Switch... At what age did you become interested in music?
Robbie... I'm not really sure at what age I became "interested" in it... Hell, I may not have even reached that point yet! LOL! But I began taking lessons on lap steel guitar, at around 8 years old.
Switch... What were your musical influences?
Robbie... The Rolling Stones were my first influence. I saw them on an old "Don Kirshners' Rock Concert" one night in the mid-1970's. I had a small black and white television in my bedroom and the antenna wouldn't pick up that channel. So every Saturday night at midnight I would take an extension chord, drag my little black and white t.v. out to the front yard, sit on the hood of the car and try to pull in the blurry images of Don Kirshners' Rock Concert.
One night he did a whole show about The Rolling Stones. I saw them perform "Dancing With Mr. D", "Heartbreaker" and "Angie" live on the show. They all had long black hair and Mick Jagger had no shirt on and had these satanic symbols drawn all over his body...to a teenager THAT was rebellion and THAT was cool!!!!
They looked like a bunch of kids to me...so I figured "If this bunch of teenagers can do it, then so can I" ! I had no idea, that The Rolling Stones were already 30 years old in 1975! I thought they were my age!
Switch... Was your family supportive of your decision to enter music as a career?
Robbie... Yes.. I'm sure they all would have rather I had chosen an easier course for my life, but once they saw my determination, they jumped onboard. Sometimes with disastrous results!.. LOL!.. When I was a teenager, my band use to rehearse in a public park in my hometown. We thought it was great, because it gave us a place to play AND people to play for! Of course, the people who lived close by hated it and called the police.
My Dad ended up getting arrested for it!!! We were a well supervised group of teenagers and he saw the harassment directed at our little band as an injustice. We ended up in a court battle and won! My parents always stood behind me.
Later... in my first gigs, I was only 17 years old. My parents ran lights and sound for the band, until I was of age to play in a bar legally. At that time the drinking age was 18 and if you were younger than that, you had to be accompanied by your parents. It was a good thing my parents were rockers!
Switch... Do you have any formal music training?
Robbie... Yes, I got an Associates Degree in music. I was already well versed in guitar, but busted my ass getting up at 5:30 a.m. to practice piano, study music theory and then be in class. (music theory was first period) by 8 a.m. At the same time, I was still gigging regularly!!! So I wasn't getting any sleep at all! It's amazing how long a young man can live off of beer and speed!!! LOL!
Switch... Does your family come out to watch you play?
Robbie... My family has always come to see me play. But now they are all getting on in years and don't get around much anymore. In the next few years, I guess I'll have to plan a show at the old folks home!!!! (She's gonna kick my a**.. lol.. Sorry Mom, couldn't let opportunity pass me by ..lol)
Switch... Whoa ... are you gonna get it!
Robbie... LOL .. My Mom and I are very close. She won't let this slide. Luckily for me, her paybacks are designed to teach me a lesson, in one way or another.
Switch... Who writes your original music and lyrics?
Robbie... I write my originals. I'm the only one who can stand them! Seriously, when I began writing songs I discovered what all writers discover...People who know you, are just not impressed with what you do. Now, when you go to other towns and places, complete strangers are super impressed, that you can write songs and they want to hear them. But the people you are close to, know you too much as a human being, so they are just not interested in what you write and/or collaborate on. So I learned REAL quick and early, to be an island unto myself.
IF I ever am lucky and skilled enough to climb the songwriting mountain and write something that is TRULY worthy... everybody will listen. It will just happen. I truly believe that the cream always rises to the top. And I'm humble enough to think, that although I'm a damn good writer ... I can always get better and I'm NOT on the level of a Dylan or Lennon/Mcartney.
Switch... Who do you consider to be a good lyricist?
Robbie... Dylan is the man. And Morrison was the man. There are many others, but those two come to mind.
Switch... If you could be on stage with any famous band, who would it be?
Robbie... It would be "The Robbie Boyette Band" and we would be the most famous band in the world!!! Seriously, that's a hard question to answer since my tastes and the things I'm excited about, change on a daily basis.
Switch... Who does your booking?
Robbie... We all do. Sometimes I take care of it. Other times Tony does. And sometimes it takes a pretty woman, to talk the right shit and Claudia gets it done!
Switch... Can you do sound effects with your guitar?
Robbie... Yeah, and sometimes I can actually make it sound like a "guitar".. LOL!
Switch... Where do you hope to take your musical career from here?
Robbie... Honestly....we are in a cyclical point in popular music, where there really isn't anywhere to go. I'm not black, I can't rap, I've never been shot, and I don't have a "posse". So until the music industry goes back to pushing real talent, that can actually sing and play ... I guess I'm in it for my own enjoyment. Unfortunately by the time the industry comes back around...I'll be too old. Youth will always be served.
Switch... Have you ever consider producing your own albums? Setting up your own record company?
Robbie... I have always produced or co-produced, every project I've ever recorded. I love recording and the whole engineering and production aspect. In 1999 I engineered, produced, and recorded another band. That was the first time I ever "sat in that chair" exclusively. I really enjoyed it.
Switch... Robbie thank you for the interview and good luck with all the happenings at the Trailer Park.
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