Published: July 6, 2010 11:29 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight July 2010 Edition
Double Helix
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Double Helix
INTERVIEW BETWEEN ISAAC DAVIS, Jr. AND DOUBLE HELIX took place around late spring of this year via online. The two brother act known as Double Helix are creating a nice stir in the music industry. Here is what the brothers had to reveal about their music in this special spotlight.
Isaac: I just listened to several songs off your new EP/CD. What was the inspiration for making your new album?
Peter Chotem/Double Helix: Initially, it was to create demos that gave a good representation of what we were doing. But, as we spent more and more time arranging, bringing great musicians in, and mixing, it started to develop its own identity as an album. Tony’s scheme for the order of the songs completed that identity.
Isaac: Who were your influences?
Tony Chotem/Double Helix: We’re brothers and we grew up in a musical family, so our first big influence was our dad. He was a piano virtuoso and a very successful composer/arranger. From him, we learned that you have to practice, and that there are no real boundaries in music. We also learned how important it is to develop as composers, as well as, players.
I had a strong classical influence and, for Peter, it was folk and country rock. But, we would always jam, and blues was our convergence point. We were both very influenced by the late sixties blues revival, both by American artists, like Paul Butterfield, and, of course, by the British invasion blues artists like Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds and the Animals.
Later, as we developed as a jazz ensemble, Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, John McLaughlin, and so many others became huge influences.
Isaac: What do you consider to have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date?
Tony Chotem/Double Helix: A recent highlight was being selected to play at the Orion Independent Music Festival in Salt Lake City in January 2010. It was our first festival outside of British Columbia, and was a big and exciting step for us, especially as we were very well received there.
Another highlight was the release of our album, Phoenix Rising in November 2007. Some of the tracks were tunes we had played together for a very long time, and it was stressful but very exciting to have a recording of them that we were happy with.
The lowpoint for us as a musical team was a fairly long period of time when we were not playing, writing or performing together. During most of that period, we were geographically separated by about 3,000 miles, which is fortunately no longer the case.
Isaac: Brief history about your background plus the style of music you play.
Peter Chotem/Double Helix: As Double Helix has shifted back and forth between being a duo, a trio, and a quartet, Tony and I have been lucky to work with some excellent bassists, drummers, and singers. These musicians have had a substantial influence, not only on the style and intensity of the band, but also on Tony and myself as musicians. Tony brings to Double Helix his studies of classical guitar, jazz, rock, and his interest in composition. Writing is also an interest of mine, as are music history, and contemporary jazz and classical music. Our style has been called “Folk Jazz”, which perhaps reflects what we hope to be; open to many styles. Tony’s and my approaches are different, and we like to listen closely and play off the contrasts that we hear.
Isaac: How easy is it to gets gigs for you as an artist? What is the live music scene like in your area?
Tony Chotem/Double Helix: While Vancouver has a lively and healthy live music scene, it is not as easy to find gigs as we would like. There are different reasons for this. First, it is always harder for jazz musicians to find an audience. Secondly, Vancouver jazz audiences seem to fall into two main camps, either very traditional or very avant garde, neither of which we fall into. Our music is quite contemporary and fused with pop, blues and rock.
Isaac: What do you think of the state of Indie music at the moment? Do you listen to radio much at all? Has the Internet helped music grow or hindered it in your opinion?
Peter Chotem/Double Helix: I think the emergence of Indie music is very positive, due to the opportunities in music creation and accessibility that it offers. I listen to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) FM and some online radio. I think the Internet has also opened new doors for music education and appreciation.
Isaac: If you could create a fantasy band - what would be the line-up and why?
Tony & Peter Chotem: Any group of committed players who have been together for a good period of time, are really listening to each other, and taking risks, are already a fantasy band. But, how about this: Jack DeJohnette on drums, Victor Wooten on bass, Larry Carlton on guitar, Keith Jarrett on piano, Richard Bona on percussion, and Norah Jones on vocals.
Isaac: What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
