On the eve of Rod Stewart's summer tour RSC researcher Helen Clowes talks to
his bassist Conrad Korsch.

1) You were born in Philidelphia, would you
like to describe what it was like to grow up there and was music one of your
favourite subjects at school ?

Philly is a great city…it has a good arts/music scene and all of the other
diverse things you'd expect from as major city, plus lots of history that was
central to the formation of the country. I studied music privately at
Settlement Music School, which is the largest community school of the arts in
the USA and who's alumni includes many famous musicians and artists, even Albert
Einstein! I did study music theory at my high school, but by my senior year I'd
scored 100% on the placement test, so they put me in the back of the room with a
keyboard and I would just work on stuff on my own.

2) When did you realize you wanted to become a
musician ?

After I realized I was useless at sports…ha ha. I started taking piano
lessons at age 6, but I'd already been asking my parents to get me lessons for a
year or two. I studied piano for about 10 years and switched to bass during
high school.

3) Who are your musical influences
?

There are so many…I play jazz, latin/brazilian, rock, pop, etc., etc., so
there have been many influences in all of those fields. When I first started
playing electric bass, Led Zeppelin (John Paul Jones on bass) was a big
influence on my rock playing. I learned alot of those great bass lines from the
records and that was an education in itself. Then there are all the great
players on other instruments, as well as composers and lyricists who have
influenced my musical style in a broader sense, beyond just playing the
bass.

4) Do you have a favourite musician
?

Part of the process of growing as a musician is to study other musicians
and take bits and pieces from what makes them connect to you and combine them
with your own personality and skills to eventually have your own voice. So,
ideally, we should all be our own favorite musicians, but that's always a work
in process…check back with me in 100 years!

5) Having played alongside many musicians in
your career are there any special moments that stand out from others
?

I'm grateful to have been afforded many great memories and opportunites
because of playing music. Playing the Concert for Diana with Rod was a
highlight, as was meeting Prince Charles…a few times! Opening for Stanley
Clarke at the Academy Of Music in Philadelphia when I was about 20 is another.
Performing a featured duet on center stage in the Broadway show "Swing!" for a
year was a unique experience as well, and releasing my own CD and selling out
the release concert in NYC was a bit of a milestone.

6) You have recently released a new CD ' Live
Love Leave ' would you like to tell me a little more about this?

It's a collection of 13 original songs that I've written over the last
several years and released in the 2nd half of 2009. The production ranges from
full band plus string quartet and backup vocals all the way down to just
guitar/voice, and even one song with just upright bass and voice. For the most
part it's a "singer-songwriter" record with the focus being on the stories and
poetic-style lyrics supported by the music, not necessarily a commercial or pop
sounding record.

You can sample the songs and buy the CD or download the mp3s at www.cdbaby.com/cd/conradkorsch or download on iTunes at http://lnk.nu/itunes.apple.com/xif. You can also hear 3 full
songs on my myspace page at www.myspace.com/conradkorsch. Be sure to send a
friend request on Myspace and Facebook as well…!

7) Did you write the songs on the
CD?

Yes, all of the music, lyrics, string arrangements, production, etc.

8) Do you have a particular favourite song on
it ?

I can't say I have a single favorite..they're all special to me for one
reason or another, depending on my mood.

9) Do any of the songs reflect on your life
?

Next question, please…Ha Ha. Yes, some do, but many of the songs that seem
like I am just laying my own story out there in plain words are actually
fictional, while I tend to shroud the more personal stories in characters and
metaphors. Sometimes.

10) And are there any particular things that
stand out from others while making the CD ?

Well, since making the CD there have been some standout moments:

* "I'm Leaving" was featured in the TV show "Royal Pains"

* "Firefly" (which features a duet with Rosanne Cash, who's band I used to
play in) was brought to life through the choreography of Andrea Kramer and
premiered at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

* "Weeping Willow" was chosen to be the opening track of the 2010 Cape May
Singer-Songwriter Festival's compilation CD.

