Last year, in May, we reviewed the ‘Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown Vol 1’; a monster of an album of funk and soul that earned a deserved 5 stars – http://www.music-news.com/ShowReview.asp?nReviewID=8147&nType=1 Unfortunately, the album release was held up and it only emerged this February. With news that the next Volume is due to be recorded Music-News asked bassman and producer John Heintz what the reasons were and where the project is now:
M-N John, we loved the album when it first was due for release but the release was held up. Can you tell us what happened in the meantime? JH: Thank You. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, the album was supposed to be released back in May however certain events interrupted the process. The biggest factor was when Belita Woods passed away last May. We wanted to redesign the album layout to include her in the memorial section we had designed for Garry Shider who passed in 2010. Losing both Garry and Belita was heartbreaking, and took us some time morn over the loss of our dear friends and bandmates. They were a major part in making my unlikely dream of this band come alive and those amazing memories are carried daily. .
M-N Since the album has been released how has the reception to it been? JH: The reception has been extraordinarily positive. It has received a lot of attention on a global level critic and fan wise. In addition, “College” won 2011 Funk and Groove song of the year at the Hollywood Music and Media Awards (HMMA). “Wake Me Up” was nominated for 2012 country song of the year by the HMMA. “Volume 1” was nominated for Los Angeles Music Awards album of the year. It ranked #10 in About.com’s Top 20 for 2012 and was just nominated for the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards Funk/Fusion/Jam Album of the Year.
M-N What was the project about? How did you get so many musicians to work together on the album? JH: THere are so many reasons for this band. The project is about bringing people together and developing a community of musicians. It is a collective, a hub for people to find resources to exist in a music industry that is currently in shambles. It’s a place for musicians to create something new together where a record label or band isn’t forcing the music to sound a certain way. It’s an environment to be able to explore whatever style someone feels at the moment.. It’s designed to also be a massive marketing machine to reach an enormous amount of people by utilizing each others platforms to create maximum exposure for all of the bands that have members that are part of Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown. We are also a place for the working musician to come to when their primary band is not on tour and be able to continue to work as an artist and not have to look for a local part time job to fill in the gap. We take the most talented local/regional players and mix them with the legends which just creates this amazing thing. Getting everyone to come together like we do takes a lot of work. The difficult part is finding the window when a good bunch of the players are not touring. Scheduling is tricky but all the musicians are really easy to work with and are always excited to have a chance to play all of these amazing folks.
M-N I believe that you are starting the process again for Volume 2. Will you be using the same musicians and the same format? JH “Volume 2” is in production and we had the first session in Asheville, NC last month. We used the same format as “Volume 1” and had a beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain House that we all stayed in to write and enjoy each others company. There was roughly 30 musicians from 20 different bands present. Some of the musicians were from “Volume 1” as well as several new folks. The gathering lasted five days and really the bulk of the writing and recording was done in the 2nd and 3rd days. I think we wrote and recorded eleven songs in 48 hours or something close to that. There is a second session that is going to be this summer that will have many more new folks joining in. This session will be in held in a famous mansion in the Hollywood Hills and the line-up of musicians will be truly EPIC. We will release more details on the specifics a few days before the session.
M-N And when do you expect to see the album released? JH The plan is to have “Volume 2” out by early Fall 2013
M-N In a world where Pop Idol and X-Factor are, seemingly, the main generators of new music where does a project like the Getdown sit? Is it a niche product or are you expecting to hit the mainstream with it? JH I think the Getdown can go mainstream. People like good music but are just faced with the corporate entities monitoring what is played to the public. All of the music we do feels good because we were all just having the times of our lives making it. But back to the Pop Idol and X_Factor. The Getdown in many ways can do what Pop Idol and X-Factor can do for breaking new music and discovering talent however we would never turn our creative environment into a competition. We have the ability to put the small town hero on stage with living legends in front of massive audiences and get them linked in with people that can make a difference through our own relationships. With us it’s not about the shining star, it’s about the galaxy as a whole. Everyone is treated and treats each other with the highest level of respect. All egos and fame are put aside when we create. Everyone in the room knows each other can play the shit out of their instrument and solo for hours but also know that it’s not about that. It’s about making space for everyones instruments to dance together with a groove than everyone trying to push out front and be the showboat. I personally dislike all of the pop music shows because I feel ithe millions spent of the productions of these shows and the payroll for all of the celebrity judges were divided out amongst working indipendent bands we would find the industry much more sustainable as independent artists. You could literally fund 500-700 bands easily for an entire year tour support wise and probably include the cost of a new record for each in the mix. Instead millions and millions are spent to make one person the star when thousands are overlooked each day even in your own town. It’s a shame that some much great music is falling upon deaf ears because there isn’t a multi million dollar machine pushing them along. To tour the average band is 99% of the time going to have to have all of the financial exposure riding on them. Clubs don’t want to pay a guarantee to the bands and if there is no promotion money on top of that everybody loses. Clubs are empty and not selling drinks, bands are going home hardly with enough gas to make it to where they need to be and we are losing some amazing talents because of this. Also, We’re not a game show but we do take a very talented group of people and allow them to create together, but there is no competition. We are similar because we have a platform to take a virtually unknown person and fast forward them into a bigger spotlight than they would be able to do on their own. Not about competing. It is about everyone helping each other out. Creating musicianship where real people are coming together with real instruments allowing the natural progression and movement of music to occur without trying to make it fit into a generic manufactured type of product. Basically we let the music be the overseer. Whatever direction the music is going, that’s where I want to go, not the direction of high budget karaoke. The money they spend each year on celebrity judge payrolls, production costs and all that, could fund hundreds of independent bands with a modest tour budget and resources. We differ because we are not trying to be mainstream, but we might try to force it down the throats of people who are mainstream because they like it, But we don't want to get lost in the glitter and the glam of what those shows do.
M-N What is it about the musicians that have been involved in the project that sets them apart from a run of the mill band? JH: In a run of the mill band, you’ve got your exceptional player, good players and some are just there because they were from the beginning but the technique is not there yet. With this type of situation every player is hand picked as the best players out there in each of the bands and genres. There is a level of respect they have for each other that is not ego driven. The egos are left at the door most of the time. People are excited to create and play something different every single night.
M-N Is there any chance that the Getdown will become a live project? If so, is there any chance of seeing them in the UK & Europe? JH Yes and Yes. We have actually done a handful of shows which were a huge success, but really wanted to limit how much we played live until “Volume 1” was physically released. Now with the album out we are starting to book some dates here in the US for fall. I plan on bringing the band to the UK & Europe and am currently looking into promoters and venues for that would be a good match. Any recommendations? We take out a morphing line-up of 15-25 musicians from our roster out for the live shows. It’s pretty wild.
M-N John, thanks for being so open and giving us a great insight to the Getdown. We hope to be front and centre when you play in London.
