Interview with Bob Westlake
Hi, I’m Kelly. I am a songwriter of going on 30+ years. Now I spend a lot of time talking to and writing about musicians, songwriters, and artists. I sent some questions to Bob Westlake. He has this great song called “Hurricane Circles” that to me is in a category of art rock that we haven’t seen much of lately. It is welcome in the shadows for sure. There’s a poetry in the lyrics that is thoughtful and non-materialist. There’s care in the melody to “keep it real.” And, as you’ll find out, there’s the spirit of collaboration. “Hurricane Circles” won the top spot, and an interview with the shadows. Here goes:
- I was drawn to Mimi Wagners voice here but before I was introduced to her, I heard these sound effects like a motor starting up. Can we start with talking about that?
I was puzzled by this question so listened to the song. I think what you hear is the recording of a horse neighing and then galloping away but listening again I can understand as it does sound a bit like a car lol. Why I included this will become clear further in the article.
- I think it’s wonderful that you won with this song, congratulations. I would have thought right from the beginning vocal chorus of this song that we were listening to a mid 70’s Patti Smith record. There’s a blend of poetry in the lyrics she sings that aren’t what you normally hear nowadays. Can you talk about the lyrics of the song? Who wrote them? And the challenges of bringing poetry to a song?
Mimi Wagner wrote the lyrics to an instrumental track I had written which I called Cherokee Clouds, as it seemed to have a North American Native Indian feel to it, particularly because I had recorded a slow chanting type drum beat for the song, since replaced with a proper drum track. Hence the horse sound effect. She loved the instrumental and told me that she listened to it, captured the mood of the song which then inspired a visualisation of the lyrics. Once she had written the lyrics she renamed the song Hurricane Circles. She doesn't write lyrics per se as she is more of a novelist and is on the brink of finalising and publishing her first novel.
- I’m a guitar guy. I work at a guitar shop. I’m interested in anything you’d like to divulge about the guitar work in this song, mainly regarding your approach in creating parts.
Like many of my songs I often start with a riff that has been in my head for a day or sometimes decades! For this song I had two progressions that I joined together and then added an intro with phasing , reverb etc.
- This chorus gets stuck in my head. When you’re writing, are you conscious of that? Or was one just caught out of thin air, as can happen in my experience? Would you care to talk about your songwriting process? Is it the same for every song?
My song writing process is to write instrumentals. I often start with a riff or a chord progression, lay that down then develop lead, bass, keys etc over the top. I rarely have a defined chorus when I am writing allowing the creative process to flow naturally from the progressions I have laid down and build the song up layer by layer. So yes, more out of thin air. I then share the song with either Mimi or another poet and lyricist friend Geoff Paice and ask them "do you have any lyrics to suit this music". Geoff has written over 1000 sets of lyrics and he is always badgering me to write music for them but my process is music first, lyrics second.
Mimi has a different approach. I send her the instrumental and then she gets inspired to write bespoke lyrics - quite poetic lyrics.
- Can you tell us a little bit about your band? Is there a core group or do you work with the same folks all the time?
I am a one-man band playing all the instruments with the addition of one guitar solo that my great buddy Pete Harmer laid down for me on I Gave You Took. The one exception to this is drums. I am not a great drummer so will bring in a drummer to lay down some drum tracks . Modern technology means we can share music files and mix them without sometimes never meeting which wasn't physically possible when in lockdown here in the U.K. I work with the two lyricists, Mimi and Geoff plus 3 singers Mimi Wagner, Hels Harmer and Raquel Percuic who are all personal friends and all brilliant vocalists. I feel quite blessed.
- How do you feel about sharing your musical influences? Is there anything you’d to tell us about who left a mark on ya?
Well growing up in the 60s and 70s I guess inevitably means I am subconsciously influenced by that era. Rock, folk and prog rock feature heavily in my listening tastes. In particular Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd and I love Roger Waters solo work. That is where I probably get my thoughts on including sound effects from, such as the horse galloping. I also love the more melodic symphonic metal songs of Nightwish and Within Temptation for example. One of my instrumental songs on the album Songs from the Pump House released in July I named NightMic because when it was finished and I was listening to it I could hear influences from Nightwish and Mike Oldfield so named it as a sort of homage.
- Many of our songs feature geographical locations either outright in the lyrics, or subtly in how they sound. Can you talk about where you live and if it winds up in your music?
I live in the West Country in England, UK. I don't think where I live has influenced my music other than perhaps because I live in the countryside some of my songs have turned out maybe mellower as I have gone along reflecting on the peace and tranquillity.
- Is there anything you’d like our readers to know about your musical journey in particular? Have you been in other bands? Do you record at home? Do you play live? What is a philosophical approach you take to every song? Is there anything you’d like to mention along those lines to give our readers an over arching aspect to your music?
I have been playing guitar since I was 13 or 14 and I am still learning! I have played in a couple of pub bands in the early days and more recently have got together with buddies for ad hoc gigs. Along with Raquel we formed an acoustic duo and we have done several gigs in and around the town where we live. We were particularly honoured to be asked by the Town Council to play at the official street party for HM the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the summer. An amazing experience.
All my songs are recorded in a room in house which houses all the equipment - I can't claim it is a recording studio but that's the purpose it serves 🙂. It has one absolutely essential feature - a door! My house is home to several rescue cats and apart from not wanting unintentional cat meows on a recording they just love to jump up on the laptop when I am working and that can cause utter mayhem lol.
My philosophical approach to songs is to grow them organically. Start with a seed of a riff or an unusual chord then just be inspired and let it grow. I think the only exception to this approach is when Geoff and I specifically set out to write a traditional Christmas song - It's Christmas Time.
I go for as few takes as possible. Several of the songs are recorded first time and I don't think I have ever re-recorded a section more than 3 times. I do not seek perfection - I prefer a natural almost live feel to the music.
- Thanks so much for answering these questions. It means a lot to us to get to read about the minds and insight of musicians and songwriters.
We’d love to know where to find all your stuff and hear what’s on the horizon.
I am on all streaming platforms as follows :-
Bob Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/
Bob ITunes
https://music.apple.com/gb/
Bob You Tube Topic
Raquel and Bob can be found here
i celebrate this brilliant Blog Spot🥳...great work over a great artist👍😎
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