INTERVIEWS

This category contains 323 posts

Interview: Steve Hackett

In prog-rock circles, guitarist Steve Hackett is revered for his time in Genesis from the 1971 album Nursery Cryme to 1976’s Wind & Wuthering. His tenure included the recordings of classic Genesis songs like “The Musical Box”, “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight”, “Firth of Fifth”, and “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”. During this period he also innovated the two-handed tapping guitar technique, which was widely used Eddie Van Halen and other guitar shredders in the ’80’s and beyond. Hackett has also recorded several dozen solo albums, from 1975’s Voyage of the Acolyte to last year’s The Night Siren, and was one of the guitar heroes, along with Steve Howe, in the short-lived band GTR.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Steve Hackett’s concert at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo on 2/23/18. It was done by phone on 2/8/18.

Interview: Ronald Isley

Of the many amazing things about The Isley Brothers, perhaps the most remarkable is that they have had hit songs in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s. And we’re talking about songs that are in our collective DNA like “Shout”, “Twist and Shout”, “It’s Your Thing”, and “That Lady”.

Only one person has been with The Isley Brothers throughtout the entire history of the band: singer Ronald Isley, who also wrote or co-wrote most of the band’s original music. With his brother Ernie, Ronald continues to carry the Isley Brothers torch, with their latest release being the 2017 collaboration with Santana called Power of Peace.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Isley Brothers concert at the Chumash Casino on 2/16/18. It was done by phone on 2/6/18. (Tracy Isley photo)

Interview: Ernie Isley

Ernie Isley’s first recording experience with The Isley Brothers was playing bass on the hit song “It’s Your Thing” – at the tender age of 16! He never looked back, becoming the band’s lead guitarist and contributing blistering fretwork to songs like “That Lady” and “Summer Breeze”. He also co-wrote such Isley Brothers classics as “Fight the Power”, “Harvest for the World”, and “Take Me to the Next Phase”. Ernie also co-founded Isley-Jasper-Isley, which had a hit song “Caravan of Love”.

With his brother Ronald, Ernie continues to carry the Isley Brothers torch, with their latest release being the 2017 collaboration with Santana called Power of Peace.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Isley Brothers concert at the Chumash Casino on 2/16/18. It was done by phone on 2/6/18. (Tracy Isley photo)

Interview: Keith Howland

In terms of hit singles, album sales, and longevity, Chicago is one of America’s top rock bands. Their first album came out in 1969, and introduced the world to their horn-driven sound with songs like “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”. They followed with hits including “25 or 6 to 4”, “Make Me Smile”, “Saturday in the Park”, “Just You ‘n’ Me”, “If You Leave Me Now”, and “Baby, What a Big Surprise”. The band adapted to the 1980’s with songs like “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”, “Hard Habit to Break”, and “You’re the Inspiration”. And in 2016, we finally got to stop asking the question, “Why isn’t Chicago in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?”

Keith Howland has been the guitarist for the band Chicago since 1995, approaching half of the band’s history. The following interview with Howland was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Chicago’s concert on 2/11/18. It was done by email, with answers received on 2/1/18.

Interview: Engelbert Humperdinck

The year 1967 is arguably most remembered nowadays for the Summer of Love. But, ironically, one of the top songs from that year was about love which had run its course: “Release Me” by Engelbert Humperdinck, which spent six weeks at Number One on the British charts. This was Humperdinck’s first and most enduring hit, and famously prevented “Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever” from being The Beatles’ twelfth straight British Number One single. “Release Me” launched Humperdinck’s career, and other hit singles followed including “The Last Waltz” and “After The Lovin'”. He has sold over 150 million records.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Engelbert Humperdinck’s 2/9/18 concert at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California. It was done by email, with answers received on 1/31/18. (Jamie Overton photo)

Interview: Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is a truly amazing guitarist. But while he certainly has the ability to blow you away with six-string flash and speed, he’s much more about feel, tone, and serving the song.

Such an approach allowed his 1990 guitar-heavy album Ah Via Musicom to become a crossover hit, selling over one million copies. This album included his signature song “Cliffs of Dover” and other gems like “Trademark” and “Righteous”. Other acclaimed albums followed, most recently the 2017 album Collage.

Johnson is revisiting Ah Via Musicom on tour, joined by Kyle Brock on bass and Tommy Taylor on drums, both of whom played on the original album and toured with Johnson after the album first took off. This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the tour’s 1/24/18 concert at the Majestic Ventura Theater. It was done by phone on 1/8/18. (Max Crace photo)

Interview: Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks is recognized as one of the all-time great slide guitarists, and after a long tenure in the Allman Brothers Band is now co-leader of the Tedeschi Trucks Band along with his singer/guitarist wife Susan Tedeschi.

