Smoothviews (SV): This is your third time interviewing with Smoothviews.  How exciting! 
Steve Oliver (SO): We’re on a roll now!

SV: Let’s talk about your latest project, One Night Live.  This is a CD/DVD double feature.
SO: Yes, and it’s packed.  There’s a lot of information on this project.

SV: There seems to be a trend now of artists doing the CD/DVD combinations; the Yellowjackets did one a couple of years ago, Jonathan Butler’s latest project is a combination.  Why do you think this is?  And, why did you choose to do this at this time?
SO: For me, as an artist, I’m a live performer.  I think it was time for people to see what I do.  Plus, not everybody gets the chance to come to the shows.  Also, a lot of fans were requesting a live album.  And, it was something I always wanted to do.  I believe that [recording] live is completely different than recording an album for studio.  I look at them as two completely different things.  They are two different animals.  It’s all about pacing in a show, and certain songs, the way they flow together. 

I’m such a different type of artist.  I do unique things with my vocal sounds and my guitar sounds.  You don’t really see that when you hear it on audio.  Finally people will get a chance to see what I do live, even if they can’t come to a show.  I think it’s important for fans to see the artist live because they get a whole other perspective of the music and the artist as they’re performing.  And, with me, it’s really a 50-50 exchange with the audience and the artist.  The audience is such a part of the show as we’re playing.  It doesn’t happen without the audience being there and exchanging, and having a communication between the two of us.  I wanted to film this project with that in mind; of having the audience be just as much a part of it as we are, and having that exchange, and to show that, and, to show the fun of this kind of music.  That was a dream of mine, to finally have this done.

SV: I’ve always felt that when you go to a show, you’re not just going to a show.  There’s a communication going on.  It’s a two way thing between the artist and the audience, and, between the artist and his band. You’re not just sitting back and watching a movie.
SO: Oh!  Exactly!  Isn’t that the truth?  I hope the audience comes to participate instead of just sitting there and listening which is great, too.  We want to be able to communicate.  For me, as an artist, that’s the number one thing.  It’s about communication and that connection that you just can’t get sometimes when you’re to just listening to the audio.  For me, it was so important to have this come out. 

It was actually one of the most fun, but, one of the hardest projects to put together because there was a lot involved.  We mixed it in 5.1, which is really great.  This is the first time I’ve ever been able to do a project in 5.1, so I was really excited about that.  And all the behind the scenes stuff; the visuals, the editing, doing all of that.  We had two days at the theatre to film.  We did a lot of stuff in two days.  We did a bunch of run- throughs of the show, all the interviews, the talking parts, the explanations of what we’re doing.  So, everything was done in two days.  Everybody did an amazing job with the amount of time that we had to be able to film.  I couldn’t have been more pleased with the way it came together.  It came out great!  It’s very positive and uplifting.  I was really excited about all of that.

SV: Two days isn’t really a lot of time when you think about everything that has to be done. 
SO: I write pretty much everything I do.  That takes a whole lot of time in itself; the arrangements, the positions, recording, and then changing it a hundred times.  And then, adding the video to it.  That is a whole other animal.  A lot of lessons were learned during this project.  They were lessons that I think I’ve grown from.  Actually, the future projects that I’ll do are all going to include a DVD from now on.  The next studio album I do, we’re going to film it.  I think that package is really crucial to give insight to the audience into what the artist is doing.  I think people like to see that.

SV: That’s great!  You’ve kind of answered one of the questions.  Tell us about the journey, the idea, putting it together, getting it printed and packaged, and ready to go.
SO: My God!  As a project, this was the longest birth!  It really was.  We have six new tunes, and, a couple of studio cuts.  This project took almost two years to make.  From first thinking about it: where are we going to film it, and, what’s the concept going to be like?  Then, on to recording the new songs, getting everything together, hiring Tom Emmi, who directed it, talking to him, and having meetings with him.  He hired a four camera shoot crew from San Francisco.  There was just a lot of preparation that had to go into it, along with not only the music side, but the visual side.  It was definitely the longest project I’ve ever been a part of. 

