Interview: George Marinelli on the Making of “Except Always”

George Marinelli interview

George Marinelli has a new double album Except Always. Is his name ringing a bell?  He was Bonnie Raitt’s long time lead guitar player as well as a founding member of Bruce Hornsby & the Range.  He’s also performed on sessions for James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Garth Brooks and many many more. Originally from Staten Island, he’s a distinguished career musician who played every instrument on his latest album, which sounds like gold. We had a chance to chat with George about the music and more. Check out what transpired.

Americana Highways: How did you decide to name your new double album Except Always?

George Marinelli: It’s the title of the second song and it may be the most catchy and uptempo so it seemed to be the way to go title-wise.

AH: Did any of the songs on your double album come to you almost completely out of the blue? Which one / ones and how did it happen?

GM: I think if any, “Tell Me What It’s All About” was the closest. Sorta heard something in my head, which is unusual for me. It’s a simple song on every label so it was a pretty quick write. Also, the first song, “I Don’t Have The Blues.” I had the title in my head and had to fit a context to it. Basically made it about someone screaming back at the TV news shows that he or she wasn’t as unhappy as they make it seem. So it’s nothing about blues music but that we’re responsible for our own happiness.

AH: When songs don’t come to you out of the blue, what’s your songwriting process like?

GM: If not out of the blue it’s usually out of a lot of hours sitting with a guitar in my hand, or in rare instances at a keyboard, and maybe playing songs by others or just simply searching for a chord pattern that I haven’t heard thousands of times. Also trying to write a distinctive melody. Not trying to say I’m ever successful but that’s the aspiration.

AH: How did you decide to release a double album?

GM:  That was actually an accidental decision made by Ken Onstad at New Folk Records and myself. I was finishing up a new album and I sent it to Ken. He initially wanted to release a retrospective culled from my 9 previous albums & EPs. I replied that I didn’t want the new songs to sit around collecting dust and who would buy a ‘hits’ package from me anyway. So he said let’s do both at the same time. I was pleasantly shocked.

AH: So disc one is new music from the past year, and disc two is much older music? How do two collections of songs relate?

GM:  I think, or should I say I hope, that the songs all hang together because they all came from the same person. I like so many styles of music and I incorporate them into my writing when it fits. So I can listen to a 15 year old recording of mine next to a new one and they still relate to one another. Also they’ve all been recorded in my studio, WingDing, by me playing and engineering and all that. So there’s a bit of a common sound.

AH: If someone only had ten minutes, which 3 songs on the album should they listen to first & why?

GM:  “Dear Boy,” “Oh No, Not Love Again,” and “Believe.” Doubt they’d come in under the ten minute mark though. [laughs]

AH: Were any of the songs on the album written by inspiration and or frustration about an event and or place? If so, which song (or songs) and tell us more about it?

GM: Of the nine new ones, the title song, “Except Always,” is how one could be frustrated by a certain politician that constantly lies and never accepts responsibility for any wrongs he’s committed:) “Living Like Kings,” from the retro side, expresses my frustration with Americans feeling like they’re entitled to the absolute best of everything, refuse any less, and take for granted all those things our parents and grandparents couldn’t have.

AH: What would you like fans to take away after listening to your music?

GM:  It’d be great if, on the musical side, they’d hear something they don’t ordinarily hear every day and check out some of the music that’s influenced me to write. Music from other countries and people that are rarely heard on American radio. Brazil, Africa, Jamaica, etc. Lyrically I’d hope they’d think about life from a viewpoint other than their own.

AH: Can you tell us more about your co-writer Rich Wayland? How did you two meet and what is the process like when writing a song together?

GM: Rich and I have been writing together for so long I don’t know if I can remember meeting him. I really like writing with Rich for so many reasons. He has such a great way of looking at life through his own unique lens and capturing it lyrically. We generally write really fast. And he’s a damn good piano player so we both write music and lyrics, though he’s usually more the lyric guy. A great example is “Border Town” written from the POV of someone trying to escape a really nasty and dangerous situation and get somewhere, here, to make a good and safe life for their family. Try walking in someone else’s shoes and all that. “Token Of A Broken Love,” all Rich’s lyrics, is a gorgeous and poetic piece of writing.

AH:When you were a kid, who inspired you to make music?

GM: Hard to say exactly. I was a late bloomer. Got my first guitar at 15 yrs old. But my folks and older sisters always had music playing in the house. A great variety. (We lived in NY:) Mom & Dad liked Big Band and crooners. Sisters both like Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and R&R. Couldn’t help but be inspired, even if I didn’t know it then.

AH: Of course I have to ask what it was like playing guitar for Bonnie Raitt? Did she influence you in any way with your own songwriting?

GM: Well I don’t have to tell you about Bonnie’s singing and guitar playing. What I always say is it’s the variety of styles of music that she plays that kept me there for 30 years and keeps her vital as an artist. Never content to be an oldies artist who is coasting. Always trying to expand who she is artistically. She’s generous in so many ways, not the least musically. Never a solo hog. She’s a band person and it shows. Always inclusive. And I’m proud to say I’ve written a few songs with her.

AH: What is next for George Marinelli? Any big festivals and or tours coming up?

GM: Well after centuries on the road in tour buses and airplanes I decided to stop touring and concentrate on my stuff and other projects in the works, which includes producing and mixing for others. Hopefully I will continue to write with Bonnie. So no touring in my future right now.

Thanks very much for chatting with us, George! Folks can find more information and details here on his website: https://georgemarinelli.net/

Check out our review of the CD, here: REVIEW: George Marinelli “Except Always” Double CD