Alastair Greene – Interview

LE:

Thank you for taking time to speak with Luxury Experience about your new release, Alastair Greene – Live From The 805 released on the Rip Cat Records label, which is a 20-track, 2 CD release that is 94+ minutes of pure listening pleasure, and a great follow-up to your 2017 release, Alastair Greene – Dream Train.

Dream Train was an incredible release whose only fault was that I wanted it to last a little longer than the 13-tracks. With Live From The 805, you knock it out of the ballpark and deliver the musical goods and then some.

What was the inspiration behind the Live From The 805 recording in your hometown of Santa Barbara?

AG:

I felt like it was time, and it was something that I wanted to do.

LE:

From the sound of the audience’s applause on the Live From The 805 release, it was well received and the effort that it takes to record a live album was worth it.

You are a talented singer, songwriter, master guitarist and have a great music pedigree; your grandfather Chico Alvarez was a member of the Stan Kenton Band.

When did you start writing your own music? What inspires those great storytelling lyrics?

AG:

When I first started playing guitar, I started writing riffs and chord progressions like many guitarists do. When I started playing in the first serious band, Scarecrow, in the early 1990s, I started writing lyrics and really liked the storytelling aspects of writing my own material, whether the lyrics were based on what I experienced or imagined.

LE:

You are a busy man! You just finished a tour with your own band, are in the midst of a West Coast Tour with the Sugaray Rayford Band, (Blues band), which rolls into the Sugaray Rayford Band European Tour starting in the Netherlands on November 4^th, followed by gigs in Belgium, Denmark, Austria, and France, before heading back to the US for a show in Reno, Nevada on November 30, and in Sacramento on December 1. 2018.

From there you pick back up with your own band for dates in California, and finish the year out playing with the Sugaray Rayford Band in San Francisco; a great way to end 2018.

What is your favorite European city to play in and why?

AG:

During my travels with the Alan Parsons band we used to play Paris, and its hard to beat Paris. We also played a lot in Germany and Italy, so I know those places well. We played Berlin a couple of times, so I had the opportunity experience some of the city rather than just playing there.

LE:

Any plans for a tour in Asia or South America?

AG:

Not yet. I would love to tour Asia. When I was with Alan Parsons, we played in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Santiago, Chile and did 3-4 shows in Brazil so that was great.

LE:

What’s next for Alastair Greene? Any new projects?

AG:

I would like to do another studio record and I have a few irons in the fire on that. In 2019, I will be back in Canada with my band.

LE:

When not performing, what you like to do in your free time?

AG:

My wife and I have 3 cats, so I like to spend time with her and the cats them, I like to cook and watch the Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team). Spending so much time on the road, I like spending down time at home.

LE:

You have an incredible career with your own band (formed in 1997) as well as playing with Alan Parsons for 7 years, what advice would you give to budding musicians?

AG:

Enjoy what it is you are doing. I started playing guitar when I was 15 or 16 and realized I needed to be good at this, and then as I got older I realized I needed to have a business focus as well. In an industry that can be difficult and challenging, ask yourself how well you can deal with disappointment, and retain the joy of playing.

LE:

Alastair, thank you for taking time out our schedule to speak with Luxury Experience, and good luck with your tour. Until next time, keep enjoying the music!