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May 19, 2013

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Brad Smith Interview On Blind Melon, Shannon Hoon, Abandon Jalopy

Brad Smith Interview On Blind Melon, Shannon Hoon, Abandon Jalopy

Brad Smith was playing on the streets before he joined Blind Melon, which gained its greatest hit with Smith's hit song “No Rain.” "I wrote a lot of songs before Blind Melon actually got together but that was the only one that the band wanted to cover at that time," Smith told Uinterview in an exclusive interview. "I was writing and playing on the streets for maybe a year or two before Blind Melon formed and “No Rain” just happened to be one of those songs that I had written.

Blind Melon first formed in 1990 with the original band members Shannon Hoon, Rogers Stevens, Christopher Thorne and Glen Graham. But the band soon began dealing with Hoon's struggle with drug addiction — Hoon died of cocaine overdose while on tour in 1995. Following a breakup in 1996, the group reunited once again ten years later and released three new songs, including “For My Friends.” Now the band is back together touring and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of "No Rain."

Smith still finds himself recalling the Hoon he used to know. “It’s really special and it’s really fun to go back and reflect on that and the sadness of Shannon not being with us anymore,” Smith told Uinterview. “I in a weird way I enjoy missing him because it still makes me feel close somewhat.”

Hi Brad, you're my favorite bass player of the decade of the 90s. How does one go about studying music or bass? Q Hi Brad, you're my favorite bass player of the decade of the 90s. How does one go about studying music or bass? - José Cáceres
A I was a self-taught musician. I think it’s really important to just listen to whatever floats your boat. My objective was to be able to play live and on stage in front of people so whatever it took from my end in terms of learning just to achieve that simple thing is what I was focused on. So you know, I started off on some really bone-head easy stuff back in the day where you just ride the A string, whatever it takes to get on stage and then my playing got more sophisticated and I started taking apart like James Jamerson and Paul McCartney lines and people like that. I think you just got to be really driven especially if you’re going to be self taught.
Was there any other song recorded during this Sippin Time Session than the ones that were in the 20th anniversary? Q Was there any other song recorded during this Sippin Time Session than the ones that were in the 20th anniversary? - Kevin Olds
A Yes, there’s a jam, there is a long jam that is recorded but there is actually a mix on it. Chris and I both did a mix on the jam, but it’s not a song, it’s just a jam. But within that jam there are some other future Melon songs within the jam, which is pretty interesting because it was so early in our development.
The band has considered the possibility of performing in Brazil? Q The band has considered the possibility of performing in Brazil? - Patricia Laroca
A We are trying to right now. We have two dates in Buenos Aires and we are trying to figure out how to make the jump over to Rio while we’re down there in August. So it is our goal to tour in Brazil, we just got to figure out how to make it happen. We want to tour in Chile as well and Argentina, Brazil and hopefully Peru. We’re trying to work it out, we want to come really bad.

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