An EXCLUSIVE interview with NEIL FINN!

Here Comes The Sun:

An EXCLUSIVE interview

with

 NEIL FINN

 

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     In 2001, singer/songwriter Neil Finn (Split Enz/Crowded House) managed a feat that seemed almost unheard of in modern music: he brought together some of the biggest names in music to perform a few concerts in his native New Zealand. Apart from his brother Tim Finn (Split Enz) and his son Liam (and his band Betchadupa), there were also two members of Radiohead (Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway), Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, Soul Coughing’s Sebastian Steinberg, solo artist and session musician Lisa Germano and guitar maestro (and former Smiths member) Johnny Marr. The resulting video and live album was entitled 7 Worlds Collide and credited to Neil Finn & Friends.

     Seven years later, Finn upped the ante and not only invited the same folks back over to New Zealand for a few more live shows, he also booked three weeks of studio time with the idea of pooling their talents and recording a studio album for charity (Oxfam). While Vedder was not able to partake in the new venture, Jeff Tweedy and his Wilco mates gladly made the trek along with singer/songwriter KT Tunstall and New Zealand legends Bic Runga and Don McGlashan (The Mutton Birds). Even Neil’s wife Sharon and younger son Elroy proved to be integral pieces of the project.

     Each of the musicians brought their families on this working vacation, creating a warm environment that inspired them to create some of the best music of their careers. The resulting album, The Sun Came Out, was an album filled with great songs and wonderful performances from all involved. Produced by Jim Scott and Neil, the album was an amazing labor of love. The fact that the album didn’t top the charts all over the world remains a mystery and a travesty.

     But what was it like recording the album with so many great musicians giving their all for a worthy cause? How cool was it to have members of Wilco, Radiohead, The Smiths and Split Enz all pushing each other to create timeless tunes that would reach out and touch so many listeners? Where did Wilco’s Glenn Kotche put his wingnuts? Why on earth did Jeff Tweedy give Johnny Marr an autographed cucumber? Thankfully, all of those questions are answered on The Sun Came Out, a documentary on the making of the album available on DVD courtesy of Cinema Libre Studios. For fans of all the musicians involved, this is a must-have. For anyone interested in the magic of music-making, this documentary is filled with so many great moments, it’d be difficult to list them all here. This is an amazing fly-on-the-wall experience that is not to be missed.

     Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Neil Finn at his Roundhead Studios, where the album was recorded. While an in-depth interview about his entire music career would have taken a few days out of his schedule, Neil was gracious enough to spend time talking about The Sun Came Out project….

SPAZ: The album, The Sun Came Out, was released in 2009. Was the documentary previously available?

NEIL FINN: No, it played at a couple of festivals at the time. It got limited exposure. It was always the intention to get it out in some form for people to take home. It just takes a little while for these things to come together. We had the help of some friends who were basically working for free. It just took a little while to unfold. My friend Mark Simon Brown, who directed The Sun Came Out, has done it all as a labor of love. Once the immediacy of the project had gone, it wasn’t really a case of when is the ideal time. I think the ideal situation is to get it looking as good as possible and to make it a good package.

SPAZ: In this day and age, it seems unlikely that a group of talented, well-known musicians from different parts of the world would form such a strong camaraderie. How did you manage to bring these amazing people together and feel confident that something special was bound to happen? Instinct or wonderful accident?

NEIL: We had done one earlier on, which were just concerts, on a whim really. You become friends with people and there’s always a parting comment, “Let’s do something together some day”, and it normally never happens. So, we decided we’d try to make something happen in the spirit of adventure and I guess a busman’s holiday for us all. The Sun Came Out was a far more ambitious undertaking in a lot of ways. It was all based on hunches and instincts that people would get on. Having met the Wilco guys at a concert briefly backstage, I got the feeling from them that they were very much on the same wavelength as a lot of the people that had taken part the first time around. We sent an exploratory e-mail invitation and they just jumped at it. A willingness to step outside the norm and to come to an exotic destination seems to do the trick to get people motivated. Once you’re on the ground, you rely on people’s determination to do good work. We’re all just as mad for it, really, as each other. I don’t think anyone’s just going to glide through it. Everyone wants to do good work. I was amazed by all the hours and intensity that we all put in.

SPAZ: Did you work off a bigger list of friends and associates? Were there artists who were eager to get involved with The Sun Came Out but were not able to make it?

NEIL: There’s a certain amount of randomness, chance and design. I asked a few people both times that weren’t able to do it but there was just a really nice collection of people that said yes. At a certain point, you have to kind of NOT cast the net any further because there is a limit on how much you can achieve. I think there was a lot of good luck in terms of the way the whole thing unfolded and the way everybody related to each other, the groups of people that gathered to make specific songs…. It was just an amazing time, it really was.

SPAZ: Normally, writing songs is a very personal experience, yet so many of these folks bonded so well, creatively and their collaborations came out extremely well. Did it seem natural for you to break out of your comfort zone and allow other people’s ideas to dictate the direction of the songs?

NEIL: To some extent, some people more than others, everyone wanted to do their own thing but everybody allowed others to listen at early stages and to have input. I think it’s fascinating to see the way that people make music because you don’t often get a chance to step outside of your own environment. To be able to watch the main body of Wilco putting together songs, and then go on to record some rhythm tracks for the record that followed… it was pretty fascinating to watch a band at close quarters, to watch other songwriters and the way the process is. It’s reassuring in some ways because everyone’s struggling with some of the same basic dilemmas, needing a little a bit of push at times. I think that was the fascination of the whole thing for me: that I got to see the many varying ways that songs can emerge. There are no rules and a lot of it is just endurance and stamina.

SPAZ: You only had three weeks to essentially write and record the album. While you were a bit concerned about it beforehand, how long did it take you to realize that the project was coming together as you had hoped?

NEIL: I think within about three days, we knew that there was good energy in the building and everyone was pretty united in terms of what we could do. Within a week we had some really outstanding music recorded and that, in itself, was really reassuring. We were also really enjoying each other’s company. There was a lot of good humor involved in the whole thing, some of which comes through in the doco really well. By the time we got to the end and did the shows, there was a really big camaraderie and the shows reflected that. I started to think that this had been a pretty special experience. In the aftermath, I had quite a bit of finishing to do. I was left scratching my head at times, “We just had that experience but now I have to finish this!”. But you do. Nothing good without a bit of pain. There’s always a struggle involved.

