ask the super groovy band anything, NOW
Monday, November 03, 2003
Steve asks :
1. SuperGroovyBand, who would you all consider to be your main musical influences?
2. If you all had to taper your music collections down to 5 CD's, what would they be and why?
3. If you all could comprise the "Ultimate Band" of musicians, living or dead, who would they be, and why? (other than yourselves, of course)
*** Gogo***
(1).........
Early influences are the big ones. My Mom has played organ for Mount St. Peter's parish in my hometown for over 40 years, so she had lots of gigs before I was born, while I was in the womb, and when I was growing up. I know a lot of church music. This, more than anything has affected my approach to melody.
My dad is a very charismatic Santa figure who has hundreds of songs in his vocal repertoire. He showed me how to be a ham, and to be sincere at the same time.
Classical piano music was always a big deal in our house, as all 7 kids took lessons, and several even practiced as well. That brought on my looooooove for '70s European Prog Rock, and that music has opened my ears to freedom of arrangement and orchestration. Also, sappy radio pop that spans the decades has given me a sense of song efficiency and fun.
(2).............
well, you are talking about a desert Island, and I have much experience with Island living, so I would bring my studio, a grocery store with an ethnic food aisle, cases of blank CDs, high speed internet and my cute girlfriend and her art supplies.
I would ask her to pick 2 CDs, so she could play Metalica and Megadeth while I was gathering coconuts, and she could help grate them for soup when I got back (the Cd, that is). I tend to listen to the same album over and over for about a year before I try a new one, so some of my Italian prog rock is already a bit worn out, but that may be handy if we were rescued by Italians.
There are over 250 recorded versions of Vivaldi's 4 seasons, so I would bring those and find the one with the best balance between the harpsichord and celli. Next, a box set of early central European folk music, which may be hard to find, thus delaying the ocean trip considerably. One more, probably Harry Belafonte Calipso, because it has a decent beatnik Caribbean thing, or some Hawaiian music (not too corny though), or some pre rock and roll Cuban bongo stuff.
We would still have internet radio, of course, so we would likely still dance around to those modern East Indian pop tunes with all that crazy dark reverb.
(3)...............
Lucky for me, The Super Groovy Band provides me with a kinship with my fave dudes around, so the question is pure second choices. I would bring back George Harrison. Before he died, we had an invitation inside each unpublished copy of Joyride! inviting him to be our guitar player, because he is proven groovy. We deleted that text when it was made public that he was ailing. I am completely serious about this, he was not spent musically. Wonderful music person.
Ok, I love Terry Bozio on drums, Eddie Jobson on violin and keyboards, (both X-Zappa, and they could handle him...) and hey, Phil Collins on Drums, because he is witty too. You know, when ever the Queen has a big televised party, and the same guys show up to play, Clapton, Phill, and Ra Cooper (the old baldy percussion guy from Elton John's band?) I would have that old percussion guy stick around, with his huge gong, in case someone ever broke into Layla.
Failing that, Tracy, x-Partridge family is a good tambourine player. Danny on bass, forget about it. Rubin Kincade would still be our manager, of course, and the Mom would have to drive all of the long hauls.
I would bring on Vivaldi's string section, which consisted of an entire girls school, and Vivaldi as well because he can organize that end of things, and the laundry too!
Old jazz guys, and singers from 3 dog night, naaaaaaaaa, too much substance abuse problems.
Notice I haven't picked a bass player? Moon stays no matter what. Bring on your big ol' funky cats, I want Moon on fuzz bass.
*** LANCE ***
(1). ............
For lance,…deep purple,..genesis,..pat travers,..toto,..
(2). .............
The bible of rock drumming.still to this day,..there is no other way I would rather learn how to play than listening to Ian Paice.
Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak
That album has melody,..power and grace.to see thin lizzy live was an exercise in professionalism.
Genesis-lamb lies down
This album can take you to the farthest reaches of your imagination and back.soundscapes far ahead of the time dictated a whole new set of rules when it came to progressive rock.
Pat Travers-heat in the street
This album puts the grunt into feel.guitar playing,and the feeling like this lineup wanted to take over the world.
Frank Zappa-goes garage
This album goes beyond the humour everybody sees.musicianship,..arrangement,..and a concept that pokes fun at anyone who takes the music business too seriously.Every musician should have this recording.
(3). .........
steve lukather on guitar (from Toto)
Mars cowling on bass (Pat Travers bass player,..killer fender precision professor)
John Lord on keyboards(deep purple keyman,..need I say more)
Brad Milner on vocals (this guy,…I can’t tell you how good this guy is)
