MB1. In your work as a music teacher with at risk children and also as a teacher with prisoners, what did you notice about how music changed lives in a positive or even therapeutic way?

BM1. I found music brought them to a place of innocence, fun, and a healthy place in their life where they felt safe and childlike.

MB2.I saw you won a lot of awards for your work with the at risk children, which one (if any) means the most to you and why?

BM2.All the awards that I have been honored with mean the world to me.  It moves my heart to be recognized for the work that I do with at-risk children.

MB3. Lets talk about Don’t Shoot I’m The Guitar Man. When you were asked to teach music and eventually perform at San Quentin prison were you influenced in anyway to say “yes” knowing Johnny Cash and Jerry Garcia had performed in prisons?

BM3. No, it never entered my mind about Johnny Cash or Jerry Garcia.  I knew when I was asked that it was an incredible opportunity that I had to do.

MB4.What inspired you to write this book about your experience?

BM4. I didn’t realize while I was in the parking lot relaying my messages and stories into a tape player that thes would become a book that would be read around the world.  My intention was just to remember the prison stories so that I could inform the kids in juvenile hall that going to prison is not a badge of honor.

MB5. In your book, you mentioned the word “freedom” a lot, what is one part for your life of freedom you will never take for granted again?

BM5. The word freedom means eating what I want, when I want, sleeping in my own bed, having the freedom to wear what I want, go where I want, and have self-expression.

MB6.Do you think that teaching at risk children and prisoners has made you more sensitive or  desensitized to the “troubles” of the world?

BM6. Absolutely more sensitive; my heart is very in tune with the troubles of the world today.

MB7. If you could put together any band, who would be in and what would your name be?

BM7. Tom Hamilton on bass and Joey Kramer on drums from Aerosmith, Slash on lead guitar, Sheila E on drums, Keith Richards on Lead Guitar, Edgar Winter on keyboards and saxophone. The Buzzy Martin Allstars

MB8. I love in your book when you said “share a song with someone everyday” I have adopted this into my life. Do you have any other great advice for us?

BM8. Smiles are free. Remember:  Education-Not-Incarceration Through Love, Hope, Kindness, Respect and Music!

On Friday November 26th I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Mary and her sweet worker bee ladies at Follow The Honey in Cambridge Mass. Follow The Honey is a store that sells all bee-related products. These products include books, candles, body care stuff, and different honey from all over the world. The store has honey on tap, and a bar for honey tastings! That is true you can try any honey they have in stock. DELICIOUS!  Please visit them on Mass Ave in Cambridge Mass. or online at www.followthehoney.com

I didn’t want to leave and am already planning my trip back in February.

1mb. What opportunities does playing a festival give the band as opposed to playing club shows?

There are many advantages, really. Every band there is bringing their own fans, so we get the chance to play in front of a lot of fresh faces. It’s kinda the whole point. The other clear opportunity presented is that of collaborations. With so many talented people hanging around, we get a chance to do something unique onstage with sit-ins. After doing this festival “circuit” now for the better part of 5 years, we are in a position where we can at least ask some of the musicians that we have looked up to from the start if they would like to sit-in. We are no longer just the kids drinking all the beer at the artist hospitality tent, now we are actually getting some recognition from the other artists for the work that we do. It is a great feeling. And we still drink all the beer.

2mb.What are some other bands you were looking forward to seeing at Stir Fry?

I loved seeing Yellow Dubmarine. They do reggae renditions of Beatles tunes: excellent reggae band playing some of the best songs ever written it doesn’t get much better than that. I missed Psychedelphia and Dumpstaphunk due to the weather but they were on my hot list. Also, I felt like a fan as well as a performer playing with Steve Kimock – I mean I was just in awe of his sound and how he used it with our tunes. What an experience!

3mb.How many shows did you guys play last year? Would you rather play more or less, or was that a good amount?

I would have t go back and look but I think around 160. Like I say everyday, “I didn’t wake up today to NOT play music” I normally get stir crazy when I am home for more than a few days, but now we have our own studio in Delray Beach. It is really a dream come true for us. We are self-producing another album right now (Jan 2012) and it’s become hard to leave for tour when we are really hitting in the studio. Our production chops are really building right now so we are aiming to split our touring and recording time up a little better. So, less shows next year – lets go from 160 to 150, haha.

