Waite For It

Interview by Scott McKenzie

 

Heading out to see live music in the Bay Area is always a sure bet. The Avalon paid off with a line up rich with Bay Area ties and talents. Ties to legends like John Waite who teamed with Jonathan Cain and Neil Schon to form Bad English; Raquel Aurilia and her ties with our San Francisco Giants, Rich Aurilia and our own Bay Area bred Luvplanet

 

John Waite's time with The Baby's is legendary. His time with Bad English was equally memorable. His solo career, the same. Number One hits across the board. John is not only gracious and accommodating, he's a man with a great sense of humor. He loves playing live and cares about what he presents to his audience. He likes it stripped down. He was backed by Kyle Cook (guitar), Time Hogan (bass), and Rodger Carter (drums). Three-piece rock & roll like it was meant to be played -- heavy on the guitar, but also the song. The set included new and old John Waite songs that were performed perfectly. But it's his voice, his phrasing. That's what sets him apart.

BAM: John, you've always seemed to work with aggressive guitar players...

John: My approach originates from the force of the guitar player. You don't really write rock songs on the keyboard. I mean, a lot of black music, the blues and stuff, is kind of generated on the piano. But I think melodic rock and all that, it gets very kind of cheesy [on the piano], so unless it comes out in the guitar, it's weird, it sounds like something your grandmother would play. So I've always liked to work with very good guitar players, and I have.

BAM: Vocally, it seems like you feed off it.

John: Yeah, I mean, it's like Mick Ronson and David Bowie, or Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. There's always this thing, there's always this unsaid tension between the guitar player and the singer, and they're always looking at each other like, for the missing piece, and it's always happening around the front of the stage. It's like a duel, it's like a bullfight, and it's pretty much what rock & roll is.

BAM: There's the unmistakable sound of your voice, but also your cadence. The way you deliver your lyrics into the song, it's the cadence of your lyrics. Do you approach the lyrics a certain way?

John: Well, the sound of a word is as important as the meaning of the word. Charles Baudelaire, the French poet, wrote his poems to be read in French so you hear the sound of the word and the pause, and then this beautiful-sounding French word for something or other. And you translate that, and all you've got is the meaning. [For me] the meaning of the word has to have a certain angular feel to it, or smoothness to it, or it will sound trite. It's all choices, you know, but I can do it off the top of my head sometimes, where it all rhymes and it makes sense.

BAM: Yeah, the phrasing is noticeable to me.

John: It's happening at the same time that I'm thinking of the lyric, and I'm making the melody up at the same time that I'm singing. "Missing You" was made up on the spot. "Missing You" came out in two takes. The whole first verse, the whole first chorus, and a lot of the second verse came out in one take, all made up over some chord changes. That only happens once in a blue moon, but you always shoot for that. The Babys wrote a lot of stuff "key of G 1, 2, 3, 4," and you all jump in, and you get the beginnings of a song. And you go back, and you look at where the vowels were and whatever you were singing about, and it would seem to be irreplaceable. You couldn't go back and write another lyric over it. So if that's what you mean by cadence and as a sound, it's very, very important.

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BAM: A friend of mine bought a Mercedes a few years ago and in the tape deck was a Baby's bootleg.

John: Wow! Are you sure it wasn't my old Mercedes?

BAM: Don't know (room laughter)

BAM: But there were different versions of songs from Broken Heart on it from the first Babys tour on this tape so you guys broke things down later on in the studio you had obviously already written. Do you still do that?

John: There's no one way to go about it. I mean, there are people that try and record at sound checks. Bad English would do that. It's like, any morsel of a song, you'd run away with it and try to make it a song. But I'm much more about things being fully formed. I mean, if I get inspired by the drum pattern count or something, you can just find yourself vaulting into a song. And they're the good ones, you know. I think if you really labor over things, it sounds kind of labored. You should have a more cruel sense of editing, so you just throw things out and get on to the next idea. 'Cause I mean, I've only got like five songs maybe, or 10 songs, that didn't work. That's pretty much, yeah, when things don't work and you chase after it, it's just rubble.

BAM: It's hard to have an idea and you've been working on it for a couple of hours, and the next thing you know, you're like, "This isn't workin', we gotta shuffle this off."

John: Yeah, but I think you can just turn around with another guitar lick, and somebody can play or say something, and you are just suddenly in a different world again. Whatever that is, that moment, when someone switches on the light. The whole thing can be done like that, very quickly, it's inspirational.

BAM: Ok, I'm gonna go off the beaten path here.

John: By all means.

BAM: Do you have any favorite vices still?

John: (pause) Um, I smoke the odd cigar. I like these Excalibur things, I like those. But that's it, that's the only thing I really do.

BAM: The only one left huh?

John: Yeah, I don't really drink any more, I can't remember what cocaine looks like, I mean it looks like sugar or something.

BAM: Women?

John: Women. . . well I like to look. . .

BAM: Are you married?

