Published: September 13, 2009 9:09 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight September 2009 Edition
Crabmeat Thompson
Crabmeat Thompson
Singer/Songwriter Crabmeat Thompson's music is full of energy, passion, and enriching stories that tell the personal ups and downs of the artist's life. When he sings, fans will feel that Thompson is singing directly to them. Plus, the artist's biggest draw is that his lyrics are colorful and full of wisdom. In this recent interview with our Webzine, Thompson spoke to us about his passion to make music and make others feel something. Here is what developed.
Isaac: We'd love to know about your inspirations growing up. I hear so many influences in your music. How old were you when you first discovered music? Is there any kind of musical history in your family?
Crabmeat Thompson: My inspirations when I was teen were the guitar-driven songs of Chuck Berry and the harmonies of the Everly Brothers. Of those two, Chuck Berry lasts, because of the funk feel. I've recently dug into iTunes and dredged up old Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan, which hold up to anything since, in the case of Chuck because his lyrics were so American and car and teen oriented and his arrangements very sophisticated, even though analogue. Dylan is simply the man - the poet of my generation. Then there was Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Jimi took the guitar farther than anybody since; though he's had many who copied him nobody has had his versatility. Jimi Hendrix, along with T-Bone Walker, surprisingly enough listened to all types of music: I've heard Hendrix throw in a Sinatra riff, while T-Bone played Tchaikovsky! Many others: BB King, the Grateful Dead.
We always had music at home, but nobody played. My dad brought calypso records from Trinidad where he was during WWII, and he had sing-along records, but people stopped playing very much in my grandparents' generation. There was a piano at grandma's house, but it sat there; though they let me bang on it when I was little.
Isaac: What drew you to pick up an instrument in the first place?
Crabmeat Thompson: When I heard Chuck Berry, I got a guitar. Before that, a lot of the leads in pop music were on sax, or even accordion.
Isaac: As you hit your teenage years, did you know that this was what you would be doing for the rest of your life?
Crabmeat Thompson: No. I wanted to be a veterinarian.
Isaac: Is there a performer in any genre of pop culture that you would like to work with?
Crabmeat Thompson: The pros I have run into tend to be just that-more professional, and thus pretty easy to work with. Like the Neville Brothers - real troupers! I'd love to get on stage with them and those great rhythms, or Van Morrison and do some singing and harp with that horn backup.
Isaac: Who are some musicians that you really like, present or past?
Crabmeat Thompson: Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, the Everly Bros, the Temptations, the Rolling Stones, BB King, the Grateful Dead. Steve Earle, Tom Russell, Norman Blake, Robert Cray, Aniais Mitchell, Rod Stewart. A bazillion others. Inti Illimani, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, on and on. Luciano Pavarotti - what a voice! Inspired me to do an "operatic" version of "The Owl and the Pussycat," a wonderful poem for little kids, on South of the Moon CD.
Isaac: What is your ultimate goal with your music career?
Crabmeat Thompson: To combine my music with my other writing and give small concerts at colleges, where I can be funny and witty and caustic and intelligent and play the blues and folk.
Isaac: What have been some of the obstacles it has taken to get this far in your career?
Crabmeat Thompson: Living in the wrong place, Laziness. Fear. Lack of interest in solo artists by "the industry."
Isaac: Would you recommend this "field" to others who are aspiring to be musicians like you?
Crabmeat Thompson: Sure.
Isaac: Describe one piece of advice you've have been given by others in the music industry.
Crabmeat Thompson: Network.
Isaac: What genre of music do you consider most of your music?
Crabmeat Thompson: Bluesy Acoustic Americana Folk.
Isaac: What has been your favorite piece of work?
Crabmeat Thompson: "Jesus Was a White Man." Because the title is provocative and the song has nothing to do with that and ends up in Mexico, allowing me to put in part of a very sentimental old Mexican tune.
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Crabmeat Thompson: iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Rhapsody, and my website @ http://www.crabmeat.net.
Isaac: Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
