Hailing from Virginia, Exebelle - Phil Heesen III (Guitar & Vocals), Kerry Hutcherson (Guitar, Pedal Steel & Vocals), Kevin Willoughby (Drums & Vocals) and Mikey Bryant (Bass & Vocals) - take inspiration from their home state's tradition as well as the rural country-rock of songwriters like Ryan Adams. Recently, the band released their new double album, After All This Time, and here, Heesen answers his Essential 8 and talks musical mentors, inspiration, struggle, and more.
Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? My biggest musical mentor growing up was my uncle Ed. He’s a guitar player and always had a great taste in music. There of photos and videos of me playing his guitars when I was a toddler. He showed me how to play the theme from “Jaws” and how to scrape the pick across the strings to make it sound like an airplane crashing. I found the instrument fascinating. As I got older, he steered me in many musical directions that had a big influence on me. He had an enormous impact on me in those critical formative years. What’s the story behind your album’s title? During the 6+ years it took to complete this album, a lot of things changed. Band members came and went, some welcomed kids to their family, Belle (my great-grandmother for whom we named the band and whose house is pictured on the album) passed away, my drinking escalated and I eventually got sober. And "after all this time", the end result is an album of hard work in the listeners ears and hands. It hits on not only decay from the passing of time but also how much things can improve. All of the things that went wrong in the past have lead us to exactly where we are, for the better. The album took this long for a reason, whatever it may be. And we ended up with something that we are proud of - scars and all. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? I’m a big music gear nerd. Guitar pedals, synthesizers, recording gear - I love it all. I find a lot of inspiration through new and different sounds - mostly from guitar pedals. They can be a catalyst for ideas because they can make you play differently than you usually would or search new avenues sonically. I can be messing around with a new “toy” and very quickly come up with an idea than can be expanded into a full song. I first experiment and come up with and idea and then draw upon the discipline to mold these raw materials into a work I’m happy with. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? Some really important advice is to remember that, when performing live, the audience is rooting for you. Musicians can get really down on themselves if they make a mistake or don’t perform something as well as they know they can. We can feel like people are only paying attention to our imperfections - when really it’s our own inner voice that is the most critical. Remembering that the audience isn’t hoping you mess up is comforting. They came out to hear good music and to be entertained. They aren’t hoping you fall on your face, they’re on your side.
What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
In the very beginning, playing an instrument can be frustrating. Your hands aren’t doing what you want them to do and sometimes it can feel more like work than fun. But it doesn’t take long to break through that wall and get to the point where it becomes incredibly rewarding. And if you get to the point when you’ve “caught the bug”, where you become completely engrossed in playing, you’ve entered a world of rapid improvement and excitement. You will want to play all the time. The more you play, the better you get. It all starts building on top of itself and you become even more passionate about what you’re doing and how you can express yourself through music. It’s a positive feedback loop that become a part of your identity. All it takes is a positive outlook and, if possible, playing every single day. What are your “must have” albums for the road? You need music that can cover many moods and different times of day - albums that can bring the energy up, keep it where it is, or relax things. “Cold Roses” by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals can be put on any time of day and I’m excited to hear it. That album holds a very dear place in my heart. If I want something catchy, I’ll put on The Cars, Tom Petty or Fountains of Wayne. If I want to get the blood flowing, it’s time for Thin Lizzy. And when I want to really get happy: “Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814”. Seriously, I don’t think I can fully trust someone if they can’t get into those tunes. What has been your biggest struggle so far? I have something called Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder. It started back in 2011, right before Exebelle began work on “After All This Time”. It is characterized as a chronic feeling that you're observing yourself from outside your body or you have a sense that things around you aren't real. Like you’re living in a dream or watching what is happening in front of you rather than feeling like you are actually a part of it. My alcohol consumption increased during those years to try and curb these symptoms because I didn’t notice the feelings of unreality as much after a few cocktails. This created a terrible cycle that finally broke in 2014 when I got sober. The Derealization is still a constant sensation for me but through therapy I’ve learned a lot of great tools for how to cope with it. And hopefully one day it will just go away. Fingers crossed! Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? Smashing Pumpkins (with Fountains of Wayne opening) at the Richmond Coliseum in 1997. I remember hearing “Cherub Rock” and being blown away by that main riff. It quickly became one of my favorite things to play on guitar at a young age (my dad would often request for me to “play Smashing Pumpkins”, which was that riff). Billy Corgan continues to be a big influence on my lead guitar style. He plays with a lot of power but also a lot of melodicism, which is right up my alley. He also stacks a lot of guitar tracks on top of each other while in the studio, which is something I did a lot of on “After All This Time”. Purchase
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