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- Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
When I first learned to play guitar, it was Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stephen Stills, Albert King. As for friends/musicians thru the years that I have played with, it would be my good friend Happy Sanchez, bandleader for Los Mocosos and the Hipspanic Allstars, who always inspired me and lit a fire at times when I need a kick in the rear, and just brought a lot of fun to every project. - What was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? Summer of Love perhaps, we had completed the album, mixed & mastered, and that song, while we loved it, we realized that we hadn’t gotten it quite right (it was one of the first written and recorded for the album, so we changed the arrangement, tracked it again, after the mix that was when we had the “a ha” moment, as in, we finally got it right. |
- What are your “must have” albums for the road? Trapped on a desert island I would bring Joao Gliberto Live in Montreaux, Coltrane w Johnny Hartman, Brandenburg Concertos, EmmyLou Wrecking Ball, Nick Drake, new Dylan album. - What’s the story behind your album’s title? Our good friend Wren Winfield completed a documentary film on Bernice Ende, the lady long rider, asked us to write a few songs for the film, and shared Bernice’s stories. Her travels and travails were experiences that so many of us have had in a bigger sense, we are all long riders in life, searching for love, joy, comfort, intimacy, experiences, understanding the world & people, meeting up w kindness when least expected …. These themes really struck a chord with us, and influenced the direction of the entire album. |
- Who would you love to collaborate with?
Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin.
- Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Some songs just stick out for a variety of reasons, the lyrics can reflect meaningful personal subject matter, musically some just have that right touch that pulls me in, sort of mysterious, not easy to out your finger on it.
- When/where do you do your best writing?
The lyrics can appear at any time of day or night, waking up at 6 am and grabbing the phone to write notes, pulling over on the side of the road when something strikes me, or just talking into voice memo when walking down the street, you just never know when/where clarity will arrive. I also have times of the year when I get into “songwriting” mode and become much more aware of trying to write, seeking out subjects, looking for inspiration, so often one can feel empty, songwriting can’t be forced, and then voila, you get on a hot streak. I get inspired by history, by people I meet, by my own life experiences, by reading, staying up on current affairs and a variety of past stories non-fiction, by subjects that I feel are important to me that I would like to share. I usually start by writing lyrics in a broad stream of consciousness way, just writing anything that comes to mind on the subject, then I will edit that down into a song format, figure what/where the hook/chorus is coming from, once there is a working lyric format I’ll start playing the guitar to find the right music that fits the feeling/vibe of the song. Other times of the year I am onto other parts of the process, recording the album, working on promoting an album, songwriting takes a back seat, somewhat compartmentalised.
- Favourite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
So many, first concert was Hendrix, John Mayall w Mick Taylor, Albert King, I was 12 years old, how bout that for a first show?
Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin.
- Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Some songs just stick out for a variety of reasons, the lyrics can reflect meaningful personal subject matter, musically some just have that right touch that pulls me in, sort of mysterious, not easy to out your finger on it.
- When/where do you do your best writing?
The lyrics can appear at any time of day or night, waking up at 6 am and grabbing the phone to write notes, pulling over on the side of the road when something strikes me, or just talking into voice memo when walking down the street, you just never know when/where clarity will arrive. I also have times of the year when I get into “songwriting” mode and become much more aware of trying to write, seeking out subjects, looking for inspiration, so often one can feel empty, songwriting can’t be forced, and then voila, you get on a hot streak. I get inspired by history, by people I meet, by my own life experiences, by reading, staying up on current affairs and a variety of past stories non-fiction, by subjects that I feel are important to me that I would like to share. I usually start by writing lyrics in a broad stream of consciousness way, just writing anything that comes to mind on the subject, then I will edit that down into a song format, figure what/where the hook/chorus is coming from, once there is a working lyric format I’ll start playing the guitar to find the right music that fits the feeling/vibe of the song. Other times of the year I am onto other parts of the process, recording the album, working on promoting an album, songwriting takes a back seat, somewhat compartmentalised.
- Favourite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
So many, first concert was Hendrix, John Mayall w Mick Taylor, Albert King, I was 12 years old, how bout that for a first show?
Andrew Stern, 1 half of Americana duo 3 Pair of Boots answered 8 Essential Questions. The California based band has already released two singles out last year in anticipation to release their sophomore album Long Rider January 29th. Inspired by Bernice Ende and her fascinating long life and solo travels , the album title is a personal reflection of the pairs personalities.
