The Baker's Dozen #34 Bob Madsen (The Grafenberg Disciples)
For the latest edition of the Baker’s Dozen here at RGM we caught up with Bob Madsen. Bob is a songwriter and bassist with a long list of musical ventures under his belt including 41POINT9 (with Brian Cline) and a project entitled Operation Paperclip with Tony Carey (Planet P Project/Rainbow). Bob’s latest release is The Grafenberg Disciples with singer Hans Eberbach that enables Bob to explore a host of pop, rock, jazz and funk influences. The first single from the album ‘No Words’ is a tribute to the late Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart with proceeds going to Cedar Sinai Special Research Program For Glioblastoma. Needless to say it seemed like an ideal time to discuss the record and get Bob’s thoughts on a host of other things including an exciting upcoming project with an artist who’ll always get the RGM team to sit up and take notice.
1. What is your earliest musical memory?
Riding in the car with my Mom and Dad in the early 70’s hearing music on the radio. I was fascinated by the interplay of the instruments.
2. Do you remember the name of your first band?
Lol, yep. It was called Passage. I was in high school and thought it sounded kinda like Journey.
3. Which current artist do you hear and just go Wow?
Honestly, every time I hear Hans Eberbach, the singer for The Grafenberg Disciples, I go wow! I can’t believe I get to work with this guy…. his voice is so freaking cool. But as far as outside bands go, I’d say Poets of the Fall and Dirty Loops continually blow my mind.
4. Do you sit down to write songs or do you wait until your mojo comes to get you?
A bit of both. Tho’ I have to say with the amount of new music slated to come out with my bands I am really going to have to up my discipline on writing lyrics. Gotta get to work on that right away.
5. Big venue or small venue – what’s your favourite to play?
Either! I just want to play!
6. Who is the one artist you wish you could share a stage with (past or present)?
Probably Gregg Bisonnette. He plays drums on most of my bands’ material but he’s always in such demand that I just know I’m never gonna be able to get him for live shows.
7. Bowie, Prince, Sinatra, Elvis which departed great means the most to you?
We have lost a lot of great musicians in the past few years. However, I think the one that hit the hardest was Neil Peart. Hence the song “No Words” off The Grafenberg Disciples’ debut album, ‘Johnny On The Spot’. In that song I do my best to express my respect for the man and his work and also to try to identify exactly how his passing has affected me and so many others. But in the end there really are “no words” to cover the loss….
8. The musical landscape could change markedly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How has the situation affected you and what do you feel will be its impact on the music business/live performance going forward?
The Pandemic has not affected me that much. I’m pretty much a homebody in the first place so I just kind of hunkered down and took care of business at home. As far as how this is going to affect the business going forward, I really have no clue. I just know that we are going to be dealing with the after affects for several years to come.
9. Should music be free?
Absolutely not. If the market cannot support artists to practice and hone their craft, pretty soon the quality of that art begins to suffer. It’s a tradecraft like any other. I wouldn’t expect my mechanic or plumber to work for free so why should we expect artists to work for free?
10. Can you remember the first record you bought and what have you bought recently?
First record I bought was Kiss Destroyer right when it came out in 1976. (yeah I’m old) Recently I purchased a bunch of Dan Reed’s discography to get ready for our concept album Dan and I are beginning next month under the name Operation Paperclip.
11. What was the last song that made you cry actual tears?
Today is the two year anniversary of my Dad’s passing. Last night I listened to a song I wrote for him entitled “Music On The Wind” off The Grafenberg Disciple’s debut album. Let’s just say I think someone in the room was chopping onions. …….Yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
12. Do you binge watch Netflix / Amazon / DVD box sets (any recommendations)? Do you have a guilty pleasure in Film or TV you’ll admit to watching and loving?
I’m pretty much a complete Star Trek and Marvel universe nerd so I’m down to watch that stuff always. Guilty pleasure category would probably be Farscape and/or Firefly. Such good stuff if a little bit cheesy due to the outdated special effects.
13. What is the most important thing to you that you can see from where you are right now?
My new recording studio. I spent 8 months and tons of money to build my dream studio. Now that’s built, I love it and can’t wait to record more music.
These days, with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of music available at the click of a mouse, it is easy to miss things in our search for instant gratification. The art of getting to know an album over repeated listens, allowing it to slowly reveal itself, is in danger of being lost. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘Modern Nostalgia’, the latest release from The Last Hurrah (!!), a project helmed by Norwegian musician/producer HP Gundersen. ‘Modern Nostalgia’ blends a distinctly European (Serge Gainsbourg/Marianne Faithfull) approach with the California sound of Gram Parsons and The Byrds, utilising a variety of singers and instrumentation along the way to reveal its charms. With this in mind, we caught up with HP Gundersen to learn more about HP and his collaborators in The Last Hurrah (!!).