Dave Picton, Author at MediaMikes

Dave and Dave A Go Talk: An Interview with Dave Wakeling of the English Beat

Ska /skä/ (noun) – A style of fast popular music having a strong offbeat and originating in Jamaica in the 1960s, a forerunner of reggae.

If you’ve ever listened to music by the likes of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Madness, Fishbone or The Specials – as well as bands that infuse elements of ska into their music like No Doubt and Reel Big Fish – you know that the genre’s intense energy makes it almost impossible not to get out of your seat and start to move your feet to the rockinest, rock-steady rhythm around. The Beat – known in the US as The English Beat – was one of the bands at the forefront of ska’s second revival (or “wave”) and one of its best. With hits like “Save it for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom”, the English Beat had the ability to propel audience members into a skankin’ dance frenzy.

And they still do.

Dave Wakeling, the lead singer and guitarist of the English Beat, and the entourage of musicians that round out the current iteration of the band extensively tour the United States and feed audiences a steady dose of high-energy music that often manages to weave in politically-astute and cutting lyrics. The crowd sweats, the band sweats and, by night’s end, both are all the better for it.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dave about the driving force that powers the English Beat’s seemingly non-stop touring, a great soundtrack album that never happened, how a cup of kindness can occasionally have a very bitter taste and why he might cause quite a ruckus when visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Dave Picton: The English Beat tours VERY extensively. How do you maintain such a rigorous schedule given that your shows are intensely energetic?
Dave Wakeling: Well, we’ve got a decent balance. Every other month we go on tour for about three weeks and we do about 15 or 17 shows in 21 days. The other five weeks we’re here at home and we just work Fridays and Saturdays in California normally driving up and down the coast depending. That way, although we’re doing an enormous amount of work, we’re all getting time off in those weeks so it all works out very well. We never stay on the road more than three weeks because you start scraping the barrel. It’s always nice to be able to have fresh real emotions to do the songs. We can do our memory muscle emotion but it’s not the same. It doesn’t connect as well. It’s kind of dissatisfying. But if I do a show right under the right circumstances, I feel fresher at the end of the show than I did at the start. So it’s sort of nurturing to me at this point.

DP: I went to one of your shows about a year ago and it was the first time I had seen you guys. It was certainly the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert.
DW: Thanks! Where was it?

DP: In Fairfield, Connecticut at FTC’s Stage One.
DW: Right, the train spot.

DP: Yep, that’s the one. Everyone in the crowd danced throughout the entire show and I’d never really seen that happen before to that level of intensity, but I’m guessing that’s something you’re quite accustomed to.
DW: You know, sometimes people are surprised the first time we get to a venue and they’re not expecting it. Now, at Fairfield, we’ve been a good few times and people come with an anxious anticipation of having a good dance, I think. It’s all the more benefit, Dave, I think because times are times are really tight. Our social lives and our work lives particularly can be quite tense and the world, at least according to the TV news, is a scary place. So it’s nice to be able to go someplace with a peer group and throw all caution to the wind and feel at one with yourself and your memories and everybody else in the room. It’s a rare occasion and the people tell us that they’re really grateful of it and that it can see them through until the next Wednesday.

DP: That certainly was the case for me. In fact, the show spawned probably the most justified concert t-shirt purchase I’ve ever made because, by the end of your first set, I was absolutely drenched with sweat. So I bought the shirt, went into the bathroom and changed out of my wet towel of a shirt in favor of my newly-bought English Beat shirt. Sure enough, by the end of the show, that one was drenched too.
DW: Ah yes! Bless your heart. That’s the ticket. I end up soaking wet at the end of the shows too, but I don’t really notice it, even though you might start to get tired heading into the second hour of the show after about the one-hour mark. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, you’re back up there again with the energy from the audience. So it’s kind of like what the band does in the first half, the audience holds us back up with in the second half.

DP: I’m curious to know about how the band came together in 1978.
DW: What was most remarkable about it that it was the first person we met played a particular instrument ended up playing that instrument in the band. There weren’t any auditions or “what about this guy” or “what about that guy” and so it was very much like what you might see in a movie script about putting a band together. Everything all came together so wonderfully easy that, right at the beginning, you had a sense that it wasn’t going to last for very long. [laughs] It had a certain magical charm to it that this group of people were put together for a certain purpose. And it turned out that it was, you know. We managed to combine dance music with a gentle social commentary or a subtle gentle prodding. So we wanted to combine both types of prodding, the sexual and the social. [laughs] And it worked perfectly. Even now, I’m getting messages from people at Occupy Wall Street saying that the Beat album is being played, that the songs “Big Shot” and “Stand Down Margaret” are deemed particularly appropriate for the times. One of the huge benefits is that if you’re lucky enough to get a chance to be in the moment fully, then it never really goes away. Once you’ve made that connection – even though sometimes the waves of ska take seven years in between high tides – it always flows back and all of a sudden lyrics become pertinent again.

DP: Any chance you’d put together some new material and release a new studio album that might include songs in which the lyrics deal with current issues and socio-political topics?
DW: We’re in the process of doing that now, actually. I’ve got just over 20 songs started and some of them are my favorite songs that I’ve ever done. I always feel that, though. But, interestingly, I was just going though them and initially I hadn’t really thought about them in terms of an album. But then I started trying to figure out what songs would I put on an album this week and it sort of changed a little bit. It was a bit more romantic of a mood a few months ago but now the streets are filling up with people and some of the other songs are starting to become very timely and appropriate. The English Beat and the General Public catalog are both being re-licensed and re-released at the beginning of next year and so I’m hoping to take a jolly good slipstream off the back of some of that and introduce my new songs. I’ve been playing them out live. We played a few of them in Fairfield over the past couple of years. Just as we get a song ready, we might play it at somewhere that is friendly to us. They’re going down really great. I’ve been battling with how to get the songs out sort of algebraically correct as everything’s done with computers nowadays and still manage to retain the live groove and excitement of the live concert and, after much exploration, we finally found a way to do it. Once we got our technique down, we banged out a lot of the songs with full spirit and they sound tremendous. I’m really pleased.

