9 Questions to Newport: Mike Savino (Tall Tall Trees)
Some folks play their instruments. Some folks write songs. Some folks play their instruments and write and sing songs at the same time. Then there are folks who stretch the limits of what an instrument can and should sound like. Mike Savino aka Tall Tall Trees is one of those people. Someone who sets the boundaries of what a traditional folk instrument can do and then knocks those boundaries down and unfolds it just a bit further. I got to talk shop with Mike for a bit about his sound, looping pedals, Newport, and touring. Check it out!
1) For the fine folks who may not be as familiar with your work, how would you sum up your sound in a short phrase?
Mike: Well, that’s a good question. For the past year and a half I’ve transitioned from having a full band to being a solo performer, using banjo as my main instrument and kind of pushing the boundaries of what a banjo can do. It includes drums, I do a lot of drumming on the banjo as well, and bowing and use kind of a lot of extended techniques for the arrangements and then looping them into songs.
2) What projects are you currently working on or have you recently released?
Mike: I am actually in the studio right at this very moment. I am working on a 4 song EP to fill and bide my time before my next full length. I’ll record that this winter when I get off of tour. So right now, I am working on that EP that is primarily banjo.
3) Newport Folk is celebrated for its collaborations, community and bringing folks together for a weekend where they may not see each other otherwise. How do you feel about that preservation of unity and family sentiment in the folk music community? How does it play into your own music and where you come from? Is there a “scene” or community that you feel especially attached to?
Mike: Yeah! I have a big connection here. I have been in New York for 15 years and have a strong community of friends there. I have also been hanging down here in Athens, Georgia. I have really taken to the community down here in Athens as well, a lot of amazing artists are down here who have embraced me. I work a lot with artists here, like of Montreal and other guys down here. I’ve been splitting my time between here and New York City. But yeah, the Newport Folk Festival is something I have wanted to be a part of because my roots are in folk music but my desire to push the boundaries of what people think about banjo music.
4) Favorite OR least favorite/most embarrassing moment on stage from your career? Amazing experience playing to a solid out crowd or tripping off stage and falling into the crowd…either works!
Mike: Well favorite moments…well, live performance is very much about connecting with an audience, you know? I have had so many great experiences on stage. But being a solo performer and doing somewhat of a highwire act, with all my looping and technical manipulation, things can definitely go wrong! I think the moments that always stand out to me is when something does go wrong and I am able to transcend that into something completely new that I wouldn’t otherwise think of. That.
5) If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) musically, who would it be?
Mike: Wow. Hmmm, that’s a great question. There’s so many people that I admire and I am just thinking what a good collaboration would be. I’m a huge fan of Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips. I think those guys would be amazing to work with. They would be guys that I would love to work with. That’s what comes to mind right now.
6) 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and 1 record or artists that you are now/are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about?
Mike: A record that got me excited about music…I hate to say the Beatles, but it’s kind of true. You know a record like The White Album was a big moment for me to hear that. Abbey Road and The White Album are two. Making music early on those records really spoke to me. Just something very special about them.
Someone now that I think people should know about? Man, theres so many, just so many. Christopher Paul Stelling, he is a great friend of mine and a great songwriter. I’ll be on tour with him while we are at Newport. He will be my bodyguard, haha. Also Seth Kauffman Floating Action is like one of my favorite bands ever. Yeah, Floating Action.
7) So, why is creating music important to you? Why do you hit the stage night after night, pull out the old song notebook every day, or whatever else you do to let loose your creativity?
Mike: It’s just something that I NEED to do. It’s something that keeps my spirit alive. I find if I go days without playing or writing, I inevitably feel bunched up. Like something is wrong, usually I realize if I am not feeling well spiritually and emotionally it’s because I haven’t had that outlet to play, you know? Playing music for me is very much connected to my direct connection with the world and my own happiness.
8) Aside from music, do you have any other pastimes? What would you want people to know about you aside from your musical endeavors?
Mike: Music is my life, It’s what I do every day. It’s what makes me happy, it’s my hobby AND my work. Pretty much occupies all of my time these days. One of these days I’ll get into painting or something (laughs).
9) Anything else you want to plug or we should know?
Mike: Yeah, I’ll be on tour around Newport. I’ll be touring up through Georgia to Newport, up to Burlington. Then I go to Europe for about 6 weeks.