One might say that music is in Trucks’ blood: his uncle, the late drummer Butch Trucks, was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, and the name “Derek” came from “Layla” band Derek and the Dominoes, which featured Eric Clapton and original Allman Brothers’ guitarist Duane Allman. For the curious, in Dominoes-speak, Derek = Duane + Eric. Fittingly, the young Derek Trucks shared the stage with Eric Clapton, plus many, many others.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band released their third studio album Let Me Get By in 2016, and their second live album Live from the Fox Oakland in 2017.

This interview was for the 11/7/17 Tedeschi Trucks Band concert at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. It was done by phone on 10/24/17. (Stuart Levine photo)

Interview: Judy Collins

Judy Collins is a true treasure, a singer whose angelic voice made her a key figure in the Greenwich Village folk music scene and beyond.

She has written her own great songs, but Collins is best known for her interpretations of songs written by others. Notably, she was the first to record songs by Leonard Cohen (including “Suzanne” on her 1966 album In My Life), and amongst the first to cover songs by Joni Mitchell (a 1967 hit version of “Both Sides, Now”) and Bob Dylan (including “Masters of War” in 1963). She also recorded hit versions of “Amazing Grace” and “Send in the Clowns”.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Judy Collins / Stephen Stills concert at the Arlington Theatre on 10/28/17. (Stills, of course, wrote the song “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” about Collins.) It was done by phone on 10/9/17. (Anna Webber photo)

Interview: GRiZ

GRiZ is a 27-year-old sax-playing DJ and music producer from the Detroit area, and describes his music as “future funk” – an apt name for his tasty mix of classic funk, electronic music, and soul, with some touches of jazz and hip-hop thrown in for good measure. He has released five albums, including his 2011 debut End of the World Party, 2015’s Say It Loud, and last year’s Good Will Prevail. Check him out, and you’ll agree that his music truly is a funky good time!

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Griz’s concert on 10/15/17 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. It was done by phone on 9/28/17.

Interview: Peter Noone


We are blessed that there are many notable musicians who call our community home, and we are doubly/triply blessed that many of them share their time and talents to benefit our community. One of them is Montecito resident Peter Noone from the British Invasion band Herman’s Hermits, who will be hosting the Unity Shoppe Finale Celebration of 100 Years of Community Service at the Lobero Theatre on October 10 – more information and tickets are available here.

With Herman’s Hermits circa 50 years ago, Noone sang such hits as “I’m Into Something Good”, “There’s a Kind of Hush”, “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”, and the zany “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am”. There must be something in the water here, because he still sounds and looks great all these years later. He also oozes charm and wit, and probably could’ve had a successful career as a comedian if the music thing hadn’t worked out so well. Put all these ingredients together and you have a host with the most! (L. Paul Mann photo)

This is a copy of a preview article for noozhawk.com

Interview: Martin Barre

When you think of Jethro Tull, the first thing you probably think of is the guy with the flute. But pretty soon you also think of all those cool electric guitar parts and sounds, and when you think of that you’re thinking of Martin Barre.

Barre joined Jethro Tull in time for their 1969 album Stand Up, which steered the band away from its blues origins to an new sound which incorporated elements of English folk music. Other classic albums followed: the harder rockin’ Benefit, the multiplatinum Aqualung, the prog rock concept album masterpieces Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play, and many more. Barre’s tenure with Jethro Tull lasted until 2012, and since then he has focused on a solo career. His most recent album is 2015’s fantastic Back to Steel.

This interview was for Martin Barre’s concert at SOhO in Santa Barbara, California on 9/13/17. It was done by phone on 8/9/17. (Martin Webb photo)

Interview: Albert Lee

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If you’re the sort of person who pays attention to liner notes, you’ve probably seen the name Albert Lee pop up so many places that you think that it can’t possibly all be the same guy. Could the guitarist who recorded and toured with Eric Clapton really be the same one who played with Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, and who played with the Everly Brothers for their Albert Hall reunion show (and stayed on for 26 more years), and who also shows up on recordings by Joe Cocker, Jackson Browne, Bill Wyman, Chris Farlowe, and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord?

Well, it is the same Albert Lee who did all these things, and more. And somehow he has also found time to lead his own smokin’ hot bands over the years.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Lee’s 8/19/17 concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. It was done by phone on 7/31/17.

Interview: Bryan Ferry

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Bryan Ferry has been making fantastic music for over four decades. It all started with Roxy Music’s 70’s art/glam rock period (“Virginia Plain”, “Do The Strand”, “Love is the Drug”), which evolved into the lushness of 1982’s Avalon album (“More Than This”, “Avalon”). Yes, Roxy Music is truly “For Your Pleasure”.

Along the way he also has had sexy solo hits (“Slave To Love”, “The Right Stuff”) and plenty of cool covers (“The ‘In’ Crowd”, “Jealous Guy”, “Let’s Stick Together”). And throughout, Ferry has been the epitome of the suave, stylish, and sophisticated rock star.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Ferry’s concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl on 8/19/17. It was done by email, with answers received on 8/4/17. (Simon Emmett photo)

Interview: Greg Kihn

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Greg Kihn kihn-tinues rocking and rolling with the recent release of his album Rekihndled, his first set of new songs in over 20 years. And he’s clearly still got the magic touch. Fun-filled songs like “The Life I Got” and “Big Pink Flamingos” jump out of the speakers, and fit smashingly with Kihn’s acclaimed body of work.