DP: The English Beat is currently a tale of two bands: The English Beat fronted by you here in the States and The Beat that includes two of your original band mates from the early 80’s. How does that work – especially if you want to perform shows or tour in the UK?
DW: Well, it was fine. Now it’s causing enormous trouble. I wish I had never suggested it in the first place. You know, your kindness can come back and bite you in the ass, can’t it? Now it’s difficult for me to find a gig in England because they can’t call me “The Beat” because [Ranking] Roger’s used that name so much and they can’t call me “The English Beat” because they’ll think that everybody will think that’s a cover band covering the Beat’s songs. I find myself with the irony of trying to arrange a song in my hometown and finding it more difficult than I expected! [laughs] It’s the troubles of ska, Dave. I tell you it’s not as easy as it looks, mate! It looks like one knees-up party but – oh no! – the Machiavellian things that go on in the background. [laughs]

DP: So where do you see the future of ska going?
DW: I think it’s got a rosy future. It’s always been a music of happy protest and I think there’s going to be much of a taste for that in the upcoming months and year. We found during the punk times or during the 90’s that if you protest too much, it starts to sound like whining and you actually wind up distancing yourself more from the people that you want to reach. Ska – and reggae I suppose – has always had that ability to sound like a party from a distance and then as you dig into the lyrics, you hear that there singing about starving children but it’s acceptable because it’s been put to you in such a delicious way with the beat and it hits your spirit way before it tries to stretch your mind. I think we’re going to start to see a lot of that especially as there aren’t really a lot of record companies that are telling artists “don’t do this” or “don’t do that” to try to modify them for the charts. I think you’re going to see a lot more people just singing straight from their heart and straight into the computer. I dare say there will be a renaissance. I don’t know what wave of ska we’re on now. I think maybe the fifth wave is about to come, I’m not sure. But I imagine that we shall see one and I’ll be there trying to flagrantly take best advantage of it as soon as it happens you can be rest assured of that! [laughs]

DP: In addition to being a fan of your music, I’ve always been a fan of UB40, a band that started in Birmingham and got together the same year that the Beat did, 1978. Why do you think was there such a massive ska and reggae movement in your hometown?
DW: The guys in UB40 and I grew up within a mile of one another as kids. It’s remarkable. There were also the Selector and the Specials in Coventry and Dexy’s Midnight Runners in Birmingham at the same time. I think more than anything else it was a post-punk reaction where punk hadn’t really been a huge deal in Birmingham. Most of the people who had made any name of it in that genre had gone off to London to do it, as is traditional in Birmingham. But immediately post-punk, for reasons I’ve never really fully understood, a terrific scene developed that we weren’t even aware of, frankly, because who was to know that UB40 was going to become the biggest-selling reggae band in the world or that Dexy’s Midnight Runners were going to be lauded as poets for decades? Nobody had that idea of that at the time, really. We were just three local pub bands trying to be sarcastic about each other behind each other’s backs! [laughs]

DP: Your song “March of the Swivelheads”, an instrumental version that you released of “Rotating Head”, was used extremely effectively in the ending chase sequence in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
DW: It was, wasn’t it?

DP: Definitely. And it’s probably the song that’s most associated with the movie – with the possible exception of Yello’s “Oh Yeah”. Yet, despite the degree to which music was at the core of the movie and how successful the film was at the box office, no soundtrack album was ever released. Do you know why this was the case?
DW: I never really fully understood why. I think what was happening at that time was that John Hughes was starting to develop his own company, John Hughes Music, and all of a sudden trying to license tracks three ways rather than two became thoroughly complicated. I think that was what happened because we were fully anticipating a soundtrack at the time and, of course, it was going to be a fairly great one.

DP: And probably a big seller, too based on the fact that soundtrack albums to his movies usually moved lots of copies because kids dug the music and, in order to relive the movie experience, bought the soundtrack album or cassette given that, at the time, you couldn’t go out and buy a videotape of the film or download it. I know a lot of soundtracks from John Hughes movies wound up in my record collection for that very reason.
DW: Right. You know, they’re making a documentary about that film now. I’ve been invited to speak on the DVD of that documentary but I haven’t really decided yet. I’m not really sure, to be honest.

DP: While we’re on the topic of soundtracks and collections of songs by various artists, if I snagged you iPod, turned it on and pressed “random”, what would I hear?
DW: Well, you’d be very lucky if you managed to snag my iPod, because I don’t have one and I never will. I don’t think they sound any good. My son, a few years ago, came running up all disappointed like “Oh, dad! My iPod’s broken!” And I said “Good!” [laughs] You know, the instruments in a classical orchestra were effectively designed around human’s emotional points – chakras is what I call them – and analog recording was designed around those same parameters. But when you switch the whole thing to digital, one of the things that happens is that the instruments don’t resonate at the same places they used to. So the old people who say the “album” vinyl version of Led Zeppelin I sounds warmer than when they listen to it on their iPods are absolutely correct.

DP: I noticed that on the English Beat’s facebook page that you had posted a picture of your hallmark teardrop-shaped guitar that had made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How did that come to happen?
DW: Yes, I just put the photographs of it up yesterday on my facebook as well as that, recently in my hometown local newspaper, the Birmingham Evening Mail, printed out what they thought were their all-time top 10 bands to come out of Birmingham and we came fifth after Black Sabbath, the Moody Blues, Duran Duran and ELO. So to be able to post both of those things in the same week was stunning to me. I first met the people associated with the Hall of Fame when we opened for Devo in Cleveland and they started coming to a few shows. They gave us a tour of the museum and we got to go back behind the scenes. You have to have a coat on and a pair of gloves sort of like a doctor to go back in this spot. You’re not allowed to touch anything. We saw one of Bob Marley’s dreadlocks in a box covered in paper tissue. They opened another box and there was a longish envelope that had been slit open and on the inside in John Lennon’s handwriting was an early draft of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” with all of these crossings-out and changes. You could see where he was playing with the words and the rhymes. Absolutely stunning. I had a fantastic time. I got to meet the guy that runs it and it turned out that in 1980 he’d been a college radio guy in Ann Arbor and, unbeknownst to me, I’d been his first interview ever on the air and I was really kind to him, I guess and helped him through and now he’s the head honcho at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! [laughs] So on my way out, they asked me if I enjoyed myself and I said that it was fantastic. The only placed that had ever moved me more, really, was the Motown Museum I have to visit every time I go to Detroit. So they said, “OK…well when do we get your guitar?” and I was like “WHAT?!?” [laughs] It was sad though, to be honest, because I played that particular guitar at every gig for 27 years. So it came the morning to hand it in and I had a little play on it in the hotel room, talked to it a bit and shed a couple of tears. They fell on the guitar so I polished the guitar with tears, put it in the box and took it in. I still feel kind of guilty because I know it doesn’t know what’s going on. It thinks it’s just waiting between the sound check and the gig, you know? “No, no…Dave will be here in a minute. Long break before the show tonight isn’t it?” [laughs] So I have to talk to it whenever I go back and look at it in the case and try to explain the situation, but then I start gathering crowds of tourists looking at me. “Oh look, daddy! That old man is talking to a guitar!” I’ll have to stop, let the crowd disburse and then go back and have another chat.

DP: So if the Hall of Fame gets broken into and that guitar is the only thing missing as a result, I think I’ll be able to tell the authorities who their main suspect should be, right?

DW:Yeah! Either that or it probably walked and came back! [laughs] One day, I may have to use it at a show in Cleveland. The paperwork is extensive because it’s now not a musical instrument. It’s insured as an artifact. In fact, nobody’s allowed to touch it without white gloves – including myself. A lot of people said it sounded like I played it with gloves on anyway, so it’ll all work out! [laughs]

For more information about the English Beat and tour dates visit:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EnglishBeatFans
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/englishbeatfans
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/officialbeatspace
Dave’s official web page: http://www.davewakeling.com/home.asp

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Filed Under: Featured, Music Interviews Tagged With: beat, dave, dave wakeling, english, english beat, ferris bueller, ...

