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I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not too keen on doing
interviews. Maybe it's the fact that most interviewers ask the
same old questions (where were you born? How old are you? Why
do you pick your teeth in traffic?), or maybe it's because I've
never really wanted to know THAT much about anybody else (I AM
a bit self-centered, in case you weren't sure). The bottom line
is that, in all the years I've been doing this here editorial
thing, I've never done one.
Until now, that is.
After hearing Tony Webb's Dirty Diapers album, I had questions,
lots of them. I wanted to know just who this man was, who it
seemed had poured his soul straight into a cup for me to drink
whole. What motivated him to do this album? Why the hell hadn't
I heard of him before now? Why, if he's in the same frigging
city as me, don't I just give him a call and ask?! So, that's
what I did.
What resulted was a break in the no-interview tradition here
at D.I.
The full-length, audio version is available at www.mp3.com/depressedintl.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I mean, I hadn't done this kinda
thing before. You know, ask for permission to meet a person on
his home turf, grill him with questions, all the while waving
a microphone in his face. I'm happy to say that once I got past
the initial introduction, the whole thing went rather smoothly.
—Oh, yeah, I think it's worthwhile to mention that he smelled
like Farley's Fruit Snacks (which is the kinda thing us chicks
really dig). Anyway, read on to find out just what I did; that
this is one multi-faceted and talented guy.
PART ONE (3:28)
How did you come up with the title for the CD (Dirty Diapers)?
The CD kinda evolved around the song, oddly enough, titled "Baby
Steps." I don't know why I came up with the title for that
song, but once I started coming up with titles around my son,
the rest just came out that way. So, when I did the funky groove
(that became the title track), I thought to myself, "Man!
This is funky! Like dirty diapers." I thought it really
fit. And it fit for the whole album. Actually, the "Mo'
Dirty Diapers" jam was written before "Dirty Diapers"
and is what the song "Dirty Diapers" evolved from.
Why have your albums been getting more aggressively funky?
I'm a funky person. I'm into the funk. That's where my heart
is. At PMG Records, we used to do a lot of house and techno.
From there, we segued into jazz anyway, because house is based
on a lot jazzy chords. One time, I'm down here, kinda grooving,
and I'm like, "Hey, this works in a contemporary jazz way."
That jamming gave birth to the Daybreak album. After that, I
moved into writing the Webbslinger album, which I brought more
of a Stanley Clarke kinda feel to. So, there's a lot of funk
rock happenin' there. Then, here I come with Dirty Diapers, which
lets it all hang out.
PART TWO (4:13)
A lot of bass players want to know how you do what you
do. Can you shed some light on the technical aspects?
Basically, when I record, I record direct; meaning that I don't
mic an amp or go through an amp at all. And when I record, I
don't use a direct box. As far as e.q. settings and things like
that go, I let them fall where they may. I do record everything
dry; meaning without any type of effect, without any e.q., or
anything like that; I let things happen in the mix. The bass
sound happens in the mix, therefore, I don't really remember
where the e.q. was set. I go for the feel; for what feels good
to me.
Your bio says that you were never classically trained as
a musician. Is that true?
The way I learned is the way the people I knew learned (by watching
and listening to others, and from listening to the radio). That's
the way we picked up stuff. I never even THOUGHT about asking
for lessons. In some ways, it's been great for me, and in some
other ways, it has limited me.
Did your baby son really co-produce the Dirty Diapers album?
Yes, first of all, his name really is Caleb Webb (contrary to
what the album credits say). And, yes, he really did co-produce
the album. The first track called "Journey from the Womb"
uses his ultrasound heartbeat as part of the programmed drumbeat.
He inspired the album and was there every step of the way. In
fact, he probably did some of the e.q. settings. And when he
gets better at talking, he can probably tell you what they are.
PART THREE (3:59)
Did you want to add anything?
Here's a shout out to all the stations who have included my songs
on their playlists, especially the BASS IS BASS station (at Mp3.com).
And another shout out to everybody who has visited the web page,
or has even thought about visiting the page. It's just great
to have people other than me hear my stuff. Hats off to all the
other Mp3 bass players. There are some really talented folks
out there. You can check out the links on my page to see exactly
what I'm talking about.
When will your previous two albums (Daybreak and Webbslinger)
be available at Mp3?
We would like to get it out there either some time in mid-July
or the beginning of August. On the previous albums I had some
talented musicians on some tracks, namely, Alan Day (a saxophonist)
and Corey Lawrence (a guitarist). I look forward to them getting
their props once these albums are available, too.
This text version is abridged; for the full interview,
check out the audio version at www.mp3.com/depressedintl. |
