Interview with Charlie Hunter (jambase.com)

Photo by Greg Aiello

See original publishing on jambase.com here.

Charlie Hunter can do it all. Creating an instrument that translates all his musical desires, Hunter simultaneously plays bass lines, rhythm guitar and lead with incredible ease; making him one of the most exceptional jazz players currently on the circuit.

Recently departing from the group he co-founded, Garage A Trois, Hunter went right back to work on a new album and tour to be introduced and carried out in the New Year.

Hunter is celebrating the release of the new album Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid, with a residency at Rose Live Music in Brooklyn now. The album was released on January 12, 2010 through Hunter's own Spire Artist Media and digitally through reapandsow.

On this record, Hunter is accompanied by a new set of artistically endowed musicians to compliment his always radiant and unique guitar work. Joining Hunter is a new horn section composed of trombonists' Curtis Fowlkes, Alan Ferber and trumpeter Eric Biondo. Grounding the rhythm section is a familiar "jam scene" friend, the improvisational drummer Eric Kalb, who's toured with Deep Banana Blackout, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings and many more. Biondo and Fowlkes will be joining Hunter for the Rose Live Music residency.

JamBase spoke with Charlie Hunter about the new album, his upcoming tour, the talented musicians that currently surround him and the explanation behind his departure from Garage A Trois.

JamBase: You have a new album, Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid. What inspiration did you draw from musically for this new record? Is it a collection of random songs or does the entire album carry a familiar theme?

Charlie Hunter: Well, I wanted to make a record with a brass type sound. Some of the songs were already written previous to creating the record, but then I wrote others with the brass theme in mind. And on this record I added a new brass section.

JamBase: What approach do you take when entering the studio to lay down a new record? Do you cut it live or is it dubbed, re-recorded and more of a procedure?

Charlie Hunter: There was no dubbing on this album at all. It's cut entirely live. This album was recorded to two-inch analog tape, mono, with no overdubs at all. It was just mixed on the fly. Everything was live.

Throughout the month of January you've scheduled a residency at Rose Live Music in Brooklyn. Why did you opt to do the residency at this particular venue?

I live in New Jersey so it's not terribly far from me. I really like playing at Rose Live Brooklyn as well. It's a smaller more portable kind of scene, you know? But I guess just like anywhere else there are people that will be interested in the music, and you go set up and play and just hope that they come to the gig.

How is this album unlike your previous releases? What makes Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid unique?

They're all unique. All have their own individual kind of thing. I try to never make the same record twice. I mean, if I had to name a common thread running through all of my albums it would be that my "instrument" is always used on them. However, I don't always play it the same way. It's always a little different depending on the vibe, so this is definitely a different record than anything I've done previously. Also it's in mono; first record I've done in mono, as well as two trombones and a trumpet. I've never had that configuration before.

Fans associate "Charlie Hunter" with your live and in-studio utilization of custom seven and eight string guitars. How did you come to ascertain this technique, making yourself an innovator as well as a player in the field?

It just formed from a natural-type progression. I created the concept by being involved with drums, guitar and bass all at once. If you put those instruments together, then you create this thing I use. From there you just try to evolve that concept and make it better and more effective.

Which guitars were used on this album?

I just used one on this album. It was a custom-made seven string created by Jeff Traugott.

Besides adding Curtis, Alan and Eric to the group, you also invited Deep Banana Blackout drummer Eric Kalb. How did this relationship materialize?

I first saw him in Chinatown. He was working as a busboy in a Chinese restaurant. I just thought, wow this guy is so good and nobody gives him the time, place or gig. He has a volatile temper, a history that shows so, and I guess he had a few problems with prior bandleaders. I just figured I'd have to give the guy a gig and see if it worked out. It was kind of rocky at first, but he understood that that kind of behavior would not be tolerated. Now he's really risen to the challenge and he sounds great.

Why are you so adamant about doing things grass-root style as opposed to having a big media machine behind you? For someone who has been on a label before, what are the advantages and perks you find by doing it on your own?

As far as putting out my own records, it just came to a point where it made the most sense to put out my own records. It didn't make any sense to do it with a label. Like why would you want to sink a bunch of money into a guy like me that's going to sell only five thousand records? I can make my own records and sell two thousand and make enough money to pay for the next record. So clearly, it makes more sense for me to be doing it on my own.

What propelled your decision to leave Garage A Trois and embark on another solo record?

Well, we were actually hanging out with Garage A Trois the other night in Seattle. I love those guys; I think they're great players. But the issue is with their audience. They're sort of really bossy and demanding and always too high or too drunk, constantly bossing you around. They tell you what they want to hear by screaming and yelling at you onstage. If you don't play as loud as you can all the time and close your eyes, so you don't see them dancing, then you just can't get through the gig. And I just couldn't do that anymore.

Was there a particular incident that occurred that made you feel this way or has it been building for quite some time?

Both. I had a thing happen where somebody was dancing; he was so off-time and the audience was bossing us around, telling us to play the FUNK or do this, rock out, man, blah, blah, blah. I guess I had some type of a seizure, and the guy was dancing so out of rhythm that it took me weeks to finally feel whole again. It was a serious, scary episode for me, and I felt like I really had to do my own thing and get out of there; regroup so to speak. I still LOVE those guys. I just really couldn't handle that kind of scene anymore.

In the digital age we're currently in, what's your stance on the rise of singles and the slow diminution of the concept of a record? It seems people are beginning to lose the overall concept of a record, in that it is a collection of work meant to be listened to all together.

It really doesn't matter to me because I never sell singles anyway. People usually just want my music for the whole record. I don't have any "hits." So people will just buy the whole record because that's the strength of it. It's not like popular music where you're selling one thing; you're kind of selling a concept. Generally, if you're selling a strong record they're going to want the whole record anyway.

You've collaborated with a lot of artists, producing more than 16 albums already in your career. Who else would you like to work with in the near future?

I've been pretty lucky throughout my career. I've been able to work with a lot of amazing musicians. I pretty much have been working with the people that I want to work with. But if something cool came up then I would definitely be interested in it.

What besides the residency and the album should fans expect from you in 2010?

I'm just going to be doing more of the same thing, pretty much getting into a car and driving around. Like usual, going from place to place, playing music and that's pretty much the story.

Interview with RJD2 (Jambands.com)

See original interview at Jambase/Relix here.

Ramble John Krohn, or more famously RJD2, enters the New Year fully equipped, triggering the release of a new studio album and a full fledged five leg international tour starting January 2010. On January 19th, his fourth studio album The Colossus will hit, brewing up a much anticipated and fan-feigning return to RJ’s signature collaborative and instrumental hip-hop methodology.

The album will be the first one released on his newly established label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, and includes guests Phonte Coleman, Kenna, Aaron Livingston, Columbus MC’s The Catalyst, Illogic and many more. As RJ explains, his previous album, The Third Hand, was a mission to do as much as he could do on his own, without any outside influences. The Colossus takes a complete opposite approach, trying to incorporate and include as many outside influences as possible, which RJ gleefully boasts he succeeded in doing.

Jambands sat down with RJD2 to discuss the release of The Colossus, his largest tour to date, his debut behind the drum kit, touring with a backing band and much more.

The album revisits the instrumental/vocal hip-hop collaborative format fans experienced in your breakthrough studio album, Deadringer. Did you intentionally return to a technique or feeling you held when producing Deadringer?

I don’t really see it as going back to one particular thing as much as going back to a number of broad things. I don’t personally see it as a return to the style and working of Deadringer for the whole album per se. There were songs in which I essentially used a sample only methodology to produce them and there were many other songs in which I didn’t. So there are some hints of the former album and then there are differences.

Why did you decide to go back to featured vocals on tracks (as well as singing yourself) other than predominately instrumentals and samples as you demonstrated on The Third Hand?

As far as instrumental dominance, when I look at Deadringer and Since We Last Spoke, both of those records were attempts to have as much of a vocal presence as possible. So while I think that it’s accurate to say that I’ve by-in-large spent a lot of time doing sample-based music, I don’t personally feel like instrumental music is necessarily me completely. It’s a big part of what I’ve done, but at the same time I think that if I were to go song by song down those records, at least 50-60% of the tracks will have varied vocal elements. The vocals may not be loud, but whether they are sampled or live they’re still present. It was a very cognitive thing making this record and that was kind of my mission. I mean there was a very conscious effort involved throughout it. I remember in the late ‘90s when I first started getting serious about this, creating my own music or whatever, I remember that my angle on “instrumental hip-hop” was that I wanted to make short & lively vocal-oriented pop songs. The goal was to get as close to that as possible by using the same techniques or approaches that by and large people didn’t think “instrumental hip-hop” normally used. I just remember that being a conscious goal that I wanted to achieve.

How much studio time was spent on The Colossus compared to your previous studio releases?

The record came together sometime around January or February of 2009. I started working on it pretty much when I completed and released The Third Hand. So around some time in 2007, but the bulk of the work happened from around fall 2008 through the winter of 2009. It’s hard for me to remember the exact date, but part of the way I work is that I develop ideas and little sketches of music. Sometimes those things develop really quickly and some of the songs come through right away. And other times they just sit. If it’s not coming out or it’s not working, I never force it. So I just let it sit. And a lot of times those things end up in the dust bin or the garbage and they never get revisited. But sometimes I will go back and revisit them and what needs to happen for it to progress is having a fresh perspective where the piece of music should go.

As you said before, you invited guests to join you on some tracks of The Colossus. Can you talk a bit about the process of scheduling and the impact that may have had on the music?

