MARCUS BONFANTI
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 6th November 2010.
Guitarist/vocalist Marcus Bonfanti is just about to start a UK tour with renowned musician Philip Sayce (see dates at the bottom of this page). He also released his excellent latest album "What Good Am I To You?" early in 2010.
We caught up with the man to find out more.
When did you first start playing the guitar, and who or what inspired you to take it up? Was your family heavily into music as you grew up?
Marcus: I started playing the guitar when I was 15 years old. My mum had an old guitar she had been keeping in a cupboard, she brought it out one day and it changed my life. We had a piano in the flat (took up one half of the flat and the record player took up the other half) and my mum used to play it, you know, classical stuff and cockney songs and we would have a sing all together. My Dad had a killing record collection so between the two of them my brother and I were exposed to a lot of music when we were growing up.
Did the singing come after the playing, did they develop hand in hand, or were the vocals there first?
Marcus: Yeh and no really, I always messed about with singing but never took it very seriously, I wanted to be Jimmy Page when I was growing up and he didn’t sing, so neither did I. I moved to Liverpool when I was 19 and found it hard to make money in bars playing blues instrumentals all night. Most places would feed us and give us some drinks but that weren’t paying the rent. One night a bar had a last minute cancellation and put us in but asked we get a singer, I couldn’t get hold of one at short notice so I did it and I really enjoyed it and went from there really. Ended up doing 6 gigs a week 4 hours a night for 5 years, it gets your voice together I tell you.
Who have been your heroes over the years in both disciplines?
Marcus: There’s too many really. Vocally I love Joe Cocker, Howlin Wolf, J.B Lenoir, Tom Waits, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, John Martyn, Bill Withers, Ray Charles, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (I really like her guitar playing too) & Tony Joe White, that’s only a few really.
On guitar its even broader cos I love how every guitar player sounds different and I listen to a lot of music, so I like players like Jimmy Page, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, All the Kings BB, Albert & Freddie, Steve Cropper, Marc Ribot, Stevie Ray & Jimmie Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Gordie Johnson, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Mike Bloomfield, John Scofield, Johnny Guitar Watson, John Fohl...this list could go on for another few pages man…
Have you worked hard to differentiate your style from that of other musicians, or have you simply gone with the flow and headed wherever your hands, mouth and brain have led you?
Marcus: I have made a very conscious effort to sound the way I wanna sound, which I think is the most important thing for a guitar player to have; your own identity. I obviously grew up wanting to be like certain guitar players as everyone does but you learn to take something from all your favourite players and make it relevant to your own playing. I don’t like hearing players who wear their influences too heavy on their sleeve, I think we should be moving stuff forward not trying to find the next Stevie Ray or next Hendrix. Those guys were unique, there will be people similar but never the same.
How would you describe your style to someone who foolishly hadn’t heard you before?
Marcus: How foolish indeed, I meet these people everyday!
I would say my music is rooted in The Blues but has a lot of other things going on within it. I listen to a lot of different stuff and it all kind of goes in the melting pot and comes out in the music I write. There are elements of Soul, Rockabilly, Country, Psych, Bluegrass, Old Time, Rock, all sorts really. Definitely heavily rooted in The Blues though.
When did it click that you were actually pretty damn good at the whole “being a musician” thing?
Marcus: Haha, I’m still waiting to be honest. Seriously though I always have doubts over my own abilities and every now and then you have a gig or session or write a song that reaffirms your faith in your own abilities a bit. I remember playing the guitar for the first time in front of people on our last day of school and 2 of my teachers telling me I belong in a band not in a school. That made me realise I was on to a good thing.
Can you tell us a bit about your latest albums? How have they gone down so far in the press and with the public?
Marcus: I released an album called “Hard Times” in 2009 on The Guitar Label which did good.
My latest record is called “What Good Am I To You?” and it was released in January 2010 on The Guitar Label. It seems to be selling well and I’ve had some real good reviews and some real shockers too, I like that though, don’t wanna make a record people think is OK, you gotta love it or hate it!
The band I used on that record I also have the pleasure of touring with and are great friends of mine I’ve known for years.
On drums Mr Alex Reeves, he is like a mixture of Mitch Mitchell & Levon Helm and is always listening, the finest blues drummer around. On Bass Mr Scotty Wiber, I’ve known Scotty for almost 10 years now and done so much session work with him, no one lays it down like Scotty there isn’t nothing he can’t play but he only ever plays what is needed. I also had the pleasure of my good friend Mr Paddy Milner guesting on keys for 3 tracks. Paddy is in my opinion the finest piano player in Europe. He’s got a great feel for the New Orleans style and can play a boogie like you never heard before.
I feel honoured to be associated with these rogues.
Where do you look for your writing inspirations, and what processes do you typically go through in putting a song together?
