Local Singer Songwriter Geoff Koch Talks To ToastedRav

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Geoff Koch has been touring around the United States and making CD's full time since 2005. He has had the chance to record with some pretty big name guys, including musicians from Wilco and NIN. Geoff has a show coming up this Thursday at Cicero's so he talked to me about what we can expect at the show and what his experiences as a professional musician have been like.

Read on to learn more about Geoff and click on the Audio tab to hear the song "Pro-War" from his latest album If It Feels Good, Don't Do It.

How would you define your sound and what makes your approach to music unique?

It's harder telling people I might sound 'adult contemporary/indie/pop/acoustic,' it's always been easier if I told people I might sound a bit like 'Damien Rice/Wilco/Elliott Smith/Death
Cab/Counting Crows.' I guess that way everybody wins. If someone hasn't heard of Elliott Smith or Death Cab For Cutie, they usually don't grimace as much as when you try to tell them you might sound a bit like indie rock or 'acoustic singer-songwriter.'

I don't think my approach to music is different from anyone's, really. I have fun writing songs, playing instruments and singing. I like the challenge of taking what I have and making it the best it can be while staying grounded enough to still enjoy being blown away by the 'ah ha' moments. The cool thing about music that we all have in common is that the death metal bands, the neo-funk jazz fusion trios, or the pop/country artists making music today, I think, all start at that point.


Influences are important to many bands. Who would you say are you major influences, and how?

I grew up listening to Neil Young's Harvest record, so he got to me early, just like the other majors like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Police. As I grew up I was a huge Starship fan, George Michael, then Guns N Roses and U2. What made me pick up a guitar was Nirvana. They were what inspired me the most, really. And I don't think I ever set out to write the next Nirvana record, but Nirvana was the band that turned the light on, so to speak. I thought it was head and shoulders above anything else out at the time, and from then on, because of Nirvana, I started to pay attention not just to hit pop songs on the radio, but music that was culturally and artistically relevant at the same time.

And then I got into punk and indie rock for a long time but got too confused by that culture and it's fans, I think. Never really knowing what you should like, what was 'ok' to listen to within the genres, what the 'true' sad indie rockers should wear...that was a total mess! And for the record, my latest cd If It Feels Good, Don't Do It is related to that struggle of enjoyment vs. repression, it doesn't have anything to do with religion..


How has your music evolved since your first CD and tour?

I guess I've grown as a musician, person, and the filter for what I think makes a good song has gotten better. I've always wanted to put out a cd, and I did that. But as an artist (or fool), once I climb a mountain or complete a big project, eventually I start looking around for the next-highest peak. Looking back now on 2005 and 2006, of course there are things I did that didn't make much logistical sense, or certainly weren't cost-efficient. I did them because I'd always wanted to, or 'had' to do them. Going on a 7-week tour as the first tour I've ever been on (2006) wasn't really about trying to make any money, I just wanted to see if I could do it, I wanted to have that experience. There are several decisions like that that I think a lot of musicians are tempted by. Because we all want to be something great, we all want to contribute great things and be a part of something real. Not all artists are built with great money-sense, though. So the trick is, as I've found and climbed these mountains in my life, I'm to the point now where I know I can do anything I want to do. I can tour coast-to-coast. I can go to Nashville to record a cd. I can go bankrupt, endure sleep in my car, I can drive 10 hours straight, whatever... But at some point we have to ask ourselves, if we still really want to pursue a life in the art, how can we make a living at it? And if one does want to make a living at art, the answer rarely involves going on 7-week tours or 5 months of coast-to-coast touring with few breaks. At this level, anyway.

How do you think recording with Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, NIN guitarist Reeves Gabrels and Tim Marks influenced If It Feels Good, Don't Do It?

Recording with Ken influenced my playing directly, because we were usually recording parts at the same time. I'd be in my guitar room with headphones on listening to what he was doing at the same time. Having played most of these songs for years before we recorded, I knew what kind of feel I was going for, speed, and instrumentation, etc. The one song I do remember being really amped up for was 'Christian Boys.' It's 90mph start to finish and I'm in my room with the headphones on ready to take a swipe at the song, guitar tone just the way I want. And Ken starts in with that rockin' drum intro and the song explodes and I think it was because of the way Ken sounded that made my guitar part what it was. I'm sure there were bent notes and missed strings in the take we kept, but we kept the 'moment' which was more valuable for that song, artistically, than a track of me playing in complete control full of precision.