John: No, I'm divorced, but I almost got married a couple of years ago. Again. I was engaged to be married and it kind of blew up. But man, I don't know, I was just thinking last night if anything came along I'd probably love to get married again and have a kid you know.

BAM: Do you have any children?

John: No, I don't...I've always been on the road or leaving, and my life was kind of like -- I hate to say it -- rock & roll, it was very rock & roll. I was always going to America or coming home from America, and when I was married, it was very tough on the marriage. And I think I've missed out on a great deal in life not having a kid, so if it ever came around, I think I would jump on it.

BAM: Do you cook?

John: Me, no. I can make a fairly decent chicken curry. It's kind of out of jar, all the curry stuff is from Britain. Some fresh onions and throw it together. I like Indian food.

BAM: Any musicians you haven't worked with you'd like to work with?

John: Well, I just admire people from a distance. I think working with Alison Krauss was a big deal. I like her. [John re-recorded "Missing You" as a duet with country/bluegrass artist Krauss; in 2007, it peaked at #34 on the Hot Country Songs chart.] I got to spend a lot of time with [bluegrass guitarist] Larry Sparks, and I liked him. I liked Larry's guitar playing, I think he's very gifted. [Bluegrass guitarist/vocalist] Del McCoury. Steve Earle did a record with Del McCoury. There would be country people.

BAM: Do you ever think of giving them a call?

John: Well no, because, I'm on a different path at the moment. You know, you listen to Dylan songs, and you think how masterful that is, and you think, "I'd love to sing that song." And then you think, there's no reason to sing it. You know Dylan's done it, he's done it once and he's done it incredible. And that's the thing about art, you don't have to try and align yourself with something right along side it to get its reflective glory. The point is the song and the status, and what's revealed in the writing. I'm still in awe of music.

BAM: How long are you guys out [on tour] for?

John: Well, we've been out most the year for the European tour, we keep going out. A couple of weeks ago, we did three weeks on the East Coast, did the Carolinas. Went to Akron, Ohio, had a fantastic time there. Then went back to New York City, did B.B. King's. Went to Connecticut, then Massachusetts, then back to Connecticut -- three weeks non-stop. It was great. Then we had two days off and came back to California, did an in-store, and then kicked this off. This, and another week before Christmas. Then we've got a private event a week into the new year. So the gigs are comin' in. Today as we were drivin' up, Tim [Hogan, bass player] says to me, "Did I say I love this life?" And he says it every day. [Laughter.]

Tim: (in the background) no I didn't.

John: Yeah, actually ya did! You did. Even at a sound check, we'll be laughin' at a joke, or we'll be at a truck stop or somewhere in the middle of nowhere at midnight, or in the back of a club talkin' to somebody, we'll be laughin' at something.

BAM: That's one of the things I wanted to ask you. What's the latest joke you've heard?

John: Yeah? This eight-year-old kid told me this joke. It was hysterical. "This duck walks into a bar. He visits the bartender, and he says, 'You got any popcorn?' And the bartender says, 'No, we only serve whiskey.' So the duck turns around and walks out. The next night, the duck comes back in the bar. He looks at the bartender and he says, 'You got any popcorn?' The bartender says, 'No. I told you before, we only serve whiskey.' So the duck turns around and goes out. Next night, the duck comes back in the bar and says to the bartender, 'You got any popcorn?' The bartender says, 'Look, I've told ya for the last time, we only serve whiskey in this bar. If you come back in again, I'm gonna nail your feet to the floor. OK?' The duck turns around and goes out. The next night, the duck goes back into the bar and looks the bartender and says, 'Do you have any nails?' The bartender says, 'No.' And the duck says, 'You got any popcorn?'" [Laughter.] An eight-year-old told me that one. Had me in stitches.

BAM: Love it - I'll remember that one! Well, I guess that pretty much sums it up.

John: Really?

BAM: Yeah. Thanks so much John. Love the new record and can't wait to see you perform tonight.

John: Thanks very much Scott. God bless.

Raquel Aurilia is a talented singer song writer and performer. Their set was sans drummer tonight which didn't hurt her songs one bit. In fact her songs do very well in an acoustic setting - a very enjoyable performance. You can hear and get here music on her web site raquelaurilia.com.

BAM: You have two albums out and working on a third. Can you tell me about writing your latest record and how long it took to get there?

Raquel: I'm working on my third, but it's not finished yet - we're about five songs in to that one. I went to Nashville and started writing and recording with producer, Billy Smiley. We decided to go ahead and up load them on itunes and cd baby get 'em out there - we thought that would be a good way to share the songs until we're finished. On my second release, Garder Cole and I co-wrote a lot of songs with Billy Trudeaux who I have also been touring with and it's been fun. My first one, I did demos and recorded other peoples music which was so much fun and was a good way to break in to it. Until I started writing and now I'm hooked.

BAM: Anything frustrate you about it?

Raquel: Ummm, about the music industry....lol

BAM: Lets go there if you like.