CD Review: Thomas Dolby “A Map of the Floating City”

Thomas Dolby
“A Map of the Floating City” (single-CD edition)
Lost Toy People Records
Producer: Thomas Dolby

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“She Blinded Me With Science”. It’s a song that is included on so many greatest hits of the 80’s compilations that one could easily view Thomas Dolby as being the definitive MTV one-hit wonder boy in an era known for flash-in-the-pan artists. But to know Dolby only for “Science” is to ignore a career that includes five albums that consistently explored a broad range of musical styles and thematic content . And then, after 1992’s “Astronauts and Heretics”, he effectively disappeared.

“A Map of the Floating City” – Dolby’s first album of original material in 20 years – finds him once again refusing to be tied down to any one genre of music. And, for the most part, it works so well that it’s hard to believe he’s been absent for so long. On it, he combines two of his innate abilities – instrumental virtuosity in a wide variety of genres and superlative storytelling . Biographical in nature, the album itself is comprised of three musical novellas: “Urbanoia”, “Amerikana” and “Oceanea” and while the album as a whole is cohesive as a complete work, the mood varies as each of its chapters unfold.

The four songs that comprise “Urbanoia” are easily the most brash. The opener, “Nothing New Under the Sun”, with its staccato snippet lyrics, anchoring drum line and guitar accentuation, is as close as “Floating City” gets to including a straightforward rocker. Although not mind-blowing, it’s a solid track that serves to whet the palate. Similar in its simplicity, “A Jealous Thing Called Love” plays as an upbeat version of “I Scare Myself”, a Dan Hicks crooner classic that Dolby covered on 1984’s “The Flat Earth”.

But not everything that Dolby touches turns into sonic gold. “Spice Train” is the City’s most synth-laden resident. It’s fun but by the time the ever-clever Dolby tries to prevent the track from succumbing to being a mere piece of danceteria fart-funk fluff by infusing it with wafting eastern-derived musical strains, it’s been derailed by its own popish simplemindedness. “Evil Twin Brother” is basically Sting’s “An Englishman in New York” after it’s been seduced by the dark side. Edgy and occasionally dissonant, it’s the first track where we hear Dolby’s unflappable ability to tell a vivid story through simple imagery but the herky-jerky alternating musical dynamics are so jarring that the song itself winds up being the album’s weakest link.

The mid-section of the album demonstrates Dolby’s ability to roll the dice by working in multiple musical genres and repeatedly coming up a winner – although, lyrically, he always seems to bet on black within “Amerikana” as the stories always have a somber tone either consistently throughout or as a sudden turnaround at the song’s end (in the case of “Love is a Loaded Pistol”, said weapon winds up being an actual firearm). Even “The Toad Lickers”, a country/bluegrass romp that would make any good ole’ boy jingle and jangle his spurs, can be seen as a biting satire of pugnacious backwoods culture. The epic “17 Hills”, featuring guest guitarist Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, finds everything that works well within the boundaries of “Floating City” in perfect harmony. Playing like an everyman drama in three acts, Dolby’s songwriting talents in tandem with his ability to evoke emotion through music have never been better displayed than within this lover’s tale of a jailbreak gone wrong. It’s a story so engrossing it would even cause the ever-esteemed master of melancholy, Richard Thompson, to shed a tear.

“A Map of the Floating City”s final destination is the often tranquil “Oceanea”. In the sub-section’s title track, Dolby creates an atmosphere so lush and soothing that one cannot help wanting to stay there longer than its short three-minute runtime allows even if his lead vocal is drenched in the most overused and annoying vocal effect in recent memory, Auto-Tune – something that was not true of the track when it was included on the “Oceanea” EP that was released earlier this year. Why the track has been modified in this way for the full-length album is as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle. It’s still a great song, though, and the guest vocals by Eddi Reader send it soaring.

The remaining tracks, “To the Lifeboats” and the Brazilian-flared “Simone”, are fine examples of Dolby’s ability to generate great music in a myriad of styles. The mid-section of “Lifeboats” rocks out so hard with power chords and fuzzbox vocals that it’s easy to visualize Dolby himself clad in heavy metal garb while a small Stonehenge monument slowly descends into his recording studio. But in its closing third, the song settles into the quieter aural landscape that makes the album such a worthwhile journey. The roads through Dolby’s “Floating City” aren’t completely devoid of potholes but when it truly sails, it’s poetry in motion.

“A Map of the Floating City” will be released on October 25^th, 2011.
For more information about Thomas Dolby, visit www.thomasdolby.com

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, city, dolby, flat earth society, floating, golden age of wireless, ...

Concert Review: “Two of a Perfect Trio” Fairfield, CT

“Two of a Perfect Trio” featuring King Crimson members Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto
Date: Friday, September 30th, 2011
Venue: FTC’s Stage One in Fairfield, CT

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

As King Crimson’s Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto took the stage at FTC’s Stage One, a keen observer of detail in the audience decided to point out “Hey!! You’re missing your Fripp!” However, from the first note played to the final closing bows, the crowd that gathered for this stop of the “Two of a Perfect Trio” tour were enthralled and mesmerized with all-things Crimson (and many things non-Crimson) even if Robert Fripp, the ever-esteemed founder of one of progressive rock’s most heralded bands, wasn’t the master of ceremonies.

The “Two of a Perfect Trio” tour was conceived of during the “Three of a Perfect Pair” Camp, a week-long music camp that took place in mid-August that allowed its campers – musicians and non-musicians alike – to learn from and hang out with Belew, Levin and Mastelotto. The resulting show allows two trios Tony Levin’s Stick Men and the Adrian Belew Power Trio to each perform a set, and concludes with a third “Crim-centric” set in which various combinations of each trio’s members perform together.

With bass guru Levin on the polyphonic Chapman Stick (as well as his trusty Music Man 5-string electric complete with his patented “Funk Fingers”), Markus Reuter from Innsbruck, Germany on a custom “Touch Guitar” of his own design and drummer extraordinaire Pat Mastelotto delivering a solid funky beat interlaced with a myriad of electronic percussive sounds, the Stick Men set the tone for the three-hour show with a mighty roar in the form of the instrumental “VROOOM” from King Crimson’s 1995 album “Thrak”. The trio then dove into a number of Stick Men originals and concluded their set with an improvisational rendition of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite”. Despite Reuter’s stoic stance throughout the band’s entire performance and Levin’s sometimes goofy lyric and semi-spoken lead vocals, all three “Sticks” were clearly enjoying themselves and never failed to deliver virtuoso performances and music that, while progressive and complex, was always accessible and – for one particular audience member – reason enough to put on her buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-boogie shoes.

Adrian Belew and the other two members rounding out the “Power Trio”, longtime bassist Julie Slick and newcomer Tobias Ralph on drums, began their part of the show with a sampling of Belew’s solo work (including “Young Lions”, “Beat Box Guitar” and “Of Bow and Drum”) that had much more of a pop music feel than the thickly-layered and sometimes semi-schizoid songs that King Crimson are well know for – although the trio did manage to sneak in the seldom-heard “Neurotica” from King Crimson’s 1982 album, “Beat” which served to remind the audience that they aren’t just a trio – they’re a POWER trio. As was the case with the Stick Men, Belew and company closed their set with a long-form instrumental piece, a section from Belew’s “e”, a five-part suite that Belew performed in tandem with a full orchestra in Amsterdam earlier this year.