SV: I’m sure you wore many hats for this project.
SO: Oh, definitely!  I was involved in the lighting, the staging, all of that.  I’m a DVD freak.  I buy concert DVD’s almost weekly.  I’m a big fanatic of seeing live concerts.  I think that’s where you get the true essence of an artist, watching them live.  So, I watched a lot of them, getting ideas from other concerts that I’ve seen.  I’m very into that.  A big part of this was the interview section.  I wanted it to be like a documentary, to explain to people what we’re doing.  Nothing was scripted in that way, which was cool, so it comes off very natural, like we’re having a conversation.  I really enjoyed how that came off.  It’s about the story, and about the person, and the making of.  People need to hear that. 

SV: Yours is very comprehensive.  It looks good, and it sounds good.  There’s enough bonus features in there.  I know a lot of people buy DVD’s for the bonus materials.     
SO: Absolutely.  When I get a DVD, the first thing I do is go to the bonus features and check out what the artist is doing.  On this project, I wanted to explain about the guitar, and how I do what I do with the guitar, because there are not a lot of people doing this.  As an artist, I think it’s my job to show people what I’m doing, creating sounds, and doing all of these things.  I’m playing bass. I’m playing guitar. I’m playing the orchestra.  So, that was a big thing for me to want to put that on there as an explanation of the guitar orchestra.  It’s a big part of my being, and what I do as an artist.  That was the number one thing, more than the concert itself.  I get asked so many times, “Where are all the sounds coming from?  How are you doing this?”  They don’t even realize I’m doing them, or, they don’t know because it comes off so easy and nonchalant.  Because I play so much, it looks effortless.  I’m triggering all these sounds from the guitar, and singing at the same time.  It has this different appeal that I don’t think people really understand, but want to know.  I wanted to give a little musical education.

SV: I think people’s initial reaction is, “Oh, he’s just using tracks.” 
SO: Yes, exactly, because it’s mind bending.  I’m just blown away by it.  I really am.  I actually researched it to see if any other artists were doing this, and, I couldn’t find anything.  There are certain people doing little things, playing sounds with the guitar, but not making a show of it.  I think it’s really needed.  I think it needs to be shown.  So, I was very happy with the way the explanation was coming out.  At least it’s there to discover. 

SV: I think it also piques their curiosity too.
SO: Absolutely.  I’m getting more and more kids come up to me after the show.  It’s great to see that.  It’s also really great for me as an artist to get that from other artists as well.  It’s really inspiring.  That’s what I think we all should be doing; sharing and growing.  You want to grow as an artist, and know what other artists are doing.  That’s why I buy a bunch of DVD’s.  I love when I see artists wanting to grow, develop, and expand, because that’s what it’s all about.

SV: How did you decide what songs to include on this project?  This is your 6th release, and you have a lot of material to choose from.  How did you decide what goes on there?
SO: You know, that’s the toughest thing to do, to pick songs for a live show.  I wrack my brain on every show.  I sit down and I spend probably 45 minutes trying to devise a set list.  It’s the hardest thing to do.  What are we going to put on here?  We only have so much time.  Plus, I wanted to do some new songs, not just songs off previously released CD’s.  I want to give the fans and the audience as much as I can, new music and old music combined, kind of just mesh it all together.  I always pick a song that I start the show with, and, I always have a song that I end the show with.  Those are always the bookmarks.  Those are the easiest for me to pick, but, the in between stuff is the hardest.  I wanted to obviously, showcase songs off every album.  We did a lot off First View, the first album, which is great.  I really liked it.  That was a special album.  And 3D, there are a lot of songs off that album; “Magic World,”  “Wings of Springs.”  There were so many songs I wanted to showcase.  I wanted to do a couple of instrumentals, do a vocal, and kind of break it up so it has a nice flow.  I wanted people to see not only what I’ve done, but where I’m going.  I think it’s a good mix of the past and the future.

