{"id":16223,"date":"2023-08-23T07:14:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T06:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=16223"},"modified":"2023-08-16T08:37:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T07:37:50","slug":"communicating-with-crosby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2023\/08\/23\/communicating-with-crosby\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMUNICATING WITH CROSBY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sabi Reyes Kuklkarfni<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMUNICATING WITH CROSBY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

as Ralph Dent eavesdrops<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Behind every great interviewer lies a great interviewer willing to listen. Just such an interviewer is sabi reyes kuklkarni (left) . <\/strong>The Paste on-line magazine from which this interview was taken, \u00a0always allow their journalists to contextualises their interviews so the reader is always aware of the who, what, when, where and why of the conversation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So Kuklkarni opens by telling us that as a key contributor in the iconic folk-rock groups Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Byrds, David Crosby, (right with guitar)<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0had already etched his place in rock history by 1970. And yet, for someone who\u2019s spent the better part of the last half-century addressing the past in some form or another, Crosby comes off as oddly unencumbered by his legacy these days. For proof, one need look no further than the veteran singer\/songwriter\u2019s first-ever live release under his own name, the new CD\/DVD package\u00a0Live at the Capitol Theatre<\/em>, a 2018 document of The Lighthouse Band, which features Crosby alongside multi-instrumentalists Becca Stevens, Michelle Willis and Michael League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, Crosby <\/em><\/strong> dusted off a song titled \u201c1974,\u201d which sat unfinished for nearly 40 years until the rest of the band got its hands on it. And, yes, The Lighthouse Band does a rendition of \u201cWoodstock,\u201d the Joni Mitchell-penned CSN staple that, perhaps more than any other song, epitomizes the tenor of the Flower Power era. Nevertheless, what\u2019s most immediately striking about\u00a0Live at the Capitol Theatre<\/em>\u00a0is how utterly fresh and\u00a0alive<\/em>\u00a0the music sounds. 78 at the time of the recording, who died at 81 on January 23rd<\/sup> 2023, \u00a0\u00a0smiles frequently in the video, as if suspended weightless in the sheer joy of playing with this group of musicians, all of whom he dwarfs in age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All four voices blend seamlessly within the historic Port Chester, N.Y. venue\u2019s church-like acoustics, captured in a breathtaking mix that\u2019s so clear you expect to hear a pin drop at any moment. With Crosby having helped set the bar for vocal harmonizing so long ago, it\u2019s a marvel to hear The Lighthouse Band push harmony to new heights. In fact, as Live at the Capitol Theatre<\/em> reveals in stunning detail, Crosby has turned out to be the consummate bandleader-as-team-player. League, Stevens and Willis, for example, all pitched-in on the writing to flesh \u201c1974\u201d out from its original demo form, and the instrumental mastery each brings to the table simply can\u2019t be overstated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crosby may often find himself digging through the past, but he\u2019s managed to prevent his artistry from fossilizing\u2014thanks in no small part to his Lighthouse bandmates. Still as colourful, blunt and emphatic as ever, he spoke to Paste<\/em> about the synergy between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste: <\/strong>Live at the Capitol Theatre<\/em> was released three years almost to the day after the concert was recorded. How intentional was that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Crosby<\/strong>: I didn\u2019t know it had been that long! I mean, we meant to have it out sooner, but I\u2019ve been making a lot of records, and they\u2019ll only put out one at a time. I have two bands\u2014The Lighthouse Band, with Michael League producing, and another stream of records that I make with my son, James Raymond. We call that one Sky Trails, but it\u2019s really just me and James and anybody we want. Between the two, I\u2019ve been making a lot of records. And this one had to wait for my last studio album For Free to get out of the way. And it kept selling! Me personally, I would put \u2019em out a lot sooner [laughs].<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong>\u00a0What have you got in the works as far as more recent recordings with Michael, Michelle and Becca Stevens? (left)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it just so happens that I have an entire studio album that I just finished with The Lighthouse Band\u2014mixed, mastered, ready to release\u2014and it\u2019s better than anything else we\u2019ve done. And I\u2019m waiting to put it out until this live record gets out [laughs]. It\u2019s tough getting the record company to do what I want.