Call it kismet, or fate, or luck, or intelligent design, or whatever, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Julie Slick began taking bass lessons at age twelve as one of the original students at The Paul Green School of Rock. Her younger brother Eric later enrolled as a drummer, and together the two played with musical luminaries including King Crimson's Adrian Belew. Impressed by their skills, Belew—who has played with the Talking Heads, Bowie, Zappa, Paul Simon, and hell, even William Shattner—tapped the Slick siblings to round out The Adrian Belew Power Trio.
I was fortunate enough to see the Power Trio twice in 2006. It's a dynamic and engaging show, full of musical expertise from the young rhythm section and the intoxicating guitar playing of the masterful Adrian Belew, and it is an experience not to be missed.
I sat down with the band to talk about their upcoming tour, their live album Side 4, and—for the Slicks—what it's like to share the stage with a legend. What follows is an interview with 21-year-old Julie Slick, the first part of a three-part feature. Eric Slick will be part two of the installation, capped off by an interview with Adrian Belew himself.
Julie Slick – Question & Answer:
GC: So Julie Slick, it's 2008 and you are about to go on tour with The Adrian Belew Power Trio. What an auspicious beginning for a new year! What other goals do you have in mind to achieve this year?
JS: Well my first goal for the new year was to score a deal with Lakland basses. I must say I'm off to a good start, as they are currently building me a custom bass for the upcoming tour. I think that upgrading my instrument will have a great effect on our sound, and I'm very excited to be able to break it in so soon! After the tour is over, I'd love to focus on writing more material with Eric and get a band started here in Philly. Of course, I'd love to play huge festivals and see more of the world with Adrian, but it would be nice to have a project to work on while we're home. I'll also be graduating from Drexel University's Music Industry program this spring, and I plan on upgrading my studio to capture my own ideas, as well as record more local bands.
GC: I just looked at the Lakland site. Are they going to add your name to the list of other Lakland owners? Pretty impressive company to keep! (side question I'd like to know about: Have you ever considered learning to play a 5 string bass, or a fretless bass?)
JS: I sure hope they add me to the list, since they're being so kind as to build me a custom bass! To answer your other question, I'm not really interested in learning 5-string because I feel I approach the bass in a very classic way and I don't think the extra string is all that necessary. That's just my opinion though—I think there are plenty of players who are able to use that extra bottom to suit their style. As far as fretless is considered, I already do play that kind of bass. In fact I learned how to play on my Dad's fretless Gibson Ripper. This is the same bass I take on tour to play "Matchless Man."
GC: So you and Eric have been writing together, that is very interesting. How does that practice manifest for you? Does one of you primarily write lyrics while the other does compositions? Having lived your whole lives together and growing as musicians, there must be a deep sense of personal intimacy that you share that makes creation of new music very unique.
JS: Well, we haven't written anything really structured yet. We love to jam—sometimes I'll come up with a melodic theme that we both like, and we'll reuse it later on. We like to go into a studio (either my own or one at Drexel). Sometimes we grab a guitar player, sometimes it's just the two of us. Either way, I set up some mics, and we capture our ideas. It's pretty magical—we have a lot of fun and from having played together for so long, we definitely have a connection that many rhythm sections don't have. When we're finished, we listen back to some of these "sketches" and I think once we get more organized we will start making songs out of our favorite moments. Where lyrics are concerned, they have never been our strong point—we just focus on the music.
GC: Is there talk about more travels for the Power Trio later this year? And graduating from Drexel is huge news! Congrats on that! When you speak of recording local bands, that sounds like you have a desire to become a producer. With the vast knowledge you have of different musical genres I bet you'd be a natural at that.
