Written by Lilian Ogbuefi
Why did you decide to go into music?
Music was always a fascination. From the earliest years I was surrounded by a wondrous
selection of albums supplied by my parents. Though, I think it may go a little deeper than that. I
believe some people are born with an innate interest in a certain sense or, at least, discover one they prefer over the others. For some people it is taste; for others it is feeling and for others it is sound. This is how you wind up with chefs, or race car drivers or…musicians! Or, in the least,
those that have a penchant for playing with flavors, driving fast cars, or collecting vinyl. I hate fast cars. When it comes to being interested in sound, if you’re interested enough, you’ll
eventually want to be able to orchestrate the sounds that you hear and, I believe, many of those individuals with that fascination become musicians in some right. So to answer your question… probably when I was 6 and heard “Love Me Do,” by The Beatles and “Dear Doctor,” by the Stones!
What is your inspiration?
Inspiration lies everywhere. My favorite things to write about are either abstract scenarios or
human relationships; the human condition; there’s a lot of ammunition there. My favorite songs
that I have written just capture small vignettes; tiny little events or scenes. The fun part is putting
them together to make a cohesive whole that someone, outside of yourself, can understand. But it
all boils down to feeling. My goal is to capture that feeling, as mundane as it may sound. That
can range from first loves to sunsets; from hatred and anger to a dirty sink. Inspiration is
everywhere, it just depends on what you feel like writing about. Sometimes you don’t choose,
the song or solo composes itself.
Do you write your songs yourself?
For the most part I do; or at least I round them out and finish them myself. The majority of my
song construction happens in front of my desk with an acoustic guitar. However, I have
happened on a different and easier strategy and that is fleshing out an idea with a band or at least
a bassist. For this, I owe the world to my compadre, Max Rubel. When he is able to repeat riffs
or hooks, it gives me the freedom to then compose words on top while having the motif on repeat
behind me. It makes songwriting so much easier. “Knocking on My Window,” and parts of
“She’s Gone,” from the Broadside album were written this way. It also makes it easier to test out
where the song should go. I can start throwing chords at Max’s bassline and once one makes
sense it’s, “alright boys this way!”
Are you originally from Nashville or did you move here for the music?
I’m originally from Wilmington, Delaware; the cradle of civilization. I moved to Nashville about
two and a half years ago to get the ball rolling musically in a larger and more capable
community. It’s a place where there are more like minded people than say…Wilmington,
Delaware. Though, I take that back. Surprisingly, two other guitarists from my hometown, James
Everhart and Johnny Duke, are doing quite well for themselves on the national front. Guess
there’s nothing else to do in Delaware except practice! Check them out!
How has the journey been for you so far?
It has been difficult although incredibly fulfilling. I was a part of a band early on with some of
my dearest friends that ran into…well to say hiccups would be a righteous understatement. But, I
got to play with the best in that situation and I learned so much. The rest has just been trying to
gain traction, which I, thankfully, finally have found. The current line-up of musicians I am
playing with have been wonderfully supportive and supply a creative hub that I never thought I
would come across. Once the Broadside album was completed, things have started to become
super exciting!
Why pop/folk, would you change your genre if you had the chance?
It just happens. I grew up listening to a ton of late 1960’s music; Neil Young and the like. I also
listen to a metric ton of early 1960’s American and English folk, like Fred Neil, Bert Jansch, and
Buffy St. Marie. I guess when you put that music on an electric guitar in front of a full band, you
are bound to take the folk elements and prime it for an ear that has been raised on the excitement
of electricity!
Maybe it’s because I am also a massive Byrd's fan; they took folk and threw it into the pop world.
Maybe that’s it? I also require a constant injection of Athens, GA New Wave like the B-52s. I
guess it’s all boiling in the same pot.
Ultimately, it is just a synthesis and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! It is so much fun! Adding
strange tuning and chords from on style into another can keep me going all day!
How do you combine pop and folk; is it challenging?
It’s honestly not challenging at all. It’s pretty much a bi-product of my interests. I want to play
something that people are going to actually find interesting and catchy, if I am going to actually
write a song and I listen to old folk a LOT. It comes from the marriage of those two aspects. Old
English folk songs and the good songs that came from the early 1960's New York folk scene are
some of my favorite things to play guitar on top of. Writing songs is purely an extension of
playing guitar, so, naturally, if I’m playing folk all the time, it’s going to come out in my writing.
I don’t chase pop; not in the least. But I like things that sound good and I like to take feelings I
get from folk chord changes that may be a little ‘wonky’ to some listeners, and make them
palatable. This way they can share in the feelings I feel when I play the folk tunes.
The songs all come from the guitar. I consider myself, ultimately, a guitar player and, sometimes,
I’ll stumble across a little musical line and think… “There’s a song in there.” The next step is
fleshing it out. If I have a lot of folk and rock in my system, it’s going to come out in some
interesting synthesis.
If you listen to Fred Neil’s “Bleeker and MacDougal” album, you’ll hear how easy it is to
combine the two. The Beatles did it, Tom Petty did it, and even Dylan did it.
How close are you to your family and do you consider them supportive of your craft?
I am very close with my family. They have been very supportive. Though I must say, they have
also been my biggest critics. Playing my music for my father is like being grilled. If he hates it, I
know others will probably like it. If he likes it, then I get my own satisfaction. He was the one
that force-fed me a TON of fantastic tunes while I was growing up; he is hard to fool. If I
impress him then, at least between he and I, I know I did something right! It’s a marvelous
feeling.
If you could be reborn as any celebrity who would it be and why?
Anthony Bourdain. Because I wouldn’t have to deal with musicians! Also, I’d know I could
smoke and make it to 60!
What’s next for you and your career?
The next move is an album called “Everything Causes Cancer in California.” I begin work on it
in July and then will be embarking on a tour of the southeastern U.S. in the fall for the past
album “Broadside.” There will probably be an acoustic winter tour, however, that’s still a little
far out; I’d like to though!
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