Cris Cohen: Do you think with a lot of modern day recording there is too much emphasis on perfection?
Jim Weider of clients The Weight Band: Yes, I do. A lot of that is because of technology. Now you’ve got 48 tracks of Pro Tools, and you can overdub endlessly. You cut all these tracks, then you have to go in the studio and mix and make decisions. Back when we were using tape, you had 16 tracks and you made your decisions immediately. It was no cut, paste, cut, paste, cut. There was a little bit of editing and that was it. There weren’t a lot of endless decisions. That can be a nightmare. Technology can hinder you if you let it, if you get sucked in. Cris Cohen: Last fall, I interviewed Billy Cobham and he described his playing in jazz and drumming as he always thinks of it as he's writing a letter to someone. And so that seems to be what you were talking about.
Andy Summers: It is. It's a narrative, if it comes from the right place. I go out now and I usually play with the trio. I stand there for a couple of hours on the stage and I play these beautiful tunes, and then I improvise. Basically, improvisation is on the spot composition. But playing jazz like that and trying to play deep, it's a real mirror of where you are at the time. What's in your head, your physicality, the room, how you feel about your life… and it really mirrors all these things. And that's what I love about it. There's a truth to it. That when you really just stand there and you're just trying to play naked in the space, then it's like you're really attaching to sort of a life process. It's some hard stuff to talk about. It sounds mystical, which is what it is in a way. Words cannot describe it. Except when it's happening, at the right level, you connect to something. I don’t want to get a bit religious, but it is sort of talking to a higher power or something. You do get connected in a way that is deep and hard to talk about, but is very satisfying. Like when you connect with a score, it doesn't happen every time, but in the really great moments, when it's happening like that, it's a wonderful thing. -- Listen to the full interview Scotty Johnson (far left) of the Gin Blossoms: I came up in the jazz world, where the approach to doing a solo is off the melody. That was always my focus: My guitar parts have to be based off of the melody or the structure of the song. I'm all for that song and what it needs. I am not there to show off.
Cris Cohen: How have you changed as a singer over the years?
Johnny Colla: I think my voice finally grew up. I actually couldn't stand the sound of my own voice for a number of years, probably why I didn't become a lead singer earlier (hah!). I had what a lot of singers have tone-wise... very vanilla, not a lot of personality. That’s great for backing singers, but I’ve always had this ‘itch’ to, you know, 'be the loud voice in the middle’. I feel like I’ve finally discovered my ‘character’, and age has certainly helped with that! -- Bands To Fans: Musicians matter Cris Cohen interviews Guitar Gabby of the TxLips Band. (The occasional squeak sounds you hear are from her dog playing with its chew toy.) They discuss: - Why her band role includes title of “lawyer” - Their description as an “all women touring collective” - The TxLips album “Prison of Life” - Using music to both vent and connect with others - Her solo album “Musicology” - Being influenced by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai - Studying philosophy - The importance of being yourself - Developing a brand without losing sight of yourself Never miss a full interview or an excerpt. Subscribe to the newsletter Hire Bands To Fans to develop custom content for your band Today I interviewed drummer Sandy Gennaro. If you have heard any of the chart toppers from Cyndi Lauper, you have heard his work. Joan Jett once said that everything Sandy played sounded like a hit record. In addition to drumming, we talked about his popular corporate speaking events and what he teaches companies about beating the odds. I hope to post the interview in a week or so.
Cris Cohen: I'm always fascinated by singers who were initially drummers. And besides our friend, Fred LeBlanc, I've interviewed John Easdale from Dramarama. He's a drummer who became a singer.
What advantage do you think that gave you as a singer, as a songwriter, to come from a drumming background? Kevin Martin of Candlebox: Probably the understanding of the song, and the structure of the song, and the ins and outs. The beauty of drummers -- John Bonham, Peter Criss, Neil Peart -- those kinds of guys are all musicians that I kind of aspire to play like, just because they had such interesting ways to get in and out of parts. And of course, Neil Peart being a lyricist as well was... When I learned that as I got older, it was just mind bending. “This guy’s not only behind the kit doing all of the shit he's doing, but he's also writing all the fucking lyrics?!” I guess that's what I learned from these guys, that I could continue to take with me to this day. When we write songs, I'm always writing around the beat. With the perfect example of this track “Let Me Down Easy.” I knew that I wanted the song to feel like a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club song. That's what I wanted it to feel like, because I love that band. And I think that right now, save for the Black Keys, nobody is really doing that kind of music. So I love, love, love Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I pulled from that when I spoke to the guys about it. I said, "This is the drum beat I'm looking for. It has to feel like you've just sold your soul and now you're running down the train tracks away from the devil, trying to get away." And that's I guess what I've learned as a musician: That I can utilize that energy as a singer and pull it from that energy of the drummer. And that in turn allows me to sing around the rhythms and move in and out of patterns and kind of play both parts, if you will. -- Watch the full interview Bands To Fans: Anyone can publish a post. We can tell your story. Fred LeBlanc of clients Cowboy Mouth: You're looking to have people leave a show feeling like, not only was their money well spent, but that they got the better end of the deal.
-- Bands To Fans: Anyone can publish a post. We can tell your story. I take this as a compliment. The magazine Ultimate Classic Rock repurposed a Facebook post I developed with clients Huey Lewis & The News as an article on their own website:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/huey-lewis-stevie-ray-vaughan/ -- Bands To Fans: Anyone can publish a post. We can tell your story. John Thomas Griffith of clients Cowboy Mouth: Back in the 80s the Red Rockers were on tour with (I think) the Go-Go's. We played what was then the Opryland USA theme park outside of Nashville. They had cut a big circle of the original floor of the old Ryman Auditorium stage and inlaid it into the stage of new Grand Ole Opry. And the mic was right there in the middle of the circle.
I remember calling my mom after the concert on a payphone backstage. I just said, "Mom…" I was kind of tearing up. Because I knew she would be super proud that. I grew up on the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. I called her and told her, "Guess what I just did? I just played the Grand Ole Opry." When you're standing in that circle… I don't want to be weird about it, but you do feel a magic. There is something poignant about being in that little circle and all the people that have stood there before you. That's a lot of weight. I'm so grateful that I got that opportunity to stand there in the circle. -- Watch the full interview Hire Bands To Fans |
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