Raquel: It's a really challenging industry to break into in general. I hear some amazing singers on line and on the radio who don't get the opportunity to get out there.

BAM: You sang God Bless America at AT & T park. Tell me how that experience went and how scared you were?

Raquel: Did I pass out after words? lol. I was really nervous. First of all there's 45,000 people there, it was a play off game, so I was nervous in general. It was a really good experience and you're doing it acapella. I stood behind the back stop (home plate) which felt like everyone was right on top of me, but it was fun. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to do that - God Bless America is easier than the National Anthem.

BAM: Have you ever been asked to sing the National Anthem?

Raquel: Yes. I've done the National Anthem at an ASU baseball game once and a, wow. It is a challenging song and I hear some amazing renditions...it's a fun thing to do but I'd rather sing God Bless America.

BAM: You just picked up some more dates with John on the east coast. Have you played on the east coast before?

Raquel: We've been New York, Norfolk Connecticut, Salisbury Massachusetts, and then Fairfield Connecticut about a week and a half ago so that was really fun.

BAM: Do you cook?

Raquel: I have certain things that I cook but its very limited. It's funny, Rich is taking private lessons. You'd think it would be more Italian but he cooks everything and I laugh because he sends me pictures on the road and I'm like, "thanks a lot, cook like that when I'm gone." (laughter)

BAM: Anything you couldn't stomach yet?

Raquel: No, everything has been amazing. I'll try just about anything. I"m not picky. It's been cool.

BAM: Recently, Rich mentioned that being retired now is nice - he gets to spend more time with the boys.

Raquel: It's kind of a role reversal right now which is cool 'cause their hanging out doing their thing.

BAM: Do you see yourself creating more music in a different path or are you more comfortable writing in the pop genre?

Raquel: Ya know when I write, I don't write for a certain genre. Some of my stuff has a country flair, some of it has a pop flair, some of it might have a little bit of an R & B kick in it. So I kinda just write in general and see where it flows. I am just enjoying writing and being on the road.

BAM: Thanks very much for your time raquel we're looking forward to hearing you tonight.

Raquel: Thank you very much Scott I appreciate it.

 

Luvplanet's set was flawless and soulful. They're a bright example of musicianship and spirit. Do yourself a favor and see them live soon.

BAM: Luvplanet is a very hard working band and has been together for quite some time. Earlier this year you released your 4th studio album, Luvolution.  What's your favorite song to play live off this record?

Mark: That is always a hard question but the first song that comes to mind is called C'mon; which is a high energy, up-tempo, rock anthem. [speaking to Nicole] Why don’t you explain what it’s about…

Nicole: What is C'mon about?  I think it’s pretty obvious… say what’s on your mind, think for yourself….don’t be a sheep but live your life keeping your brothers and sisters in mind…

BAM: Does Luvplanet have plans to write and record a new record?  Do you have music in the works?

Nicole: We've got probably a 1/2 a dozen songs ready to go and a whole lot of songs that just need to be worked up with the band. There's a lot of material that Mark and I have written that has not appeared on any Luvplanet recordings yet.  We’ll do a new record in 2012.

BAM: What's new with Luvplanet right now?

Nicole: We’ve added new drummer Cedric Wilmott to the band and that's a pretty big thing and it’s gearing us up for the next phase and the next Luvplanet release. His incredible versatility adds so much depth to our songs. We’re all very excited to see where it’s gonna take us.

BAM: So to Nicole and Mark, as the songwriters and creators of the band, what is it about Luvplanet’s music that connects with music fans?

Nicole: The songs seem to connect with people…the words, the guitars, the groove. The energy it generates takes on a life of it’s own and some people just like to feel that energy.

Mark: The other thing is that we write with a very open book. We don’t limit ourselves to one style. People can always tell when someone’s faking it and Luvplanet is always genuine and heartfelt.

BAM: To Cedric, as the drummer, who are you influenced by?

Cedric: Well there’s a long list, Vinne Colaiuta, Terry Bozzio, David Garibaldi and Max Roach to name a few. There are so many different players that move me. I just feel blessed to be able to work and study under the guy that has taught some of those cats.

BAM: So how do you like working with Luvplanet so far?

Cedric: These guys are great. I mean, from day one there's just a certain union that came about.  The personalities, the music, the style of playing, just everything came about.  They're just a blessing to have as not only band mates, but as friends. It just came together really quick. I'm looking forward to what the New Year has to bring too.

BAM: What upcoming shows should we watch for?

Mark: The big one is our return headlining performance on Friday March 30th @ George’s Nightclub in San Rafael. Come check it out. The awesome Frobeck will be opening the show!!

BAM: So where can people find Luvplanet and get the music?

Mark: You can find us at luvplanet.net and all of the social networks and you can get our music there or on iTunes. Come hang with us at a show, feel what it's about live,  it's really where the power and the magic happen!!

BAM: Well thank you guys very much.  Looking forward to seeing you!!

Mark: And thank you BAM Magazine!!