Dave Meniketti (Y&T) – Interview

Dave Meniketti (Y&T) – Interview

22 Settembre 2014 0 Commenti Iacopo Mezzano

italian version

MR.IT: Welcome! It’s a pleasure to interview you for Melodicrock.it

MR.IT: Your career as a musician began very early, when you were still a young boy. How was your passion born and what do you remember about your early years playing guitar?

DM: I have always had a deep passion for music. When I was a child, I would play all my dad’s records while playing around the house. When I turned 16 I was so inspired by the guitarists of the 60s, and in particular, Jimi Hendrix. So I went against my parent’s wishes and bought my first guitar. I never put it down from that moment on. I am a self-taught guitar player, only having taken about 3 lessons. After playing for only a year I joined my first band, playing songs of the day and lots of blues type jams. I signed to my first record deal 4 years after picking up a guitar for the first time.

MR.IT: Do you have any stories about your first bands when you were young?

DM: Most were just jam bands with little direction other than playing what sounded good to us at the time. The last band I had before starting Y&T, was called Skin Tight, and we would play local parties and a few times played a local concert at a park. Nothing that special, but I knew I was eventually going to do something professional with music. It was just too important to me emotionally.

MR.IT: In your solo album “On the Blue Side” (1998) your love for blues is evidently highlighted. Who are your biggest influences as a guitarist and as a singer?

DM: The bluesy style of playing and singing has definitely made an impact on my rock career.
There were many guitar players that probably influenced my playing in the early days. More than I can mention, but some are Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts, Leslie West, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Michael Schenker, Albert and BB King, etc.

Vocally, I was mostly influenced by singers that sang with passion and emotion. Even R&B artists. Some of my influences vocally over the years were Paul Rodgers, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Sammy Hagar, James Dewar, David Coverdale, and Ronnie Dio.

MR.IT: Do you think you will work on other solo albums in the future?

DM: Yes. I have half of a new CD written already and I hope to get around to another release within the next 2 years.

MR.IT: Can you briefly tell us about how Y&T formed?

DM: In my area of Oakland California, there were a lot of great players that most musicians heard about by “word of mouth” and hanging out at local parties. Eventually all the guys with the best reputations got around to jamming with each other. That’s how I met our first Drummer, Leonard Haze. He was talked about as one of the best drummers in Oakland at the time, and he heard about me in the same way. We finally jammed at a friend’s house one day and decided a week later that we would start a new band.
We originally started by doing a lot of shows playing cover songs, then about 18 months later decided it was time to do our own thing and started writing our own material. At that time we let the other guys go and started looking for a bass player and rhythm guitarist that would like the music we liked. We found our bass player, Phil Kennemore as a friend of Leonard’s, and picked up a guitar player that used to come see us play all the time in Joey Alves. By January 1974, we had finalized the band and started making an impact in the local scene very quickly.

MR.IT: What do you remember about the Californian music scene of the 70s 80s?

DM: It was wide open and if you were smart you could attract a lot of attention quickly. We had lots of great ideas when we started playing our own material and within about a year we had become a very popular band among the locals, which got us the attention of a local management company that had just signed Journey. They signed us and it all started to happen from there.

The scene in Northern California was, and continues to be, a great area to be from as a musician. There are so many styles of music that have come out of this area so you didn’t have a problem creating your own sound at that time.

MR.IT: What do you miss the most about those years?

DM: What I miss the most was the purity and possibilities in the music business. Things nowadays are quite different from how they were back then. It was a time of new and fresh styles of rock bands coming out every year. At that time it was rare to hear a band that sounded similar to another band. Everyone stood on their own style and record companies were not so paranoid, deliberate, and generic with their choices like they started to be in the 80s and through to today. It’s way too political, big business, and style over substance. Luckily with the advent of the Internet the last decade has seen a resurgence in small bands having a chance to make their mark a little easier than the decades before.

MR.IT: What has been, in your opinion, the real turning point in Y&T’s career?

