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Download an Register Here to Win a copy of Wil Seabrook's New EP!
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AA: Some would say that New is a
very reflective, personal look at you as an artist. You’ve definitely
taken some risks, departing from the more “pop” feel of your earlier
material. How would you describe the music you’re creating these days? Wil: I feel like I've spent the last few years trying to find my own voice, literally and artistically. I think this EP is the first tangible sign that I'm headed in the right direction. The name is not by accident. This is a new beginning for me, and it's fitting that to do it I'm going back to my roots, to the style of singing and playing that I developed after first picking up a guitar in high school. AA: What’s it like to return to playing solo and acoustic after being with a band for so many years? Do you have any plans to reform a new band in the future? Wil: At first it was really scary and I wasn't sure that I could keep an audience's attention or that my basic guitar playing skills would fill the void well enough. What I've found is that people are responding more than ever, especially to the new songs. The power of a great song is that, no matter how much or how little you dress it up in terms of the arrangement, the song is going to live or die by its own merits. Popular art is only successful to the degree that it reaches people. I've always wanted to connect on a profound level with a large audience. The response I'm getting from recent shows and to the new EP is the kind of response I've always wanted. People talk about the songwriting, the melodies, or how a particular song has become part of their personal soundtrack. It's incredibly gratifying. I'm sure I will play with a full band again, probably sooner than later, but I think it will be with much more confidence about exactly what I bring to the table as an artist. I'm sure, as a consequence, that it will be a lot more fun for me! AA: Rumor has it that there are label talks in the work and a new album slated for early 2006. True? Wil: I can't say so much about the specifics but I will be recording in the next few months and I'm beyond excited about the possibilities for next year. More news as it happens... :) AA: Tell us about your current residency. How is it helping you to gauge how the public will respond to the new material that you’re writing? Wil: The great thing about the place I'm playing is that it's this beautiful, outdoor venue in southern California so the weather's always nice, and there's always a relaxed, friendly crowd of people willing to listen. I get a lot of repeat listeners from show to show but there's also a healthy number of people just passing by each time. I know a song is working when I stop people dead in their tracks and draw them in. I also measure success by the number of CDs sold per show. I'm very proud of the fact that people will spend hard earned money on my recordings after hearing one or two acoustic songs. So, all in all it's very chill, and very conducive to trying new material. AA: It’s the question everyone is dying to ask: What was it like to be on Rock Star: INXS? Was it tough to be one of the early ones voted off? Has the show helped you to launch your solo career? Wil: The show was fine but not what I was expecting. We were treated well and the cast and crew were fun to hang out with. I was very happy to leave when I did because I knew I wasn't a good fit for the band and wanted to move on and return to the other things I'd been working on. The show itself didn't do all that well in the ratings so it wasn't the huge exposure I think most of us thought it would be. I see it as an interesting little detour I took but not really a part of the bigger picture of my career. AA: You’ve got a different perspective on the music industry than many Indie artists do because of your relationship with Maverick. What happened with the Maverick deal? Didn’t you record an album? What happened to that material? What did you learn from the experience? Wil: I could spend all day pointing fingers and dissecting the whole thing to pieces, but the bottom line is that we had about ten different people going in ten different directions and so we never really got anywhere. I learned a bit about the politics of a label, the incredible pressure people are under and the phenomenal amounts of money that get thrown around in a not always organized fashion. We did record an entire album in historic Capitol Records Studio B where Sinatra and a million other artists made world class records. It was a great experience but I wouldn't necessarily need to do it again the same way. The beauty of the technology now is that you can make a garage sound like a $3000 a day studio... The CD itself, those recordings, now belong to Maverick. The price of doing business. I'm happy to move forward and to create new music anyway. They were generous with us, helped me learn a lot about the business, so I have no regrets. AA: You had an unusual major in college – Women’s Studies. How did you come to to choose that as a major? Do you think it gives you a different perspective on the world? Wil: I chose that because it made absolutely no intuitive sense to me at first, and I like a challenge. I've always been fascinated by women, by the fact that, from kindergarten on, they seemed to have more figured out than we do. It was a really unique way to examine culture and the roles that men and women play. Ultimately, though, I found that feminism too often defines women by their degree of oppression. Our struggles help define us, definitely, but to create your whole identity as only an opposition to something else I think is giving away all your power, and creates a certain level of frustration with the world that never quite goes away. The most amazing people I know are people first, and men and women second. The human spirit is the key thing, regardless of the packaging. AA: Let’s get all High Fidelity: Your Top Ten Desert Island discs? Wil: Oh man I suck at this... I always feel lots of pressure to list obscure, rootsy music, like a rare Miles Davis live import or something when I'm clearly reminded at times like this that the first tape I ever owned was "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block...
AA: Thanks so much for your time Wil, and
good luck with the new EP! |
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