Warden And Co – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

Warden And Co – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: I know when pitching it helps to tell someone it’s “this meets that.” So let’s try that with you. If you had to give me two bands that meet each other in your sound, what are those bands? More than two bands?

WC: The most humbling comparison that we’ve heard on our most recent album “Somewhere” was “Traveling Wilburys meets Dave Matthews Band”, and when I think of the legendary musicians that made up the Wilbury’s, it really does capture the landscape of music that I was raised on.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

WC: We’ve been labeled “Folk Rock Troubadours” in the past, which definitely captured the “vibe” of our music, however we’ve recently demo’d this killer track where I am rapping on the verses and the music sounds like it could be on POP radio!  So “genre” to us has become something to push the boundary of, and to take the elements of music within those genres that excite us and try to combine them to make something new.  Which is exactly how hip hop started in the late 70’s!

RRX: Let’s talk about your next project, your next few. Just not the ones you’re working on now. The ones you have your eyes on for the future. What’s coming to us?

WC: The next project is with the incredibly talented LOVELLA; who made her singing debut on Warden and Co.’s song “Somewhere” (the title track of our most recent album) when she was only 13 years old.  Now 16, she has released her debut EP “Outgrown” and Warden and Co. will be backing her at the official release show at Caffe Lena September 19th.

RRX: With services like Spotify, streaming revenue can be pretty dismal. Without spilling secrets, do you have a promotional mindset or philosophy?

WC: This is a challenging question, yet an important one to talk about. I have released multiple genres of music completely independently of record labels.  There is no marketing machine behind our art, just us.  These streaming services are one of only a few opportunities for independent artists to reach a broader audience, a global audience.  I have an album called “Instrumental Lullabies” that has over 2 million streams on Spotify alone, and I’ve done absolutely nothing to promote it…it just happened.  I do feel the monetary aspect for the creators is poor and as you stated “dismal”, at the same time I have to be grateful to have the ability to reach people all around the world with our music.  This topic is a double edged sword and gets complicated very quickly, so my philosophy is “if you create it, they will listen”.

RRX: Every band has a song that they really thought was going to be popular, but it wasn’t. What was that song for you? Did you have a song become popular that you didn’t expect?

WC: This is a great question!  As I mentioned, I’ve released multiple genres of music and one of those is “Family and Children’s” music under the name “Seth and the Moody Melix” with violinist Doug Moody and percussionist Brian Melick.  We have a song called “Pickle Pie” that took off on us and eventually had us performing on the FOOD NETWORK (twice!) and touring with chef “Paula Deen” through the state of TN.  The song was originally written for my children, with no pre-tense of success or radio-play, just for the love of making music and inspiring kids, so look what can happen when you make art for the love of it!

RRX: In the musical world, there are many supporting players. Recording engineers, sound techs, cover art designers. Who are three people that support the craft that you would like to shine a spotlight on?

WC: I must shine a spotlight on one of the greatest sound engineers/producers that I’ve had the honor of working with, Albany’s own; Sean Quackenbush.  We started working together over two decades ago and quickly became friends to both of us standing for one another at our weddings.  This year Sean was awarded a Grammy Award for his incredible work with Joni Mitchell, and to see this accomplishment, through all his hard work and sacrifices, is one of the most inspiring moments in my musical world.

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