June 2010

Bobby talks about his new band YOSO and their debut album "Elements"

What about the idea of a "band" as "Yoso"?

Good day. I think it's a great idea, because the music of "Yes & Toto" are a perfect fit for an audience who are looking for a blend of Prag-Rock & Arena Rock. In a way, it covers all of the bases musically, and there are many fans that have completely internalized the music of both bands. "Yoso" is a nice integration of both, and the original music we play in concert is a very definitive combination of both groups. Not only is it a lot of fun, but a new concept of some very new, but familiar sounds.

Do you want to tell us anything about "Yoso"?

I think that will happen during this interview. The band has gone through a few member changes since the beginning, but at this point in time, I believe we have the right combination of players to keep it all going for a long time, and to make some great music together. Touring with a band is like living within a family. There will be good and bad times, but you have to remain strong enough, and close enough to stick together. The music of Yoso has so many surprise features, I feel it will be interesting to a wide variety of people who appreciate music in general. We've had a lot of fantastic moments during the writing process, and the notion of bring this on the road on tour is a stimulating feeling to us all. If I can speak for the band, I can't help but think that everyone involved is raring to get out and play in front of the fans. I'm certain they will enjoy the music as much as we do onstage while performing it.

How long did it take to write and record "Elements"?

Actually, the writing process didn't take that long. Billy Sherwood and I wrote the whole CD together, and I must say we work very well, and very fast together. Billy plays every instrument for the demos (this is just to make a basic track for me to get onto writing the lyrics). The CDs I get of the basic tracks are so tight, because Billy played everything, and therefore all of the musical ideas emanated from a single person. Then, I would take the track and write lyrics and shortly thereafter, we recorded the song. After that, the other members came in an added their parts to finalize the CD. I've never had the pleasure of writing with such a singly talented player such as Billy. This all made the process of finishing a song go so much faster than usual, and I believe if we had kept going at the pace the CD was recorded at, we could have easily done enough songs for 2 or 3 CDs in the same length of time it takes most bands to do just one CD.

What represents for you an album as this one?

This CD, "Elements", is the first step for us as a band, and it represents the sort of talent we'll bring with us on the road to present to the fans. It's also such a great introductory example of what Yoso is capable of, because as we merge all of our energy and mental capabilities becoming a group, it surely will only get much better in the future.

What inspires you most to write your songs?

Since Billy wrote all of the music (and during the recording process, we did make some minor changes to Billy's music, and to my lyrics as things progressed),and as I was writing the lyrics, I could almost feel what the songs was supposed to be about. The lyrics almost wrote themselves, due to the strength of the tracks. The basic tracks almost demanded some theme lyrics that fit the music. It was such a pleasure to write with Billy, and I look forward to the next CD with great anticipation. We have some of it recorded already, and I must say, if it continues like what we already have recorded for the second CD, it surely will become a classic.

What's the one track that you're the most proud of?

That's a very tough question, but if I were to have to pick one song that moves me a lot, it would be "Path To Your Heart", however I love the ballad, "Where You'll Stay". each one of us, Tony and Billy, I'm positive have their own personal favorites, but that's for another interview.

What about the lyrics?

As I mentioned above, the basic tracks were so tight, energetic, and well written, I was in a position to really push myself to the limit to write, not only the best lyrics i was capable of, but do it all in a hurry to keep up with Billy's pace. After I received the first track from him, I finished the lyrics for that song over night, and went back over to the studio to record the vocal, only to find out that Billy had already written and recorded 3 more songs that needed lyrics. I almost wanted to ask him to please slow down, but such talent just doesn't relax a lot, nor sleep much. Let me be the first to say, that there's "no moss growing under Billy Sherwood's feet". If you want to keep up with his writing pace, you'd better get ready to burn some mid-night oil, and stay on course, because the moment you think it's time to lay back, he'll hit you with more than double the work you thought you'd see.

Which is the more important to you, the music or the lyrics?

That's like asking if "the car is more important than the gasoline". They're both equally important to the song, and if you want to get it right, one will define the other. They're both important to me, because when the music is extraordinary, the lyrics have to tell the story the music demands.

What are the main difference between your work with Toto/Yes and your work with Yoso?

I can only answer the "Toto" part of this question, because I never worked with "Yes". In the beginning of Toto, all of the songs were completely written by the time they got to the studio. Most of the songs on the first few Toto Albums were written by David Paich, with only a few written by either Steve Lukather or myself. Later on, there was more co-writing happening as we began to meld together as a band. On the last studio CD Toto did, "Falling In Between", we went into the studio without any songs written, and jammed for about 6 hours, recorded everything, and then Simon Phillips would edit out a Verse, Chorus, Bridge, and make a compiled CD for me (usually), to take home and write lyrics for. It would take me about 16-18 hours to write the lyrics over night, and then bring it to the studio for the guys to look over, and it sometimes only took them about 2 minutes to say "Nahhhh....!". Then, it was back to the drawing board for me. I have a very tall stack of lyrics I wrote for that CD, but it was a totally fun process, and the CD turned out fantastic. Lukather and Paich each wrote a song for that CD, and both of them were great. Other than that, the whole band participated in the writing of everything else on that CD.
With Yoso, the writing process took place between just Billy and myself. This was a huge difference, and a much faster method. With just the two of us making the decisions on the final music arrangement and final lyrics, it went much smoother, and personally, it was more fun. Billy and I locked together as a team that eventually felt like a well tuned engine that could turn out music and lyrics faster than I'd ever experienced. I'm sure as we move forward with the next CD, it will be an even more efficient machine.