Kihn got his start with the legendary Beserkley Records, with his first solo album coming out in 1976. Things really took off when “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” went Top 20 in 1981, and two years later “Jeopardy” hit Number Two, aided by a clever and memorable video that received lots of airplay on then-young MTV. “Jeopardy” was denied the top slot by Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” – no shame there! Kihn has also written six novels, and he spent 16 years as a popular DJ in San Jose.

The following interview with Greg Kihn was done by phone on 7/25/17.

Interview: Hans Zimmer

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Hans Zimmer has composed incredible music for some incredible movies: The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Driving Miss Daisy, Gladiator, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Inception,… The list goes on and on, up to this point including over 150 movies. His most recent score is for the movie Dunkirk, currently out in theaters.

Zimmer’s early musical career involved working with the rock ‘n’ roll bands The Buggles and The Damned, but under the mentorship of Stanley Meyers he transitioned to writing music for movies. As a measure of his success, he has thus far been nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won the Oscar for Best Original Score in 1995 for The Lion King. He has also won two Golden Globe Awards (for The Lion King and Gladiator), and four Grammy Awards (two for The Lion King, and one each for Crimson Tide and The Dark Knight). Over the years, he has worked with notable directors including Christopher Nolan, Ron Howard, Ridley Scott, and Barry Levinson.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Zimmer’s concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl on 8/13/17. It was done by phone on 7/21/17. This was a group interview, of which the highlights were included in the preview article for noozhawk.com (also copied below). Zimmer’s full answers to questions asked by yours truly are given here. (Ed Robinson photo)

Interview: Steve Harwell

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There have been many possible paths to Smash Mouth. Maybe you heard their groovy first hit “Walkin’ on the Sun” when it first came out in 1997. Or maybe you couldn’t avoid their infectious smash hit “All Star” a couple of years later. Or, if you’re younger or have children, maybe you were introduced to the band from the Shrek soundtrack which featured “All Star” and their cover of “I’m A Believer”. Or maybe you first heard about the band from the various Smash Mouth memes floating around the internet.

This interview with Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Smash Mouth’s concert at the Ventura County Fair on 8/3/17. It was done by email, with answers received on 7/19/17. (Jay Blakesberg photo)

Interview: Bill Kirchen

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Guitarist Bill Kirchen is known as the “Titan of the Telecaster” for good reason. Exhibit A: Check out his smokin’ signature tune “Hot Rod Lincoln”, which became a Top Ten hit for country rock hippies Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen in 1972, a couple of years after Kirchen and his bandmates migrated from Ann Arbor, Michigan to the Bay Area.

The Airmen flew their own ways in 1976, and since then Kirchen has recorded and performed in various line-ups and styles, from country to rockabilly to honky-tonk to the catch-all style he calls “dieselbilly”.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Kirchen’s 7/29/17 show at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California, along with Texas country singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore. It was done by phone on 7/21/17. (Valerie Fremin photo)

Interview: Tommy Emmanuel

tommyOne can describe the playing of finger-style guitarist Tommy Emmanuel with words like “dazzling” or “stunning”, but really he has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

Born in Australia, Emmanuel started performing professionally at the age of six as part of a family band. He went on to play session gigs and was part of the rock group Dragon in the 1980’s, but his career really took off when he embarked on a solo career as an acoustic guitarist extraordinaire. In this mode, he has released dozens of albums and wowed audiences at thousands of shows. His most recent album Live! At The Ryman! documents a triumphant 2016 concert at the famed Grand Ole Opry theater.

It’s worth emphasizing that Emmanuel is not just about technical mastery. He’s also an incredibly engaging showman, so you don’t have to be a wannabe guitar hero to enjoy a Tommy Emmanuel concert.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the 7/22/17 Tommy Emmanuel concert at the Marjorie Luke Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. It was done by phone on 6/6/17.

Interview: Bill Cunningham

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There was definitely something special in the air 50 years ago in 1967, arguably the greatest year of rock ‘n’ roll music. The bands, albums, and songs from that year are truly far out, man!

One of the Number One songs from 1967 was “The Letter” by The Box Tops, a Memphis-based band which released it as their first single. Sung by the late Alex Chilton, this slice of blue-eyed soul was popular worldwide, including amongst the soldiers fighting in Vietnam. The Box Tops went on to release other singles such as “Neon Rainbow” and “Cry Like a Baby” before disbanding in 1970. The currently line-up for The Box Tops includes original lead guitarist Gary Talley and bassist Bill Cunningham.

This interview with Bill Cunningham was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for their 7/14/17 performance at the Chumash Casino as part of the Happy Together Tour. It was done by phone on 6/16/17. Also on the program for the concert are two other bands with Number One songs in 1967 – The Turtles (“Happy Together”) and The Association (“Windy”) – plus Chuck Negron from Three Dog Night, The Cowsills, and The Archies.

