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| The Exclusive Interview With Steve Boyce! |
| Steve Boyce has easily been one of the hardest working guys in the music industry for man many years, serving not only as a great on-stage performer, providing stellar bass guitar work with the likes of Chuck Berry and Spencer Davis, but he has also been behind the scenes working his magic on the engineering and production side with other legends such as Yes, Herbie Hancock, BB King, and many others. Recent years have found Steve enjoying an exciting and creative project in Seattle-based World/folk/rock band MerKaBa. I can tell you personally that I received a copy of MerKaBa's self-titled album from Steve a couple of years ago, and the music and atmosphere is wonderful, a little something for everyone. And now, I am proud to present my interview with Steve, one of the most genuine and kind guys I have had the opportunity to know! |
| Q: Steve, it is great to have you here! Thanks so much for joining me. I see that MerKaBa has been working hard on getting a new album released for much of this year. What is the current status on the new album? A: Thank you, Billy! The album is coming along - we have 10 or 12 songs in various states right now. I hope to have it wrapped up within a couple of months. Aside from playing a few shows this summer, the band took much of the summer off - for a number of reasons. Now things have calmed down to only mild mayhem, and we're diving back in to finish it up. Q: How is the vibe amongst the band about the new material? Do you feel that it far exceeds anything the band has yet accomplished? A: Everyone is pretty jazzed about it. This record has a slightly different sound since the flute and didgeridoo are no longer in the band. But it is still easily identifiable as a MerKaBa record. We're experimenting with some cello on some of the songs. It adds a great texture to the music as well as some great melody. This record certainly takes us farther along - I'd say it is our best yet. Q: Just as on the previous albums, MerKaBa has enjoyed some outside contributions from lots of great musicians like Yes drummer Alan White, whom is always excited to be a part of MerKaBa's music. How have the ideas of contributors such as Alan helped to shape the direction of your music? A: Alan plays on all the songs we've done so far for this album, so there is a consistency throughout that wasn't there as much on the last record. And as you know, Alan is such an interesting and compelling player, he adds twists and turns in places that others might not. That, in itself is, as they say in the software world, a "feature add". He has also contributed to arrangements - he brings a set of fresh ears and crazy ideas to the studio with him. We're also doing some writing with him. We'll see where it takes us..... Reek Havok, playing percussion, brings not only cool rhythms, but cool sounds as well. That guy is so up on new technology and gadgets. He often comes in with a new box that may look like a little toy, then he starts to make these incredible sounds with them. He constantly amazes me. We may have some other guests on the record as well. A good player coming in fresh can really lend a new look at some of the music. Q: I have a hard time explaining to other people exactly what the sound of MerKaBa is like, because it is very unique! I try to explain that it is a blend of Progressive rock, with a good dose of world music, which may not necessarily be the most accurate way to describe it! How would you describe your sound for our readers out here who have never heard MerKaBa? A: Today, I'd have to call it Folk Rock. Tomorrow, maybe Interplanetary Rock! Maybe the next day, Derelict Rock.... :) Q: Some of your credits as a bass player include playing with such legends as Chuck Berry and Spencer Davis. How long have you been playing bass and when did your big break into the music business come to you? A: Oh, I see - you're trying to find out how old I really am! I started playing music - the accordion - when I was 7 or 8. Meanwhile, the Beatles hit and I had to learn to play the guitar. I joined my first real band when I was 12 years old, playing for Jr. High School dances, church dances, etc. I played guitar, some keyboards, and a little bit of drums back then. Several of us traded around the instruments. Somewhere around 9th grade, our bass player moved away, and since I was the only one in the band who could really kind of suss out what the role of the bass should be in the sound of the band, I turned into the bass player. And besides, Paul McCartney did all right for himself as a bass player! As for the big break into the music business - hell, I'm still looking for it! Ba-boom....Actually, it's really just been matter of doing it, trying to make things happen. Having a duel life as an audio engineer and musician has presented opportunities that might not have come if I did only one of those things. Q: Not only have you been a stage performer, but you have been an engineer and producer for a wide array of acts such as Yes, The Neville Brothers, James Brown, and even Herbie Hancock! Do you prefer being on stage or working behind the scenes with engineering and production? A: That's a good question, Billy. I started as a player and love that very much. Then over the years I learned engineering and production and came to love that as well. One thing I can say, is that there is certainly an underlying sense of power and energy as an engineer - especially in live concerts. That one person can literally make or break a show by virtue of what kind of a job he (or she) does. There is definitely something special about mixing a great show for an audience. It's the kind of job that if you do it right, people won't even think about it. It becomes transparent to the performance. Often, if no one says anything to me about a show I've just mixed, I know I did it right - however, when things don't go well, then people notice and you hear about it! Producing is another thing all together. Although I do get a great sense of satisfaction out of it, it is definitely hard work. The producer shoulders a lot of responsibility in any given project. Lots of things to think about and keep in mind. And when you engineer as well as produce, sometimes your brain feels a bit like it's going through a cycle in the microwave! I have to say, in all truthfullness, I still love performing the most. Playing the music is what drew me into all of this in the first place, and it's still number one. Q: Are there any new gig dates lined up in the near future for MerKaBa? A: We played a few shows this summer and I think we have a couple local shows next month. No plans at this time for a tour. We really want to finish up this new record first, then see where that takes us. Q: Steve, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to join me here for this interview! I wanted to wrap up here by asking you what other kind of projects you have coming up in the next few months? A: When we finish this MerKaBa record, I'm going to do a solo album. Something quite different than MerKaBa. There will definitely be blues involved. A number of guest artists - some you would know, some you wouldn't - but should! On the concert sound front, we just did a show the The Posies and Minus 5. Minus 5 has a number of notable players including Peter Buck from REM. We also have a BB King show coming up soon. Plus many more.... Thanks for having me, Billy! All the best and take care..... |
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