Dave Hillyard

May 2007, David Hillyard, saxophone player, cofounder of the Slackers, member of the Hepcat early days, founder and band leader of the Rocksteady Seven, he lives in NYC.
1) I saw you many times playing live in Italy with the slackers but this was my very first RS7 show and I really enjoyed it a lot, so, what can you tell me about that, it was cool for you too?

It was one of my favorite Italian gigs in a while. The crowd was really nice. A lot of people were dancing from the beginning. A lot of people were also listening to the music. Seriously checking it out. I liked that a lot. I like the fact too that you had the ska scene people, some local hipsters, and then just some regular middle aged town folk who came out. That makes me happy when someone who doesnt know who you are or what you play comes out and enjoys the sounds. That validates what you are doing.

2) Mostly during the year you are touring with the Slackers, how many gigs with the RS7, and how is your feeling doing it?

I usually play about 120 gigs a year with the Slackers and about 20 gigs with the Rocksteady 7! He he. Its a fun project but its tough. Last year we finally got a regular gig in New York at a jazz club. It was a really good vibe and a lot of people were coming to the shows. We would play 3 sets of music every night! Unfortunately, some of the other bands at the club weren't drawing so well and the place had to close down! That's life. So doing a band is a lot of ups and downs.

3) Tell as more about this project...(RS7)

RS7 is trying to find commonalities between jazz improvisation and jamaican rhythms. Its taking up where the Skatalites left off and going in a lot of different directions. A lot of our music is modal and references John Coltrane and Pharoah Saunders. Some of it verges on being "free" in the sense that chords aren't important. Some of the other tunes like Baby and Come and Get Me are like Miles Davis tunes from the 1950s like Solar. They go through a cycle but it doesnt repeat until you are done with the form. Other tunes are based on standard jazz progressions like rhythm changes or church chords. Some of the songs are typical 2 chord reggae jams. I like to have a variety of sounds. The RS7 is a challenge cause its doesnt rely on vocal tunes and conventional stage prescence. So the soloists have to engage the audience. I try to get guys who are "stylists." That their personalities come out and we stand out against each other. With the last tour, Buford is a funny soloist. Like a gutbucket RnB player. Rolf is cool and jazzy. Dave Wake on organ overwhelms people with waves of sound. Benny on guitar plays the blues. And Larry...Larry is deep. While the soloists are going after the audience, the rhythm section is hitting them with a big wave of sound. Sometimes we all get too excited and play too fast but ideally its this big churning monster that draws people in and at the same time tethers the soloists to the earth.

4) You just published a live album with Brixton records called "way out east" do you want to tell us why a live album and why this one?...(i heard it and i really like it!)

Well, the other 2 RS7 cds were recorded "live" too except for the vocals. Except we were in the studio. There are no non-vocal overdubs on the first 2 rocksteady 7 albums. We just set up in the studio like we were doing a gig and let the tape roll. That being said, I think, especially for the first session, I was really nervous about not fucking up! Cause there wasn't that much separation between the instruments, when someone fucked up, that was it! So I played a bit more conservatively than I would normally. With Way Out East, we were caught at a really relaxed and loose moment. We were just having fun but at the same time were working out some of those tour emotions - so it has that edge. No one is thinking about fucking up so everyone goes for it and I really like the result. Way Out East is more how the band actually sounds than the studio records. So I have to think about that for the future.

5) Right now you are one of the most busy musicians n the ska scene and one of the most qualified to tell us what's going on on this planet about our music...you played in Usa, Europe, Japan, Brazil, Mexico...what's you feeling about that?

Well, its amazing to me that this music that I love has gotten around the world. Being in the Slackers has been a really great journey. I've gotten to travel so far. Im not really sure what is going on with Ska music. For such an obscure music in the scheme of things its amazing that it has this staying power. That so many people all around the world know what it is. I guess its going to keep mixing in that strange hybrid way it does.