With her long curly hair and bare feet, the Power Trio’s Julie Slick revealed that she can lay down a serious bass groove that perfectly accompanies the extensivearray of bending, swirly and occasionally aggressive sounds that Belew can deliver via his signature series Parker Fly guitar. Drummer Tobias Ralph delivered all of the goods and then some. Taking the place of Julie’s brother, Eric, for this tour, Ralph positioned himself behind a fairly simple drum kit (at least in comparison to Mastelotto’s) and pounded out rhythms and beats that would make former King Crimson and Yes uber-drummer, Bill Bruford, envious.

The much-anticipated “Crim-centric” final portion of the show opened with Crims Levin, Belew and Mastelotto doing spot-on renditions of latter-day King Crimson tunes such as “Three of a Perfect Pair” and “Elephant Talk”. Other players from each trio joined in to accentuate other powerhouse Crimtunes such as “Frame by Frame” “Thela Hun Ginjeet” and the always-blistering “Red”. Even the ballad-esque “One Time”, featuring a subtle yet powerful solo vocal by Belew, managed to work its way onto the set list.

But the defining moment of the show happened in the improvised back and forth drum duel that prefaced Belew’s lyric in “Indiscipline”. Instead of the serious and somewhat cold super-precision that was at the core of the battle between Pat Mastelotto and Bill Bruford when this song was performed throughout the 1995 “Thrak” tour, Mastelotto and Ralph brought a whimsical and humorous quality to their bombastic exchange of phrases and licks that would rarely (if ever) be seen at an actual King Crimson show. As Belew exclaimed at the end of the song with arms outstretched in a Rocky Balboa-esque stance, “I LIKE IT!!!” As did all who had assembled in the Court of the Crimson King.

The “Two of a Perfect Trio” Tour continues through until October 29^th. For a list of dates and venues as well as ticket information, visit http://www.adrianbelew.net/ .

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews, Featured Tagged With: adrian belew, chapman stick, concert, ct, fairfield, king crimson, ...

Confessions of a Non-Twirler: An Interview with Pat Mastelotto

Pat Mastelotto is many things – but definitely not a slouch. Best known as the percussive genius behind current iteration of progressive uber-band King Crimson and as the drummer for the best-selling ‘80s favorite, Mr. Mister (remember “Broken Wings” and “Kyrie”?), Pat has also been a session drummer for many artists such as XTC, Scandal, Al Jarreau, the Pointer Sisters, Kenny Loggins and Martin Briley. In his copious spare time, he’s a core part of a vast number of Crimson spin-off projects as well as various progressive “supergroups” that have featured renowned musicians such as Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons), Allan Holdsworth, Eddie Jobson, the California Guitar Trio and a host of others.

He’s recently finished being a part of the “Three of a Perfect Pair” Camp, a week-long music camp in New York state that allowed its campers – musicians and non-musicians alike – to learn from, jam out and hang with him and two other members of the Crimson court: Adrian Belew and Tony Levin. He’s currently on the road with Belew and Levin on the “Two of a Perfect Trio” tour which pairs Belew’s Power Trio with Levin’s Stick Men trio. The show closes with “an extended Crim-centric encore.”

I caught up with Pat just before embarking on the “Perfect Trio” tour and we covered a broad range of topics including the Camp, the tour, and being a member of King Crimson as well as his past involvement with other musicians work and ongoing work with the myriad of musical projects of which he is a part. He also shared his thoughts about a certain percussion-related virally-famous YouTube video – and we even found out why an iPod wouldn’t be a bad item for him to find under his Chrismas tree this year.

Dave Picton: How did the idea for the “Three of a Perfect Pair Music Camp” come about and how did it go?
Pat Mastelotto: The idea for the Perfect Pair music camp came up about a year ago. One of our tech guys was involved with Danny Heaps the guy up at the camp. They had done Modeski Martin &Wood and Todd Rundgren and some others so they approached us about doing it as a great Crimson type of concept and it sifted itself down it became the three of us.

DP: What was the genesis of the Two of a Perfect Trio tour?
PM: Because we got together to do the camp, we got a couple of offers to do some gigs like the Iridium in New York City. After a couple of gig opportunities had been presented to us, at first we said no but then it started to look like an agent could patch a whole tour together, so we pursued it and came up with the concept of having each of our trios play together as well as Adrian [Belew], Tony [Levin] and I as a trio and add the other people back in.

DP: How did you wind up becoming a member of King Crimson?
PM: The quick answer is Robert Fripp invited me. The longer answer is that I had spent about a year on the road with Robert. Before he invited me, I was out with Robert and David Sylvian. David and Robert had a band with Trey Gunn and myself and when that tour ended, he asked me to join Crimson and presented the idea of a double trio with Bill [Bruford].

DP: The King Crimson “Thrak” tour featured the “double trio” band line-up that paired you with Bill. What was it like playing live with him?
PM: Well, the best example I can give is an arcade game like a pinball game. You just try to keep the balls in the air and react to what’s going on.

DP: The 80’s saw you as the drummer for the highly-successful Mr. Mister. What was your experience like with that band? And what was up with the wacky hairdo?
PM: The band is hard to describe. When we met there was no record deal. We got one fast, though, and we made a record that didn’t do so well and then we did a record that exploded [1985’s “Welcome to the Real World”]. So it was an interesting revolution watching the audience change as it became sort of massified all over the world. It was a good experience. As far as the hair goes, hey, what can I say? It was the times. That was the ‘80s. It didn’t seem so wacky at the time.

DP: You played on – in my opinion – one of the most underrated albums of the 80’s, XTC’s “Oranges and Lemons”. How did that come about and, given that XTC stopped performing live in 1982, do you wish there had been a tour to support the album?
PM: I saw the band play a few times at the Whiskey and later at the Santa Monica Civic after “Drums and Wires” and after “English Settlement”. I was at the show at the Palladium when Andy [Partridge] had stage fright, so what would have been their last show – the show that didn’t happen. I was in the audience for that too. Way back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I had turned my friend Paul Fox onto the band – I think it was “Mechanik Dancing” from “Go 2” or one of those songs from that album. Paul was a session keyboard player that I hung out with who later became a producer and, when he got the gig with XTC, he rang me. So that’s sort of how the connection happened. I wish there had been a tour. There was very close to being one. XTC set out on a small radio tour and then booked me to come over to England to do a live performance in the studio. They were going to bring an audience in try to make a controlled situation for Andy. It was just on the brink. They talked to me about leaving on a Friday and booked the flights the following week and then I think the single [“The Mayor of Simpleton”] didn’t do as well on the charts the following week and they postponed it and it never happened. We still stay in touch Andy, Dave [Gregory] and I. I’ve emailed with them all within the past year or so. Dave coincidentally appears on a record that I did with an Italian by the name of Fabio Trentini. He was talking about how much he loved Dave’s playing and I said “Well, let’s get him on the record”. It’s called “Moonbound” and if you look around on my site or on Facebook, you can find the record and you’ll hear Dave and I playing together on that.