Marcus: I read a lot of books to get inspiration for lyrics. I like writers like Hemmingway and Calvino cos they’re so descriptive and great storytellers and that’s what I like songs to be.
I’ve been doing a lot of co-writing with my Harmonica player Jake Field recently cos usually I write on my own. I’ve found the process real interesting and we got some great songs down.
When I write on my own I usually let the lyrics just happen and try and get them down as they come out of my mouth then try and work out what the hell I was thinking afterwards. You get a very honest song that way cos you don’t have time to hide anything.
Do you have a favourite track on the latest album, and is it the sound or the memories behind it that really make it stick in the mind?
Marcus: I really like 'Get Behind Me' cos it’s a very honest lyric. There’s a lot of memories in it and musically we really nailed the feel and weirdness of it perfectly. I think I like it best because of the ending where it descends into chaos, but we still managed to pull ourselves out of it and end it. Drums, Bass, main Guitar & Vocals were all tracked live too and there just seemed to be a really great feeling in the studio when we were doing it. Everyone was really giving it some and It comes across on the record. It was a bitch to mix tho, me and Nick the engineer fell out a few times over that one!
Do you like the creative processes involved in birthing an album, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Marcus: I like em both really; I think I get a different kick out of studio and live work. Like you said, the creative process is great. I love how you can have the bare bones of an idea in the morning and by the evening it has turned into a great song. When I get in the studio I love really committing to it and trying lots of different ideas and techniques to try and get the sounds I can hear in my head.
Live playing tho, I enjoy the fact that no 2 shows are ever the same and the energy that comes from 4 people taking risks together and taking songs somewhere else just to see what will happen! When we record we try and do it live every time to capture that feeling and that energy. I love em both man, Muddy put it best - I live the life I love and I love the life I live!
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Marcus: A lot of energy from the first note to the last. When I play solo or with a band I give it my all cos if someone has taken the time to come see me play they deserve the best I can possibly give them, whether its 1 person or 100 people.
The show with the band is pretty heavy in places, they’re not shy, but it’s a real dynamic show. We love dropping it down to nothing and then taking it back up, but like I said no 2 shows are ever the same so I don’t really no what to expect most nights…
Have you and Mr. Sayce worked together before, or is this going to be your first tour with each other?
Marcus: This is our first tour together, I’ve not met him yet but I heard a lot of good things about Philip and when I heard his guitar playing it scared the shit outta me. He’s pretty mean ain’t he? I’m really looking forward to it, it’ll be a real pleasure to open for him and I get to see his show for free every night, that’s a pretty good deal I’d say.
Anything special planned? Any thoughts on doing duets or similar?
Marcus: Yes, we been working on an all instrumental version of “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” by Kiki Dee & Elton John that’s sounding pretty cool and if we don’t fancy that we were talking about “Especially For You” Kylie and Jason but we can’t agree on who gets to dress as Kylie. This may or may not be true.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Marcus: One question I always seem to be asked is “Where the F@*K have you been?!” but I didn’t miss getting asked that. One question I’ve been asked more and more recently is which famous person I fancy? So lets set the record straight, it has, is and always will be Joni Mitchell. No one else comes close.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Marcus: I’m actually goin’ shoppin’ for a new suit, headin’ down to Carnaby Street to get felt up by a bunch of tailors and then charged a fortune for the privilege. My old pinstripe suit has lost its pinstripes so its time for a new one. After that I got a gig in Bournemouth tonight so it’s gonna be a good day I think.
"Is there any particular hair product you'd recommend?" Haha, Well there’s another question I don’t miss getting asked… I do usually favour whatever is 2 for 1 in my local supermarket but until people start sending me some free shit I’m mentioning no brands!
If anyone is looking to send me free stuff I use Jamesons Irish Whiskey on my hair, come on Jamesons let’s do an advert, I’m F*£%IN worth it!
This has been fun cheers mate!
Thanks again to Marcus for his time. Top bloke!
See him as special guest with Philip Sayce on tour in November. Tour dates include Manchester Academy 3 (Nov 7). Wolverhampton Robin (Nov 8), Nottingham Rescue Rooms (Nov 9) , Glasgow O2 ABC 2 (Nov 11), Edinburgh Caves (Nov12), Newcastle O2 Academy 2 (Nov 13) Liverpool O2 Academy 2 (Nov 15), Poole Mr Kyps (Nov 16), London Borderline (Nov 17). 24 Hour Box Office: 0871 230 1101, http://www.seetickets.com/, http://www.thegigcartel.com/.
Check out Marcus' latest video below:
http://www.marcusbonfanti.com/
http://www.myspace.com/marcusbonfantimusic
http://www.facebook.com/marcusbonfantifanpage