Interview: Chris Stein

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The band Blondie got its start in the fertile mid-to-late 70’s New York City punk rock / New Wave scene, and went on to mainstream success with hits like “Heart of Glass”, “Rapture”, “Call Me”, “The Tide Is High”, “One Way or Another”, and “Dreaming”. They recently released their 11th album called Pollinator.

Along with singer Debbie Harry and drummer Clem Burke, guitarist Chris Stein has been with the band since the early days. He co-wrote some of the band’s best-loved songs including the aforementioned “Heart of Glass”, “Rapture”, and “Dreaming”, plus “In The Flesh”, “Rip Her To Shreds”, and “Fade Away and Radiate”.

This interview was for noozhawk.com for the 7/7/17 Blondie concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl, with co-headlining alt-rockers Garbage, and openers John Doe and Exene Cervenka from the band X. It was done by phone on 6/9/17. (Alexander Thompson photo)

Interview: Terry Bozzio

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It’s well known that Frank Zappa had the highest standards for musicians in his band, so drummer Terry Bozzio’s membership in that select group starting in 1975 is a true badge of honor. Bozzio can be heard on Zappa albums including Bongo Fury, Zoot Allures, Zappa in New York, and Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar.

Bozzio went on to co-found the band Missing Persons, which fused top-notch musicianship with New Wave sensibilities to give us songs like “Words”, “Destination Unknown”, and “Walking in L.A.” A quintessential ’80’s band, they released three albums before breaking up in 1986.

Another notable gig for Bozzio was playing on Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop album, which is widely regarded as one of the guitarist’s best.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Bozzio’s collaborative performance on 7/1/17 with poet Todd Griese at Studio Channel Islands in Camarillo, California. It was done by phone on 6/5/17.

Interview: Walter “Clyde” Orange

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Formed in the late ’60’s in Tuskegee, Alabama, The Commodores toured with The Jackson 5 before finding their own songwriting voices. Their early music was super funky, for example the songs “Machine Gun” and “Slippery When Wet”. Later on, they still could funk it up in songs like “Brick House”, but they also became known for their ballads like “Easy” and “Three Times a Lady”, and smooth R&B like “Nightshift”.

Drummer/singer Walter “Clyde” Orange has been part of The Commodores since the early days of the band, and sang lead vocals on “Brick House” and “Nightshift”, both of which he co-wrote. This interview with Orange was for for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the concert by The Commodores on 6/9/17 at the Chumash Casino. It was done by phone on 6/2/17.

Interview: Gary Pihl

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Guitarist Gary Pihl’s musical resume extends back to the 1960’s with the San Francisco band Day Blindness, which opened for notable artists including Janis Joplin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Eric Burdon and War. He later joined Sammy Hagar’s band, playing with him from 1977 until 1985 including on the songs “I Can’t Drive 55” and “There’s Only One Way to Rock”.

After Hagar joined Van Halen, Pihl got a call from Tom Scholz from the band Boston to lay down some guitar on the song “I Think I Like It”, which was released on the Third Stage album. This was the beginning of Pihl’s tenure with that band, which continues to this day. Pihl’s guitar can also be heard on the Boston albums Walk On, Corporate America, and Life, Love & Hope.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Boston’s concert on 6/11/17 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. It was done by phone on 5/12/17. (Kamal Asar photo)

Interview: Brian Wilson

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The story by now is well known: genius songwriter has a panic attack and stops touring with his acclaimed band, then retreats to the studio and writes and records one of the greatest albums of all time. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds, an album that Wilson is currently revisiting on tour.

With a songbook that includes the likes of “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls”, “God Only Knows”, “I Get Around”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “Surfin’ Safari”, and “Help Me, Rhonda”, there can be no dispute that Brian Wilson is a musical genius, and many believe that Pet Sounds was his crowning achievement. For example, Rolling Stone Magazine ranks it as the second best album of all time, behind only The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which itself drew inspiration from Pet Sounds.

The rest of the story is also by now well known: genius songwriter tries to follow up Pet Sounds with an ambitious album called Smile, but can’t because of deteriorating mental health, an issue that plagues him for the rest of his life. Happily, Wilson did revisit Smile with a new recording in 2004 and the release of the original sessions in 2011. Even more happily, he is still performing his songs in concert.

This interview was done for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Brian Wilson concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl on 5/28/17. It was done by phone on 5/12/17.

Interview: Rodriguez

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Until 2012, Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez was largely unknown in the United States – but then the Academy Award-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man was released. It turns out that, unbeknownst to Rodriguez, his music had become extremely popular in Apartheid-era South Africa, at the level of bands like The Rolling Stones. A highlight of the film is the footage of his triumphant first tour of Australia in 1998.