DP: You’re involved with something of an instrumental supergroup, HoBoLeMa, that consists of yourself, drummer Terry Bozzio, guitarist Allan Holdsworth and your Krimson cohort, Tony Levin. How did that come about and what does the future hold for the band?
PM: Strangely enough, that started because Terry Bozzio and I both collided a few times. We both moved from northern California to southern California around 1973 or ‘74 when he had the Frank Zappa gig. I happened to move at around the same time to Los Angeles and was working with an artist that was on the Discreet Records label. I was in Frank’s old rehearsal room when Terry was in the big room with Frank. We crossed paths again in the ‘80s. He was in Missing Persons, of course, and I was with Mr. Mister. We were kind of pop bands of the day. We crossed paths again through some drum events in the late 80s. In the early ‘90s, I moved to Austin, Texas and, coincidentally, Terry also moved here. So after a few years of having friends say “Hey, you should call Terry”, one day my phone rang and it was Terry and he said “Hey, my friends have been saying that I should call Pat”. So after a couple of long phone calls, we hooked up at each other’s houses. Eventually, we did some jamming together and recorded that. We released an album under then name of Bozzio Mastelotto and we called it “BoMo”. A year or so later, we did one show at One World Theatre here in Austin. It’s a beautiful theatre and the owner, Hartt Sterns, is a friend of ours and is also a percussionist, so he totally indulged us. We filled the stage with gear – no drum kits, but a lot of percussion and wacky stuff – and did a semi-improvisational show. Several years later, around 2009, Terry called me to do some shows with him in Japan. He was doing a few weeks worth of gigs and had different drummers joining him for different shows. So when he invited me, I was a little nervous about that and I asked if I could bring a rhythm buddy and that was Tony Levin. Tony and I came over to play with Terry. There were improvisational shows and the last few shows were around Tokyo and Terry invited Allan Holdsworth to join us. So we met that day in Tokyo and we didn’t even really do a sound check. We just made a little noise enough that we could document if we could hear each another across the stage and then buggered off and came back to do our show. It was a very satisfying night for us. Completely improvisational and really great and had a lot of really high moments. Allan’s manager, Leo, was there and immediately suggested booking some more dates. It took about a year for our calendars to coincide, but a couple of years ago we did a run down the west coast, Seattle down to L.A. and San Diego for about 6 or 10 shows. We went to Europe later that year and did 20 shows in 20 days. It was a pretty whirlwind tour. We intended to do some shows last year in 2010, but we didn’t. And here we are in 2011. We’re going to do some shows this year, but it looks like it’s gonna be pushed back to the fall or maybe next year, so I think we’ll go out again as HoBoLeMa – Holdsworth, Bozzio, Levin and myself – but there’s nothing firm about that.

DP: You continue to work with former King Crimson Warr guitarist, Trey Gunn, both one-on-one and with KTU as well as with Tony Levin and Michael Bernier in Stick Men. What has your experience been like with both of these bands? Similarities? Differences?
PM: I continue to work with Trey quite a bit. We have our project called “TU”. We recently started to do some recording, so we’ll probably have a record out next year – probably. We did some gigs earlier this year with Chrysta Bell that went really, really well. We’ve got some videos of that but, again, we’re holding that back. KTU with Kimmo Pohjonen, the Finlandish daredevil accordion player – we’re not active right now, though. It might be another year or two before we try to make another record or do some gigs, probably in 2013. There is a video coming out and a re-packaging of the first and second records that should be out later this year or early next year. Tony and Michael with Stick Men – two more touch guitar players that play Chapman Stick – each guy is unique. They come from a different place and play differently. Mike had to step out of Stick Men last year for personal reasons. We’re still friends. I play on his new solo record that’s just been released. We replaced hin in Stick Men with Markus Reuter. Markus is my buddy in a project called “Tuner”. We have about five records out already, the first one called “Totem”, the second one called “Pole”, and there’s a new one called “Face” that’s not out yet. “Face” is conceived of as “two-faced” record with an a“A” and a “B” side and we’re just about done with the “A” side. We spent about three or four years on it. It’s a pretty epic production. Nothing really to compare that to. It might be another year or two before we get the “B” side done. We filled in with a couple of live records as well. So now Markus is in Stick Men playing with Tony. He’s a touch guitar player from Germany who lives in Innsbruck. We did gigs earlier this year in South America and in Europe. He and Tony get along great. We’ve composed a new Stick Men record called “Absalom” that we’ll have on this tour. We’ll continue recording later this year after the tour and early next year and have a full release for next year.

DP: If I snagged your iPod and selected “random”, what would I hear?
PM: Well, you wouldn’t hear anything, buddy. Umm..my iPod bit the dust a few years ago. It was right around the time that Stephen Wilson was doing that photo essay of broken iPods, so somewhere in his fan base you’ll find my broken iPod. Which brings me to a good point: I’m on three tracks on a new Stephen Wilson solo record that’s just coming out next month. I did some remixes for Stephen a few years ago and worked on one of his other projects called “No Man” with Tim Bowness. I think I’m on one or two tracks on one of their earlier records. So I keep in touch with Stephen and, man, he’s a super talent. The record’s great or what I know of it and I can’t wait to hear what the rest of the record is all about.

DP: Any chance we’ll ever be seeing you play like this guy? (See video below)
PM: Hmm…let’s see what you’ve got here. “This Drummer is at the Wrong Gig”. Oh…OK. I’ve seen this one before. [Laughs] Yeah. What can I say about that? I’ve shared that link with a few people. Uh…nice outfits. The guy’s a heck of a twirler. Will you ever see me playing like this guy? I hope not. I’m not much of a twirler and never have been. I’ve got one twirl and that’s all I can offer ya’. It’s the one that turns the beat of the stick to the butt end of the stick. So it’s a functional twirl. It helps me get up on the bell of the cymbal. But…you know…this guy is a little over the top for me. I like to sit in the back unnoticed if I can get away with it.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: adrian belew, king crimson, mastelotto, mister mister, mr. mister, pat mastelotto, ...

Getting Down to Bass-ics with Tony Levin

“Tony Levin is one of the world’s best bass players, if not the best.” – Peter Gabriel

So true.

Tony Levin (aka “TLev”) is the bass player’s bass player. Incredibly accurate in his musical phrasing but always matching the song’s mood with a sense of fluidity and true funkiness, Tony’s playing is always recognizable and unmistakable. At the forefront of experimentation, the array of instruments at his disposal isn’t strictly limited to his signature Music Man bass (which he often plays with “funk fingers” – an invention of his own design that allows him to hammer on the strings with half-size drumsticks that he attaches with tape to the index and middle fingers of his right hand), but includes the polyphonic Chapman Stick as well the Electric Upright Bass (EUB) and a host of other instrumentation.