*** MOON ***
1. Beatles, Stones, Rita McNei
2. Sgt.Peppers, Zepplin#1, VanHalen1, Elton-Yellow Brick, Stevie Wonder- Songs In Key Of Life
3. Singer-Stevie Wonder,Bass-Victor Wooton, guitar-Beck's Guy, Keys- Groovy Man, Drums-Dennis Chambers.
*** PIERRE ***
1. David Bowie, XTC, The Beatles, Dexter Gordon, Captain Beefheart, Sonny Rollins, Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Tom Wits, Marvin Gaye + Jim Hendrix
2. I don't have many CDs, mostly records but if I was rushed to pick 5 I might pick:
#1 BAT CHAIN PULLER / Captain Beefheart
#2 Songs in the key of life / Stevie Wonder
#3 Trio / Thelonious Monk
#4 Axis Bold as Love / Jimi Hendrix
#5 We're only in it for the money / Zappa
3. Ravi Shankar, Joni Mitchel, Elvin Jones wouldn't that be cool ?
Lawson asks :
1. Where did you learn how to play your respective instruments... and how?
2. Why did you consider learning to play music?
3. Where did you get your first instrument?
***Gogo***
1. I had two parents and six siblings who all played piano before I did, so I started at home. We had an old lady teach piano even though she couldn't play and ate lemon mints. I took private piano lessons from a genius virtuoso. Then I borrowed Dodie's books and studied on a Hohner Pianette in Hotel rooms while on the road in my late teens.
2. Everyone did. it was a common language so I didn't think too much about it at first. My brother Tom the drummer pressured and guilted me into sticking with it and expanding musically to become a professional. I was always interested in Psychedelic Music
3. I will fake anything, and proud of it! As long as you can get a tone and have a sense of rhythm, you can make some kinda music. And even if not you can still jam with us on the mountain this summer.
Oh Yeah!, I started on drums and switched to keyboards ( and traded with my brother) when I was eight after giging our awesome song In a hollow tree. "You and me in a Hollow Tree" at the Scout Hut. Worth a troubadour badge.
*** LANCE ***
1. I learned to play in the basement, in school,.and with private lessons.listening to every possible drummer out there.
2. My dad is a musician,..I watched his drummer spin sticks when I was very young...It made me want to learn how to play.
3. I hack my way through three.
---------Q;;;;;
what is the main thing you are doing?
GOGO: make people happier
ARE you an original
GOGO: not a photo copy
nucleus
Buenos Aires, Argentina
1. Gogo, could you be the history and the influences of the band shortly?
My Dad looked like Santa Claus, sang and made people cry. Just beautiful. I aspire to his leavel, but it wall take decades. My Mom playes church organ and makes even more people cry. I was raised on extremly old Europen music, right here on an Island on the extreme West Coast of Canada. I studied dance, piano and redneck community living.
I freaked out when my big Brothers discovered Progressive rock. It all fell into place.
I got to see many geat bands play in Vancouver British Columbia, a nice corner of North america where international prog bands would eith start or end their tours. Eddie Jobson is still my hero, Rick Wakeman was my roll model.
Keyboard players, I never chose to be one. I wrote my first pop song when I was 6. All over the rainbow. have a cassette of it here. Crazy tempos. My girlfriend loves it. She is kind.
I grew up performing at dance shows and started gigging with rock bands when I was 12. Borrowed tons of keyboards and stacked them up all around me. Had long hair and holes ripped in my shirt. Build a big colourful lightshow from parts removed from condemed houses. Good thing I never got electrocuted.
My first actual paying job was as arena organist for our local hockey team, when I was 13, and I have never been so nervous in my whole life. Learned some good fighting songs. With 2 of my older brothers became totally popular in our part of the world with our prog group GRAPHICS, winding early Genesis numbers into our own West Coast psychedelic compositions. i would put posters around the towns and get 300 or 400 people to a hall at $6 a ticket. No advertising, no hype. It was a magical time. put all the $ into big bank interest to buy a big-ass PA. I took $40 out once to go to Vancouver to hear Peter Hammill. He got 3 encores.
The music bizz was a mysterious black whole that ate us up, and we ended up playing covers in Northern Canada, starving and breaking up with debts and bad stage outifts. This was a serious prog band. 2 of my brothers were in the group and another running lighting rig. They are now successful in music and in life.
I lived in hotels on the road, found a ghetto in Vanvouver, and played with a dozen comercial groups, had a great time, bought more keyboards, invested into failing businesses got really skinny. I couldn't even lift the small Hammond organ that my Mom got replaced at Sint Peter's Church. I was getting a LOT of BS out of the music scene, so at one point I took some time off to split some firewood, and wound up joining onto one of Canadas most famous, well loved, and enduring rock groups TROOPER, and financed my own project SUPER GROOVY, which is where I shall leave my personal artistic mark on this remarkable civilization.
I am blessed to be able to work with the most fun and talented guys frome whole mass of fanastic players that I have bumped into. The Super Groovy cats actualy live in the same town as I, although lately I spend more time on the beach, than in the studio. Must be summer again.
Pierre, (sax dude,) also sings lead in other funk and hard rock groups. He all the national jazz awards as a kid, toured around in blues bands. He can play anything, and does. Ijust brought a rhodes and space echo to his place. It's like bringing new chemicals to a scientist. He is a funk guy, a very well organized and hard-working beatnic. He can talk for hours without taking a breath, and all of it is hillarious. I wanna record him as solo comedy. Great guy.