As far as the collaboration portion, all the instrumentation parts that I didn’t play were tracked in the studio, and that was labor intensive having to get everyone scheduled, getting charts or writing charts. So that was a bit labor intensive. But the other songs, the vocal songs, the only one that was recorded in studio was “Crumbs Off the Table” where I had been working with Aaron Livingston a little bit. The other thing that made it easy was that all the collaborative songs were still songs that I wrote all the vocal parts, melodies and lyrics, so I was recording songs that were technically already finished and demoed. So it was a lot quicker because of that. In the typical producer/vocalist collaboration, the vocalist is writing and that makes it take a lot longer. But when I worked with Phonte Coleman, he had the song (“The Shining Path”) done in a week (laughs). You know, it was just like, here are the lyrics, here’s the demo, here’s the instrumental and it’s done.

What was it like to work behind the drum kit on Colossus? What other instruments did you play on the album?

I guess, to me, I see the main discipline being drums, bass, keyboard and guitar. Everything else I really just sort of built extensions from those instruments. An example is the difference between a harpsichord and piano, besides specifics, are a similar technique as long as they are keyboard based. So I use the harpsichord as an extension of the keyboard. Synthesizer, acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums were the basics.

Is there a particular philosophy behind the making of your music? Does each album have a theme or certain influence that propels it?

The more deep I get into the record mission, the more that is the case with the overall philosophy. My first record was a compilation of songs. Reason being, the only means I had to complete a song at that time was a sampler. Thus everything I made for that record was sample-based music. For the second record I had bought a couple of keyboards and sort of got into tracking live stuff a little bit. There was also a couple of songs that I sang on that record. Not everything was sample-based per se, but the only driving philosophy behind it was for me to just keep expanding and provide new and interesting songs. By the time The Third Hand came around, that was the first record that had a theme, whereas the point of it for me was to see how far I could get just by myself without drawing on anyone else. And now The Colossus has a completely opposite theme than The Third Hand. The intent was to collaborate as much as possible, with as many outside influences and players and resources on the record as possible. Additionally on this album, there is also an overview of the different approaches I’ve taken to making music and also specific references to my first 3 albums that are “hidden”; I don’t think they’re hidden, I think they’re pretty obvious but with that said they’re hidden in the music if you will.

This is the first album you released on your newly established label, RJ’s Electrical Connections. What led you to release this album on your own?

I guess the main motive being that I didn’t need anyone else’s money to complete this album [laughs]. I know that it’s common to actually complete the record before it even gets signed. I know how that whole thing works. And that was the thing with The Third Hand, that record was done before I decided to put it out. I know that’s a common experience but I started having more and more of an issue with that process. It just didn’t make sense to me to drop back into a label this time around. I had this record and was mulling over whether I should try and make it work with another label. But then on a totally unrelated matter, I went through this process of reacquiring the ownership of my masters from Def Jux so then I suddenly needed a place to distribute them. So there was another argument why I should be doing this and essentially starting a label. I look back on the fundamentals of the music industry and I think I’ve gained enough of an understanding of what gets done to release a record that I basically felt confident in on my own. I didn’t think it was going to be easy but I was confident that I was going to be able to have a handle on the decisions that needed to be made.

You just announced an extensive 2010 tour that will take place from January to April of this year. Is this the largest tour you’ve ever scheduled on a consecutive show basis? Is there any strategy or meaning behind the venues or locations you chose to perform?

This is definitely the longest. Essentially it is two weeks on and two weeks off, so I don’t do all of the dates all at once. I am able to go home in between each leg which is nice. I don’t do well when I’m away too long. That’s my threshold for being away from home, about two weeks and after that I’m ready to go back. That’s the way I’ve been formatting my tours for a couple years now. In 2007, the tour for The Third Hand was three legs of two weeks and this one is four legs of two weeks and then I go off to Europe for a fifth leg. This is definitely the biggest tour and as far as the decisions of why I chose these destinations, I just wanted to cover as many bases as possible. We also paid attention to the routing of the tour considering the weather. We did the down south stuff first because it will be in the middle of the winter and should be comfortable down there at that time.

To what extent will your live show move beyond songs from The Colossus and showcase your entire catalog?

I am certainly going to showcase the whole catalog for sure. It was a learning experience when I went on tour for The Third Hand. I have a band for this tour. When I first went out with a band, we did songs from The Third Hand album and over the years I’ve realized that people want to hear their favorite songs and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. So even though I’m now doing songs from Deadringer live with a band and a different format, it’s still fun doing a hybrid thing substituting the sampler with an actual drummer. A lot of these songs are also a lot easier to execute. I sometimes feel like I’m shooting fish in barrel when I revisit songs from previous albums. We can do it easily, but at the same time people don’t go to a show for the sake of virtuosity either. The artists are not there for themselves, the artist is there for the sake of the fans. So you basically want to play songs that people are going to want to here.

Will any artists featured on the album be accompanying you throughout the tour?

Hopefully the cities I visit where they live or are at the time, they will come and do their respective songs. On the whole, it’s a four piece band including myself, a drummer and two multi instrumentalists who will be playing bass, keys or guitars. I can’t really afford to take the guests on the road just to do one song, you know, I had to be realistic. But hopefully they can come out in their home towns.

What’s your take on the mainstream fame that has blown your way, being featured on Mad Men, CSI and many other media programs? I remember while I was attending University of Colorado in 2004, my friends and I viewed you, Aesop Rock, C-Rayz Walz and other Def Jux artists as part of the “underground hip-hop” scene. Now being featured in these bigger projects, it seems you sort of went outside the proverbial indie box and now are more mainstream…

Remember, I want to point out here, that you admittedly said in this that this is something you and your friends in Colorado said [laughs]…

Yes of course…

So I think that’s an important distinction that you are making. It draws into a perspective that there are these kinds of terms that we have to make up for ourselves. You’re right, saying that my records have a higher visibility now as opposed to in 2002 or 2003. With that said, none of those things that you mentioned happened because some bigwig lawyer or bigwig agent or an A&R record guy took me in and made me do it. The Mad Men guy came to me and same with Wells Fargo and CSI. All of the stuff that you mentioned came from either me or the label that put the record out at the time, saying, “Listen are you interested in this or these songs?” So, in that sense I don’t feel like there is any difference in terms of the scale or scope, but that’s not the right way to put it. I guess I’m saying I work with the same resources I did when I began and that’s how I feel about it. I don’t feel like I have any bigger guns behind me now then say, I did in 2002. That’s really just an artifact of staying around and sticking it out and making records on a consistent basis and as weird as it seems, places like Hollywood and TV Land pay attention to little shit [laughs]. It’s true.

What other projects do you have in the works for the New Year? Any collaborations or productions on your or anyone else’s albums?

All of the above! I spent a lot of time recording in the last 2 ½ years. I basically work every day on the label stuff or producing new music, so I’ve got a lot. I currently have at least one record under my belt that I want to release under another name. I’m almost done with a collaborative record with one of the guys who is on the new album. I’m really excited about that. But it’s a different kind of thing, it’s more of a traditional collaborative process where I’m doing the instrumentation and production and he’s doing the vocals and lyrics. And after that I’d like to jump back in to the mix. The next thing I’d like to tackle is to produce another record. I’ve tried to release instrumental versions of the vocal stuff like I did for The Third Hand and have a plan similar for The Colossus where all the instrumental songs get exchanged for new songs. So half of the album would be instrumental versions of the vocals songs from The Colossus and half of it would be brand new songs. So, all of these things are things that I will be working towards releasing on the New Year.

Interview with the Kinks' Dave Davies (StayThirsty)

http://www.staythirstymedia.com/201001-041/html/201001-dave-davies.html

Dave Davies is a guitar legend. His unique sound and classic riffs have long pierced the eardrums of critics and music enthusiasts for nearly 50 years. Now approaching his 63rd birthday, Dave will be releasing a new DVD entitled, “Dave Davies Kronikles: Mystical Journey” with a complimentary European and American tour at selected venues.
Dave Davies has always been the quieter voice in The Kinks. With an often turbulent relationship with his brother Ray, Dave stepped back from the spotlight and had his guitar convey the wisdom and musical supremacy he holds within.

As I approached my interview with Dave, I had compiled a list of around 50 questions to ask him. For obvious reasons, the list was forcibly truncated, although it does show how much there still is to learn about the guitar slinger’s history and life within and around music.

I spoke with the great Dave Davies about his history with The Kinks, his influence in the music spectrum, the upcoming DVD/tour and the possibility of a Kinks reunion with his brother, Ray.

I now present, “A Well Respected Man…”



THIRSTY: As a child, how were you inspired musically?

DD: Band-wise or family-wise?

THIRSTY: Both would be great.

DD: Well…How did it all start? When I was quite a small boy there was always music in the house. Me and Ray were two boys in a family of eight children. We have a total of six older sisters. The girls were always into different types of music and there was always a variety of music present in the house. A range of stuff from Hank Williams, to Doris Day, to Perry Como to god you name it. We were open to all of this music that was constantly surrounding us.

THIRSTY: Interesting. At which particular time in your youth did it become clear that you were going to seriously pursue guitar?

DD: My first real interest in guitar formed when I first heard one of my brother-in-law’s, Mike, play while he was teaching Ray the regiments of the instrument. He had some old film of Big Bill Broonzy playing in some old stingy club. I’ve seen it since; you can see it on YouTube. He’s playing "Hey, Hey." I saw the clip, filmed in black and white complimented by shadows and the sound and his voice and everything. That kind of made me want to get a hold of the guitar. So I learned four or five chords real quickly. You know, I thought I knew it all [laughs].

