Interview with Ricochet

© February 2008 / Bruno Michel

 

It was in the mid 90’s when Richochet was collecting awards like other folks collect poststamps. Top New Vocal Group (Academy of Country Music 1996), Top New Country Artist (Billboard, 1996), Top Selling Artist (Fan Fair 1996 und 1997) are only a few of the many recognitions, the guys received.
After that it was a little quiet around the band (at least over here in Europe) but now they are back full steam ahead. While they were performing in Zurich I took the opportunity to talk to Heath Wright and Greg Cook.

BM: Heath, you wrote songs back in the nineties such as What You Leave Behind but you also had songwriters on your albums that are known stars themselves today, such as Derryl Dodd with Baby Hold On. What can we expect on an upcoming album? Own songs or other songwriter’s material?
HW: Both. We are working on a project right now that I’d like to call the Half-And-Half project with some of our hits we had re-recorded and some brand new songs. We expect to finish the project by summer.

BM: What is more important to you when you write: The words or the music?
HW: I think it’s the lead guitar and the lead vocal parts, (just kidding… (ed.: Heath plays and sings lead)
GK: …and I don’t. Actually most musicians think it’s the music and most listeners think it’s the words. So both is important. Some musicians can’t tell you the words to the songs they love while fans know the words but hardly the melody.

BM: Would you rather write a song that lasts 100 years or one that sells 100 million times?
GK: I vote for the 100 million (laughs). A hundred years from now, at least my grand kids still have the money.
HW: Yeah I gotta go with Greg on this one (laughter)….

GK: …sorry, sounds like kind of capitalism.

BM: You’ve had ups and downs in your career. What do you suggest to newcomers if they want to make it in this business?
HW: Go to college and do something else… No, seriously, if they really want to make it my advice is to go in front of an audience every night. Play as often as you can. That’s the place where you can tell the professionals from the non-professionals. Those people who can comfortably perform in front of an audience and make it seem like it’s their second nature, those are the pro’s.
GK: The music answer is it’s half music and half business. But the business answer is you have to think outside the box. The business has changed so much in the past ten years, it’s not even close to what it used to be. You have to learn and accept that internet is part of our future instead of fighting downloads, as an example. Selling CD’s is pretty soon becoming a thing of the past and if you don’t realize that, your business model is broken.

BM: If you compare the music business at the time of your debut album and hits like Daddy’s Money and how it acts today: What has changed in your opinion?
GK: Pretty much everything. When we started, a record company did everything from marketing to sales and management. Now sales have almost become secondary to downloads. We can’t win that fight. Figure out how to let downloads occur and still make money. The process of label mergers has only left two or three big ones on the market, that’s another change. On the other hand there’s a bunch of great independent labels coming new or back into business.

HW: There are also more artists available to the audience due to the ability of promoting their music over the web and not being dependent on having a record contract. The way people listen to music has changed too. Digital satellite radio stations are available for all varieties of music.

BM: If people look back on your lifes in 50 years, what you’d wish they say about you? Probably nothing because you didn’t write that hundred year lasting song… (laughter).
GK: I hope we will have some type of legacy. We were fortunate to do some tours for the army where the soldiers told us that we made a difference. If somebody remembers us in fifty years, I hope they say they had fun when they came to see us. We’re here to entertain after all.
HW: If a grandpa tells his grandkid in fifty years about that great show we did in Switzerland, then to me that would be the biggest compliment. That’s success.

BM: It’s quite difficult these days to get airplay. What advise would you give to radio executives if they would listen to you?
GK: Well, that’s certainly a fantasy question (laughter). The radio guys forget that there’s more to radio than just selling ads. I sometimes get frustrated to hear the Top-40 over and over and over again. I just hope that there will be more stations that play local acts. And thankfully there are some these days. There’s a lot of good music out there beside the Top acts.
BM: Isn’t that also because the radio DJs can’t play anymore what they want but what the radio executives put together for their show?

HW: That’s true. I’d like to see it going back more to local level. These days someone on the west coast may decide what the people in the eastern part of our country have to listen to. But tastes are different. I wish that radio stations would realize that most people know exactly what they want to hear on the radio.

GK: Absolutely. A lot of people think if they call their DJ and make a request. Fact is, if they were gonna play it anyway, you get it. Otherwise you don’t.

BM: If you could travel back in time, which era would you go to?
GK: Interesting question…
HW: … I’d go back to the Old West. I am a big fan of the cowboys and that era back when the settlers came in. I am from Oklahoma where April 22, 1889 was a big day in the history because of the Oklahoma Land Run. I’d go back to that day and maybe get a little bit bigger ranch than the one I have today (laughs).
GK: I’d go back to the days of the great depression. I am glad I didn’t have to go through it but I’d like to see how it was back then. Or the Sixties were a great time, politically and music wise. So I’d like to go there, too.

BM: If you won the lottery and never had to work again, how would you spend your time?
GK: Well, I wouldn’t change a thing.
HW: I might spend more time on my ranch. We’re still playing around 50 to 75 gigs a year.
GK: I would make our gigs more comfortable. With a few millions you could buy a big bus. I would also diversify my investments because I don’t like to have all my eggs in one basket and somebody else carrying it.

BM: If you would interview Ricochet, what question would you ask the guys that I did not ask?
HW: How can I get your products like T-shirts and CDs (laughter).

GK: What’s your website (laughter).

BM: What a question... Thanks a lot for the interview.
GK: Thank you, these were really interesting questions. You know, a lot of people ask us simple stuff like how did we get our name and so on (laughter).