What a treat to get to connect to Robby Vee about his new album Double Spin, it captures the sound of a time and brings it up very danceable modern Neo-Rockabilly vibe. He’s got some shows coming up in Larchwood IA and Kenosha WI!
Buzz has a timeless danceability that makes my heart perk up. The video is fantastic because you are so fantastic on stage. When you write songs do you consider how it will sound or feel playing it live?
Thanks Ann! I appreciate the kind words… “I found a new way to start, found a vessel to your heart. Time has moved me past the clock to the inner beat that rules the block.” That’s the first verse of Buzz. When I was working on the music for Buzz , I was wanting an upbeat, retro vibe, celebratory dance kinda thing. I open my shows with it because of its uplifting energy, I love playing it live.
There are so many songs from my records over the years that I don’t play live… They just work better in the studio. When I do come up with a song that fits well in my live show… I feel lucky and normally it isn’t planned that way. The studio and live performance are so different for me. When I’m writing, I’m really focused on developing a song the best I can, almost like creating a painting that’ll look good in a frame or in this case, sound good with a collection of songs. When I get requests in my shows for songs that I don’t normally play live… It always feels like such a compliment to me.
On the latest album you cover Bobby Vee’s (your father’s) song, Forever Kind of Love. (Again, the video is fabulous because it gives homage to that connection without making it the focal point.) How does it feel to be able to pay tribute to him? And why you select this song?
I love my Dad’s music. He was a huge influence on me as a person and as a recording artist. He was a great Dad and Artist!
Over the years I’ve had fans of his and mine ask me if I’d consider recording one of his songs. “Forever Kind of Love” was a top charting hit record for my Dad in the UK recorded at Abbey Road Studio in London. It reached #13 and it remained on the charts longer than any other record of his…originally it wasn’t released in the US market making it fairly unknown here, which was such a shame. When I would tour the UK with my Dad it was the top requested song and my favorite to play on stage with him. I thought if I ever recorded one of his hits, it would be this song to introduce it to an audience that may have never heard it before.
My hope was to introduce a great piece of Vee musical heritage to a new audience and at the same time give a subtle tip of the hat to my Father, his legacy and the fans that helped make it a hit in the first place.
You have played and worked all over the world, with names such as Bo Diddley and Eric Clapton; you grew up in a musical world, but I’m wondering if there are elements of Minnesota that you know you bring to your music? How has Minnesota impacted your sound and/or do you think you pass that onto your collaborations?
My first musical hero, Rockabilly Artist “Eddie Cochran” was from Albert Lea Minnesota. Cochran was my Super Hero as a kid…a Batman or Superman, he had that kind of impact on me. From there I was exposed to the early 60’s Surf Twang/Rockabilly/Garage Rock sound of Minneapolis Soma Records. Discovering artists like the Trashmen, Dave Dudley, the Gestures, the Del Counts and so many others from listening to the instrumental songs of my Dads group the Shadows (later the Strangers) who were a part of that Minneapolis sound. Minnesota as a music scene is surrounded by so many talented players and creative artist…my current Band consisting of Jeff Bjork (Drums), Bryan Williams (Bass & Vocals) and Dana Killam (Violin) are all Minnesota based musicians and I’m currently collaborating with long time friend Beej Chaney from the Minnesota based band the Suburbs. As a young kid I was aware of Minnesota’s Bob Dylan not originally by his records, but that he started out with a short stint in Bobby Vee & the Shadows as a piano player by the name of Elston Gunnn (Gun with three N’s).
This idea of Rock n Roll first being introduced to Minnesota and the Dakota’s on country radio stations with Elvis singing “That’s Alright Mama”, all of this really is at the core of my musical heritage and who I am musically with a Midwest roots ‘keep it simple and feeling good’ approach I’ve carried into everything I’ve worked on over the years.
Thank you for your work with the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Can you tell us about how you “raise a voice for care”? I’ve read about how music can bring joy to people with Alzheimer’s; your role seems like a perfect fit.
As a “Artist raising a voice for care”, I bring support to those dealing with Alzheimer’s in any way I can. My Father passed in 2016 from Alzheimer’s…we got involved together and I’ve continued to carry it on after his passing. I watched first hand how therapeutic music was to him…it never really left him, it continued to bring joy and quality to his life. My Dad and I started the “Blue Moon Blue Project ” featuring songs we wrote together for Alzheimer’s. I showcase this project in my show with a song and I tell a little bit of my story to bring support to others going through this with a loved one. I also donate money from my songs, records and do shows to raise money and awareness including visiting memory care homes.
Dashboard Jesus is a fun song. Makes me wonder where you get inspiration for songs. What is your process for writing?
Over the years I’ve worked with many inspiring people. Many of the songs on Double Spin were inspired and co-written by a Poet friend of mine named Andrew Hall who lives in Las Vegas. Andrew made huge contributions to this record with attitude and clever ideas that I was able to build lyrics off of. Tucson Girl I wrote with my sister Jen from a one paragraph poem she gave me…she is the original Tucson Girl so I titled it and turned it into a song about her. Blue Moon Blue I wrote with my Dad and Wayne Carson. Wayne wrote the Letter for the Box Tops, You Are Always On My Mind for Willie Nelson/Elvis and so many other big hits. Dashboard Jesus I wrote reflecting on my Grandparents life together…they lived into their 90’s taking long road trips together their entire life. So as you can see I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by inspiration in many forms in my journey.
In my free time, I do paintings and stained glass art, I learned both from my father. My writing approach to songs is very similar. Every song I write starts like a painting…generally pretty quickly written from beginning to end. Then much like art, I take a step back and comb through it, refining details until I can’t evolve it anymore.
Mostly Minnesota 