Levin is primarily known for his work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel as well as numerous spin-off projects like Stick Men (featuring two Chapman Stick players and current Crimson drummer, Pat Mastelotto), the Liquid Tension Experiment (with members of Dream Theatre), in addition to a host of King Crimson-related “ProjeKcts”. Over the course of his extensive career, he’s been involved with over 500 records as a session musician. The list includes some of the best-known artists in the business: John Lennon, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd, Yes and Warren Zevon – just to name a few. And then there’s the list of musicians he’s toured with: Paul Simon, Peter Frampton, James Taylor, Richie Sambora…

He’s just finished being a part of the “Three of a Perfect Pair” Camp, a week-long music camp in New York state that allowed its campers – musicians and non-musicians alike – to learn from, jam out and hang with three members of the Crimson court: Adrian Belew, Pat Mastelotto and, of course, the esteemed Mr. Levin. In mid-September, the three Crims embark on the “Two of a Perfect Trio” tour which pairs Belew’s Power Trio with Levin’s Stick Men trio. The show closes with “an extended Crim-centric encore.”

I caught up with Tony between the last day of Camp and the start of the tour to chat about both of these topics as well as some of his wide array of side projects and session work. We also talked about how he goes about writing music and choosing from the myriad of instruments he’s mastered. I managed to squeeze in a couple of questions that only the seasoned Crim / TLev fan (a la “DPic”) would ever really care about – and even posed a question from one of his former touring buddies, Rick Wakeman of Yes. Tony’s answer was truly mind-boggling…

Dave Picton: How’d it go with the “Three of a Perfect Pair” Music Camp?
Tony Levin: Very well. I knew it’d be fun, but it turned out that the vibrant ‘campers’ and their passion for King Crimson’s music made it a growing experience for me. And I got the feeling they were really pleased to spend the week in that setting, hanging out with us Crimson guys. We also were able to get a lot of surprise gifts for them, which didn’t hurt!

DPic: What was the genesis of the “Two of a Perfect Trio” tour?
TLev: Seemed a good name for the tour – it’s based on the song title “Three of a Perfect Pair”. Since we have two trios… The idea for touring together, and with a Crimson based encore set, came from Adrian. He’d been thinking for some time of doing something like this with Pat and me.

DPic: “A Scarcity of Miracles” is the latest King Crimson ProjeKct. What has been your favorite ProjeKct to date (and it doesn’t necessarily have to be one that you were a member of)? Opinions / observations about being in the projeKcts (so to speak)?
TLev: The thing about me is that, like many musicians, I don’t look backward much. So I don’t even know the list of ProjeKcts I’ve done, let alone have a favorite. I can say that all of my playing in Crimson-related groups has been a great experience for me – expanding my own playing, and learning from some very special musicians. I also hope there will be lots more of it in the future.

DPic: The list of artists with whom you’ve done session work is staggering. Is there a favorite musician that you’ve worked with? Any favorite behind-the-scenes story?
TLev: Again, no favorites. Looking back, I’d have to say that my experiences with Peter Gabriel and with King Crimson (each encompassing many albums) were great for me. I also toured a lot with each, and that makes it a more complete experience – really I prefer playing live to recording, but doing both is the best way to immerse yourself in the music.

DPic: When you’re creating a song or contributing as a session musician, how do you choose between using electric bass or Chapman Stick or Electric Upright Bass?
TLev: A good question. There is no rule for me, but when I hear the song (or the composition, if it’s an instrumental) I get a sense of what I think I can contribute on the bass end. It may be simple or complex, but I sort of hear it in my head – then I can choose the instrument that might express it best. Even among my basses there are subtle differences that make some much better for certain things I might want to do. The Chapman Stick is very different, with it’s sharp attacks and huge range. I also sometimes opt for the NS Electric Upright with it’s almost acoustic bass- sound, and huge bottom end. If I’m writing the piece, sometimes I just write the music, and then approach it later as the bassist – choosing then. Sometimes of course I base the song on a riff or idea I have on a particular instrument. With Stick Men, needless to say, I write my material on the Chapman Stick.

DPic: As an aspiring bassist, I’m very intrigued by the Chapman Stick and would love to try one out before committing to buying one. Do you know of any way I (or any other Stick-curious folks) can try/rent one out?
TLev: Best idea is to contact Stick Enterprises (stick.com) and ask them – they might be able to hook you up with a player in your area, so you can try it out and have some guidance. There is a very nice community of Stick players around the world.

DPic: Your book, “Beyond the Bass Clef”, is one of the most enjoyable music-related books I’ve ever read. Any plans for a follow-up (i.e. “Way Way Waaaaay Beyond the Bass Clef”)?
TLev: Good idea – but no plans at the moment. Books and photo exhibits are great fun, but time consuming, and best done when no recording or band projects are taking up my time and creative energy. Lately, happy to say, I’m very busy making new music.

DPic: You were one of the first musicians to actively blog and keep an ongoing road diary on the web. In your opinion, how has the internet and the web affected music and musicians – both positive and negative AND you personally?
TLev: For me, it was quickly apparent that this was a great way to minimize the wall between performer and audience. It doesn’t take it away, but gives a way to share more of the experience than just the show. So I like showing behind the scenes, and telling what’s going on, and especially sharing my photos of the audience – so people who were there can see how inspiring they are to us on stage, and how they are really in some ways a part of the show.

DPic: A few years back, I spoke with world- renowned trumpet-player Chris Botti at a post-show meet-and-greet where he was kind enough to sign my copy of “Bruford Levin Upper Extremities: Blue Nights”. Many of his band-mates had never seen the CD, so he showed it to all of them and told me “I’d love to work with those guys again!” Soooo…would you be game? What about Bill Bruford and David Torn?
TLev: Always something we discuss when we meet up. Realistically, it’s been pretty unlikely for some time, and now more so, with Bill’s retirement from playing live. We did have great fun, and made some darn good music. You learn to never say never in music situations, so I’ll stick with ‘unlikely’ but add that it’d be really great if it did happen again.

DPic: One of my all-time favorite bands is Pink Floyd. On the “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” album, you played all of the bass parts. What was that experience like?
TLev: Very special. David Gilmour was great to work with, as was producer Bob Ezrin, whom I’d worked with a lot before that. Playing the music was fun, and once I got the hang of the style, it went smoothly. There was a chance of touring with the band too but, alas, it conflicted with a Peter Gabriel tour I was on.

DPic: OK…drum roll please…it’s time for the “Picayune Crimson Question That’s Plagued Me for Ages!”: On the initial LP release of “Three of a Perfect Pair”, the opening to the song “Sleepless” is a continuous non-stop bass riff extravaganza that’s – as far as I’m concerned – one of the funkiest I’ve ever heard. On all subsequent compilations and reissues, it’s markedly more staccato. Why is that? And will the original mix ever be reissued? I miss it!
TLev: I’m afraid I don’t know! I’ll try to find a copy and listen.

DPic: You were involved with the Yes-centric “Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe”. Earlier this week I interviewed Rick Wakeman. He wants to know when you’re going to get a proper haircut.
TLev: Indeed! I miss my nightly Boggle games with Rick. We’d play right up to beginning of show time … heck, even after it, since it began with a Steve Howe solo – then Rick would jump up to run onstage and play his solo section – having usually beat me, I must admit!

