Good things come to those who wait! Patience is a virtue! I know, you’ve heard it all before, but it’s true! As you will soon find out. I am pleased to “finally” continue with the OFTV Spotlight series. In April you were introduced to the band SPOONFUL JAMES through the words of bass player Quinn Borland. Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy getting to know Quinn himself.
Interview with Quinn Borland
What is the story behind the name “Spoonful James”?
Q: We had a tough time coming up with a name. We wanted it to express our love for Blues music, but still be original, since that’s the type of band we were. I remember Wynn and I were stumped for a while and couldn’t get away from this “highway” theme for a name. It didn’t really come together when you said it, so we scratched it. One day we were listening to Cream do the old “Spoonful” song and we came to agree that song was one of our favorites. We didn’t want to completely rip off the song name, so we added “James” to make it sound like an old blues player. You know, like Lightning Hopkins or Muddy Waters. Plus I was on a Rick James kick at the time.
In your “History of Spoonful James”, that we published in April, you mentioned a little something about a riot. To refresh the memory of our readers, you were playing with a band called “Fletch Lives” at the Florabama and the band was asked to leave the stage because you might start a riot. Can you explain the story behind this?
Photo courtesy of Wes Williams
Q: Well, it was one of the most fun times of the Fletch days. You mix 40-60 year old alums, college kids, biker gangs and young spring breakers, and you have the makings for a really good party. We weren’t asked to leave, but we were “urged” to stop the set. We were on the tent stage, which was the closest to the beach. Apparently a few girls were a little intoxicated and were dancing provocatively in front of the stage. I remember we were playing
Superstition by Stevie Wonder. The combination of those two facts really sent the crowd into a frenzy. They started to rush the stage and people started pushing. We had a 2×4 barrier frame in front of us, so we thought we were fine. We had never seen a crowd react so strongly. They were awesome, singing along, dancing and trying to get a glimpse of what was going on at the stage. Just when everything was starting to peak, one of the managers ran up to the side of the stage and started yelling “YOU’RE GOING TO START A RIOT! SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT IT DOWN!” That’s when people started to rush the stage and it got a little scary. We shut down and quickly exited with our guitars. Security was called in, just in time to save our equipment. We still got paid for the full set, of course.
Are your gigs your only source of income? Do you have a day job?
Q: The first two Spoonful albums we are proud to say were funded entirely by our gigs. Although for 7 Mile we did get some help. We were right at poverty level for many years and for two years I lived in a one bedroom efficiency apartment. It was rough, but it really taught me some things about working hard and the value of a dollar.
These days I work for a GPS tracking company. I started in this industry about three years ago and absolutely love it. We put these little black boxes into company vehicles and monitor them on our website with maps, speeds, historical data and everything (like that Hulk Hogan episode where he tracks his daughter’s car). Yep, I sell Tattlers’ .
Do you or Spoonful James have any projects in the works? Either individually or as a group? CDS etc?
Q: Wynn and I have some songs, but we have to put our heads together to really make them Spoonful songs. These days that seems harder to do than writing with our busy schedules.
When you write songs, where do the ideas for the lyrics usually come from? How do you decide what type of song it should be (like style of music, tempo, etc)?
Q: It usually starts on the guitar with Wynn. I’m best at writing bridges, hooks and changes.
What instruments do you play?
Q: Just bass and guitar. I do play some guitar, but only in the house. Also, I am currently practicing slide.
Are you self-taught or have you studied music?
Q: When I was 14, I took lessons for three months from a great teacher in Dothan, Mike Love. This guy looked and played exactly like Michael Anthony from Van Halen. He let me learn anything I wanted. I’d come in with a new Metallica song and he’d teach it to me. Really refreshing. Different from the stiff piano teachers. I took piano lessons for 2 weeks, hated it. I think the key to keeping a kid interested in music is to let them learn what they want every now and then. It’s always good to teach the essentials, but once a month let the kid learn a Beatles song. Post 1965 Beatles song, that is. After this I pretty much had the basics and built on that. Oddly enough I stole a few licks from Mitch Jones (LiMBO), before we really got to know each other. He’s a great player.
What inspires you the most about the music business?
Q: The ability to create something out of nothing and being able to get it to as many ears as possible.
What disappoints you the most?
Q: Greed. Oh and people downloading music for free.
Who is your favorite artist? Favorite song?
Q: Sly & the Family Stone. As for my favorite song, probably something from Derek and the Dominos “Layla” album. I can’t name just one.
What new music have you discovered recently, that you would like to share with the readers?
Q: Betty Davis (Miles’ wife) : Total Funk. Larry Graham (bass player from Sly & the Family Stone) played on her first album, which I picked up on Amazon.
As your music career moves forward, what outside of music would fulfill you the most?
Q: Being able to take my family on the road if it ever got to that point.
What is your favorite standout memory of your music career?
Q: Definately recording with Buddy Miles. We knew we had done something right when he came to the studio. We all loved Band of Gypsys and when we were warming up, we started playing “Who Knows?” with Buddy. You know when you hear music that you really enjoy and it gives you goose bumps? It was like that, except we were playing it. The feeling is indescribable. It literally took my breath away. We learned so much from that guy and we really miss him.
*** Buddy Miles passed away in February at the age of 60. (A little trivia on Buddy Miles: He was the voice of the singing California Raisin!)
That’s it for now folks, we’ll continue with Quinn’s interview in the next installment of OFTV Spotlight. In the meantime, why not visit www.myspace.com/spoonfuljames and www.cdbaby.com to check out Quinn and Spoonful James. Stop by, say hi, and give a listen to some great music!
If you have any questions for Quinn, I’m sure he will be more than happy to answer them. Just include your questions in the comment section and I will make sure he receives tham.
The compilation includes six songs from each of the previous CDs; all but two songs are Hicks originals. These songs have been in my possession for two years now, but I was anxious to hear these remastered versions. Would they lose that raw, stripped down, hard working musician quality that I found so attractive? The answer is no, they’ve just made them better, bringing out Hicks’ vocals and the great performances of his backup musicians. “Nostalgic” and “endearing” are the words Hicks uses to describe the compilation, but I’d like to add original, warm, creative, versatile, and passionate.