4mb.Your new album, Swim Out Past The Sun is due Oct 22, what can you say about this new recording?

We are super pumped about this record! It is a whole new look from us. It’s an acoustic record – acoustic guitars, pianos, upright bass, and drums – but it still rocks. We had David Grisman come and play mandolin on three tracks. He slays it. It is an honor to have him on the record and it was a tremendous inspiration to get to record with him. We are most excited just to share this record with the world. It is our most cohesive piece and our finest effort to date. There are some really great tunes on it, and I think it is really going to resonate with a lot of people.

5mb.What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while making this album?

The biggest challenge was deciding what to cut from it. Not only tunes but layers of instruments and voices, too. We wanted to strip it down and really let the tunes shine, and we got there. We were working with the Grammy winning producer/engineer team of Scott Mathews and Tom Luekens, so the normal organizational burden we have when recording was not our responsibility. We got to focus on our performances in the studio instead of worrying about all that needed to be done, so that was really refreshing.

6mb.What Heavy Pets show stands out most in your mind?

Oh fun. We do this as a band at the end of every year. We call it the JOTY awards, and we laugh about doing it like some stuffy, ass grabbing awards show. We all put in our picks for the Hillary Rodham Clinton Show of the Year (SOTY) the Samuel L. Jackson Jam of the Year (JOTY) or the Ladybird Johnson Sit in of the Year (SIOTY), etc. This year, I would say highlights were our 10/1 Stir Fry set with Kimock, Our 9/23 Buffalo show, or for the JOTY any number of jams from one of our Key West appearances. That place seems to bring out the best in us.

7mb.What is one album or song you secretly love that you will only reveal to us at Glide Magazine?

How about Death Cab for Cutie – ” Will Follow You Into the Dark.”

8mb.What do you think is the best movie soundtrack?

Ooh – I love what RZA did with the Kill Bill soundtracks. And Jon Brion killed it with the I Heart Huckabees soundtrack too. And of course The Big Lebowski… ’nuff said.

9mb.What do you like the most about the fall season?

Traditionally – pie. Apple, Pumpkin… gimme, gimme. Now, I live in Florida so it isn’t the same, but it does get gorgeous here in the Fall. The heat breaks and you get a cool breeze, and I can actually stand going to the beach. My folks still live in NY and I spend so much time on the road anyway I get to feel the seasons change like eight times a year. I get to swim in a lake, I get my pie, I get to help shovel the driveway, I get to ski, and if my timing is right I get to help my folks deck out the house for the holidays.

10mb. The one thing I could never live without while on the road is my…………..????

My guitar, haha. After that, and as lame as it is, my computer and our MiFi card. We get so caught up doing what we do, and it is my only way of staying connected with those that I love whom I never get to spend enough time with. I get to connect with family and friends while we are cruising up I-95. It’s priceless. Oh and socks – I always bring tons and tons of socks. I usually buy a couple dozen pairs of cheapies before every tour. Fresh socks are like currency amongst my band-mates on the road – it’s the sock standard.

I read that you started taking photographs of musicians at the age of 16. What was your Dad’s reaction when you told him you needed to borrow his camera to go take photos of the Grateful Dead?

He was fine. He trusted me…not sure why. There was certainly no clear path for him to see that lending me his professional 35mm camera could lead to a photography career for me.

At what point in your life did you realize that you could make a living out of taking photos?

It took a long time! Even after ten years of doing nothing else but shooting pictures for a living I was still always scared about going on vacation and missing a call for a shoot/job…but after a certain point you have to get over that fear. Also at a certain point I realized I was unemployable in any other capacity so had no choice but to make it work. And not as a “hobby” but as a sustainable business, which is why it’s important for younger shooters to understand the business side of things. Unless you don’t care about having another job to pay your bills and shooting for fun…but then you have to be careful about not ruining it for others by giving your photography away when you should be paid for it.

Have you met any musicians that were camera shy?

Many – but for many different reasons…some just dont know how to be in front of a camera, but then there are people like Neil Young, or Santana, or Jerry Garcia that did photo shoots for 30-50 years and are just “over it”…It might be the photographer’s first time shooting Neil and that photographer wants it  to be brilliant, but all Neil wants to do is go have lunch.

