GEORGE PORTER JR.
What will you remember most about 2013?
Turning 66 (laughs).
What album or albums have you listened to most over the past year?
I don’t listen to music in general. I don’t think I’ve listened to anything. I just don’t really listen to music, you know? I tend to listen to live performances that I’m involved in. And because I’m writing, I’m still trying to perfect the method of writing music. So I don’t really listen to music because I don’t want it to influence what I’m writing. So the stuff that I listen to is the stuff that I’m playing. I pick the pieces apart. I pick ‘em and I break ‘em all up so they make sense to me and I see if there’s anything there that I should remember.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2013?
I think my favorite can easily be when I did a trio gig on Monday – the second of three trio dates at the Maple Leaf – with The Porter Trio. Originally I was gonna go in and do Running Partners Mondays, but there were dates that had been booked before and after those dates that had a radius clause in it. I didn’t know about that, so I had to go in and break the dates up and use members of the band each week. The first week I used Simon and Mike, my keyboard player. The second week I used Chris Rowe and Terrence Houston on drums. And that, I believe, could be my favorite performance because I really do believe that we probably wrote two records that night. I think both sets had enough music to be two actual CDs. Like I said, go back and pull it apart and find pieces there – statements that were made – that are a record. So you sit down and make a song out of it. And there was some great jamming, too. That probably was my favorite. And then, the last one – the third weekend – was wonderful with Brent Anderson and Terrence. So all three of them were fun dates. I don’t have a single one, I have three of them.
What emerging artists should our readers watch out for in 2014?
Because I don’t get out to see much, I see more musicians here than I do out there. But there’s a kid, Brandon [Niederauer]. He’s a ten-year-old guitarist. At this point, he’s not an emerging artist; he’s still in the growing world and I would strongly suggest his parents take it really slow taking him into the mainstream. Because he can learn a lot from being around these old players and he can learn the bad as well as the good. So I would stress that they take it really slow and introduce him to this broad world and just let him learn the process of being a good musician. But this kid is gonna be something else, man. He ain’t scared. When he straps on a guitar he plays like he’s a 100 year old man!
Any plans in the works with funky Meters for 2014?
We can’t look too far ahead. We can’t make plans because of Art’s situation, you know? He’s up, he’s down. Sometimes he feels really well and sometimes we have to kind of ease our way into it and make sure we don’t push him too hard. We’re going to Japan. We’re hoping that he does well on that, it’s four shows in five days. We can’t push him hard, man. He’s fragile
ROBERT WALTER
What will you remember most about 2013?
I was involved in two records that I’m very proud of in 2013. My own Get Thy Bearings and the Greyboy Allstars Inland Emperor. I also got to tour with my band 20th Congress again.
What album or albums have you listened to this most this past year?
I listen to a lot of music, and it changes from week to week. The record collector in me wants to name something obscure, but I’m really into big classic albums these days. Lately I’ve been on a Prince kick, and Diana Ross Diana gets played often at my house. Also old hard rock like AC/DC and Black Sabbath.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2013?
Worship My Organ (which is Marco Benevento, Skerik, Adam Dietch and I) at the Blue Nile during Jazz Fest. Greyboy Allstars at High Sierra.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2014?
Mike Dillon’s Band of Outsiders is the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Any big plans in the works for 2014?
2013 was the beginning of a lot of things for me. I’m hoping to continue and develop those projects. I’m working on music for another 20th Congress album.
JON TOPPER (MANAGER moe.)
What will you remember most about 2013?
How we got nowhere on gun control in this country.
What album or albums have you listened to this most this past year?
The Muse The Wood Brothers
What was your favorite show or tour in 2013?
Dave Matthews Band in Scranton. moe. at Red Rocks with Blues Traveler on July 4th.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2014?
Eastbound Jesus, Aqueous, Henhouse Prowlers, Floodwood.
Any big plans in the works for 2014?
To live and make it to 2015.
No Comments comments associated with this post