Interview with KREG VIESSELMAN
By Fabio Cerbone
(Read the interview it its original Italian by clicking here.)

1. I believe one of the best qualities of your songs is that they
sound simple, straight to the melody and then really appealing.
Usually, how did you write your songs? Lonely in your room, only with your guitar, or with the band at your side…

Answer: Well, that depends.  Coming up with ideas has never been all that
hard for me.  What took a long time was gaining the discipline
required to actually write them down, and then to change them if they
weren't working. I try to always carry a notebook so I can scribble
down ideas, words, and so forth as soon as they arrive. In addition, I
try to hum or sing melodies when I am out walking.  Not exactly brain
surgery, but that's how it seems to work for me…then it's a matter of
trying to match things up with a guitar.  Of course, when you play
with other musicians, the boat is liable to tack and jibe on it's own.
That can be helpful.  Once in a while, I just sit down with the guitar
and get hit over the head with the entire song. Those times are gifts.

2. If you have to describe the general feeling of The Pull songs: is
there anything that put them together? Did you write these songs in
different period of your life or did they come together?

Answer: Well, I had a heap of songs that were in varying states of
completion when we went into the studio. Some of the songs had been
around a while, but most were completely or partially re-written right before and during recording.  My worry going into the studio was that the songs were too different from one another. I consider it both a strength and weakness of mine that my writing, singing, and playing styles tend to be all
over the map. I am confounded in trying to find my own musical identity. So I didn't see how we could come up with a cohesive album. In the end, I think that if there was any glue, it came from the other musicians and the revisions I made on the spot, having then a sense of where the album was headed. Of course, the importance of working with good producers, good gear, and having recorded all the songs in the same studio all at once cannot be overstated.

3. Your songs appear to me very melancholy and sweet, like The Busker: what kinds of stories mostly attract you in your songwriting?

Answer: 'The Busker', I must confess, was just me observing directly what I
remembered seeing and hearing while busking  on Mallory square in Key
West and in Portland, Maine.  If it's melancholy, then so is busking. So are tourist towns. I suppose I am, too.

4. Share Croppers, what a fragile and sweet song to close the record:
I suppose it regards to your land, your town…did you feel yourself
very devoted to your roots?

Answer: Not particularly, other than a keen interest in geneaology. But in a round-about way, it does have to do with where I come from, which is farm land in the US Midwest. There are all of these big multi-national seed, chemical, and bio-engineering companies that have called the shots on how agricultural models operate in the post-industrial world. It has become even worse since globalization.  How can people actually claim patents on living things? It would be laughable, but becomes tragic instead, when a society actually allows that type of nonsense. So now, the small farmer is squeezed out, and only massive industrial farms can compete. And of course, some CEO in a different state isn't going to make good stewardship of the land, living wages, and community character top priorities.  Gosh, that answer is longer than the song…

5. Your songwriting seems to be really influenced by folk and blues tradition: what are you favorite records and artists? You know, those who influenced you on your guitar playing and also on your lyrics

Answer: As a kid, I heard Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, the Statler Brothers, and the like. Also, my father played a baritone ukelele and would sing country ballads and folks songs. I have always loved very complete songs, which must have started with those types of influences. "Exile on Mainstreet" was my 'gateway' album. From there, of course, you end up at Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Jesse Winchester, Jim Croce, Gregg Allman, Aretha, Ray, Sam, Otis and so on, which leads further into folks like Joseph Spence, Rev. Gary Davis, John Hurt, Huddie Leadbetter, etc.   Still, I love so much that's coming out these days. I think Will Oldham is great…I love Belle and Sebastian, Joanna Newsom's new record is simply blinding…Danny Schmidt, Paul Curreri…there's just so much good stuff out there. I really don't consider myself a folk singer at all, unless everyone is. I read a lot of poetry, too, which has certainly influenced my writing.

6. I think it's truly remarkable supporting your beautiful voice with female backing vocals: do you believe it gave to your music different nuances? I think sometimes a strong gospel flavor came out from the background…

Answer: Danya River, Liz Barnez, and Rachael Davis are about the best singers I know, and three of the nicest ones, too.  Most of the songs that have accompaniment by the women were written with that specifically in mind… I love southern gospel, and thought that some of the songs made me feel that way - the way I have felt in black southern gospel churches. As far as 'nuances'? Absolutely. All the songs with backing/harmony vocals completely changed or were at least intensified with what the women added. They injected some of their own souls into each song they did.  It was wonderful. Thanks for calling my voice 'beautiful'….that's a fine compliment.