Moon, bass player; I have played in a dozen groups with him. We always called each other up. He has soul. Funny thing, he was an athlete and musscle man when I met him, so I didnt wanna play in his band cos he made me look bad. He was actually a bit scary. We have evened this sitatuation out a bit, cos I split some firewood at one point and. Moon is actually Mr. Chill. Hasn't always been that way. The hockey fights are pretty much over now, I hope. He is an AMAZING singer and writed some very excellent story songs which I am starting to record. We have so much music together. We will be doing this stuff together for a long long time.
Drummer: Lance is a monster, speaking of big dudes. God, what a talent. He is a full-out '80s speed guitarist as well. Crazy. The guy is made of music. Also Billy Hicks, the funk king from heaven ,is laying down some new tracks. I love drummers. I am the drum critic of the universe. A drummers best friend. I get to sit on stage every night and listen to some wild soloing, while the stage shakes.
2. If you had to define which is the musical proposal of The Super Groovy Band, how would you make it?
If you listen to our music, you will never be unhappy again.
We are progressive funk pop.
I love melody. I want SONGS.
Wait till you check out the new stuff.
Long Haired Funky Friends of Jesus.............
3. We speak of the album that recently have published. What can you be about the I title "Joyride"! and of the songs that integrate it?
Joyride! Media people use this word to describe car theft. Bullshit on them.
Joyride is to ride for the joy of it. Take your bicycle and go down a hill for fun. Take grandma to the farmers market, I dont care. In our case, dead old cars in fields are very much alive, hop inside one and the galaxy is at your finger tips. I always thougt so, and that is what the Album cover portrays. Mid Canada has fields of old classic cars. It is amazing to see. I know that they all fly, with the right driver.
The album is a trip into the unknown, a perfect debut for a new group. There is a message to this music Dont freak out about the future. Stay happy all day.
I always thought it was crazy how so people in this world find it so easy to be ugly with each other. Should we not be a more enlightened society? And what is with all of the angry music? I enjoy some angry stuff; BIG ELF is wonderful, (they took me to Disneyland once!) but hey, I gotta counter the angry world of rap and bring out some new melodies at the same time. That is just me. Lets have some FUN!
4. About what is it the history of the album basically?
I bought a roland 16 track recording machine, plugged in a decent microphone, hauled some of my great old synths out of their tombs and scared myself! The drums and bass were added last, quite backwards of the way these things are supposed to be done. The newest stuff that we are recorning now is much more live off of the studio floor. The studio is postable, so that floor can be anywhere.
I cut and pasted quite a bit with Joyride! I engineered the thing and learned also the art of video editing at the same time, which encomasses all of the the visual art stuff that I have always loved. There are stacks of data disks and tapes after all of this. You gotta be organized.
In Canada, most of the music and book prduction is paid for by the government. Seriously. A lot of people make a good living writing, publishing and recording crud cos the man is handing them cash for free. Even the big stars here get free money. If you are not connected to the people who delegate the funds, you are on your own. I couldnt get a government grant to save my life, or to save the world. In our case, I financed this project from money I made touring with more famous acts. I figured that anyone can buy a newer car, but not anyone could record Joyride! We have total artistic freedom. It just takes a bit longer this way.
I mention this, because I am now competing in the record market with those who have gotten free government money, and the broadcasters tend to favour those poeple to keep that system running. Grant people dont have to recoup any costs. Oh, to live in the developed world...............
Music is music. Should be made for the love of music. I always felt that way.
People have been very generous with their time. The album was mixed by a guy who offered his talents, and then he got called in by Duran Duran and people with real $, so we got slowed down and another friend helped mix the last couple of songs. I love and apprecite thier contributions. This gave me time to edits all the videos.
I have an awesome girlfriend Tracy-Lyn LeSire, who paints big abstracts, and she helped with a lot of inspiration.
I am a singer, writer and a keyboard player. Joyride! made me an engineer and more of a producer, and now marketing person. With the new Super Groovy Music, I am also a mix down engineer. I know what I want, so why not just do it rather than explain it. These are all great skills to learn, but I just wanna sing and play, you know. I should make a tape of the laughing between recording takes. we have a lot of fun with this stuff. I insist. Pierre just kills me. He is really funny. After every sax bit I roll around laughing. I actually had to edit the laughing out of parts of the music because it didn't fit some of the moods. I will try to leave more of that in with the new songs.
I do NOT write music based on other songs, as many of my friends tend to do. I just let it flow, so it goes where it wants to go. Later, I can hear a bit of where a bit of the feeling may have came from. Wo knows? I like your hair is a bit of a Jesus Christ Superstar vibe. Fresh Apples is a bit like The Turtles Happy Together. Joyride! finale has an early Alice Cooper feel to me. You know welcome to my nightmare........ I love Alice Cooper, always have. I emailed his old drummer Neil Smith, who is a huge realtor in the U.S.A. He wrote back "Thanks a Billion." I am such a fan. For fun, I love to write a fan letter to people who are not so famous that they can still write back, and may appreciate a good vibe. Alphonse Mouzon wrote back. The only person who didnt write back was FLo and Eddie, so far. These people need to feel appreciated, I believe. I love to say thank you. Now, as the Super Groovy Music spreads, I now get many emails as well, which I really appreciate, and it makes this all worthwhile, knowing that people feel the love that we share with the world. (and dig the tunes).
