The Hatchet caught up with Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild before the show last Thursday at Washington’s 9:30 Club to talk about the road, the new album and the state of the music industry.

Hatchet: First off, how’s the tour going?

Jim Fairchild: Good. It’s a joy to be with the Super Furry Animals … and we’re going to be really, really sad to see them go away.

H: You have a new album out, Sumday (V2 Records). Did you approach it with a different sound in mind than your previous album, The Sophtware Slump (V2Records)?

JF: When (lead singer and songwriter Jason Lytle) first started writing songs for this record, he said he wanted it to be all happy. And it didn’t wind up being all happy, I don’t think, but it’s definitely more optimistic. (pauses) And I think more expensive. We had the financial ability to do more this time.

H: Because of your label?

JF: Well, because the last record was reasonably successful, so our label, V2, was able to up the ante a little bit, which afforded us the ability to assemble the studio that we had hoped for (for) a really long time but had never really had the ability to (put together). We’d always wanted to make big, high-fidelity, expansive music but, as it turns out, that requires high-fidelity equipment, which costs some dough. But the good thing is, we now own all the tools of production. We have what is essentially a professional studio set.

H: For someone who hasn’t heard the record before, are there any prevalent themes that you all were trying to emphasize?

JF: I think there are a few that ride throughout the record. More than anything, in my mind, the record is about becoming comfortable with yourself, and realizing the person you are, and playing to your strengths rather than your weaknesses and not dwelling so much on the sucky parts about your own life or life in general.

H: To switch gears here, right now the music industry is in an upheaval over peer-to-peer sharing of songs. The Record Industry Association of America is filing lawsuits. Any opinion on that?

JF: Well, first of all, I think that music does require a lot of time and a lot of money to make, so it’s fair for there to be some sort of financial compensation. However, I’m completely stoked about the “upheaval,” as you put it, because the … record labels completely priced themselves out of the market. They just got really greedy with the introduction of CDs. And I think it’s totally fine that the consumer says, “You know what? We know how much it costs to actually manufacture a CD, and it’s not fair that you’re charging us $20.” I think $10 to $12 is reasonable to make sure that the people who promote the music and make the music can actually make a living off of their labor. I don’t think it’s bad to make a living off hard work, and music is hard work.

H: Are you pleased with the reception of the album so far?

JF: Yeah, we’re super-fortunate. People have called it a directional shift but, more importantly, a lot of people have come along and enjoyed it.