One of the most prolific progressive rock composers on the planet, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Billy Sherwood recently released his 11th solo album, and second in a unique series, entitled Citizen: In The Next Life.
Currently a member [for the second time] of prog legends Yes, as well as a touring member of Asia, Sherwood has not only released a plethora of solo albums, but also with the bands World Trade (three albums), one album with his first band Lodgic, two studio albums and two live albums as a member of Yes, two albums with Conspiracy, seven with Circa, two with The Prog Collective, one with Yoso and two more with Light Freedom Revival, as well as literally hundreds of songwriting, production, engineering and performance credits on recordings by other artists.
To say music is Sherwood’s life is almost a laughable understatement.
“Making music, making albums is something I would do if nobody bought a single unit because I have to. I am an artist, it’s like breathing for me. I am constantly working on music and I am constantly building enough material for it to become an album, whether it’s working with bands on their productions or my own thing or one of my bands. I do it for quite simply the love of being involved with music. And then I sort of let things go and they take on their own natural course and do what they do out in the universe,” said Sherwood.
“I am constantly trying to evolve musically and get as much out of this life that we have here on this earth, which is precious and short, as you know. I try to document as much music as possible simply because I am addicted to it. It’s my passion, it’s my living, it’s my life. I am a third generation professional musician. My dad was a musician, my grandparents were musicians, my mom played, and so does my brother. So, this is all I know. And putting 50 or so minutes of music together as a package, whether you want to call it a record or an album, just comes naturally. I would never think of music in terms of, ‘well let’s put one song out and see what happens.’ That’s just not something I am interested in. I want to work on an entire production and have something there for people to really sink their teeth into.
“And fortunately, I am in a genre where that’s something people still want. I am not trying to compete with Justin Bieber and Lada Gaga. I am just doing my thing in a particular lane that still has a pulse. So, it’s all good. It’s like film, things change, but people still want to go and see a movie. I think people still enjoy the audio experience, the visceral experience of hearing something, closing their eyes and let their imaginations wander for a little while.”
Currently touring as a full time member of both progressive rock legends Yes, and Asia, as well as working on a host of other projects, it’s amazing that Sherwood had the time and creative energy to concoct another solo album in the ongoing Citizen thematic narrative.
“I was chipping away at it for the last few years. I knew that I wanted to do another Citizen record at some point, so I was starting to bank various pieces of music or lyrical concepts until the time came where it was really getting serious and the label [Frontiers Music Srl] wanted to pursue it and make another album. Once that was decided I just went full steam on all those ideas and brought them all home,” said Sherwood from a tour stop where he is pulling double duty playing with both headliners and Yes as well as Asia on a prog rock fan’s dream bill that also includes the Carl Palmer ELP Experience, and the solo band of Moody Blues’ bassist/vocalist John Lodge.
“It has been a few years in the making [the first Citizen album came out in 2015] but all the ideas are very fresh and exciting to work on, for me anyways. And the story potential of the characters that were coming to life by virtue of writing about the likes of Mata Hari, Adolf Hitler, Wyatt Earp and all the other characters that are on that record was incredible. I kind of got inspired and put it together over the past couple of years. Practically speaking, I did it in between a lot of the other things I was working on. I might be working on a session for someone and as soon as I was finished with that project, I would have a few days off before starting the next one, and instead of taking a vacation, I would get inspired to want to work on this new Citizen concept. I just find the time and make sure I can get done everything I need to on my own time, which is what I dedicate my solo stuff to.
“I might be working on a bass track for a project and while I am getting a sound right or getting a level for it I am just noodling around on a riff that I may have fallen into that day and I think that it’s pretty good, something with potential. So, I will record it, and put it into a folder called ‘Ideas’ on my desktop. After doing that on various sessions here, there and everywhere I end up with maybe 30 or 40 pieces of music to get inspired by. Then there are times when a song comes on while I am cruising down the freeway and that might trigger a thought, so I start composing lyrics and when I get home, put those ideas into the folder.”
So, for the uninitiated, the Citizen concept needs to be explained as it adds great depth to the listening experience once you understand the story – or more accurately, stories – that Sherwood is telling through the blending of music and words.
“I am not an expert, but I love history. And this concept allows me to dive into certain things in history that have always been interesting and write about them. It’s a perfect concept to get inspired by, so if there continues to be a label to support it, I will keep pursuing this line and make more records that invoke the Citizen concept. The Citizen is a character, and I use him or her in different ways. Sometimes I set the character inside the actual person I am focusing on and in others the Citizen is more of an observer. For instance, there’s a song on the first Citizen record called Galileo and Me which is more about a fictitious character who was a friend of Galileo and was sitting with him. It depends on what perspective I am trying to tell the story from as to where the Citizen actually fits,” he said, adding that 1980s sci fi fans might see a bit of a parallel in the Scott Bakula-starring TV show Quantum Leap.
