INTERVIEW: New album features ‘Uncommon’ talents of Lyle Workman
Photo: Lyle Workman’s new album is called Uncommon Measures. Photo courtesy of Tom Dellinger / Provided by Glass Onyon PR with permission.
Lyle Workman, as his biography confirms, is a man of many musical talents. For years, he worked with the likes of Beck, Sting and Todd Rundgren, earning a reputation as a solid sideman. From those early days, he also branched out and dominated in the film business, scoring for such movies as Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Now he’s trying something different, yet still familiar to him: Workman recently released a long-awaited solo album, called Uncommon Measures, out now from Blue Canoe Records. Workman, perhaps a perfect surname for the musician, brings some of his epic film scoring technique to the new album. These instrumental tunes are not merely him on a guitar; instead, there are songs where he’s accompanied by a 63-piece orchestra (note: 63 is not a typo or reversal of numbers; it was really 63).
Specifically, on the album, Workman is responsible for playing the electric and acoustic guitar, plus some keys. He also composed the parts for the orchestra members, who were conducted by John Ashton Thomas at the world-famous Abbey Road Studio I.
Listeners can enjoy this expansive album and its enticing songs, such as “North Star,” “Imaginary World” and “Rise and Shine,” among others. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Workman about his career and the new recording. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
It has been a while since your last solo recording project. What inspired you this time?
Over the last 15 years I have written music for films that feature orchestral music, and I wanted to bring that element to Uncommon Measures. It is a blend of rock, progressive rock, jazz, fusion and classical. It’s the most epic undertaking of anything I’ve done for my own music to date. Everything except orchestra was recorded in Los Angeles. After band tracking and various overdubs, we went to Abbey Road Studios to record a 63-piece orchestra. For the most part, the record features an ensemble of drums, bass, guitar and keyboards, plus orchestra.
Is there a lot more freedom when you can create music as a solo artist?
I believe so. Everything else I do in music goes through some form of committee approval, and I do really enjoy that roll, too. It can stretch you and take you to places you might not go on your own, but writing my own music is ultimately the most satisfying because there is an extra layer of depth in expressing who I am. I wrote this album for my own enjoyment, but the icing has been hearing how well it has connected with other people.
What it was like to work with a 63-piece orchestra?
I had worked with orchestras beforehand on films, but I had never been to Abbey Road. So it was an absolute joy and treat to be working there because of its esteemed history with the Beatles. My orchestrator picked his favorite, most skilled players to be in the orchestra and was magical hearing them play in that room. It has such a sublime sound!
Are you using the same creative muscles on a project like this versus some of your film scoring work?
I think the ‘create’ part all comes from the same place, and so they’re the same muscles for both scenarios. The differences are that for scoring, there are parameters to follow such as story, characters and the whims of filmmakers. In the case of this record, I was free to go wherever I wanted throughout the musical spectrum, thus obliterating any set parameters to follow, which is something I enjoy very much. In addition, there’s not too many extended guitar solos in film music!
Was California a good place to grow up as a musician? Did you receive inspiration from the local area?
I grew up in San Jose, about 50 minutes south of San Francisco. Bill Graham was a very prominent rock promoter, and driving up to the Fillmore and Winterland to see his concerts in the ’70s was a monumental influence. It was a hot spot for music coming off the movement of the ’60s with not only local legends but also the greatest bands from anywhere — Graham booked them all. I saw many rock concerts as that music was my driving force as a teenager and young adult.
When did you start playing guitar? Was it love at first sight?
I was 10 and must admit it wasn’t love at first sight, only because it’s difficult at the beginning pressing down on skinny wires with soft little fingers, but the calluses formed and the passion grew the more I learned and advanced. I was determined to play Beatles songs at any cost!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Lyle Workman’s new album is called Uncommon Measures, out now from Blue Canoe Records. Click here for more information.