THIRSTY: And what specific artists of that time influenced you musically?

DD: Johnny Cash was a huge influence. Certain genres like rock music which flaunted Buddy Holly’s guitar were so very inspirational. I adored the Ventures. So at first, when Ray and I began playing with one another, I was on rhythm guitar and Ray was playing lead. Then I learned some licks and we picked up Chet Atkins specific picking style. We heard all these guitar players and pickers really through our brother-in-law, Mike, whom I mentioned before. He had all these old records and film clips. There are so many people. We were listening to all this stuff and we just tried to copy it. I really got into Eddie Cochran and I liked the way he sang, and he looked cool and he’s a very accomplished guitar player as well. So he kind of had the full set; the sound, EVERYTHING. It inspired me to want to learn the rest of what this music thing was all about. There are lots and lots of influences. I’ve really only mentioned a few.

THIRSTY: That’s definitely a well-renowned list. So when The Kinks first eyed success, you were around 18-19. Did you know at that point you, Ray, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory had something serious brewing up? Or was it more of a garage band vibe; a bunch of kids messing around?

DD: Well, we knew we were onto something different because there weren’t that many musicians our age in the neighborhood of north London. All the musicians seemed a bit older, sort of in their early twenties. So the music was still influenced by the Dixieland and modern Jazz genres. In actuality, we were quite adventurous really. It was Pete and I who started to come together at first. Ray was playing guitar with a Blues band; they were called a Blues band, but it was more in the realm of an older generation of Jazz work. Me and Pete did all the clubs. Pete used to fix it with his friends to sneak me in through the back doors because I wasn’t quite old enough to access them yet.

THIRSTY: It seems like a dominating influence on your musical preference and inspirations drew from American Blues and Rock & Roll. How did American music find its way to you across the Atlantic to London?

DD: We used to go to a great shop in the West End of London (SoHo) called Dobell’s. There they had all the good Blues stuff, Buddy Holly and all of those musicians. We wanted to seek out these other guys who were like Sleepy John, Lonnie Johnson and John Lee Hooker. John Lee Hooker was absolutely amazing. Me and Pete used to go there during lunch time and sort through the various records. We kind of integrated the Blues things that we liked from Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson with our own preferences. It was a blend of current popular Rock and Roll, mostly Chuck Berry.

THIRSTY: Chuck Berry was inspirational? His merchandise was available at Dobell‘s at that time?

DD: Oh, indeed, he was inspirational. He had a full set of credentials; great voice, great look, he was kind of European looking. He didn't look like the black Blues guys, he had more of a European presence with the clothes he wore and his guitar sound. I remember a friend of mine, his name was Johnny Burnett of all people, he wasn't THE Johnny Burnett, he just happened to be named Johnny Burnett. His folks had moved over to England from Canada and he brought records with him. The first time he played me “Sweet Little Sixteen” on the Gramophone the hair stood up on the back of my neck. I couldn't believe it. It was a very inspiring time for a young kid to pick up music because there was so much stuff going around at the time.

THIRSTY: Besides the music, what other products of America were appealing to you as an adolescent?

DD: One of my sisters married a Canadian soldier so she used to go back and forth to Ottawa, Canada. She would bring back all her stories about America and we would all listen to them. She would speak of refrigerators and new this and new vacuum cleaners and new gadgets. So we were kind of in awe of everything American in the late '50s. Of course, especially music; there was so much.

THIRSTY: Any respectful Kinks fan knows about the conflicting relationship between Ray and yourself throughout the years. How is your relationship currently?

DD: Well, we're kind of--excuse me between sips of tea--we kind of get along alright at the moment. We get a little bit fair in our ways as we get older. Everything has to be exactly how he wants it. I find it so infuriating after all these years that he still can't give me the space I need to do the creative things I need to do to express myself as an individual. So it's always been like that. Whatever we do, good and bad, he always wants to be in the spotlight. I haven't always wanted to be followed in the spotlight anyway, but he could have given me a little more encouragement and space generally. We were both really fortunate to have had such long and fulfilling careers in The Kinks.

THIRSTY: And now let’s discuss The Kinks third single that debuted in August of 1964…

DD: Oh yes…

THIRSTY: The infamous song, “You Really Got Me.” By far, in my opinion, THE BEST guitar riff of all time. I read that you manipulated your amp in a certain way to achieve the grungy innovative sound present throughout the entire song. Can you explain the method you used to innovate that sound?

DD: The idea came to me when I would listen to John Lee Hooker. I would think to myself, ‘How he was able to get that sound?’ It's more of an edgy sound and some of the Blues players had an edgier sound. So I had this amplifier that I bought at a radio shop and the sound was so pretty and clean. It had two knobs; hand control and volume control. I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to do. I had the sound in my head and in my heart. This inescapable feeling in me. And this amp wasn't cutting it, so I had this blast of inspiration or whatever; this idea that maybe if I cut the speakers it would sound different. So I got a razor blade and sliced all the way around the speaker, but enough to leave it in tact to the actual frame. When I plugged it in, it had this great rockin' sound and I thought, ‘I'm a little more of an inventor for this time.’ Generations since have been copying it; that sound. When we used to use it at gigs, people used to laugh at me. This silly kid, he had this really silly sound. But when "You Really Got Me" was a hit everyone wanted to know how I got that sound.

THIRSTY: Following the summer 1965 American tour, the American Federation of Musicians banned The Kinks from touring in America for the next three or four years. How did this affect the band, missing crucial American festivals, and how did the ban come about?

DD: I think it was a management chalk up, something in the background. We were not a very professional band. Our managers were a bit green around the ears. The whole thing was so naive and I think we just ruffled a few feathers, important feathers. I don't know, I never did get to the bottom of it, but it was something with the Unions and someone pissed off someone. We didn't realize the Unions were so huge in America, they ran everything. So they brought it down on us for three years…we missed Woodstock and that stuff.

THIRSTY: Are you able to look at that situation in any sort of positive light? A sort of, “Make the best of what’s around” scenario?

DD: I think looking back; it was good in another way because it made us turn inward and self-reliant on each other. Made us turn towards family. Everybody else was trying to get away from their family. It seemed like in my generation, the kids ran from the old people. My mom, dad and sisters were very supportive of our playing and writing. It kind of shaped us in a different way.

THIRSTY: The 1967 album, “Something Else By The Kinks,” included only one song that scored major UK chart success. This song entitled, “Death of a Clown,” was written by you. Did this moment ignite your motivation to go onward with solo work, seeing that your creative content proved to be successful on its own?

DD: I did. One of our managers suggested that I go solo. I felt quite uncomfortable with it because I was so used to being in a family; in a band which was like an extended family. Then going out and touring all over the world, with the fans, that's another part of the family. So I didn't want to be stuck out there on my own. I like the cooperation and camaraderie of being in a group. My heart was in the group really. Ray was very much into analyzing things. Trying to build up his craft, his solo. If I was in the right mood, I'd always write something. The more I thought about it, the worst it got though.

THIRSTY: In 1968, The Kinks released their sixth studio album, “The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.” It failed to conquer sales, however, it was greeted positively by American and European rock critics. Upon returning to America, this being one of the more recent albums, how were you received? Where did you first perform post-ban?

DD: When we came back? I think Boston was the first destination. I always remember Boston Tea Party used to be a great gig. I don’t know if you remember that, I don’t know how old you are Jarrod?

THIRSTY: Not quite old enough to have seen that gig, but I wish I was…

DD: You must be a bit of a historian. So I assume you know of the Tea Party venue?

THIRSTY: Absolutely.

DD: I remember that we played Boston a lot and New York. This was a different America though; screaming girls at gigs and most noticeably, young people were really uncertain about the future. Kids were getting killed and tortured in the war overseas. A very different America we went back to.

THIRSTY: So after the ban was lifted, and The Kinks returned to the United States, they produced a new album, “Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire).” This album focused on themes around “family” and “childhood.“ I read that your sister, Rosie, was a major influence for the album? Is this accurate?

DD: All of our sisters had a big influence on us growing up. We were privileged for growing up in such a loving and encouraging environment. If you wanted to try something out, you were allowed the space to do it. But I think Rosie’s influence was more on Ray. He was a bit of a difficult kid; I would ignore him most of the time. I think Ray was rather somewhat of a sad kid. I think he was difficult. Rosy was the one, she was the oldest, and she was the one who thought she could shape him differently.

THIRSTY: In November of 1970, my favorite Kinks album released; “Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.” This album contains the track, “Strangers,” written by you, and is the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard…Can you speak about this track?

DD: Oh thank you, I love that song. The background is that Hank Williams had a great sense a humor. It was a bit morose. I always remember one of his songs, he sang a line [singing] “I’ll never get out of this world alive” [sings]. It was a great Hank Williams tune. Not that you should know, it’s an old great Hank Williams tune. Sorry that wasn’t that great of singing. I hope it improves before my next gig [laughs].

THIRSTY: No, it was perfect Mr. Davies. Please continue…

DD: Well that line was always stuck in my head. That’s how I came out with one of the first lines I strummed out in Strangers, "If I live too long, I’m afraid I’ll die." It was kind of inspired from that funny line in the Hank Williams song. Then I started to write about and old friend of mine at school named George Harris. We were dear friends. Actually, George and I were going to start a band, but he got too heavily into drugs and it kind of pulled us apart. The drug thing was like a three-way affair. He died of a methamphetamine overdose. They found him departed…he was young. I always felt it was going to be me and him. I didn’t think at that age that it was going to be me and Ray. So I really kind of wrote it to him; “Strangers on this road we are on, we are not two we are one“. It was like, what might of been if he hadn’t died so tragically.

