Interview with Lyman Medeiros


Q: Please tell me something about yourself. How you've discovered your love for music, especially jazz and why you wanted to pursue a professional musical career.

Lyman Medeiros: Well I started playing the electric bass when I was thirteen years old. I knew my father (who I wasn't close to at the time) played bass so I wanted to as well. By the time I got to high school I knew that I had a natural talent for music.
When I got to university I knew you couldn't study the electric bass, so I switched over to the upright bass. A few weeks into my first semester I attended a performance by Ray Brown and his trio. Something in me snapped, and I knew I wanted to play the upright bass for the rest of my life.

Q: How did you meet your fellow musicians who played with you on this album. All of the songs feature you and Quinn Johnson on keys and yet three different drummes plus an additional musician on each song. Is there a permanent line-up for the Lower Level?

Lyman Medeiros: The Lower Level is more of a collective than a permanent band. All of the original compositions and arrangements are mine, I produced the record and for all intents and purposes it is my 'baby'. But I didn't want to release it under only my name for a couple of reasons: It is not really a jazz record in a traditional sense, my music relies heavily on the improvisation and interraction of the other musicians, and my name is hard to spell and pronounce! I thought it would be much better to give the band a name.
The Funky Supervillain is not a showcase of my jazz talents but a wider-ranging concept that includes the other musicians. I met most of the musicians in Steve Tyrell's band. Steve is a standards vocalist I've been working with for a few years. If I didn't meet them in Steve's band they are local L.A. musicians who I've been playing with for a while. I chose the musicians for each group of songs based on what instrumentation I wanted and, quite frankly, who was available to make the rehearsals and the sessions. There are many world-class musicians on The Funky Supervillain, Lew Soloff was a founding member of Blood, Sweat, and Tears and has played with everyone from James Brown to Barbara Streisand to the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Tom Brechtlein has played in bands with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Farrell, Robin Ford, and Chick Corea...these guys stay busy. I am lucky they made the time to share their talents with me.

Q: Which musical vision do you and your fellow musicians share?

Lyman Medeiros: Everyone wants to make it groove!
Besides that I don't know if there needs to be a similair musical vision. I chose each musician because I 'heard' their specific voice in the music. Some of the guys are considered modern players, some are considered bebop players, some are considered 'world music' experts...but they all have a willingness to try different things (as every good musician should). Everyone had their own strenghths but it all came together nicely without much conversation or direction.

Q: The Funky Supervillain was recorded on three days in February, May and June 2005 in Burbank, CA. Please tell me more about the recording session.

Lyman Medeiros: The recording sessions were a lot of fun. I recorded at f.Boo which is a home studio here in Burbank. Keven and Robin who run the studio are really great to work with and they make the environment really easy to work in. Keven is an exceptional artist and has a lot of his paintings hanging around as well as other funky pieces. There is a real vibe there. Recording can be stressful but that wasn't the case during these sessions.

Q: I'm especially impressed of the two vocal songs (Feel Like Making Love and I Only Have Eyes For You). Do you like to expand the vocal parts on future releases?

Lyman Medeiros: I think so. It is going to be a while before I start thinking about another CD, I'm going to be supporting and marketing The Funky Supervillain for a while. I've only given fleeting thought to future releases but there are two directions I think the band can go; one that features vocals in more of a mainstream and traditional R&B manner, or one that is more experimental and unique. Or maybe both! It's too early to tell.

Q: Half of the album is made of original compostitions. Please tell me something about the inspirations to songs like Tasteycakes, Big City Dreams or Such A Beautiful Girl. Do you plan to feature more of your own song on future releases?

Lyman Medeiros: Well "Tasteycakes" was one of the first tunes I ever wrote. I was getting my Masters Degree at Western Michigan University at the time and remember writing the song at the piano in my office. The song is in the key of "C" because I'm not a very good piano player and "C" is they easiest key to play in on the piano!
But the others I wrote over a period of a couple months in 2004. "Such A Beautiful Girl" and "Big City Dreams" I wrote quite close together. I was in NYC with Tyrell. One night I went to see my friend Quincy Davis play with the wonderful pianist Eric Lewis. For whatever reason the melody for "Big City..." popped into my head after that. Then I remember practicing in my hotel room on 8th Avenue in Midtown when "Such A..." came to me. It was a creative rush I was on. Not long after that I came up with the bass line to "The Funky Supervillain" in St. Louis. Composing has always been a very natural thing for me, something I have trouble forcing.
Ideally my future records will be nothing but originals. I have been very pleased with the response to my original compositions, everyone seems to dig them.

Q: You've released your debut album independently. Would it be an option for you to sign with a major label or do you rather have total control of your music?

Lyman Medeiros: What a tough question. On one hand it would be great to have someone else worry about marketing and distributing your CD, on the other hand you don't want to hand over creative control. I think if the right deal came along I would like to sign with a label. At the moment I'm just worried about getting my music heard.

Q: You have a website, a blog and a myspace site. It looks like you know how to raise attention about you and your music. How easy or difficult is it as an independent artist to spread the word about you and your music?

Lyman Medeiros: This is my first release as a leader, so I'm just sort of feeling it out. I've been on the road working as a sideman for a few months so I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to marketing the record and spreading the word. But the resources are out there for independant musicians to hype up their projects, you just have to have the motivation to do it. The internet is a wonderful resource. he major record labels are years behind as far as utilizing the internet as a successful marketing tool. It can be easy for an independant artist.
But there will come a time when I want to start touring with the band. I have a feeling that is going to be much more difficult.

Q: I like the cover art by Jim Mahfood. Why did you choose the a cartoon pic instead of a photo showing you and the band?

Lyman Medeiros: Jim is one of my favorite artists ever and I am a huge fan of his work. I see too much cover art that is simply a photo. I wanted The Funky Supervillain to stand out more and give a funky, urban feel from the second you looked at it.

Q: What can we expect from you and the Lower Level in 2006. And in which way do you like your music to grow and develop?

Lyman Medeiros: CD Realease Shows in Los Angeles and my hometown of Indianapolis hopefully. I'd also like to start playing around Southern California regularly to develop a live following. I like my music to grow and develop with an ear to what is new and exciting in jazz and mainstream music while staying grounded in the funk and R&B rhythms that I love. Hopefully the music will get more experimental and wild. But whatever happens it will groove.

For more infos visit lmbass.com, cdbaby.com, Lyman's Blog and read my review of The Funky Supervillain.