SPAZ: Was recording with this motley group of musicians a completely different experience than working within the framework of a band like Split Enz or Crowded House?

NEIL: Yeah. With a band, you’re very insular anyway and you’re rehearsing and everyone’s got a long-term involvement with the songs. In a sense, we were all really having to arrive together… Actually, the business of getting things done, performances, being in the room with a bunch of musicians and you’re giving it your all, that’s no different at all.

SPAZ: While many folks are familiar with Radiohead, Wilco and The Smiths, did you realize that a project like this would bring attention to the artists who aren’t as well known, such as Big Runga and Don McGlashan?

NEIL: Well, I wasn’t really thinking in terms of that. I’d worked with Bic and Don before we put this project together and I knew they were both really good songwriters and very capable of holding their heads up in any company. I thought it would be good to have some New Zealand input. If it has drawn some attention, then I think that’s good. It’s probably fair to say that the experience of doing the project was the most intense and wonderful part of it. I think the record deserved more attention than it got.

SPAZ: I think Johnny Marr’s track, “Too Blue”, is one of the greatest Pop songs of the last 10 years.

NEIL: I appreciate your kind words. It didn’t make it on to many playlists, so the jury’s out for the commercial world, but I agree with you.

SPAZ: While you talk about its Spector-esque production in the film, I feel that it’s a perfect cross between something off of the first Crowded House album and The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”.

NEIL: That’s a nice comparison. Johnny was on a mission with that one and he really pulled it together. It was a very enjoyable song to actually do the rhythm track for with two drummers and a huge band in the room.

SPAZ: As a musician and music fan, do you think that a documentary like this might take away the mystique of the musician and the magic of music making? Or do you prefer to focus on the more human side of being a musician?

NEIL: There’s always a trade off in a way. Some people would choose not to reveal any part of the process and preserve the mystique. That’s when the process is really tedious and uninteresting anyway. The moments of inspiration and exploration come every now and again in the process, but there’s a lot of just sticking at it and not particularly interesting to watch. But I think in this case, there was so much extraordinary activity going on in a short period of time that it was an interesting process and it’s worthy to show people what went down. It’s also good to explain what it is because it’s hard for people to understand, I think.

SPAZ: While you have worked in front of the cameras before throughout your career, was it daunting to have them around during the actual creative process?

NEIL: You get used to it. There’s an art to the cameraman being invisible, virtually. There were moments where people chose not to have cameras going and they got annoyed by them here and there, but very little. Actually, if you are having a difficult moment trying to solve a problem, you don’t necessarily want a camera stuck in your face. There’s an art to it and most of the time they got it right. The cameramen found good angles, stayed out of the way and we got used to them and stopped worrying about it.

SPAZ: The album has a warm and comforting feel to it. Do you think it would have been a completely different album if the musicians didn’t bring their families to live with them during this experience?

NEIL: I don’t really know. It’s unanswerable, isn’t it? I think we would have come up with a great record still, but I don’t know if it would have been the same. It was just a really nice opportunity for people to be able to be really pull themselves into something without feeling like they were conflicted.

SPAZ: When the project came to a close and everyone had gone home, what emotion was more overwhelming: the relief that it had come together so successfully or the sadness that it was over?

NEIL: I’d say it was a bit of both. I think that that period of time was a good and I needed to take a break at that point. It was still summer for me so I was able to go to the beach and debrief. Getting back into finishing the record off and get the loose ends caught up was initially a bit burdensome because it was such an intensely good time with everybody contributing and for it to be left to me… but I totally rolled up my sleeves and got into it after awhile.

SPAZ: Are you planning to do something similar in the future?

NEIL: I think it’s likely that something else will happen but there’s no actual plan for it. It seems these things take time to gestate. With the last one, we had a seven or eight year gap between them. It might be the same… or something might come up. There was a great feeling in everybody for this kind of thing and I think that if the call went out, most people would answer again.

SPAZ: Even if you didn’t call me, I’d answer and just show up for three weeks and watch.

NEIL: Great. Well, I’ll let you know. (laughs)

SPAZ: How did you get involved with Oxfam?

NEIL: We wanted to find a charity that everybody liked. Wilco had done some work for Oxfam. Ed and Phil, being Oxford boys, are very familiar with the organization and had done stuff for them as well. It seemed to be a generally supported charity, doing good stuff all around the world.

SPAZ: What’s next for Neil Finn?

NEIL: I’m currently trying to write as many great songs as I can so I can make the best record I’ve ever made. Had a ball doing Pajama Club with my wife and we’ll probably do a bit more of that at some point.

SPAZ: What is currently playing on your CD, DVD and record players?

NEIL: The last record that got spun on the record player was one of those Atlantic Records Rhythm & Blues compilations, which has some incredibly good stuff on it. That was on my turntable last night that we were listening to. DVD-wise, we watched a really rubbish film with Ryan Gosling the other night called Drive. (laughs) I’ve never seen somebody who does so little acting get so much credit!

Thanks to Neil Finn

Special thanks to Rick Rieger, Lauren Watt, Kimberly McCoy and Julia Connolly

THE SUN CAME OUT:

THE MAKING OF THE ALBUM

BY

7 WORLDS COLLIDE

4.10.12

Growing up with DAVY JONES:

DAVY JONES

1945-2012

     When you are an impressionable three year old kid who is already nuts about music, there's nothing more thrilling than your favorite band coming to visit you each and every week without fail and bringing you the gift of laughter and song.  That's what it was like when THE MONKEES debuted on TV in 1966. 

THE MONKEES/Season One

     Back in '66, I was three and my brother Mike was four.  My parents used to tell us that the ONLY time they could leave us alone and not worry about us getting into trouble was when The Monkees were on.  For 30 minutes each week, they had peace and quiet from us boys.  Now, I don't know what trouble our older sister Dana was getting into and our baby sister Kristin wasn't around yet, but at least Mike and I were present and accounted for right in front of the TV watching Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork.  Well, to be honest, at that time, we might not have comprehended that Mike Nesmith had the same name as my brother because for the longest time, we referred to him as Wool Hat. But i digress...

