Nashville Rocks: Kip Winger

Monique Larroux - Photographer

Kip has diversified himself into a category of musical accomplishment that few composers, much less rock stars, can claim.

In November, the Tuscon Symphony debuts his four movement piece “Ghosts,” which will also be performed in February by the San Francisco Ballet, choreographed by the internationally acclaimed Christopher Wheeldon.

London’s Classic Rock magazine called Kip “one of the most gifted composers and arrangers in the rock genre” and praised his “compulsion to experiment.”  Kip’s solo albums, such as “Songs from the Ocean Floor” and “From the Moon to the Sun,” deftly demonstrate the range of his musical prowess, producing powerful songs in symphonic arrangements with eclectic influences.

Monique Larroux - Photographer

His band Winger is still hot, too.

The group that exploded onto the rock scene in the late 80’s with mega-hits like “Seventeen” and “Headed for a Heartbreak,” reunited in 2006 and recently completed their fifth studio album “Karma.”

Currently touring South America and Europe, with a domestic tour slated for early 2010, the band’s new record delivers uptempo, in your face rock – a cross between their first and third album, “Pull.”

A Colorado native, Kip studied music at Denver University and performed with the Colorado State Ballet before moving to New York City and joining Alice Cooper’s band.  Faced with the difficult decision of whether to stick it out with Cooper and forever seal his fate as second string, or to strike out on his own and risk it all, Kip took the gamble.  He soon formed the band Winger, dubbed at Cooper’s suggestion.

In 1988, Winger’s self-titled debut topped the charts.  Their second album, “In the Heart of the Young” was also a smash hit.   But the most critically acclaimed album, “Pull,” fell prey to the rise of alternative rock and the resulting decline in popularity of hard rock glam bands.  Striking out on his own, Kip’s solo albums have been equally critically acclaimed as hard rock with hints of his orchestral mastery.

Kip is now focusing on writing both rock and classical music, preparing for the debut of “Ghosts,” and touring the world with Winger.

Be sure to check out his tour schedule below.

Monique Larroux - Photographer

On the porch of his home in Nashville, we sat down with Kip and his wife Paula for a chat.

Paula, originally from England, is a talented musician herself.  Her debut album, “Jane Said,” mixes pop with folk and indy sounds.  (Check out the tune “Tougher Side” – it’s a must-download.)

I brought my husband Dan because he was one of THOSE guys.  You know, back in the 80’s, the guys who wore acid washed jeans, t-shirts with the sleeves ripped off, rocking it out in Camaros to Winger, Tesla, Ratt, Cinderella and the like.  When I told him I was interviewing Kip, the pleading look in his eye could not be ignored.

Olivia Sarratt McCarthy:  What brought you to Nashville and what made you stay?

Kip Winger:  We were living in Santa Fe, NM and were ready to leave because I had a deathly allergic reaction to Juniper trees…sounds bizarre but it was like having the flu 8 months out the year.  And I’d lived out there so long…we just wanted to integrate back into society.  So, it was here or LA.  We figured Nashville was a little more like-minded.  Essentially we came here to check it out and never left.

OM: What do you like most about Nashville?

KW: Great studios, amazing talent, great work ethic, killer songwriters…the classical scene is really happening, too.

OM: What are some of your favorite spots around town?

KW: La Paz…let’s go have a beer.

Paula Winger: Firefly is our favorite restaurant.  We love Whole Foods.

KW: That’s why we chose this neighborhood – because it was close to Wild Oats, which is now gone.  We’re a little loud for the Bluebird.  I can’t be quiet for anything.

OM: How did you two meet?

KW: We met through mutual friends in Sante Fe.  We were both in other relationships but we had a crush on each other…

PW: For years.

KW: For years.  But finally we were in a place where we could be together…back in 2000.

PW: I didn’t even know he was in this well known band.  He told me he was in a band, but I was like, “Yeah, yeah, weren’t we all at one time or another…”

Monique Larroux - Photographer

OM: What’s it like being in a household with 2 musicians?

