Interview with Gig Michaels of Swamp da Wamp
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?
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?
The
most common thing we hear from our fans, long-term and new alike, is
one word: fun. When you come to a Swamp da Wamp show you’ll get the
feeling that you’re hanging out with us in our living room. I mean,
I talk to my audience and relate to them not only thru song, but also
thru banter. Every night I am inspired by something new and I enjoy
expressing myself, be it good or bad. It’s all a story, man, ya
know? We’re all in this life together for the time being. What
you’re not going to get is a bunch of acrobats pounding noisy
guitar bar chords as fast as they can play ‘em! The guys in the
band are all very talented players and we have a ton of fun with
that. I am always fucking with our guitar players – putting them up
against one another, bringing the song up and down in intensity with
them, like a competition. All of my songs ring true to life with cool
riffs and solid melodies, and a lot of passion. Simply put, we love
what we do and we love doing it for you!
most common thing we hear from our fans, long-term and new alike, is
one word: fun. When you come to a Swamp da Wamp show you’ll get the
feeling that you’re hanging out with us in our living room. I mean,
I talk to my audience and relate to them not only thru song, but also
thru banter. Every night I am inspired by something new and I enjoy
expressing myself, be it good or bad. It’s all a story, man, ya
know? We’re all in this life together for the time being. What
you’re not going to get is a bunch of acrobats pounding noisy
guitar bar chords as fast as they can play ‘em! The guys in the
band are all very talented players and we have a ton of fun with
that. I am always fucking with our guitar players – putting them up
against one another, bringing the song up and down in intensity with
them, like a competition. All of my songs ring true to life with cool
riffs and solid melodies, and a lot of passion. Simply put, we love
what we do and we love doing it for you!
Lamitschka:
How
was the last year for you? What were your highlights?
Man,
the last year was a roller coaster ride from hell! We started out
the year with the highlight; we were on the Rock Legends Cruise for
the 3rd
consecutive time alongside Alice Cooper, Doobie Brothers, Ten Years
After, Uriah Heap, Marshall Tucker Band and a barrel full more. Swamp
da Wamp has become such a staple on that cruise that I was asked to
actually be the voice of the cruise for Rock Legends IV in January of
2016. I have humbly accepted. Another highlight would be the fact
that we released our first single from the new upcoming album That
Easy,
the video for “My
Drinking Song.”
The
video is doing well and the radio is now starting to pick it up, both
in the U.S. and in Europe (especially Italy). Music.com selected the
track for a dance remix to the video and will use it as the anthem
for the Electric Daisy Festival 2015 in Las Vegas. The highlight of
that is coming later in June when we will attend the VIP party at the
Mansion at the MGM Grand in Vegas! Can’t
wait for that!!! So that’s
all exciting but the first half of the year…
getting
here was a true bitch, man. After tolerating bad management dangling
carrots and open ended opportunities that were never closed (or just
disappeared) we finally got out of that contract. Of course, that
dumped everything back in my lap. We had to replace a guitarist and
then our drummer who had been with me for nine years. It was pretty
tough; having to school another player just seemed like the end of
the world. But things really gelled at the speed of light and the
band is much tighter now because of it. Change is always scary, but
in the end it turns out to have been the best thing that could have
happened…
I
dig that.
the last year was a roller coaster ride from hell! We started out
the year with the highlight; we were on the Rock Legends Cruise for
the 3rd
consecutive time alongside Alice Cooper, Doobie Brothers, Ten Years
After, Uriah Heap, Marshall Tucker Band and a barrel full more. Swamp
da Wamp has become such a staple on that cruise that I was asked to
actually be the voice of the cruise for Rock Legends IV in January of
2016. I have humbly accepted. Another highlight would be the fact
that we released our first single from the new upcoming album That
Easy,
the video for “My
Drinking Song.”
The
video is doing well and the radio is now starting to pick it up, both
in the U.S. and in Europe (especially Italy). Music.com selected the
track for a dance remix to the video and will use it as the anthem
for the Electric Daisy Festival 2015 in Las Vegas. The highlight of
that is coming later in June when we will attend the VIP party at the
Mansion at the MGM Grand in Vegas! Can’t
wait for that!!! So that’s
all exciting but the first half of the year…
getting
here was a true bitch, man. After tolerating bad management dangling
carrots and open ended opportunities that were never closed (or just
disappeared) we finally got out of that contract. Of course, that
dumped everything back in my lap. We had to replace a guitarist and
then our drummer who had been with me for nine years. It was pretty
tough; having to school another player just seemed like the end of
the world. But things really gelled at the speed of light and the
band is much tighter now because of it. Change is always scary, but
in the end it turns out to have been the best thing that could have
happened…
I
dig that.