You have a few different books out and you can find your work all over the music world, in your eyes what makes a photo tell the story you want it to for a particular project?

I have always liked to tell a story with multiple images. That’s how my books flow…some people call that bad or loose editing…but when you go to a festival, or shoot a show, or spend ten hours doing a portrait session with an artist, it is impossible for it to boil down to one image. For portraits it’s different then a performance, and for documentary, it’s also different. But ultimately you want your photos to be engaging!

When you are in the pit is there competition between photographers or what is the relationship amongst you and them?

Of course there is, but those people are scared. I don’t feel like I am in competition with any of them, but they might feel differently towards me because maybe they want the assignment I have. There used to be a ton of “REAL” photo assignments for festivals, or shows…by real I mean print magazines or record companies, or artists that were paying you real money to work for them – where you actually had to be brilliant or you don’t get to work for them again. Now 95% of the photographers have “fake” assignments: mostly online and mostly for free or on spec for an agency. Most concert photography is very mediocre at best, so it’s become a cheap commodity. I used to do assignments for Rolling Stone Magazine where I had $5000 budgets to shoot a festival…today, you are lucky if you can get $500 from any magazine. So there is nothing to compete for anymore…maybe a few pennies here and there, maybe better access, but that doesn’t pay your bills.

What advice do you have for young photographers looking to get into the business of photography?

There is no money to be made as a live shooter. Learn how to light, be creative, make better more unique photos then others and maybe you can succeed professionally, creatively and financially.

You do portraits and live show shots, what are some likes and dislikes of both?

I love both – I don’t like shooting shows anymore if I can only have three songs, which is why 95% of what I shoot now are with artists that I have relationships with and can shoot whole shows, on stage, backstage, etc. I love doing portraits…it lets me be in control of the creative 100%. Artists today are not so used to great portrait photography because there is not as much of it because there are less magazine assignments. A lot of it is quickie backstage shots, and not spending 5-8 hours with an artist crafting a look and feel and vibe.

Before there was online marketing what were some ways that worked for you in getting your name out to musicians?

Word of mouth, photo credits, advertising in source books. You really are only as good as your last job/shoot, so kick ass and they will come back…be mediocre and you will have a hard time getting that next assignment…

I read that even if you are a fan of a band you would not let that come across in conversation with them. BUT, is there anyone you could not help it and said something funny or embarrassing out of being nervous?

Not sure if I would be nervous with anyone. I’m sure I have said some dumb shit…

Orlando is working on a new CD and is in the process of deciding whether to release it as double CD or two seperate ones. If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Orlando also has a Dylan tribute album in the works.

1.You are coming to Vermont in May. What is one of the best memories you have from Burlington VT?

Playing Club Metronome and Toast with the original Strangefolk before there was a Jamband scene.  I really love those guys!  Always had a great time with them!

2.How would you describe Burlington VT to someone who has never been here or heard of it?

Pretty much like Boulder,CO, Athens,GA and Charlottesville,VA but wicked cold in the winter!!!  Always thought the music scene was great. Very supportive!

3.You have three albums coming out. Tell us about these albums.

Well the first two may be one.  I haven’t decided whether I would like to do a double album or two different albums.  The songs are so different from each other that I see them as twodifferent Albums but it would be cool to release one Double with 2 totally different sounds.  One side would be very folkie and the other would be an Organic Electronic album. The next one is a Tribute to Bob Dylan.  I have been covering his songs for years and just love them all.  So I figured it was time to pay homage to the genius that he is!  The Dylan album will only be available through my website for free download.

4.What is an interesting story about how one of your songs came about?

One of my favorite new songs I wrote the words to a while ago.  What I do is channel my music.  I don’t plan it out or write it out.  When the moment hits I just surrender to it and let it fly.  So that is what I did and later on I was drinking a beer from Ommegang Brewery and there was a quote from Marcel Proust on the bottle.  The quote is a line in my song “New World”. It made me laugh cause I have written songs with Marcel’s help before but didn’t recognize it was him that time.  He’s been dead for a very long time so it’s nice that he can still write through other people.  He is very cosmic in nature!

5.You are calling the sound of your music Organica Groove, what does this mean to you?