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> Can you talk about that? Because you\u2019ve certainly had your share of experience with labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re well-intentioned people at BMG. They\u2019re nice guys. All the way to the top, they\u2019re all okay. They just move slowly. And when you hand them five records in four years, it\u2019s a little more than they can handle. They\u2019re doing what they can, but they\u2019re big and weighty so it\u2019s a difficult situation. Anyway, I have another one in the can ready to go, and we\u2019ve already started another one past that<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> You went decades between your first solo record and a second set of solo titles, and then you went another several decades after those. What do you attribute this recent outpouring of creativity to?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two things\u2014first: during the previous period, I was making records with Graham [Nash], and occasionally with Graham and Stephen [Stills]. When I stopped doing that, I [ended up in] two writing situations. And I like recording, man! So I\u2019m moving at the pace that seems perfectly natural to me. Everybody else is going, \u201cWait a minute, wait a minute! Slow down!\u201d And I don\u2019t feel that. Instead, I feel that I\u2019m towards the end of my life and I would like to make all the music I possibly can while I can.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> So you\u2019re saying your creative flow hasn\u2019t really increased, but that it only looks like it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it has sort of increased because of the other factor, which is that I found out a while back\u2014when I wrote \u201cWooden Ships\u201d with Paul Kantner and Stephen Stills [in 1968]\u2014that I can write with other people. Your head doesn\u2019t fall off. It\u2019s okay. Most of the writers I know are very, very territorial about it, man. They want all the credit and all the money. I don\u2019t really care. And it turns out that, because I can have chemistry with other people, that\u2019s extended my useful life as a writer by 10 years, probably. And it\u2019s doubled my volume, which is a good thing. More music is good, man. We need music. Music\u2019s a lifting force, and things are hard right now in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong>\u00a0You aren\u2019t shy about writing with the members of this band or putting them out front\u2014like when Becca sings lead on \u201cRegina.\u201d It\u2019s very clear with this recording that there\u2019s a\u00a0rapport<\/em>\u00a0between you all give them all room to shine, even when they\u2019re not singing lead. A truly confident musician can share the spotlight. It\u2019s what made one of your idols,Miles Davis , such a compelling listen over such a long period of time: because he kept finding new people to feature. I\u2019m not comparing you to Miles Davis\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he was right! Miles was right. He was right to do that. And yes, I am doing that, and yes I\u2019m doing it on purpose.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> BMG released a quote from Becca with this new release, where she said she wasn\u2019t very aware of your body of work before she started playing with you. She almost sounded \u201cmeh\u201d about your whole legacy at first. She wasn\u2019t in-awe, and didn\u2019t even seem impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She probably wouldn\u2019t be anyway. She\u2019s a very impressive artist herself. The truth is, these aren\u2019t people who are motivated by stardom or record sales. These are people who are motivated by art. And she knows she\u2019s as good as I am. I think she is too\u2014that\u2019s why I\u2019m in a band with her. So our relationship is very straight. I do treat them as equals; I do feature them; and I do give them the front when they deserve it. I think that\u2019s the right way to go about this whole thing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> You tell me how correct this is: The vibe that comes across from the live recording is that you got to take part in the formation of a band at 75\u2014a band that wasn\u2019t weighed-down by the baggage of your history. You got to start an actual band<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, and fresh. And it worked. But I didn\u2019t really start it\u2014I saw it. We got in a room together and there was a chemistry. And you could tell. When that happens right in front of you, you go for it. When you see it, man, you know it. And it\u2019s irresistible to me. I could see plainly that all three of them can write and sing and play at a really, really really high level. But the main thing, though, is that when the four of us are together, there\u2019s a friendship and a space to contribute that\u2019s unmatched.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> What would you say this band draws out of you that\u2019s different from the other situations you\u2019ve played in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every chemistry is completely different and calls-up different stuff in you. With this one, there\u2019s more acoustic music and classical jazz. There\u2019s a lot of jazz influence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> Your first interactions with Michael League took place on Twitter. Could you talk about that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A really good bass-player friend of mine called me up and said, \u201cHey, there\u2019s a bass-player site, and on that site there\u2019s a band you\u2019ve got to hear named Snarky Puppy.\u201d And I loved them. I loved the writing\u2014I mean, the composing was just excellent\u2014and the band swung like crazy. You couldn\u2019t hold still. So I started talking about them on Twitter. Michael saw that and got back to me and asked me if I would do a benefit, and I said yes. I went down to New Orleans, did the benefit, spent a week with him, and I fell in love with the guy. He\u2019s just a terrific guy and a terrific writer. The minute he and I sat down to write, we wrote three songs in a row. So it was fated to happen, I think.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

