Interview: Mark Volman

Mark Volman and long-time collaborator Howard Kaylan were founding members of The Turtles, whose 1960′s hits include “Happy Together” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe”. When The Turtles disbanded, Volman and Kaylan joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and due to contractual reasons adopted the names Flo & Eddie. Flo & Eddie performed on the Zappa albums Chunga’s Revenge, Fillmore East June 1971, and Just Another Band from L.A., and in the movie 200 Motels. Flo & Eddie also sang background vocals for T. Rex, including on the worldwide hit “Get It On (Bang A Gong)” and the albums Electric Warrior and The Slider. And that’s just scratching the surface. They also sang on records by notable artists including Bruce Springsteen (“Hungry Heart”), The Psychedelic Furs (“Love My Way”), Stephen Stills, Alice Cooper, Ray Manzarek, Keith Moon, The Ramones, and Blondie. Volman is also the Chair of the Entertainment Industry Studies program at Belmont University in Nashville.

This is from a phone interview with Volman on July 29, 2011.

Photos: Frank Zappa symposium

Photos from the Frank Zappa symposium at the Ojai Music Festival. Here is a link to my review of this event.

Review: Frank Zappa Symposium

Review of Frank Zappa symposium at Ojai Music Festival, 6/11/10.

Advice From Musicians

Songwriters and musicians answer the question: What advice would you give to an aspiring songwriter/musician? Responses from:

Pete Seeger
Sir George Martin
Steve Reich
Jeff Barry
Graham Nash
Fats Domino
Willie Nelson
George Clinton
Wanda Jackson
Jon Anderson
Chuck D
Rickie Lee Jones
Todd Rundgren
Alan Parsons
Mark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Richie Furay
Ted Nugent
Billy Corgan
Peter Buck
Bryan Adams
Maceo Parker
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Abdul “Duke” Fakir
David “Honeyboy” Edwards
Ray Manzarek
John Densmore
Paul Kantner
Jorma Kaukonen
Jack Casady
Martin Gore
Robben Ford
Bob Cowsill
John Cowsill
David Pack
David Lindley
T-Bone Burnett
Johnny Rivers
Gary Brooker
Robin Trower
Garland Jeffreys
Airto Moreira
June Millington
Jean Millington
Jake Shimabukuro
Country Joe McDonald
Jonathan Richman
Van Dyke Parks
Steve Wynn
Tony Kaye
Glen Phillips
Larry Ramos
Jim Yester
Gary Lucas
Charlie Musselwhite
Carl Giammarese
Martha High
Steve Vai
Thurston Moore
Bob Mould
Lou Barlow
Cris Kirkwood
Mike Watt
Will Oldham
Bill Callahan
Buzz Osborne
Dale Crover
Neil Hagerty
Bob Bert
Don Fleming
Ritzy Bryan
Kim Manning
Linnea Vedder
James Jackson Toth
John Doe
Henry Rollins
Jack Grisham
Ron Emory
Joey Burns
Dallas Good
Michael Chapman
Russell Ferrante
Jimmy Haslip
Eddie Tuduri
Brute Force
Mark Tulin
Ian Underwood
Billy Cox
Will Cullen Hart
Scott Spillane
Julian Koster
Bert Lams
Paul Richards
Seymour Duncan
Daniel Levitin
David Freiberg
Steve Young
Justin Roberts
Larkin Grimm
Jason Reeves
Buddy Miller
Black Francis
Alex Ebert
Al Kooper
Jeff Hanneman
Ira Kaplan