Don
Zimmer Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Lamitschka: Music
has many new fans throughout Europe who may be hearing about you for the first
time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who has
never seen or heard you?
Answer: The Floating Records project The County Well album
“Future Country” has a completely unique sound due to
the unusually strong effort to collaborate in a studio environment. Fifteen distinct talented musicians are
employed to add their unique voices to a blend of country tinged songs that in
some cases are propelled by drum loops and samples that combine to offer
something new. At this point, the effort of the the two songwriters, Don Zimmer and Graham Guest was to capture
something in the studio that would not have the weight of needing to be
reproduced for a live show, to achieve
audio bliss.
How
did you choose the title for the CD? Is
there a story behind the name?
Answer: We called
the band The County Well to describe the idea of a large group of artists
getting together to contribute and interact in a recording environment that would be different from the way a four or
five piece band would go about it. A lot
of freedom to try new sounds and ideas. Upcoming outings by the entity known
as The County Well will have new players from new areas and counties. “Future Country” seemed to adequately describe the
style of music that grew out of
this recording approach, taking some
acoustic instruments and placing them in a mix with a drum loop.
Lamitschka: What
will your next single be?
Answer: The next single will be coming from the
collaboration of Jeffrey Halford and The County Well. Floating Records put out Mr. Halford’s
last album, Lo-Fi Dreams which received a plethora of awards and had extensive
radio play. Once again the idea of
putting Halford into a different setting by placing him in the “The
County Well”has offered up new sounds and
ideas. This one is a concept piece with
a story line connecting all the songs together. Lo-Fi Dreams was our first album put out in the vinyl format (available
at floatingrecords.com). We are hoping to do that again. By the way, Jeffrey Halford and the Healers will be heading to Europe this summer,
check jeffreyhalford.com for tour info and go
say hello to the Americana guru.
Lamitschka: Who
inspires you musically and how deep do your musical roots run?
Answer: We are
music fans and our roots run deep. Understanding
who and where our blues, country, soul, gospel came from and how they were
captured in glorious analog, effects how we go about making records today. The inspiration comes and goes and changes
with all sorts of things influencing the process of songwriting and
recording. Right now, the English band
the Alabama 3, who mix electronic, blues, country, gospel, techno and rock are
taking over everything I do. Putting these
elements together with different musical voices is where the success of “Future
Country”is coming from and the driving force behind future,
future counties and countries.
Lamitschka: What
do you think about today’s music industry?
Answer: As
with most things in life to accept and live with are the keys to success. Same with the music industry. The new streaming services that have taken
over and offer listeners access to an extensive library but fail to compensate
the musicians who created the content is a sad state of affairs. On the other hand, to see the resurgence of vinyl records and
record stores offers hope that there are alternatives to the mp3.
Lamitschka: Are
you doing anything to take music beyond its current borders or are you happy
where it is?
Answer: We (Floating Records) are trying to eliminate some borders. What we call borderless, boundless
music. Develop a family approach, where
every artist on our roster is aware of the others and we are all in this
together, working for the bigger team. Helping each other get better gigs and
sell each others products. We have
Reverend Freakchild, from Boulder, Colorado, checking out Hill Roberts from Atlanta, Georgia, who is listening to
Bread and Circus from Boise, Idaho to share each others audiences. Increase the size of our county well.
Lamitschka: What
inspired you to become a songwriter?
Answer: Part of the inspiration comes from creating
something original. You start out
learning to play guitar or any other instrument by learning some one else’s
songs. In order to develop your own
voice, you need to write your own. Some
people can’t do it or don’t want to
do it but forcing yourself to write and create makes the brain feel good.
Lamitschka: What’s
unique about you that will differentiate you from other artists?
Answer: We have discovered the
joy of recording and creating original content. We are not concerned with touring and live performance. By using as many different instruments and
musicians as we need, we are not confined to what instruments the members of the band can play. We love bands but this allows us some extra freedom which we think can
be heard in the recorded performance.
Lamitschka: What’s
the best compliment a fan has ever given you?
Answer: –
“The Country Well is a sound I have been longing to
hear for a couple years. This
is one of the best releases I have heard in a while. “ This is from the music director at WCNI an Americana
reporter in New London,CT. This
gentlemen hears an enormous amount of music and I still can’t
believe those kind words.
Lamitschka: What
message would you like to send your European fans?
Answer: Please
visit Floating Records (floatingrecords.com) and check out The County Well
“Future Country”and all our other artists. Let us
know what you think and support all music, local and worldwide.