|
Artie Kornfeld leaned back in his chair, propped his feet upon the patio table, and asked in a laid-back, deep voice, "So what do you want to talk about?" Precisely what one would expect from the man who created and co-founded Woodstock 69.
For the first time in 38 years Kornfeld has returned to Rhode Island to produce a record for a teenage band. The other time he did it was in 1967 with a group called The Cowsills, who subsequently shot straight to number one on the charts.
Now his goal is to bring another band straight to the top. The currently nameless band is composed of three boys. Brothers Jason and Tim Gardner, and their friend Jim Burns make up the band. Jim who is 17, plays bass and sings. Jason, 19, plays guitar and sings. His brother Tim is 16 and plays the drums. All three boys either attended, or currently attend Chariho High School.
The boys have been "working" for approximately six months. Working means putting together songs with the intention of making a record and touring. They have been "jamming" together for a five years now. Jamming is just playing for fun.
The whole time, they have been waiting for the opportunity to have a record produced by a man like Artie Kornfeld.
Kornfeld has been a friend of the Gardners for over 15 years now. Their father Jamie called Kornfeld 15 years ago to help him with an album he was making, and they have been friends since that point.
One day Jamie played Kornfeld a few of his son's songs over the phone. Kornfeld liked what he heard. They recently decided to bring Kornfeld into Rhode Island to help them produce their first record.
On Tuesday they will go into the Dream Edit studio in Newport to produce their first record, under Kornfeld's guidance.
Kornfeld is as excited about producing and promoting the boys as they are about having him help them.
In Kornfeld's opinion, the meaning of the lyrics isn't as important as the feelings they instill in you.
"Jay writes in strong metaphors, you feel what the lyrics mean. They paint a picture, make you want to pump your fist," remarked Kornfeld. He added "They write great songs, and they have a unique style which will give people a way to see they feel," stated Kornfeld.
In Kornfeld's opinion, the boys are a "concept band." When Kornfeld refers to them as a concept band, he means that what will ultimately make or break them is their classic rock sound. He sees them as throwbacks to a time gone by.
Kornfeld knows a thing or two about talent. He has promoted many big names, such as Aerosmith, The Steve Miller Band, The Band, Roger Waters, Bruce Springstein, Metallica and countless other big names. He stated that at one point a few years ago, he was promoting 14 of the top 20 bands.
Now, his aim is to take the raw talent of these three boys and polish it up, so they can go straight to the top.
"To make it as a promoter you have to be respected by the people in the industry," confidently remarked Kornfeld. "And of course, to have Woodstock attached to your name also helps," he added.
The mellow 62-year-old Kornfeld did some reminiscing about his famous brainchild Woodstock.
"Woodstock is no longer just a concert anymore. At this point, it's in high school and college textbooks. That means it's a historical event, not a concert," stated Kornfeld.
Kornfeld pointed out that the first Woodstock was all about peace, love and the fact that not everything was about money. The second and third Woodstocks were all about making money, which doomed them to failure.
"The second Woodstock was sponsored by Pepsi, the first Woodstock was against big corporations," remarked Kornfeld.
Kornfeld told reporters that events like Woodstock are all about planning. If the organizers don't plan for the needs of the fans, riots like the ones in the third Woodstock happen.
Some of the bands that influenced the boys are classic rock bands that played at the first Woodstock. Their biggest influence is by far and away the Beatles.
After a media interview, the boys and Kornfeld took reporters into the basement they have been "jamming" in for the last few years. The boys begin to play their pop sounding song "Far off place" while Kornfeld watches on. After the song, Kornfeld leans forward and suggests adding another verse to the song.
Lead singer Jason rubs his long anti-establishment looking hair from under his hat, and ponders the notion. The two generations collaborate on the prospective new hit.
For Kornfeld, this is what life is all about.
"When you're born to do something you continue to do it as long as you can," said Kornfeld.
At the youthful age of 62, Woodstock's creator still can.
|