Lamitschka:
How did you choose the title for the CD? Is there a story
behind the name?
How did you choose the title for the CD? Is there a story
behind the name?
Our
latest CD is titled That Easy.
It drops in about four weeks so I don’t have any numbers to report
yet, but…I can tell you we are expecting a very warm reception for
it. “That Easy” is also the title track on the disc. A very
eerie, almost “vampiry,” modern-retro, bluesy, arena-rockfish
type thing. It’s like watching a black ‘n’ white western
that’s been colorized, like what they did to The
Wizard of Oz years ago. I will tell you
that making this record was not at all that easy, which is why we
settled on the name for the album. We spent over eighteen months in
and out of the studio, working between our road schedule and getting
the financing pulled together to get it done. That another part of
the whole tough year I spoke of earlier, it seemed like we’d never
finish. Our fans were getting very antsy and I’m sure we pissed off
a few people during that whole period. We definitely earned our
patience wings through that whole process. So, the story behind the
name is that it’s a humorous look into the making of that record
that the band will never forget; it was anything but “that easy!”
Lol.
latest CD is titled That Easy.
It drops in about four weeks so I don’t have any numbers to report
yet, but…I can tell you we are expecting a very warm reception for
it. “That Easy” is also the title track on the disc. A very
eerie, almost “vampiry,” modern-retro, bluesy, arena-rockfish
type thing. It’s like watching a black ‘n’ white western
that’s been colorized, like what they did to The
Wizard of Oz years ago. I will tell you
that making this record was not at all that easy, which is why we
settled on the name for the album. We spent over eighteen months in
and out of the studio, working between our road schedule and getting
the financing pulled together to get it done. That another part of
the whole tough year I spoke of earlier, it seemed like we’d never
finish. Our fans were getting very antsy and I’m sure we pissed off
a few people during that whole period. We definitely earned our
patience wings through that whole process. So, the story behind the
name is that it’s a humorous look into the making of that record
that the band will never forget; it was anything but “that easy!”
Lol.
Lamitschka:
Do
you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go about finding the
songs for your CD?
Do
you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go about finding the
songs for your CD?
For
the most part, yes, I do write the songs. Out of our past five
records we have only had three songs that we used from Nashville
writers. We have one track on this record that was written by a
couple folks in Nashville. It’s
strange for me because if I don’t
write the lyrics I find it extremely difficult to sing the song. I
have to be truly passionate about what I’m
singing, if my heart ain’t
in it, it’s
going to suck. I spent my entire career avoiding playing anyone
else’s
music mainly because I couldn’t
focus long enough to learn it! When I pick up my guitar I am
immediately compelled to write something new. I never set out to be a
guitar hero, for me, my guitar is the tool I use to make the song,
after that I may not even play on the song live. Once the band learns
the song I can then focus on refining the lyrics without the pressure
of having to play at the same time. I do write some rather difficult
parts that are tough to play let alone sing to.
the most part, yes, I do write the songs. Out of our past five
records we have only had three songs that we used from Nashville
writers. We have one track on this record that was written by a
couple folks in Nashville. It’s
strange for me because if I don’t
write the lyrics I find it extremely difficult to sing the song. I
have to be truly passionate about what I’m
singing, if my heart ain’t
in it, it’s
going to suck. I spent my entire career avoiding playing anyone
else’s
music mainly because I couldn’t
focus long enough to learn it! When I pick up my guitar I am
immediately compelled to write something new. I never set out to be a
guitar hero, for me, my guitar is the tool I use to make the song,
after that I may not even play on the song live. Once the band learns
the song I can then focus on refining the lyrics without the pressure
of having to play at the same time. I do write some rather difficult
parts that are tough to play let alone sing to.
