Interview with George Collins of George Collins Band

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

My older brothers brought home The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” when it was released in December 1965, and my earliest memories are of me listening to it obsessively on the hi-fi in our basement. I got my first guitar and wrote my first song when I was four years old – my destiny was sealed. Throughout my childhood my older siblings and cousins continued turning me on to the best music of the Sixties and Seventies, so I was always quite precocious musically.

I also write fiction and screenplays, and had I not gotten into music I would be spending more of my time on literary pursuits.

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

I’m a voracious reader with a deep love of language and respect for craft, so that spills over into my music and fiction writing. I also meditate and practice Qi Gong, which helps me relax and keeps me supple in body and mind. Like Beethoven and Nietszche, I get many of my best musical and literary ideas when I’m out walking – so I always have a notebook and recording device with me as I stroll through the city or out in the countryside.

How long has your band been around?

I have been in many bands over the years, including a band called Common Knowledge back in the 1980s that included Carter Beauford and the late LeRoi Moore, later founding members of The Dave Matthews Band. These days I am mostly working with producers and session musicians, but I hope to get a new band of my own going in the future.

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

I am based mostly in Prague, Czech Republic and sometimes in Key West, Florida. Prague has a rich and vibrant musical and literary history, and on any given day there is a cornucopia of classical, jazz and rock music on offer at hundreds of different venues around the city – concert halls, churches, and clubs. Key West also has a wide variety of live music at dozens of clubs and bars on the island, so no matter where I am I am spoiled for choice!

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

The decision to release music under the moniker George Collins Band was very easy – there are already several musicians named George Collins out there, and George Collins Band was the only name that was available for my website and across all social media platforms!

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

In college I was in a show band called Musique, and once we played a few songs at a University of Virginia football game during halftime to promote our upcoming concert. This was the largest crowd I ever played in front of – around 40,000 people.

Another time I played solo before a crowd of around 3,000 people at a graduation event at the UVA amphitheater – that was a memorable and highly enjoyable performance.

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 a number of pubs and clubs around Prague where I enjoy playing, and it’s hard to pick a favorite – Jama, U Kata, the Prague Beer Museum. I’m looking forward to playing at the Hard Rock Café and Zanzibar in Prague, and in Key West I’d love to play at The Schooner Wharf, The Green Parrot, The Smokin’ Tuna and The Hog’s Breath Inn – all great venues for live music.

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

Given my personal connection with Carter Beauford, I would love to open for the Dave Matthews Band.

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?

Make sure all members of the band have the same goals and the same level of commitment – too many bands spin their wheels because the members are all pulling in different directions or the members are always quitting and changing. Get all agreements in writing so there are no disputes down the road – either internally (e.g. song splits) or externally (e.g., expenses). And don’t neglect the business side of things.

As for myself, I wish I had spent more time learning to sing properly – I’m a much better singer now than I was when I was younger, having done some voice training in recent years.

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

If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, stop doing it! And relax – it’s all going to work out fine.

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

My upcoming single, “Toward the Light,” is my favorite of all the songs I’ve written, quite personal and autobiographical.

I wrote it when I was twenty-two years old, which is quite amazing considering the rather mature perspective of the lyrics. Equally surprising is that most of the other songs I was writing at that time are unlistenable today, but the as-yet-unreleased “Toward the Light” has stood the test of time.

It was a sultry summer night, and I was alone in the house that I shared with several of my friends from school. I was noodling around on my guitar, playing a series of jazzy chords and trying to come up with something that sounded like two of my favorite artists, Steely Dan and Van Morrison.

Once the chord progression slotted into place, the lyrics poured out of me in an almost magical, mystical way. The opening line, “Tonight I am alone,” was a statement of fact – me simply sitting on my bed in a deserted house with my guitar -- and the rest simply flowed as if on automatic pilot, as I reflected on my past, present and future.

Unlike almost all my other songs, I wrote this tune in one sitting with no revisions. My personal manifesto arrived, as they say, fully formed. I still shake my head in wonder and gratitude to this day.

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

I love playing “Toward the Light,” and “Easy to Fall” is a fun song to play. “Down Easy,” “Next Time” and “It’s Been a Long Time” get a lot of requests.

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

I love well-crafted, intelligent pop/rock with strong melodic hooks, interesting harmonies, meaningful lyrics, and ace musicianship.

I very often start with a title, then the title suggests a chorus, and then I have to create a story that leads up to the chorus. I often get ideas while I’m out walking and only later do I pick up the guitar, once I have a sense of where I want to go – or where the song wants to go.

On the other hand, very often I’ll get musical ideas while I’m practicing guitar, so I’ll record them quickly. Then later on I’ll review these snippets and see which ones are worth developing and might fit with some of the lyrical ideas or themes in my notebooks, and I’ll try to put them together.

While I find it more difficult to fit words over a pre-existing melody or chord progression, many successful songwriters – especially those coming from a background in composition – start with a musical idea.

The ideal, of course, is when the lyrics, chords and melody arrive simultaneously, but that’s a trifecta that I rarely achieve.

So each song is different, but for me, it usually starts with a title or lyrical idea.

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

Each song is different, but even when I am writing about a breakup or a frustrated love affair or personal troubles, there is always an uncurrent of hope and looking to the future. I have a very positive approach to life and to exploring the depth and variety of our experiences, and I hope that comes through in my songs.

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

As noted above, I work mostly with producers and session musicians these days, and sometimes I collaborate with other songwriters. It’s always a process of exchanging ideas and feedback in an open and respectful manner, being sensitive to the needs and wishes of your fellow artists, and not letting ego get in the way when someone else comes up with a better hook, lyric or production suggestion.

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

My next single, “Toward the Light,” will drop on Friday, July 8th, with a very cool lyric video to follow a few weeks later. The five-song EP, “It’s Been a Long Time,” will be released in September.

Right now I am actively working on the songs for the follow up EP, and I hope to start releasing singles from that collection later this year.

Oh, and I plan to make final revisions to my novel and publish that later this year as well.

So there is a lot going on!