{"id":15587,"date":"2016-07-24T20:32:44","date_gmt":"2016-07-25T03:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=15587"},"modified":"2016-07-25T00:11:42","modified_gmt":"2016-07-25T07:11:42","slug":"video-feature-interview-robby-hecht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2016\/07\/video-feature-interview-robby-hecht\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Feature &#038; Interview: ROBBY HECHT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Artist:<strong> \u00a0ROBBY HECHT<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1><strong>Song: \u201cSoon I Was Sleeping\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong>Duet with Rose Cousins<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Directed by Ryan Newman<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dCjLSq6xplM\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>ROBBY HECHT Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cSoon I Was Sleeping\u201d come to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I actually wrote this song over the course of about six years. I had the \u201c<em>put that bottle of whiskey right where she used to kiss me<\/em>\u201d hook for a long time. A while later I finished the whole chorus, and then a couple years after that I mapped out and finished the verses. It\u2019s a country song and it just didn\u2019t fit my 2011 album <em>Last of the Long Days<\/em>, so it was three more years before I included it on my most recent full-length self-titled album in 2014, <em>Robby Hecht<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you choose Rose Cousins for the duet?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I had her sing all the harmonies on the record. I\u2019ve known her for 10 years, and have loved her voice forever. I met her at a NERFA (Folk Alliance) conference\u2014one of the first singer-songwriter people I met\u2014didn\u2019t know there were so many people who do the same thing I do.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15597\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-5-guitar-car-email.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-5 - guitar-car-email\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-5-guitar-car-email.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-5-guitar-car-email-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t say I have a specific process. Usually I\u2019ll start with a couple of lines of words and melody, and build up from there. For me, the words and music are equally important, so I try not to force one to dictate the other. Part of the enjoyment of writing with someone else is that they come in with their own process and their own truths, so you get to learn from them as you write while finding a shared creative place.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can get song ideas from anywhere: observing others, TV shows, other songs, reading articles, etc. When you\u2019re in active songwriting mode, you start to notice metaphorical connections and things you might have complained about or been frustrated with can become productive material for new songs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song that is still a personal favorite.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When I was 20 years old, there was a short period of time during which my sister left home for college and my maternal grandmother died. I could tell it was a tough time for my mom, and it inspired me to try and write a song that would be ambiguous enough to capture the feeling of letting go in both of those situations. I worked for weeks on it, and it ended up being the title track of my first album <em>Late Last Night<\/em>. It\u2019s the oldest song of mine that I still play.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15588\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/late-last-night.jpg\" alt=\"late-last-night\" width=\"220\" height=\"200\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you keep song ideas fresh\u2014and continue to think of new ideas?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At some point, we all have to stop writing the same song about the experience of love and heartbreak. There are tons of ways to stay creative. Co-writing is one way, though you have to make sure you\u2019re really talking and working through the subject, or you\u2019ll both end up falling back on a formula. You have twice as much material to work with if you let each other dig into your real shared experiences. This applies to solo writing as well. If you don\u2019t give yourself the time and focus to get into a deep internal space, you\u2019ll never be able to mine out the best ideas. In regular speech, we communicate best by using a shared language made up of familiar phrases and clich\u00e9s. In songwriting, we communicate best by expressing our observations in the most original way possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How does where you geographically live or travel influence your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I live in Nashville for the songwriters. I spent years falling in love with the art of songwriting, but until I moved here in 2005, I never realized how many others there are who feel the same exhilaration that I do about songs. There are loads of Nashville writers who are chasing hits and learning to write to a formula, but there are also poets here for whom songwriting is a religious obsession. They are an ongoing inspiration for me.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nashville is a great place to co-write. How has co-writing shaped your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been doing quite a bit of co-writing over the past few years. It\u2019s a completely different experience from writing alone because it forces you to keep moving through the song. This can be a negative if it\u2019s preventing you from breaking through the surface of what you\u2019re really trying to say. But if you stay patient and focused and keep communicating with each other, sometimes you can really nail a song that neither of you would have found on your own.