THIRSTY: The Kinks have been influential to musicians and groups since their inauguration. Bands such as Van Halen, The Pretenders, the Smashing Pumpkins and many more have covered Kinks songs either live or in studio. Is this complimentary? To hear your music done by other artists?

DD: Not really. I thought it was great in the sense that imitation is the finest form of flattery. The Van Halen version was good; the guitar solo was bit a showoffy, it sounded a bit sort too accomplished. “You Really Got Me” was made by a bunch of kids quickly, because if we hadn’t of done it quickly we would have been thrown out of the studio. It’s a very different attitude when you play the two versions next to each other. I still like Van Halen’s version though.

THIRSTY: Were you ever asked questions surrounding the songs’ authenticity? Meaning did any fans of the 1980’s who hadn’t done their homework ever ask you why you cover Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me?”

DD: [laughs] In the ‘80s, when we were playing big stadiums in America, yes some younger people would come to the show and say why are the guys playing that Van Halen song? [laughs] They didn’t connect the dots who came first. And again, yes, I think Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) was also very influenced by The Kinks like so many people were. The Violent Femmes and I became very good friends years later.

THIRSTY: In the ‘80s you began you “officially” began your career as a solo artist. What launched this urge to do so?

DD: The thing was, I wanted to make a solo album I was happy with and not one that the record company wanted me to do. And it wasn’t really until the late 1970s that I felt like I wanted to do really it. I felt mentally, inspirationally and emotionally better equipped to write about something I felt was important. And that’s when I started to create the songs that became part of my first self-titled solo album in the early 80s. This is how I evolved as a person and a musician.

THIRSTY: The Kinks were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. How did it feel to finally be recognized as one of the all time best in music?

DD: It was fantastic. I tell you it was a bit funny at first after all these years of not being in "the club" and being pushed aside. It seemed rather strange that all of a sudden we were included in something. In a way, it was nice but I don’t know if I wanted to be here anyway [laughs], you know? So there were mixed feelings really, but it’s always nice to be appreciated.

THIRSTY: The Kinks broke up in 1996. What was the reason behind this breakup? Did you want out?

DD: I thought the band, as it was prior to us breaking up in ‘96, was the best sounding one we've had for years. People were involved. I smelt something was up because Ray started doing his own shows, and he would also do some ten minute acoustic solo before we went on. I was beginning to get pissed off with it. Then sometimes it would go up to twenty minutes. One night I went out into the audience and shouted out while Ray was doing his acoustic thing, "Oh look at me I’m wonderful, oh I’m such a troubled artist. Surely The Kinks deserve a better opening act than this!!” His agent wanted him to do some solo stuff and it was in fact Ray that left the band. Obviously The Kinks can’t exist without both Ray and Dave. He really wanted to do it, I wasn’t going to say he couldn’t. It helped me in a way because I got my stuff together and got a band together and began touring and recording on my own. I think I wrote some really important songs during that period. It was a really important time for me.

THIRSTY: You have a DVD release and tour approaching in early 2010, correct?

DD: I do have a DVD being released in February of 2010 in the States. It will probably coincide with the release in Europe as well. It‘s titled, “Dave Davies Kronikles: Mystical Journey.” It's a DVD that has new music in it and some old key songs like “Death of a Clown.” I’m very excited about this. We will do some key shows around New York and LA around that time in February to promote Mystical Journey.

THIRSTY: So now the final question that is on everyone’s mind; Will we ever see a Kinks reunion, or a Dave and Ray tour anytime soon?

DD: I’ve spoken to Ray various times. The sad thing is that I’d like to do something with him and The Kinks, but Ray wants to control everything. In his heart of hearts, he’d like to own everything. He believes The Kinks is his. He wants to be The Kinks and I think that’s a very selfish way to look upon it. Of course, he’s written amazing songs and we’ve been part of a collaboration, which I think was so important. However, there is something in him that won’t allow me or give me the room to express myself and my ideas. To be fair, I’m sure he would admit that he wouldn’t have a career if it hadn’t been for me. The same way I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for him. We all learned together as musicians and writers. He wants everything and it’s sad. There are some things that we have to mutually agree for this to ever work. The Kinks are not The Kinks without Dave Davies and, of course, they’re not without Ray Davies. So you need Ray and Dave to make it work. There are some very simple things that I’ve asked him to address, but he is always changing his mind. He'll agree to something and then when push comes to shove he’ll change his mind on it. It’s kind of sad that he won’t address these things and these are things that I need. With that said, I’m still sure me and Ray will work on something as The Kinks once again.

THIRSTY: I’m definitely looking forward to that. Thanks for your time Mr. Davies, and good luck with the upcoming DVD and tour.

DD: Thank you truly, Jarrod

Interview with Guster pre-Beacon Shows (Jambands.com)

http://www.jambands.com/features/2009/12/11/guster-ten-years-lost

Guster has come a long way since playing the Midnight Café coffee house in the Lewis Hall dormitory at Tufts University. Now five albums deep into its career, Guster is now wrapping up a tour that marks the ten year anniversary of the band’s Lost and Gone Forever release. Then it’s off to Nashville to lay down the tracks for an upcoming record.

I arrived early to my scheduled 3PM interview at New York’s Beacon Theatre before Guster’s Friday night sound check. The venue was almost completely silent, save for the efforts of crew members prepping for this evening’s merriments. I ventured behind the stage and rode the service elevator up to the third floor where I soon sat with lead singers Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller.

How’s the current Lost and Gone Forever tour going thus far? Starting to get tired as you near the end I assume?

RM: We had this big long break so I’m just tired from Thanksgiving. I drove from Baltimore last night. It’s just a real hard transition. It’s a lot easier when you’re in the zone playing shows. But now it’s like, “Fuck, we have to play again [haha].”

AG: Yeah, also this hasn’t been a long tour. It’s really a ‘detour’ more than a ‘tour, tour.’ I think we’re at that point where the first few shows are like ‘Oh my god this is so cool to do this!’ Well the first two shows are really like ‘This is really hard, holy shit, how are we going to get through these songs that we haven’t played consecutively for ten years?’ And then we reach the point where it’s like, alright this is really fun, I can just play and enjoy. And this is NEW YORK.

How has the turnout been throughout this tour? How is it being received by the Guster faithful?

RM: Well, we did two weeks and then took a couple weeks off. So those two weeks went really well, much better than I expected, actually. You know there’s something about playing this record and playing two sets. People seemed really psyched and it turned out great.

AG: Definitely, it’s awesome man. Every show has been sold out so you can’t really ask for more than that.

This entire tour has lied on the East Coast and includes a lot of sentimental venues that have been platforms of success throughout Guster’s history. However, why did you pick this specific route, which kick-offs in North Carolina and close out at the Beacon?

RM: I don’t really know. I think, with this tour especially with the Lost and Gone Forever angle, we didn’t want it to be too long. We knew it would sort of lose its specialness if we did a 40 day tour, so we figured that 10 shows would probably be the right amount. So we try to stop before it starts to get really far into the boredom part [haha].

And why only the East Coast?

RM: We just haven’t had our year together, just us. We’ve been doing a lot of last minute stuff because our record has been up in the air. If we had a year in advance to prepare, we probably would have tried to do some West Coast dates and some in the Midwest. But we scrapped together what we could and everything came out really well, so…

And there’s a real special connection between Guster and New York City around Thanksgiving weekend, is there not?

AG: We’ve played here at the Beacon. I’m not positive, it must have been two or three years ago right before they had done all the renovations that they’ve just completed. I think we were one of the last shows before they did all that. I just remember being like this is really cool; we have to come back here. And traditionally, yes, we have done the Thanksgiving thing in New York. We’ve done it a bunch.

Are you seeing a similar fan demographic? Have you found that many original Guster fans have come back for these anniversary shows?

RM: It’s hard to say. I mean, some of the crowd skews a little older than normal just because we are playing a ten year old record. They’re not 13, well some of them are, but it’s always been a Dazed and Confused scene. So it’s a college thing that we tend to cluster around. There are also high school kids and kids out of school, but it usually clusters around the college scene. I don’t really have my fingers on that so much though, so I’m not absolutely certain.

The album Lost and Gone Forever was produced by legendary producer Steve Lillywhite, who’s worked with reputable bands like Phish, U2, Dave Matthews Band…the list goes on forever. Would you ever consider teaming up with him again for another project?

RM: Yeah, he’s going to play bass with us tomorrow (Saturday the 28th) on a song. We’ve definitely been talking to him about finishing the record we’ve been working on for a while. He’s pretty much the only guy we’re speaking to. We’re just figuring out a way to make it work. It’s been really interesting getting back in there and hearing this record, and playing these songs, and figuring out what it is that people liked about it. It’s definitely interesting.

Do you credit him with a lot of the success that came from Lost and Gone Forever?

AG: For sure. Before that we made two records independently with varying success, just because we were young and didn’t have a big budget to work with. It was the first time that we made a record that accurately captured what we were doing live. We were one of those bands where people were like, “yes, you can buy their record but you really have to go to their show to understand what they’re about.” I feel like Lost and Gone Forever was the album where the feelings were mutual that the record’s good too. He did a great job of capturing that, especially when I think of where we were as a band musically. I think he really elevated it. He did more than just take a snapshot of where we were he really elevated it.

This album was released 1999 and featured guests Page McConnell and Karl Denson on tracks. How did those collaborations materialize?

