This feature is a part of Ocean State Sessions.
Rhode Island PBS’s Dewey Raposo sits down with Gregory T. Rourke of Animal Face. In their video conversation (above), the two discussed the musicians memorialized on the walls outside The Parlour in Providence, RI. They also discussed his band Animal Face, improvised music, and expanding musical horizons - which can be read below.
Dewey Raposo:
Can you tell me how Animal Face started?
Gregory T. Rourke:
Ashish (“Hash” Vyas, bass) and I developed a friendship and started playing music together. And he had just moved to the area, I believe from D.C. and he was kind of acclimating and just trying to meet musicians. So we just started getting together and I invited some musicians that I had played with over the years, just getting together and playing really freeform music. And eventually, we got a practice space together and it kind of solidified a little bit more. It started out as a trio and then it kind of just grew from there. We added keys and horns and it just kind of very organically grew from that point.
Hash was performing with Thievery Corporation at the time. I played a lot of reggae with different bands in the region and backed up some touring artists at the time, a little bit more at that time. And I guess it was a good outlet for us to explore other sounds and other avenues being that we were both playing enjoyable but highly restrictive idioms. So this gave us a chance to explore and improvise and just have some fun.
DR:
What’s the difference between playing in an improv band versus a “regular” band?
Rourke:
The difference between playing in a band that has tunes or is backing up an artist, is you’re trying to convey the song and the feeling, you’re really trying to support them. I played a gig with Masta Ace one time and got the best compliment when he came off stage. I was like, “Man, I hope you enjoyed my playing and I really enjoyed playing with you.” And he was like, “Yeah, man, I didn’t even hear you. It’s great.” To me, it was a huge compliment. He wasn’t like, “Oh, what the hell is that guitar player doing?” It was just music and he was able to do his thing. I was able to do my thing and it came together and everybody enjoyed it. So that’s really gratifying. The improv thing is probably a little more self-indulgent, where you’re exploring soundscapes and communication. Your ears have to be wide open. It’s kind of like a conversation and you’re jumping off a cliff and hoping for the best.
DR:
How do you find members for the band on any given night?
Rourke:
We try to keep people in the mix who have experience in improvisational music. If I see somebody playing that I’m inspired by, we just have conversations, picking their brain about what their influences are, and what their approach is. I’ve had drummers come in and be like, “So we’re just going to play anything.” And I’m like, “Yeah, anything.” Sometimes it’s a hard concept for some people to grasp, not so much grasp but feel comfortable with. And you can see, I mean, there are some amazing musicians that we’ve had sit with us and, at first, they’re a little on the timid side, but then once they get into it, they’re off running. It’s a little intimidating to just be like, okay, we’re just going to go for it and just listen. And if something changes, try to follow it. But we keep it real mellow, try to keep it fun. It’s just more about expression.
DR:
Over your career, you’ve played with a lot of reggae artists; can you tell me what is so attractive about reggae music to you?
Rourke:
Being a brown kid growing up in white communities, this was a direct connection to my roots and playing with musicians of all different backgrounds and ethnicities. Reggae is wide open. So that was huge for me. And then growing up very Catholic and then getting Rasta in my life, it kind of just made some connections for me spiritually, ethnically that I was like, “Oh, okay, this makes sense.” It was all full circle, and then that music was the core of it was even, it was like, “Okay, this makes sense to me on a whole.” So I felt like I could play music with a positive message and it would impact more than just this very small sect of people. Reggae is a world music. So, to me, it made sense like, “Oh, okay, this is something I can feel very proud of and it’s going to influence a broader spectrum of people.”
I think going to see music that you’re not accustomed to is probably one of the better things you could do with your time.
DR:
As a musician and a club owner, do you have any thoughts on the current state of the music scene?
Rourke:
I wrote for Motif for a little while, I had an article and I used to be like, “Just because it’s not your style of music doesn’t mean it’s not good. So go check it out.” Don’t be intimidated like, “Oh, I’m not really a punk rocker.” Well, go check it out. There are some really good punk rock bands out there. Go see them. “Oh, I don’t really know about this Rasta stuff.” Well, you don’t have to be a Rasta to enjoy reggae. Just go see a reggae show, and see how it makes you feel. You might surprise yourself. Or you might be like, “This sucks,” and that’s fine too. You can take it off your list, but at least you made an effort. I think going to see music that you’re not accustomed to is probably one of the better things you could do with your time. And you’re probably going to get enlightened on some level. You’re either going to like it or not. You can make that decision after that.