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who influenced you to pick up an instrument and write?\u00a0How old were you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I tried to take guitar lessons when I was a kid, but I quit because I hated practicing. When I was 18, I made a conscious decision to be a singer-songwriter and knew that in order to do that, I had to get better at guitar. I used the few chords I\u2019d learned in my lessons, a capo and the internet\u2014and started teaching myself how to play.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15596\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-1-at-table.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-1 - at table\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-1-at-table.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-1-at-table-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you play any other instruments?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The guitar is it for now. I\u2019m starting to mess around with piano\u2014pretty excited about it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>First lines and titles of songs are so important. Give us an example of each\u2014of someone\u2019s song that inspired you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m having a hard time with this\u2014it\u2019s like trying to drive a steering wheel without the rest of the car. One of my favorite writers John Elliott has a beautiful song that by all accounts should be called \u201cI Know I\u2019m Not the Only One.\u201d Instead, he used half of a line from the second verse and titled it \u201cConcerning the Lincoln and Douglas Debates.\u201d The song has nothing to do with the Lincoln and Douglas Debates. I love that.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and Joni Mitchell\u2019s \u201cA Case of You\u201d:<br \/>\n<em>Just before our love got lost you said<br \/>\n<\/em><em>\u201cI am as constant as a northern star\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em><em>And I said, \u201cConstantly in the darkness<br \/>\n<\/em><em>Where\u2019s that at?<br \/>\n<\/em><em>If you want me I\u2019ll be in the bar\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>In your own writing, give an example of first lines and titles\u2014that still amazes you when you think back on how each story unfolded.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve got an older song called \u201cFreight Train Lady\u201d that started with just the title. I sat on it for a couple of years trying to figure out what the hell I was talking about before I finally started writing the song, and I\u2019m really proud of the end result.\u00a0It ended up being about a young man and an older woman, and while it doesn\u2019t have my favorite first line I\u2019ve ever written, it does have one of my favorite second verses:<\/p>\n<p><em>She can\u2019t wait to kiss me<br \/>\n<\/em><em>Whiskey on her breath<br \/>\n<\/em><em>Moaning about that old husband<br \/>\n<\/em><em>He scares her half to death<br \/>\n<\/em><em>He won\u2019t give her nothing<br \/>\n<\/em><em>Hits her when she steals<br \/>\n<\/em><em>I\u2019ve got me a father<br \/>\n<\/em><em>So I know how that feels<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about any other revenue streams for songwriters\/musicians that have helped you continue your career in music.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a slow build but the most consistent way I\u2019ve found to stay afloat is to play shows and sell your stuff at the shows like they did in the old days. Besides that, there are loads of small revenue streams that trickle in as you put more music out there. There are film and TV placements\u2014and hit songs of course, but to make either of those your one practical goal, you really have to commit to writing as a full time day job and\/or get good enough at engineering and craft that you can write and record a song overnight if you need to. It\u2019s really just about what you want to create and how you choose to spend your time creating and sharing it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15595\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-2-live-photo-2013.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-2 - live photo 2013\" width=\"660\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-2-live-photo-2013.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-2-live-photo-2013-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 5 Musicians or Songwriters\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve always struggled with this question. I\u2019ve discussed this with some fellow writers and for me and others I know, I\u2019m drawn to songs rather than their authors. I know it sounds like a technicality, but there are so many times where one inspired song just kills me\u2014and then I don\u2019t end up worshipping the writer\u2019s entire catalog. That said, here are a few exceptions:<\/p>\n<p>Paul Simon<br \/>\nJim Croce<br \/>\nAnais Mitchell<br \/>\nDevon Sproule<br \/>\nBruce Springsteen<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What instrument<\/strong><strong>\/equipment can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve had my favorite Martin guitar for the past ten years. I spent about a year seeking out the perfect vintage Gibson (I bought and sold three of them) before messing around with a friend\u2019s Martin OM18V at a show we played together. I got one of my own pretty soon after. Other than that, I have a beautiful custom Shanti guitar that I won in the Telluride Troubadour Contest. It lives on the wall and I write with it sometimes or have others use it when we\u2019re co-writing at the house. I have no idea what I\u2019m doing in a recording studio, so between a USB mic, GarageBand, and my phone\u2014that\u2019s pretty much my whole arsenal.