INTERVIEW | Geoff Gibbons Discusses the Ins and Outs of Making Music
Vibrant alt-country with delicious textures
From Vancouver, B.C., singer-songwriter Geoff Gibbons recently released his new single, "Rollin' Free," an alternative country rock tune perfect for cruising along the open road.
The arc of Gibbons' career began in the BC Boys Choir, eventually leading him to collaborations with Jeff Carlisi, Dawn Langstroth, James Dean Hicks, and Peter McCann, as well as writing scores for film and television, including Higher Ground, Just Cause, and Robson Arms.
Popdust wanted to find out more about Gibbons' musical gift.
How would you describe yourself?
A full-time working musician who loves song, is mad for melody, and prizes a vivid story told with clever lyrics. A songwriter that labors over lyrics and is on an endless ear and mind search for the next chord change or note progression that connects to the bigger picture…Whew!
What is the most trouble you've ever gotten into?
Well of course I won't tell you the "most" trouble I've been in, but I can tell you that I have butchered the odd song over the years. I left the corpses in a ditch on some lost highway. I paid my debts for those mishaps.
What's your favorite song to belt out in the car or the shower?
I try not to sing in the car or the shower because I'm usually getting ready for, or driving to a gig. I have to save my voice. If I had to choose a song to sing, I'm thinking "Tempted" by Squeeze.
Who is your favorite music artist?
The Beatles. They already did it all and we're trying to catch up.
How did you get started in music? What's the backstory there?
I would have to say my Mom got me started in music. When I was young she dragged me around to different musical and sporting pursuits. She saw an ad in the paper for auditions for the British Columbia Boys Choir when I was nine. Off we went to Downtown Vancouver. I auditioned and made the choir, traveled, and made my first recordings at that young age. By the time I made it to high school, I had grown my hair long and wanted to change from choir music to rock, forming my first band with my pals.
What musicians influenced you the most?
In the early years it would have to be the Beatles, Petula Clark, Motown, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Glen Campbell, and Eagles, and on.
How, if at all, do your musical influences shape and impact your music?
Your heroes always seem to be in the room judging the music you are creating. They are the measuring stick by which you rate your work. I find myself asking what would Neil Young or Paul Simon really think of this? You have to climb out from those long shadows at some point in your musical journey, but no matter how hard you try, they always seem to linger.
What kind of guitar do you play? And why?
Live, I am a devoted fan of Takamine. They create a certain punch that I can't find with other electric acoustics. I bought my first one in the '80s and I have used them live ever since. I have three of them now. My favorite is the Santa Fe. In the studio I mostly use different Gibson acoustics.
Your music is described as alt-country. How would you describe your sound?
I feel my music is a real mixture of so many different persuasions, with its foundation in singer-songwriter disciplines. I was glued to hit radio when I was young, then became completely bewitched by the Country Rock movement. Combine that with the great singer-songwriters and soul music. All these influences seem to make their way into my sound.
What inspired your new single "Rollin' Free?"
I was noodling with an open tuning, and started playing the main chord progression of the song. As I played the chords, my mind's eye couldn't help but see a summer highway. The airy open feel of the chords seem to dictate what the song was going to be about. As I continued on with the lyric, I made a conscious decision not to let the words get in the way of the vibe of the song, so I tried to create simple images that would ride along with the tune.
You also compose musical scores for movies and television. Is there a creative difference between the two disciplines?
When you are writing songs for your personal projects, you form ideas based on what you're seeing, feeling, reading, hearing, then create your message to the world. With music for film, you are given a script or film that requires music to assist in creating the emotion that is being portrayed in the visual images, whether it be a song or a composition. You are using the same disciplines of writing but one is "in to outward" and the other is "out to inward."
How would you compare the music scene in Canada with that of the U.S.?
Comparatively, the scenes are very similar on the outside. But in my experience some marked differences are noticed due to the obvious population and proximity of cities, but there is a more subtle difference in societies as well. In Canada, we grow up as the little brother to the big country that borders us to the south. The USA is where most of the modern music was born, and it's where most of the power brokers are. There is a wealth of talent in Canada, but as Canadians, we tend to have an ever-so-slight complex due the pure weight and size of the U.S. American society naturally embraces anyone trying to do or be something. It seems to be part of the American DNA. I love my Canada, but I can always tell when there are Americans in the crowd. They are usually the most vocal and energized about their support for what you are doing.
What's next for you musically?
I am currently recording my next single, which will be released in mid-October. I'm also working on a four-song Remembrance Day EP (Veterans Day in the USA), as well as a number of projects with other groups and musicians.
Will you be doing any touring?
Hoping to do some more. It's mostly about festivals these days, so unless one of my songs goes interstellar, I probably would not be doing a milk run across Canada or the USA. That said, I've always got my ear to the ground listening for interesting playing opportunities.
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Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.
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