5. Was I really pleasurably impressed by the musical quality of "Joyride"!. Do you think that you were able to develop all your creativity completely, instrumental and compossitive?
THANK YOU!
YES, THANK YOU! Total artisic success. I will not at any point compromise what I feel is a good idea or emotion. The songs are shorter in time length than many prog songs that I love, cos that is what suits these melodies best. I love longer compostition, but not if it is going to be repeats or uninspired jas. With shorter songs I can get more ideas in the same ammount of time. I want it all to flow as well. we have a TON of songs backed up here, 5 albums of vocals and keyboards sitting here, and I wake up with new ideas every day, but the idea is to make a record that has one feeling to hold it together, so I didnt put any trippy science fiction music or really dark prog on Joyride! that stuff will all fit onto a disk in the near future. We have all listened to enough records to know that you can not jump all over the place and still have the music remain interesting. I want music to be interesting, which is why I can not abandon the prog side of this and go straight pop.
6. How would you say that the sound of has evolved The Super Groovy Band until today in day?
Oh God, there is so much that I wanna do. There is not enough time in 5 lifetimes to do it all. I wanna do synth classical music, I wanna do Christmas music with ancient carols. My Mom has a wild old book with haunting Christmas music. It is just waiting to be progged.
The Groovies are going a lot funkier, a bit darker and a lot less fluffy sonicly, heavier for sure. This is all evolution. Less layering of sounds, more heavier sounds. Some soungs have a simpler arangement, and some quite insane, structurally. I do want want middle ground. Go where people will whistle the tune on one end, and drive them insane on the other.
I never really liked when prog bands watered down thier music to be radio friendly but keep some prog elements to keep those fans happy. Those records aremore forgotten now, and prog bands earlier, more integric stuff is still loved and listened to. Go either way. I really do care about this stuff. I do not want to be an 80 year-old geezer someday and look back at an insencere contribution to the arts.
7. Have you individually worked in other bands or do you have projects outside of The Super Groovy Band?
I am a full time musician since I was a kid.
I played public festivals and hoptitals with my parents, malls with my sister, Indian reserves and restaurants wiht my Dad. I have played classical recitals, school gyms with teen prog bands, country bars, hundreds of night clubs, shit holes, American festivals, midevil fairs, homes for disabled people, hockey games, Classic Canadian rock at major football and basketball games, tv shows, rock festivals with fields covered with thousands of people, on crusise ships, world fairs, busked on big city streets, church organ weddings, rock side man for dozens of bands, session keyboard player,.............I have autographs books full of the great people I have met. I play at the campfire parties when we get time off to go camping. My parents taught me well to stay out of the coal mines. Super Groovy is my choice of how I shall be remembered after playing sooooooooooo many songs.
8. Do you believe that in these moments there is a renovation in the world progressive scene? Is there some new band that has impacted them and can you recommend us to listen?
Oh God, I dunno.
I just want poeple to be happy have fun, experiment and not sell their ass to the devil. stay off of hard drugs, dont waste your life worrying about money, treat all people with equal respect. enjoy this magial age we live in. Be creative, be happy for Gods sakes.
As for new music by other groups, I tour so much and record when I am not touring, and try to keep my imagination clean of some new music, terrible as that sounds, so I can be out of touch, other than with people I run into directly. I hear the same music that everyone else hears at gigs, Walmarts and grocery stores. There is no escaping the media. I just havnt seaked out new groups lately cos I am too wrapped up in my own trip. People send me stuff, and I get CDs on the road. There can be a great bit to a tune here or there, but I see too many people chasing the same carrot.
9. Which your future plans are (to short and do I release term)?
I have 4 days off of the road. Going to go boating today, swim in the ocean a lot, get the hammock up and bar-b-que some red peppers. I need a little break. 7 flights in the last 3 days, seriously. Played a native Indian reserve in Northern British Columbia. Nice people, like being in Saudia Arabia, these people are rich, man. 4 am and they are all still awake and the chief wants to hang out. people, get some sleep. That is what the dali Lama said in Vancouver recently.
I wanna stdy more classical piano, and boogie woogie. I wanna deeply explore spiritual meditaion. I wanna send the new Super Groovy Songs to the big ass record companies. I wanna have a kid someday, Pierre and his wife just had kid #2. Dexter Komen, Rudy's little brother. I wanna play with tis dude Ray, a new guitar player who is really cool. I wanna get half of my synth collection restored, too many dead synths. I wanna roll up some sushi and go for a picnic. I am also a sculptor, Tracy cast 150 dinosaur items for an educational supply company this month, gotta ship that stuff out. Wanna tour the world with the Super groovies. That is the big one. Dinosaur sculptures and stuff can wait.
10. Lastly Gogo... was something what you meant them to our readers?
We are all spirits.
Treat all with equal respect.
Experience life, jump into the sea, try spicy food.
Dont freak out about the future.
Tell people that you love them, believe it. Live it.