RM: Page was through Lillywhite because he’d worked with him on a Phish record. Karl…hmm. I don’t remember exactly how Karl came. I mean, he was doing his Tiny Universe thing and maybe he’s still be doing it, but it was going on then. So he was kind of the go-to-guy…

And he’s badass as hell…

RM: Yeah, he was awesome. It was sort of a reaching out process—seeing who we can get.

For many years you guys have dismissed the jamband label, but this year you played at Gathering of the Vibes and Rothbury. Have you finally washed that guard away, or have the jam and indie scenes sort of morphed together as one?

AG: You know, I don’t think it was ever a guard. I just think that it wasn’t accurate. I think that label became about in the beginning because we had a live following before we had a label or anything like that. We had no radio play so there was no explanation for why we were bringing people out to shows. People thought, “Oh, they must be one of those jambands that everyone goes to because that’s where they can go and do whatever.” And that just wasn’t accurate, even though of course we were a grassroots touring band. We’ve played the Wetlands and we play all those clubs, so I wouldn’t say we were fighting necessarily against the label. We just didn’t think it was accurate. If anything, though, we were nervous about it because none of us are particularly good at jamming [laughs].

As in not good musicians?

AG: No as in we’re songwriters. We write 3 1/2 minute pop songs, and we don’t really stretch out our songs. But I think with bands like the Flaming Lips and a couple other acts that embrace the jam scene, they cut the path where we are able to play as a non-jamband to a jamband audience. What’s cool about the whole jam scene is that people go there to listen to the music. They’re all real music lovers. We’ve always been excited and never been afraid to play in front of a jam audience, even though we’re not particularly proud of our skills as players. I hope most folks in the jam world can get into what we’re doing. At first we were surprised and then we realized that it made sense. So when there are opportunities to play Vibes and festivals like those we definitely try because it’s always a very warm and welcoming audience that will spread the word if they like you. It’s a great audience to plug into.

Ryan, do you hold the same sentiment about submitting into the jam scene

RM: [laughs] Well, no. I mean, I love playing those festivals. Those specifically, well Vibes, which was probably the most jamband friendly thing we’ve done. Rothbury had Broken Social Scene and definitely a few indie-rock bands. To talk about what Adam said and about the merging of the scenes, Bonnaroo sort of blew the whole thing open a long time ago. It brought together all these these touring bands from different genres and that’s what independent music is. The Beasties and all that stuff perform together now. As far as how we fit into it, I mean I love playing those types of festivals. Gathering of the Vibes was so interesting to me because we really didn’t have a huge contingent that was there for us. The most rewarding times for me are when we don’t really have anyone there for us. You can sense it and you can see that you’re winning people over. It’s like you’re totally doing it on your own merits. There’s no bullshit, there’s no hype, it’s just you playing and you’re either going to win or you’re not based on your performance. I also agree with what Adam said about the jamband crowd being a lot more into the music. Not only that, I feel that they are even more open to allowing new sounds and styles in. Rather than immediately hearing something, judging it and then expelling it forever.

RM: Yes, I think playing those festivals keeps you and makes you much more aware of your dynamics. I do think people are much more into the music at these shows. It’s less ‘sceney,’ I mean it could be as ‘sceney’ for sure, but also some of the slots that we got at least I could sense that when we were doing something right, it would go really right. And if something wasn’t appropriate, it just wasn’t going to happen. It’s like hitting your head against the wall [laughs]. So it was cool, it was very revealing. I think I said this year’s ago, that I’ll play the moe.down, you know what I mean? I’ll play it all. If there are music fans out there then there’s enough of a crossover because it’s similar to what a lot of the real godfathers of the scene have done. I mean the Dead, they jammed, but they wrote great songs. And I think we strive to be great song writers too. So there’s enough of an overlap.

Last spring you guys recorded a session in a New York studio. Is that the material for the upcoming album you speak of being produced in Nashville?

RM: Yea, it’s an album that we’ve been working on since last year. We started in December [of 2008], and we’ve just hit a couple bumps. Then we were touring and such. I guess we got a little lost in this one, and we’re finally finding our way out of it. So next week is the official gathering. We got our shit together.

How are the collaborative efforts in Guster when creating an album? Is everything group consensus lyrically, musically, etc?

AG: Definitely lyrically it’s mostly on Ryan. Brian will do some lyrical stuff, as will Joe occasionally. I try to stay the hell away from it…lyrics wise [laughs]. Musically we all come together on stuff, and it all goes through this really laborious process involving all of us. Basically it’s a consensus process. Sometimes a song can literally come out of thin air where someone starts a bass line or a drum groove and it turns into a song. Or someone brings in a melody idea. Some stuff is more flushed out by one of us. Other things just get completely thrown out to everybody right there on the spot. But all the songs, no matter how they originate, go through this consensus process. It’s a difficult thing to do, but at the end of the day we end up with music that we are proud of and feel ownership of.

And now that you’ve revisited Lost and Gone Forever, have there been any thoughts of going over any of your previous albums and reworking them?

AG: I don’t know. We’ll have to see. You know the concept of doing an anniversary album tour happened when Parachute turned ten. And we decided that we didn’t like that record enough to do it [haha]. That would be painful for us. So we didn’t, but we liked the concept. And then when it came to Lost and Gone Forever we felt that this made sense, this seems to be where a lot of our fans meet in the middle; some of the old schooler’s that have been here since the beginning and people that are newer to the party can all agree on that record. Every record we do we try to make pretty different and there’s definitely been a progression. This record seems like one that the old school and the new school can agree on.

RM: Yeah, I don’t know if we’d ever revisit another record. Like Adam said, this record was special in the sense that it was our first record that we really felt like we could get behind. Our first record was just sort of us not knowing what we were doing. It doesn’t really hold up as well. And our second record really, it’s not great in our opinion. Lost and Gone Forever for a lot of people is when they discovered the band. And I feel before that we were sort of known as a live band, ‘you know they don’t make great records but they’re a great live band.’ And so from that point on I felt like alright we make cool records and put on a good show. It’s funny. Our fan base is not unilateral, and it’s not like with some bands that everyone loves this one record and the rest are whatever. They’re definitely a lot of people who didn’t really get into our band until our last record or until Keep It Together. I feel after Lost and Gone Forever there’s a real distinct change in the direction in the band…

Like what per se?

RM: In terms of Brian’s stuff on percussion and that we all learned how to play bass. We almost completely hanged the way we approach music. So, I don’t know, I mean I don’t know that there would be the same enthusiasm to do another record live like this. Not so much that it was our best record, but it was a seminal record. It was really a breakthrough. So, I’m interested because I felt like this album on this tour has held up pretty well for the most part. We can play these 11 songs and be like, it feels like it’s a set, and I was really worried that after the novelty wore off that we were going to hit these lows. If it’s a shitty song and you have to play it every night in slot 7, it’s gonna hurt. But really it’s held up pretty well, which I’m excited about. Every night I wonder if we played Keep It Together where the lows would be and where the highs would be. But we’ve been playing a lot of these songs, with the exception of 2-3 songs on Lost and Gone Forever, all of them are on rotation of the songs we play so there’s nothing crazy radical about what we’re doing.

And doing an album front-to-back live is incredible in my opinion. I mean, when I saw Bruce in Jersey, he used the same approach and it blew my mind. I’m not sure if all fans are like that though.

RM: As a fan I had heard about bands doing this, starting with Van Morrison doing Astral Weeks a year and a half ago. And that’s my favorite record of all time. When he came to New York I was the first one in-line. It was both the best and totally disappointingly awesome [laughs] because it’s a 40 year old album. The whole concept of this to do an album, it’s a total bandwagon thing and everyone’s doing it. We certainly aren’t innovators on this front. but it’s a cool thing for fans indeed.
Well the idea of going completely through an album live is particularly amazing because it seems in this day and age people are also forgetting about the concept of an album.

RM: Well, the music business is changing, and how they monetize music as well. I can get behind it; I can pretty much even get behind giving away our music for free. I steal music and I get all that and I understand the trend, but the one thing that sort of bums me out is what you said, that the album is being lost in this. The fact that there’s a whole generation of people growing up that have never bought an album doesn’t depress me as much as the fact that there’s a whole generation that can’t get the concept of an album anymore. It’s like playlist, and this song, and this song. And I think celebrating an album format is something really special. It is a complete thought in the way you sequence an album. It’s the only time in the whole sort of move forward I feel like a grandpa. I get vinyl and all that but I don’t fetishize all that stuff, but I still fetish albums. Not all the time, I listen to my iTunes on shuffle every day, but it’s cool; the album as a unit to come out and be like ‘this is an album, this is a snapshot of where we were in a point of time, this is what we’ve crafted.’ I think that it’s really a cool document and something that’s worth fighting for. So the fact that we’re sort of in this day and age and still have people listening to the album of our band is amazing. I hope people still make records and not just singles.

It got depressing in the early part of this decade, but I am seeing a sort of revival in a positive direction. I mean, I’d like to believe this…

RM: Yeah, I don’t think it’s as bad as I’m making it out to be. Now just due to the pure ambiguity of music and how music is disseminated for now, our tastemakers like Pitchfork and our top ten lists every year are still talking about albums. So really the guiding hands are still consuming music in this way. Promotional cycles are built around album releases and things like that. So it’s not completely gone, but then people will cherry pick a few songs and forget about the album, of course. You know, whatever… it’s sort of what we’ve been doing forever. I mean Steve Miller Band? I don’t know that dudes albums but I know his greatest hits really well [haha].

