Interview: Wax Tailor

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

It’s definitely Hip Hop culture that brought me to music and if I wasn't a musician I think I would be working in education today

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

My 2 great passions apart from music are cinema and travel. With the pandemic, of course, I travel less, but I continue to be a curious moviegoer

How long has your band been around?

I worked on a lot of projects for about ten years before concentrating on my solo as Wax Tailor for a good fifteen years

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

Born and raised in Vernon, 1 hour from Paris. It's a small town that has an obvious influence on what I do and how I look at the world

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Wax Tailor is the name that perfectly sums up my approach to music. I mainly use old vinyl samples

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

I've done over 800 so it's hard to choose but I'd say my Phonovisions Symphonic Orchestra project is the most memorable

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

There are so many venues I love, impossible to pick one but I can tell you about what I’d love to do, I’d love to perfom one day at Hollywood Bowl with a Symphonic Orchestra (bucket list)

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

I would pick Clyde Stubblefield on the drum, Ron Carter on the Double bass, Hendrix on the guitar, Ella Fitzgerald on the vocals & I would simply watch them play ;)

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

To a young musician I would simply say that you have to work, work and work again, there is no secret. And if I were to send myself a message 20 years ago I would say to myself "one more little effort and you are almost there".

If you could go back in time and give yourselve advice, what would it be?

Take time to seize the day

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Probably Que Sera. It doesn’t mena it’s my prefered but it changed my life

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Very tought question, it depends on the line up & the crowd I think

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

My biggest source of inspiration is clearly everyday life, society, politics etc.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I try to share moods without giving lessons

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

I try not to fight with myself

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Making music, working on the next episode, hopefully performing live asap

Follow Wax Tailor:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Soundcloud - Youtube - Instagram - Spotify

Follow Mick Jenkins:

 Facebook - Twitter - Soundcloud - Youtube - Instagram - Spotify

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