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15589\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/album-cover-evergreen.jpg\" alt=\"album-cover-evergreen\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/album-cover-evergreen.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/album-cover-evergreen-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15590\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/album-cover-last-of-the-long-days.jpg\" alt=\"album-cover-last-of-the-long-days\" width=\"222\" height=\"200\" \/>For someone who is only now discovering your music, what one other album should they listen to\u2014to get valued perspective on their new ROBBY HECHT journ<\/strong><strong>ey?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m proud of all three of my full-length albums, so it\u2019s difficult to recommend just one. Obviously, my self-titled album that I described represents what I\u2019ve been doing most recently, but I also love and would recommend my previous album <em>Last of the Long Days<\/em>. Some of my best-written songs are on there, and it\u2019s probably tied together a little bit more sonically as a collection. I also released an EP in 2015 called <em>Evergreen<\/em>\u00a0that I\u2019m really proud of. It\u2019s the five songs that didn\u2019t feel like they fit on my <em>Long Days<\/em>\u00a0album, so we recorded them with just me, my guitar and some backing vocals. They are very folky, lyric-heavy songs. If you\u2019re into a more solo acoustic performance style, that might be a good place to start.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What PRO are you with\u2014and how do they help a songwriter\/artist you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m with SESAC. They\u2019re a great resource, especially if you are proactive.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Closing Time<\/em> (1973) \u2013 Tom Waits<\/p>\n<p><em>Studio\/Living Room<\/em> (2008) \u2013 Sarah Siskind<\/p>\n<p><em>One Night<\/em> (1982) \u2013 Greg Brown<\/p>\n<p><em>Rites of Passage<\/em> (1992) \u2013 Indigo Girls<\/p>\n<p><em>The Hell You Say<\/em> (2002) \u2013 Cory Branan<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15591\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Top5-Albums-Robby-Hecht.jpg\" alt=\"Top5-Albums-Robby-Hecht\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Top5-Albums-Robby-Hecht.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Top5-Albums-Robby-Hecht-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about your most recent album, <em>Robby Hecht<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My third and most recent full-length album is self-titled and came out in 2014.\u00a0It\u2019s more of a collection of songs than something with an overarching concept, but I did try to keep the subject matter varied. There are some very personal songs, some about others\u2019 experiences that I observed, and some that are straight up fictional stories. It falls somewhere between folk and singer\/songwriter pop\u2014depending on the song. But probably the thing that ties it together the most is that it\u2019s very lyric-driven.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15594\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-3-chairs-email.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-3 - chairs-email\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-3-chairs-email.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-3-chairs-email-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about working with producer Lex Price.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He is a wonderful producer. He\u2019s produced Mindy Smith, Michael McDermott, Peter Bradley Adams, and so many others. And he\u2019s the best mandolin player I\u2019ve ever met. Plays bass lately\u2014he can play anything! It\u2019s just great working with him. With his long beard, he\u2019s like a Zen Wizard and stays calm\u2014the Buddhist thing. He is always patient, and not in a rush to move to the next part\u2014I trust him with my songs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next for you?\u00a0New album?\u00a0When?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve spent most of the past year just writing a ton. I\u2019m in the beginning stages of putting together the next album concept\u2014so stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>For more info and to stay updated:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/RobbyHecht.com\" target=\"_blank\">RobbyHecht.com<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15592\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-4-fish-email.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-4 - fish-email\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-4-fish-email.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-4-fish-email-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15593\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-6-riverboat-email.jpg\" alt=\"Robby Hecht-6 - riverboat-email\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-6-riverboat-email.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Robby-Hecht-6-riverboat-email-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Artist: \u00a0ROBBY HECHT Song: \u201cSoon I Was Sleeping\u201d Duet with Rose Cousins Directed by Ryan Newman ROBBY HECHT Web-Exclusive Interview with\u00a0M Music &amp; Musicians\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David How did the idea of \u201cSoon I Was Sleeping\u201d come to you? I actually wrote this song over the course of about six [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[3635,969,7863,7855,3627,3358,7857,7858,3612,2294,7854,7853,991,4373,3277,7856,3010,7864,4367,7852,1857,7865,7849,7850,7851,7862,2621,7859,7860,7861,7233],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15587"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15607,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions\/15607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}