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Phone interview with SCOTT "WINO" WEINRICH

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

February 4th 2011, Los Angeles CA

Andrew: Your first solo acoustic album "Adrift" is ready to release. Would you say it's something completely different from anything you've done so far?
Wino: Yes, it's way different, but I'm really happy to see that it's doing well.

Andrew: Is this a one-off thing or would you be open to do more acoustic albums, depending on how this one goes?
Wino: Oh yeah, I'd be definitely willing to do it again, and hopefully the next one would be even better because it's a learning process that I went through while doing this one.

Andrew: You're also starting your acoustic tour tomorrow [Feb 5th]. What can people expect from it? Will it be songs from this album alone or acoustic versions of other music as well?
Wino: Well, I'm not sure. We'll see as time goes. I like the darker, more melancholy stuff, so that's where probably it'll be. There'll be some acoustic cover tunes in there I think, because it's always fun to add some cover tunes in the set. Last night me and Scott Kelly got together and worked on the set. I think it's going to be really cool!

Andrew: How different has it been for you to record a full on acoustic album this time?
Wino: It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It took quite some doing, it really did. I learned a lot about it. It initially seemed like it would be easier but then I had to work in a certain way I never did before, which made it harder but very interesting. I don't want to over-think it, but I think the next record should be good.

Andrew: So in general, is it easier to do a regular album as compared to an acoustic album?
Wino: Well, like I said it was harder than I thought it was going to be, but next time we'll be a little bit more prepared for it, you know.

Andrew: When did you actually get this idea in your mind to do this acoustic album and when was it that you started working on it?
Wino: Well, it was thrown at me quite some years ago. My German engineer friend suggested that I do it. At the time I actually wasn't that interested in it, but then there were some circumstances and events that led up to me actually doing it. So that time I pretty much went straight at it and did it. So the German guy asked me to do it years ago but I just didn't want to hear about it. But when I think back to it now, he's actually kind of a visionary because he was asking me to do it back then, and of course now, it turned out be actually be something cool. I had overlooked a lot of the Americana thing, but now I've been learning it as part of doing this acoustic album.

Andrew: This album is titled "Adrift". Is there any particular significance that the title holds for you?
Wino: It has a lot to do with all the problems I had with my ex-wife, my divorce and the fact that I hadn't been able to see my kids for a while. So I really felt like that life I led outside of my domestic life was a dream, because my domestic life was so hard. The music was there for a while, but I didn't find the right word for the title until right before the release. In the end I felt that it was a pretty apt title.

Andrew: On this album, which songs would you say were the most challenging, or took the longest to complete?
Wino: "Green Speed" comes to mind. The whole record was challenging and hard to do. So it was a drill. I wasn't as well prepared as I could have been. But I think I have a better idea of what to do now, you know.

Andrew: You're starting your tour at the Viper Room in Hollywood. In general, how do you feel about playing the LA area?
Wino: I love it and there are a lot of fans out here. Southern California has been always good to me. It's really interesting to do what we're out doing now, and I'm pretty happy about being able to do this tour.

Andrew: For this album there was vinyl that was released last month, with some extended liner notes. How much was your involvement in that process?
Wino: It was all mine. I decided that it would be nice to give something extra to the American fans and it turned out really well. I'm pretty happy with it. As far as my career goes, I think I'm doing really well and I'm just glad that people are digging this record. I'm kind of really surprised that it is doing well, only because I never knew what to expect and it's like nothing I've ever done before, so I can only keep on going, you know.

Andrew: Talking a little bit about your early days, how did you start playing guitar in the first place, and what inspired you to do so?
Wino: Honestly, it was almost like I was always hardwired to do it. My first conscious memory is one to have a guitar, and me playing guitar is the first thing from my childhood that comes to memory. It was just something I always wanted to do and I really can't explain why. When I first started doing it, I was actually kind of frustrated with it at first, but never gave up. And I remember that just one day out of the blue, it all clicked and all of a sudden it seemed like, there it was, you know. So yeah it was pretty interesting (laughs) and I'm glad that I stuck with it. That's what I would say to anyone really, just don't give up, and if it's the thing you want to do, just hang in there!

Andrew: Another interesting thing is that you've been part of various projects like Probot. So in addition to the solo stuff and Saint Vitus, would you still be willing to do this kind of stuff on the side?
Wino: Yeah sure, I've left all doors open. I'm pretty confident that I should still be able to do other things. I mean, I'm not going to stop playing electric guitar. That's kind of what some people have been asking me lately, but that's not the case either (laughs). People shouldn't start worrying about me going soft.

Andrew: You were also frontman for a band called Lost Breed who released an album called Wino Daze. What happened to that band?
Wino: Well I think they're still around. They wanted a full-time commitment from me, which was hard for me to do. But I gave them what I could. I was glad to help them out, but I told them from the start that I can't really devote too much time because I had so much going on. So it was kind of the way it was.

Andrew: You worked with Lemmy for the Probot project. How was it working with him?
Wino: It was great to work with him. He is a very intelligent and super smart guy and he is actually one of my favorite people in rock.

Check out Scott Weinrich's official website.

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