Interview with: Theo Katzman
My name is Theo Katzman, and I represent Theo Katzman and Love Massive. Also, sometimes Theo Katzman solo, just me. Sorry, I’m a little tired today. I played on the radio this morning at nine. So I was up at six warming up, and then I’m also a music teacher so I did some teaching today.
So tell us a little about the musicians you worked with today.
Today it was a trio, usually I have like four or three people, depending on who’s available. The way it works with a lot of bands that aren’t doing it right now is everybody in a scene will play in a couple of different bands. You can’t tour in more than one band at the same time so sometimes people are on different tours and stuff. So anyway, today I had the trio, which is me, John Cassidy on drums, and Scott Brown on base.
So is it mostly you most of the time and then if whoever wants to play can just add on?
Well usually I like to work with those guys and a guitarist named Tom Stoker, who is right now, I’m not sure where he is, but he’s on the road. He does a lot of R&B, gospel, touring with different guys. So he’s on the road a lot, but I guess generally speaking, the gig will either call for a solo performance or a band performance. If it’s a band performance, I like to bring the full band. If I have the trio, that’s also cool. I love doing the trio, like today. It gives me a chance to… it’s a little more difficult. I have to fill the sound.
So tell us a little bit about your music style.
Ok. I’m influenced by a lot of folk, also classic rock, also R&B, and soul music. I guess, I like to call it Indie Soul, or something like it has a soul element to it. I grew up listening to all the great soul artists.
Like a mellow indie in a way? Like a “chill” indie?
Well, the thing about that, the thing I want to avoid with that is that sometimes a term like mellow gets you pinned as easy listening. I wanna like rock really hard too, but I wanna be dynamic. I bet everybody has a hard time classifying themselves. I’m trying to make music that people can hear the lyrics to. That’s really important to me. It’s important to me that the groove is really strong, and interesting and kind of unique and that the arrangements are cool and intriguing.
So what are your personal favorite bands? What bands are inspiring to you?
Oh boy, oh gosh. I couldn’t even tell you which of the two grapefruits I want to pick out from the store. So it’s hard for me to do favorites. But I can tell what my favorite doughnut in the world is. That’s Washtenaw Dairy. I swear. (laughs)
Favorite bands man, my earliest childhood favorite band was The Beatles, then it was Zepplin, then it was Hendricks, Jeff Buckley, Lauren Hill, Otis Retting, Steven Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. I’m a huge Joni Mitchell fan.
Joni Mitchell is a huge influence, Ryan Adams, as far as contemporary artists go, Ray Lamontane, is a big hero of mine, Serena Ryder, I like a lot of John Mayer’s music.
So do you have any future plans? Do you have any albums coming out?
Yeah I’m gonna hopefully release an album in early 2011, which is really right around the corner. Sorry kids, back to school I know. I’m a music teacher as well, so all my students right now who are doing summer lessons are like “aw man we only have three weeks.”
Where do you teach?
I teach at the Ann Arbor music center. It’s a private music school, it’s an awesome place.
So what was the question? Plans, CD. I have a website out its TheoKatzman.com. I’ve got three tracks up there for just listening streaming live. It’s through sound cloud, it’s a music service. I also have some video up there, and the plan is to have the website become a place where I can post new tracks. Then you can download them, pay what you will, that kind of thing. I will do a band album, and hopefully a full band tour in 2011. I just started working with a booking agent and a manager. So things are starting to pick up a little bit for me, which is nice.
Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
Well, I’m compelled, because it’s a music situation, to talk about music. I’d like to stress the importance of playing and practicing, listening. It doesn’t matter what you do to participate in this circle of music. Fans and audience members are just as important, if not more important, than the performers themselves. It’s all of us out there buying tickets, and buying drinks and food and stuff like that, that’s really keeping the music alive. There’s a lot of talk about the music industry is dying, and who knows, its just changing. It’s really not dying.
You can:
Check Theo out at his website
or like him on facebook!
Here to check out some pictures of Theo playing in Michigan Roots Jamboree, and also other great local musicians and bands!