THE MONKEES/Season Two

 
  So, while we may have been told that The Beatles were better, it didn't matter.  The Monkees were OUR band.  They made an impression that has lasted 45 years and we are all the better for it.  Their music became an important part of the soundtrack of our lives.  Their on-screen tomfoolery helped shape our own sense of humor.  We still remember the jokes and the gags.  We may not have understood some of the inside jokes, but we eventually learned so much about The Monkees over the years.

     While we had the first five albums at our fingertips most of our young lives, they eventually disappeared from our collections after a couple of moves.  During the Christmas season of 1975, we realized that they albums had gone missing.  We asked 'Santa' for Monkees albums for Christmas and ended up with nothing because, as my mom told us later, she went around to every record store in town and they all told her that the original Monkees albums were out of print!  Unfortunately, our mom was not well-versed on USED record stores at the time, but I can't blame her for that!

     In 1976, we did get some Monkees music back in our hands when Arista released The Monkees' Greatest Hits. While it may not have had personal favorites like "I'll Be Back Upon My Feet", "Sometime In The Morning", "D.W. Washburn" and loads of others, it DID have the biggest hits and that was OK by me.

     Around the same time, we became aware of a new (at that time) band by the name of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart which featured two former Monkees (Micky and Davy) plus Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.  I LOVED the self-titled album they put out when I got it for my birthday in '76.  On that fateful day, I turned my back on my other gift that year, a guitar, and spent all my time listening to the DJB&H album.  My brother Mike gladly taught himself to play on that guitar and he's done quite well for himself.  Me?  I still love that DJB&H album!  In fact, it's even available on CD now, although the artwork is different.  But I digress.... again.

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE & HART

     In the years since then, I've bought and re-bought those Monkees albums over and over.  First, on used vinyl.  Then when the Monkees became popular again in '86, I eventually bought the CDs.  Then bought the remasters.  Then finally, I gladly forked over even more money when I purchased the Deluxe 2CD remasters!  But then, truth be told, I was working in the industry by then so perhaps John at WEA was able to get me promos of those double CD versions....

     So, for most of my life, The Monkees have been a huge part of every each and every moment.  While I've never personally met any of the members nor did I ever get a chance to see them live, it's as if they've been close yet distant friends.  Not in a 'stalker' kind of way, but in the sense that they've always been there for me with a laugh or a song.

     Micky was the goofball who could sing and play drums. I could probably relate to him the most (and boy, do I still love that voice!). Mike and Peter were the accomplished musicians (who could also be pretty goofy). I didn't think I could ever be as talented as they were. But Davy? He was the charmer. He was the one I most wanted to be like when I was younger because the girls always loved Davy.  Even a few years after The Monkees went off the air, he was still adored by girls like Marcia Brady... and who can forget that Brady Bunch episode that Davy appeared in!

     This morning, Davy Jones passed away and when I heard the news, I was gutted.  While it didn't hit me  hard like when my mom and dad died, it was still pretty devastating.  More along the lines of when Elvis and John Lennon died.  The Monkees made one hell of an impression on me and in my own stupid way, I figured they'd live forever.  Unfortunately, life has a way of slapping the stupid out of me and making me face reality. I'm not going to go on and on and act like Davy and I were 'friends' on Facebook.  No, I was just one of many fans.  But that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt to know that I just lost a childhood 'friend', someone that I looked up to (even though he was shorter than I am).  Someone who made a difference on my life and the lives of many others.

     Goodnight, Davy and Godspeed.

For the record, my favorite Davy performances are on tracks like "Dream World", "Someday Man", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "I Wanna Be Free", "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow", "Love To Love" and "I Remember The Feeling" (DJB&H) but my absolute favorite Davy Jones vocal just happens to be in one of my Top 5 favorite songs of all time: "Daydream Believer"

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with JOBOXERS!

 
 

 

The Beat I Seek:

An EXCLUSIVE interview with

JOBOXERS’

DIG WAYNE and CHRIS BOSTOCK

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     Often derided by critics, history will reveal that the early ‘80s was one of the most innovative times in Rock history. In the late ‘70s, the initial thrill of Punk had started to burn out, handing off the baton to the New Wave and Post-Punk scenes. At the same time, the moody, experimental Electronic music scene had begun to morph into bubbly Synthpop. By the time the early ‘80s rolled around, these movements had converged and, in their wake, they left behind some of the most exciting hybrid genres of the decade. From New Romantic to Rockabilly, Brit-Funk to Ska, NWOBHM to Industrial, the first few years of the ‘80s dictated just what direction that popular music would take for the next three decades.

     With their Jazz-inspired sound, London based quintet Joboxers evolved during this fertile period in time. They not only had imagination, drive and musical chops, they had already paid their dues as well. American vocalist Dig Wayne helped nurture the Rockabilly scene in the U.S. as the frontman for Buzz & The Flyers. British musicians Chris Bostock, Sean McLusky, Rob Marche and Dave Collard had been performing together in the Jazz-influenced Subway Sect, the backing band for former Punk icon Vic Godard. When Dig and the Sect came together, the chemistry was instantaneous. And with Godard reluctant to create more music, the Sect joined up with their new American vocalist and changed their name to JoBoxers.

     By the time their debut single, “Boxerbeat”, hit the streets in 1983, the band had already built up a sizable following in the UK. With their no-nonsense Bowery Boys image to their timeless sound that incorporated Jazz, Northern Soul, Funk and Pop, JoBoxers became the talk of the town, sending the single to the #3 position in the UK charts.

     While “Boxerbeat” may have been their highest charting release, it was the single “Just Got Lucky” that would become the most memorable release in the band’s short career. It even made its way across the pond to the U.S., where it became a sizable hit. More importantly, the song’s upbeat timelessness has ensured its longevity, landing it on soundtracks such as Just My Luck and 40 Year Old Virgin decades after it was initially released.

