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Wille & The Bandits have just released their latest album ‘Paths’, arguably their strongest album to date. Before the band headed out on tour, I grabbed a chat with guitarist/vocalist Wille Edwards about the new album, touring with Walter Trout, and the tragic loss of Chris Cornell. Before we talk about the new album ‘Paths’, I have to ask, how much of a blast was it supporting Walter Trout last year? I’m not sure if you are aware, but throughout the gig I attended, Walter name checked the band on countless occasions, especially taking the time to say how much of a fan he was of your guitar playing. He seems to get really involved with the bands that are out on the road with him? “Walter is a great guy, and someone I have loads of respect for as a person and as a musician. He is all about the music. When we jammed on stage, he wanted me to have that platform to be as creative as possible with my guitar, not as some sort of guitar battle. A true legend in every sense of the word.” Walter Trout is, of course, famous, not only for his own playing skills, but for his incredible spirit and battling back from critical illness. I felt the gig was a celebration of life. What did you personally take from the experience? “Meeting Walter, and seeing how he is, makes you not take anything for granted and to enjoy every day and gig as if it is your last. Watching him perform made me mindful that music is why we do this; because we love it, not trying to be huge or famous, but to concentrate on that gig and that moment of music you are making on stage at that time.” Right then, new album, ‘Paths’. It’s an incredibly diverse album, isn’t it! I found myself intrigued to what the next track would bring! “I’m glad you felt that about ‘Paths’. With the exception of ‘Steal’, which was us experimenting with keeping it Rock, we have always made quite diverse albums. It’s what happens when we are left to our own devices. We have so many musical influences, we like to be creative and let them all shine through. I love song writing, and I don’t want to make a slightly different version of the same thing over and over. We have attempted to incorporate an underlying theme and sound across the album. I think the tracks all feel like ‘us’, but with the many facets of ourselves emerging in different tracks.” ‘One Way’ begins with a fantastic bottleneck solo, and you could be forgiven for thinking that it was going to develop into a traditional Blues track, but then it grows very quickly into a fast paced, modern piece of music. The old meeting the new? “Hah! We are anything but traditional Blues, but the roots are there. I love that Blues sound, and perhaps when I start writing a song, it may fit into a more traditional pigeonhole, but then I work on it, and work on it some more, and it evolves into a completely different animal. I suppose that a lot of musicians do the same. You start off with what you know, what you learn from others “the old”, and work it into something new.” The lyrical theme throughout that song highlights Western foreign policies and propaganda, but it’s also quite an upbeat song and the feet do start tapping. What message would you hope a listener takes from it? “Despite all our differences, all that divides us; whether religious, economical, or geographical, deep down we all know what is right, what path humanity should be taking. We just need to be more aware, more present, and more mindful of our collective actions. Easier said than done, for sure.” ‘Paths’ has a “live” feel to it. Were any of the songs on the album cooked up on the spot, right there in the studio? “With almost all of the songs, I tend to write the song first and then use the studio to shape them into something special. It is a process I love so much every time I do it. We do try a lot of the tracks out live before we put them down in the studio, and that means that there is that ‘live’ feel to them, it gives them that energy. Also, when we start recording, there is a loose structure, so solos and other parts are sort of jammed, which I think is great, as you can get lost in the emotion of the take and the guitar can take you where it wants to go.” Tracks like ‘Make Love’ and ‘Keep It On The Down-low’ mix it up by bringing in some funk and hip hop grooves. ‘Keep It On The Down-low’ in particular, has some wicked bass licks! Where did these influences come from? “A lot of these influences come from Matt’s obsession with Jaco Pastorius and his virtuoso bass playing, which has many funky elements to it. Also influences of bands like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Derek Trucks Band are very groove orientated, and that comes off in these songs, I think.” The devastating passing of Chris Cornell hit a lot of people hard. I caught him on his solo acoustic tour the year before, and my everlasting memory will be of how joyous and funny he was. His death also hit you hard, inspiring the track ‘How Long’. How difficult was that