Charlie Reid, who along with his twin brother, Craig, comprise the Proclaimers, says he never gets tired of playing the duo's breakthrough hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)."
"It's only a few minutes in a 90-minute set," said Reid during a phone interview from his home in Edinburgh, Scotland. "And there are people who come to hear seven or eight songs, and that is the one a lot of people know. So, to play that along with all the other songs in the set is not a problem. And we now have songs from eight albums to choose from."
Reid said getting a set list that spans the duo's 22-year career is a fun challenge.
"We play about 12 to 16 interchangeable songs in a set," he said. "We don't play the same set twice, but there are some songs we have to play. Where we place them is up to us."
A few weeks ago, the Proclaimers released "Notes & Rhymes," its eighth album.
Reid said he and his brother felt more relaxed in the studio this time.
"We used the same studio (Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales) and the same producer (Steve Evans)," he said. "So we had a good idea of what to expect this time around."
Reid said Evans has a good ear for harmony.
"He helped us with our vocal performance," Reid said. "And since we have worked together, he knew what we were looking for when it came to our sound.
"I haven't felt this good about an album since Pete Wingfield produced our album 'Sunshine on Leith,' " said Reid, who cited the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Buzzcocks and the Clash as the duo's main musical influences.
Evans and the Reids went through the list of songs and began recording in late 2008.
"We didn't have an abundance of songs for the album," said Reid. "I mean, we didn't want to waste any time. And we worked with what we had. And that's enough.
"We worked through it song by song and made sure that it wasn't too produced, but at the same time not too raw. But we also made sure it was soulful."
By "soulful," Reid said he wanted the songs to sound human and emotional.
"We didn't have an enormous amount of time to make this album," he said.
One thing that has changed over the years is the amount of time the Reids spend writing the songs.
"We write quicker," he said. "Our songwriting time has been cut, but our tuning time has lengthened."
Also, said Reid, the siblings have changed how they take care of themselves while on tour.
"We don't drink as much as we used to," said Reid with a laugh. "And we actually try to do a little more physical activity. We will eat right and go for a jog.
"We're not athletes, mind you, but we're both in our late 40s and need to be conscious about our health."
One thing hasn't changed in the 22 years of making music, Reid said.
"We just want to stay employed," he said. "That was pretty much why we started playing music in the '80s. We wanted to have jobs. And that is still what we're doing today. Albeit, we manage to expand having jobs at least two years each time we release an album."
If you go …
What: The Proclaimers
Where: Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East
When: Sunday, Sept. 20, 8:30 p.m.
How much: $15
Phone: 801-746-0557
Web: www.24tix.com
e-mail: scott@desnews.com