Searching for Sugar Man effectively relaunched Rodriguez’s career, and finally he was appreciated in his home country – over four decades after his original recordings were released. His albums are now considered lost-and-found classics, and he sells out large venues in the U.S. and around the world.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the concert by Rodriguez on 5/20/17 at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara. It was done by phone on 5/10/17. (Doug Seymour photo)

Interview: Dale Bozzio

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The band Missing Persons grew out of Frank Zappa’s stable of musicians after being part of his rock opera Joe’s Garage, fusing top-notch musicianship with New Wave sensibilities to give us songs like “Words”, “Destination Unknown”, and “Walking in L.A.” A quintessential ’80’s band, their music came paired with a revolutionary image courtesy of singer Dale Bozzio, whose crazy hairstyles, over-the-top make-up, and outrageous outfits have led many to call her the original Lady Gaga. The band – with founding members Terry Bozzio and drums and Warren Cuccurullo on guitar – released three albums before breaking up in 1986. In 1988, Dale released a solo album on Prince’s Paisley Park record label.

Dale is back in action, with a new Missing Persons album being released a couple years ago and a new line-up which revisits the band’s glorious catalog in concert. This interview was for a preview article for the 5/20/17 concert by Missing Persons at the California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard, California. It was done by phone on 4/26/17.

Interview: Robin Trower

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Robin Trower first gained fame as the guitarist for Procol Harum, playing on their classic late ’60’s and early ’70’s prog-tinged albums. When he left after 1971’s Broken Barricades, he followed the direction hinted at on that album’s “Song for a Dreamer” and his earlier Procol Harum song “Whisky Train”, namely Jimi Hendrix-inspired blues-based rock.

He has gone on to release more than 20 albums in this vein, including 1974’s acclaimed Bridge of Sighs – with songs like “Too Rolling Stoned”, “Day of the Eagle”, and the title track – and the brand new album Time and Emotion.

This interview was for the Robin Trower concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California on 5/17/17. It was done by phone on 5/10/17.

Interview: Gerry Beckley

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The band America had an amazing string of harmony-rich hits including “Horse With No Name”, “I Need You”, “Ventura Highway”, “Tin Man”, “Lonely People”, “Sister Golden Hair”, and “You Can Do Magic”.

America formed in England while the members’ fathers were there as Air Force personnel. The core of today’s America is original members Gerry Beckley (vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Dewey Bunnell (vocals, guitar); the other original bandmember Dan Peek left the line-up in 1977, and passed away in 2011. By now the band has released over 20 albums, starting with their debut in 1972.

This interview with Gerry Beckley was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the America concert on 4/21/17 at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California. It was done by phone on 4/11/17. (Travis Schneider photo)

Interview: Eric Andersen

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Singer-songwriter Eric Andersen got his start over 50 years ago as a folk musician performing in the legendary venues of Greenwich Village and writing classic songs like “Thirsty Boots”, “Violets of Dawn”, and “Close the Door Lightly When You Go”. Since then his style evolved in various interesting directions, and many of his albums are highly acclaimed, including his 1972 album Blue River which is a somewhat hidden gem of the singer-songwriter genre.

Andersen has also intersected with many notable musicians and artists over the years, including Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Phil Ochs, and Townes Van Zandt. Aesop told us that “a man is known by the company he keeps,” and by that measure singer-songwriter Eric Andersen is clearly one cool dude!

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Andersen’s concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on 4/22/17, as part of the Sings Like Hell concert series. It was done by phone on 4/7/17. (Paolo Brillo photo)

Interview: Robby Krieger

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Robby Krieger is best known for being the co-founder and guitarist for the legendary band The Doors, and his eclectic playing and songwriting were key components of the band’s sound.

The first Doors album, which turned 50 years old earlier this year, is a landmark in rock music, and contains such classics as “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “Soul Kitchen”, “The Crystal Ship”, “The End”, and “Light My Fire”, the latter of which was written by Krieger.

The Doors went on to record five more acclaimed studio albums before singer Jim Morrison died, including the songs “When the Music’s Over”, “Hello, I Love You”, “L.A. Woman”, “Riders on the Storm”, and others with particularly significant Krieger songwriting contributions like “People Are Strange”, “Peace Frog”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly”, and “Love Me Two Times”.

After The Doors’ demise, Krieger and Doors drummer John Densmore founded The Butts Band, which released two mid-Seventies albums. Krieger has also released several solo recordings, including the 1977’s underrated Robbie Krieger & Friends.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Krieger’s concert on 4/8/17 at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai California. It was done by phone on 3/29/17. (L. Paul Mann photo)

Interview: Colin Blunstone

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There aren’t many people who can truthfully say, “I was a teenage Zombie.” Two of them – Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent – were part of British Sixties band that brought us songs like “She’s Not There”, “Tell Her No”, and “Time of the Season”, and the acclaimed album Odessey and Oracle recorded just before they broke up.

After the break-up, Blunstone launched a solo career that included hit songs “Say You Don’t Mind” and “I Don’t Believe in Miracles”. The Zombies eventually reunited, and have released several new albums, most recently 2015’s Still Got That Hunger.