photo The Capitol Theatre Paste:<\/strong> The Capitol Theatre appears to have top-notch acoustics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acoustics are really good, but the vibe is really good. For some reason, the Capitol Theatre has been home to a lot of really good music.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> Judging from the recording, it has the ambience of a hallowed<\/em> space, but you just sparked a thought: you know how the more you cook on a cast-iron pan, the more it acquires flavor? I wonder if venues somehow soak-in or accrue some kind of musical residue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, some sort of patina of notes. I think they do. The Capitol Theatre and the Beacon in New York both have got music just pouring out of the walls.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> You recorded on the final night of your 2018 dates. How risky was that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know, we didn\u2019t really think of it that way. We were feeling very confident. We\u2019d done an entire tour, and it just kept getting better every night. So we felt like we were gonna nail it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> In your experience with different configurations of players, what happens to a band\u2019s cohesion over the lifespan of a tour?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always a moving thing. It\u2019s always either getting better or getting worse [laughs].<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> You\u2019re obviously an avatar of \u201960s counterculture and protest. There\u2019s a temptation to look at all the volatility of the past couple of years and draw parallels between then and now. You\u2019ve lived through both periods\u2014how much are music and art equipped to help people put up a fight today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The equipment\u2019s there, but too much of the motivation is in a different direction. Too much of the motivation is about trying to be a star, be known and be famous. To me, that\u2019s misdirected energy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/em>Paste:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019ve talked about that before\u2014the whole paradigm of today\u2019s pop star being too self-absorbed. But haven\u2019t there always been people out for that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, but it\u2019s a matter of how many and in what proportion. I think the proportion has shifted from when I was starting up. In the \u201960s and \u201970s, the proportion was very high in terms of idealism. Now it\u2019s more \u201cgimme\u201d and \u201cgotcha.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> And the whole infrastructure at that time seemed to support artistic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, there are people who are famous just for being famous. Like the Kardashians\u2014no talent, no skills, no nuthin\u2019. To me, that\u2019s really sick, stupid stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> At the same time, though, you\u2019re not shy about expressing yourself on Twitter and getting into it with people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, I have fun there, man. It\u2019s fun! I think Twitter\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t take it too seriously.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> You recently said that hip hop is \u201cmostly very bad percussive poetry repeated loudly over someone else\u2019s music,\u201d and you cited Chance The Rapper as an exception\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I think he writes better than most [other rappers]. Most [hip hop], if you look at it as poetry on a page, is sub-standard. [Mock-boasting in a deep voice:] \u2018Ay, wow, I\u2019m cool.<\/em> It\u2019s not very good poetry, and also they\u2019re very often doing it to a clip of somebody else\u2019s music. So I don\u2019t see anything impressive with any of that. I do think he and some others write very well, but I think they\u2019re a very small percentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paste:<\/strong> What was it that people were saying about your<\/em> generation of musicians when you first started out? Because there was plenty of alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were afraid we were talking about drugs, because drugs would definitely be the downfall of Western society [laughs]. And, oddly enough, we were!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We got in a room together and there was a chemistry. And you could\u00a0tell. When that happens right in front of you, you go for it. When you see it, man, you know it. And it\u2019s irresistible to me. I could see plainly that all three of them can write and sing and play at a really, really\u00a0really\u00a0high level. But the main thing, though, is that when the four of us are together, there\u2019s a friendship and a space to contribute that\u2019s unmatched.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16234,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16223\/revisions\/16234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}