Order a copy of Joyride! by The Super Groovy Band!
thanks for reading have fun,
love Gogo
\
1. SuperGroovyBand, who would you all consider to be your main musical influences?
2. If you all had to taper your music collections down to 5 CD's, what would they be and why?
3. If you all could comprise the "Ultimate Band" of musicians, living or dead, who would they be, and why? (other than yourselves, of course)
*** Gogo***
(1).........
Early influences are the big ones. My Mom has played organ for Mount St. Peter's parish in my hometown for over 40 years, so she had lots of gigs before I was born, while I was in the womb, and when I was growing up. I know a lot of church music. This, more than anything has affected my approach to melody.
My dad is a very charismatic Santa figure who has hundreds of songs in his vocal repertoire. He showed me how to be a ham, and to be sincere at the same time.
Classical piano music was always a big deal in our house, as all 7 kids took lessons, and several even practiced as well. That brought on my looooooove for '70s European Prog Rock, and that music has opened my ears to freedom of arrangement and orchestration. Also, sappy radio pop that spans the decades has given me a sense of song efficiency and fun.
(2).............
well, you are talking about a desert Island, and I have much experience with Island living, so I would bring my studio, a grocery store with an ethnic food aisle, cases of blank CDs, high speed internet and my cute girlfriend and her art supplies.
I would ask her to pick 2 CDs, so she could play Metalica and Megadeth while I was gathering coconuts, and she could help grate them for soup when I got back (the Cd, that is). I tend to listen to the same album over and over for about a year before I try a new one, so some of my Italian prog rock is already a bit worn out, but that may be handy if we were rescued by Italians.
There are over 250 recorded versions of Vivaldi's 4 seasons, so I would bring those and find the one with the best balance between the harpsichord and celli. Next, a box set of early central European folk music, which may be hard to find, thus delaying the ocean trip considerably. One more, probably Harry Belafonte Calipso, because it has a decent beatnik Caribbean thing, or some Hawaiian music (not too corny though), or some pre rock and roll Cuban bongo stuff.
We would still have internet radio, of course, so we would likely still dance around to those modern East Indian pop tunes with all that crazy dark reverb.
(3)...............
Lucky for me, The Super Groovy Band provides me with a kinship with my fave dudes around, so the question is pure second choices. I would bring back George Harrison. Before he died, we had an invitation inside each unpublished copy of Joyride! inviting him to be our guitar player, because he is proven groovy. We deleted that text when it was made public that he was ailing. I am completely serious about this, he was not spent musically. Wonderful music person.
Ok, I love Terry Bozio on drums, Eddie Jobson on violin and keyboards, (both X-Zappa, and they could handle him...) and hey, Phil Collins on Drums, because he is witty too. You know, when ever the Queen has a big televised party, and the same guys show up to play, Clapton, Phill, and Ra Cooper (the old baldy percussion guy from Elton John's band?) I would have that old percussion guy stick around, with his huge gong, in case someone ever broke into Layla.
Failing that, Tracy, x-Partridge family is a good tambourine player. Danny on bass, forget about it. Rubin Kincade would still be our manager, of course, and the Mom would have to drive all of the long hauls.
I would bring on Vivaldi's string section, which consisted of an entire girls school, and Vivaldi as well because he can organize that end of things, and the laundry too!
Old jazz guys, and singers from 3 dog night, naaaaaaaaa, too much substance abuse problems.
Notice I haven't picked a bass player? Moon stays no matter what. Bring on your big ol' funky cats, I want Moon on fuzz bass.
*** LANCE ***
(1). ............
For lance,…deep purple,..genesis,..pat travers,..toto,..
(2). .............
The bible of rock drumming.still to this day,..there is no other way I would rather learn how to play than listening to Ian Paice.
Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak
That album has melody,..power and grace.to see thin lizzy live was an exercise in professionalism.
Genesis-lamb lies down
This album can take you to the farthest reaches of your imagination and back.soundscapes far ahead of the time dictated a whole new set of rules when it came to progressive rock.
Pat Travers-heat in the street
This album puts the grunt into feel.guitar playing,and the feeling like this lineup wanted to take over the world.
Frank Zappa-goes garage
This album goes beyond the humour everybody sees.musicianship,..arrangement,..and a concept that pokes fun at anyone who takes the music business too seriously.Every musician should have this recording.
(3). .........
steve lukather on guitar (from Toto)
Mars cowling on bass (Pat Travers bass player,..killer fender precision professor)
John Lord on keyboards(deep purple keyman,..need I say more)
Brad Milner on vocals (this guy,…I can’t tell you how good this guy is)