This was a quick unplanned interview on 9/4/16, conducted backstage before The Zombies performed at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, California. (Andrew Eccles photo)

Interview: Mike Love and Jeffrey Foskett

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Mike Love has been a Beach Boy since the band began way back in 1961, and wrote lyrics to some of their best-known songs including “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “I Get Around”, and “Good Vibrations”. And that’s him singing lead vocals on the recordings of the first three of these, plus “Surfin’ U.S.A”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)”, and more.

Guitarist and singer Jeffrey Foskett first joined The Beach Boys in 1982, and stayed on for about a decade, including for their Live Aid performance and for the recording of the hit song “Kokomo”. He then spent 16 years as the musical director for Brian Wilson’s band, and performed on the Brian Wilson Presents Smile and That Lucky Old Sun albums. He was part of the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour which reunited Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and rejoined The Beach Boys permanently in 2014.

This joint interview with Love and Foskett was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the 3/8/17 concert by The Beach Boys at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. It was done by phone on 3/2/17. (Udo Spreitzenbarth photo)

Interview: Glenn Leopold

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Amongst the incredible line-up of movies at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival was the world premiere of a cool documentary about the folk-rock band Gunhill Road, best known for their 1973 Top 40 hit song “Back When My Hair Was Short”. The name of the film, Every 40 Years, is a reference to the 40 year gap between the band’s heyday and their reunion that saw them performing a couple of gigs and recording a fine new album.

The film was co-directed by Eric Goldrich, the son of Gunhill Road’s pianist Steven Goldrich, who wanted to learn more about that phase of his father’s life and also to document the band’s reunion. Mixing vintage footage with new interviews with the band and associates – including Kenny Rogers who produced their first album – Every 40 Years tells the touching story of a band that tasted fleeting success, then got a chance decades later to make music together again.

There’s also a Santa Barbara connection – Gunhill Road’s singer/guitarist/songwriter Glenn Leopold lives in Santa Barbara, having moved here toward the end of a successful career in the animation industry, something he got into after the band petered out. Leopold, Steve and Eric Goldrich, and Gunhill Road bassist Paul Reisch were in town for the premiere, and the band even played their first real West Coast gig at the Red Piano afterwards.

This interview with Glenn Leopold was done by phone on 2/10/17, for an article on noozhawk.com.

Interview: George Thorogood

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George Thorogood has been cranking it up for over four decades, with a catalog that encompasses smokin’ covers of classic songs like “One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer”, “Move It On Over”, and “Who Do You Love?”, and blues-rock originals like “I Drink Alone” and “Bad to the Bone”. Along the way, he has sold over 15 millions albums and performed over 8000 concerts.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the George Thorogood and The Destroyers concert on 3/2/17 at the Chumash Casino. It was done by phone on 2/21/17. (David Dobson photo)

Interview: Alejandro Escovedo

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Alejandro Escovedo’s amazing musical journey has taken him from being a founding member of early San Francisco punk rock band The Nuns, to the cow-punk pioneers Rank and File, to the rockin’ True Believers, to an acclaimed solo career which has explored various sounds and earned him the title Artist of the Decade for the 1990’s from the alt-country publication No Depression. His latest album, Burn Something Beautiful, came out last year, and was a collaboration with Peter Buck from R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey from The Young Fresh Fellows and Minus 5.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Alejandro Escovedo’s concert at the Lobero Theatre on 2/25/17, as part of the Sings Like Hell concert series. (Nancy Rankin Escovedo photo)

Interview: Paddy Moloney

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The Chieftains have been thrilling audiences with traditional Irish music for an amazing 55 years, with Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes, tin whistle, and amusing banter for the whole time. The band is filled out by longtime band members Kevin Conneff (bodhran, vocals) and Matt Malloy (flute), with plenty of young talent along for the ride.

They are also known for their collaborations with artists from other musical worlds, including the likes of the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor, Sting, Pavarotti, and many others. Along the way, they have released roughly 50 albums and won six Grammy awards.

This interview with Paddy Moloney was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the concert by The Chieftains on 2/21/17. It was done by phone on 1/31/17 (photo courtesy of The Chieftains).

Interview: Uli Jon Roth

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Electric guitar virtuoso Uli Jon Roth got his start with The Scorpions, playing on the band’s early studio albums including Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, and Virgin Killer, and the live album Tokyo Tapes.

Eager to explore a more expansive direction, Roth left The Scorpions in 1978 to form Electric Sun, which released a trio of albums. His musical journey then took him in a more classical music direction, which continued until he returned to the rock format for the G3 guitar tour in 1998.

More recently, Roth has gone back to his hard rock beginnings with the release of Scorpions Revisited in 2015 and Tokyo Tapes Revisited: Live in Japan in 2016.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Uli’s concert at the Majestic Ventura Theater on 2/19/17. It was done by phone on 1/28/17.