KW: Drives me outta my mind!  (pounds the table)  Just kidding.  It’s fine.

PW: No, it’s a little annoying because, for example, when we’re out to dinner we can’t shut up about it.  Were like, “What do you think of this part, or that part…”

KW: Any songwriter knows you can’t get that shit out of your head.

PW: We’re totally opposite musically so that helps.  It took us 6 years to figure out if we have anything in common musically at all.  Just in the past 3 years have we found music we both like.

OM: Kip, who were your biggest musical influences?

KW: I did my first professional gig when I was 8 years old.  That was 40 years ago.  So, it’s just been generational influences like every 5 or so years that someone will come along that I’ll get really enthused about.  I started out doing Prog Rock, we were into Jethro Tull and Yes and the Beatles…Grand Funk.  Probably one of my biggest influences is Joe Walsh in the early days.  Peter Gabriel.  You can hear it more on my solo albums.  But after awhile I really only listened to classical music.  I did ballet for 15 years.  I was exposed to all this music and I wanted to know how the hell they wrote all that.  I started studying classical music when I was 16, really just to work out what I was hearing more than anything.  That’s the only reason I did any of it, you know.  I’d do ballet in the morning, go study Brahms, then go play Van Halen in the clubs at night.

Monique Larroux - Photographer

Daniel McCarthy: What, you couldn’t get enough chicks as a rock star…you had to go join a ballet troupe?

PW: (Laughing) He got all the chicks – the classy ballet babes and the rocker chicks.

KW: I really did it to enhance my performance as a rock guy…it’s not like I ever wanted to end up a ballet dancer…

DM: Hey, Schwartzeneggar used to do ballet to help him with his posing…

KW: That’s awesome.  Yeah, I took a lot of shit for it but all I can tell you is…try it.  It’s not easy.  It’s a very spiritual thing actually.  When really you get past the technique enough to do it, it pulls you into a higher plane.  Any kind of dance does.  Paula studied African dance for a long time.  Anything where you’re turning off your mind and just engaging your body with the earth.

OM: The San Fransisco Ballet will be soon performing your piece “Ghosts.”  That must be surreal as a dancer and a composer.

KW: Yeah, it is.  I wrote “Ghosts” specifically for the choreographer Christopher Wheeldon from the New York City Ballet, who now has his own company called Morphoses (www.morphoses.com).  I was good friends with someone there and I met all those people, you know.  I was always inspired to write for dance specifically because I did that.  I wrote the first movement and sent it to Christopher.  He liked it and wanted me to make it twenty minutes.  So, I wrote a 3 movement piece.  He loved it and wanted to do it.  It was really strange.  In the music business, it’s a “no” at every turn.  You pitch a song, “No, it’s not for us.”   Or try to get a deal, “Nah, it’s not happenin’.”  But for some reason, the door just opened on this one for me.  Its now a four movement piece and I’m happy with it.

Monique Larroux - Photographer

PW: It’s brilliant.  It’s insane.  It’s funny, he’ll be dancing around as he’s composing it.

KW: I’ll just do the movements that I think I’m seeing.   It’s different than writing a song.  It’s not driven by words.    That’s the biggest difference.  Creating something that is not driven by what you’re saying, but by the images of the music.

PW: Which is completely different than me because every song I write begins with something I want to say.  With Kip it all starts with the music.

KW: My rock albums are put together very much like classical music, too.   It’s like the difference between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles where the Rolling Stones are more of a jam band.  Which is awesome, I love the Rolling Stones.   But my brain just doesn’t work like that, I can’t just jam out.

OM: Kip, what advice would you give aspiring artists?

KW: I studied instruments, but I figured out early on that I didn’t want to become a virtuoso instrumentalist.  So, I focused on writing.   When I was young I was writing all the time…in 1985, I wrote 60 songs that no one will ever hear.  Around here, that’s not much… a lot of people write 200 songs a year.  My advice, learn how to write songs.