SV: “Magic World” is a great choice for the opening song.
SO: Yes, I like the guitar symphony orchestra for opening.  Then, I doing these sound scapes all from the guitar, and it just creates a mood.  Then the percussion comes in.  It sets it up, kind of a jungle theme.  I just love that vibe.  It gets me in the mood when I’m playing.  It’s a perfect song for me to start because it settles me in.  As soon as I hear the orchestra sounds, I know I’m there.  I’m in the seat and I’m driving now.  To me, music is visual, so, when I’m playing, I’m seeing things.  It’s really interesting.  It’s like an out of body experience.

SV: You write all or most of your own songs.  They’re all so different and diverse.  They cover a lot of ground.  How and where do you find your muse?
SO: Actually, a lot of it comes from the fans.  When I’m writing, I’m thinking of live shows, and, I’m thinking of people, and life experiences.  It probably sounds cliché, but I just love music to make people feel good, or, to take them on a journey, and get out of the real world for a second.  That’s my muse.  It’s almost like musical therapy.  That’s how I look at music.  You can put it on, and music fits a mood.  You could be at home and it’s raining.  Just put on something.  It gets you in a different space.  That’s what music has the power to do.  I’m very into that, getting into that space and connecting with people in that way.  So, when I’m writing music or working on a new song, I’m thinking about that.  I’m thinking how if it makes me feel this way, I hope I can project that, to make people go into that same kind of space.  The power of music is a beautiful thing.  For me, as an artist, that’s my mission, to want to help through music.  When people come to the shows, I hope they feel better.  That’s my muse.

SV: Excellent.  Now, I want to switch gears a little and talk a bit about the 2008 Smooth Music Cruise.  You were quite a hit on this year’s cruise, and, you’ve been booked for the 2009 cruise.
SO: Yes, this last cruise we did was one of the best times I had, even though I was sick.  What a fun time!  It was five days with the artists and the audience all together, just hanging out, enjoying the music, talking and getting to know each other, and, getting to know the artists, and for us, learning from each other.  There’s no where else you can do that but on a cruise.  It was a great time!

SV: It also afforded fans the opportunity to hear people playing together, that you would not ordinarily hear, which is great.  You go to festivals and you hear one act, they leave the stage, then, another act comes on, and then they leave the stage.  You have all of these great musicians together in one venue, but they never play together.  On a cruise, you have all of this talent together, just playing their hearts out.  You definitely hear things that you won’t hear anyplace else.
SO: Oh yeah!  The jamming, the camaraderie, and the passion that everybody has; they’re all playing together.  It’s just awesome.

SV: That cruise was definitely a guitar lover’s dream!
SO: Yes, Norman (Brown), Nick (Colionne), Chieli (Minucci), Acoustic Alchemy, and Larry (Carlton).

SV: And Steve Oliver! (Laugh)  Okay, moving right along.  You said for your next project you’re going to branch out more into world music?
SO: Yes, I’m going to do a pop, jazz, world music kind of thing, like Sting, or Peter Gabriel.  I’m going to do a vocal album in that theme, like “Fearless” on the new album, that kind of vibe.  That’s where I’m going.  Again, that’s what this project is.  It’s the past, but also the future.  I wrote some new songs for One Night Live, that [reflect] where we’re going.  “This Fire,” the studio cut really sums it up.  This song is about passion, it’s about your fire.  It has that world element and, a dance element.  And “Fearless” has that world element with thought provoking lyrics.  It’s one of my favorites on the new album.  I love the message; we’ve got to be fearless, and keep moving forward.  Everybody’s getting pretty down, and I can feel that, so, that song came from that.  It’s my answer to that.