*** MOON ***
1. Beatles, Stones, Rita McNei
2. Sgt.Peppers, Zepplin#1, VanHalen1, Elton-Yellow Brick, Stevie Wonder- Songs In Key Of Life
3. Singer-Stevie Wonder,Bass-Victor Wooton, guitar-Beck's Guy, Keys- Groovy Man, Drums-Dennis Chambers.
*** PIERRE ***
1. David Bowie, XTC, The Beatles, Dexter Gordon, Captain Beefheart, Sonny Rollins, Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Tom Wits, Marvin Gaye + Jim Hendrix
2. I don't have many CDs, mostly records but if I was rushed to pick 5 I might pick:
#1 BAT CHAIN PULLER / Captain Beefheart
#2 Songs in the key of life / Stevie Wonder
#3 Trio / Thelonious Monk
#4 Axis Bold as Love / Jimi Hendrix
#5 We're only in it for the money / Zappa
3. Ravi Shankar, Joni Mitchel, Elvin Jones wouldn't that be cool ?
Lawson asks :
1. Where did you learn how to play your respective instruments... and how?
2. Why did you consider learning to play music?
3. Where did you get your first instrument?
***Gogo***
1. I had two parents and six siblings who all played piano before I did, so I started at home. We had an old lady teach piano even though she couldn't play and ate lemon mints. I took private piano lessons from a genius virtuoso. Then I borrowed Dodie's books and studied on a Hohner Pianette in Hotel rooms while on the road in my late teens.
2. Everyone did. it was a common language so I didn't think too much about it at first. My brother Tom the drummer pressured and guilted me into sticking with it and expanding musically to become a professional. I was always interested in Psychedelic Music
3. I will fake anything, and proud of it! As long as you can get a tone and have a sense of rhythm, you can make some kinda music. And even if not you can still jam with us on the mountain this summer.
Oh Yeah!, I started on drums and switched to keyboards ( and traded with my brother) when I was eight after giging our awesome song In a hollow tree. "You and me in a Hollow Tree" at the Scout Hut. Worth a troubadour badge.
*** LANCE ***
1. I learned to play in the basement, in school,.and with private lessons.listening to every possible drummer out there.
2. My dad is a musician,..I watched his drummer spin sticks when I was very young...It made me want to learn how to play.
3. I hack my way through three.
---------Q;;;;;
what is the main thing you are doing?
GOGO: make people happier
ARE you an original
GOGO: not a photo copy
nucleus
Buenos Aires, Argentina
1. Gogo, could you be the history and the influences of the band shortly?
My Dad looked like Santa Claus, sang and made people cry. Just beautiful. I aspire to his leavel, but it wall take decades. My Mom playes church organ and makes even more people cry. I was raised on extremly old Europen music, right here on an Island on the extreme West Coast of Canada. I studied dance, piano and redneck community living.
I freaked out when my big Brothers discovered Progressive rock. It all fell into place.
I got to see many geat bands play in Vancouver British Columbia, a nice corner of North america where international prog bands would eith start or end their tours. Eddie Jobson is still my hero, Rick Wakeman was my roll model.
Keyboard players, I never chose to be one. I wrote my first pop song when I was 6. All over the rainbow. have a cassette of it here. Crazy tempos. My girlfriend loves it. She is kind.
I grew up performing at dance shows and started gigging with rock bands when I was 12. Borrowed tons of keyboards and stacked them up all around me. Had long hair and holes ripped in my shirt. Build a big colourful lightshow from parts removed from condemed houses. Good thing I never got electrocuted.
My first actual paying job was as arena organist for our local hockey team, when I was 13, and I have never been so nervous in my whole life. Learned some good fighting songs. With 2 of my older brothers became totally popular in our part of the world with our prog group GRAPHICS, winding early Genesis numbers into our own West Coast psychedelic compositions. i would put posters around the towns and get 300 or 400 people to a hall at $6 a ticket. No advertising, no hype. It was a magical time. put all the $ into big bank interest to buy a big-ass PA. I took $40 out once to go to Vancouver to hear Peter Hammill. He got 3 encores.
The music bizz was a mysterious black whole that ate us up, and we ended up playing covers in Northern Canada, starving and breaking up with debts and bad stage outifts. This was a serious prog band. 2 of my brothers were in the group and another running lighting rig. They are now successful in music and in life.
I lived in hotels on the road, found a ghetto in Vanvouver, and played with a dozen comercial groups, had a great time, bought more keyboards, invested into failing businesses got really skinny. I couldn't even lift the small Hammond organ that my Mom got replaced at Sint Peter's Church. I was getting a LOT of BS out of the music scene, so at one point I took some time off to split some firewood, and wound up joining onto one of Canadas most famous, well loved, and enduring rock groups TROOPER, and financed my own project SUPER GROOVY, which is where I shall leave my personal artistic mark on this remarkable civilization.
I am blessed to be able to work with the most fun and talented guys frome whole mass of fanastic players that I have bumped into. The Super Groovy cats actualy live in the same town as I, although lately I spend more time on the beach, than in the studio. Must be summer again.
Pierre, (sax dude,) also sings lead in other funk and hard rock groups. He all the national jazz awards as a kid, toured around in blues bands. He can play anything, and does. Ijust brought a rhodes and space echo to his place. It's like bringing new chemicals to a scientist. He is a funk guy, a very well organized and hard-working beatnic. He can talk for hours without taking a breath, and all of it is hillarious. I wanna record him as solo comedy. Great guy.
