In the Chair is a regular feature on Eventalaide, highlighting artists from across Australia and occasionally overseas. Everyone gets the same questions. It is just meant to be a bit of fun so please treat it as such.
Questions by Geoff Jenke
For all members of Willie J &The Bad Books, music has been an integral and essential part of life. Springing to life during the pandemic, Will first met future Bad Books drummer Fru Parsons while playing on Brunswick Street. Bassist Matt Forge entered the fray following a conversation with Will over starting a blues and rock band. Matt worked with Rick and resident Bad Books boogie-queen, vocalist and organist Eileen Hodgkins – and the rest, as they say, is history. Bolstered by a shared adoration for classic tunes and the organic creative process between the quintet, the official debut single from Willie J & The Bad Books has been a long time coming; but with plenty of shows on the local live circuit up their sleeves, as well as some live clips already out in the world, Willie J & The Bad Books are firing on all cylinders going into 2023.
“We’re all old souls, we want to make music reminiscent of what we love,” shares Rick of the Willie J & The Bad Books ultimate ethos. “We don’t care what genre is popular, we just want to play music that’s true to us. It feels like it’s been a long time coming and it’s super exciting to finally be releasing this single!” (Backdoor Man).
Name: Rick Steward
Band: Willie J & The Bad Books
In less than 50 words describe your music and yourself.
Heavy blues laced with soul. I’m a passionate music lover, I love making music that I love listening to.
What was the first record you bought with your own money and where from?
AC/DC – High Voltage from the long gone but great Dislocation in Wangaratta.
80’s or 90’s Music:
90’s – Nirvana, Soundgarden, Ben Harper, Tool, Rage Against The Machine would be my top artists of the era.
What music are you currently listening to?
A lot of local artists including High Ace, Sweet Talk, Checkerboard Lounge, Folk Bitch Trio, Cahill Kelly as well as Aldous Harding and Khruangbin.
The Best live artist/band you’ve seen:
Neil Young at Big Day Out in 2009 was life changing.
Your “In the mood for love” song; In the Morning – Norah Jones
Your favourite Saturday night party record? Highway To Hell – AC/DC
Your favourite Sunday morning chill out record? Wise And Otherwise – Harry Manx
Which song do you wish you had written? Cross Road Blues – Robert Johnson
Roger Daltry once said “Rock N Roll has no future”. Do you agree with him? Who?
Vinyl, CD or Streaming? Vinyl
If you could record or play live with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be? John Bonham
What is the most useless talent you have? I don’t have any talent.
Your finest recorded moment? Backdoor Man, I’m really proud of everything we did.
Who is your musical hero and what one question would you ask them? Paul McCartney. Can you teach me how to craft bangers?
Dying, peacefully on your death bed, what song would you like to hear? Rock & Roll – Led Zeppelin
Stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take three albums. What would they be?
The White Album – The Beatles
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
10,000 Days – Tool.
Favourite all time movie; Pulp Fiction.
If you drove an ice cream van, what music would you play? Motorhead
Best show you have ever played in your career:
Folk Rhythm & Life Festival at my home town, Eldorado. I’ve played there since I was a kid, it holds a special place in my heart and has a magic energy.
Any backstage incident that makes you laugh?
I was hanging out with Ziggy Marley backstage quite a few years back, the incense in the green room made piss myself with laughter… Weird.
Neil Young or Paul McCartney? Both.
Who is the nicest person in Rock n Roll at the moment? Dave Grohl, seems like a dead set legend.
What do you hope the next 12 months holds for you?
Plenty of festival appearances, plenty of new music releases and plenty of making new music.
Come and surrender your soul to the blues and grooving magic of the debut single from Willie J & The Bad Books, with Backdoor Man officially out now. An energetic and passionate tune reveling in blues rock with an Australian flavour, Backdoor Man is accompanied by a black-and-white clip shot in a tram and showcasing the entire band doing what they do best. With the band set to imminently head into the studio to record their debut album, Backdoor Man is a sweltering introduction to the Melbourne amalgamation of Motorhead, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Johnson if they hung out in an Aussie pub. Having recently busted out onstage alongside Dallas Frasca in Fitzroy, the band also have a series of shows lined up in December and January, including an official single launch for Backdoor Man locked and loaded for Friday January 6 at the Northcote Social Club.
An energy-fueled tune paying loving homage to the blues, Backdoor Man flexes its blues and psychedelic grooves alongside raw riffs and nods to the likes of Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Marcus King, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Recorded and produced at guitarist Rick Steward’s home studio, Backdoor Man also lends its authentic charm to the track ultimately being captured in one take.
Rick himself explains, “I didn’t want it to sound too polished, so I set limitation to the number of microphones used on the drums, I used old mics on vocals, old instruments and old amps, it was hit in one take with minimal overdubbing. I think it’s important to set limits, most of The Beatle’s records were done with a 4-track, people forget that. I had my old friend and amazing engineer George Carpenter mix it in Queensland and Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering did the master”.
And while the energetic new single showcases the band’s modern take on the blues world, Backdoor Man also directly claims its namesake from an old blues term, as lead vocalist and guitarist Willie J Maxwell reveals, “Back Door Man is an old blues term, true to form, when your lover betrays your trust and sneaks in the milkman when you’re spending the day at work.”
Back Door Man is out now.
Video Clip for Back Door Manhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgmLqXodQ4
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