Tell us about yourself and your music
I had one of those life-changing experiences a little while ago. I was fairly young at the time and had some chest pain. After much convincing, I drove myself to the emergency room and found out I was having a minor heart attack. Well… after having a stent put in, I started to evaluate my life and although I loved being an actor/director what I wanted to do was put out an album of songs I’ve written. It also set my priorities in check. I knew I wanted to see my daughter graduate college and maybe get married etc. So I started eating super healthy and exercising. Then I got myself into the studio and picked 10 songs I thought worked well together. I’ve kind of always written songs in a style similar to who I was listening to at the time so I had to pick 10 that felt like they were coming from the same songwriter. That’s when I realized that over the last 10 years my music slowly was going more country… though fully in-bedded in the folk-rock I grew up with and the touches of Elvis and Bowie and even Jagged Edge, I was left with a bit more of a country or Americana feeling. This was mostly because I love to tell stories in my songs and country music has always been a storytelling genre.
Talk to us more about your latest release
So I put together this album with story songs such as “My Heart it Jumped a Mile High” about being too shy to ask a waitress out on a date only to find we really weren’t compatible (its a funny song), or “Life’s Too Short” written for a friend after a loved one passed away as a way to move on, or my favorite (lyrically) “Last Safe Place (I Called Home)” about the clubhouse I built with friends when I was kid or “Gentleman Jack” which could be about testing waters in a bisexual way (my gay friends think that’s what it’s about), but it’s really about turning to the bottle after my girlfriend left me. There’s also “Your Angelic Face” written about/for a friend who’s wife died of cancer leaving him with a daughter to raise and how difficult that is to deal with the memory and help your child deal as well. “Where Are You Dr. King” was written shortly after we invaded Iraq as a way for me to understand what our country was doing, but also wishing we could find a peaceful way to solve our problems. “Little Girl” was written when my daughter was probably only 4 years old and I was picturing her being a bit of a rebel when she grew up… I guess seeing myself in her. The album title song is not at all about how I’m “Beyond Repair” but about a girl I knew who wouldn’t let me get close to her and I imagined it was because she knew she would hurt me beyond repair. “My Poor Heart” was written about divorce basically and how one closes oneself off from the world until one feels they’re able to “open up the store” and let people (or love specifically) back in. The last song on the album was written with a little help from Harriet Shock (“Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady”) who got me exploring my childhood and “Just Enough Perfect Moments” was born with some personal stories of my family dynamics when I was just a boy… “The ashtray shatters, it’s hard to sleep all the yelling going on downstairs, I wonder why or how you stayed together through all the anger and the tears. Then in the morning the smell of pancakes on the griddle, sound of Momma on the piano Daddy singing off-key. Last night almost forgot or so it seemed to me.”
https://open.spotify.com/album/2rn9HJ8poG6kIDiHNzfgVn
What inspired you to write this release?
I’ve always felt I have something to say that will touch people, that they will enjoy my words and music and it would somehow make their lives better. I want to reach more people so I can grow as an artist as they inevitably will make me want to be a better me. Hokey? Yes. True? I think so.
Describe the writing and recording process
I’ve been writing since I was 13 years old and it’s never the same how a song jumps out of me. The very first song I wrote came from the title of a song I’d never heard “Mechanical Man” and it reminded me of a friend of my fathers who died in his 40’s from a heart attack. I only knew E minor and A minor chords on the guitar and I wrote a song. I get inspired and I start to put words to music or mostly music to my words. I went into the studio with a songwriter who’s been in the industry for a long time (Marc Ellis) and with his help, we put down my songs the way I wanted them. That’s not to say he didn’t add some impressive flare. I called in some favors from friends to throw down some licks and big vocals and the album was born.
I’ve included a video of the song “Little Girl” here… I just posted it, but it’s still being worked on… so this is a sneak peek.
Any plans to hit the road?
No plans at this time to get out and perform. I’m kind of waiting for a fan base to ignite the need or another performer to ask me to open for them. Then the skies the limit.
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
Branding sounds so impersonal. I’ve always loved all kinds of music and I write in many different styles. I suppose you could say I’ve branded this album as Folk/Rock/Country/Americana… but it’s just sides of me. What makes me stand out is the lyrics… the stories. I’m a storyteller with a guitar. I’ve always believed that everything should have a beginning, a middle and an end… tell a complete story… and leave room for a sequel if you can… ha!
Who have you been listening to lately?
I pick a genre and let Spotify or music or amazon take me where it wants. I still listen to Bowie and Steve Miller Band and Adele and Amy Winehouse and Bread and The Beatles, but also Meghan Trainor and Mary J. Blige as well as Rascal Flatts and Sam Smith. All over the place. Tchaikovsky floats my boat too.
Who are your biggest influences?
Probably my biggest influences are Elvis (The King), Bruce (The Boss), Bowie, Carol King, James Taylor, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, The Who, The Eagles, The Rascals, Taylor Swift, Gretchen Wilson (I wish she’d do “Gentleman Jack) and The Doors to name a few.
Tell us about your passions
I’m passionate about… health, exercise, love, and sex… ha. I like to bike ride and love the water… kayaking is a blast. I jog one mile almost every day and I do love a good cup of decaf coffee every morning (with soy milk).
What else is happening next in your world?
I’m kind of in flux as I am going through a (friendly) divorce. It’s kind of zapped my creative energy as my stuff is in storage waiting for my living quarters to be built or finished. So I’m looking for distractions and hope to be doing something on stage real soon.
Thanks for an awesome interview, gbl007@msn.com
Connect with gbl007@msn.com
Website: http://gblambmusic.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GBLambmusicYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOXB6VLGNkSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gary-lamb-642807093/sets/gb-lamb-beyond-repair