6) What do you like to do when you are on tour, i mean music, books, do you write music in the van?

He he. My most recent books are "the plot against America" by Phillip Roth its about if the USA didn't enter world war II and became nazi sympathisers. Another one is "1491" about the Americas before Columbus. I like to read history and biographies. Sometimes fiction. Im going to read a book about Bukharin, the Russian communist next. I write songs in my head in the van. Unfortunately, I forget them half the time!!! I like to listen to music. Sometimes I just like the silence of staring out the window and watching all the places go by.

7) And most of as know you on stage, as musicians...how are you trying to hide with your sax??? who is Mr. Dave Hillyard when is home?

When Im on stage Im not hiding. I let all the emotions that I keep pent up inside of me during the rest of the day out. Hehe. I think at home Im hiding out. I live in northern Manhattan in New York City in a neighborhood called WashingtonHeights. I take care of my son a lot. We do normal stuff like go to the playground. I like to cook a lot. Different meat dishes. Pasta dishes. Sometimes European food. Sometimes Carribean food. Sometimes standard american food like fried chicken. I like wandering New York City and finding new (cheap) places to eat.

8) Your prefer dishes, and your favor drink?

This is my kind of question. You see, I knew you were a musician! Hehe. A real musician always thinks about food. Hehe. The Slackers are obsessed with food. We spend days talking about recipes. What we cooked at home etc. etc. My best dishes in cooking are my penne in arriabiata sauce, my fried chicken, my baked paprika chicken w/potatoes, and shrimp in olive oil with spicy peppers. I tend to like food with strong flavors. Drink wise, I love cuba libres made with Havana Club Rum. I also like Whisky, specifically Jim Beam.

9) The best and the worst things in the world for you.

best - My son. A good gig. Nice havana club and coke after the gig. Good meal with my family. The other things I'd rather not say! worst - over cooked pasta with mushroom cream sauce.

10) Next year in Usa you have to vote for a new president...who do you think cold be the best...or the less bad to try to save what the Bush family did?

Hard to say. None of the canidates are really inspiring.

11) You are going to play in japan wich is a real crazy world, tell as something about the tour you did.

I just got back from Japan and Korea. Its amazing. We had several sold out shows in Tokyo. In general, there were a lot of people at the shows. The korean shows too. They are very intense fans over there. The japanese are great collectors. Their reggae record stores have stuff that I've never seen in person. Really obscure stuff. Like they actually had several count machuki 45s at this store! I dont even think he made more than 3 or 4 total! They probably had them all.

12) We are trying to promote this music in Italy and touring around the world you probably heard a lot of new band, what bands can you suggest us? bands, cds...

Well, some of the good ones Im sure you've heard. Right now, I think the Aggrolites are making the most impact. They dont try to play everything, they just play reggae from 1968-71. Maybe even just 1968 to 1970. Hehe. The result though is that their sound is honed to a sharp razors edge. Some of the other good bands in the US right now are Dub is a Weapon, Westbound Train, and Simon& the Barsinisters.

13) The last question, hearding you playing, no matters if with the slackers or rs7, i always feel your sound stright in my stomac, like something very strong, and i feel "involved" on what you are playing, now a hard questions...i'm a musician and i can guess something but please, try to explane to our friends what do you feel when you close your eyes and blow your sax... Dave thanks for your time and we all hope to see you very soon back here in Italy! good luck!

Like I was saying before. I try to be emotionally open when I play. Its a bit easier to do this at a show than in the studio. I try to let out a lot of those emotions I keep in during the day when you try to stay straight with things. With Rocksteady 7 I get time to express myself. Sometimes I stumble and fall down but I get back up and try again. I spend a lot of time trying to get a good strong tone out of my saxophone. If the tone isnt good it really doesnt matter how fast you can play. The notes have to be beautiful on their own.

David Hillyard myspace: http://www.myspace.com/davidhillyardrocksteady7