Never Go Straight Go
Forward The title is bobbystahr's mission statement,
borrowed from his Renderosity homepage, and perhaps says it all.
Hailing from Canada, Robert Purves, better known on Renderosity as
bobbystahr, is ever busy at writing music, or
performing at various gigs. It is always refreshing to hear someone
creating their own original songs, and I was more than happy when
he agreed to answer some of my questions about his music.
How did you get your start in music? I started in music
early, as a singer in the church choir, but slid into sports until
the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Donovan happened. I started out on
drums in the rock vein, but moved to guitar and harp when I changed
over to folk based tunes. My first band was a Jug Band in 1966.
What instruments do you play? I play guitar (acoustic and
electric), but mainly my 1958 Martin. I also play a bit of
mandolin, and some 5-string banjo, as well as compose music on the
computer. No keyboards, much to my chagrin. What is your writing
process like? I like to think that I don't so much write songs
as notice them (seems a good way to approach it with little ego). A
lot of my jazzier stuff seems almost like I'm channeling old '30s
and '40s writers!
What is your inspiration? Women inspire me, both positive
and negative [laughing] what else is new? I tend to take umbrage
with unfairness on any level I notice, so I tend to write
social-comment types of songs protest songs as well though they
fall into that previous category. I have, it seems, a fair
catalogue of earth-worship songs as well, that I am compiling into
a themed collection. And I do a fair number of experimental types
of songs, generally instrumental in nature, and often use different
tunings (I love open tunings a lot). What type of music do you
generally listen to, and can you name some influences? Lately,
I mainly listen to CDs by friends, and never seem to get through
them all. I stopped actively listening to music when I started
playing, as I was totally compulsive, and if I wasn't playing I was
eating or sleeping! This went on for years, and now when I want
music, I practice and enjoy the sounds of silence. Otherwise for
the most part, excepting the listening to friends, and of course
supporting live music by turning up at as many gigs of friends,
and, well, anyone who's trying really, that my wallet allows. Do
you now, or have you ever, collaborated with other
musicians/writers? I will at the drop of a hat, and have done
so in the past with a close friend for nearly 30 years. We do write
independently, but turn out great stuff together as well. You
had mentioned to me that your age is rare among the average younger
age of performers. Do you find you are received quite differently
because of this? I think of myself as a 25-year-old, with 30
years experience, so they don't seem to notice the age thing. I do
try to give the benefit of my experiences with timely warnings,
honest opinions, and constructive criticism. What type of venues
have you performed? Lots of coffeehouses and bars in the past!
Concerts, both self-promoted and hired, in a variety of hall sizes.
I promoted riverboat cruises in the early '70s to find a new venue
for music up here, and a ton of Festivals through the years from
the largest in Canada, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, to any small one
that requests my presence (I do like the little ones the best
more folksy in the long run). Do you have your own studio? I
do have a Teac Porta Studio, which I used for years, but is broken
now (sigh). I work with a sound
engineer/ChapmanStick/tabla/keyboard player who has recently
purchased ProTools and has been loaned a Mac to run it on, so
product will resume soon. Do you, or have you ever sold any
music that you've written? I have authorized a number of
friends to use my tunes, and a couple have recorded them (2 tunes
really), but I haven't really sent the kids out to work yet ...
some of 'em are still growing. Do you have a promotional
website, or somewhere one could go to purchase some of your
music? D'ohnext on my list! My focus these last 5 years or so
has been primarily 3D modeling/rendering/animation, and that's a
lot to learn so, music took a back seat for a while. What
instruments do you have with you when you are performing? I
generally work as a trio with my ChapmanStick player taking the
Bass part, my friend Joanna on Drums, and me on guitar and vocals.
Best/Worst experiences? Best: learning music. Worst: a
cracked wrist a few years back that actually caused me to learn the
mandolin whilst I couldn't play guitar. And the years of chronic
alcohol abuse that I eventually overcame (that is the downside of
having booze ever-present at musical gigs). Are there any tips
you could offer from your experience? Never SUCK! It won't make
you happy or win any respect from those who you'd like to have
respect you!
The Music: Evil Breeze Mp3 file size: 3MB The following are
works in progress tunes, written with Melody Assistant: 1974 D Blues2 was a simple rhythm line from 1974
until two weeks ago, and it grew into what it is today. Mp3 file
size: 1.25MB Floating was written in California in 1972 whilst
trying to help my friend reclaim his 66 passenger school bus ...
never happened, but we got out alive with a bunch of songs, and
this one survived in my rep until this day. Mp3 file size: 1.26MB
Dappled Streets Of Summer was written one
summer afternoon while riding down a typical elm lined Winnipeg
street with the sun dappling through the leaves. Mp3 file size:
283kb
All music and images featured within this article
are copyright, and may not be copied or reproduced in any manner,
without written permission from the artist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Nicks Notes is a regular featured column
with Renderosity Staff Writer Nick Sorbin [vclaszlo]. |
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