Chris Hickey / "Razzmatazz"

HickoryWind received an email from a Chris Hickey about a recording he had put together.......and I thought Chris Hickey? "Looking For Anything" Chris Hickey? "Release" Chris Hickey?.....and it was that Chris Hickey! I thought so much of Chris' 1987 release "Looking For Anything" I learned how to convert a particle shedding cassette to compact disc just to preserve that recording. I've still got it, still listen to it. To say I'm a fan is an understatement.

Here's the email:
"I recently wrote and recorded a song, each day, for about three weeks. The result is "Razzmatazz" - 16 songs, just vocal & guitar, recorded in my bedroom on a hand-held voice recorder. The record is available now on my website and will be widely available in September" (HW update-"Razzmatazz" is available through Amazon and iTUNES).

On "Razzmatazz" Hickey sings movingly of happiness and sadness, pleasure and regret. A talented singer-songwriter, Hickey's lyrics recall Kerouac and Bukowski, Harvey Pekar (but not bitter and angry), Jonathan Richman (but not as goofy) and T-Bone Burnett's early solo work when he sings of racetracks, the smell of bread and places to go. You can hear two "Razz" tracks, including "Kerouac", as well as several older tracks, on Chris'
MySpace page. All you angelheaded hipsters will want to watch Hickey's video "Kerouac" in honor of Jack who died forty years ago on October 21st.

"Razzmatazz" is one of my favorite discs of the year and was one of the most pleasant suprises of 2009.

Chris took the time to answer a few questions about his new record:

HW-Your new DIY record "Razzmatazz" sounds great! Would you mind sharing some details about your equipment?

CH-I thought you'd never ask. I recorded this record on an Edirol R-09 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder. It has a high quality built-in stereo condenser microphone. I set it upright on a box on my desk so I could sing into it like a microphone. I played a Stella acoustic guitar which sounds a little bit like a banjo. That's it. It was mastered by a great engineer and producer, Adam Samuels.

HW-How did the project come about? Did you set out with a goal of a song a day or did you just get on a creative roll, like Jack and his scroll?

CH-I went with my daughter one day to her church and the speaker was talking about being nice to yourself, doing favors for yourself. I thought it was kind of a generic message, but I decided to take his advice, make the trip worthwhile. So, I offered myself about an hour each day to write and record a song. I emailed the first one to my old friend, Scott Seskind, and called it the "song of the day". He was real encouraging and that helped motivate me. Some days he'd email and say "Where's my song of the day?" So, I kept it going for about three weeks. A few songs didn't make the record. One was toooo Dylanesque.

HW- "paradise overnight on the road on a scroll kerouac in the back moriarty magic act real deal at the wheel on the road overload good times fun and frolic buddhist loving alcoholic".
On "Kerouac" you really capture the spirit of Kerouac's "spontaneous bop prosody". Could you imagine playing it for Jack or Neal? I think they'd love it.

CH-I'm happy just to imagine that. Sure, I think they'd like it. If you say I captured something there then yeah, why not? I'm also open to all kinds of buddhist leaning possibilities, like that everything is apart from time and everyone is one and Kerouac hears us as we hear him in one great expression of "here we are".

HW-"Salty Tears" reminds me of a Charles Bukowski poem. Was he an influence?

CH-Yes. I love Bukowski. Bukowski kept it simple.

HW- When I first met Chris Hickey on "Langston Hughes" (from "Looking For Anything"/1987) you sang "I am white Irish-Catholic 27 5'11" one hundred and fifty seven schoolteacher songwriter singer and guitar player. I'm a husband father brother and son and I am one of everyone and you are a part of me as I am a part of you and we are a part of Langston Hughes." You listened to Dylan, REM and Billy Bragg. How would you describe yourself now? What are you listening to in 2009?

CH-Well, I'm 50 now, four times as much a father, still fighting around the welterweight division, I'm a web and graphic designer... Today, I'm listening to the Mark Mulcahy tribute record, 41 songs, none as good as the originals... What's on my ipod right now? Bon Iver, John Vanderslice, Meg Hutchinson, Trixie Whitley, Chris Whitley, Oasis, Maria Taylor, Eef Barzelay, Joe Henry, Loudon Wainwright III... always Bob Dylan.

Q- "Razzmatazz" (2009), "Release" (2003) and Uma's "Fare Well" (1997) are available through iTUNES and Amazon. Is any of your older work available? If not, are digital reissues a possibility?

CH-Yes on digital reissues, coming sooner or later. I might release the older work as is, as was, or put together a collection of songs... Thanks for asking.

HW-Thanks for thinking of HickoryWind. Keep in touch!