Reeves Gabrels and Tim Marks came along into the project when songs were about half-done. They were the ultimate professionals, completely prepared and able. Tim (bass), especially. He came into the studio with 3 or 4 basses and would try different ones out depending on the song, then he'd chart out the song, and have at it. I don't think he or Reeves took more than 3 tries per any song before we were completely happy with what they just did. Reeves' special contribution to the record in my eyes was what he did on the last-half of Say You Will. That's all him on those weird guitar noises and chaos. So soon after that we recorded the vocals over that part and listening to what Reeves had done with it really inspired the vocal desperation/urgency. Meeting them and seeing how they do things really made me aware of what I had to do to become a better musician. Nothing like seeing someone completely blow your mind to make you pull up your sleeves.

What are your current plans and what should we be expecting from you in the future?

I'll be playing local shows mostly this year, I think. Whenever the right opportunities come up. The current artistic mountain I'm climbing is actually a financial one, so I'm trying to make some income here while I write the next songs. If I could record a new EP around fall and tour regionally in the late-fall to pre-holidays with it, I think that'd be great. Something to keep me fresh out there, and to keep interest up for the next record. Somewhere in there I'd like to record at least one music video, and we might end up doing three. I'll be trying my hand at hustling national radio here soon. I've got some things lining up and we'll see what that's like, I think it'd be nice to see some progress there. You might hear a song or two of mine on t.v. this fall, fingers crossed. I've already started playing new songs live that'll probably be on the next record, so that ball is rolling, too.

Can you tell us a little bit about your history and musical roots?

Born and raised in St. Louis. I used to pretend I was Vince Neil singing 'Dr. Feelgood' or Axl singing 'Appetite' and 'Lies.' Mickey Thomas, George Michael, maybe some Karate Kid soundtrack. Guess I had quite an imagination as a kid, maybe more so than I have now? I would always tinker with my aunt's piano/organ at the holidays growing up, and played a mean flute in the 5th grade. Wish I never put it down! But it wasn't until I was around 16 when I picked up the guitar for good. That'd been my main instrument, with different phases of my life emphasizing piano. I'm never bored with the piano, mainly because I haven't 'mastered' it. Over the years it's easy for me to fall into ruts with the guitar because there wasn't much else I could explore for my tastes, or so I thought. Guitar did become a chore; I saw too much formula in it rather than fun. It's hard to write and play music if you're cynical about it and not having much fun. But the piano's always been a big mystery and I think a part of me has always wanted it to remain that way. I know the more I know about music theory at the higher levels, the less I like music. So I think I'm happiest as a musician if I'm balanced between actually knowing what I'm doing and why, while allowing there to be some mystery to it all.

What are some of your favorite things about St. Louis' local music scene?

There are always new bands coming up. It's good to see so many people putting out for something they believe in. I like finding St. Louis acts I haven't heard of, and I like following the progression of the bands I have liked. Being in St. Louis is not a four letter word. I understand the desire to move to Chicago or Nashville. But I think especially for me and I see it in other bands around here, we know we are off the radar. And that is something we should all embrace. It's ok to admit New York and Los Angeles don't think anyone here has a chance. But we have the opportunity to make incredible things 'off the radar' and out of the influence of big city madness that could one day offer the world quite a bit.

Where can we find your albums and see you live?

My songs and cd's can be bought at: iTunes, cdbaby, paypal, MySpace, and of course at shows. I think the older cd's are still in stock at Vintage Vinyl. The calendar for shows is always up-to-date at the MySpace page www.myspace.com/geoffreykochmusic

You can see Geoff Koch Thursday, March 5 at Cicero's. He will be playing songs from his new CD If It Feels Good, Don't Do It with a full band a string section. Tickets are $7 and the doors open at 8pm.

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