Perpetual Change: An Interview with Jon Anderson

Arguably the best and certainly the most well-know band in the progressive rock arena, Yes has always been at its forefront and is no stranger to the one constant of the genre: perpetual change. No one knows this better than the eternal voice of Yes, Jon Anderson. His unique powerhouse alto tenor vocal is the anchor point to decades-worth of the band’s music, from multi-part opuses like “Close to the Edge” to the MTV-era chart-toppers like “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.

In mid-2008, Anderson was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure and has since made a full recovery. While no longer the lead singer of Yes, the past year has found Jon working on a wide variety of projects including a collaboration with former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, 2010’s “The Living Tree”, and the recent solo release “Survival and Other Stories”.

Jon has returned to the stage as part of a 2011 tour that will feature acoustic solo shows and ones in which he will be joined by Wakeman. MediaMikes’ Dave Picton had a chance to catch up with Jon to talk about his most recent work and the supporting tour as well as a bunch of…shall we say?…Yesstuff.

Dave Picton: First and foremost, welcome back! You’ve been sorely missed. How are you feeling and what’s the latest prognosis?
Jon Anderson: Well, I’m a lot healthier than I was three years ago. 2008 was very, very difficult but you go through the experiences and come out the other end a lot better. I’m a lot healthier, that’s for sure.

DP: When I listened to “The Living Tree” album, I was surprised to hear a very sparse approach: you on vocals and Rick [Wakeman] on piano and keyboards, which isn’t what I would necessarily expect to hear from somebody who has recently recovered from a severe respiratory ailment. Was the minimalist approach the concept from the start or was there ever at any point a thought about any musical augmentation?
JA: We just decided to keep it simple, you know? Rick is very wonderful and he comes up with some beautiful music and then I write the melody on top of the lyrics so it’s a very natural event.

DP: The tour that you’re embarking on will include shows that feature you exclusively as well as shows that pair you with Rick. I’m wondering what audiences can expect to hear and see?
JA: Well, it will be funny because Rick likes to tell jokes. I do acoustic versions of lots of songs when I do my solo show and, you know, with me and Rick we do a lot of songs from Yes because that’s what we wrote together and we enjoy that as well as doing new songs from “The Living Tree”.

DP: In the liner notes for your latest solo album, “Survival and Other Stories”, you state that the album is basically the result of you putting an ad up on your website that more-or-less said “I want musicians!” What was that experience was like for you?
JA: About six years ago, I put an advert on my website and I received lots of replies. I found about a couple of dozen people who I’ve been working with ever since and, over a period of the past year or so, I started realizing that I’ve got maybe thirty songs and I have to put out an album quick or I’ll just have too many songs. So that’s why I put out “Survival and Other Stories”. It’s a combination of songs about what I went through in 2008 that are very, very personal and soul-searching. There are a couple of songs about the gravity of war and the madness of greed. Thankfully we’re getting rid of the people that, you know, hoard money for no reason at all. There’s a sense of working with different people that you get a more, shall we say, entertaining album because everybody comes at it from a different point. I’ve been doing songs from “Survival and Other Stories” in my solo show, but it’s not something I think that I have to go on tour with a band and promote. If the record takes off this year, maybe next year I’ll take a small ensemble and perform some more songs. But you never know with these things.

DP: Many of the songs on “Survival” seem to be steeped in a very deep spirituality that’s been a constant in your work both with Yes and as a solo artist.
JA: Well, generally we’re all spiritual beings. I just like to sing about the journey that we seem to be all on and inside I feel like it comes very naturally to sing about the light that we have inside. I generally feel that I’m not doing anything other than what people have done all through the ages. There’s always been someone singing about the journey.

DP: Going back a little ways to 2007, you performed ensemble-style shows with the School of Rock All-Stars – a show that I was fortunate enough to see at BB King’s Blues Club in New York City. What was it like working with the kids and would you want to do it again?
JA: For sure I would do it again! In fact, I was talking about doing it again next year. It’s a very magical experience to be up there with the young kids. They’re very, very open and very clear about doing their work and, quite honestly, they’re just fantastic to work with as you can tell when I’m up there doing a show.

DP: Going even further back in your history of ensemble work, Yes’ “Union” tour in the early ‘90s featured many members of the “classic” ‘70s era of Yes as well as members of the ‘80s 90125-era band all on one stage with you in the center. How was that experience? Any interesting road stories?
JA: It was kind of magical for me because I was in the middle of the ensemble and they were all playing great. You know, I didn’t really like the “Union” album all that much, but the idea of doing the album would enable us to go on tour and that was what I really wanted to do. So you get working with those guys on the stage and crazy things would happen like Steve [Howe] would come over to me and say “Can you tell Trevor [Rabin] to turn down?” and I would go over to Trevor and say “Trevor. Stay where you are. You’re doing fine.” [laughs]

DP: Have you stayed in touch with Trevor? I know he’s become quite prolific in writing film scores as of late.
JA: Oh yeah! I see him every month. We’re talking about working together on a project but it’s only a question of time before we can make that happen.

DP: The 90125-era of Yes was probably the most commercially successful ones in the band’s history. When you look back on that, what are your fond memories – and maybe even not so fond ones – of that period of time?
JA: It was amazing, you know. We were number one around the world and we were treated like rock gods and things like that. Actually, it all fell apart for me because I went to see “Spinal Tap” and from then on I couldn’t stop laughing at everything. I had a great time for three or four years. And then “Big Generator” happened and it was such hard work because the record company wanted to have another hit album. It’s not my idea of creation, you know? It’s very boring. The future of music was more important to me, so that’s why I did Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe which I really enjoyed. I’m actually now working on some very interesting new music which really related to what you would call the “classic Yes” style of music, that sort of long-form pieces that I love creating.

DP: Would this new music be a solo project with a minimalist approach like what you decided to do with with Rick on “The Living Tree” or be fully augmented with a full array of musicians and, if it’s the latter, any idea as to who they would be?
JA: It’s fully augmented by a full orchestra at the moment. It’s a wonderful experience to go through. I’m working with I guy that I met, Stephan Bordell, who is a beautiful composer and I’m also working with the young kids from the School of Rock. They did some overdubs for me last year as well as last month and they sound great. I’m just getting the drums put on and, generally speaking, getting people to help sing it with me. My wife and some friends are going to help sing on it so it sounds like a big ensemble of energy.

DP: If I snagged your iPod and selected “random”, what would I hear?
JA: Well, unfortunately, my favorite music is from the ‘40s. On the iPod, though, I often listen to [composer Jean] Sibelius. I just have this thing about Sibelius and Stravinsky. I love classical music when I want to listen to anything. Here and again, I’ll hear a song on the radio that I like but, generally speaking though, I’m pretty much locked into the old classics and I don’t know why. It’s just something I enjoy listening to.

DP: If you had to select some Yes albums to put on your iPod – assuming you haven’t already done so, of course – what would they be?
JA: I like a lot of the stuff that we’ve done – “Fragile”, “Close to the Edge” “Tales from Topographic Oceans”, “Awaken” from “Going for the One”, “90125”, “Talk” and the last one we did, “Magnification”. You know, I think 80% of what we do is quite wonderful and 20% was not.

