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MP3 Victor Wainwright - Piana From Savannah
11 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Piano Blues, ROCK: Roots Rock
Details:
The following is an interview between the Daytona Blues Society and Victor Wainwright June 01, 2005:
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DBS: Growing up, what music were you into?
VW: I grew up in Savannah GA, so it was mostly roots country and rock n'' roll music: Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash - big stars that had hard-life stories to tell. That''s why I''m into songwritting today. More than those guys I lsitened to my grandad and dad. They played all the time, so it was awesome growing up around that much music.
DBS: Did you ever feel out of touch with what your peers were listening to?
VW: No, because during highschool I got into Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and other punk rock bands, mostly because that''s what all my friends were listening too. I still love that music. When I moved to Florida I started to open up to Billy Joel and Elton John, which seemed pretty logical. It wasn''t till the end of my Freshmen year that I started to get seriously back into roots music. It felt great, like that''s where I belonged. I researched the music and got heavy into the blues. I think growing up around roots music made it easy for me to fall in love and identify with blues music. Blues, rock n'' roll, country, Jazz - the''re all so similar.
DBS: Why do you sing the blues?
VW: I''ve been asked before in an interview, "So what''s your excuse? How do you justify playing the music you play?" "You haven''t been through anything, you''re 24 years old, you don''t know shit about shit."
You know, the blues has a great myth that you''ve got to be this old dude from the Delta with an alcohol problem, but people like that don''t understand, that, like all music, the blues is universal. The blues doesn''t see age, or race, or anything. The blues doesn''t discriminate. We all have the blues. It''s close to everybody. For somebody to say I don''t have the right to play the blues is pretty ignorant. BB King or Stevie would never say that to me or any other young musician. They''re all supportive because like me, they started when they were young. Now don''t get me wrong, I''m not a blues man. Muddy Waters is a bluesman. I''m a blues-player. There''s a difference.
DBS: Blues-player?
VW: I can''t relate to the role of the people who played the music back then. I''m not who they were. I''m not black or blind or being oppresses or anything. Those men were bluesmen. A bluesplayer is what I like to call a modern bluesman. But the blues does affect us all. It just affects the modern bluesplayer differently then it affected the men of the delta. Take heartbreak for instance. Heartbreak can turn everyman in the world into a bluesman; At least for a period of time. But I love the music. I love roots music, I love soul, I love every kind of music. So, I guess I''m giving a modern interpretation of it. Because it''s the only way it can be done. I can''t reproduce it like it used to be because I don''t have the same frame of mind. Someone once told me that I could modernize the traditional image of the blues player. That''s a real big thing to say, and I would never flatter myself by saying that, but I''d love to do it.
DBS: Do you have any goals with your music?
VW: I''d like nothing more than to move roots music into the next millennium by reaching the ears of a new generation. The great musicians had the power to break all the isms: race, age, sex, etc. I want to accomplish that. At the same time, I''m trying to make my own statement. When I began my career, I was constantly referred to as the kid who could play the blues. It seemed, at first, that everybody was more concerned with my age than anything else, and I used to feel like I needed to prove to everyone that I was a serious musician. I wanted them to look past my age and just listen to the music. As I''ve gotten older and played more, people have began to forget about my age, and I think people are taking me and my music more seriously. I feel very proud and satisfied with this album. Mostly because I know people will enjoy it. I think this music has the ability to cross over many different generations...young and old.....and different races too. I know this music, whatever it is, is fun to listen to, and I hope people will dig my interpretation.
DBS: So, tell me a little bit about how you prepared for the album, Piana from Savannah?
VW: Well some of the songs I had written before, from Shoestring [2001]. I ran into this cat Stephen Dees out at a Jam. He had heard the album and seen me a number of years back. He offered to help so I jumped at it.
DBS: So he knew about you?
VW: People are always talking about how it''s "who you know." Most of the time it''s "Who knows you!" which is so true in this case. It''s been awesome working with Stephen. Not only is he a great engineer and producer, but he''s a terrific bass player and band mate as well! We just hit it off. We come from a similar background and are both were looking in the same direction.
