Papa Legbo Interview

The Five Amigos Rocking The House

 
Like Greg Abramson's infamous keg parties in Sabre Springs, Papa Legbo were a Poway, California institution. The band may have even played one or two of those keg parties back in the day. Papa Legbo could and would jam for hours in their rocking, bluesy demeanor. They always showed up to play. Well, flash forward to 2011 and it was time to sit down with band leader Derek Heap. He is a good friend and musical comrade.

Interview by Greno Murrell

How long was Papa Legbo together? 

About 10 years

What was the original line-up of the band? 

There were some early line-ups before taking the name Papa Legbo which consisted of Scott, myself, Chris and various drummers. When we were playing a party one night, our drummer (Ben) decided he would rather party than play and turned his sticks over to our long-time friend Mark Cleveland and from the first beat, we knew we had a new drummer. Mark came up with the name Papa Legbo, which is a variation on a voodoo figure who is the intermediary between the spirits and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits. From that point on it was myself, Scott Parker, Chris Vargas and Mark Cleveland at the root of things. We added and subtracted at times with players like Glen Murrell, Sean Dorchester (percussion), Junior Torres (Harmonica – and a regular member of the band from about ’93 to ’98), and others.

What musicians inspired you to begin playing music? 

Of course the great guitarists like Jerry Garcia, Clapton, Santana, etc., but mostly I was influenced by the great bands I listened to as a youth like: Grateful Dead, D.I., Husker Du, Ramones, Allman Brothers, The Police, (early) Social Distortion, Adolescents, Agent Orange, Oingo Boingo, Outrage (yes, they are a big influence on me), Phish, Miles Davis, The Clash, Harry Belafonte, and of course, Justin Bieber.

When did you write your first song and what was it called? 

I wrote my first song, Arizona, in the late 80’s. I was in a small town in Northern Arizona near the White Mountains, sitting in a park with a wicked thunder storm rolling in. The music just flowed and the words came as if I had been singing it all my life. It is still one of my favorite songs today. 

What was the first record you bought?  

Synchronicity, 1983 and I still have it today.
Describe your first experience in the studio. 

Actually, my first studio experience was not with Legbo. My brother dared me to make a rap album and I took the challenge. Legbo was never one for serious studio work (one release in 10 years), but in the early 90’s I released the album “Colored Man” under the name Hippie Bass. It is still one of the best projects I have ever done. It was totally out of my comfort zone, in a genre largely unfamiliar to me, so we just went with it and did it how we thought it should be done. The results were awesome. Had I been more serious about it and really ran with it, it probably would have had some commercial success, but it just wasn’t my thing, so it stayed a small release. I still listen to it today !

Where did the song "Sugar Coated Mango" come from?  

I wrote Mango on the advice of my brother that I should write a song with more “symbolism”. Later that night, we were watching Three Amigos (one of the best movies ever) and El Guapo was telling Hefe , in regards to their captive woman, that he would “open her pedals like a flower”. The context was so funny and perfect for the movie and for some reason I thought of referencing her as his Sugar Coated Mango (almost too sweet). Voila! There it was, my symbolism. From there it was simply “okay, who is my sugar Coated Mango and how do I feel about her”. I figured out who she was and wrote a song about our relationship – which is accurate to a tee. Again, the music just jumped right in place. One interesting thing about the music for this song is that when we played it live, the arrangement on the break was totally different. When we went in to the studio to record it, I said, hey let’s change this up so it’s different from our live version, and it was done.

What are you and other former members doing these days?  

Scott is retired and still living in Ramona, riding dirt bikes and having a great time. Chris is still in Ramona too, with his wife and three children, working somewhere in Carlsbad (I think). Chris and Scott still get together and play with area musicians from time to time. I moved to Tennessee (the Nashville area) in 2000 and still play and record as a hobby. I lost track of Junior, I am scared to even think where he may be now. Mark died several years ago as a result of a fall from a balcony in Northern California – he was a great friend and an awesome drummer. A creative force like none other, Rest In Peace Brother.

Can rock and roll change the world? 

It already has and will continue to do so far into the future.
What kind of things inspire you to write songs?  

Women.

What was it like to have a bass player like Scott "Groove" Parker?  

Scott is a master of all things bass. His classical training gave him more of a lead guitar style of playing rather than a background-time-keeping-low-noter. If you listen closely to his work, he often plays stretches of Mozart, Chopin or Bach pieces inside of a Legbo jam. It was awesome.

3-5 words that best describe your music.  

Be in by Curfew.    (I think there’s a song in that)    so punk rock-ed.

Tell us more about Papa Legbo's album Ruff-N-Tumble.  

It was a fun experiment in recording. We were a live band that just didn’t feel comfortable in the studio and I think the album captures that quite well. We had a great time putting it together (probably too much fun) and when it was done, we were happy with it. It was great having guest musicians sit in and contribute and collaborate. There is a good mix of the different genres we tried to incorporate and the different influences that helped to shape our sound. Those were good days, never to be forgotten.

Any current artists that you really like?  

Does the New Kids on the Block reunion count?    Absolutely not - Ed.

Are you currently working on any new material?  

I am always messing around with new things, but since I am not currently playing with a band, it stays in my studio for me and the mice.

Best venue you have ever played?   

So many venues, so little memory. It seems like there was a great place in the gaslamp, downtown SD, maybe on 4^th street that had a great sound to it, but I can’t remember the name of the place. Who could forget the classics like Winston’s or the Casbah? One of my all-time favorites was the little place we (Butt Flutes) played in Santa Rosa with you and Sublime – it wasn’t so much the venue, as the great time we all had together. Which makes me understand that while there have been some great venues over the years, some small, some huge, it’s not so much where we played, but how we played that made the venue great. I remember once playing somewhere in West LA at a great theater, but we were not on our game and had an awful night. But we always had a great time at the little downtown clubs that dot the map. It’s all about the people.

Best jam session ever

Great North Pacific Pot Bellies, Santa Rosa, CA – I still have the tape and listen to it from time to time.

Favorite thing to do besides playing music? 

Listen to music.

Favorite song of all-time and why? 

“Take Away Everything”  Yes, it’s one of mine, but it sums up the best relationship I never had. It’s a scathing blues jam that takes the band and listener on a journey to a different place every time. Get your passport ready and get on board.

Favorite sports teams?  

Padres, Charges. Oh yeah, RIP San Diego Clippers.

 

THANKS TO DEREK AND FAMILY