Forrest - Forrest McDonald of the band Forrest
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
Forrest McDonald talks about his blues career, experiences and the future.
DM) Hello, Forrest. It's a pleasure to speak to you.
FM) Good to see you anyway
DM) Actually, my biggest questions were about your history. Before Forrest,
you were playing with the Boston Rock Symphony and Wadsworth Mansion. How
did it feel, being involved with those reputable groups at a young age?
FM) It was incredible! In fact, James Montgomery, who got a deal on Warner
Brothers Records as the James Montgomery Blues Band, was in the rock symphony
with me. It was cool! I was 19 and playing Symphony Hall with a tuxedo on
in the Boston Rock Symphony, with Marshalls blasting these old symphonic
people. They had a hard time with that, but it was fun. The Wadsworth Mansion
was cool. We did a 35-state tour, opening for Alice Cooper and Edgar Winter,
and we did a lot of TV, such as Bandstand and the Dating Game Show and things
like that. It was a trip!
DM) Also, I read that it's your guitar that we can hear on the song, "Old
Time Rock and Roll." Is this true?
FM) It was a pleasure being associated with both of those organizations. I
have fond memories. "Old Time Rock and Roll"? Yes, it's true. That was me.
I was working as a studio musician in L.A. at the time. I went to visit my
dad in Alabama and said, "Dad, let's go up to Muscle Shoals and see what's
going on." So we jumped in the car, drove up there, and made our way to
Muscle Shoals Sound. When I walked in and met Jimmy Johnson, who was
producing the session, he asked me if I had my guitar with me. I said "Yes",
and he said to go get it. He said that they had just put this track down and
they needed a solo. So, I put on the headphones, plugged in my guitar, and
gave him a solo. Then he said, "Hey, that's pretty good! Give us your phone
number and we'll call you." Well, two months later, I got a call from the
studio, and they said that Bob Seger had just bought the track and it was
coming out on his "Stranger in Town" album. They wanted to know what my union
card number was so they could pay me for the session. Capitol Records sent me
my session fee. It was quite by accident that the whole thing happened. It
was all in the timing, and apparently, it was meant to be. And that was the
start of my Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section days (a/k/a The Muscle Shoals
Swampers).
DM) That's a pretty interesting story! What else have you done since then
and up until Forrest?
FM) Where do you want me to start? (laughing) I've been writing, touring,
performing and recording since then.
DM) What were some of the more memorable events?
FM) Meeting and working with Steve Perry was certainly memorable. Playing
with Van Halen, week in and week out, on the Sunset Strip was loaded with
spice. Playing with Tony Carey and writing with him was most enjoyable.
Basically, just making the Hollywood scene and running into anybody who was
once one of my idols --and playing with them on some project or another was a
blast. Touring Asia with current band member, Raymond Victor, was certainly a
memorable experience as well.
DM) That sounds like every kid's dream growing up!
FM) Yes, it really was. In fact, one time, as a kid, I was in New York City
at the Cafe Waa on Bleaker Street. The house band was called The Raves. They
were great. On their break, this left-handed guitar player came up and just
went nuts all by himself until they came off break. This left-handed guitar
player was none other than Jimi Hendrix! Once in L.A. on an audition for
Tanya Tucker, I played with the bass player for The Raves, and the drummer
from a group called the Bobby Fuller Four.
This bass player from The Raves and I recounted Jimi's frequent impromptu jam
sessions all over New York City. Another cool time was when I was backstage
with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1969, in a
three-way jam session. It was incredible!
DM) It's truly amazing that you've seen so much of rock history first hand!
Now, how would you summarize your newest project?
FM) I have been fortunate. The Newport Jazz Festival was truly a classic
event. I saw Sonny and Cher there do "I've Got You, Babe, " and I also saw
Bob Dylan play electric guitar for the first time in front of an audience. I
would summarize it by saying that the On Fire project is the start of
something big. We have four hours of music to record, with this CD being the
first of many to follow. It was a difficult decision to combine blues and
rock, but I love them both, and it was my choice to do so.
DM) Actually, after listening to it, I was blown away by the first track. .
. the original blues sound. Something I'd expect to hear in a fancy New
Orleans piano bar.
FM) Thank you for that. Yes, the piano just kind of jumps out at you,
doesn't it?
DM) Almost reminds me of Dr. John.
FM) Some marketing people resist the idea of combining blues with rock, but
I think they go very well together. Dr. John is great, and I'm fortunate to
have Raymond (the piano player on that song) in the group, because he's so
darn good. We are able to capture many authentic styles and sounds together.
DM) Blues has a very wide range, and it seems that you cover the gamut of
blues. . . traditional (as in the first track), hard-sounding, blues/rock,
and even pure rock.
