(photo by Nacy Leigh)
Journeyman rock n' roller Richard X Heyman has played with some of the biggest and most noteworthy names in rock and soul, and continues to put out incredibly well-written and passionate solo albums. Upon the release of his latest solo platter, "X", Heyman reached out to chat about the record, his influences and some of his more his more notable experiences as a backing musician.
The new album, “X”,
is a delightful album that almost sounds like a greatest hits collection of all new songs – how do you feel you have grown as a songwriterwith this record?
Thank you. If
only they were hits! It's difficult for me to assess the songs in terms
of growth. The writing process is an emotional outlet and the songs that come
closest to achieving the feelings I envisioned are the most realized. One
can only hope that they improve with experience so if someone listening thinks
there's growth in the songwriting, I'll accept the compliment. One thing
I have been experimenting with on this project is to take songs I've written on
piano and then turn them into guitar-oriented arrangements. Several of
these tracks were written while I was working on my last album
"Tiers" which was primarily piano-based. If they had been included
on "Tiers," the piano parts would have been prominent. For the
"X" album we mixed down the piano and I played the piano voicings on
various guitars, mainly a Fender Stratocaster.
Despite almost always
playing all the instruments on your records, this is the first one you recorded
at home. How did that change the dynamic
or influence the sound of the album? (As
a side note, I think it’s hilarious that you titled your bedroom studio “The
Kit Factory” yet recorded the drums elsewhere!)
Actually I've done several albums at home. Nancy and I
live in a New York City apartment so it is impossible to record drums here
properly. Not to mention we'd probably get evicted. The name of
our home studio is a pun based on The Hit Factory (the famous NYC studio).
We are both cat lovers, hence the "kit" reference. It's
always fun to record in a large state-of-the-art studio and I did a few of my
prior albums in that environment. But with today's advanced technology,
independent artists can achieve a high level of fidelity with a computer and
some decent microphones. I do try to retain as much warmth in the sound
as possible via an analog pre-amp compressor and a tube guitar amp (a Fender
Vibro-Champ).
I imagine your songs
are like children – it’s tough to choose one above the others. But let’s say
you are asked to make a “Sophie’s Choice”; is there one that you are particular
proud to have written or one that is particularly special to you?
It's very simple - the first track on all of my albums is my
favorite. On "X", besides "Denny", I like
"Please Be Mindful," "Somebody Has Finally Found Me,"
"Mourning," and "House of Cards." I know it's a
songwriter's cliche to refer to their songs as children, but I never felt that
way. Though I guess if you're gonna go with the family relations analogy,
some songs are like a favorite child and others are like a troglodytic nephew.
What are some of your
musical touchstones, those things that you heard and loved and go back to? Who inspires you musically?
I grew up listening to a wide variety of music. Big band
jazz, classical, Broadway shows, Sinatra. Then I got into rock'n'roll.
I love the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the great
songwriting teams such as Leiber & Stoller, Goffin & King, Weil and
Mann, Barry & Greenwich. I also am into blues artists like Freddy
King and Magic Sam, as well as soul singers Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, James
Brown and all the incredible Motown acts. Then I got into Bob Dylan and
Phil Ochs, the Incredible String Band, Joni Mitchell and of course the British
groups -- Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Hollies, Procol Harum, Yardbirds,
Animals, Zombies and the American artists - Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, Lovin'
Spoonful, the Beach Boys, the Band, the Mamas & the Papas. I'm sure
I'm forgetting many others.
Your music often gets
saddled with the term “power pop”, though I think it’s got as much in common
with girl groups and the 60’s mod scene.
Do you feel constrained at all by being defined that way?
I'm not a fan of the term power pop. To me, it's an
oxymoron. Most of the music that is filed under that category is neither
very powerful or popular. That's what the term "pop" originally
referred to - its popularity. When you release anything out into the
public domain, others are free to write or say whatever they want about it.
So I have no control over what label or genre someone thinks I fit into.
The Who - now that's real power pop! I would say I consider myself
a rock'n'roll singer/musician.
You have worked with
several very high-profile collaborators (hell, your resume is kind of a
trip-tych through the last 40 years of rock and R&B!) – are there any
collaborative experiences that were particularly memorable that you wish to
share?
It's always an honor to get to play with musicians whom I respect.
Playing drums for Link Wray was a great experience. He basically
invented the power chord way back in 1958 with his song "Rumble."
When I played with him in the 70's he was playing a Gibson SG through an
Ampeg amp and man he got the nicest tone I've ever heard. It was such a
pleasure to pound along with that sound. He was also a very sweet
guy and let me do my thing on the drums, which I appreciated. I recently
played guitar for Mary Weiss from the Shangri-Las, and had a blast performing
those classic hits like "Walking In The Sand" and "Leader of the
Pack." And just last week I played drums for Mark Lindsay, former
lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders, and again was thrilled to get to
play a set full of hits such as "Kicks," "Hungry,"
"Just Like Me" and many others.
What’s on tap for you
next?
I'm just about to send out a bonus album to all the people who
donated to my Kickstarter campaign, which helped finance the "X"
album. I also recorded a Christmas single that will be out for the
holiday season. I'm writing and rehearsing new material for the band I
play drums in, The Doughboys, for our fourth release. As far as my solo
career, I'm trying to decide on what style or direction I should attempt for
the next project. I'm dabbling in some folk songs with just an acoustic
guitar and single voice, but I also am interested in doing something toward the
heavier side. Though I don't really have the haircut for that.
