Hiya Russel Blake, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
Got into music at the tender age of 12. Before that I was immersed into all styles and genres due to both my dad and brother being professional musicians.
What’s the live music scene like in your home town right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
The New York music scene is incredibly diverse with some of the best musicians on the planet performing all styles and genres of music.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
It’s a natural outgrowth of all of the technology we’re experiencing. If musicians are comfortable lending their creativity to this endeavor, I say go for it.
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
I think it’s incredibly important for an artist to take advantage of the immediacy of engagement social media provides and to nurture that direct connection with fans of your music.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
A vast and complex ocean to navigate, yet the north star of opportunity abounds in so many ways for musicians. The industry can be quite a vicious beast when it comes to fighting to get your music heard, which is why dynamic ports of call like RGM provide a lighthouse to help weather the storms of adversity and the plethora of sharks inherent in the industry.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
A seeker of continuing business and musical knowledge while also being an active advocate in fighting for the rights of musicians whether for royalties, health care, housing for homeless musicians, etc.,
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
That with music, no matter how long you’ve been playing or how well you’ve mastered your instrument, you must always remain humble and have the mindset of a student knowing that there is always something to learn from music.
What was your best experience on stage?
Tough question as their have been so many. One of the best was playing as bassist for Chaka Khan in front of 60,000 people in St. Louis, Missouri at Busch Stadium. I was called in NY the night before the six-month tour began, caught a red eye flight out and with no rehearsals had to first sight-read 19 songs on the spot. I forgot to mention I had no sleep as I was performing with jazz great Paquito D’Rivera the night before in NYC.
What was your worst experience on stage?
Performing with Sonny Rollins at the Beacon Theatre in NY and while we were performing Sonny tripped on some wires, lost his footing and fell back landing on his head. Concert was stopped, ambulance was called and fortunately all tests came back negative for any serious injury. One other experience was in Cameroon playing bass with Pharoah Sanders and thirty minutes before taking the stage, bomb sniffing dogs discovered a bomb planted under the stage placed by rebels fighting the government at the time. Needless, to say my fondness for dogs increased exponentially after that incident.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
Although my band is called “MRDRACO”, all of the instruments on NOTORIOUS were played by me. Totally self-contained.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
It’s all about the message and continuing as an artist to do what we can to improve the lot of those less fortunate.
What was the recording process like?
Although the recording process was self-contained, I never viewed myself as isolated. I envision the live performance when recording and can literally feel the energy of that experience when recording.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
To never be intimidated by the music you receive in your spirit. Whether you have to confront it, negotiate with it, make love to it or argue with it, the most important thing is not to shirk from the responsibility of being the steward to get it out to the world.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
As an artist you always hear how you could’ve done something different, but ultimately you come to a point of acceptance that you did your best at the time of producing.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
To love one another and be a warrior for peace…
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