Page 3 - ISSUE 14

ROCKNATION ISSUE 14 PAGE 3
Interview with Kip Winger by or three months at least. Got stumped on first record where I put a string quartet on a song dedicated an artist you admired,
the beginning of “Hungry.” In each record there was obviously a deep friendship -
Tom Mathers/Mary Ouellette a few, and brought in some extra writers. I left breadcrumbs of a trail that lead me how did your path meet/cross?
You know, record the drums. Then bring
everyone back to do the real tracks. Then into classical music. For those who know Kip: You’re the only one who’s ever
Rocknation: A lot of music reviewers have mix it for a month and master it and all my music, they would know what songs mentioned that. It’s so funny, I put that on
called Karma the follow up to Pull, which that. So it took about eight months. those are - “Rainbow in the Rose” and that there and I’ve never been asked a question
was often heralded as the best Winger Interview with James Christian kind of thing. For me it’s not very differ- about that. So, thanks for noticing that.
Rocknation: The title Karma is said to be
album to date. Do you feel that Karma representative of Winger “completing its ent, but I’ve been studying it for so long. I met him a couple of times and we hung
by Brian Rademacher
follows in that same vein and picks up full musical circle” – can you tell us what
where Pull left off? you mean by that? Rocknation: You’ve also got a side project out and we had a considerable amount
Kip: I guess so. I tried to just do a com- Kip: I thought Karma was a cool name called Blackwood Creek which is a band of drinks (laughs). I didn’t know him that
bination of the first album and Pull. My for a record. I felt like the band has had you’re a part of with your brother and a well, but he was such a deep human being
main objective was to really just rock the so many ups and downs that it was really childhood friend. You guys started the and incredible soul. We hung out a few
first five songs and represent what the more representative of our experience band when you were pretty young, what times. I had warm feelings towards him
band sounds like live, step it up a notch. as a band that we’ve had some bizarre inspired you to go back and revisit that that I think he had towards me. We were
Winger Four was more sophisticated, it karma. Then I thought “karma” that’s a and to release the album? musically mutual respect. He was an
was basically a prog album, so I guess cool record. I think Reb’s interpretation Kip: Really did it on a lark. We were talk- amazing guitar player. That song really
that would be fair. I don’t know. I don’t of the title was that the band has come
really think about that king of stuff. I just full circle, but that was never really what ing on the phone one day and thinking we grew out of those few meetings I had with
do what I’m feeling at the time. What had it meant for me. For me it was really just could get together and jam. So they came him where we just kind of hung out. For
become clear to me was that I wanted to that we’ve had a lot of bizarre experience, out and we worked out some stuff. The anybody that knew him, knew that he was
write some songs that we could do live, and I thought that the karma of the band riffs were really cool, the ideas were good a really really deep soul. I mean, the guy
that would translate live very well – that has been very interesting. and the chemistry
were up tempo and push the whole thing Rocknation: I see that there are tour dates was there. So
up a notch on the adrenaline meter. in Europe for Winger starting in March, I just started
Rocknation: You produced the Karma are you planning any follow up in North working on it as
album yourself – do you find yourself able America? a labor of love.
to do that objectively without getting too Kip: Yeah, we’re booking gigs now.
caught up on perfecting everything? They’re just coming in on my calendar. Took a few years
Kip: I’m not a big believer in that a band We don’t have many, they’re just booking to put it together,
needs a producer. If you know what you them now to be honest with you. June finally got it fin-
are looking for and you know how to get 19th at the M3 festival and June 20th at ished. I think it’s
it, there’s no reason why you should have B.B. King’s. We’ll start from there and very representa-
a producer unless you can’t look at things go on. We’re going to Europe in March tive of what we
objectively. I’ve been doing this for thirty and we’ll be in Europe for a month. We’re did then - 70’s
years so if I think something sucks if I hear doing Brazil in May. We’re doing Brazil three piece rock,
it I’m not afraid to admit it. No one in their in May. So we’re just putting the North
right mind can think they can hit ten out American thing together now. very straight
of ten. Rocknation: For rock fans who may ahead kind of
Rocknation: I read that you and Reb wrote wonder what you’ve been up to in between with a new edge.
the album in about ten days. That sounds Winger albums they might be surprised We had a lot of
like a bit of a whirlwind, can you tell us to find out that you’ve been composing a fun doing that. I
about the process? lot of classical music and in fact your first was never a lead
Kip: It’s really the same process as every symphony premiered last year with The singer per se, we
Winger album. We sit down with a case of Tucson Symphony Orchestra. How does it were all singers
beer and we put up a cool drum program differ writing classical music compared to
on the computer – in the old days it was a your other projects? How do you prepare in that band, so
drum machine - and I’ll just start pounding for that? it’s very harmony
out beats. It’s really like, I’ll pound out a Kip: Well, I’ve been preparing for that for heavy and it really sounds like what we was like a saint. Very wise. He would just
beat and I’ll look to Reb and say play me a twenty years. I started studying serious use to sound like – only better because say a few words and there was so much
riff. He’ll start playing a riff and he’ll f##k music compositions in about 1984 really we’re better musicians now. wisdom. So that song came out of the
around until he catches my ear really. He’s and then I was on and off until 1996. In Rocknation: There’s a bonus track on feeling of knowing him and how wise the
really good at coming up with shit off the 1996 I studied four years at UNM with your From the Moon to the Sun CD that guy was and what a tragedy it was that he
top of his head and I’m good at arranging. a guy named Richard Herman. Private you dedicated to Dimebag Darrell. Listen- had to die that way, so young,
So that’s really every record. This album study, because I never had time to go to
we sat down, cranked up the drum ma- a university. I studied music theory and ing to the lyric, it’s clear that it wasn’t just (Continued at www.rocknation.us)
chine. The only thing different about this composition for about four years with him.
album was I was like, let’s write this album I’ve been working with Michael Kurek for
like what’s the first song you want to hear years now. I don’t take many lessons, but
on an album. We actually wrote the album I enrolled at Vanderbilt for a lesson and
as you hear it. There’s a few songs out of became really good friends with Michael.
order, but “Deal With the Devil” was day Now whenever I need help on something
one, “Stone Cold Killer” was day two, “Pull I’ll work with him. I’ve always approach
Me Under” was day three and so on. We rock music kind of like a classical guy. Ev-
didn’t finish the lyrics in ten days, it was erything is very orchestrated in its place.
really the arrangement of the music with I’m not really a jammer. So the idea of
a few melody ideas. So you kind of know working with classical is not any different.
where you’re going, you have your tem- I’ve always known that I was going to be
plate. Then I worked on the lyrics for two heading into classical music from the very