Incorporating others’ ideas into your own makes you all stronger.
Asa part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Aaron Wilkinson, front man of Honey Island Swamp Band.
Acclaimed New Orleans-based blues-roots-rock quintet Honey Island Swamp Band, whose music is melody-driven, vocal-driven, and lyric-driven, releases their sixth studio album, Custom Deluxe, on Friday, October 27th via Color Red, digitally, on CD and vinyl. Custom Deluxe, the follow-up to the band’s 2016 album Demolition Days, features their new single “Gone” and previously released single “Second Son” and marks the most satisfying, consolidative album to date for Honey Island Swamp Band. The new collection shows the Honey Island Swamp Band to represent the best of two worlds: a band capable of sharp, solid writing, who can also bend and stretch the material live in the spirit of Van Morrison or the Allman Brothers Band. Since forming in 2005 in San Francisco after their displacement from New Orleans via Katrina, and subsequently relocating back home, Honey Island Swamp Band has evolved to embody contemporary roots music. The fivesome — bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Wilkinson, guitarist and vocalist Lee Yankee, bassist Sam Price, keyboardist Chris Spies, and drummer and vocalist Garland Paul — is a thrilling, eclectic band that defies genre conventions, as evidenced by their wide variety of musical influences spanning everyone from Jason Isbell, John Prine, Little Feat, and The Meters to Fleetwood Mac, Taj Mahal, Peter Gabriel, and Beck.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up on the beach in Pensacola, FL. Not exactly the music capital of the world, but it was a great place to grow up.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?
My dad was an amateur guitarist, and he had this 1959 Gibson 330 he kept under his bed. I was not allowed to even look at it without supervision. But he bought me an acoustic guitar and told me if I took lessons and stuck with it for a year, he’d buy me an electric. I stuck with it and have been playing music ever since. That was when I was 11.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I mean, it’s hard to isolate one instance over 20 plus years, but I would say the most interesting thing has just been all the crazy places we’ve been and people we’ve met. Driving across the border from Germany and being stopped by Polish military police leaps to mind, lol
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well, we had a really intimate theater show back in the day, and I remember thinking the band was really on fire, and I just felt like I had a great show where I played and sang really well and was very personable with the crowd, all that. We finish our set and we get backstage, and I see myself in the mirror and realize that I’ve been out there for the last hour and a half in front of this full house with my fly completely down. So yeah, before you go on stage, xyz: examine your zipper.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’m super grateful to every musician who ever hired or fired me lol. Both experiences are great teachers. Theresa Andersson, Irene Sage, Eric Lindell, Papa Mali to name a few. I learned a ton from all of them and I’m really appreciative.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Well, of course, we continue to make new music with Honey Island Swamp Band. That’s my creative focus. I also have a side project with some other killer New Orleans musicians called the River Benders. That’s been a really fun and exciting change up.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
We live in a diverse world. If art is not diverse, it’s not an accurate reflection of the world around us. I think honest artistic expression must be diverse by nature.
Ideally, the more diverse we are in our art, the more our art will help diverse people understand each other.
As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?
I think the longer you do this, the less you see obstacles as emergencies or doomsday scenarios, and the more you understand that bumps in the road are just part of the continuum. Every career is going to have ups and downs. Try not to get to high or too low.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . KEEP YOUR DAY JOB! Just kidding.
2 . Don’t try to be someone you’re not.
3 . Incorporating others’ ideas into your own makes you all stronger.
4 . Stay calm when the shit hits the fan.
5 . Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?
Songs come to me in all kinds of different ways. Sometimes it’s just a phrase, or a word or two that I hear or read that sparks something in me. Sometimes, I stumble on a guitar riff or chord progression and it starts that way; the lyrics come later. Other times, a chorus or a melody comes into my dreams and I wake up and record it, and go from there. I try to be open to whatever signals are out there in the universe.
As far as collaboration, I think it’s critical to be open to the other person’s ideas and influences. That requires you not to be overly attached to your own ideas and inspirations. That’s the most challenging part, but also the most rewarding.
Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?
I think we just try to be honest with our music and be ourselves. It sounds simple enough, but it can be a challenge.
How do you connect with your audience?
Again, just being honest and unassuming. Not trying to put on any airs or present any crafted image. I think being genuine is the only true way to connect with anybody.
With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?
It’s difficult, but you have to set boundaries and allow yourself to say “no” sometimes. You learn to value balance once you realize that both your personal life and career benefit from it.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Wow, that’s a tough one. I think I’d like to eliminate inequality around the world. There’s no reason anyone should be going hungry or suffering from a lack of resources. We should all lift each other up.
🙂
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
That’s impossible to answer! Do I only get one? How about Stevie Wonder? Musical hero of mine
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
www.honeyisandswampband.com or just enter honeyislandswampband on any social media platform!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you!!
