What projects are you currently involved in?
My main band is a four-piece psychedelic folk-rock outfit called Billie Blue & The Nowhere Men (BBTNM). I am a part of a corporate party band called Madsally. I'm also a part of Pris Xavier’s soul-rock band. I session with several other artists here and there as well.
How do you juggle between work and music?
Well, my main job IS doing music! So as long as I manage my time with shows, rehearsals and teaching music, I’m good.
What's the inspiration behind BBTNM's music?
Frankly, every song has a different inspiration behind it. We are easily inspired by human emotions and energies as well as old folklore and fantastical stories.
For instance, the imagery and overall mood behind Sea Salt Slide was inspired by the Japanese folklore tale, Okuri-Inu. The Okuri-Inu is supposed to be a dog/wolf creature that closely follows people who are walking along mountain paths at night. If the person falls over they will be immediately eaten up, but if they make it home safe, they'll have to leave an offering outside their door for the Okuri-Inu.
After Billie told me this story, I spent a week just listening to traditional Japanese music. That’s how I got the inspiration for the chords and the outro melody.
It usually starts off with a riff, chord progression or a melody line that I've written. I show it to Billie, and we talk about the possible direction, vibe or vision we have for it. Once we get an idea, she adds her spirit to it, whether it’s melody lines, lyrics or musical suggestions. As soon as we have a foundation, we bring it to the band and everyone works on the arrangement and adds their parts and layers to it.
Any plans for an EP or album in the near future?
We have plans to release all of our tracks on Spotify very soon and start recording new materials. No plans for an EP or album per se, but new singles? For sure.
What are your main musical influences?
I am constantly looking for new music to get inspired by. I’m a prog-rock guy at heart but as a
guitarist, I believe that I need to be versatile and not limited. So I try to venture out of my comfort
zone, learn music that I don’t necessarily connect to as much, but learn new stuff and apply it to
what I do. If I had to name a few artists that really rip my heart though, I’d have to mention Pink Floyd and Roger Waters’ solo work, Steven Wilson, Anathema, Radiohead and Tom Yorke’s stuff, The Pineapple Thief, Jeff Buckley, and of course, Led Zeppelin. Some of my absolute favourite guitarists that inspire me are Andy Timmons and Dave Kilminster.
The first "song" that I learned was 12-bar blues rock-n-roll in E! No name. No lyrics. Just that iconic rock-n-roll bass line.
What are your weapons of choice?
I have a 2011 Gibson Trad Les Paul which I use solely for BBTNM. It’s got the fat, muffled tone I love which is just perfect for the stuff we do. I have a PRS Mira that I use for practising because it’s super light and extremely clean so it highlights the smallest mistakes I make. I use a gorgeous wood finish Fender Tele American Standard for all my session work. It’s bright, warm, versatile, and has a super buttery tone. My amp of choice is a Blackstar Artist 30. It’s a beautiful tube amp with two channels of clean and slight dirt, which is compatible with all my guitars and responds well with pedals. My pedalboard consists of a tuner, overdrive, reverb, delay, wah and etc.
This one is hard to admit but I would actually love to perform with Greta Van Fleet on stage! Shhh….
What's your message to young aspiring musicians?
In my opinion, doing art and music is exactly like standing on a stage completely naked! You share an extremely personal part of you with the hopes that you make connections with someone
in society. Throughout your journey, be completely and unapologetically, you. If you’re a person who sits on a stool with a guitar looking on the floor and singing their heartfelt tunes, please just do that.
If you’re a firey, jumpy musician who wants to run along the stage and pull their hair while throwing their instrument up in the air, do just that! There is no wrong or right except that people can tell when you’re being honest and vulnerable or when you’re being fake. Don’t let success get to your head. Remember while it’s necessary for you to be confident with your abilities you should always be grounded and remember that there are dozens of people out there who can do what you do a million times better. And lastly, whether you’re doing music as a hobby or a full-time job, please don’t get jaded! Make decisions that don’t threaten your love of playing music.
Such a lovable, talented & princely figure, Soheil!
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