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It's weird because you idolize a band and you're like, 'oh man, that's what I wanna do.' And then you see what they do and you see how they do it and you just get a different feel for what it is, and what it's all about. And it's not necessarily about what you thought it was about.
--Jake Sproul |
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Photo by Lisa Siciliano
THE SPROUL BROTHERS GROW UP
Nate Barns by Lisa Siciliano |
Jake: Daniel and I always wanted to play music together and we met Nate. You know the local music scene where everybody is playing with each other, and we were playing with Nate's friends, and with drummers that were Nate's friends. And we finally just found each other and were listening to the same music and hanging out, and it just felt good. I guess we always had in mind that we wanted to be in a band, but that was sorta just to direct the focus. Because, if you want to do it - you know, just buck up and make it happen.
Now you guys are still pretty young. Was there ever any conflict in regards to your schooling, like 'We should focus on school more' or anything like that, or was it always 'Music is my life?'
Jake: For me it was a little bit harder. I knew music was my life, but you meet other bands, like bands from the south. When you meet the North Mississippi Allstars it's like, it's just rooted deep - their dad and their dad's...
Yeah they are born into it.
Rose Hill Drive by Anthony Camera |
Jake: Born into it! And in Colorado [starts laughing] we weren't. It's like, my dad's a tennis pro. So I'm going, 'Am I supposed to play tennis?' It was kinda like this self-cultivated rock experiment, and the more joy that it brought, the more we realized that that's what we wanted to do. It's hard to break out of that. So many kids can fall into going into school and not wanting to be there, and it's like, 'What the fuck are you doing?' Experience what you want to do.
If you have a dream, chase it.
Jake: Yeah, chase it! Even if it's not as grand as everyone thinks grand things are. It was hard to get out of that, because that's [school/college] definitely the focus in Boulder amongst the kids. So we were definitely outcast in that sense, but that's not to say there aren't outcasts to hang out with though.
LESSONS FROM THE ROAD
Jake: Eddie Van Halen came into our dressing room and started talking to us about how the music has to flow through you, and you can't take credit for it. And, you know, that's pretty big.
Especially coming from him.
Jake Sproul by Lisa Siciliano |
Jake: Yeah, and he's still living it. That was pretty much the only interaction we had with him. When he was talking to us, it was really cool - you could tell he was really for real about what he was doing. And you know, he was really adamant that it [the music] flows through him, and it's not like this show. And I've started to learn what that means more and more through playing the bass, and from singing and playing. Because we are a three-piece, there is so much space that has to be covered. Especially nowadays because spectators, I feel, aren't as patient with music and the energy it provides. Sometimes they need like really tuned vocals and super-loud everything, and everything has to be the perfect mix or it sucks. So there's a lot of pressure with a three-piece, especially for me, being the singer. I can feel some pressure like, "Wow, how am I gonna do this? How am I gonna pull this off?" And then just letting it flow, whatever that means for the individual. For me, it means just having fun with it, doing my best, and just letting it come through me. And that's valuable.
The topic of Eddie Van Halen's advice comes up with Daniel as well...
Warren Haynes with Daniel Sproul and Rose Hill Drive
2.15.05 The Fillmore, CO by Michael Goldman |
Daniel: It's something I really want to try to realize. It's something that I haven't fully realized for myself. Because, it's pretty advanced, so it's something I want to fully grasp, but I think it will take a good part of a lifetime to realize.
So obviously that was a nice and an important thing to hear from somebody as established as Eddie. Was there anything else that you've learned touring with bands like Van Halen and the Crowes? Is there anything, either personally or musically, that you've really felt has been important for your development?
Daniel: From observing certain people and watching interactions and stuff, it's like the most important thing is to stay humble. And not to go to that level where you think you are a star or better than any other human... There's a lot of stuff that takes the cake. Opening up for the Mule and being able to play with Warren was just like, "What the fuck is this? How the fuck did that happen?" Playing with the Crowes when Steve Gorman got back with the band. That was pretty amazing, one of those "holy shit" moments.
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