July 2010

Bobby talks about YOSO and the changes in the music business

First of all can you introduce us your new music project, YOSO?

With a mix of musicians from "Yes & Toto", it's an established, familiar sound, with a new CD that crosses both musical barriers. The band has 5 members, and they are:

~Keyboards:
1. Tony Kaye - - - - - - - - - - - - Original Keyboardist from "Yes"

~Bassist/Vocals:
2. Billy Sherwood - - - - - - - - - Producer and Guitarist with "Yes" for about 5 years, and several other stellar bands.

~Guitarist/Vocals:
3. Johnny Bruhns - - - - - - - - -Guitarist in "Roundabout"- "Yes Tribute Band", and "Genesis Tribute Band", "Gabble Ratchet"

~Drummer/Vocals:
4. Scott Conner - - - - - - - - - - -Drummer with "Genesis Tribute Band" - "Gabble Ratchet"

~Lead Vocalist/Keyboards:
5. Bobby Kimball - - - - - - - - - Original Lead Singer from "Toto"

What do you think of the actual international music scene?

Music has gone so many different directions in the past 10 years, there are thousands of different new genres and sounds to pick from. Since Yoso is a mixture of Prag-Rock and Classic Rock, we have, yet, a different sound to add to what's out there now. Some of the new music, I like, but much of it sounds like there was very little thought behind the writing and recording of the CDs. I'm really happy to be doing the music I love to sing and play, and I feel really good about the new Yoso CD, "Elements".

What is the main difference between the music industry of the 80s and the one we have now?

In the early 80's (before Pro-Tools), the artists had to actually be able to sing and play each part from a very well rehearsed background of practicing and learning their particular instrument or vocal parts. I remember working for hours and hours on vocal tracks, in order to triple-track the backing vocals perfectly, and each player had to correct any mistakes they might have made by actually playing the part perfectly.
Now, with the advent of Pro-Tools, (and all the other technical equipment being used in the studios), you can merely "Cut and Paste" parts that were sung or played well, and make a great sounding CD from bits and pieces of the song that did sound correct. There are now tuning devices that allow some vocalists and players who didn't quite sing or play their parts very well, and Pro-Tools makes it very easy to make it sound like it was done perfectly. This is the difference in the recording process from the beginning of the 80's. In the early 80's, if you wanted to edit a tape, you had to actually "Cut" the 2 inch Master-tape with a razor blade, and splice it back together with sticky tape. This is a lost art form now, but it's also not necessary anymore.
As far as the Industry goes, in the early 80's, bands recorded ALBUMS to sell, and that's how they made the" lion's share" of their money. The tours they would do were usually to support Album Sales (even though some money was made by playing live concerts). In the Industry these days, everything is completely turned upside down from the early 80's era. Now, bands record CDs that are immediately dropped onto the Internet, and they're very lucky if they break even on the amount they spent recording the CD. Most of the money bands make these days happens when they are doing Live Tours.

We write a lot of reviews in our magazine, especially of new artists and bands. There seems really to be a lot of music coming out nowadays. Can you give any advice to all this young musicians?

There will always be a lot of New Bands coming out, because they go to concerts and see how a band can affect the lives of their friends. They become fans, and soon realize that they would like to be a musician too. We all have our heroes who play music and cause many to make the decision to become a musician too. I became a musician because I heard Ray Charles doing his thing. It had a dramatic effect on me, and I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
My advice to any new musician is, pick the instrument that you are most affected by, ........ learn to Master it with all your heart. Don't be discouraged by anything anyone might say to stop you, and don't let anything stop you from "doing it your own way". T hat's what makes you different from all the rest, because you don't want to play or sing exactly like anyone else. You have to inject "your soul" into the instrument, and the longer you stay with it, the better you will become. Soon, you will be onstage being watched by new musicians who want to sound like you.

Is there any new artist that you like , someone you would recommend to our readers?

Actually, that's a tough question, because there are a lot of bands and singers out there I like. It's very difficult to pick just one. What I would recommend to your readers is, listen to the music that makes you feel more alive, and gets your blood pumping faster. It doesn't matter what I like to listen to, because I listen to everything out there, always in search of a sound that makes me feel great. If you seek out the music that MAKES YOU LOVE IT, you will have found your path,..........follow it.