As
far as finding music to record, just go to any bar in Nashville and
there’s
a song writer waiting for you to record their song! In all
seriousness, there really are some great writers in Nashville and you
can simply go to any publishing company and review their catalogs of
songs ‘till
something catches your mind. In our case, I was friends with the
writers so I didn’t
have to go thru any other channels. Writing is my outlet so I can’t
stop and the goodness just seems to spill out on the paper. I do hold
a mountain of respect for the songwriters who are able to make a
living at it.
far as finding music to record, just go to any bar in Nashville and
there’s
a song writer waiting for you to record their song! In all
seriousness, there really are some great writers in Nashville and you
can simply go to any publishing company and review their catalogs of
songs ‘till
something catches your mind. In our case, I was friends with the
writers so I didn’t
have to go thru any other channels. Writing is my outlet so I can’t
stop and the goodness just seems to spill out on the paper. I do hold
a mountain of respect for the songwriters who are able to make a
living at it.
Lamitschka:
Please
tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).
Please
tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).
Well
this is a ten song disc and the follow up to our last full length
record Short
Stories From A Long Road,
which was so aptly titled, a colorful variety of stories that’s
still doing well. With that comes the challenge within myself to top
that record…
Now
when I listen to the new record I can honestly say that I am very
pleased with the outcome. I’ll
give you an example of what I meant earlier when I said about writing
“true
to life”
and
having to be passionate about what I am singing. Take the track
“Rollin’,”
for
example. We’ve
had haters and former band mates that will pop up and sling a few
barrels of mud at us on Facebook.
this is a ten song disc and the follow up to our last full length
record Short
Stories From A Long Road,
which was so aptly titled, a colorful variety of stories that’s
still doing well. With that comes the challenge within myself to top
that record…
Now
when I listen to the new record I can honestly say that I am very
pleased with the outcome. I’ll
give you an example of what I meant earlier when I said about writing
“true
to life”
and
having to be passionate about what I am singing. Take the track
“Rollin’,”
for
example. We’ve
had haters and former band mates that will pop up and sling a few
barrels of mud at us on Facebook.
Lamitschka:
You
did a duet with Adreinne Nixon. How did that happen to come about?
You
did a duet with Adreinne Nixon. How did that happen to come about?
Yes
– the duet “Happy
Anniversary”
is
very cool, that’s
Adrienne Nixon, our backing vocalist singing with me. How it came
about is quite the story. I actually wrote this track back in 2011
when we were in pre-production for the record Short
Stories From A Long Road
in Nashville, Tn. At first, I was going to do a full blown
ballad-esque rock style song and there was just something that never
felt right, no matter what we did or how I sang it. I finally went
back and listened to my initial writing of the idea, before it had
the real structure. It was me playing acoustic and I played a violin
track on a Korg Triton LE. It was genius! I had gotten so lost in
trying to change the delivery that I had forgotten about the real
passion of the song. That’s
when I decided to go with a duet and have it played on a grand piano.
By this time, we were in the studio close to finishing the tracks –
at
the eleventh hour, if you will. I scrambled to get the right female
voice that was already in the biz. There were actually several
female vocalists who wanted to sing on the track, but unfortunately
there were insurmountable scheduling conflicts. Well, long story
short we had to finish the record on the existing recording schedule
with what little money we had left. I ended up singing the entire
track myself and we let it go on that record as is…
When
Adrienne came along the record had already been out for a while but I
thought what the hell, let’s
do it anyway! Needless to say, Adrienne brought it to a new life.
Adrienne’s
voice compliments my singing style and vocals. We’re
focusing more on Adrienne now, and I often write with her in mind.
She’ll
have a more involved role in some songs; maybe we’re
kinda heading for Broadway eventually!!
– the duet “Happy
Anniversary”
is
very cool, that’s
Adrienne Nixon, our backing vocalist singing with me. How it came
about is quite the story. I actually wrote this track back in 2011
when we were in pre-production for the record Short
Stories From A Long Road
in Nashville, Tn. At first, I was going to do a full blown
ballad-esque rock style song and there was just something that never
felt right, no matter what we did or how I sang it. I finally went
back and listened to my initial writing of the idea, before it had
the real structure. It was me playing acoustic and I played a violin
track on a Korg Triton LE. It was genius! I had gotten so lost in
trying to change the delivery that I had forgotten about the real
passion of the song. That’s
when I decided to go with a duet and have it played on a grand piano.
By this time, we were in the studio close to finishing the tracks –
at
the eleventh hour, if you will. I scrambled to get the right female
voice that was already in the biz. There were actually several
female vocalists who wanted to sing on the track, but unfortunately
there were insurmountable scheduling conflicts. Well, long story
short we had to finish the record on the existing recording schedule
with what little money we had left. I ended up singing the entire
track myself and we let it go on that record as is…
When
Adrienne came along the record had already been out for a while but I
thought what the hell, let’s
do it anyway! Needless to say, Adrienne brought it to a new life.