DM: I think we had a slow steady rise in success so it’s hard to say the “one” thing that made things happen. However, the first tours we played in the UK and Europe went a long way towards making a sizable impact on our career. Specifically 2 years of tours in a row – the 1982 AC/DC & Y&T tour throughout the UK and Europe, followed by our Headline tour of the UK in 1983 and Europe tour with Ozzie Osborne in 83. These 2 years helped us start a large fan base overseas that still love and support the band every year.

MR.IT: When did you realise you would make it?

DM: In my mind, I felt we had made it by the early 80s. But I have a different idea of what “making it” means than other people. It was never about the money, but instead I felt happy with the songs we were writing, our musicianship, and the truly dedicated love of the fans. Knowing the impact that some of our songs have had on people around the world is the most satisfying feeling you can have.

MR.IT: Is there an album (or song) by Y&T you are particular fond of? Why?

DM: Love almost every record for different reasons, but my faves are Black Tiger, In Rock We Trust, 10, Facemelter, and the latest Live at the Mystic CD, which truly grabs the vibe and energy of the current band. A favorite all time song for me is Forever because it shows the best of what we do, which is the great combination of energy and melody.

MR.IT: Are you composing something now? Does Y&T have a new album coming out soon?

DM: There are a few ideas that have been written down, but serious writing for the new Y&T Cd will start next year.

MR.IT: Can you name an essential person in your private life and one in your career?

DM: In my private life, my wife Jill, and my family (mom, dad and sister) are/were my heroes. For my career, that would be my wife and my buddy and former bass player, the late Phil Kennemore.

MR.IT: How do your songs usually take shape?

DM: Originally we used to just jam ideas out together as a band. In later years Phil and I would write on our own, and together, then bring the ideas into the band. I write a lot of things by myself nowadays and when I can I love to get the band together to also just jam out new ideas on the spot, like the old days. But since everyone has busy schedules I find writing alone works well for me.

MR.IT: Do you prefer to perform live in stadiums or arenas or in small clubs?

DM: The excitement of playing large stadiums is fun, but I definitely prefer to play clubs and small halls. That’s where you get the real feeling from the fans, and we always play better and have a better time when we feel the direct energy and emotions of the fans being right on top of us. Smaller venues are absolutely my favorite, and almost every musician I know feels the same way.

MR.IT: How is your perfect show?

DM: 500 people crammed into a nice room with a vibe in the air that makes it like a personal performance. Lots of sweating and inspired excitement makes for the best shows.

MR.IT: I was at your beautiful show in Bellagio last year. What do you remember about that night on Lake Como?

DM: It was a lot of fun, at a fantastically beautiful part of the world. It was also great to have our former band member and friend Stef Burns come out to play a few Y&T tunes with us. Overall it was a brilliant night and lots of fun for me to meet the Italian fans. Love this country that my family is from.

MR.IT: What do you think about today’s music business? What about Internet?

DM: I basically answered this above. I like the immediate interaction that you can have with fans now. It’s good for everyone to know what the fans are thinking and wanting from us at all times. Plus it’s a great way to try out new ideas on the spot.

MR.IT: Do you like any of the current bands? Are you a fan of any of them?

DM: Sure, I have some favorites, but I also listen to a lot of Jazz, R&B, and Classical music besides just rock, so my favorites are all over the place.

MR.IT: In 2011 the Rock world gave its last goodbye to your friend and bassist Phil Kennemore. What is your best memory of the long career with him?

DM: Being that he was my best friend and we co-wrote many songs together, we had a very close relationship. He was a funny, intelligent, strongly opinionated, passionate, and crazy guy and I miss him not being around. But his presence is with Y&T every night we play.

MR.IT: Thank you very much for your time. If there is anything else you want to say, please say it!

DM: Being an Italian citizen, I hope we have the chance to play Italy every year and I’m looking forward to finally playing near Rome for the first time. Ciao!

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