GUITAR AND WHISKEY CLUB – A ROXYROLL INTERVIEW

Besides being an administrator of the Facebook group, Friends of Myampmusic.co, I am also an asst. admin of RoxyRoll Drive created by Denise Marie. RoxyRoll Drive is a Facebook group dedicated to the unification of all sectors of the music industry including artists, promoters, media, etc. It’s Denise Marie’s passion to give every musician a space to connect with each other and with industry notables in order to further their careers.Once a month,  AMP is devoting a feature to RoxyRoll to help promote one band from a particular region of the U.S. Our initial offering is The Guitar And Whiskey Club. Jeffrey Donovan and Mark Prudeaux from the band sits down with AMP for a RoxyRoll interview.

The Guitar And Whiskey Club is a four piece hard hitting rock band based in Southern California. The group was formed in 2016 by guitarist Jeffrey Donovan. Donovan is the product of working musician parents and has been playing since the age of four. After the pandemic, Donovan reformed the lineup in order to create a more dynamic sound. Mark Prudeaux came on as the audacious new singer. His voice has that perfect blend of bluesy rasp and rock & roll fervor. Frankie Yanno is the new bassist. He and Donovan have been friends for years. He also produced their first 3 singles at his Gossamer Studios. Rounding out the ensemble is drummer David Carbajal.

The following is the initial RoxyRoll Drive interview with both Jeffrey and Mark. Hope you enjoy.

AMP: Can you give the AMP readers a brief history of the band?

JEFF: The band started in 2016. There was a different lineup then. We started out doing covers with a few originals. Eventually we started to add more originals and picking up better gigs. Things were going really well when the pandemic hit. We just won the Ventura County Music Award for Best Rock Band. We had a great gig at the Whiskey and BANG!, everything got shut down.

MARK: Then we decided we need to invest more in the name. So we picked up more guitars and more whiskey.

JEFF: During the pandemic some the members lost inspiration. We didn’t know if we would ever get out of it. I decided to reform the group starting with Mark. We learned how to write and record songs remotely since all the studios were closed. Mark and I laid down a bunch of tracks and when Covid lifted we found our permanent bass player, Frankie Yanno. We then picked up David Carbajal as our drummer.

AMP: Covid was a devastating time for the music industry. What were the negative and positive effects it had on the band?

JEFF: As for the negative. We had several really good gigs cancelled right away. Some got postponed while others were completely gone. A lot of the band members got hit really hard. It seemed like a form of depression. It was hard times.

On the positive, we became experts at recording everything remotely with the use of our personal studios. We now have the expertise to record in separate studios and then mixing it all together. It has worked out well. I’ve invested quite a bit of money upgrading my equipment. It also helps us financially since we aren’t looking at the clock wondering how much this studio time is costing us. We record when we want, for as long as we want with no constraints.

MARK: I like to consider myself an optimistic pessimist. I’m always approaching thing with the philosophy: “this is going to suck but maybe something good will come out of it”. And most times it does. A lot of music and creativity is written as a vehicle to express some form of anxiety, trauma or difficulty. Music is used as a tool to articulate that. When shit hits the fan, there is some form of creativity that results from it.

JEFF: I was blessed by the fact that I could come down to my home studio every day and express myself through my music.

AMP:  What inspired you to be a musician?

JEFF: For myself, it’s been in my blood since I was a young boy. My parents were working musicians. I grew up with music. There has been a guitar in my hand since I was four. I also play drums. In fact, I was playing drums in my parents’ band when I was eleven. It’s why I get up in the morning. I get up to write and play songs.

MARK: It was a similar story for me. The creative expression rules my life. I only worked a real job for three years of my life. This is all I know.

AMP: Do you feel your new songs are an evolution in style from your previous material?

MARK: I would say so just for the fact we are working together for the first time. The new songs Jeff and I have recently released are our first collaborations together as artists. It’s definitely an evolution. We are a new team. Every time you do something new you grow from it.

JEFF: In the earlier versions of the band, it was solely me writing both the music and the lyrics. Now, Mark, David and Frankie all contribute in the creation of our sound.

AMP: If you could collaborate with any one artist who would it be?

MARK: I would go with Dave Grohl. I think the guy is an outstanding personality outside of his music. He’s a hero of mine.

JEFF: There are so many artists that come to mind. Being a guitarist, Michael Schenker is one of my all time heroes. As far as full bands go, I love Queen. Simply because of their diversity. Their music encompasses so many different styles. I think Brian May is a genius.

AMP: Is there a specific song, album, performer or live show that guided your musical taste?

JEFF: For me, it would have to be UFO’s album, Obsession. It was their best studio album. I would also say that UFO’s live album, Strangers In the Night, was another huge influence on me.

MARK: There are so many! I have to go back to when I was fourteen. Lenny Williams and Tower of Power really influenced me. Their album Back to Oakland really guided my musical sensibilities.

AMP: How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

MARK: Better than anything else you ever heard!

JEFF: I can’t top that answer!

AMP When the band hangs out together, who gets the drinks, who cracks the jokes, and who is the the first to crank out the acoustic guitar for a jam?

MARK: The acoustic guitar would have to be Jeff. The jokes would be Frank. I very seldom drink. When we play a gig I wouldn’t drink before the show but afterwards I think we all raise a glass of top shelf whiskey.

JEFF: It’s kind of a ritual. No drinks before a show but a celebratory shot for a great performance.

AMP: Looking back on  your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep and you would like to have a do over?

MARK: I think I would have invested in my musical education earlier. I would have spent more time studying musical instrumentation and sound recording techniques. The earlier you do, the better is your foundation. It would help you get to where you want to go faster.

JEFF: I don’t recollect any missteps. For me it’s a constant learning experience. Like Mark, I would have liked to get to the engineering aspects a bit earlier.

AMP: Describe your favorite and least favorite part of being a musician?

JEFF: My favorite thing is getting on stage and playing in front of people. It is a amazing high for me. Least favorite is hauling all that equipment to that stage.

MARK: I concur with Jeff. Another favorite thing is when your art connects with someone. It could be a complete stranger. When someone come up to you and tells your how your music affected them, that’s magic. Music can trigger someone’s memory to a specific time in their life. Ocassionally, I meet someone who tells me how a certain show or song helps them remember what they were experiencing at that moment. The music is embedded in their life’s soundtrack. That’s truly becoming part of someone’s life. That’s the best there is. On the negative side, I don’t like the musical competition that sometimes arises. I like to collaborate, not compete.

AMP: Where do you envision the band to be in the next few year?

JEFF: That’s a good question! We have our E.P. being released on Sept. 23rd. We have enough new material for a full album. Hopefully we will be playing bigger and better venues. I would also like to see us doing some additional touring.

MARK: I’m looking for a space shuttle tour. Maybe to Mars. Something really out of this world. In reality, I agree with Jeff. Continue to move forward trying to book better shows. I want to break out of this pandemic with something strong. Something with juice. Hopefully, the pandemic will be a thing of the past and the aperture will open wide for musicians. I am looking forward to that!

AMP would like to thank Jeff and Mark for their time and energy. There is one thing we would like you to do. if you are on Facebook, please join both the RoxyRoll Drive and Friends of Myampmusic.co Facebook groups. They are there to strengthen the music industry and bring musicians and bands closer together.

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To learn more about The Guitar And Whiskey Club, Check out the Website!

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Stream music:  Spotify / Apple Music /  Soundcloud

Purchase: Amazon / Bandcamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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