuppel. In addition to his own performances, Ducote provides studio support and production guidance to local artists and co-owns the popular Pittsburgh eatery and music venue, Spirit. After nearly seven years, Ducote is returning as Ancient History with a series of new releases, making us all very keen to hear more.
“I do what I can to destroy those songs in an attempt to make them more interesting.”
In the seven years since your last release, what spurred your return to music under the moniker Ancient History? What aspects of your life and artistic journey during this hiatus influenced the creation of ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’?
Don Ducote: Well, I guess I don’t think of it as a return to music – I think of it as a return to releasing music. This record has been finished since 2019, when a lot of things in my life were changing. I found myself in a healthy relationship for the first time in my life, and my reasons for sticking around Pittsburgh were evaporating. My girlfriend and I moved back to NYC, and I had intentions of properly releasing the record in early 2020, but when COVID hit, I pumped the brakes. But I never stopped writing and recording over the last seven years.
But to answer your question, regarding aspects of life influencing the record, it was written and recorded in my first few years in Pittsburgh which, in hindsight, were pretty carefree times. The songs came very naturally, and I was very comfortable recording on my beat-up ADAT machine. I was working nights, and I could wake up at noon, slide out of bed, and record for a few hours every day before work. It was one of the most creatively fulfilling periods of my life, and I think moving to a new place to invent a new life made it easy to let go of old ideas and craft a new sound.
‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’ marks your third LP as Ancient History. How do you perceive your growth and evolution as an artist from your earlier releases like ‘Tracks’ and ‘Good Friend Electrical’ to this latest album?
‘Good Friend Electrical’ was, in a lot of ways, a reaction to ‘Tracks.’ ‘Tracks’ was such a lyrically detailed, personal record that I poured a lot of myself into. It was written during a particularly heavy, and often dark, period of my life, and I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as someone who uses his audience as a therapist. And whereas ‘Tracks’ wasn’t supposed to be a record that rocked, ‘Good Friend Electrical’ was supposed to be a record that did. I think I work best when I’m not so much aiming for a target, as I am abiding by guidelines I set for myself to help avoid the things I know I don’t want. There’s a difference.
That said, I was very aware of that lesson learned when I started recording ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize.’ I knew I wanted drum machines, and I knew I didn’t want vocal booths, but I wasn’t aiming for a specific emotional climate or sonic intensity. When I found a sound or texture I liked, I didn’t question it. I didn’t worry about post-production or being able to reverse my decision. I just hit record and lived with it, and that’s what gives this album its soul, in my opinion. That was the lesson this record gave me from a ‘my-own-personal-songwriting-evolution’ standpoint.
Your music has been described as connecting lo-fi experimentation with indie sensibility. How do you balance these seemingly disparate elements in your songwriting and production process, particularly on ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize?’
I think that just means I like to write songs that stick to a certain rock format, but then upon completion, I do what I can to destroy those songs in an attempt to make them more interesting. For this record, I wanted to make sure that all of these songs could hold up on just guitar and vocals. I wanted them to be songs I could play at an open mic night, even though I had no intention of playing them at open mics. I guess the experiment was to see if they could withstand my overdrive pedals and utterly lazy approach to sound engineering.
You’ve been deeply involved in the music scenes of cities like New York and Los Angeles. How has your experience in these diverse and vibrant environments influenced the sound and themes explored on your latest album?
Eh. I was pretty immersed in the Bushwick arts community back in the day, but it would be pretty ridiculous to claim that I made any sort of ripple in the pond outside of being an opening band for a couple cool shows. But Ancient History was born in Brooklyn, I spent a lot of time there and it will always be in the DNA. However, I can’t remember if I’ve even played LA. If I did, it wasn’t as Ancient History. I spent a few weeks living in my van off Sunset Blvd and crashing on my buddy’s studio floor while we mixed the second Ancient History LP and Emma Gillespie’s ‘Pier Siamese’ record, but that’s where my deep LA involvement ends, unfortunately.
As the previous manager of Wild Kindness Records and a prominent figure in the Pittsburgh music scene, how has your role in supporting and producing the work of other artists informed your approach to crafting your own music, particularly on ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’?
It introduced me to Dane Adelman, Shawn Klocek, Warren Pryde, and Nate Campisi – all of whom I really enjoy working with. Other than that, it hasn’t really informed my music, but it has informed my approach to releasing music. I released ‘Good Friend Electrical’ at the height of my activity in the Pittsburgh music scene and it vanished into the ether almost immediately. I swore I wouldn’t let that happen to ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize.’
The title ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’ evokes a sense of resignation or perhaps ironic victory. Could you delve into the significance of this title and how it encapsulates the themes or emotions explored throughout the album?
A long, long time ago, when I was pretending to go to college, I learned how to write songs by fucking around on a Tascam 4-track in my buddy’s shitty apartment. He had a pack of iron-on letters that you could use to make homemade hats and t-shirts or whatever, but most of the letters had been used. One day, we took all the available letters and tried to spell the longest phrase we could. ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’ is what we came up with. I’ve kept the name in my pocket because I thought it was an intriguing title, and I knew at some point I would try to make a record that re-captured some of the textures of those 4-track recordings and that record would need a name that meant something to me. The literal meaning of the phrase wasn’t something I thought about initially, but it’s turned out to be an easy phrase to stretch into whatever I’ve wanted it to mean over the course of my adult life.
In addition to your musical endeavors, you’re also a co-owner of Spirit, a popular eatery and music venue in Pittsburgh. How does your involvement in both the culinary and musical spheres influence or intersect with your creative process as a musician?
Yeah, it doesn’t really. I’m not very involved with Spirit much anymore. I still have my tiny ownership stake, but I’m not involved in any of the day-to-day operations.
How do you approach translating the intricate textures and emotions of your recorded music into captivating live experiences on stage?
That’s really the question of the day. I’ve been messing around with live setups a lot lately. We’ve integrated a drum pad and drum triggers, which helps a lot for ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize.’ These are all sounds I want to dig deeper into, so it’s exciting to be experimenting with new equipment.
Looking ahead, what do you hope listeners take away from ‘Zero Dollar Consolation Prize’, and what can they expect from Ancient History in the future? Are there any new directions or projects on the horizon that you’re excited to explore?
Our release schedule is packed, since I haven’t released anything in seven years. We’re releasing a split with Pittsburgh musician Pat Coyle later in the summer, as well as four new, bigger, nastier Ancient History songs. And then in 2025, we have two more full-lengths coming out – one is already done, the other is half-complete, and we’re still in the studio. I’m working with Nate Campisi at Mr. Smalls Recording for both of these full-lengths and am excited about both. One is very acoustic, with just a few effects and not a lot of electronic instruments at all. The other – the one we’re currently working on – is much more experimental, much more glacial and shoegaze-y.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Last 10 vinyl I bought and really enjoyed:
Anohni & the Johnsons, ‘My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross’
Tim Hecker, ‘Radio Amor’
The Smile, ‘Wall of Eyes’
Sonic Youth, ‘Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star’
Beak, ‘>>’
Chester Watson, ‘Fish Don’t Climb Trees’
Ylia, ‘Ame Agaru’
Prins Emanuel ‘Diagonal Musik II’
Mint Field, ‘Aprender A Ser’
Jeff Rosenstock, ‘Hellmode’
Klemen Breznikar
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