OM: You’ll be going on tour with Winger in the next few weeks.  Where’s the tour headed?

KW: We’ll start in South America, starting with Brazil in October, then Europe, then a domestic tour after the New Year.  You guys ready to go get a beer?

OM: Let’s go!

And so, at the end of the day, Kip Winger is not only a rare talent, but a regular guy who can throw back a few beers and hang out on the patio until midnight.

And I got bonus points for letting my husband fulfill his teenage dream of hanging out with one of his hard rock idols.

by Olivia Sarratt McCarthy

www.kipwinger.com
www.myspace.com/paulawinger

www.wingertheband.com

TOUR INFO:

NOVEMBER 2009 -
The world premiere of C.F. Kip Winger’s Classical Piece “Ghosts” by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra

November 14, 2009 8:00pm

November 15, 2009 2:00pm

http://www.tucsonsymphony.org

For Tickets: http://tucsonsymphony.org/index.php?option=com_tso&series=masterworks&Itemid=184

————————————————-

November 20, 2009 Crossroads (Winger Band) Roma, Italy

http://www.xroadsliveclub.com

http://www.myspace.com/xroadsliveclub

http://www.facebook.com/xroadsliveclub

November 21, 2009
Ke Me Meo (Winger Band)
Argelato Bologna, Italy

November 22, 2009
New Thunder Revolution (Winger Band)
Casteggio (Pavia), Italy

November 24, 2009
Batofar (Winger Band)
Paris, France

November 25, 2009
Spirit of ‘66 (Winger Band)
Place du Martyr, 164800
Verviers, Belgium Tel: +32 87 35 24 24

http://www.spiritof66.be/

November 26, 2009
De Bosuil (Winger Band)
Vrakkerveld 6002 AZ Weert
Limburg, Netherlands
Tel: (+31) 495 52 42 69
http://www.debosuil.nl/
http://www.myspace.com/debosuil

November 27, 2009
Plan B (Winger Band)
Moscow Russia
http://www.planbclub.ru/afisha

http://www.planbclub.ru/index.php/component/planbbuyticket/

November 28, 2009
Rock Club (Winger Band)
Ufa, Russia

November 30, 2009
Music House (Winger Band)
Ioannina, Greece

- DECEMBER 2009 -
December 1, 2009
Sin City (Winger Band)
Athens. Greece

December 3, 2009
8 Ball Club (Winger Band)
Thessaloniki, Greece

December 4, 2009
The Rock (Winger Band)
Skindergade 45 -471159
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: 45 33 913 913
http://www.the-rock.dk

December 6, 2009
Progresja (Winger Band)
Warsaw Poland

December 7, 2009
Exit (Winger Band)
Prague, Czech Republic

December 8, 2009
Szene (Winger Band)
Wien, Austria
December 9, 2009
A38 (Winger Band)
Budapest, Hungary
http://www.a38.hu

December 11, 2009
Tibis (Winger Band)
Worblaufen, Switzerland
http://www.tibis-downstairs.ch/

December 12, 2009
Ritmo y Compas (Winger Band)
C/ Conde De Vilches 2228028
Madrid, Spain +34 913 552 800

http://www.ritmoycompas.com

http://www.myspace.com/ritmoycompas

- FEBRUARY 2010 -

C.F. Kip Winger’s World Premiere of ‘Ghosts’ the Ballet performed by the San Francisco Ballet
Composer: C. F. Winger
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Wheeldon World Premiere: 

February 9, 2010 8:00pm
February 10, 2010 7:30pm
February 12, 2010 8:00pm
February 14, 2010 2:00pm
February 18, 2010 8:00pm
February 20, 2010 2:00pm
February 20, 2010 8:00pm

San Francisco Opera House San Francisco, CA
http://www.sfb.org

Tickets available at: http://www.sfballet.org/performancestickets/buytickets.asp