Richie Kotzen

by Deb Rao
– Senior Columnist —

Richie Kotzen is embarking on a solo tour to promote his latest release The Essential Richie Kotzen on Loud And Proud Records. The iconic singer will return to Las Vegas for a special show at Vamp’d on November 20th.

Richie Kotzen gives Hardrock Haven readers an in-depth look at the making of The Essential Richie Kotzen and reveals exclusive details surrounding his solo tour.

HRH: Richie, tell us about the tour. Will it be acoustic or electric?

Richie: Actually, it will be a full electric set this time. My band is bassist Dylan Wilson and drummer Mike Bennet. We just came off almost two months of touring. We were in Europe almost four weeks and Latin America and Central America. We got a month of dates here in The States. We got a couple of interesting things we do in the set that I haven’t done before. So I think it is going to be cool.

HRH: Yes, it is going to be amazing. You are playing Vamp’d in Vegas Nov. 20. Are you looking forward to returning to Vegas again?

Richie: Yes, that is a fun place. Vegas is a dangerous town for me. There was a time I was there all the time gambling. I got to the point where the casinos would pay for everything our flights and our rooms. I haven’t done the Vegas thing in a very long time. We are coming in there for one night and I am getting out of there before I get tempted. (Laughter)

HRH: How has touring influenced you in your songwriting? I know you have toured Europe and all of the country. How has that inspired your songwriting?

Richie: It is interesting. I have actually written songs all over the place. Even on the new record I put out The Essential, the new songs “War Paint” and “Walk With Me” were written on the first Winery Dogs tour in Europe. I had a day off and a couple of ideas and I ended up writing songs on that day off. It is a weird thing with songwriting. Maybe you will write a song or even two and then months can go by where you don’t write anything. I am king of in that mode right now. It has been several months of touring and I haven’t written a single thing. But I know when the time is right something will happen.

HRH: Right. Now your new album is out The Essential Richie Kotzen. How hard was it to pick the songs that were really close to your heart? Because you have had such an extensive career.

Richie: Believe it or not it was kind of easy. The idea of this record was not a true retrospect or greatest hits or anything like that. The idea was to answer a question. The question is that I have a lot of new people that come up to me that are new. They asked you have 20 records out there, where do I start? That is where I got the idea to make this. In selecting the music, it was almost like an actress selecting a headshot. You select at what you think is your best. The songs I chose for me were songs I chose although they are old; they are still relevant to what I do today. If you come to my show and hear a song “Fear” which was recorded in 2006 for example or “War Paint,” they are both relevant. There is a connection there. That is what I wanted to establish to the people that don’t know what I do what it is I am about. So believe it or not it was kind of easy to pick the songs.

HRH: That is a brilliant idea. Will you be performing many songs off of the new CD?

Richie: Yes, we will be doing a lot of them. We will also be doing a surprise. I might as well tell you. We are actually doing a song that hasn’t been released yet. I am putting out a solo album next year called Cannibals. We are excited to be doing the title track. It will be kind of interesting playing a song that no one has heard yet. It is a surprise in the set and sometime that I have never done before.

HRH: I can’t wait to hear it. As a guitar player, how would you describe your style? I know it has a jazz-fusion to it. Do you like to use a lot of pedals or reverb?

Richie: I am one of those people where it is hard to describe music in general. I listen to music, I don’t talk about it. But I understand what you are saying. My style is dictated by my influences really. I grew up with classic rock like Alice Cooper, Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Who, those kind of bands. I listened to a lot of R&B music a lot because it was played in the house. I kind of have this R&B, kind of Philly soul thing influence and also the classic rock thing. Over the years, I
have been exposed to a lot of different kinds of music. I played with Stanley Clarke. That was a move outside of the norm for me. However, after playing with him I learned a whole other side of music. I think a big part of a musician’s growth is to try and out yourself in a position where you play with people that you learn from. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are famous people. It can be local guys and it can be guys that are less experienced than you. But you have to get out and play with other musicians and play live. It is really the best way to grow.

HRH: Yes, I agree. How did you get started in music? Did you go to a lot of open mics in Pennsylvania?

Richie: I was always that little kid that always wanted to entertain the family. When I was five years year old I started taking piano lessons. I didn’t take to it very well. But a year later I saw an electric guitar at a yard sale. I wanted it. My Father bought it for me and I started taking lessons. From there I started a band. Everything just kind of grew from there. By the time I was 16, I ended up playing with some other guys in their ‘20s who were already in the club circuit and we made a band together. We ended up playing four nights a week. It kind of just snowballed. Like I said earlier, if you are playing with other people and playing live. They really didn’t have the open mic thing in my area, as far as I knew. It was more about cover bands and Top 40.

HRH: Yes, the cover bands are really where you get your foundation.

Richie: It helps you develops your ear so you can figure out what someone is playing. It is a part of development. By the time I was 17, I had no desire to play other people’s music. I was serious about wanting to do my own music. That is when I started focusing on writing and trying to break out of the tri-state area I was in.

HRH: One of the greatest aspects of your music is your lyrics. How important are lyrics and melodies to you in your songs?

Richie: For me literally it is the song. The song is the lyric and the melody. People can argue it all day long. But when you are singing “Happy Birthday”, you are not singing the drum and bass line. You are singing the lyric and the melody. So everything that I do and the style and music that I do is done to support the lyric and the melody. You have to have the story and the melody. Everything is else is just built around it.

HRH: You have had such great tours. What was it like opening for The Rolling Stones in 2006?

Richie: It was very surreal. And I’ll tell you something. When I found out I was doing it, I told very few people. I was convinced even I as I was getting on the plane and standing in the stadium before I set up my gear, I was convinced it wasn’t going to happen. It seemed like it was outside the realm of reality. Then after I played the first show in the Tokyo Dome then I started calling people back home and wracking up my phone bill talking about where I was. It was an amazing experience. I got to meet the guys. Talking to Ron Wood on the tour was a very surreal moment.

HRH: Over the years how have you evolved as an artist?

Richie: I think there is a direct correlation to the life experience that comes through your creative output. I am one of those people that need input rather than output. I have to have the opportunity to get away from music for a while and experience life. And then when I come back I’m fresh. I learned many years ago to not force to create a process. From the beginning it is a different story because you are developing that muscle. You are trying to figure yourself out. When you know yourself, I find the creativity has to come to you. You have to be in a mind state where you are clear. There are not a lot of distractions. Then you find it is easier to write. The evolution process is almost like I put my career like little
snapshots like a diary. The first record I ever did was songs I wrote when I was 17 and now I am 44. My life is radically different now then it was then. So my music and what I create reflects that. I think that is how artists grow. I still think getting away from music really helps. And then you come back is seems new again.

HRH: I agree with that. I have to congratulate you on the success of The Winery Dogs. Are you excited that everyone is talking about your new band and going to see them live?

Richie: It is really interesting. I did not expect anything like this. I believed we would make a cool record. I thought we would come out and do a couple of key market shows. And that would be it. But what happened we put this record out and come off the plane in Peru and we got congratulations on the all the chart positions and all the good reviews. We haven’t even been on the road for a year. It has definitely been a pleasant surprise.

HRH: Richie, it is an honor to speak with you. Is there anything else you would like to say about the solo tour and new release?

Richie: I just hope everybody digs it. We are ready to rock.

Visit Richie online: www.richiekotzen.com