Photo by Vernon Webb
PART II: BRIAN STOLTZ
I know you’re always working on a lot of different projects. At this point, do you have plans to return to the studio?
Well, I’ve got enough stuff in the can—finished—for at least two records, maybe three. Unfortunately, I can’t put anything out right now because PBS is involved in this lawsuit with Highsteppin’ Productions, and I’ve got two major distributors that want to put a record out and distribute it. But when this lawsuit went down then they backed off. Now nobody will touch me until this thing is over with. So it’s kind of a major ordeal in my life because I was trying to get this record out—I’ve been trying to get it out for almost two years and then right when I was really getting it to come together a little over a year or so ago we got served with this suit. That put the brakes on everything. So, I mean, yeah, I could go ahead and press it up and put it out myself and just take my chances. But, you know, I had a couple of distributors ready to roll with it and then it came to a halt. So I’m just kind of biding my time right now waiting to see what happens.
Can you describe some of the music that was on these albums? Was it more funk-centric or rock-oriented or a mixture?
Well, it’s kind of a mix. I wouldn’t call anything I’ve ever done funk—some of it might have been real groove oriented and some of this material is like that but then some of its more laid back, more singer/songwriter. I guess I would say there’s a couple songs on there that really touch on old country and gospel and I’ve got a couple of good people on it with me. I’m calling it modern day gospel. Then I’ve got another track that’s kind of old country oriented and Shannon McNally’s singing on that one with me. So, this is the stuff I’m trying to get out. It’s quite different from anything I’ve done and it came out so good. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
You mentioned the lawsuit, which put a halt on PBS as an entity. Do you plan to perform as a trio with George and Russell under a different name?
I think you’ve seen the last of PBS. I guess you never say never, but we weren’t really able to make a go of it and towards the end it just wasn’t working out. A lot of that has to do with the business moves we made. But now we’re playing together again with our funky Meters. It looks like the funky Meters are going to make a go of it again. So I’m happy with that.
I left [funky Meters] in 2007 so it’s been about three years or something like that. The other night [at Tipitina’s] was really off the hook, man. From the first note to the last it just locked in and it was cookin’ all night. It was really good.
You played with funky Meters from the early ‘90s until 2007. But your relationship with Art Neville goes back a decade before that, right?
My very first gig with the Neville Brothers was at Tipitina’s in September of ’81. So this will be my 30th anniversary with Art—I didn’t even realize that. I used to work in a club on Bourbon St. and Art and Aaron used to come in all the time. I’d see them in the club, though I didn’t really get to know them. They’d walk in and we’d kind of acknowledge each other—just a little “Hey, how yah doin’?”—and [I] never really got to hang with them much because I’d be up on stage and they’d be out in the crowd with friends and stuff.
I left that gig when the Neville Brothers were out on the Fire on the Bayou Tour which was I guess summer of ’81 or fall of ’81. When they came home Art wanted to put together a new band, and he remembered me from down at that club, and he went down there looking for me but I was gone. Well, it just so happened that that morning I had just gotten a new phone number, and I called a few friends to give them the number. Now, one guy I gave the number to was down there on Bourbon St. and when Art went looking for me and I wasn’t at the club, he walked two blocks down to the Absinthe Bar, and he saw this friend of mine. He said, “Hey man, you remember that little white dude that used to work down there at the 544 Club.” He couldn’t even remember my name. But he just said “that little white dude that used to work at 544 club,” and my friend Mark said, “Oh yeah, Brian. Matter of fact, here I got his new phone number,” and he pulled the number out [of] his pocket and gave it to him [Laughs]. Art called me that night so it’s kind of funny how things work.
It is funny how things have come full circle. Here you are working with him again, beginning with a show at Tips.
That’s right. You know, he called me up and I started working with Neville Brothers. My first gig was at Tipitina’s. We went to Texas and did one or two dates and then we started the Stones tour. So I went from Bourbon St. to being out of work due to carpal tunnel surgery for six months to the Stones tour.
Not a bad turn of events.
Yeah, it wasn’t bad at all. My life’s kind of like that. It’s like everything falls apart and then all of a sudden it just comes back together instantly. You know?
So now that the funky Meters are reactivated with you in it is that your primary focus this year?
As far as funky Meters goes, Art wants to work. I think the Neville Brothers are not doing a whole lot this year. I know they have some dates, but I don’t think they’re doing a whole lot. So I think Art wants to work funky Meters…so we’ll see. There’s no plans to record. funky Meters has never really had a history of recording. But, I know Art wants to work and whatever we can get out of George to agree to some dates as opposed to the 7 Walkers then we’ll be rolling.
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