What it is is my voice, an acoustic guitar, and harmonica backed up by a program called Ableton Live!  So it sort of reminds me of electronica music but it really is so organic and intuitive that it’s hard to say that it is electronica, so I call it Organica Groove cause it’s very trans like but with melody and lyrics.   It’s far to acoustic to be electronica.  It’s better to just experience it and come to your own conclusions.

6.If you could put together your own “dream band” with any musicians(EVER) who would be in this dream band and what would your name be?

That’s easy … Lewi Longmire on guitar and pedal steel, James Whiton on double bass, Steve Drizos on percussion, Crissy Noel on Vocals, Brian Lauri on Keys, and Greg Evans on drums.  This band would be out of control wonderful! Yeah so the name would have to be “Out of Control Wonderful”

7.It’s a beautiful summer day, you are on a relaxing drive, what album are you listening to?

That depends on what part of the country I’m in.  But in a general sense … Grateful Dead American Beauty!

8.What is your favorite childhood memory?

Getting my first guitar and amplifier!  I think I slept with my guitar that night! It changed my life!

9.What are a few things you are really looking forward to on this spring/summer solo tour?

Just playing music and seeing old friends and making new ones!  That is my favorite part of touring. Re-connecting with the people you only get to see when you travel.  Plus touring and playing live is very healing for my being!  In the moment the whole time!!!

10.If I never have to ???? again I will be the happiest man alive!

See, hear or feel people suffer in anyway!

What is one thing you look forward to when coming back to Vermont?

EVERYTHING! The drive, even in the snow, its beautiful.  6yrs ago when we first started touring Vermont was one of the first places we started spending a lot of time this has become like a second home, whenever we come here we are always surrounded by friends and family. 
 
In September of 2010 you released your 2nd studio album TK2. What are you most proud of with this album?

The whole of it, I feel its a cohesive piece of work, it was a serendipitous moment in time.  We went into the studio and right off the bat our creative energy was in a good place. Its really interesting how the creative process works, sometimes its like rolling the dice! It was a blessing to have a full six weeks in the studio, all the same its still a given amount of time that you have to work on something. We were in a good spot, for example the last song on the album was made on the very first day with out any planning, we just said “lets go make some noises” and that song is literally the first notes of the first day. We also got a chance to start branching out, and incorporate some instruments we have not had included before. It feels really good, I am so excited to get it out! 
 
Your shows really take the crowd on a musical journey, what important role do the instruments Kora and Kamel N Goni play in this journey?

They are the voice of our west african influences and roots of inspiration. We have been listening to west african music since we were young and working on jam band ensemble type of music but as we grew up we got more into the melodic side of playing. It was in 2001 we went to Guinea and we started studying Kora and Justin just dove right into it after playing percussion all his life, which is amazing! Its the voice of our teachers, it connects us to our teachers, to our travels and our friends over seas. Its just the spirit of the instruments and there connection with the instruments we grew up with, it brings it all full circle. 
 
Newsweek recognized you as one of the leading bands connecting African music and Western pop music. Although the term “afro-pop” can be traced back to the 1920′s why do you think its most prominent now(if you think that)?

I do think that. I think that part of the reason its prominent or even exploding right now is because its amazing music. However when we were younger there were only a handful of  record companies that were releasing popular music from all over Africa and the entire rest of the world and put them all under one genre “world music” There is sort of a paradigm shift there as far as the language of music and sort of idiosyncratic styles from different places.  Also with You Tube and the
internet and that aspect of globalization I feel like its so much more accessible. With these technologies its also easier for people to get their hands on all different kinds of music and they can make their own decision about it, rather than go by what a handful of people are listening to.
 
You guys do so much traveling what are some things you do to stay grounded in a life style so chaotic?

We drink lots of tea and coffee, get sleep, take naps and get rest whenever we can find it. It is very difficult to stay grounded and not get lost on an emotional and physical level. Its sort of a gypsy life-style. We say hello and goodbye to people in the same day. When its all said and done the one thing that keeps us grounded is the music, its the one thing that is familiar and keeps us centered, its the most important thing. 
 
What is one thing you learned about America from your travels through different parts of Africa?