Moon, bass player; I have played in a dozen groups with him. We always called each other up. He has soul. Funny thing, he was an athlete and musscle man when I met him, so I didnt wanna play in his band cos he made me look bad. He was actually a bit scary. We have evened this sitatuation out a bit, cos I split some firewood at one point and. Moon is actually Mr. Chill. Hasn't always been that way. The hockey fights are pretty much over now, I hope. He is an AMAZING singer and writed some very excellent story songs which I am starting to record. We have so much music together. We will be doing this stuff together for a long long time.
Drummer: Lance is a monster, speaking of big dudes. God, what a talent. He is a full-out '80s speed guitarist as well. Crazy. The guy is made of music. Also Billy Hicks, the funk king from heaven ,is laying down some new tracks. I love drummers. I am the drum critic of the universe. A drummers best friend. I get to sit on stage every night and listen to some wild soloing, while the stage shakes.
2. If you had to define which is the musical proposal of The Super Groovy Band, how would you make it?
If you listen to our music, you will never be unhappy again.
We are progressive funk pop.
I love melody. I want SONGS.
Wait till you check out the new stuff.
Long Haired Funky Friends of Jesus.............
3. We speak of the album that recently have published. What can you be about the I title "Joyride"! and of the songs that integrate it?
Joyride! Media people use this word to describe car theft. Bullshit on them.
Joyride is to ride for the joy of it. Take your bicycle and go down a hill for fun. Take grandma to the farmers market, I dont care. In our case, dead old cars in fields are very much alive, hop inside one and the galaxy is at your finger tips. I always thougt so, and that is what the Album cover portrays. Mid Canada has fields of old classic cars. It is amazing to see. I know that they all fly, with the right driver.
The album is a trip into the unknown, a perfect debut for a new group. There is a message to this music Dont freak out about the future. Stay happy all day.
I always thought it was crazy how so people in this world find it so easy to be ugly with each other. Should we not be a more enlightened society? And what is with all of the angry music? I enjoy some angry stuff; BIG ELF is wonderful, (they took me to Disneyland once!) but hey, I gotta counter the angry world of rap and bring out some new melodies at the same time. That is just me. Lets have some FUN!
4. About what is it the history of the album basically?
I bought a roland 16 track recording machine, plugged in a decent microphone, hauled some of my great old synths out of their tombs and scared myself! The drums and bass were added last, quite backwards of the way these things are supposed to be done. The newest stuff that we are recorning now is much more live off of the studio floor. The studio is postable, so that floor can be anywhere.
I cut and pasted quite a bit with Joyride! I engineered the thing and learned also the art of video editing at the same time, which encomasses all of the the visual art stuff that I have always loved. There are stacks of data disks and tapes after all of this. You gotta be organized.
In Canada, most of the music and book prduction is paid for by the government. Seriously. A lot of people make a good living writing, publishing and recording crud cos the man is handing them cash for free. Even the big stars here get free money. If you are not connected to the people who delegate the funds, you are on your own. I couldnt get a government grant to save my life, or to save the world. In our case, I financed this project from money I made touring with more famous acts. I figured that anyone can buy a newer car, but not anyone could record Joyride! We have total artistic freedom. It just takes a bit longer this way.
I mention this, because I am now competing in the record market with those who have gotten free government money, and the broadcasters tend to favour those poeple to keep that system running. Grant people dont have to recoup any costs. Oh, to live in the developed world...............
Music is music. Should be made for the love of music. I always felt that way.
People have been very generous with their time. The album was mixed by a guy who offered his talents, and then he got called in by Duran Duran and people with real $, so we got slowed down and another friend helped mix the last couple of songs. I love and apprecite thier contributions. This gave me time to edits all the videos.
I have an awesome girlfriend Tracy-Lyn LeSire, who paints big abstracts, and she helped with a lot of inspiration.
I am a singer, writer and a keyboard player. Joyride! made me an engineer and more of a producer, and now marketing person. With the new Super Groovy Music, I am also a mix down engineer. I know what I want, so why not just do it rather than explain it. These are all great skills to learn, but I just wanna sing and play, you know. I should make a tape of the laughing between recording takes. we have a lot of fun with this stuff. I insist. Pierre just kills me. He is really funny. After every sax bit I roll around laughing. I actually had to edit the laughing out of parts of the music because it didn't fit some of the moods. I will try to leave more of that in with the new songs.
I do NOT write music based on other songs, as many of my friends tend to do. I just let it flow, so it goes where it wants to go. Later, I can hear a bit of where a bit of the feeling may have came from. Wo knows? I like your hair is a bit of a Jesus Christ Superstar vibe. Fresh Apples is a bit like The Turtles Happy Together. Joyride! finale has an early Alice Cooper feel to me. You know welcome to my nightmare........ I love Alice Cooper, always have. I emailed his old drummer Neil Smith, who is a huge realtor in the U.S.A. He wrote back "Thanks a Billion." I am such a fan. For fun, I love to write a fan letter to people who are not so famous that they can still write back, and may appreciate a good vibe. Alphonse Mouzon wrote back. The only person who didnt write back was FLo and Eddie, so far. These people need to feel appreciated, I believe. I love to say thank you. Now, as the Super Groovy Music spreads, I now get many emails as well, which I really appreciate, and it makes this all worthwhile, knowing that people feel the love that we share with the world. (and dig the tunes).