     The band’s diverse 1983 debut album, Like Gangbusters, has just been reissued on Hot Shot/Cherry Red Records. While many of these tracks have appeared on compilations over the years, this is the first time that the album has been released in its original running order, complete with bonus non-album tracks and remixes. While the two aforementioned singles are the band’s best known tracks, the album also contains the singles “She’s Got Sex” and “Johnny Friendly”, both of which were sizable hits and, not surprisingly, unlike anything else played on the radio at the time. Yet, Like Gangbusters is more than the sum of its singles: it’s a strong album that has managed to hold up over years with all of its charm intact. From top to bottom, this album is filled with great tunes, unbridled energy and a confident swagger that steers clear of arrogance and ego. While some of the songs may have a dated drum sound here or keyboard flourish there, it doesn’t distract the listener from the great batch of tunes on display.

     To mark this occasion, Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to discuss all things JoBoxers with vocalist Dig Wayne and bassist Chris Bostock…

SPAZ: It’s been nearly 30 years since Like Gangbusters was released and now we are finally getting the complete album plus a plethora of bonus tracks on CD. How are you feeling about this reissue?

DIG WAYNE: It feels really good. I think it’s exciting. It’s just great that this thing has legs, that it has life and people are still interested in it. It’s all about touching people. When I was a kid and I saw Elvis Presley and The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and I saw James Brown on TV… all of that stuff that touched me so deeply. And I thought, “God, I want to do that. I want to touch people like that!” The fact that it’s been so long since we recorded that and people are interested in doing this now, its like I’ve really succeeded: I’ve touched people.

I got some copies and I gave one to my daughter. She’s in the 5th grade and she gave it to her teacher so they could listen to it in class.” I said, “Yeah, did you listen to all of it?” and she goes “Yeah, all but track #6 (‘She’s Got Sex’)”. I wasn’t sure which track number the song was but I said “Is that one called “She’s Got….” And she goes “Yeah, that one.” (laughs). At least the teacher was smart enough to edit and not play “She’s Got Sex” to 5th graders!

CHRIS BOSTOCK: It’s great to see all these tracks re-united for the first time. The new album includes all the original studio versions of the singles, many not previously available on CD plus all the B sides and 12″ mixes. For me, it captures the whole early era, and includes the studio versions of "Jealous Love" and "Just Got Lucky" which escaped the original album. It is also the inaugural release for new label Hot Shot Records and they’ve done a really great job!

SPAZ: Dig, your pre-JoBoxers musical background includes the Rockabilly band Buzz & The Flyers. How did you end up in the UK?

DIG: I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Around the time of Punk, a friend of mine had come back from New York and he said listen to this album and he had a Ramones album. He put it on and I was like “Good Lord, what is that?” I’d never heard anything like it. I’d probably heard the Sex Pistols by then so I was aware of English Punk Rock. When I first heard The Ramones, it was something different. It was American. It had that Garage sound that I was familiar with because of The Stooges and MC5 and all that stuff that was really pivotal when I was a kid. By then, someone turned me onto Rockabilly and I thought, “I know that music! This is Elvis Presley… this is the music I grew up on. My mom used to have the ‘Be Bop A Lula’ single (by Gene Vincent). I kind of went all the way back to the music I heard as a real little kid. That really touched me and I thought “That’s what I want to do. I want to do THAT kind of music.” I didn’t really want to do Punk. I wasn’t angry enough to do Punk Rock. It (Rockabilly) had the same heart, the same motivation. You didn’t have to be a great musician. You had to look right, your heart had to be in it and you had to be willing to learn a few chords and get up on the stage and do it. Rockabilly was like Punk in that way.

We (Buzz & The Flyers) were playing around New York City during the Rockabilly scene. This is when The Stray Cats were just kind of starting and they were opening for us at Max’s Kansas City. We really had a big name in New York. We opened for The Clash at Bond’s when that did that big two week residency in Times Square. The Clash’s manager, Bernie Rhodes, saw us and he approached me afterwards and he said “I really like you. I don’t like your band but I like you. If you ever want to come to England and start a new band, let me know.” At that point, I’d been doing the Rockabilly thing in New York for a couple of years. By then, The Stray Cats had started to take off. We did go to England ourselves a couple of times and got a great reception so we thought we were poised to become really big. The Stray Cats went to England and then, all of a sudden, they came back and the were on the cover of Rolling Stone or NME or something and we’re like “What?” They took off and made the Rockabilly thing really happen and, by then, we were playing and people were going “Hey, you guys sound like The Stray Cats!” That just killed me. My ego couldn’t take that. I couldn’t take the Rockabilly thing anymore. So, I took Bernie Rhodes up on his offer. Within two weeks, I had given away all my furniture, all my ‘50s clothes, everything I had. I broke up with my girlfriend. And I went to England… just like that.

SPAZ: Chris, a lot of people remember Vic Godard’s Subway Sect as a seminal Punk band but by the time you played with him, the band had morphed into a jazzy Cole Porter influenced outfit. How did this come about?

CHRIS: The first wave of Punk was always about being non-conformist in both music and the way you looked and it had made its mark on us individually when we had played in our first bands. That period after punk was rich in musical styles. In the UK, punk quickly became New Wave, then Ska took off, then Rockabilly arrived and we were influenced by all of these styles and many more. There was really nothing stopping anyone doing anything new. By the time we got together with Vic, punk was long gone but we were determined that we would make our own sound and look. We immediately hit it off musically with Vic and the sound came naturally like a breath of fresh air. We ran a weekly club at London Soho’s Whisky-a-Go-Go to launch the new act and the whole scene was branded as ‘Cool Bop & Swing’ which described it fairly well and as no other band was doing anything like it at the time, we were quite pleased with the result. We then got signed to London Records and released an album and singles.

SPAZ: How did Dig and the remnants of Subway Sect first come together?

DIG: I went to London and he (Bernie Rhodes) took me straight from the airport to a rehearsal studio where I met the guys. They seemed pretty cool so we started talking. They’d seen Buzz & The Flyers when I came to England so they knew who I was. They were doing this thing called at the Y Club in Soho. It was like a Thursday night or something. Vic Godard was the main singer but I would sing a few songs and this female singer, Lady Blue, would sing a few songs. We would do this cabaret thing for awhile. Eventually, I began to realize that Vic didn’t like to tour. Vic was a very eccentric character. I said to Bernie, “I don’t want to be just one of the singers in this cabaret thing. I want to have a band. I want it to be my band. I don’t want to be sharing this band with somebody else.” One thing led to another and said he talked to the guys and they said “Yeah, let’s do that. Lets work on a project and create something else.” That’s what we did. We started writing our own songs. We didn’t have the Punk asthetic because everyone was very good players. We had come out of that Punk world, but everybody could really play. And that really made a difference because we weren’t so limited on our songwriting and our influences. We could play what we wanted to play. That’s why we took to the Swing thing, the Pop thing, Soul… we could play whatever we wanted to play.