DBS: I see he wrote some songs with you?
VW: Yeah, we took a few of the songs from my first album and he helped me perfect the songs and bring them up to pro quality for this project. Later, when we started writing together, we realized just how compatible we were as writers. We came up with some great lines and some real fun tunes for the album.
DBS: Was it hard finding the right players for the album?
VW: Well Greg Gumpel, my guitar player and current roommate, was an obvious choice for guitar. He''s just the best there is. I know it''s a gutsy thing to say, but he''s really got it! He''s one of the few musicians that can take the feeling you get from a live show, and bring it in the studio. It''s really amazing. Brian Kelly on drums was the next obvious choice. We needed a real solid drummer for this project. Someone that could stay true to the roots, but also kick ass! Brian fell naturally in place, and it feels like I''ve been playing with him for years. He can play the Ray Charles thing to perfection and then switch right over to a piano based rocking boogie-woogie. Once I had Stephen, Greg, and Brian locked in, I knew I had the best core band for the project.
DBS: I see a number of other names on the CD...
VW: Yup, Stephen helped secure Charlie DeChant for sax. Charlie''s the real deal man. He''s the sax player for Hall and Oats you know? That guy can wail. He''s just a top pro quality musician, and a great guy, which is a hard combination to come across! Patricia Dees, Stephen''s wife, has an awesome set of pipes on her. It''s like having the Raylettes on your CD! As soon as I heard her sing backup I knew she had to be onboard. She''s also a great sax player! When I came across the need for a harmonica, the most obvious choice was Mark Hodgson. He''s a local legend on blues harp and there just isn''t anyone else that can do it better. These guys all helped put the finishing touches on the album, making it that much better.
DBS: What''s up with school and your other profession?
VW: I came to school for ATC. Eventually thinking, hey if music doesn''t work out, I need a degree to fall back on.....and I do. But now I find myself saying...hey....if ATC doesn''t work out....I have my music to fall back on.
DBS: Do you ever get flashed onstage singing the blues?
VW: (Laughs) Yeah, but it''s never the girls you want to flash though.
DBS: What CD do you have playing in your car right now?
VW: Uhhh, The soundtrack to Ray the movie.
DBS: What about your MP3 player?
VW: Oh jeesh, a million. Let''s see.... Tower of Power, BB King, Ryan Adams, Ray Charles, Louis Jordan, Dr. John, and some Jerry Lee.
DBS: What''s the best CD to listen to after a fat bong rip?
VW: (Laughs) You gotta be kidding me! (Laughs) Uh...I dunno. I know it''s typical, but Pink Floyd The Wall. I used to listen to that album over and over, trying to find the hidden meanings and shit.
DBS: What''s the best concert you''ve ever seen?
VW: BB King in Jacksonville, FL 2004
DBS: If you could meet one artist...who and why?
VW: Last year when I was asked this same question my answer was BB King. I''m proud to say that in-between then and now, I did meet BB. I got to thank him personally for his constant inspiration. It was one of the highlights of my life. BB has a special place in my heart. He''s a hero to me and to most of the blues community. Besides BB, I would have liked to meet Ray Charles
DBS: If you could jam with one blues artist (Alive)?
VW: BB King
DBS: If you could jam with one blues artist (Dead)?
VW: Ray Charles
DBS: Do you have a philosophy?
VW: Don''t take life too seriously.
If you don''t take life too seriously you''ll never get hurt.
If you never get hurt you''ll always have fun.
If you ever get lonely, turn on some music and visit your friends.
DBS: Favorite song?
VW: Georgia on My Mind
DBS: Are you working on any projects, or have any in mind?
VW: I''m starting to write songs for a CD tentatively titled "You''re never too white to sing the blues." I got some good ideas and am just starting to get them on paper. Besides that, I''m considering recording a couple cover tunes for the first time.
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