Adrienne’s
voice compliments my singing style and vocals. We’re
focusing more on Adrienne now, and I often write with her in mind.
She’ll
have a more involved role in some songs; maybe we’re
kinda heading for Broadway eventually!!
Lamitschka:
How
much creative control do you have over your music?
How
much creative control do you have over your music?
We
have 100% creative control, but do we welcome input and ideas, yes we
do. I’ll
admit our label has pushed us to go a bit more country but we lean
that way as is and we have fun with it. I have always felt that
sometimes the artist is just too close to the song to be the best
critic, so I have welcomed producers in the past. Some were full of
shit with big smiles, agreeable personalities but really just wanted
a paycheck, and some have been pretty cool but in hindsight weren’t
the right fit for us. On this record we worked with a great producer,
Glenn Tabor, at GAT3 studios in Charlotte, NC. Glenn is a fricken’
master
at the helm of the control room console. He knows how to keep the
players interested and engaged in the creativity of writing. I
connected with Glenn in such a way that he knew where I was leading
most of the time and he helped me get there without getting
frustrated. We have built a solid relationship thru music for sure.
have 100% creative control, but do we welcome input and ideas, yes we
do. I’ll
admit our label has pushed us to go a bit more country but we lean
that way as is and we have fun with it. I have always felt that
sometimes the artist is just too close to the song to be the best
critic, so I have welcomed producers in the past. Some were full of
shit with big smiles, agreeable personalities but really just wanted
a paycheck, and some have been pretty cool but in hindsight weren’t
the right fit for us. On this record we worked with a great producer,
Glenn Tabor, at GAT3 studios in Charlotte, NC. Glenn is a fricken’
master
at the helm of the control room console. He knows how to keep the
players interested and engaged in the creativity of writing. I
connected with Glenn in such a way that he knew where I was leading
most of the time and he helped me get there without getting
frustrated. We have built a solid relationship thru music for sure.
Lamitschka:
Do
you have any interesting stories about how fans have been affected by
your music?
Do
you have any interesting stories about how fans have been affected by
your music?
The
most touching one I ever received was from a 13-year-old boy. His
letter started out pretty simply with, “Hi,
my name is John (we’ll
call him John for the sake of anonymity). I am a big fan of your
band (it was clear that his hand was shaking as he wrote). I just
love the song ‘Fat
Boy,’
it
is my very favorite song ever.”
And
as I began to laugh a little at the cuteness of it, I read on. John
continued with, “I
wasn’t
able to play sports in school and the big boys called me names a lot
and pushed me around. When my hair started falling out they all made
fun of me. I don’t
go to school anymore because I have cancer and I have to be at the
hospital all the time. My Mom brought a CD player to my room so I
could listen to ‘Fat
Boy’
every
day while I’m
in here. Every time I listen to it I JAM JAM JAM! I’m
going to get all better and wait to see those bullies then and say,
‘How
you like me now!’”
Man,
I was touched hard by his words, talk about tearing up…
We
communicated a couple times by mail and his mother also gave me the
whole story and thanked me for lighting up his eyes every time he
heard the song. That, my friend, is my greatest reward.
most touching one I ever received was from a 13-year-old boy. His
letter started out pretty simply with, “Hi,
my name is John (we’ll
call him John for the sake of anonymity). I am a big fan of your
band (it was clear that his hand was shaking as he wrote). I just
love the song ‘Fat
Boy,’
it
is my very favorite song ever.”
And
as I began to laugh a little at the cuteness of it, I read on. John
continued with, “I
wasn’t
able to play sports in school and the big boys called me names a lot
and pushed me around. When my hair started falling out they all made
fun of me. I don’t
go to school anymore because I have cancer and I have to be at the
hospital all the time. My Mom brought a CD player to my room so I
could listen to ‘Fat
Boy’
every
day while I’m
in here. Every time I listen to it I JAM JAM JAM! I’m
going to get all better and wait to see those bullies then and say,
‘How
you like me now!’”
Man,
I was touched hard by his words, talk about tearing up…
We
communicated a couple times by mail and his mother also gave me the
whole story and thanked me for lighting up his eyes every time he
heard the song. That, my friend, is my greatest reward.
Lamitschka:
What
inspired you to become a songwriter?
What
inspired you to become a songwriter?