CHRIS: As Subway Sect, we had taken our show on numerous tours of the UK, but Vic was showing signs of drifting away with other interests. One night at the Manchester Apollo, the climax of the tour, Vic didn’t show up, so we had no choice but to carry on with the show regardless, maxing out our vocals with chants to make up for the missing front man - and yet despite all this, the show went down a storm! After that, we had no intention of stopping but we now knew we needed a super-hot front person to step things up. We had recently seen Dig’s group Buzz and The Flyers perform in London and were stunned by their act and professionalism. They were the ultimate new-rockabilly outfit with a punk edge - the real deal - and Dig’s whole performance was perfect to the last detail. It turned out that our manager, Bernard Rhodes had also checked them out. Apart from being the Clash’s manager, Bernard had also managed The Specials and Dexys Midnight Runners in their formative stages and had an eye for the cutting edge. At our request, Bernard went to New York, explained the scenario and won over Dig, who agreed to come over and try it out with us as a project. When we teamed up with Dig, the new band’s capabilities were suddenly unlocked and we felt that we had taken on a whole new dimension.

SPAZ: Do either of you remember the first song that you wrote when you realized that you had found your sound?

DIG: The first one that we wrote that I thought “This is it” was “Boxerbeat”. How these songs came about is that someone would come up with a little riff and we’d just jam on it and I would say “Oh, I like that bit and I like that bit…” I’d record it all and take it home and write lyrics or a melody or something. Rob, our guitar player, he came in with basically the riff of “Boxerbeat” and a bit of the melody and I thought “That’s really good!” I took it home and, at that time, it was the thing to do to have your own anthem, your own theme song. I thought of “Boxerbeat”. It made a lot of sense. I went home and wrote the lyrics and we started working on it. When we came up with that beat, I thought, “Wow! This is fucking cool!” We had our theme song!

CHRIS: Well, the great thing about JoBoxers is that we were all involved in the songwriting. For me, that’s what made it a REAL band and the JoBoxers sound was there right from the start with Dig bringing the best out of the group. There wasn’t really a particular song that set the scene although the music did become a bit more refined as we went along. When we started working with Dig, the new sound evolved very quickly as the band took on a tougher edge as the much wider range of influences suddenly shone through.

SPAZ: There weren’t a lot of young bands playing the kind of stuff you were. Did you feel like a fish out of water… or perhaps the leaders of a new scene?

DIG: Because most of the popular groups were Duran Duran, Kajagoogoo and that sort of thing, we realized we were different and we were creating a scene. At the same time in England, there was something called Hard Times. I-D magazine had this issue called Hard Times, so there was a bubbling undercurrent, a backlash to that pretty boy look. There was a club scene happening that was really promoting leaning towards the hard edge of it. Those were the people that were coming to see us.

CHRIS: Well, there was certainly nothing else like it at the time but I don’t believe any of us could really have been followers. We knew what we wanted and we did it with conviction. It’s that whole ‘non-conformist’ ethic again from the punk days with the drive to break through with something original. You just got on with it, did it well and the industry took notice. The BBC launched us on their Oxford Road Show and we quickly got signed to RCA Records. Following that, we landed a live set on ‘The Tube’, a really popular live music show hosted by Jools Holland and then as the singles charted we made regular appearances on Top of the Pops and all the other music shows. In the US, I remember us appearing on Solid Gold and Rock of the 80s. It wasn’t long before we were aware of the JoBoxers sound and look influencing other groups. We did a big tour of the US which went down really well everywhere.

SPAZ: What inspired the band’s image?

DIG: I got rid of the Rockabilly thing. They got rid of their little bow ties, which they were doing at the club. They were like these smart young men in bow ties and blazers. We were into Dexys (Midnight Runners). I loved the Bowery Boys, that whole New York City lower East Side thing. I brought that idea along. We mixed that with Dexys and, one thing led to another, and that look just kind of happened. It also happened out of the fact that we didn’t have a lot of money: it was cheap to do. The most expensive thing we had on was our Doc Marten boots. We just put this look together and it was the right thing at the right time.

SPAZ: “Boxerbeat” was the band’s first single and really stood out amongst all the other records of the day. Some said that you were influenced by early Dexys Midnight Runners (pre-Too Rye Aye). Was this the case?

CHRIS: For sure, the early Dexys were influential. The soul influence, the disciplined playing, the unified look, but there was so much else too: early funk, New York disco, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, The Specials, Bluebeat… When ""Boxerbeat" was released, we were on Madness’s UK tour and as that tour progressed, we watched "Boxerbeat" climb the UK charts to No 3, only being kept off the top by Duran and Bowie, who was dug in at No.1 for several weeks with "Let’s Dance".

SPAZ: Here in the U.S., “Just Got Lucky” became your calling card. Do you remember how you felt after writing the song? Were you aware that it was going to be a pivotal moment in your career?

DIG: We were pretty sure that one was going to be a single. Chris and I wrote that song. I used to carry this notebook around with me and I’d just jot down little phrases and sayings. I’d overhear someone say something and I’d think that’s an interesting phrase or turn of phrase or something. And while I was writing lyrics, I’d always go to those little phrase to get a title. I had ‘just got lucky’ written down for years. I’d heard it in a movie or somewhere. Somebody said that and I thought that’d be a good title for something. So, I had it written down and Chris had the riff. We were sitting around in this funky little squat in London. We were sitting at the kitchen table and he was carrying his bass and he was playing a riff. I think the first thing we had was the chorus (sings) “Just got lucky…” From there, I wrote the rest of the song. The first line was “Your technique leaves me weak”, which I got from an old Popeye cartoon. Olive Oil said it to Popeye. I thought, “That is a good rhyme. I’ll have to use it someday.” And I did. Every time I hear “Just Got Lucky”, I think about Popeye! (laughs)

CHRIS: Dig and I wrote the song while sharing a place in London. I wrote the theme on guitar and piano and added nonsense lyrics as a rough idea. Then Dig wrote the lyrics and transformed it and when Dig sang it, we knew we had something big on our hands. There was a real buzz when we all performed it – it happened very quickly. All the JoBoxers elements are in there: the northern soul drums, choppy guitar, driving bass, Hammond, piano and a hint of sax for good measure. It defines the JoBoxers sound. We all knew this was going to be a single but couldn’t have predicted just how far it would go.