The band is going on almost 20 years. Where do you feel Guster would be today if the band had formed in the modern indie rock era?

AG: If we were just starting recently?

Yeah, like ten years ago when the indie scene began to take full charge.

AG: There’s so much more now. I mean it’s amazing when I think about what we had to deal with. I remember us sitting around, there was no email really, I mean there was but not in the real way. It was for communicating with your friends who went abroad. That was kind of it. So the whole reaching people and fans online that didn’t happen. So we would sit there and write out postcards and pay for postage. We would have label sticking parties where we would all sit around when we all lived together. We would bring all our friends over, buy pizza and beer and stick some labels on all these postcards we had to send out to our fans. It was expensive, it was time consuming. Now it’s like send out an email, blast a tweet from your phone and you’re done.

Since you guys have been together for 20 years, is there any desire to go solo and participate in other projects? I know Adam does the Reverb thing…

RM: I mean Joe’s made a solo record, and I think he’s kinda working on another one. As we get older with the kids thing we can see changes. Adam’s Reverb thing alone is an 80 hour week job whether he’s on the road or not which is amazing and crazy. Not only that, he can quit Guster tomorrow and still work harder than he’s ever worked in his life, so he’s all set up. And Joe built up a studio in his house in Nashville so he’s producing bands, writing with other people, making his own records. I wrote a movie and scored it last year with my buddy, and I’m really sort of interested in doing more stuff like that. Even now as we’re writing this record, I’m really interested in doing a lot of stuff and finding a lot of ways of doing it. As much as there’s bullshit, Guster’s still our best chance for achieving all the things we want. I could shit in the woods and no one would know, it doesn’t mean anything. Ryan Miller isn’t going to sell thousands of albums. So I would much rather have my creative energy go towards the band at this point. It’s definitely a situation where the sum is greater than its parts. There wouldn’t be four dudes having the impact that we have now. I think it’s a real easy situation and years of hard work giving us the breathing room to take time to make albums. We know that there are going to be people that will always be interested in our music.

What about you Adam? Besides the Reverb gig do you have any solo plans?

AG: You know I had an opportunity to do something sorta solo. It was just this fun idea that I did a couple years ago with Dave Shneider from the Zambonis. They were opening up for Guster. and we were talking about being Jewish. It was actually spring time; I have no idea why we were talking about holiday music and Hanukkah. We thought, “man, there’s all these great Christmas songs but why aren’t there any great Hanukkah songs?” So he and I wrote the album, Hanukkah Rocks and the bands called The LeeVees. It’s one of those things; it’s not something that we took seriously at all. It was more like, “Let’s have fun with this.” So we wrote the songs in a week when we were on tour together. We started crunching numbers and saw that, shit if we just sold 2,000 of these that’d be fine. But then Warner picked it up. It didn’t sell crazy amounts but it’s a nice thing that happens every year. That Fox show, Cleveland just licensed a song from us. There’s this other gig, this isn’t really a solo project either, but it’s fun to play with another band sometimes. There’s this ski band that I’m in [laughs]. It was based around this Warren Miller movie. So it’s me, Stefan from Dave Matthews, Ed from Barenaked Ladies, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, Eric the drummer from N.E.R.D. and then Jason Biggs on cowbell.

Wow, what a collaboration.

AG: [laughs] It’s just this random assortment of dudes. It’s a cover band, a bunch of us fucking around. The most fun ski cover band you’ve ever seen! Every year we do that, we’ll get together and ski for a week someplace and play a gig. Yukon Kornelius is the name of that band.
I know during a lot of your live performances there is frequent crowd participation.

How did that come about? Was it promoted by the group or did the fans truck their way into doing it?

RM: It’s very organic. I don’t know that it happens all the time. There hasn’t been a ritual like that that’s come up in the last couple albums. I don’t know it can happen at any time. It speaks to the dialogue of what goes on with our fans. We are very much plugged into how people are receiving stuff, and we sort of feed off of that and go back and forth. There’s something in that continuum that’s sort of powerful and interesting.

I see that the band has toured internationally. I know, from my own experience, that I grew up with Guster and grew to love them as they matured musically with me. How are you accepted in Europe being that you are one of those bands whose fans grew with you as you’ve progressed through the years?

AG: We don’t go there that much, actually. To be honest we’ve been there rarely. It’s expensive. We’ve gotten used to a certain set up here. So it’s hard for us to go to Europe because a) it’s expensive and b) there hasn’t been a lot of support from the label. We had these amazing opportunities a few years ago to play Australia with Ben Folds and John Mayer… Maroon 5 was an offer but we didn’t have the tour support as the time. So we did some shows in England which went great, but you have to keep the momentum going and we just haven’t done that. So we have a lot going on in the states. We’ll go up to Canada here and there where it makes sense like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, but that’s it. We’re not going to Saskatoon or anything.

What else besides the upcoming record do you guys plan on doing in the near future? Will the habitual touring continue?

AG: As long as people still give a shit about us and want to see us play music and hear our stuff I really don’t see any end to it. Like you said, it’s almost been 20 years now so I think we’re all really happy to be making music still and feel that our best ideas are ahead of us. We still have a lot more to create together. We’ll finish this record, we’ll put it out, we’ll tour on it and make another record put it out and tour on it. I don’t really see it ending. It’s funny, when we first started I’d be like well, you know, let’s give it two years and see how it goes. And I would say it almost every two years, oh two more years, you know I’m happy but you never know. At this point I just don’t see this really ending, but maybe that’s when it will finally stop…

Interview with J. Tillman (NYCTaper)

http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=2136

Shortly after J. Tillman performed at Bell House in Brooklyn, a concert recorded by nyctaper, the writer Jarrod Dicker interviewed Josh for the site. This is the third installment of Jarrod’s interview series for NYCTaper.

Josh Tillman doesn’t really listen to that much music. His creative influences span beyond any restrictive constraints within a specific artistic genre and thus produce a product dissimilar to a lot of the music throughout the scene today. However, for someone who doesn’t listen to music, he sure as hell produces a lot of it.

Year in the Kingdom released on September 22nd and marks the seventh studio album written by Tillman since 2005. Not only that, this is his second album released this year following the January release of Vacilando Territory Blues. J Tillman is a music making factory and has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. “I’m already writing another album,” he explains to me. “I’ve been working on a lot of songs for that.”

So what else is there to know about the mysterious Fleet Fox? Jarrod Dicker spoke to J about the fan reception of the new album, the recent tour and the philosophies and motives that propel the man behind the beard to continue to create beautiful music.

Meet J Tillman…

Jarrod Dicker: Hey Josh, Jarrod Dicker here.

Josh Tillman: How’s it going man?

JD: Good Good

JT: Nice

JD: I’m just going to get right into it if you’re cool with that.

JT: Cool

JD: How has the audience reception been so far on tour performing the songs from Year in the Kingdom?

JT: Sometimes it goes over really well and sometimes there’s a bit of confusion. I think, with a good show, there’s usually a potent combination of the two. The live arrangements are so drastically different at times than the album versions aesthetically. But when it works it works really really well. I’ve been overall pleased with it.

JD: Where did the inspiration draw from to immediately create another record after the release of Vacilando Territory Blues in January?

JT: I think it’s just in line with the writing cycle that I’ve been doing. I’ve kind of been putting out albums at that pace for a few years now. Really for me, it just feels like a natural pace or cycle. It didn’t really feel like a novelty. It was really the pace that I’ve kept. I think it’s really as simple as it’s what I love to do. It’s not like I tour and do promotional stuff at a volume that prevents me from recording as often as I’d like. It’s not like I’m going to make an album and then go on tour for a year and a half straight or anything. I didn’t even tour behind the last record.

JD: I’ve noticed and read that your voice sounds different on this record than the previous six. Was this due to a different recording style or is it meant to translate a different feeling/tone unlike your prior releases?

JT: My voice has changed. I’m a pretty slow learn. We definitely used a different production style on this record as far as close mic’ing everything and going for more pure tones. That was something that was an interesting prospect to me. Just the process of learning what you can and can’t do with your voice and trying different deliveries. I never really knew how to sing properly and you get a sense of that on my first few records. But yea, it’s a work in progress.

JD: Cool… on this album you play most of the instruments on the tracks. What is your live performance set up like? Do you include many band members? And do you also lug around the many instruments used on the album like the Hammered Dulcimer, Banjo, Recorder, etc?

JT: No, we kind of transposed all of those things. We do have a bunch a symbols, a gong and other stuff. But for the most part I really just kind of transposed all the arrangements into the parameters and the instruments that my friends play. I’ve never really been too interested in recreating an album exactly as it is into the live setting. I like the freedom of being able to just use the live show as an opportunity to more so deconstruct what’s going on in the album than to recreate it, you know?

JD: Definitely and that seems to make for a more exciting and innovative feel in the live setting. And now since you’ve participated in both solo work and a group (Fleet Foxes), do you favor leaning in one direction over another?

JT: They both serve very different purposes. My role is so drastically different in each one that they aren’t even comparable in my mind. I couldn’t really say. I enjoy doing both for very different reasons.

JD: What mindset do you have when you enter the studio? It seems that your albums are very artistic and visual, taking on more than just a familiar melodic structure.

JT: Yea. You can’t really do anything creative without a source of inspiration. Do you mean…

JD: I’ll rephrase. For this specific record and set of songs are they just a group of songs you assembled together or were they meant for the album because they all share an common theme?

