What's your background
?
I was born in Columbus, Ohio. Raised in and around south-central
L.A. Started piano when I was seven by ear and took music
in high school when I started playing bass and guitar and
trombone mostly. Listened to a lot of ska and reggae, but
I loved Prince, Rush and Men At Work!
Why were you in Claremont at the time ?
I was living in Claremont since about '91. Originally shared
a house with a friend who had a radio show on the local
college station that featured nothing but "accordian
music".
How/When did you meet up with Ben Harper, Tom Freund
& co ?
I actually met Ben initially through another friend of his
named Nick Sandro, who ran a local coffee shop a few years
before I actually moved to Claremont. Nick was a fan of
another band I was in at the time called CoCu (later two
of the founding members of Geggy Tah). Nick wanted us to
play the grand opening of his second cafe and that's how
I met the other woman who ran the radio show. I moved there
because I loved that town and it had a different vibe than
a lot of places I'd been before. I knew Ben, but we didn't
hang out 'till a few years after my moving to Claremont,
and progressed into playing music with each other and Tom
as well. I don't exactly remember how I met Tom Freund,
other than I was at his house playing music so much, that
I practically lived at his house and played the colleges
in Claremont almost weekly, if not more.
Can you tell us about this band called "Upon Time"
with Ben, Tom, and Rosanne?
In my opinion, one of the greatest bands one could ever
want to be a part of. Ben and Tom split most of the singing,
but on special nights, Roseanne would come and sing and
I sang a few songs as well. One of the most memorable gigs
was at one of the colleges and the police came and told
us they could hear us from up the street and we were too
loud (which never happens). We just turned everything off
and played upright bass, acoustic guitar, congas and voices
and the crowd made a circle around us so they could hear...
magic moment...
What kind of songs did you use to play together ?
We played a lot of blues and rock standards, and some obscure
tunes as well. Sometimes whatever we were in the mood for.
Then there were the originals. Lots of vibe.
Can you describe the recording sessions for "Welcome
To The Cruel World"?
The recording of Welcome to The Cruel World, in my view,
started off very relaxed. It was a little weird for me being
the only one from our original band to be asked to play
on the record and be in the new band backing Ben. I had
to deal with Tom and the rest of the band's opinions, as
I still played music with Tom and others. It took some getting
used to the new arrangement for me, and Ben and I decided
to hire Rock Deadrick (he played with another reggae band
I was in as well as David Lindley, Tracy Chapman, the list
goes on...) as the new drummer.
I felt I could have done a better job learning his vibe
on the record, because my only experience with him prior
to that was as a guitarist and keyboard player playing reggae
cover tunes, but never as a bassist with him.
PS : I could have learned a lot more from how he wanted
to do things in the studio. I could have been less stubborn
about us not being the old band in Claremont making a record,
and just accepted the changes going on, and both Rock and
I could have listened to each other more.
Unfortunately, I would say that the album is not even close
to my best work, although the overall vibe seems pretty
soulful. There are a lot of reasons I won't go into, but
let's just say I wish I had been a lot more bold with my
view of how things could have been better for me... and
for the record. I think Ben and I were a lot more exciting
live and before the record than the record shows. I was
a fish out of water, not because of the record deal, but
because it wasn't the same band and as a result, my playing
is rather flat.
What inspired you to play Ben’s songs ?
Well Ben, of course. There were a few nights long before
any records or big aspirations, that we just went back to
his Mom's house after a night of "carousing" and
we used to just jam on nothing in particular.....That kinda
thing gets rare the older we get and I'll never forget those
moments I've shared with other musicians over the years.
Why did you leave the band just after the recording,
in August 93 ?
Cannot say at this moment. I didn't want to leave. I wasn't
asked to leave. But I had to go... Maybe one day Ben and
I will talk about it.
Did you ever play live with Ben after that ?
Not with, but opened for with Geggy Tah at the Santa Barbara
Bowl about 3 years ago.
What did you do after that, and what are you doing now...
?
I've had a very varied career. Before and after. My live
and recorded discography would be a bit long to get into,
but lots of reggae, country, rock... I did Geggy Tah's first
tour w/Toad the Wet Sprocket right after Ben. Fishbone didn't
happen 'till much later. Still maybe doing a couple with
them. I've had several of my own projects that I either
played on or produced, and have never stopped reinventing
myself. Some projects you know, some you should!
Interview by Emmanuel Rivet / swer.net – January
23, 2004 |