SPAZ: Over 20 years later, the use of “Just Got Lucky” in the film 40 Year Old Virgin was one of the most memorable parts of the movie. How did it feel knowing that the song had managed to stay fresh and relevant after so many years?

DIG: It feels great. It feels like we really accomplished something. Like I said before, we really touched people. I remember distinctly the record company coming to a rehearsal. We had that, we’d been working on it and we couldn’t wait to play it for them. I remember playing them that song and when we were finished with it, they said “Yeah, that’s a hit single!”

CHRIS: It’s a compliment whenever the song gets used. I thought it worked well in that movie and also as the opening track to Just My Luck with Lindsay Lohan. I also get a good feeling from the seemingly endless online compliments and seeing so many bands covering it. For me, the more it gets used the better. Many decades ago, songs were written to be covered by other artists and it’s good to know that it works well simply as a song without depending on any technology

SPAZ: The album Like Gangbusters featured the aforementioned singles as well as other hits like “Johnny Friendly” and “She’s Got Sex”. How did you go about choosing the singles from the album?

DIG: Unfortunately, we left it up to the label and that can be the kiss of death. That was kind of the beginning of our demise in a weird sort of way. It’s a real learning process. That’s what a lot of young bands do: they go against their own instincts. And sometimes, a record company doesn’t know what’s best for you. The fact that they chose to release “Boxerbeat” first in England and Europe, that was great. A lot of people were waiting for us to put out a record. The record company really got behind it and it went to #3, and we were excited about that. But I thought, “Man, what are we going to do now?” And that was the problem. If they had released “Johnny Friendly” and it had gone in the Top 30, then we could have gone with a release in the Top 20, then one in the Top 10… but we went the wrong way! We went from #3 and then to #7, to #12 and then to #18. We never really got to build a career. We just went straight up fast and kind of burned out quick.

CHRIS: Usually, the cream of the live set becomes the album and the singles should then shine out although when you like them all, it can be really tough deciding which should be the singles or what order they should be released in. Still, "Johnny Friendly" was the first written, "Boxerbeat" was our anthem, "Just Got Lucky" had the groove and "She’s Got Sex" was instant and fun.

SPAZ: Were you aware that “She’s Got Sex” got plenty of airplay over here, especially on stations like KROQ in L.A.? That seems to be your second best known song on these shores.

CHRIS: Well, it was certainly always popular. I remember it came together quickly in the studio and felt really good. We did two versions, an album and single version that are quite different. You could do anything with it though. In the UK, it was covered by a page three girl on her album which went double platinum.

SPAZ: What are your memories of recording Like Gangbusters?

DIG: When we recorded “Boxerbeat”, I remember producer Alan Schacklock saying we really need to beef up the beat. There was a building site across the street from the recording studio. He said “Why don’t we go over there and get some boards?” We went over and got some boards from the builders. We brought them back and we put them in the hallway right outside the recording studio. We set them up in such a way that all five of us could stand on these boards. The boards had a give to them somehow and they mic’d it. We all jumped on these boards and they recorded these stomping sounds and that’s why you hear that pounding beat. That’s the main thing I remember about recording the album. I don’t remember singing “Just Got Lucky”. I tell my wife that I know it’s me but I don’t remember doing that! (laughs)

CHRIS: The Like Gangbusters album was really the live set distilled down to the most popular tracks. Those tracks had proved themselves through live touring. As I remember it, we laid them all down in a series of intensive sessions over a couple of weeks with the producer Alan Shacklock and the backing tracks were recorded essentially live with the whole band at once, the way recording was always done before programming became more prominent.

SPAZ: Two years later, you released your second album, Skin And Bone, yet this JoBoxers fan never knew of it’s existence and I’ve still never seen a copy (although songs did end up on CD compilations). What’s the scoop on that album?

CHRIS: We recorded it in Berlin before the wall came down in Hansa Studios, where Bowie recorded his Berlin Trilogy. The studio actually looked over the Berlin Wall into the death strip and we were aware that the East German border guards in their watchtowers could see into our control room though their binoculars. That was a strange …… The producer was Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones). Its initial release was messed up by all sorts of things but you can hear most of the tracks now on recent CDs.

SPAZ: I’ve read that there was a third unfinished album almost completed by the time you split. Can we expect to see anything from that in the near future?

CHRIS: That’s right, the third album was well on its way and much of it survives but has never been heard. This new release of Like Gangbusters now seems to open up an opportunity for its release, perhaps alongside the Skin And Bone album. I really hope we can finally get this out. The two albums would collectively make a great extended album to accompany the new extended CD release of Like Gangbusters. That would be really neat. I know we would all like it to be heard.

SPAZ: Is the band planning any 30th Anniversary festivities this year?

CHRIS: Well, there were some murmurs about festivals this summer. Multi-genre festivals are currently big in the UK and these are great because they showcase a good cross-section of bands and there have been some offers for appearances. Putting on shows takes a lot of organizing though. Of course it would be a lot easier if we lived on the same continent! It’s difficult to say if it might happen or not.

SPAZ: What have you been up to since the band split?

DIG: I recorded some stuff in ’88 with Dave Collard (JoBoxers keyboard player) and Mark Reilly (Matt Bianco) producing. Nothing really happened. We put out a couple of singles. There was some interest over there, but it was over. That kind of let me know that I didn’t want to be in the music business anymore. I realized that I was very fortunate to have accomplished what I accomplished but it was time to move on. And that’s when I went to drama school. I always wanted to be an actor so I got out of the music business altogether. But then I recorded an album in 2007 (Dig Wayne & The Chisellers’ Shack Rouser). It’s kind of Rockabilly/Roots/Americana.