I
come from a very large and loosely knit family. As a kid music was my
best friend. I found strength in music, I found comfort, I worked
thru anger, grieved with it, found closure thru it, expressed my
sadness and celebrated my victories all thru or with music. I always
listened to the lyrics and paid attention to the story being told
thru song. I honestly don’t
know if I’d
be here if it wasn’t
for music. I was an overweight kid and very self conscience about it.
I began writing in my early teens as a sort of escape and at that
time it started out as poems. It wasn’t
until I picked up the guitar at the age of sixteen that I began
putting my words to music. Some of my biggest inspirations were Phil
Collins, Skynyrd, and Zepplin (of course). On the country side it
was Willie, Waylon and Merle Haggard mostly because my Dad used to
play their songs on acoustic guitar. Every Saturday night for a
couple of my pre-teen years Dad and our neighbor would sit and play
traditional country songs. Again, everyone felt great while they were
playing; it brought joy into the home, if only for an hour or two. So
anyway, I also consider music a healer. I have always written in the
spirit of what it did and still means to me. I write about real life
and try to spin a story into your world so you can get something out
of it that will in some way help you. I get a lot of fan mail about
my songs and how they helped someone get over the death of a father,
or a brother, or how they had it cranked up at a party and it rocked
the house, etc…
I’m
a veritable song well at this point!
come from a very large and loosely knit family. As a kid music was my
best friend. I found strength in music, I found comfort, I worked
thru anger, grieved with it, found closure thru it, expressed my
sadness and celebrated my victories all thru or with music. I always
listened to the lyrics and paid attention to the story being told
thru song. I honestly don’t
know if I’d
be here if it wasn’t
for music. I was an overweight kid and very self conscience about it.
I began writing in my early teens as a sort of escape and at that
time it started out as poems. It wasn’t
until I picked up the guitar at the age of sixteen that I began
putting my words to music. Some of my biggest inspirations were Phil
Collins, Skynyrd, and Zepplin (of course). On the country side it
was Willie, Waylon and Merle Haggard mostly because my Dad used to
play their songs on acoustic guitar. Every Saturday night for a
couple of my pre-teen years Dad and our neighbor would sit and play
traditional country songs. Again, everyone felt great while they were
playing; it brought joy into the home, if only for an hour or two. So
anyway, I also consider music a healer. I have always written in the
spirit of what it did and still means to me. I write about real life
and try to spin a story into your world so you can get something out
of it that will in some way help you. I get a lot of fan mail about
my songs and how they helped someone get over the death of a father,
or a brother, or how they had it cranked up at a party and it rocked
the house, etc…
I’m
a veritable song well at this point!
Lamitschka:
Is
there any place you haven’t played that you would like to?
Is
there any place you haven’t played that you would like to?
Absolutely.
I can’t
wait to go to Europe, Australia, India – you name it! Scotland is a
must for me because my family tree grows from there – at least a
portion of it! I have Native American in me as well as Viking stock!
That’s
right.
I can’t
wait to go to Europe, Australia, India – you name it! Scotland is a
must for me because my family tree grows from there – at least a
portion of it! I have Native American in me as well as Viking stock!
That’s
right.
The
festivals over there look amazing and they have thousands – sometimes
hundreds of thousands – of fans attending them. I feel a connection
with Europe; yes, it seems weird, but I do. They seem to have held
onto their cultures over there far more so than the States, which
nowadays seems so homogenized. You can’t
go anywhere with out seeing a Walmart or a McDonalds – it’s
pretty sad, man. That’s
one of the reasons why as a band we support Mom and Pop businesses
when we can. Anyway, I see photographs of some of the landscapes in
those countries and they simply blow my mind. I must play the world
before I die! I am happy to say that plans are in the works for 2016
tour of Europe!! HELL YEAH, y’all
get ready!
festivals over there look amazing and they have thousands – sometimes
hundreds of thousands – of fans attending them. I feel a connection
with Europe; yes, it seems weird, but I do. They seem to have held
onto their cultures over there far more so than the States, which
nowadays seems so homogenized. You can’t
go anywhere with out seeing a Walmart or a McDonalds – it’s
pretty sad, man. That’s
one of the reasons why as a band we support Mom and Pop businesses
when we can. Anyway, I see photographs of some of the landscapes in
those countries and they simply blow my mind. I must play the world
before I die! I am happy to say that plans are in the works for 2016
tour of Europe!! HELL YEAH, y’all
get ready!
Country Music News International Magazine