Interview

G: Well, let’s just jump in, I’ve always been intrigued by the fact that you’re well, not a late bloomer but….

DZ: Oh no, I’m definitely a late bloomer! (Laughter)

G: You figured out you had something to say musically a little later in life as opposed to following the more traditional path of starting younger as say an angry and frustrated 20 something…

DZ: Yea, I started as an angry and frustrated 38 year old. (more laughter)

G: Tell the story again of what put you on the path of becoming a singer/songwriter and expressing yourself in that capacity?

Zobe: Well, I was always way into music along with books and writing so I always did have my foot in the pool to a certain degree but frankly I had very little confidence in ever being able to do anything with it. I did write a few songs even back in high school but it really wasn’t until winning a talent show at the company I worked for that I decided to move forward with getting an album done. I had written a song for my father, who was quite ill at the time called My Old Man and I decided out of deference to him to sing it at this talent show. As I’ve said before, the judges were way into the cups so I won the contest and the $800.00 bucks that came with it. I took that money and got it recorded with the help of Bob Tyler and Celeste Krenz who were living in Denver at the time and now live in Nashville. Bob asked if I had any other songs which I did and he suggested doing a record. I saved up the money, Bob put together a great group of musicians including himself on guitar, John Magnie and Steve Amadee’ of The subdudes, Rich Moore and even Tim O’Brien on a couple tracks  and almost exactly a year after winning that talent show I had a my first record called Best Day Yet.  Having been in the radio business for twenty plus years I had a pretty good idea of the how the music business worked so I had no expectations. It was purely a passion play and that passion far transcended the lack of logic involved in releasing a record at age 38. It was just something I wanted to do simply for the sake of doing it and because it was fun.  So winning the talent show and of course the impending Big 40 that loomed right around the corner were the impetus to get off my behind and get moving.     

G: O.K. tough question I know, but looking back you mentioned your long-time love of music but if you had to name the top 5 songwriters and/or artists that have influenced you the most who would they be?

DZ: O man, impossible but I’ll take a stab at it and I’m going to take 6 because were friends. Steve Goodman, Burt Bacharach, John Prine, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen. I know that’s 7 but tough ((laughter). Now, as far as the last few songs played on my I-Pod, they are, Ryan Adams, Adele, a song off of a Putamayo collection of Bossa tunes, Merle Haggard, John Cruz, Ray Lamontagne and James Hunter so I’m all over the place.  One other thing along those lines is I love all the great songwriters like Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, etc... that wrote all the countless standards that are such a part of culture. They are timeless and man those melodies are just incredible. As my good friend and fellow musician Michael Lille says, “those songs are full of back of the book chords.” I really enjoy listening to those songs especially when sung by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louie Armstrong, Tony Bennett, etc…

G: You mentioned Goodman and Prine both Midwest boys like yourself and we have discussed that influence before but talk a little bit about how that upbringing seeps into your writing still, even after four records.

DZ: No doubt for me and I am guessing for most writers the landscape of your youth has a very strong impact on your work and this record probably in more ways more than any of the others is indicative of my Midwest childhood. Even though I have been in Colorado now longer than I was in Iowa, I will always be deeply connected to my roots and that naturally comes through in my music. So yes, I certainly treasure my past but I try not to live to live in it and I write about Colorado often as well and other places that I visit.

G: Just to dovetail that a bit, on your first record and I’m speaking in broad generalizations here but it was pretty positive and reflective of your disposition that you have seemed to maintain since I’ve known you which is one of optimism.

DZ: Well, I am a Cubs fan which is certainly the height of optimism isn’t it? (laughter)

G: Very true, but now, 4 albums in, there is certainly still a sunny outlook but it has been tempered a bit in a lot of these songs. You’ve been through some loss and other life challenges as we all do and it is evident how that has helped you grow as a writer but I don’t know if you sense the arch that there is bigger things to write about then maybe when you first started off on this path?

DZ; Without question.  Again, like most writers I would guess, I often write to deal and heal.  As you mentioned there has been some loss as we all have as we get older and not just as far as literally losing someone to their passing but loss of dreams, relationships, the physical changes, etc…what did Betty Davis say, “getting older is not for sissies.” A lot of truth to that Betts. That being said, my losses have been nominal in scope compared to what a lot folks go through and have been through by the time they get to the halftime of their lives so I have been very fortunate. To that end, one of the things you learn is the fragility of time. Man, it does go fast, really fast. I look back at my youth and I wasted a lot of it really. I don’t look back with regret but if I had a do-over I would certainly, shall we say, make some adjustments. If you look at the last two songs on the record, Dear Finn is the celebration of my friend’s beautiful newborn boy and What They Gonna Say? is about the other end of the spectrum. Also, the record is dedicated to my late Aunts Patsy and Migs who were as cool as they come but also to my God Child Holly Kloos who my long-time buddy Mike Kloos and his family adopted from Vietnam. So again, cradle to the grave.  Now what goes on in between those two tangents is what I’m really trying to take advantage of, appreciate and enjoy and I certainly write about those things I enjoy in life as well, of which there are many. 

G: Well, it sure sounds like you enjoyed working with Will Kimbrough who produced this record. Let’s talk about that.

DZ: Yea, what a blessing.  I was very familiar with Will’s work with Todd Snider, Jimmy Buffett, Rodney Crowell and his own terrific body of work as an artist. He is just one of those guys that have a talent that comes from another place similar to another mutual friend of ours, John Magnie of The subdudes. I don’t come from that place but it’s good to be around folks that do in hopes that a little rubs off on ya. Anyhow, Will came through Denver with Rodney Crowell and the thought came up that he would be someone who would be great to work with on this record. I didn’t think the odds of it were very good but I went for it and put together (with the help of Mike Wolf) a rough demo and shipped it off to him. He liked the songs, which pretty much made my day; we worked out the details and recorded all the basic tracks in one week at David Henry’s True Tone Studio’s in Nashville.  I was a little nervous because I had never actually met Will much less played with him or any of the stellar musicians he put together but I trusted my instincts and they served me well. It was simply a fantastic experience on all levels.

G: To that end, every producer is different, what was it about working with Will that seemed to work so well?

DZ: First off, I just really liked him and the group of musicians he put together immediately. I knew I was in good hands. There was no ego or drama. These were guys I would gladly hang out it with over a beverage so that made things very comfortable and relaxed for me. They were very supportive and welcoming and that really helped because recording can be somewhat tedious at times. Secondly, Will thinks song first, what is the song trying to say and how do we get that message across in the best way possible? That is critical and he is great at it as is David Henry and all the other musicians who played on the record. It was just a great group of people and musicians and that all came together because of Will.  

G: So what’s next?

DZ: Well, first and foremost keep writing and improving. There is plenty of room. We’ve discussed this before but the highlight of my day is often getting up in the wee hours of the morning, “the day before the day’ as Goethe said and seeing what comes out.  One of my songwriting mentors, Tony Arata, once wrote in a letter to me “that few people ever get the reward involved in simply doing the work.’’ Man, he is so right so I intend to keep doing the work and we’ll see where that takes me. The best is yet to come of that I have no doubt.