GARY HUSBAND Chats with CirdecSongs

(PHOTO BY oannes.gr)

What’s better than interviewing a talented musician? Interviewing a talented musician who’s also an incredibly decent human being.

Ladies and gents, I give you Mr. GARY HUSBAND.

The first time I became aware of Gary was in 1985, when he played drums for Allan Holdsworth on an album called Metal Fatigue. Gary played an AMAZING drum solo on a tune called “The Un-Merry Go-Round.” There was so much fire, so much passion … the man meant every single note he played. You could feel his emotions coming through the speakers!

From that day forward, I always kept an eye out for who was playing the drums on whatever progressive rock album I chose to buy. What I didn’t know is Gary is also a remarkably talented keyboardist. The first time I saw him live was with John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension, where I was shocked to realize he was not behind the drum kit. I was rather disappointed until I heard him play. After that, all was well.

Gary has lent his talent to artists such as Mike Stern, Wayne Krantz, Steve Hackett, Jimmy Herring, Robin Trower, Jack Bruce, and oh so many more. More recently, Gary has been all over the MoonJune Records label, collaborating with artists like Markus Reuter and Mark Wingfield.

Given how much his talents are in demand, Gary would have every right to have a cocky swagger. Yet nothing could be farther from the truth. Gary is about as humble and considerate as people come. Any answer he gives is well thought out, and he seems eager to take the spotlight off of himself.

Because of this, I owe Gary a huge apology. This interview was conducted several months ago with the intent of releasing within a couple of weeks. Alas, there was a glitch in the recording that took more than a few weeks to resolve. By then, I had recorded several more interviews. I kept delaying Gary’s release. I should know better.

Gary’s catalog is extensive (which is a bit of an understatement), but we got together to talk about his new solo album, Songs of Love and Solace. It is a lovely album featuring Gary playing solo piano.

I would like to thank Gary for taking the time to have a chat with CirdecSongs.