11) What is the story behind the song... Love
story of a Blade of Grass and a Pine Tree ?

That's one of those personal ones with the characters and metaphors…I wrote
it about a long distance relationship. It didn't quite work out like it does in
the song though!

12) Is there any other instrument you play
apart from guitar and is there a particular guitar you prefer ?

Well, I play BASS in Rod Stewart's band, and I generally make a living
playing upright and electric bass. On my CD and other projects that I compose
and produce I often play guitar, keyboards, some percussion, and I sing, as well
as writing some string and horn arrangements, but that's when I am in my own
studio and can take my time.

13) Will you be appearing at any upcoming gigs
to promote your CD ?

I've done a couple of full band + string quartet shows in NYC that were a
blast, as well as some smaller solo shows. I'm booking some solo shows on
nights off while on tour in Europe this summer with Rod. So far, I've got the
"Regal Room" in London on June 2nd, which also does a live webcast, and
"Sandbar" in Manchester on May 25th as part of a music and poetry night. These
will be solo shows where I play acoustic guitar and sing, sometimes loop
recording and overdubbing myself live. I'm working on booking some shows in
Germany during the week of July 5th (currently I've got July 9th at "The New
York Grill" in Albstadt and July 12th at "Vogler" in Munich), and my friend
Everett Bradley (who works with Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, STOMP! + Jon Bon
Jovi) will most likely be joining me on percussion and background vocals for
those shows. I'm also putting some stuff together in Norway for another week of
solo shows after Rod's tour and finally fly home to perform in the Huntington
Summer Arts Festival in Long Island on August 8th. Keep an eye on the
"Calendar" page of my website www.conradkorsch.com and my myspace page for
details.

13) Can you tell me more about the people who
were involved in the making of the CD and what it was like to work with some of
them ?

In addition to the instruments I played, the following Rod Stewart alumni
also contributed: Matt Beck (alot of electric guitar), Shawn Pelton and David
Palmer on drums, and a string quartet made up of several of the string players
who also worked with Rod on some of the Songbook stuff: Jonathan Dinklage and
Antoine Silverman on violins, Hiroko Taguchi on viola and Anja Wood on cello.
Also Thad DeBrock played electric guitar on "I'm Leaving", Joy Askew (formerly
with Peter Gabriel and Joe Jackson) sang background vocals and plays keyboards
in the live band, Rosanne Cash sang the duet on "Firefly", and Alex Brofsky
played french horn. I've known many of those musicians for years and was very
happy to have their support on the album and at the CD Release Party concert
(David Palmer was particularly generous by flying from LA to NYC to perform in
that show!). Everett Bradley was also extremely helpful along the way by
listening with fresh ears and offering feedback. He doesn't play on the CD, but
there's a video on www.youtube.com of him playing a percussion solo and singing a
bit in a duo song with me at my CD Release Party…he's an amaging musician. Also
on youtube is a 5 minute video of highlights from that night…just search Conrad
Korsch + Joe's Pub...check it out and leave a comment!

15) Just one more question before we finish
and that is do you have any plans music wise for the future?

When I'm not on the road I tend to stay very busy working in NYC in
recording studios, Broadway pits, TV shows and live music venues, as well as
doing smaller tours with other artists. Following this summer tour, I expect to
start the Fall with my regular gig in the house band of the Jerry Lewis/MDA
Telethon's NYC broadcast, followed by some tour dates with Christopher Cross,
and then hopefully will tape season 2 of the new Emeril Lagasse TV Show which
Martha Stewart is producing. I played in the house band for the entire
Spring/Summer 2010 season (under the direction of Dave Koz and alongside Rod's
old guitarist Jeff Golub) which taped in March. I will continue to try to get
more exposure for my own CD as well, though some live shows and hopefully some
more licensing opportunities, and will try to find time to pick back up on a
project which I've started producing for another artist through my "Scrumptious
Music" production company.