When the advance promo single from The Beanstalk Library landed in our hands in the midst of that blinding heat wave in early August, it seemed perfectly timed. The one-two punch of “Elephantitis”, a rushing, gushing power-popper, and “Fake It”, with its requisite jangle and harmonies, was the perfect antidote to midsummer malaise.

Now the proper full-length, America at Night, is finally out, and the band’s finally got the album they’ve been working on since they first got together. It seems to have been worth the wait, as this one recalls the “Glam Parsons” swirl of West Coast acts like Cabinessence and the Beachwood Sparks while sticking close to their D.C. roots and a very singer-songwriter-oriented approach.

Either way, it’s a fine little debut from a refreshingly straightforward band. We coaxed one of the founding members, Ryan Walker, into having a beer with us before his solo set at Wonderland Ballroom last Sunday. Be sure to catch their next show, September 11 at DC9.

So your album’s finally out. How did things kinda fall into place?

It took a little over a year and a half, the whole process. We originally thought it might be an EP, then it grew to a full length record, even though it’s a shorter record. Basically it was a bunch of demos that we finished and reworked.

Where did you do the recording?

We did all the rhythm parts in a studio in Falls Church. We thought about doing the other parts there, but it made more sense to knock out a bunch of rhythm tracks and we ended up getting a drum sound I’m really excited about.

Then Brian and I have played in a Neil Young cover band called Ragged Glory for a while. We took the money we made from that – playing parties and stuff – and bought some home studio equipment so we could do it in our basement. We played some of our demos for Chad Clark, who’s worked with Dismemberment Plan on Emergency and I, which is probably my favorite “D.C. album” and he’s worked with Fugazi too. He liked them enough and said he’d do the mixing and mastering for us.

What was it like to record at home, to have an endless amount of time to work on it?

There was a fair amount of tinkering and it was actually kind of a difficult process. We lost one of the guys in the band. When you have that kind of time to put into something, you end up discovering what you’re about and what you really do.

Now that I have some distance from it, I’m really proud of it. There are things I wish we could do again, but to me, it sounds better than the typical debut album from a local band or something.

You said you’ve had the idea of The Beanstalk Library for a while. Are the songs old too?

Yeah, some of them are. “Welcome Back” and “Without a Hitch are really old, maybe four or five years. On the other hand, the first song, was brand new and got done really quickly.

Who’s in the group?

There are four of us now, and there used to be five. It started out as Brian [Kent] and I, then we picked up John [Rapoza], and Mike [Fellenbaum] who plays drums. And then we have a whole bunch of guests on the record.

Yeah I noticed you have a few members of Exit Clov in your ranks during your live show.

Yeah, we’ve gotten really into lots of vocals and multi-part arrangements. The girls from Exit Clov help us out a little with that, and we’ve worked on three-part harmonies and would kinda like to even do some four-part harmonies someday. But yeah, we get some friends to join us and play horns and things to help fill out the sound.

Let’s talk about influences a little bit. I wouldn’t say the album is necessarily “all over the place”, but you seem to have a few different classic influences in there. Who would you say are your biggest?

I know it’s really cliché, but it’s the truth, so I’ve got to say the Beatles. My parents had all the records and I was playing those before I could read probably. I love harmony, and I really love the harmonies on Revolver. I’ve probably listened to that album more times than…I don’t know. A lot. They’re just a group you can really study and learn a lot from, and I’m still taking away new stuff from some of those albums.

Top five Beatles songs, then?

OK, “Lovely Rita”, which we cover, “Paperback Writer”, “For No One”. I’ll also take their cover of “Rock and Roll Music”, because John is just incredible on that song –- I think it’s better than Chuck Berry’s original. And, let’s see, one more…I’ll go with “I’ve Got a Feeling.”

Wow, strong list. Are there other groups you’d add? What about local bands?

I mentioned the Neil Young cover band, before…

Oh, I can promise you DCist coverage if you ever resurrect that.

Ha, ok, thanks. Yeah, I just love everything about him. Tonight’s the Night is my favorite, the way everything just sounds like total crap. But also it’s beyond the music –- he just doesn’t care at all what’s hip, what anyone thinks, and his performances kind of ooze that. He’s got a sort of set of ethics about music that I admire.

We’re also into Wilco and the new Okkervil River is really phenomenal. Will Sheff’s lyrics are amazing. And there are a ton of local bands -– These United States are great and they’re great friends of ours. I’m a big Exit Clov fan and I really like all their stuff. And I should mention how excited I am about the forthcoming Georgie James record… they're worth all their buzz and they're really really great human beings.

Last one -– What’s your favorite venue to play in town?

Well there are a few. The sound at the Iota has always been great. Jammin’ Java is a really cool place with an unfortunate title and it’s kind of way out there so sometimes not that many people make it to a show. A band like us also has to play a lot of really small places around town that really shouldn’t be putting on shows, just bad sound and weird stages and stuff. But they’ll remain nameless. For me though, there’s no doubt that Rock and Roll Hotel is the best place in the city.

Band picture by Shervin Lainez.