CHRIS: I joined Eurythmic Dave Stewart to form the band The Spiritual Cowboys which made two albums. The band included Martin Chambers from The Pretenders and Johnny Turnbull from Ian Dury And The Blockheads. Then I produced some albums, wrote and recorded my own work, played and toured with: Paul Weller's Style Council, Sandie Shaw, Shakespears Sister, Spear of Destiny, worked briefly in A&R and now work in multimedia. I still record my own compositions and people I know often get me playing on their stuff.

SPAZ: What’s next for Christ Bostock, Dig Wayne and/or JoBoxers?

DIG: I’m recording a spoken word/poetry album, believe it or not. I’m really into that. I go to open mic poetry readings all around the city (Los Angeles). The album is pretty interesting because their like little audio movies. I’m telling the story and there’s sound effects. I love it. It’s really where I’m at right now and it’s great to do.

CHRIS: Well…following this new expanded release of the Like Gangbusters album, it would be good to get the next two albums released. I hear we are getting a few plays on national radio in the UK at the moment. I’ll probably carry on working on studio projects, whatever happens. It would certainly be good to do the summer festivals though.

SPAZ: What do you currently have spinning on your CD, DVD and record players?

DIG: Oh, this is going to be interesting. On my turntable, I have Basic Library Of The World’s Greatest Music, Album #19: Beethoven’s Symphony #9 in D-Minor/Opus 125. I was in a thrift store and I had been looking for it for a long time. I wanted to use this particular Beethoven piece for one of my poems.

CHRIS: With music, I like a mix of the old and the newer, always did really, so (CD) The Beach Boys’ finally-released SMiLE album and The Strokes. (DVD) De Niro's Killer Elite and The Mechanic (remake starring Jason Statham).

Thanks to Dig Wayne and Chris Bostock

Special thanks to Wayne Dickson, Adam Velasco, Dave Timperley and Matt Ingham

JOBOXERS

LIKE GANGBUSTERS (EXPANDED)

AVAILABLE NOW

PINK FLOYD/The Wall: Experience it like never before! Coming February 28th, 2012!

PINK FLOYD

THE WALL

THE EXPERIENCE VERSION (3CD)

THE IMMERSION VERSION (7CD)

DOUBLE VINYL LP PRESSING

IN MEMORY OF DON CORNELIUS

Remembering DON CORNELIUS:

The legend of SOUL TRAIN!

Spaz waxes poetic on the iconic TV show’s history and gains a little insight from the ‘Soul Conductor’ himself!

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

When American Bandstand brought Rock ‘n’ Roll into American living rooms in the ‘50s, it helped to usher in one of the most exciting periods in music. From bobby-soxers to greasers, every teenager in the U.S. tuned in to view the latest dance crazes, listen to the latest hits and watch host Dick Clark introduce some of the hottest acts on the planet. While not technically a ‘music video’ show (it was more of a dance show), American Bandstand was a cultural phenomena. It spawned many copycat programs throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, yet none of them lasted more than a season or two.

Nearly two decades later, in October of 1971, a fairly similar weekly music television show hit the airwaves which would ultimately change the playing field; that show was called Soul Train. Instead of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Soul Train featured the absolute best in Soul, Funk, and R&B, all performed by the hottest black artists on the scene. Similar in format to American Bandstand, Soul Train was an hour long program that featured dancers groovin’ to the latest hits, live and/or lip synched performances by new artists and veteran performers plus host Don Cornelius, who may not have been as suave as Dick Clarke, but he was certainly twice as cool!

Cornelius came up with the idea of the show while he was a disc jockey in Chicago. While he has always denied that the show was based on the American Bandstand format, the shows were destined to be compared, even four decades later. But the real difference was in the musical acts, many of whom performed live on Soul Train while AB’s musical guests would lip-synch to their latest recordings.

“There were certain artists that didn’t want to lip-synch”, says Don today. “If we wanted them to do the show, we had to do it the way they wanted to do it… even though it wasn’t the tradition with the dance show format. We tried things with the Barry White Orchestra, James Brown…”

From Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin to The Isley Brothers and Sly & The Family Stone, Soul Train was both a platform for new artists and a showcase for the veteran performer.

While many acts were initially eager to hitch a ride on Soul Train, it wasn’t that easy at first to snag some of the bigger acts.

“It took a little while for some of the major people like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and Aretha Franklin.” remembers Don. “It took awhile to get that caliber of guests. Once we started to see those artists come in, we knew that we were going to make it. Those artists in particular were the ones that started to put us on the map, so to speak.”

The show received an overwhelming response not only from Soul/Funk fans but also from those who followed Rock, Pop and Jazz. While parts of Middle America may still have been feeling racial tensions in the early ‘70s, music fans were generally color-blind. Most Top 40 stations played Soul, Pop, Rock and Country, not bothering to base airplay on skin color. Soul Train helped in knocking down those racial barriers and brought the music home, literally and figuratively.

By the time MTV premiered in August of 1981, the local and syndicated dance/music video shows suffered and began disappearing from television programming. Thankfully, Soul Train stayed on track and flourished. Since MTV didn’t showcase any of the popular black artists of the time, the Soul/Funk/R&B musician’s only real shot at television airtime was via Don and Soul Train. Even when MTV broke the color barrier in 1983 and began featuring videos from black artists, Soul Train thrived. And it continued to do so for a few decades more, coming to its final destination in 2006, thirty five years after it began its journey.

While the legend of Soul Train lives on, the actual episodes of the television show remained elusive for all but the hardcore collector/bootlegger. Now, that has changed with Time/Life’s Best Of Soul Train DVD collections. There’s a three DVD set which features amazing footage from the show’s most acclaimed era (1971-79) including performances from Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, The O’Jays, the Chi-Lites, Sly & The Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson Five and many others. Alongside these performances, you’ll find popular segments of the show (the scramble board, commercials, etc) and plenty of the smooth coolness of host Don Cornelius. The episodes are crisp, clear and are visually stunning. In my brief conversation with the man himself, he assured me that all episodes of Soul Train look as beautiful as those featured here.

There’s also a single disc DVD that features the best of these performances, including some sizzling work from The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & The Pips and many others. For the novice, this may be your best introduction into the fast-paced and funky world of Soul Train.