Interview: Chip Davis

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Christmas music comes in many flavors, from traditional carols like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night”, to secular pop songs like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock”, to novelty songs like “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. And then there’s Mannheim Steamroller, which for the last 30 years has brought an instantly recognizable modern synthesizer-driven spin on traditional Christmas songs and beyond.

The mastermind of Mannheim Steamroller is Chip Davis, who got his start writing music for C.W. McCall of “Convoy” fame, then struck gold with Mannheim Steamroller’s Fresh Aire albums before striking platinum in the Christmas realm. To date, Mannheim Steamroller has sold over 40 million albums, and is the top Christmas music artist of all time.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA on 12/29/16. It was done by phone on 12/20/16. (Scott Dobry photo)

Interview: Jonathan Segel

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Multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Segel is a founding member of the eclectic alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven. The band’s first album Telephone Free Landslide Victory, which came out in 1985, includes such classic songs as “The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon”, “Where the Hell is Bill?”, the Black Flag cover “Wasted”, and “Take the Skinheads Bowling”. He also appeared on the independently-released II & III and self-titled Camper Van Beethoven, and on the band’s major-label debut Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. Segel has been back with the band since they reformed at the end of the end of the 1990’s, including on their most recent album, 2014’s El Camino Real. Segel has also played with many other bands and artists including Sparklehorse and Eugene Chadbourne.

This interview was for a preview article for the Camper Van Beethoven concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on 12/28/16. It was done by email, with answers received 12/14/16.

Interview: Zakir Hussain

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Tabla master Zakir Hussain has had an incredible career in Indian music and as a pioneer of world music. For those of us in the West, his notable and wildly diverse credits include collaborating with George Harrison, Mickey Hart, Yo-Yo Ma, Van Morrison, Bill Laswell, Kenny Loggins, David Grisman, the Kronos Quartet, Charles Lloyd, and John McLaughlin, with whom he was a founding member of the world fusion band Shakti.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Hussain’s performance with sitar player Niladri Kumar at Campbell Hall at the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of the Arts and Lectures Series on 11/2/16. It was done by email, with answers received on 10/20/16. (Susana Millman photo)

Interview: Rick Burch

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Jimmy Eat World has been cranking it up for over two decades, giving us at least two classic emo albums – 1999’s Clarity and 2001’s Bleed American – and hit songs including “Pain”, “Big Casino”, “My Best Theory”, and the biggest of them all – “The Middle”. They just released a new album called Integrity Blues.

This interview with bassist Rick Burch, who has been with Jimmy Eat World since 1995, was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Jimmy Eat World concert at the Majestic Ventura Theater on 10/28/16. It was done by phone on 9/29/16, the day that the band performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (Jimi Giannatti photo)

Interview: Ian Anderson 2016

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Ian Anderson is the frontman / singer / songwriter / flautist / acoustic guitarist for the band Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull’s first album, the bluesy This Was, came out in 1968, and their music rapidly developed with 1969’s Stand Up incorporating elements of English folk music and 1970’s Benefit embracing hard rock.

Next up was Jethro Tull’s classic album Aqualung, released in 1971 and regarded by many to be the band’s best. This included such Jethro Tull mainstays as the title track, “Locomotive Breath”, and “Crosseyed Mary”. The band followed with two concept albums, both of which reached No. 1 in the U.S. concert charts: 1972’s Thick as a Brick, and 1973’s A Passion Play.

Jethro Tull released many more albums, notable ones including the compilation Living in the Past (1972), War Child (1974), Minstrel in the Gallery (1975), Songs from the Wood (1977), and Crest of a Knave (1987) which somewhat controversially beat out Metallica for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance. Also well worth checking out is Nightcap (1994), which has a different take on the material that ended up in A Passion Play.

Anderson recently decided to use the music of the band Jethro Tull to explore the life of the real Jethro Tull, who was an English agriculturalist who lived from 1674-1741. This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the show billed as “Jethro Tull, Written and Performed by Ian Anderson” at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara on 10/19/16. It was done by phone on 8/4/16. (Nick Harrison photo)

Interview: John Sebastian

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John Sebastian’s musical journey has taken him from Greenwich Village to The Lovin’ Spoonful to Woodstock to a notable solo career, with a lot of hit songs along the way including “Do You Believe in Magic”, “Daydream”, “Summer in the City”, and the theme song for “Welcome Back, Kotter”. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as the leader and primary songwriter for The Lovin’ Spoonful, Sebastian at 72 years young continues to write, record, and tour.