How has your approach to writing, recording and touring changed over the years?

I think I may have answered this already, but for some reason, writing with Billy, and keeping things very simple in the decision department, made things a lot easier to proceed at a much faster pace. When there are only two opinions to deal with on the finished product, ...... and we both have a lot of respect for each other's talent in our different departments of the writing of a song, it made everything so much easier to move forward with getting the songs done in record time.

Why "Elements"?

I think that's an easy enough answer. The basic premise of this band, was to combine two elements from "Yes", and one from "Toto", and play songs that we worked on in each respective band, and then record our own original songs, defining what Yoso is about. The set list will be a combination of the hit songs, which are so familiar from our former bands, and a really nice mix of original songs that will sound strangely familiar, because of the "Elements" that created and recorded the new CD. "We are the ~Elements~", and it was an inevitable choice for a name to this body of work.

Do you think Yoso is the perfect mix between Yes and Toto?

In my opinion, the only "perfect mix of "Yes & Toto" are the very original members of both of those bands. Each of them created an original sound that only they could recreate perfectly. What Yoso is charged with, is to play our versions of the hits we were involved with in those bands. We're not pretending to be a perfect mix of either of those bands, but what we're doing is to keep those songs, which we were part of, and helped create, alive the way we want to play them. I find it really interesting playing these hit songs, especially with a different twist, and new arrangements. I never thought I would get a chance to sing "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" with the original keyboarderist who played on the song. It's always been one of my favorites. By the way, Jon Anderson has ALWAYS been one of my vocal heroes, and I wrote him an e-mail to let him know that. He's seems like a great guy, and he possesses one of the finest talents, vocally. I'll always be a huge fan of his. It's an honor to sing something Jon deeply embedded into my soul. Don't expect to hear an exact replica of "Yes, nor Toto". We have our own thing going, and the new arrangements are more "Yoso" than anything else. Different, but very familiar, and so alive. Don't miss this one, because it has it's own personality.

There is a second CD on 'Elements'. Could you tell me about it?

There is a DVD that was recorded in Mexico that we will put out eventually. We have a lot of material to do in concert, and it seemed like it would have been a terrible waste to ignore the fact that we had a DVD of some of our very first work onstage in front of an audience. We're trying our best to document the most minute details of everything we do, and record a lot of footage from our road experiences to share with the fans. As curious as people are about bands these days, and with the media sources we have at our disposal, we can capture so many of the moments from the very inception of Yoso becoming a new entity in music. It's sort of like having a blow-by-blow description of how the band began, and moved through the various stages. Very much like an ongoing "Living Interview" of who Yoso is, and how it came about.

There are so many talented musicians in the band, how do you work out how the songs are written and recorded?

Above this is already answered. This process may be a little different on the next CD, but it worked so well and so smoothly for the first CD, I'm almost certain Billy and I will continue "Status Quo". I think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", and we were just getting our feet wet on this first CD. I'm sure the next one will be a dream-come-true for not only us, but for the fans alike

How was it working with "Bobby.Billy.Tony"?

I'll have to answer that question about working with Billy and Tony. It goes without saying, there's a lot of talent intermeshed between Tony and Billy, but the most important factor is how well we get along together, and we can achieve a sound that is well suited to our tastes in music. All of these things are so important, because whatever we need to discuss to make any improvements, we sit down, talk it out, and change whatever the consensus opinion dictates. The respect we have for each other is the most important thing, because the talent is a "given" in this organization. We're becoming a family of friends, who can work together, solve problematic issues without losing any respect we have for each other, and we're always willing to give of ourselves the effort it takes to keep on course for the betterment of the band. We have a lot of fun creating together, and most of that fun is because we can make great music as a team, and always keep the "Ego-Thing" from tipping the balance of Yoso. This is the very thing that will absolutely & positively destroy a band. It's the single-most destructive element which has torn so many great bands apart. It's so important to avoid this sort of ignorance if you want to keep a band together with a healthy attitude as a creative entity. Long live Yoso...............!!!!!

Are there plans for future projects together?

Of course. As I said, we've already started the 2nd CD, and if the songs we already have are any indication of what the next CD will be like, we may just start a totally new sound in the far corners of the music industry. We plan to do many CDs, and a lot of touring worldwide.

Are there any musicians with whom you would like to work but have yet to have the chance?

There are too many to give a definitive answer to you on that. I've worked with so many different bands over the years, but there will always be those that I still want to get to know, and work with. All of us have been truly lucky to have been onstage with some of the greatest icons in the music business. My very first influence, who is the very reason I sing and play today, was ray Charles. I got a chance to sing on a CD with him several years ago. When I came into the control room and he glanced my direction, all he said was ......"Yeah". My knees almost buckled, and I was thinking, "WOW,.........I can die now, because my greatest hero in music, who absolutely "started my fire, had just validated me with one word." I have many heroes in this business, and I'm yet to meet all of them, but I still have time, and I'm always hoping that I run into them and get a chance to work with them.

Any plans to tour behind "Elements"?

We'll begin our tour in August in the USA, then we have plans to go to Europe. I'm sure after that, we'll be well on our way to making our way around the world. I can't help but believe this is going to be a very fantastic voyage. I appreciate talking with you to help you get the story of Yoso out there.
Thank you for the great questions.....................Bobby