Because of his work with Soul Train, Don Cornelius himself has become a Pop Culture icon and his name has become synonymous with the Soul music that he helped bring to the masses. Modestly, the ‘Soul Conductor’ doesn’t quite see it that way.

“That would be presumptuous to think that on my part… but if that’s the case, I’d like that very much!”

(This feature originally ran in August of 2010)

 

Thanks to Don Cornelius

Special thanks to John McCormack, Maureen O'Connor, Michael Mitchell and Thomas Hemesath.


SOUL TRAIN, VOL. ONE

SOUL TRAIN, VOL. TWO

SOUL TRAIN: DANCE DANCE DANCE

BEST OF SOUL TRAIN (3 DVD SET)

BEST OF SOUL TRAIN (9 DVD SET)

Soul Train Promo Reel from Saguaro Road on Vimeo.

An EXCLUSIVE interview with GRAFITTI6's JAMIE SCOTT!

Heart And Soul:

An EXCLUSIVE interview with

GRAFFITI6’s

JAMIE SCOTT

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     Regardless of what you may have heard, the music industry is alive and well and cranking out tunes by the hundreds, if not thousands, each and every week. From DIY efforts recorded in small bedrooms around the world to big budget studio recordings funded by major labels, the parade of tunes can make your head spin. Trying to find something that connects to head, heart and soul can be a bit of a chore, though. But when that song hits you, it feels like a momentous mix of Christmas and the Fourth of July. Graffiti6’s U.S. debut single “Free” is one of those songs.
     Released towards the end of 2011, “Free” is the perfect combination of modern and retro styles: a production that blends electronics and acoustic Pop with a melody that sounds like it’s straight off a vintage Northern Soul single. Vocalist Jamie Scott’s heartfelt vocals and TommyD’s pristine production add a timeless quality to “Free”, ensuring that it’s magic will sound just as captivating 10 years from now.
     The British duo’s full length debut, Colours, expands upon the musical blueprint of “Free” by adding even more genres and creating one delicious Pop pie of an album. From Soul to Pop, Electro to Folk, Colours is as perfect as modern Pop music gets. It is an album that will satisfy music fans looking for something with substance yet it is slick enough to shift millions of units. Colours is the kind of album that bridges the gap between the cool and the commercial. It’s jam packed full of songs that are sophisticated yet easy to love.
     While both of Graffiti6’s members have made a name for themselves in the business (including TommyD’s production work and two albums from Jamie Scott & The Town), this collaboration is perhaps the most fully realized outing that either has been involved with. The album has been long in the making (they began working together in 2008) but it has been worth the wait. Judging by the reaction from audiences so far, its probably safe to say that Jamie and Tommy will have to leave their solo careers on the backburner and concentrate on this project full time.
     Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to catch up with Jamie to discuss the band, the album and more…


SPAZ: Your debut album, Colours, is just about to drop. How are you feeling about the album and the reaction you have encountered so far?
JAMIE SCOTT: Really excited because I have been waiting for the album to be released in the U.S. for a while now and the reaction we have got so far from playing shows and touring America has been overwhelming

SPAZ: Pop music today seems more about style over substance, yet Graffiti6 bucks the trend and puts the heart and soul back into the music. Did you realize that you were doing something a little different when you began putting the album together?
JAMIE: I think we never really sat down and questioned what we were writing and producing. That was really the reason it flowed like it did. But it’s cool to hear people say that about our music

SPAZ: When writing for the album, where did you draw your greatest inspiration from? Does it tend to be music or other forms of art that inspire you?
JAMIE: The inspiration lyrically for the album and for anything that we wrote or I've written for myself has always been from personal experience. In terms of musical inspiration, I think everyone has influences but the idea is that you find your own style I suppose. The collaboration between Tommy and myself became a mix of genres because of our eclectic mix of influences.

SPAZ: While the album is lushly produced, the songs remain the primary focus. Are the songs usually born on an acoustic guitar, or perhaps based around a studio-created groove? Maybe a bit of both? JAMIE: Most of the album was written on the guitar or wurly first before any production took place but there were a few tracks like “Colours” and “Calm The Storm” that we were just jamming in the studio and became songs.

SPAZ: Production-wise, when putting together the album, did you both work out each track together or did you lay down the basics and let Tommy D take it to the next level?
JAMIE: We pretty much worked together on everything. That became the signature sound of what we were doing. It was the chemistry we both had when playing together.

SPAZ: Is there a difference between your approach to songwriting in the context of Graffiti6 versus your solo material?
JAMIE: No, not really. It's still about writing a good song.

SPAZ: Were there moments when a song would take a completely different direction than what you imagined when writing it? And were there times when you had to set a song aside because you had two differing opinions and couldn’t reach a compromise?
JAMIE: We only recorded 17 songs in all. 12 made the album, a further 3 made the EP and the remaining tracks were the ones that we both weren't convinced about. So yes, I would say that is correct. IN terms of direction, we both worked together so much on the album, that was really never an issue.

SPAZ: The album is very cohesive yet takes many detours down various musical paths including House, R&B, Pop, etc. Where do you think Graffiti6 fits in?
JAMIE: We've already seen the album as a merge of Folk, Blues and Northern Soul but after touring we have had so many different references that I'm not sure any more. But I suppose that's the whole point of music - you take your own personal view on things.

SPAZ: When you write a song like “Free”, which is by far the best single of 2011, at which point did you realize “OK, I think we might have something here?”
JAMIE: The minute we first started writing the verse, actually. I felt that something was really special about it already.

SPAZ: Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse in regards to Graffiti6?
JAMIE: When we first released the record on our own label in the UK, the internet was actually a blessing because it enabled us to reach a lot of people without spending much money that we didn't have.

SPAZ: What’s next for Graffiti6?
JAMIE: Touring America, hopefully, for the rest of the year and playing to big crowds after the record comes out.

SPAZ: What is currently spinning on your CD and DVD players?
JAMIE: (CD) Lewis Taylor’s Bitter Sweet and Ryan Adams’ new record. (DVD) Flight Of The Conchords.

Thanks to Jamie Scott

Special thanks to Jacki Feldstein, Alexis Goldberg and Richard Wilson