10 questions - interview with Shades Wade

Tonight we gonna venture into the ultraworld of the Unobvious. Richmond, Virginia based Shades Wade, a ma of many talents and multi-instrumental, anti-generic approach opens his vault to share some of his thoughts on music and philosophy of living and composing.

1.People who compose or improvise within a framework of modern contemporary improvised experimental music cite some experiences with music or in their life as the factor of inspiration? What about you? How did it start with making music in your case?

Well my stories roots are in general rhythm. around age 14 i felt a urge to play the drums, it just seemed like something amazingly fun and foreign to me. i was going to a private school at the time and they required you to play an instrument. i took up the snare drum. and it was as fun as watching paint dry. about a year and a half later i got my first drum kit and it all snowballed from there. jamming playing around making little dinky high school bands. somehow i morphed into a guitar player a bass player a pianist a vocalist an everything basically. whatever i can get my hands or feet on...

2. The world is going through probably one of the worst moments of history, rather than the end of the world I think we are about to enter a new dimension of thought. what moves you going out of bed every morning? What are your thoughts on the status quo of things?

I definitely have to concur that we are going through disenchanting times filled with injustice. as far as my patience and drive go i try and keep them intact with a good shelf of records, good conversation, cigarettes and coffee, and searching for the remaining unique gems this planet has to offer. if one were to fix things, i think it would have to involve destroying all of this technological advancement. but then again even before technological advancements humans had problems. maybe one day we will get it right…

3. How does your music resonate with your personal philosophy ? Do you try to separate sociological/philosophical aspects from your music, leaving it rather to a vast terrain of associations generated by a listener's mind?

for me my music is definitely very personal, but at the exact same time i feel like it belongs to the universe or an infinite entity. i find myself improvising 99% of the time, like some sort of cosmic midwife. my goal with my music is pure expression. i use it as a primary vehicle for my expression. my earliest vehicle for creativity and expression was drawing and painting. i relate the way i make music to how a painter paints, people either like it or they don’t. theres no good or bad, all open to interpretation. keep in mind there’s actually people that think Frank Zappa isn’t talented haha.

4. Nature vs. Culture. Who is an artist?

I will definitely have to side with Nature. culture has some good things that have come out of it, but with those few good things came a lot of negative qualities. nature has always been the same (untainted,unpredictable,and volatile!). as far as who is an artist? i would have to say one who is completely true to their soul’s calling and urges and will not compromise these needs. when people ask me what music i listen to i will usually say “anything diverse..” or “unique music”. if you got that going , then I’m game…

5. How would you describe the masculine or androgynous aspect of creativity and relate it to your work?

well other then the fact that i am a soul inside a male human body, i try not to think about male or female aspects of creativity. in my eyes anyone is capable of doing anything they want to achieve. i tend to stray away from music genres that are gender biased and regulatory. music is a key to total freedom, not restriction and discrimination…

6. Imagine you can create your own island including your dreams, emotions, positive projections. How would it look like?

To sum it up without taking hours, Tamriel haha!

7. Interaction with other musicians - what is important for you to make a collaboration a worthwhile quality?

A good collaboration in my opinion has to come from a quality friendship. the music should be a byproduct of that healthy growth and longevity. anything else is just a job for sole entertainment(and i can’t stand that shit!)

8. Can you relate yourself to any kind of esoteric understanding of your creative process?

Like i said briefly in question 3, i improvise about 99% of the time. i also primarily record in some permanent technical homage to Captain Beefheart. he would do his overdubs blindly. its like every track has to be its own amazing track. so then you layer them over top of each other and you have a chance that it will sound epicly weird and amazingly subconsciously genius, OR A BIG MESS. i guess it comes down to taste and patience, but i think a lot of subconscious goods of value have churned themselves out of this studio. definitely gives me the vibe of esoteric business! anything on my albums except for some of the first early ones has been nothing but this method of recording. even if things sound together. they didn’t hear each other cognitively. crazy shit right?

9. What does "peace" means to you?

Unity of freedom, tranquility, no struggles, no worries at the moment, and stuff along that order. we need more of it!

10. How do you communicate with the idea of musical development in the years to come?

In  a technological aspect i think music has come a long long long way. it seems like every day a new kid in his garage is whipping up something good. Sky's the limit at this point. if you can’t do it now its your own ignorance haha. in regards to music in the genres and current stuff, not so much. music in some pockets of time is amazing to me, but I don’t see enough bands doing their own thing. seems like everyone wants to be someone else. be true to yourself! if you search hard enough you will definitely find some talented people out there not getting enough credit. just make sure to turn off your television when searching! and seeing as this is our last question i will bid you a good afternoon and thanks so much for taking interest in me Hubert!