The American Dream is a beautiful thing, and opportunity is real here.  We have realized that is healthy to be thankful for the good stuff we have. I don’t mean in the term of objects, but things like roads that are safe and  the ability to get from end of the country to the other pretty safely. On the flip side of it I also realize that as a culture we live in a fortress sort of life-style. We get home from work and go inside and lock the door behind us, it is sort of a lonely culture where in Africa community and the strength of family is the most important part of their life. 
 
Can you tell us what is unique and special about your own festival Manifestivus?

Its a great family run, celebratory event. We put so much energy into providing the best environment, experience and music to the festival. We make memories that the crowd and bands will remember. The site is set in beautiful Vermont.
 
What is one of the earliest music business mistakes that you will never make again?

There are so many to choose from! In any business, as in life, mistakes are made. I am really do not regret any mistakes we made. I just hope we are learning from them all. Sometimes mistakes can seem larger then others to certain people but they have all been lessons to be learned and some of them took longer to learn, but we are still here and still playing music. I think sometimes we can be indecisive about things, some are smaller decisions like our routing or other times more
serious decisions need to be made. 
 
If you could ask any musician any question, who would it be and what you would ask them?

I would show up in Rome and ask Django Reinhardt (or anybody that I am thinking about for this question) I would want to ask “what their favorite child hood memory is?”
 
The best part about being in Toubab Krewe is…..

The blessing of being able to follow your passion and to be able to creatively work and play everyday and to experience the days, months and years with anticipation of music making and celebration. Music is medicine. Creative arts has been my life passion. I am very lucky.

1. I love the story on your website about how you had to use the studios’ front lounge and the bathroom in the recording process of your latest album National Bohemian. Can you tell us how that affected your album?

Steve (Berlin) is a creative genius, he was able to help us capture all sort of different sounds and vibes through many ideas.  Some of which were using the physical space around us.  The studio isn’t big, but had all the typical rooms for live and dead sounds.  But the bathroom, hallways, lobby, and even the front street outside had their own sounds and vibes that we tried to capture in different tunes.  Sometimes this was out of lack of recording space, because we had many things being recorded at once that needed isolation.  Other times, it was for creative experimentation.  One time, Steve asked Cris to literally lie down outside by the curb and whisper a vocal track into a mic, capturing the sounds of cars and street noise in the background.

2.What is your favorite Bridge song to play?

This changes night to night, and room to room.  When the vibe is right, an acoustic song like “Long Way to Climb” can fill the room with warmth, not a dry eye in the house.  But a late night party crowd, whether that be at a festival or a crowded bar or theater, sometimes the highlights are foot stompers like “Rosie” or “Dirtball Blues.”  A good jam like “Sanctuary” also can bring down the house and leave us and the audience gasping for air.

3.I noticed you guys like your beer, even naming your new album after one of your favorites. What is one of the best breweries you have been to?

We enjoy a libation or two, however the album title actually, albeit a reference to the great Baltimore beer, is more of a nod to the meaning of those two words. National Bohemian, out of the context of a beer title we feel helps describe our traveling artistic lifestyle.  I am not a huge beer guy, (sorry), but we always have fun at the Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg, PA.

4.When you played the all request show, what were some of the most obscure request you were asked to play?

People asked for old obscure songs that we haven’t played in years, and some people would ask for contemporary covers that I’m sure they would like to hear, but it just aint happening…everything from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga.

5.What is a music business risk you took and are so glad you did?

I am glad that I decided to join this band.   It is not a huge risk, I was a huge fan before i was a member.  However my previous band was my childhood band that i had formed with my best friends, and although it was kind of an easy decision, it was incredibly difficult to leave your boys like that.

6.What are some preparations you make at home before hitting the road for tour?

I like to spend quality time with my friends and family most importantly. Maybe a nice dinner with my beautiful wife.  And then I stock up on tour essentials: new music, movies, books, toiletries, clean laundry, and nudie mags.

7.What is your favorite “made for movie’ song of all time?

Thats a hard one.  I would have to say its a tie between “Under the Sea”, from The Little Mermaid, and “The Spanish Inquisition”, from Mel Brook’s History of the World Part I.

8.Who are some of the bass players that influenced you the most? -

I spent a lot of time listening to, and trying to emulate many players, some of whom are Phil Lesh, George Porter Jr., Jaco Pastorius, and Vic Wooten to name a brief few.

9.What is one thing you want us to know about The Bridge?

We are all amateur tightrope dancers.