Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Muddy Waters for sure, as it was the first “real“ blues concert I saw in 1981.
Then, every other Hollabaugh, blues artist I ever saw after that too many to name.
Nonmusical Influences , celebrity? Jimmy Stewart.
My Lord, My parents. My family. My church. and the many friends I’ve had throughout the years for sure.
What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
Keep it real. And find your voice.
How has your music changed over the years?
As far as recording close. We started off very much playing. A lot of acoustic instruments, a little bit on the progressive folks side. But getting more confidence into working with musicians has allowed us to expand and incorporate more instruments, beer horns and electric guitars, etc..
How does your latest album differ from any of your others in the past?
I think being in a worldwide pandemic, had a lot to do with it.… we wanted something positive, upbeat, retro, and new.
It also allowed us to take our time and focus on the direction that we wanted the music to take. We have always been proud of everything we’ve done from the beginning, But I think this time we are finally finding our voice and a sound that resonates with us at the moment at least..
Are there any musicians who inspire you that are not famous? What qualities do you admire about them?
Absolutely! I think it’s fair to say that over 90% of my inspiration comes from fellow musicians that are “not famous” . Mainly because of their work ethic.
Their creativity and their drive. We get to see each other at festivals, and that venues and events end catch up on music and life in general.
Describe your worst performance. What did you learn from this experience?
That’s quite easy. Come on out. Unfortunately, there are two that I can think of.
First and foremost. In our younger early days.it was partying and thinking that drinking had something to do with the musician. Definitely does not make for a good performance…
Secondly. It was not being prepared. When we recorded our first album. We were so excited about the creativity part, about the recording aspect.
That we failed to concentrate on the performance, part of the songs, and basically we were not ready OK, and our performance was apprehensive, too careful not to make a mistake that we forgot to connect with the songs and the audience..
What are your biggest obstacles as a musician?
The biggest obstacle is yourself. Fear, laziness. uncertainty and all those things that go along with being human being..
Describe your creative process when you write new music.
For me, it’s having that visceral feeling,,, that sound, the words/message in my head that is trying to get out. Most of the time I’m not even aware of it. But when I contemplate and concentrate and collaborate. Hopefully something beautiful happens..
Other than being a musician, what was your dream job growing up?
For me, I always wanted to be a really good Carpenter. To build things create things that people can use and admire every day. Working with Wood, well, it’s almost meditative.
How are you continuing to grow musically?
There’s only one way. Exercise, humility and admit there’s a lot to learn.
Realize, or visualize that there are countless opportunities and possibilities to express yourself that can easily be squashed with too much ego…
Watch with respect what your peers are doing, and acknowledge that.
If you could change anything about the music industry today, what would it be?
This is one of those questions that is near and dear to my heart. I don’t have power to change too much in the industry. But what I would love to see, is a grassroots mechanism where artists can reach out to fellow artists. Collaborate, work together. Support one another. Share advice. Simple every day things that we can all do to help get the word out there. Share your love of music! That’s what it’s all about.
Artist Website: https://www.durhamcountypoets.com/