7. Regarding your beautiful voice, as I said before: it's strong, deep, as it comes from an older musician, more mature. Do you use it by instinct or do you try to improve it? What are your favorite singers- songwriters…or just singers?

Answer: Oh, man! I don't think my voice is beautiful at all! I'll grant that it's interesting at times, but gosh, how I work at it, second-guess it, and try to understand it! I hope it changes and improves, and that  I can improve at using it more like a paintbrush rather than wielding it like an axe.

8. It's really interesting that an american songwriter has found a contract with an european label. It seems american roots and folk music receives more consideration around Europe now. Do you agree? How did you get in touch with Red Kite and decide to produce a new record with them?

Answer: Well, I think Europeans take more pride in 'discovering' new music, which is great for people like me, just waiting to be 'discovered'. It's really hard to make generalizations about the US music scene. It's completely fragmented. It's hard to make a dent in such a big country. Maybe they should divide it up into 6 countries, just for art's sake.  Nevertheless, I don't think that's a new phenomenon. As everyone knows, a lot of American jazz, blues, and folk artists have been seeking refuge in Europe for many years. I don't know. I suspect that art and business aren't as intertwined in Europe as they are in the states. Consequently, patronage of the arts is more stable in Europe…that's just a hunch, though. I met Martin Levan (Red Kite founder) while supporting Eric Taylor at Cambria Arts in Wales. We stayed in touch, and he eventually invited me over to make the album.

9. Would you tell me something about Taj Mahal praises? Did you meet
him face-to-face?

Answer: Yeah, a few times. I knew of Taj before I met him, but had a pretty limited musical frame of reference at the time. He was kind enough to listen to what I was trying to do. My guitar playing was agricultural at best, and my lyrics were awful. But I followed him around for the few days he was at the camp where I was working...the man just OOZED music, and I paid attention. You could give that man a bowl of oatmeal, and he could make a tune with it...I learned to hambone from Taj, and some finger-style stuff. He'd learned from folks like Libba Cotten, John Estes, John Hurt and so on...to be one generation removed from those kinds of players was surreal...really, it was scary. Then I met up with him again a couple years later in Colorado when he was touring with Toumani Diébaté.

10. And how did you meet Boubacar Diébaté and when did you decide to put into your song the sound of Kora instrument? I think it's really fascinating…do you appreciate any particular African roots music?

Answer: I met Boubacar through producer Evan Reeves, who was doing some recording with Boubacar and Bela Fleck about the time I was looking for a hand drummer for my last record. I wrote the song 'Man Without a Care' while hitchhiking in Ireland a few years back, camped out in this pasture woods near Kilarney. I knew as I was writing it that the song was asking for west African accompaniment, both vocally and instrumentally. Of course, Boubacar was the first guy I called. When we finally sat down in Evan's studio together, we had to figure out a way to get two completely different styles to mesh. Somehow, we did. We found the common rhythms to play off of each other, and recorded it live, vocals and everything, about twice as fast as the song was written. The best part is Boub's tremendous singing in Mandinka during the breaks. He totally got what the song was about...which stands to reason, as Boubacar is a griot from an ancient line, and a Lion of Senegal. He comes from music and stories and history. A griot embodies all of those things. Other Africans? The first one that comes to mind is Thomas Mapfumo and Black Unlimited from Zimbabwe. Unbelievable.

11. In which kind of venues do you succeed to play your music around the United States? Only folk and roots festival?

A: Anywhere and everywhere they'll let me. I have played beautiful concert theaters and busked on the streets, and everything in between. Honestly, I don't think I have ever really fit in with the folk/roots scene that I have been exposed to in the states. I don't really care for contemporary folk music, and it doesn't really care for me, either.

12. Did you already play some shows around Europe and have you noticed some kind of differences among the crowd?

Answer: I have done a few tours in the UK and played a bit in Belgium. The crowds have seemed really cool to me. There always seems to be this air of anticipation prior to a show. It seems that people have actually turned up on purpose, and are looking forward to being surprised and engaged.  Sometimes in the states, that's not the case. But I suppose that also has to do with the types of venues I am playing now. I do think that people tend to be quite literate and intellectually patient in Europe, but I worry about the language gap, too. I wonder if the lyrics will be as accessible to those for whom American English is not their mother tongue…we'll see. Thanks for taking the time to interview me.