FM) Raymond is truly a great talent, and that is really some of the best
blues piano I've ever heard. We are going to put out an all blues album
later on this year.
DM) What are some of your favorite tracks on this album? The ones you hit
closest to the mark?
FM) "Hard to Lose", "If You Don't Really Love Me", "Take Me To The Country",
and "I Need You."
DM) Now, you know I need to ask why you like those the best!
FM) I like them because, both lyrically and emotionally, the content is
real, it's genuine, and it moves me.
DM) Any tracks you wish you could do over?
FM) There's a few that I would have spent more time mixing, had the budget
permitted. The budget and my sanity, that is.
DM) It seems that budget is the horrible reality of any musician.
FM) That's true, but I nearly drove my engineer crazy with minute details on
certain solos.
DM) How so?
FM) Well, I'd play a solo a certain way, and there might be a half of one
second of emotion that I felt should have been played differently. That would
have been undiscernible to anyone but myself, and I'd say to Ron, my
engineer, "How 'bout that one?" and he'd say, "Sounds like the last one.
Great!"
DM) (laughs) So, a perfectionist, are we?
FM) A perfectionist of sorts. When you're doing something that hopefully
will be heard for decades, you really want it to be the way you hear it.
Listen to some old Hendrix records. I know for a fact that he would play the
same thing over and over until they threw him out of the studio, or until it
was the way he wanted to hear it, and I am a big fan of Jimi's.
DM) That's a very good outlook on it. What do you see in the future of
Forrest as a band?
FM) For Forrest as a band, I see more recording, live performing, videos,
interviews, and, hopefully, securing a place in musical history.
DM) And how about Forrest McDonald as a person?
FM) I would like to have success with World Talent Records similar to
Atlantic, or any other great label that started as a small label and stood
the test of time. I have several recording projects on the books for this
year, in which I will be recording a number of original compositions in
different formats with other musicians.
FM) I also plan to continue to become better at anything that I do, until
I'm all used up. I have a hard rock release coming out under the group name
"Stone Mountain."
DM) Will you be recording with any other famous musicians in the future?
FM) It is possible that I may have some cameos on the Forrest blues album
that will be out later this year.
DM) Some famous cameos to look forward to. Sounds good.
FM) It will be, but I also have some great/unknown talent that World Talent
Records will be showcasing later on this year.
DM) Before, you mentioned that you knew for a fact that Jimi always went for
the perfect first take. Would this be first-hand knowledge?
FM) Yes, it would be. During the recording of "All Along the Watchtower" on
the Electric Ladyland album, I was there for the solo over dubs, and watched
Jimi methodically do take after take until he was satisfied. They all sounded
great to me, but I was just a kid in the court of a great master.
DM) That's a moment in history. Did you realize at the time what you were
watching?
FM) You better believe it! Yes, I was very aware of the significance of
that event. I am truly fortunate to have been there. But I have many such
stories for another time. I actually ended up with Jimi's poncho that he was
wearing in one of the pictures on that album.
DM) Do you still have it?
FM) Somebody stole the poncho from me.
DM) Nooooo!!!! Now that's a sin.
FM) I had a pair of purple velvet pants that Jimmy Page gave me that were
ripped off at the same time.
DM) Do you have any memorabilia left?
FM) Mostly in my mind, since my entire moving van with everything I owned
was hijacked and was never recovered. This happened to me several years back.
DM) What a shame.
FM) Amen to that, but no one can take away my memories. Have you seen our
video yet? If not, I can send you a copy.
DM) No, I haven't. But I'd like to.
FM) I'll be happy to send you a copy of the video. We shot "If You Don't
Really Love Me" last fall at a local blues club called Blind Willie's here in
Atlanta.
DM) I'll be looking forward to it. Seems like things are really picking up
for the band.
FM) It's great! We're starting to get overseas airplay in Spain, France,
Great Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands. We just shipped out a large order
of CD's to all of those countries. Perhaps a European tour will be in the
making this year as well.
DM) That should be interesting. How long will that be for?
FM) My expectations are a six-to-seven-week European summer tour. Also,
look for us on MTV. Give us some support (i.e., Twelve Angry Viewers).
DM) Twelve Angry Viewers?
FM) We just sent the video to MTV, and they showcase new material on Twelve
Angry Viewers at 5:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. You can vote on the web
for your favorite videos at MTV's website.
DM) I'll have to check it out. I really appreciate the time you've taken out
to talk with me. And I'll definitely check out the show when you're in New York.
FM) It's my pleasure. I also hope to see you at one of our shows when we're
in New York. One last thing. . . . .
DM) What's up?
FM) I wanted to tell you that I enjoy your web site and that I think you've
done a really good job with it.
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