to write? “Chris Cornell is one of my favourite singers, and a singer that I get compared to a lot in reviews and features, probably because I have tried to emulate the way he uses his voice in some of my songs. I really had to work on my vocals to expand my range to be able to sing like that. I would love to have seen him perform, but have never had the opportunity, and now never will. His death had a real impact on me. I find it so sad that people have to suffer with this terrible disease, and in writing the track, I thought about the many people in my family who have suffered with Bi Polar Disorder. “How long till you bleed out your enemies, how long till you can love without a fight” The tracks ‘Chakra’ and ‘Retribution’ deal with environmental issues and government failings. As a parent, can you see things improving for your children’s futures? “Having children does add a sense of urgency to the need for change. When you are a teenager, or in your early twenties, you feel the injustices in the world very strongly (it is often the young that make change happen in the world), then for many a sense of the futility of it all can come over you, you can become cynical and jaded. Children re-ignite that fire, you feel indignation for them and their futures. I have to say that though, I have hope. It doesn’t seem like things can be changing. For improvement to happen, we all need to work together, and at the moment it seems like we are moving towards division and nationalism across the globe.” The percussion on ‘Chakra’ is astounding. It would seem rude just calling Andrew Naumann a drummer! “I would say so. Mr Naumann has been a Bandit from the band’s conception. He has basically a drum museum at his house with percussion from all corners of the world. With ‘Chakra’ the syncopation of his kit playing, and percussion is perfect. He is also the editorial talent behind our videos, album artwork and posters, and a very creative guy and fun to be around too.” What was it about slide guitar that first attracted you? Was it difficult to master? “I first heard slide guitar from David Gilmour in Pink Floyd. His solo in ‘High Hopes’, as it weaves around the strings, is a beautiful sound and one we have tried to recreate on this record on ‘Four Million Days’. I didn’t’ know that it was slide guitar at the time, I was 8 or 9, but late on I would say that ‘High Hopes’ is one of the songs that got me into playing electric slide guitar, from more acoustic versions such as the Dobro. When I was busking around Australia at 19 I met a guy called Smokey who taught me slide guitar. It really appealed to me because it sounded cool and different and was such a big sound. I didn’t find it difficult, I have always learnt guitar by feel rather than by following instruction and Slide is a very tactile way of playing. But to master the instrument took time and work. I spent years trying to play the slide guitar like Derek Trucks, Duane Allman, Martin Harley and Robert Johnson, but also more new school people such as the John Butler Trio and Ben Harper, and I am still learning.” The band kick off a rather lengthy tour on January 30th, ending March 30th. That’s a proper tour, isn’t it! “We do like to do a proper job! We will be playing quite an extensive tour throughout the UK until March, then we head over the Channel (if they will let us cross – Brexit worries) to do a series of dates in Germany, Belgium and Holland. That will take us into May.” Music fans can be fickle at times, perhaps not appreciating the costs of touring, both financial and on your family life. With the exception of a few dates, you will be away from home most of March. That must be tough? “Of course, I miss my family when we are touring, but for the music it is the best way to do it. When you are gigging every night, you become so tight as a band musically, there is a real buzz and I just get so much joy out of it all. Being away from home makes you appreciate what you have and makes it all the sweeter to return to.” Now that PledgeMusic seems to have gone belly up, does it make touring all the more vital? “Touring has always been vital for us; playing live is what we are all about. If you mean vital financially, then yes, it is an important part of a band’s income and I do think that with music being more accessible digitally and often for free such as with Spotify and YouTube then getting people to gigs is very important to keep a band going.” Once the tour ends, what’s the plans for the remainder of 2019? “We will continue to play throughout the year at festivals during the summer and we have some tours lined up for the USA and in parts of Europe that haven’t seen us play before which is very exciting. We will be working on developing tracks for the next album and the song writing will continue throughout 2019.” Wille And The Bandits’ new album Paths is out now. They are on tour in February and March, all tour dates and ticket information can be found here. Interview: Dave Live Photo Credit: © Yann Charles ]]>