JT: Right…Right…Yes the songs all sprang out in one kind of condensed period of time. It wasn’t like I just had a bunch of songs lying around. I think the songs serve; well to me the album is a very singular thing. The songs really only exist in concert with each other. I think the songs are representative of something other than just myself and the fact that I write songs. I don’t think that was the reason they came into existence.

JD: And now I think your brother’s band is backing you on this tour. Do you enjoy collaborating with your brother Zach and how did this particular touring marriage materialize?

JT: We’ve toured together in Europe a few times now and there’s really just nobody else I’d rather do it with. I had to call his manager and get clearance from his booking agent and our promotional firms thought that it would be a good cross synergy situation to have us opening for each other. And just to get cross marketing going on and cross branding for both of our brands. [laughs] Nah I’m just kidding…

JD: Damn I was just thinking, “What the fuck these guys are brothers?”

JT: Yea it was just like the most natural thing in the world, a very natural situation and organic scenario.

JD: You made an album, Long May You Run and I know that the Fleet Foxes have played with Neil Young. On top of that, many reviewers compare your sound to that of the Laurel Canyon 60’s crowd. What does Neil mean to you and is he your BIGGEST inspiration musically?

JT: Yea I think as far as a musical influence for sure. A lot of my influences exist outside the realm of music. I don’t really listen to THAT much music. I have a few things that I like and Neil Young is one of them. But even with him it’s more of a philosophical influence. Just the way he conducts himself and his creative integrity; the narrative art that exists in his albums. All of those facts have been a big influence on me. Certain things like putting out two albums in one year, etc, that idea of, ‘Well if that’s what you feel like doing, do it.’ There’s so much bullshit that you can allow to be a factor in your decision making process and the way that he has never let that contaminate what he does artistically has always been a big influence on me.

JD: Your music, to me, brings a sort of minstrel 1700’s quality to it that I find incredibly unique. Where does the inspiration come from to incorporate harmonies and strings to your music?

JT: I’m not sure if I view it in that way. There’s an influence in all modern music within the 12th century troubadours when people started writing ballads about earthly love and unrequited love; using music as a way of expressing romantic feeling. That’s kind of a pretty vital mean in the development of modern music. But I don’t feel any kinship musically to 17th and 18th century times. Definitely some of the schools of thought from the 17th and 18th century are an influence on me, like Decartes…but not musically.

JD: You grew up in a religious household that, I’m sure, barred particular music from entering the housing gates. How were you able to access the music that led you to want to lead a life as a musician?

JT: Hmmm…When you’re a kid you listen to music in such a different way. I don’t know if it’s all that important; what you’re listening to as a kid. It’s all kind of the same. Granted there’s some stuff I DID NOT like as a kid but I fell in love with music nonetheless. When you’re a kid it doesn’t matter how cool or artistically viable the music that you’re listening to is. You either fall in love with music or you don’t. Some people grow up around cool music and much can be made of that if you want it to. But I know for myself, I came into the music that I listen to now in my adult life like anybody else does, regardless of what you grow up around. I mean there’s not really much of interest there that I can speak to. I fell in love with music that probably wasn’t that cool or great to me as a child.

JD: What should we expect from J. Tillman going into the New Year?

JT: I’m going to make another album. I’ve been writing a lot for that, kind of more of the same. Slogging it out and shoveling dirt.

JD: Best of luck with that. Thanks so much for your time Josh.

JT: No problem

JD: Adios

JT: Thanks for your time man

Interview with Pun Plamondon (StayThirsty)

http://www.staythirstymedia.com/200912-040/html/200912-pun-plamondon-int.html

This is the second interview in a series entitled, “The White Panther Interviews.” The first one was with John Sinclair. This month’s is with White Panther Party co-founding member Larry “Pun” Plamondon.

After my conversation with John Sinclair, I was left hankering for a deeper understanding of the White Panther Party (WPP) and many of the radicals who participated actively to spark its creation. So I did some investigation to find another founding member, Lawrence “Pun” Plamondon, to see if he was willing to converse about his experiences and “the happenings” that took place while part of the affiliation.

After a request was sent, Pun replied promptly…He agreed to speak with me.

In case you are a stranger to Pun Plamondon’s extraordinary history, I will fill you in appropriately. Pun was a participating left wing activist throughout the 1960’s and along with John and Leni Sinclair founded the White Panther Party in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At 21-years old, Pun was living on the streets, actively partaking in the underground scene with Gary Grimshaw, Peter Werbe, Allen Ginsberg and many more. His name hit the papers in May of 1969 when he was listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for being accused as a conspirator in the bombing of a CIA office in Ann Arbor. But this didn’t stop him…he didn’t submit…he went underground. Pun was the first hippie EVER to be listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

In July of 1970, he was arrested and later released after government officials admitted to wiretapping without a warrant.

Seems Big Brother was always watching after all.

Here is his story.



THIRSTY: Hey Pun, Jarrod Dicker here from Stay Thirsty.

Pun Plamondon: Hey Jarrod how are ya?

THIRSTY: Great man thanks. Let’s get right into this shall we?

PP: Fire away.

THIRSTY: Cool. So you were the first “hippie” to be listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Is this something that you are proud to promote today?

PP: Being listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List is one of my proudest accomplishments. Although I can’t say I set out, as a life goal, to be listed. I don’t advertise it, but if asked I don’t deny it. It looks impressive on a resume for certain gigs. I’ve always said you can judge a person or organization’s effectiveness by who their enemies are. I was proud to have the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, John Mitchell, Richard Nixon and the CIA as my enemy. I must have been somewhat effective.

THIRSTY: Was it overwhelming when you became aware that you were adopted and in fact part Ottawa and part Ojibwa Indian? I read that this knowledge was revealed to you during your prosecution later in life, correct?

PP: A year after I was released from prison as a result of the Supreme Court victory, I found myself reading, along with my attorney, my psychological report prepared by the Behavioral Science Division of the FBI. I was sitting in the Judge’s chamber in northern Michigan waiting to be sentenced on an extortion beef that was connected to a pot deal gone awry. The FBI psych profile was part of a pre-sentence report submitted by the probation and parole department. I was fearful of going back to the penitentiary; after all, my record didn’t look good. We were on a recess from the sentencing proceedings and had a limited time to peruse the entire pre-sentence report. The FBI is thorough; they did my genealogy for me and found the records of my biological parents showing they were mixed-blood Ottawa and Ojibwa. I filed the information away, but didn’t do anything with it until some 10 years later when I was trying to get off drugs and alcohol.

THIRSTY: Did you always notice something uncanny throughout your childhood in the need to belong, in regards to your adoptive parents and eventual involvement with the White Panther Party?

PP: I was always apart. Apart from family, church, school. I never connected or fit in. I didn’t want to really. From an early age it seemed to me that the life of my parents, and the parents of my friends were the most boring imaginable. I didn’t understand why grown-ups weren’t living more exciting lives. I think that’s why I got into so much trouble at a young age—I would do anything to break the crushing boredom.

THIRSTY: And as history translates, we see you eventually did. When did you decide to dive into politics?

PP: We were poor and I knew it which gave me an attitude. When I worked for the union, that’s when I began to get a political consciousness. I was working with cats that were talking about the working class and ruling class, and exploitation, and racism, and they had an analysis and a method of working toward change. This blew my mind. The WPP was an organic outgrowth of the youth rebellion that swept across western civilization during the 60’s and 70’s. It was the gathering of all the scattered dreams and aspirations of a naturally rebellious generation and provided the means, machinery and vision to fulfill those dreams and aspirations. That we ultimately failed shows the success of the Federal, State and local governments and police forces to harass, frame and destroy us politically. And it shows our own shortcomings and inexperience in leadership and analysis. But what the fuck, we did the best we could with what we had. “There is grace from it…” David Sinclair said. “…to have seen one’s ego stark naked in the harsh light of its demands…”

THIRSTY: Are you still militant?

PP: I’m not a militant anymore. I still have a Marxist/Leninist/Mao/Fidel/Ho Chi Minh world view. I still believe in self-determination for nations. I still believe the capitalists will rape, pillage and destroy the world and all its peoples in their endless quest for profits. Now I push young people to the front, offer advice and encouragement whenever I can.

THIRSTY: Did you have a relationship with the poet Allen Ginsberg? I know he spent some time with John (Sinclair).

PP: Allen and I crossed paths many times, at conferences, poetry readings, gatherings, concert’s on both coasts, Madison, Ann Arbor/Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. Of course he stayed with our commune whenever he was in town and he testified on our behalf during our CIA bombing trial in Detroit in 1970. Allen was a good friend. “A gentle panda bear poet” someone once called him. My great regret is that I didn’t see him before he passed.

THIRSTY: I spoke with John about his duties at the Fifth Estate? What was your role at the bi-weekly publication?

PP: At the Fifth Estate I was a general hooligan on call. I hung-out mostly, since I lived up-stairs in the Detroit Artists Workshop commune with Sinclair, Grimshaw, Leni and others. I wrote an article or two once, but nothing worth remembering, I’m sure.

THIRSTY: I recently interviewed Machinegun Thompson from the MC5. Were you friendly and/or involved with the musicians in Detroit at that time?

PP: Fuck yeah! I hung with all them cats. Kramer, Davis, Sonic Smith, Thompson. That’s just the MC5. I worked for Bob Seger for 5 years as his bodyguard. I was at the garage, on Halloween, the Zenta New Year, when Iggy and the Stooges did their first ever performance. Iggy was on claw hammer and 55-gallon oil drum with an Electrolux vacuum cleaner. For three years I helped organize free Sunday concerts attended by as many as 10,000 people, so I knew tons of musicians.