5. Was I really pleasurably impressed by the musical quality of "Joyride"!. Do you think that you were able to develop all your creativity completely, instrumental and compossitive?
THANK YOU!
YES, THANK YOU! Total artisic success. I will not at any point compromise what I feel is a good idea or emotion. The songs are shorter in time length than many prog songs that I love, cos that is what suits these melodies best. I love longer compostition, but not if it is going to be repeats or uninspired jas. With shorter songs I can get more ideas in the same ammount of time. I want it all to flow as well. we have a TON of songs backed up here, 5 albums of vocals and keyboards sitting here, and I wake up with new ideas every day, but the idea is to make a record that has one feeling to hold it together, so I didnt put any trippy science fiction music or really dark prog on Joyride! that stuff will all fit onto a disk in the near future. We have all listened to enough records to know that you can not jump all over the place and still have the music remain interesting. I want music to be interesting, which is why I can not abandon the prog side of this and go straight pop.
6. How would you say that the sound of has evolved The Super Groovy Band until today in day?
Oh God, there is so much that I wanna do. There is not enough time in 5 lifetimes to do it all. I wanna do synth classical music, I wanna do Christmas music with ancient carols. My Mom has a wild old book with haunting Christmas music. It is just waiting to be progged.
The Groovies are going a lot funkier, a bit darker and a lot less fluffy sonicly, heavier for sure. This is all evolution. Less layering of sounds, more heavier sounds. Some soungs have a simpler arangement, and some quite insane, structurally. I do want want middle ground. Go where people will whistle the tune on one end, and drive them insane on the other.
I never really liked when prog bands watered down thier music to be radio friendly but keep some prog elements to keep those fans happy. Those records aremore forgotten now, and prog bands earlier, more integric stuff is still loved and listened to. Go either way. I really do care about this stuff. I do not want to be an 80 year-old geezer someday and look back at an insencere contribution to the arts.
7. Have you individually worked in other bands or do you have projects outside of The Super Groovy Band?
I am a full time musician since I was a kid.
I played public festivals and hoptitals with my parents, malls with my sister, Indian reserves and restaurants wiht my Dad. I have played classical recitals, school gyms with teen prog bands, country bars, hundreds of night clubs, shit holes, American festivals, midevil fairs, homes for disabled people, hockey games, Classic Canadian rock at major football and basketball games, tv shows, rock festivals with fields covered with thousands of people, on crusise ships, world fairs, busked on big city streets, church organ weddings, rock side man for dozens of bands, session keyboard player,.............I have autographs books full of the great people I have met. I play at the campfire parties when we get time off to go camping. My parents taught me well to stay out of the coal mines. Super Groovy is my choice of how I shall be remembered after playing sooooooooooo many songs.
8. Do you believe that in these moments there is a renovation in the world progressive scene? Is there some new band that has impacted them and can you recommend us to listen?
Oh God, I dunno.
I just want poeple to be happy have fun, experiment and not sell their ass to the devil. stay off of hard drugs, dont waste your life worrying about money, treat all people with equal respect. enjoy this magial age we live in. Be creative, be happy for Gods sakes.
As for new music by other groups, I tour so much and record when I am not touring, and try to keep my imagination clean of some new music, terrible as that sounds, so I can be out of touch, other than with people I run into directly. I hear the same music that everyone else hears at gigs, Walmarts and grocery stores. There is no escaping the media. I just havnt seaked out new groups lately cos I am too wrapped up in my own trip. People send me stuff, and I get CDs on the road. There can be a great bit to a tune here or there, but I see too many people chasing the same carrot.
9. Which your future plans are (to short and do I release term)?
I have 4 days off of the road. Going to go boating today, swim in the ocean a lot, get the hammock up and bar-b-que some red peppers. I need a little break. 7 flights in the last 3 days, seriously. Played a native Indian reserve in Northern British Columbia. Nice people, like being in Saudia Arabia, these people are rich, man. 4 am and they are all still awake and the chief wants to hang out. people, get some sleep. That is what the dali Lama said in Vancouver recently.
I wanna stdy more classical piano, and boogie woogie. I wanna deeply explore spiritual meditaion. I wanna send the new Super Groovy Songs to the big ass record companies. I wanna have a kid someday, Pierre and his wife just had kid #2. Dexter Komen, Rudy's little brother. I wanna play with tis dude Ray, a new guitar player who is really cool. I wanna get half of my synth collection restored, too many dead synths. I wanna roll up some sushi and go for a picnic. I am also a sculptor, Tracy cast 150 dinosaur items for an educational supply company this month, gotta ship that stuff out. Wanna tour the world with the Super groovies. That is the big one. Dinosaur sculptures and stuff can wait.
10. Lastly Gogo... was something what you meant them to our readers?
We are all spirits.
Treat all with equal respect.
Experience life, jump into the sea, try spicy food.
Dont freak out about the future.
Tell people that you love them, believe it. Live it.
Order a copy of Joyride! by The Super Groovy Band!
thanks for reading have fun,
love Gogo
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