 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
MEMO BLOG | |
Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Loaves & Fishes | Letters | Home |
 |
| Because of a miscommunication Terry Robb's drummer Greg Fisher did not bring a drum kit for the band's performance at the Baker City Blues Festival circa 1989. Being true professionals knowing the show must go on, the stage crew improvised a drum kit with suitcases and the show went on. Photo Credit: COURTESY TOM SIMPSON |
 |
| “Soulfully superior” Terry Robb performing was the opening act for Robert Cray at a show held last month in Portland. Photo Credit: COURTESY TY HITZEMANN, BUKOMAGAZINE.NET |
John Fahey:
“One of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century because he invented steel string solo guitar, invented it. What people take for granted now.
“Just playing a solo guitar, not a nylon string classical guitar. If you see a guy playing a solo acoustic guitar, not signing, that's John Fahey. Like Leo Kottke, he discovered Leo Kottke. He was a real musical genius, and I've been around some so-called geniuses and I wouldn't throw around that word lightly, and he certainly was. He was one of my best friends. He was something else. He really was.”
Robb collaborated with John Fahey on seven albums including “Let Go,” called one of the best records of 1983. (Fahey passed away in 2001 due to complications from a sextuplet bypass heart surgery, aggravated by diabetes.)
What's changed about the music business over the last 30 years:
“Once you're in the business, it's hard to enjoy someone else's show because you know everything else that's going on behind the scenes.
“The direction of the business is obviously changing. It's changed, but still changing. A lot of people of my generation are upset about that. I'm not. You're still going to hear music. It's just going to be different the way it's consumed and you're going to have to deal with it. Forget it, because they're not going to stop and say, 'Just for you, we're not going to move ahead.'
“It's like when the synthesizer came out, the guys playing the piano were upset. When the piano came out, all the guys playing the harpsichord were pissed off. Stuff changes.”
His favorite make of guitar:
“I usually play a Stratocaster, and a Martin (acoustic). I started playing the Stratocaster when nobody wanted them, and unfortunately, an old one is really expensive now. When I first played them, you could give them away; you could buy a Stratocaster for $200 that would sell for $90,000 now. I never thought in a million years a Fender guitar would be worth money. It's just two crappy pieces of wood bolted together that happens to sound good.”
Creating the perfect guitar player using three traits:
“The technique of the great Brazilian (classical/jazz) guitarist Baden Powell, the feel of (jazz guitarist) Wes Montgomery and you'd want that 'here I am' bite of (blues guitarist) Albert Collins.”
What makes him such a great guitar player:
“I'm not better than anybody. I work really hard at it, bringing whatever I'm interested in to it. I think I'm honest. If you work hard at anything, you might get noticed. I play quirky, weird time because that's how I hear it and that's also the way I speak.”
The hardest music business decision he's ever made:
“Whether you want to do something for the money or not. Sometimes it's OK if it's short term, but a long-term thing? I've had offers in the past to be in some silly rock band and earn a lot of money and I turned it down. You're broke one day and you go, 'That was kind of dumb.' And then when things are going good, you don't even think about it. Hasn't everybody done that?”
A guitar player or musician in his time that works harder than he does:
“I don't know anybody like that.”
A guitar player or musician more willful than him:
“Nobody.”
A guitar player or musician more competitive than him:
“I'm not very competitive. I know guys that are like that, but it doesn't mean anything to me.”
A guitar player or musician more consistent than him:
“Alan Hager.” (Hager, a classmate of Robb's at PHS, plays guitar for the Curtis Salgado Band and many others.)
What he doesn't like about his job:
“I started a record label because I didn't have enough stress in my life. That part of running a label I don't like. So, I only committed to doing small projects, not get in over my head, too far in debt. The first record out (on PsycheDelta Records) was for Linda Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins, and it was a really good one to start with because they are great and lot of people heard it.”
Maria Muldaur:
“She reminds me of one of my neurotic Italian aunts.”
Buddy Guy:
“Some nights you'd see one of the great guitar performances of all time. Other nights, it was terrible. It was hit and miss.”
Frank Zappa:
“A really nice person. A really normal guy who did all his weirdness on stage and not at home. He was really intelligent, a family guy. He didn't do drugs, didn't drink. He had a really good bullshit detector; he'd look right through you if he thought you were full of BS. He reminded me of some Italians in my family. We sat around and talked about the blues. There was nothing weird about him at all.”
Steve Miller:
“Steve's a smart guy, very confident. He owns all his own (record) masters. His 'Best of Steve Miller' goes platinum every year.
“When we were in New York, (touring with Miller) Curtis (Salgado) and I wanted to get on the Conan O'Brien show. They (the show producers) said, 'If you can get him (Miller), you can be on the show.'” They asked Miller and - despite having an intense dislike for NBC - he agreed.
“When you do television, you have to sign a bunch of forms. Steve said, 'I'm not signing this,' wadded up the paper, threw it at the girl and said, 'Oh. This is how I get my money? I don't give a ____ about the money. Give it to Terry.'
“NBC did - $250 - for the initial airing, the same for the re-broadcast and the European run.”
What's changed about going on the road from when he started:
“Not as many perks. It's more expensive. I go by myself. Nowadays, you have to have a lot more promotion to get people to come out. There used to be a place that was the happening spot that you could go to and you didn't need to know who was playing, you knew they'd be good. You really don't have that anymore.”
What music he listens to:
“Mostly classical music, country blues music like Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters and John Fahey.”
The musician he admires most:
“Quincy Jones. There's a guy who did it all and crossed all boundaries. He arranged for Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.”
>>continued
 |
 |
 |
 |
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home