SV:  That’s a great song.  I like that one.  So, you’re on a new label now?
SO: Yes, we signed on with Nu Groove.  It’s distributed through Sony.  I’m really excited about working with them.  They were very excited about this project.  I’m glad we teamed up and have this mission planned.  I’ve actually been doing a lot of TV.  I just did a couple of television spots to promote [this project.]  We’ve been doing a lot of out of the box promotions for this project.  So, I’m excited about working with Nu Groove, and seeing what’s going to happen for the future.

SV: It’s interesting what you say about out of the box promotions.  Everybody is finding new ways to get their music out there.
SO: And gaining new fans in the process.  It’s all about out of the box now because the old school ways of doing music have completely changed.

SV: The box no longer exists.  What box?  There is no box.
SO: I’m excited about it because it gives artists the chance to be creative again.  Now we can take the shackles off that we’ve been bound to in this genre, which has been a drag.  It’s killed the format in a lot of ways because everybody’s trying to do whatever just to get heard.  And the fans and the music suffered from the outcome.  Now, we can be creative, and bring that element back into the music.  I think that’s where it’s going.  We’re going to finally see artists being artists again, instead of being controlled.  I think the audience and fans are going to dig it more.

SV: I know I will.  I’m glad it’s happening. 
SO: And also, going back to One Night Live, I wanted to mention [percussionist] Umberto Vela.  He is unbelievable.  For this project, we were sometimes rehearsing two and three days a week.  We still rehearse once a week.  We’re definite rehearsal guys, because when you do this special kind of performance, you don’t just get up there and jam.  The two of us are doing a lot of stuff up there.  It’s got to be rehearsed.  You can’t just get up there and wing it.  We’re doing a lot of different kinds of arrangements, and changing arrangements, etc.  Umberto loves to rehearse.  We get together, and rehearse, and love it.  It keeps us on our toes.  It keeps us fresh, and, it keeps spontaneous things happening that wouldn’t normally happen if we didn’t rehearse.  He does a lot of amazing things; he plays the drum kit, and, he’s playing the percussion at the same time, which is forward thinking, in a lot of ways.  There are not too many people doing that.  That’s what was so great about this project, to show that side of the percussion and drum world.

SV: I’m glad you mentioned that because he’s so talented, and I don’t think people realize exactly how talented he is.  You don’t really see him because he’s hidden by all of the instruments and gadgets he plays.  You don’t see his hands working.  That’s another feature about this DVD, you can see him playing.
SO: He plays the cajon, the beat box instrument.  That’s a big part of our show.  It’s a good feature for him.  We play a song together that features him on the cajon.  He’s playing with his hands and he’s playing with his feet.  It’s just really, really cool.  I love hearing it every time he plays it.  It just makes me smile.

SV: I can’t help but praise drummers and percussionists.  I look at them and wonder how they do it.  I’m just not that coordinated. (Laugh)
SO: I know.  They’re using everything.  They’re hitting something with every limb.  It’s amazing how the limbs are all doing different things.  Each thing is on its own rhythm.  Your body is just in this motion of rhythm. 

SV: And, it’s almost an unnatural rhythm because you’re used to doing things simultaneously.
SO: And, what’s really amazing about what he does is that he’s standing and playing.  He’s playing a kick pedal to do the kick drum.  He’s triggering the kick drum, and then, he’s playing with his hands, and he’s grabbing sticks.  Even when we’re rehearsing, I’m watching him play.  That’s why I’m glad we captured him and what he does on the DVD.  That was a big thing for me.  I wanted everyone to see what he does.

SV: I think it gives people a better appreciation for his talent.
SO: Absolutely.

SV: You guys have such great chemistry.  You’re so in synch. 
SO: Thank you.  I can feel it.  We both have the love and passion for music.  When we’re playing together, it just elevates that.

SV: A perfect way to finish up.  Thank you so much for chatting with me today.
SO: Thank you.  It’s good to talk to you again.