“It’s like I am taking the listener on a time travel adventure, taking people to a different time, and different locations and letting their imagination take it from there. On the first record I went back as far as Nostradamus and Galileo. On this one I went a little more into modern times, not as a conscious thought, but that’s just what I ended up writing about. The music guides me towards what the lyrics is going to be, what the character is feeling like for me.
“For instance, for Mata Hari, I started with this track that was kind of funky and kind of sexy sounding and sort of enticing and exotic and erotic sounding and I thought, ‘who would fit this?’ And then I started thinking about Mata Hari and how, as a spy, she seduced he way through all these important officials during World War One to get the information she wanted. And how at the end of the day the story turned dark because she was discovered and put in front of a firing squad by the French. I thought it was such a radical life, I need to write about that. And it fit the music perfectly.”
One of the most intriguing and melodically masterful tracks on In the Next Life is the completely fictitious Skywriter, which is as much a commentary about the charm of bygone eras as it is a story of lost love.
“I viewed it as a skywriting team that is in love, but something has happened, and they are no longer together as a couple and as a skywriting team. So, he is up in the sky now writing all these messages of love that he used to write for strangers and now he’s trying to get these words out to his missing partner, hoping she is seeing it from the ground and realizes that he still loves her. It’s a made up tale, but what triggered it was I was watching a show about skywriting and how there are only a handful of people who can fly these specialized planes in the whole country,” Sherwood explained.
“I thought it was interesting that there were so few people doing this and then the concept came to mind of a pilot up there alone missing his lady and trying to get messages to her. For this song the Citizen is completely fictitious and is one of the handful of skywriters left in America. I think it’s an interesting story. I think the whole album is kind of like a movie for the ears where listeners can just tune out and go to another place. I am not really one to tell people what to think about their politics or their religion or what they should have for breakfast in the morning. I just want to entertain people and give them something interesting to listen to and have fun.”
Returning to the subject of Yes, which marked its 50th anniversary last year, Sherwood said the reason why the band is still able to headline arenas and festivals after all this time, is due to the loyalty of the fan base but more importantly, because of the emotional potency and continued relevance of the band’s songs.
“I think it’s the songs, the albums, the classic nature of the whole thing. But at the core of it is the music; it’s what drives it and what drives us to want to continue and to keep playing. And the fans are so dedicated to the music and hearing it that they don’t want to let it go. And we don’t want to let it go either. So that marriage of ideas perpetuates the whole thing. I think it’s just a testament to amazing songwriting that we might not find in this date and age,” said Sherwood, who was initially in Yes as a keyboardist/guitarist from 1997 to 2000 and rejoined the band in 2015 at the request of Yes bassist and long-time friend Chris Squire while he was ill. Squire unfortunately passed away and Sherwood continues in Yes to this day.
“They were doing things back in the day that were just so experimental that the songs and albums became classics. For example, we’re plating Gates of Delirium from the Relayer album live, which is the craziest piece of music ever, but it’s incredible and it’s a classic and a very deep track but the fans just love it and we really love playing it. The only thing I can tell you is as long as I have been around this band, I have been constantly hearing predictions of its demise. It’s like a zombie that just won’t stay down. And I am quite happy about that. It’s a testament to the music.”
Sherwood was also asked to join Asia in 2017 after the death of original vocalist/bassist John Wetton. Current Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes was an original member of Asia and also does double duty. Former Guns ‘N Roses and current Sons of Apollo guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal joined Asia last year.
“I did lead vocals on the last Asia tour because they were in a pinch and everything kind of happened really quickly and I just jumped in and did it. This time around, we have had a little more time to rethink things, so Ron Thal is actually singing lead vocals and playing some guitar as well, while I am focusing more on bass. And it’s been great, Ron just has a great energy, is a super nice guy and incredibly gifted and talented musician, he is just incredible,” he said.
As if Sherwood isn’t busy enough, he is always in demand as a producer, engineer and session player, and continues to be members of prog groups World Trade and Circa, both of which have released albums in the past few years.
“We made the World Trade Album ‘Unity’ not that long ago and we had a great time. I am sure we would entertain thoughts of doing another one. And I talked to [ex-Yes keyboardist] Tony Kaye about Circa. We had an album out not long ago called Valley of the Windmill and I know that he is thinking about making another album as well. So, all of those things have potential,” he said, adding that he is producing an Emerson, Lake & Palmer tribute album and a Christmas progressive rock album at present, with many other projects waiting in the wings.
“And there’s always talk of new Yes music, but we will just have to see what happens. The band runs at its own pace, but I would like to make a new album. I think enough time has passed after losing Chris and being respectful enough about that to move forward. I know that’s what he wanted us to do.”
For more information on Sherwood, and Citizen: In The Next Life, visit https://www.facebook.com/BillySherwoodMusic. For more information on Yes, visit http://yesworld.com. For more information about Asia, visit https://originalasia.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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