When Zach Gill moved from Saratoga to Isla Vista to attend UCSB, he quickly entrenched himself within the bristling music scene that surrounded the school. Not only did he perform regularly with jazz ensembles and gospel choirs at the school, he was also an intricate part of Django, a perennial favorite at parties throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. A few years later, Django morphed in Animal Liberation Orchestra and New Year’s Eve in Santa Barbara was never the same. As well as being a cornerstone of ALO, Gill has also recently been lending an old school friend, Jack Johnson, a hand both in the studio and on tour. Johnson recently returned the favor by producing ALO’s most recent recorded venture – Man of the World. Somewhere, amongst all of that, Gill also found time to record a solo album of his own. Stuff was a family-friendly endeavor that stands as an infectious testament to Gill’s playful approach to music. Whether on the road with his colleagues or at home with his family, Gill makes music fun. And this month he will fittingly bring that approach to the refined surrounds of the Lobero Theater where he will join Toad the Wet Sprocket for the annual Santa Barbara Birth Center benefit concert.
You are playing this year’s benefit concert for the Santa Barbara Birth Center at the Lobero Theatre. You involve yourself in assisting a myriad of causes, why the Birth Center?
We just had our second child about a year ago and at the time there was no birth center here in town. We have had so many friends that have gone with home births and we have a great hospital here. But there has been nothing in between hospitals and home births. So I think that a birth center will offer the best of both worlds. You have the midwife scenario, but also all the extra support right there on hand.
How does being a father impact upon what you do creatively?
It plays into everything. It really does become a source of inspiration. And the other side of it is that you’re balancing a really complex situation. All of a sudden there are all these other lives you’re working with and responsible for. It’s a huge change as you know too. I am working on another album with the ALO band and we’re recording it up in San Francisco and I’m really excited about a lot of the songs. But having to leave my family is really rough so suddenly I start feeling torn between those two worlds. I really want to go off and make music, but there’s all this exciting stuff happening at home. It’s just the compromises everybody has to make in life you know?
I believe you played the Kidzapalooza Stage at Lollapalooza this year. Are kids a tougher audience to please?
Yeah – for about twenty minutes! You’ve got about twenty golden minutes there before it all turns to chaos! And it depends upon what you’re armed with. After about twenty minutes the accordion just won’t cut it anymore! But playing for kids is awesome. While I haven’t done it yet, I have always wanted to make a kids album. My last solo album, Zach Gill’s Stuff, was almost like a family album. It wasn’t a “kids” album, but I felt like it was bordering on it. My daughter and I are constantly writing together and my wife and I are also always coming up with “kids” songs - many of which will never see the light of day. We have been making this mock album called Slightly Inappropriate.
When you were a kid I understand you took piano lessons, but when you ventured out into your early musical incarnations you were playing rhythm guitar. What is it about keyboards that brought you back and pretty much kept you there?
It’s such a broad instrument. Every instrument has broadness to it, but between the low end of the piano and the high end keys you have so much to draw from. And it’s also nice that it’s right there in front of you, almost like painting or something, you can see it. When I play guitar it’s more a rhythmic thing. When I play piano it’s more visual. Plus the piano is like an old friend for me. I go away from it for a while and when I come back it’s just like slipping right back into an old conversation.
Speaking of old friends, your two main musical chariots are AOL and playing with Jack Johnson. Is that what music is all about for you? Is it the collaborative experience and the social aspect of sharing something creative?
That’s a big part of it. I tend to find myself in these group situations. It’s funny because it all sort of works together. I like those because there’s a circle between the band, the individual band members and the audience. It kind of swirls around and the audience cheers and gets excited and the individuals within the band play better and go to another level. As the band sounds better and the audience gets more excited, the band gets even better. It’s this thing that’s goes around. It’s fun when you’re by yourself too because there’s a back and forth between the audience that’s more direct. It’s not as complex and you can get to the core of the things a little quicker.
You have opened up for Jack Johnson wearing your solo hat. What is it like being out on a big stage just you a piano and a filling stadium?
It’s an interesting experience. In a smaller room you feel like you have more control. There are so many people in a stadium that sometimes it can feel unfocused. So I just have to find the sweet spot inside myself. I always get a little nervous and sometimes I get really nervous and I’m not actually sure why. Sometimes you feel like ‘oh my God, I’m going to collapse’ before you get out there, but then you get a rush of adrenalin and that’s kind of exciting and when that peters off there’s a comforting calm. But then when you feel the audience right there with you, it’s an amazing feeling.
Your other extreme is wandering through the crowd with your accordion playing troubadour style before a show. That must present a very unique experience for both you and the fans …
There is something I really appreciate about not being on a stage and just playing music for people and seeing them respond. I was in Brazil and wandering down the street, I came upon this bookstore and they had set up a tent in front of the bookstore and had music playing. The musicians sat in a circle facing each other and everybody else was dancing and singing. So instead of having a band on a stage, everyone was surrounding the music and the music was coming out with everyone being a part of it. There was something that felt natural and good about that. It wasn’t a ‘check me out’ kind of thing. The energy was more like lets all do this together. And, sometimes when you’re street performing, that’s what it feels like.
You have been treated to a diverse array of musical experiences across the years. You have played stadiums and festivals and even for a President. Is it the journey that keeps you going?
Yeah. It really is. The other day Jack and I did a gig for National Geographic where we went out to Washington for a gala event and there were all these explorers there. Captain Ballard, the guy that discovered the Titanic was there and the MC was Wolfe Blitzer. I’m up there playing accordion and Jack is there with his guitar and we just looked at each other and said ‘this is crazy!’ Stuff like that is so much fun. All these explorers were just so enthusiastic about all these crazy projects they were working on. It was really inspiring.
I guess that night will be a little like the Lobero where the people there weren’t necessarily tried and true fans. Do you approach shows like these differently than you would you typical Zach Gill performance?
You do. And being a Birth Center benefit I should probably arm myself with a whole lot of songs about birth! Sometimes at festivals with ALO they will have us play late at night and at those things you want keep people dancing. But at the Lobero, it’s a sit down thing and people are there to support the cause. It will be great to play the Lobero and I have been focusing on Jack and ALO late so it’s nice to do something a little different.
Zach Gill and Toad the Wet Sprocket play the Santa Barbara Birth Center Benefit Concert at the Lobero Theatre on Saturday 05 November.