DP: What was the 20% – if you’d like to talk about it.
JA: No, I don’t. [laughs]

DP: Fair enough. [laughs]
JA: It’s a pretty good average.
DP: Agreed.
[both laugh]

DP: It’s certainly been a pleasure talking with you, Jon. It’s great to hear your voice again in every way.
JA: Well, there’s a lot more music to come. I wish you well.

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Filed Under: Music Interviews Tagged With: 90125, anderson, interview, jon, jon anderson, living tree, ...

“The Play’s The Thing…”: An Interview with Rick Wakeman

To say that Rick Wakeman is an excellent keyboardist is a grotesque understatement. Throughout his career – and most notably as the keyboardist for Yes during thier “classic” era – Rick’s astoundlingly fast dexterity and fluidity made it seem as if he was channeling higher powers through his nimble fingers. Often dressed in a long satin cape, Rick dazzled audiences with 70’s-era Yes classics such as “Roundabout”, “Long Distance Runaround”, “I’ve Seen All Good People” and long-form pieces such as the title track from the “Close to the Edge” album.

In addition to Yes, Rick has had an extensive career as a solo artist, often releasing albums that have famous historical figures (“The Six Wives of Henry VIII”) or renowned works of literature (“Journey to the Centre of the Earth”) as their inspiration.

2011 finds Rick on tour with his former Yes-mate, vocalist Jon Anderson, supporting their recent collaboration “The Living Tree”. We were fortunate to be able to catch up with Rick and discuss the tour with Jon, his feelings about how technology has affected his work and one particular Yes album that brings tears to his eyes.

Dave Picton: Your recent collaboration with Jon Anderson, “The Living Tree”, is – much to my surprise – simply that: you on keyboards and Jon on vocals. Was this minimalist approach there from the beginning of the project or, at any time, was a more augmented version contemplated?
Rick Wakeman: No, that was always the plan. About six years ago, Jon and I were talking about how there was very little new material around because you have to get together with people and people are very much scattered all over the world these days. So Jon and I wondered if this magical thing called the Internet is so wonderful, maybe we could send each other music and do something that way. So Jon said: “Send me some stuff and let’s see what happens.” So I sent him some music and he came back and said: “I like that bit, or I think I can work on that bit.” So we just kept flying stuff back and forth. Then, when we did the first duo acoustic tour together a few years ago, we tried out four of these songs and we were amazed at the really good response we got. That’s when we knew we were on to something. We kept sending things back and forth, but we only kept the good stuff, so by the time it came to putting the tracks we wanted on the CD, we were both 100% happy with everything that we’d done. And I think that shows. And the response we’ve received from the CD has been just amazing.

DP: You’ll be joining Jon on a number of tour dates later this year. What can audiences expect to see and hear?
RW: This, that and a lot of things. The truth is, Jon and I are very similar people. We don’t like to stand still, we don’t do what comes easily, and we don’t live in the past. We also hate managers. Too many bands today seem to work for the management. When we bring management in to do things for us, they work for us – not the other way round. So we’ll do this tour the way we want it to be – new songs, past songs, re-interpretations and interacting with the audience – which, it just so happens, is how we believe the way our fans want it to be.

DP: Yes’ “Union” tour in the early ‘90s featured many members of the “classic” ‘70s era of Yes – of which you were a part – as well as members of the ‘80s 90125-era band all on one stage. How was that experience on your end?
RW: Well, it really all began in January of 1980. The band was an absolute shambles at that point, nobody was talking to anybody and everyone was fighting. The whole thing was just a disaster. Jon and I’d had enough and so we both left. But the rest of them carried on. The Buggles were added and they did the “Drama” album. Then at the end of the ’80s, Anderson Bruford, Wakeman & Howe was formed and now we had a real mess because ABWH was playing all the Yes stuff that we’d written, and what people came to call “Yes West,” which was basically Chris [Squire] and Alan [White] and Trevor [Rabin] and Tony [Kaye] were also doing stuff. So, the two managements came up with the idea to join forces. Now, I have to say, for the stage show, was fantastic, but the album was just awful. I don’t even classify it as a Yes album, the “Union” album. I always call it “Onion” because every time I hear it, it makes me cry. It was an absolute pile of junk.

DP: In your career as a solo artist, you’ve made many albums that have historical figures or classic novels as their inspiration (e.g. “The Six Wives of Henry VIII”, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” and “Myths & Legends of King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table” – just to name a few). Are there any projects like this slated for the future?
RW: Well, I have plenty in mind. For instance, I’d like to do a full-scale ballet someday. I’ve had some stuff used in ballet in the past, but I think a whole, new full-scale ballet would be fantastic. Ballet’s a really interesting area. I go to Milan a lot, to the Scala. I’m friends with the director there and also in Florence. Both are continually getting more adventurous with their music. So I think there is an opportunity to bring progressive rock music to a new audience. The trouble is, I know what it would cost to do something big and dramatic and these days, no one wants to back anything. And frankly, a ballet soundtrack probably wouldn’t be much of a winner in the market today. But, you never know.

DP: The 5-CD set “Caped Crusader Collectors Club: Bootleg Box – Volume 1″ was recently made available here for sale in the States. What was the inspiration to release these recordings and how much material do you plan on releasing in the future?
RW: We just wanted to come out with a nice collection of back-to-basics live performances. Obviously, something recorded live sounds different from something recorded in the studio, so we wanted to put something out there that was the other side of the coin, so to speak. As for the future, who knows? I like to think that the best parts of the past and the best parts of the present will add up to a very positive future. If that holds true, then lots of good stuff should be on the way.

DP: Which artists’ music do you currently find appealing and perhaps even inspirational?
RW: That’s a bit difficult to answer at the moment, other than the obvious choices. But going into the past a little bit, I can tell you that David Bowie is far and away the cleverest man I’ve ever worked with. He was just so far ahead of the game. He wasn’t into listening to managers and record company executives because they weren’t musicians, so they didn’t really know what it was like. And that was a wonderful attitude. He was also always incredibly prepared in the studio. He never wrote in the studio. He was always what he called “75 percent prepared.” He’d get the piece that far, and then go to the studio and take it that extra 25 percent. He respected the studio, and I think that’s the one thing he taught me more than anything else: respect the studio. It’s not a plaything. He was an absolute pleasure to work with him. Amazing character. Amazing man.

DP: In a few short decades keyboard technology has gone from fully acoustic and mechanical to fully computerized and you’ve been at the front line of that wave for your whole career. How have these changes affected your work?
RW: I don’t consider myself a technician. Don’t get me wrong. I like all the technical things I use. But as far as the engineering side, I’m lucky to have a friend, Larry Jordan, who is a very talented guy. Electronics, recording, whatever – he knows it all. When some new technology comes along, he’ll come to the studio and tell me: “We can do this now.” And it always something that sounds fantastic. And then he’ll ask: “Do you want to know how it works?” And I always say, “No.” You can fall into the trap of making use of something just because it’s there and available and not because it necessarily adds to what you are trying to do. So I don’t need to know the technical things. If we’ve got it, maybe I’ll use it or maybe not. But, at the end of the day, I just want to play.

Author: Dave Picton

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