This interview was for Sebastian’s concert at SOhO in Santa Barbara on 10/12/16. It was done by phone on 10/4/16. (Photo from johnbsebastian.com)

Interview: Peter Case

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Peter Case is kind of hard to categorize. For the last 30 years he has primarily been an acclaimed solo artist in the Americana vein, but with a bit more bite than you might expect from that description. That bite probably comes from his earlier musical adventures as a founding member of the short-lived power pop band The Nerves, which toured with The Ramones, and The Plimsouls, whose best-known song “A Million Miles Away” was on the soundtrack to Valley Girl. But however you want to categorize him, he’s been writing great songs for 40-odd years.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Case’s 9/21/16 concert at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, California, as part of the Tales from the Tavern concert series. It was done by phone on 9/1/16. (Greg Allen photo)

Interview: Steve Earle

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Steve Earle first made his mark with his debut album Guitar Town, which became a Number One country album but had enough edge to also appeal to many rock ‘n’ roll fans. Since then, he has had other milestone albums including the more rock-inspired Copperhead Road, the acoustic Train a Comin’ recorded after years of drug addiction that left him homeless, the transcendent Transcendental Blues, and a tribute album to his mentor Townes Van Zandt.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for a concert on 9/6/16 by Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara in support of their 2016 album Colvin & Earle. It was done by phone on 8/19/16. (Alexandra Valenti photo)

Interview: Rod Argent

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There aren’t many people who can truthfully say, “I was a teenage Zombie.” Two of them – Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone – are Zombies again, part of the reformed British Sixties band that brought us songs like “She’s Not There”, “Tell Her No”, and “Time of the Season”, and the acclaimed album Odessey and Oracle recorded just before they broke up.

If “Argent” sounds familiar, it’s also the name of the successful band that Argent founded after The Zombies, which is best known for the hit song “Hold Your Head Up”. Over the years, Argent has also recorded with other artists, most notably The Who on their 1978 album Who Are You.

This interview with Rod Argent was done for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the 9/4/16 concert by The Zombies at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, California. It was done by phone on 8/23/16. (Andrew Eccles photo)

Interview: Bruce Sudano

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Bruce Sudano has had a varied and interesting musical career, from co-writing the song “Ball of Fire” with Tommy James, to recording James’ song “Tighter, Tighter” with Alive N Kickin’, to co-founding Brooklyn Dreams and recording the song “Music, Harmony and Rhythm”, to marrying and managing and co-writing with Donna Summer including the hit “Bad Girls”, to writing “Starting Over Again” which was a hit for Dolly Parton and “Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin’ (Too Good to Be True)” which was recorded by Jermaine and Michael Jackson, to a recent active solo career.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Sudano’s performance at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, California on 9/4/16, as the opening act for The Zombies. It was done by phone on 8/22/16. (Darren Lau photo)

Interview: Dave Mason

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Guitarist/singer/songwriter Dave Mason was a co-founder of the English psychedelic/folk rock band Traffic, and he stuck around for their first two albums, the second of which contains his original version of “Feelin’ Alright”, a song that became a huge hit for Joe Cocker.

Mason also had a notable solo career, with albums including his 1970 debut Alone Together and 1974’s Let It Flow. Some songs from Mason’s solo career are “Only You Know and I Know”, “We Just Disagree”, and “Let It Go, Let It Flow”.

As if all this wasn’t enough, along the way he also worked with other artists including Jimi Hendrix for his cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, George Harrison for his first album All Things Must Pass, Paul McCartney for “Listen to What the Man Says”, and much, much more.

This interview was for Mason’s performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl on 9/1/16. It was done by email, with answers received on 8/16/16. (Chris Jensen photo)

Interview: Geoff Downes

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When keyboard player Geoff Downes helped to write the song “Video Killed the Radio Star” as part of The Buggles, he didn’t know that it would have the distinction of becoming the first video shown on MTV. He also didn’t know that soon he would be joining prog rockers Yes for their transitional Drama album, or that he would co-found the supergroup Asia, for which he would co-write hit songs including “Heat of the Moment”, “Only Time Will Tell”, and “Don’t Cry”. But that all happened, and it happened in the space of just a few years.

Fastforwarding to the present, Downes is active with all three of these bands. Asia is ramping back up after John Wetton’s battle with cancer, and he is working on new songs with fellow Buggle Trevor Horn. And he rejoined Yes in 2011, which is currently on a tour performing the Drama album in its entirety and Sides 1 and 4 of the epic Yes album Tales from Topographic Oceans.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the 8/28/16 Yes concert at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara. It was done by phone on 8/15/16. (L. Paul Mann photo)

Interview: Emmylou Harris

emmylouThe legendary singer Emmylou Harris nicely sums up her approach to music as follows: “For me, obviously, there’s a certain amount of ego, but it’s always about the song. You are the vessel through which the music comes. So it’s a sacred responsibility when you have that gift of being able to sing and being able to perform. I just think that that should be your priority.”

Emmylou first made waves singing, touring, and recording with country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons for the two years before his untimely death, including on his solo albums GP and Grievous Angel. She then launched an acclaimed solo career which has won her Grammy awards, Gold Records, and the hearts of fans for over four decades.

Mixed in was the smash hit Trio album with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, and her heavenly harmony vocals on recordings with artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Lucinda Williams, Leo Kottke, Steve Earle, and Guy Clark. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

This inteview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Emmylou’s performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl on 7/8/16. It was done by phone on 7/5/16. (Mark Sliger photo)