Interview with Randall Goodgame - Part 1 [Gourmet Music Report #33]

At the NRB Convention this last February, Under The Radar hosted a songwriters' showcase that included a name that most in the audience had never heard before. I promised that Randall Goodgame would "knock your socks off," and he delivered. His on stage performance was topped only by his kind and gentle spirit off stage. Months after our event, I got to sit down for a longer conversation with Mr. Goodgame:

DT: How did you discover a love for music?
RG: Well, I did not grow up in a particularly musical family. My mom can sight read a little bit but all three kids got piano lessons when we were about 7 or 8 years old. And by the time we were 12, 13, 14, I was the only one left taking them. I just had a knack for it and enjoyed it. I didn't practice enough but they kept taking me to the lessons anyway. My mom had this baritone ukulele from when she was in high school and we still had it around. She taught me a couple chords. I remember the first chord I ever learned was a G and then she taught me a D. And I think that was a couple different Jimmy Buffet songs within those two chords. Pretty soon I got a six string acoustic guitar and started learning on that, kind of picking it up by myself.

DT: How would you describe yourself as a musician?
RG: You know, as a piano player... I was reading a Randy Newman Article recently and he was talking about this. When you're a pianist and you play, sing, and write songs, you can't help but try to be the whole band yourself. You know, you've got 10 fingers that all can play, and you're trying to put the bass in your left hand. So the way I play is real percussive. I'm trying to incorporate as many rhythms and sounds as I can.

DT: Tell me about one of your most hopeful songs "Jubilee" from your latest album "Bluebird".
RG: Well, I had just written it on piano, and when I played it for my buddies that were producing the record, as soon as they heard it they were like, "Oh, yeah. We know exactly what to do." And so they went and laid down this groove and it really surprised me that what I was playing was that. But after I settled into it, it seemed like "Yeah, you're right. That's the right groove for this tune..." even though it wasn't what I knew I was conveying.

Part 2 of our conversation with Randall Goodgame will be here next week. Randall will also be the special guest on "Under The Radar" #48. http://radarradio.net