JS: I honestly have no idea what's in store for the Trio beyond this next tour. The past year and half has been chock full of pleasant surprises, so I'm pretty sure I can expect something great. Even if nothing happens beyond the tour, then I'm okay with that, because I'll just focus on my projects with Eric. I'll also do more recordings of other bands. I've produced a couple local bands already—I've been recording since I was 14. I'm already set out to put out two albums by the spring. And the two bands are very different—one is Sweatheart and they are kind of a mixed bag of pop/rap/comedy. The other is Cheers Elephant, and they are getting a lot of attention as part of the up and coming "psychedelphia" movement.
GC: Do you imagine that you could ever become a substantial and prolific producer like a T-Bone Burnett or a Phil Spector or an Alan Parsons? I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there are musicians that couldn't produce if they were shown how to, and there are musicians that have expansive minds that can imagine ways to help others create music. What is your dream job in the future that lies before you?
JS: Well, I approach production with a more technical frame of mind. I'm more of an engineer who lets the artist (as long as he/she can be trusted) produce their own material. Occasionally I'll make an executive decision, or if the client believes in what I'm doing, I'll produce the work myself. I don't know if I ever want this to be my "main job" but I enjoy making records a lot. I'll be happy as long as I'm financially stable enough to have lot of outlets where I can express creativity.
GC: You and Eric have played with (and met) LOTS of different and amazing, successful musicians out there. Perhaps someday you'll be invited to be part of another "Power Trio." If you could pick any musician to do that with, who would it be? Also, if it could be any musician that has passed away, who would that be?
JS: Oh man that question is really tough. In all honesty, I wouldn't want to play with any other musicians right now. Adrian's the man, and we have so much fun—on-stage and off. He's an incredible person, and I just don't know if any other guitarists are as kind and brilliant as he is. Or course it would be great to travel back in time and play with Hendrix, but I just don't know if we'd have the same fun that we have with Adrian.
GC: And just to get a little philosophical, tell me what you think about the current state of modern music. There are so many musicians out there creating new music. It seems like a new genre or sub-genre is born every week. And there are new bands appearing on the scene at an astronomical rate. If you could see in a crystal ball the music industry 5, 10, and 20 years from now what do you think it will look like?
JS: I think the future is bright. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think many people are growing sick and tired of mainstream music. Once somebody perfects the way music is distributed—because right now, we all know the industry is in a very sad state—I think the scene will improve exponentially. I also believe that live music will continue to grow in popularity, and therefore better musicians will be produced. People are tired of seeing overproduced bands who play crappy shows because, well, they don't know how to play.
GC: Do you want to say anything about "Psychedelphia"? I was introduced to the east coast psychedelic genre/movement when I saw Dead Meadow [who are from D.C. -ed.] for the first time in 2006.
<JS:> Psychedelphia is an ever-growing scene here, and I believe it started with Dr. Dog two years ago. It basically consists of a couple young bands who are heavily influenced by the psychedelic groups of the 60s (most obviously), but also some other artists like Dylan, the Band, and Neil Young. The band I produce, Cheers Elephant, even bring in some classical and progressive elements to the table.
GC: And finally, tell me about the music you are listening to the most right now. What genre or bands excite you the most? And ooh, I know! Put your iPod on shuffle and tell me the first 10 songs that come up.
JS: I don't listen to a lot of music—just Dr. Dog, Cheers Elephant, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, and maybe some Cornelius. I don't know if my iPod accurately depicts what I listen to all the time—I got it when I was 19 and am pretty bad about updating it. Here goes:
1. "Already Died" Eagles Of Death Metal
2. "A Day In The Life" from The Beatles' Love
3. "Under Pressure" Queen & David Bowie
4. "Thick As A Brick (Side 2)" Jethro Tull
5. "Red" King Crimson (ha!)
6. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" The Police
7. "Politician" Cream
8. "Dharma" Cheers Elephant
9. "River Euphrates" Pixies
10. "In Limbo" Radiohead.
JS: Well, there ya have it… pretty random, but what good iPod isn't?
For more on The Adrian Belew Power Trio, including tour dates, visit www.adrianbelew.net