THIRSTY: After the notorious CIA Ann Arbor office bombing, you went underground to San Francisco, New York and Germany. Who did you stay with at these destinations? Were you harbored?

PP: Of course I was harbored. I stayed with people who I knew from my years as a member of the Detroit Artists Workshop and my time as a cultural activist. Poets, filmmakers, rowdies and radicals of every description, these are the people who took me in.

THIRSTY: How have your political views changed over the years? Have they remained the same or altered?

PP: My political views have modified and become richer and deeper over the years. However, my fundamental analysis holds true. Capitalism, if allowed to run amuck, will suck empty the earth resources, wreak havoc on the peoples of this place and ultimately turn the planet into a lifeless cinder floating in space. All in the quest for profits.

THIRSTY: Anything you hope to see happen politically in the upcoming years?

PP: I hope for a radical new electoral party that can be in true opposition to the two major capitalist parties. During the last Bush administration I was very active locally. We organized demonstrations, teach-in, movie showings, and public debates. Of course I’m constantly active in Native issues. Treaty rights, graves protection and repatriation of sacred objects to the Tribes.

THIRSTY: How have you been spending your time as you get older? Activities? Goals?

PP: Generally I’ve been involved in the day-to-day struggle for survival. I live on a mosquito ranch in Michigan with my wife Patricia where I write, make fine furniture and try to avoid difficult tasks. I’m working on a play about the forced removal of Ottawa and Pottawattomie from southern Michigan in the early 1800’s. I lecture at colleges and universities from time-to-time, go to conferences and pow wows, spend time with friends and work around the farm.

THIRSTY: What advice do you have for the younger generation of children and adults entering the political and social spectrum today?

PP: Advice for young people? Well, don’t leave roaches in the ashtray. Do keep journals and papers from the present, later they’ll be artifacts. Don’t be the first one to bring out your stash. Decide if this is the type of world you want to live in, if not, take action to change it.

THIRSTY: What can we expect from you in the future? More books, film?

PP: As I mentioned before, I’m working on a play. I’m trying to pull together some resources so I can write a book about the history of the White Panther Party/Rainbow People’s Party and Ann Arbor during the 60’s and 70’s.

THIRSTY: Well Pun, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Good luck to you in the future!

PP: Thanks Jarrod, you too man.

For more on the incredible history and life of Pun Plamondon and the White Panther Party, visit his website at punplamondon.com and also check out his book, “Lost From the Ottawa: The Story of the Journey Back”.

Interview with John Mayall (jambase.com)

See original publishing on jambase.com here.

"I think we are keeping it alive," John Mayall murmurs in a rather sanguine tone responding to my query about the impending death of the blues. "It's not only that though, it's inspiring kids and musicians, who seem to be taking to their instruments a lot earlier than they used to do. It just shows the power of the music. It keeps going from generation to generation. It might not be hit parade stuff but there's definitely a permanent market for blues music. I think it will always be relevant as well, inspiring people to play."

The blues is a genre built upon the underpinnings of ingenious innovators decades ago. It has since progressed, been modified and even drastically altered, birthing various sister shapes found in most forms of rock & roll. Nonetheless, in the end, it is one faction of music that will always relish and revere its classic roots. John Mayall was one of the exploratory musicians who took American blues to the U.K. and made it his own, garnering himself the unofficial title of "Godfather of British blues."

In November 2008, Mayall announced on his website that he'd decided to disband the current incarnation of the Bluesbreakers to give himself more time to work independently. However, as nothing can keep a good man down, a follow-up announcement three months later declared the launch of a world tour with a new set of musicians. "The Bluesbreakers are no more," Mayall says. "It's now under the banner of my name, [the] John Mayall Band."

Mayall's new group mirrors the framework of past ensembles; an assemblage of exceptional musicians in their own right, which together structure a group of absolute and unique artistry. The newest edition consists of Rocky Athas (guitar), Chicago musicians Greg Rzab (bass) and Jay Davenport (drums), and former Mayall bandmate Tom Canning (keyboards).
Together they helped produce Mayall's 57th studio album, Tough, released via Eagle Records on September 7 in U.K./Europe and September 15 in the United States.

"After just ten albums I didn't think I'd ever reach 57," Mayall laughs heartily. "It's been pretty amazing, but the albums seem to fall into place at regular intervals, you know? Of course, I've been on the road for quite some years now as well, so [new albums] tend to come up."

Tough grants listeners three brand new songs written by Mayall, "Slow Train to Nowhere," "That Good Old Rockin' Blues," and "Tough Times Ahead." As repeated by many reviews of the latest album, Mayall evokes lyrical content from situations he feels close to in his life. Whether it is the current state of political affairs or the existing condition of music, Mayall concentrates on his passions and transcribes them lyrically and musically on Tough. Not to mention at 76-years-old Mayall continues to annihilate the guitar, harmonica and organ while providing familiar vocal patterns fans have grown to treasure over the years.

After a staggering 57 albums one might assume that Mayall has acclimated himself to a life of musical prosperity, but everything hasn't always worked so leniently on his behalf. Constant changes in band lineups, personal issues, and lack of public limelight have hindered Mayall throughout his career, but never stopped him.

Born in England, Mayall heard American blues music as an adolescent and has cherished it since. So how exactly did a white lad in the 1940s from urban London come in contact with the blues?

"My father's record collection was the starting point when I was a kid," he proudly boasts. "Because of him, music was always there for me to subconsciously get into my system. It's been with me all of life really."

Mayall trained himself to play and broaden his musical comprehension by use of his father's and various neighbor's instruments. But music was, at this particular moment in his life, a second adoration. He was exceptionally creative and drawn to painting and other forms of art. He still utilizes these skills today in his musical efforts.

"I do have a hand in some art when it comes to upcoming album designs for my records and various other bits and pieces. Some tour material as well," says Mayall. "It's useful to have this skill, so from time to time they let me use my artistic work."

But as history tells, music conquered fine art as his primary worship and while serving in the Korean War, Mayall was able to cease borrowing instruments and claim one of his own.

"I was playing guitar before the war, but when I went to Korea, midway through we had leave in Japan, so I bought myself my first brand new electric guitar in Tokyo," he recalls. "That meant that I had an instrument of my own that my father wasn't using. So, it was quite nice to have my own actual electric guitar."

After that, Mayall fixed himself as a blues brewing factory. He would assemble skilled musicians, allow them to master their craft and produce admirable music, and then release them into the musical wild to triumph in their future endeavors. Just to name a modest few, early Bluesbreakers included Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Andy Fraser and Mick Taylor. These musicians would come and go, however, all went to form or join their own legendary groups including Cream, Derek and the Dominos, Fleetwood Mac, Free, and The Rolling Stones.
"John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians," Eric Clapton has stated.

Upon relaying the admirable quote to Mayall, his response is quite humble.

"Well... it just seems that way doesn't it? When you collectively go through the entire list, I think it's probably due to the fact that I've always been a bandleader and bandleader's always put their own stamp on whatever they do, regardless of who's playing in the band. So, I think that that's probably the thing that automatically happens when you have a bandleader who's calling the shots, so to speak."

The band leading titan has continued to manufacture musicians, who circulate in and out of his band at various points, both early and late in their careers. But one must ask whether the constant variation of the Bluesbreakers was done deliberately?

"It's not always by choice, especially in the early days when all those guys whose names we very well know were all finding their own directions," Mayall explains. "It was inevitable that they would work with me, hone their skills, so to speak, and then go on in their own direction. So, that was kind of the pattern of things and I didn't expect anything different really. Anytime there was a change, of course, and this applies throughout my career, it would kick some new life into it because you'd have different musicians, styles, and individualities. It's always a stimulating thing when you get new people."

"I think because of the individuality and the energies each particular lineup brought to the table, it's impossible to set one against the other. I'm just very proud of the fact that all the bands that I've put together have been received so wonderfully by audiences," continues Mayall. "That goes for all of the countries all over the world. They've given me that freedom to choose musicians and put bands together that have been great for us and of course, fortunately, people agreed to it."

Outside of the Bluesbreakers Mayall has partnered with the likes of Albert King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), and most recently, B.B. King, just to name just few. In 2005, Mayall was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen's Honor list alongside Brian May and Jimmy Page.

But some bewilderment lingers despite Mayall's successful and celebrated career, a few things left unfulfilled that leaves his peers, fans and critics pondering, "Why?" John Mayall has received just ONE Grammy nomination for the 57 albums he's released. Sadly, the nomination didn't result in a win. And he still hasn't been chosen for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It seems preposterous with his resume that these honors haven't come his way, but as with many artists, these organizations often overlook the truly worthy. Luckily for us, Mayall hasn't let awards distract from his musical journey. He simply continues to do what he does best with little regard for these slights.

Now, a father of six children and grandfather of six more, Mayall has built a tremendous musical kingdom of his own. But does blue blood run through the Mayall family veins?

"I don't know about that!" he laughs. "They've all got their differences. My eldest son, who's in his fifties, has always been active in the music scene in London. He's had his own blues club for the last 20 years. My next eldest son works for a Japanese music company that puts on the festivals there every year. So there is a connection that runs through that with the music side of things, I suppose."

He may be growing long in the tooth, but this energizer bunny of the blues has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

"I'm sure there will be many other records, and we have a busy touring schedule shaping up," Mayall exclaims. "All the details of that and everything else are always obtainable through my website. It's really an excellent forum for fans to get their thoughts on the music and also tells everyone where we'll be playing and everything else. It's all the news that's fit to print!"