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Tuesday 1 July 2014

No man is an Island. but some are a band. Part two. (Dave Arcari)

Second round. Ding dong and it’s Dave Arcari in the blues corner.
Pretty much the same questions so have at it.

XXXX - So why a one man band? I know I am stretching the definition here with you, but live you push beyond the confines of what most solo bluesmen are doing. So is it misanthropy, control over the musical vision, necessity, issues with body odour?

Dave Arcari - It's necessity really – both economic and logistical. I doubt I could make a living from music if I had the overheads of taking a band on the road. In the past I have been frustrated with band members not being able to do this or that and not responding quickly to gig offers, or pulling their weight. Don't start me!

How does it feel when you are on stage and trying to push out the sound of a band across to an audience?
Magic! I can do/play what the fuck I like and respond to the audience without worrying about timing or screwing up the others.

As someone who doesn't even have the manual dexterity to play an instrument I can’t really grasp how mentally anyone can maintain what you do. Do you consider that it I something that can be learnt, or is it a natural gift, or even a combination of both?

Although I perform solo, I'm not really a one-man-band in the multi-tasking sense – although I have started using a stomp box on a few numbers in my live set. That's about pushing me to my limit though. For me the whole thing is down to determination and practice – I can assure you that I have no natural ability.

How is the process of song writing different from working with others and having to take into consideration their opinions and input? Do you feel it is liberating or constricting?

It's limiting in many ways. Sometime I feel it's like trying to write a book when you only know a few dozen words. BUT...I have a very specific view of what a 'Dave Arcari song' should be and it's hard for other folks to grasp that...I'm probably way too dismissive to take on board other folks ideas too, so they'd probably feel undervalued in the process.

If you were to consider one obvious positive to playing alone like this then what would it be, and similarly what the biggest drawback?
The positive is being able to respond to everything immediately and not have to wait for other folks...plus, of course, the freedom in performance. The drawback is missing the camaraderie of playing with other folks and getting stuck in a rut.


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