Interview with Butterfly Tree
Interview with Butterfly Tree
Submitted by: Cj DeBard / Internet Publicist-Butterfly Tree Date: Wednesday September 2, 1998 How would you classify your music? Dana Davis : symphonic pop Rick del Castillo : popera Do you all have day jobs and if so whay do you do? Dana : odd things, something that always has a change of scenery. Rick : I'm a guitar and bass instructor plus I produce and engineer demos and albums here at Smilin' Castle Productions. How did the band get together? Dana : Are we a band? Hmmm...There is only two of us, you know! Actually Rick and I have known, or known of, each other for a very long time. There is this club in Houston called Backstage and I was in a band called "Blacksheep" with Lynda Millard from Velvet Hammer, guitar whiz Marzi Montesserri, and Blas Elias from Slaughter on drums. Rick was in a terrific band called "Akasha" and we opened for them. We went on to follow each others tracks through a series of clubs and somehow after years, and many changes, we both landed in Seattle at the same time. He had written these amazing classical pieces, and I couldn't help but hear words and melodies everywhere. We also began writing with another friend, Jon Davis. Rick had his studio and he started arranging and playing most of the parts on these wonderful songs, that basically I could just come in and sing to. After both of us migrated to Austin, we started working on the Butterfly Tree album in earnest. Rick : I had this music and named it "love" and I gave it to Dana to see what she thought. She came back with these amazing lyrics and melodies. So I tried it again to see if it was just luck. This time she came up with, "The Sound Of Breathing", and again, more incredible lyrics and melodies. I knew then that this was the stuff you just don't find but once in a millenium... well in our case, three times in a millenium. So we took it from there. What are your musical backgrounds? Dana : My mom, dad, step-mom and uncle were all opera singers, so I heard a lot of that growing up. I have had a crazy ride in music, from piano bars, jingles, top 40 to country to heavy metal. I really began writing during the Velvet Hammer period, which spanned from '89, off and on til January of this year ('98.) Rick : I was influenced mainly by my uncle, "Wayne The Harpe" and my brothers and sister in the early stages. They all played guitar. I played in rock bands all through my teen years and into my twenties. Switched to blues and Butterfly Tree four years ago. Now it's just the Tree. What kind of music do you like to listen to when you're not playing? Dana : Classical music mostly, and my faves: David Bowie circa "Hunky Dory" to "Young Americans" Kate Bush, a band called Green Crown, and the incredible "King's X." Rick : Uli Roth, The Beatles, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, most classical. I pretty much enjoy everything except rap. What do you do to relax? Dana : I paint, mostly...photography, spend time at home, write songs. Rick : write, record... record... overdub... record… mix.... then, go to the movies! If you had the chance to jam with any band, who would that be? Dana : Got to do it, actually... jammed with King's X one night. Would love to jam with Ann and Nancy Wilson (HEART) Rick : Queen, if Freddie were still alive. King's X, (if only I knew the chords to "Goldilox" it would've happened), the london philharmonic, AC/DC (if Bon were still with us) but mostly, Uli Roth. What's the best thing that has ever happened to you? Dana : Life. And it is still happening. Rick : being born. What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Dana : Things happen, if you don't learn from their happening, you might be able to find a "worse" case scenario... but I try to see the lessons in tough situations, which we all get to grow from. Rick : I'm pretty fortunate. Things have come along and knocked my wind out but like Dana said, you just experience it and then you grow because of it. I thank God daily for the gifts He's given me. Who writes the songs? Dana : We both do. Rick : Ditto Where do you get your inspiration from? Dana : Everything; the green of the trees, the sound of the rain...I like to tell the stories of places I have been and people who have come into my life. I find great inspiration in the art of writers like Oscar Wilde and Marion Zimmer Bradely. My favorite part of writing is finding an archetypal reflection in a personal experience, and therefore universalizing your emotion into a story which others can relate to on many levels. Rick : life, friendships. Most of my inspiration comes from a longing for "knowing"....ya know what I mean? I can't write about trivial stuff. Who thought of the band's name and how did you choose it? Dana : I first heard the words "Butterfly Tree" in a book by Tom Robbins called, "Another Roadside Attraction." He talked of the migration of the monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico and back . They have a genetic memory that leads them to visit the same trees, generation after generation. The concept for me in a musical sense is to create a sound that is, "Remembering what you have never heard… but always known." Like the butterfly that recognizes a tree it has never seen before. Rick : that was Dana's gem. We really didn't toss around any other names (not that I can remember). As soon as she mentioned Butterfly Tree, I said, "that was it!" Which are you personal favorite songs and why? Dana :There are so many! "Houdini" by Kate Bush is a masterpiece of music and story... as is her "O England, My Lionheart". "Mistral Wind" by HEART, for similar reasons that relate to the idea of the inter-weaving of the archetypal and personal. I also am in love with one of Rick's songs for the new album, "Letter to God," it makes me feel warm whenever I hear it. Has the same effect on me as John Lennons', "Across the Universe." Rick : as far as B-Tree goes, I love the sheer intensity of "Circle" and "Sound Of Breathing" . I can feel the moisture in the air whenever I hear "...Breathing" and the universal truth to "Love." Anything Uli Roth put out post Scorpions just takes me out there. "You Take My Breath Away" by Queen and "Strawberry Fields" by The Beatles because I just love John's play on words. Do you play many gigs and if so where? Dana : We are really concentrating on the recording aspect right now. But we're doing some festivals, local shows. ---*Cj: they also performed for CapZeyeZ an hour live television broadcast here in Austin, Texas. What is your view of the music scene in Austin, Texas? Dana : we live in Austin, Texas...and although there is a lot of music coming out of here, it is all very compartmentalized into types of music. The blues scene, the rock scene, country, etc. We are very different from most of what is around us. Rick : VERY different indeed! It's amazing the style of music we're coming up with in the environment we're living in. the scene here is hopping but there's really no industry. -----*Cj:as for industry people, they come out during SXSW-South By South West. Big film and music conference held in March every year in Austin. Thousands show up for this event. A musicians dream and nightmare at the same time! ------ What band would you say has had most influence on you? Dana : Many, over the years, but my greatest influence is whomever I am working with. Rick : oh, probably The Beatles, Queen and Stevie Ray. In my "rock years" I was heavily under the influence of King's X. What are your plans for the future? Dana : finishing up this new record, and writing as much as we can. I would love to see us tour, and would most especially like to perform in the U.K. There is so much I would like to see there, Glastonbury, Tintagel....Wales. Rick : definitely like to get this new album (and the 1st too) in the hands of people who could help us get it heard on a mass scale. I would also like to see us tour with a small orchestra, especially in the U.K. Dana and I both have an affinity for Europe. Any last words or remarks? Dana :Thanks for talking with us, Derek, and your interest in what we are doing. Hope we can do this again in person someday. Rick : thanks for this interview and your interest. Rick del Castillo and Dana Davis / BUTTERFLY TREE To remember what you have never heard… but always known. The sound of the continuing journey to the ONE * TRUTH * LOVE. http://listen.to/butterflytree |