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European Weekly April 2005 Hans York is a man of many vast musical talents and one of the best songwriters around. I had the pleasure to email back and forth with him while he was in Germany finishing his next record "Inside Out" and playing shows with his old band "Hazzazar." |
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EW:
You use DADGAD tuning. Why?
HY:
One of my first inspirations with alternate tuning were Joni Mitchell
and Nick Drake who blew my mind with the sound they created with guitar
and voice, which I never heard before. With DADGAD you get avery rich
overtone structure and it sounds fuller than normal tuning. In the beginning
I only used it partially always referring back to standard tuning, but
now I mostly play in DADGAD. Later on I also started playing melodies
with it and realized that I could sometimes get a harp like effect which
I liked especially when I do celtic music with US National Fiddle Champion
Jamie Laval. For me it's also very inspiring for composing and all songs
on my 3rd album that I just finish recording in Germany were written in
DADGAD.
EW:
Tell me about some of the projects you did while still in Europe and what
brought you stateside?
HY:
In Europe I did a lot of diverse music from playing as soloist on fretless
bass in a Chamber Orchestra production to touring with an Indian tabla
player or the New York Broadway Ensemble. Meanwhile I was in the studio
recording commercial rock music or finishing up an album with MOKA EFTI,
my world music project for 10 years. In the last years before I came to
the US I concentrated on recording my own songs and released two albums
with German lyrics and music that was inspired by my pop and rock music
background and living in Rio De Janeiro for half a year. I grew up mostly
with American and British music and always had a longing to go to the
States. When I was 17 I had a full scholarship for Berkeley College of
Music in Boston but at that time the Dollar was over the top and we did
not have the funds to pay for room and board which was very disappointing
for me as you can imagine. At the time I lived close to an airbase so
I played mostly with American musicians and got over it. I always kept
the connections and had US musicians involved in lots my projects. On
the last MOKA EFTI CD we had Charlie Mariano playing Saxophone and on
my 2nd German album I worked with Andy Middleton, a great Jazz player
and wonderful friend from New York.
While teaching at a German music camp I met two brothers, Evo and Jemmy
Bluestein who are fantastic folk musicians from California. We started
playing and instantly became friends. In winter '98 I decided to visit
them. It was -25 degrees Celsius in Berlin and the thought of lush life
was too tempting. I stayed with Evo for 3 months and started producing
an album with him. After four weeks in the foothills of the Sierra I knew
that I'm going to life in the US and after arranging everything in Germany
I came back for good in May 1999.
EW:
What was it like working with Robert Palmer?
HY:
He was a generous and relaxed person with no attitude at all. I was very
young and unexperienced and remember that he invited me for dinner before
a show. I hardly could swallow but he talked so normal
that I soon forgot with whom I'm sitting here and started chatting away.
At the time he was in Germany to receive a Grammy like TV Award and I
got the job as his guitar player for that event. He was the first celebrity
that I met in person and I'm glad that it was such a great experience.
EW:
Since you have traveled the world playing what do you see as being some
of the differenced in crowds and audiences?
HY:
The German audiences are great listeners but they sometimes have a hard
time to express themselves especially if the artist does not come form
abroad. They also are very shy in coming up after a show. They mostly
think they would bother the artist if they would try to go backstage.
Latino audiences are amazing because they dig music in a very substantial
way and are able to express all kind of feelings with it. I remember a
tour through Italy which blew my mind and people were so nice that I seriously
played with the idea of moving to Rome. I love the audience in the US
and their unpretentious way of approaching musicians. It's an important
part for me as an artist to get to know the people that I'm playing for
and I can spend hours after a show to talk to them or even go out for
a drink. In general I can see that the value of live music has changed
and it's not easy for most musicians to make a living with it. They have
to start doing other things on the side which will have long term effects
on culture and I hope that through community artists and musicians can
keep giving and doing what they love and do best.
EW:
What was one show or project that really stuck out to you as being top?
HY:
It's hard to point out one because there were definitely many that stuck
out for me. One was producing San Francisco Blues Legend Fillmore Slim.
He was in his 70's and a fascinating old man full of joy and whit. Than
a live concert that I played with a 10 piece Hip Hop/ Soul band in Germany.
It was a festival with 5000 people and going on stage was certainly something
I'll never forget. But sometimes it's also the very little things that
are engraved in my brain. Little house concerts where I play in front
of 35 people that could see the sweat within my eyebrows. Than the work
on my three solo albums where so many of my friends from all over got
involved and helped out to make it happen. I'm a social animal and community
means everything to me.
EW:
Give me a non-website-bio version of the part several years.
HY:
I came to the US in 1999 and started producing Lyquid Amber, a bandwith
California musician Evo Bluestein. Than I produced Fillmore Slim a San
Francisco Blues legend for a label in New York. In 2000 I moved to Seattle
and was MD for Jay Thomas' and Becca Duran's Band and played with different
projects in the area.
In 2001 I founded my Rock Project Mercury Skin with some great Seattle
musicians and recorded one album. 2002 I started touring and recording
with US National Scottish Fiddle Champion Jamie Laval. In 2003 I produced
King Frydai, a project of Seattle artist Tom Armstrong. I toured the US
with Seattle Band 'Two Loons For Tea'. I started recording my 3rd solo
album 'Inside Out' with Orville Johnson and other Northwest artists. 2004
was mostly touring the US with Jamie Laval and producing Seattle Singer
Songwriter Eric Goetz. Currently I'm in Germany finishing recording 'Inside
Out' and playing some shows with my old band 'Hazzazar'
EW:
How do you keep connected with your fans around the world?
HY:
I spend a considerable amount of time on the computer writing email and
answering fan mail. It is a great tool and I'm happy that I got into computers
and know my way around. I also have several Blogs where people can interact
with one another in a more communicative way over vast distances. I just
launched a Blog for Artists where we talk about issues that we encounter
or exchange ideas of how we better promote ourselves. Most of my friends
are independent artists and have to do most things by themselves. Staying
in contact with fans and trying to win new ones can take up a big amount
of your day and I had to make it a habit so I don't lose touch.
EW:
You have seen a good assortment of talent through your years playing.
What are some new groups that you are enjoying?
HY:
Right now I listen to artists like Ron Sexsmith, Teitur, Rufus Wainwright,
Coldplay, Beth Orton or Incubus and some of the cool Brazilian artists
like Lenine or Zeca Baleiro. Than I try to find local artists that haven't
yet made the big step like Stephanie Schneiderman, a great singer songwriter
from Portland or REED a very cool band from Seattle. I also enjoyed listening
to and producing young Seattle artist Eric Goetz. It's great to see that
things are moving on and that there is new talent at any time and any
place.
EW:
What is one influential artist that you feel just hasn't received the
credit they deserve?
HY:
Ron Sexsmith is one of the best Singer Songwriters that I heard for a
decade and he's s still an insider and never got the fame that he deserves.
But then there are scores of talents somewhere out there that we never
hear about. It's just like nature and its overwhelming growth. Not everybody
can be recognized and it's not necessarily a sign for quality if it happens.
EW:
Thank you for taking the time to do the interview
HY:
Best wishes from a cold and icy Germany