An Interview with Rich Painter

Rich Painter is the force behind Rich Creamy Paint. His debut s/t CD was released in 1999, and earned him comparisons to Matthew Sweet, Fountains of Wayne and Weezer. His new CD titled "Lovers" (available at www.richcreamypaint.com) has just been released.

RB:Tell us about "Lovers", your new CD.
RP: "Lovers" is a record that mainly centers around the subject of marriage. We wanted it to be as intimate as possible and have a sound that genuinely portrayed the emotions that we were feeling at the time we were writing it. My wife, Mindy and I started writing the songs for it in 2000, immediately after the release of the 1st record. I was 20 and my mood was completely different because I was seriously in love with a woman that I wanted to marry, totally going through crash course music business 101, and maturing into an adult all at the same time. We just want everyone to get a chance to experience the record, be engaged by it, and ultimately take it to heart.

RB: How is "Lovers" different than your s/t debut?
RP: The first record was a more slickly produced, fun pop/rock record with young, love struck songs and "Lovers" is a more intimate singer/songwriter/pop/rock record with songs about love and life in the context of marriage

RB: What are the positives and negatives with self-releasing a CD?
RP: Positives- you can write, create, and promote the music you want, any way you want, on your own schedule. Negatives- you're responsible for all the investments and workload.But these days with the cheaper costs of recording equipment, and technology like the internet and mp3s, I think independent artists and good music have more of a chance of being heard now than they ever have!

RB: You presently reside in Nashville. How did you end up there?
RP: I came to Nashville to attend Belmont University and be close to my uncle who was producing my demos at the time.

RB: We all know about the country music scene in Nashville, but how is the "pop" scene there? Are there any rivalries with country artists over venues, etc?
RP: No rivalries. I think Nashville has a good pop scene, but what do I really know? I think it's good to not get too caught up in a local scene anyway.

RB: How important is touring to you?
RP: Touring is very important to us because you get to interact with people in person, and sharing our lives with people is why we make music in the first place. It's also important because without the help of radio, its another way to reach people in different cities. But touring for an independent artist can be very difficult if nobody has heard of you before.

RB: You have also been touring with Ben Folds. How did that come about?
RP: We aren't touring with Ben right now. We just opened a show for him in Nashville. It was great.

RB: You are playing shows with your uncle (John Mark Painter from Fleming and John). Is that weird? Does he keep you out of trouble?
RP: Playing shows with Fleming and John is not weird at all. It's actually really great because we understand each other so well that there are no hassles. John knows he doesn't have to keep me out of trouble.

RB: Was your uncle a big influence for you when you were growing up? What were your influences growing up?
RP: He was totally a big influence. I used to listen to their demos when I was like 13, and although I was already into making music because my dad and mom were in a local rock band when I was growing up, John's success inspired me to want to make great music. But my dad is the one that influenced me the most. I started out banging on paint cans when I was like 4, and he bought me my first drum kit for my 5th birthday. He taught me the basics of how to play, and how to write a song structure on a drum machine, and later on how to play guitar chords. I owe a lot of what I know to him and he was always there to help me out. He loved music and always had the Beatles, Neil Young, Cream, ZZ Top, James Taylor, Howard Jones, Steely Dan, Chicago, and other favorite artists of his playing all the time.

RB: What artists are you listening to these days?
RP: My wife and I like beautiful music that moves us like Coldplay, Elliot Smith, Pete Yorn, Sixpence None the Richer, Nick Drake, the Postal Service, etc. And surprisingly we like a lot of the same stuff, except she is more into Sigur Ros than I am. And there are so many great
artists and music out there that we wish we had more time to listen to more of it. We're just really busy!

__________________________________________________

To reach any other page contained in this month's update on Fufkin.com, read the home page for the appropriate link and click on it. You can also search the site from any page using the search box located at the top of each page. Merely type in the word, phrase, name of the band, recording, name of the Fufkin writer that you are looking for or Whatever in the search box, and then click on "Search". If you would like to e-mail us, go to the About Us page for a list of e-mail addresses.

Go back to the home page by clicking here

____________________________________________________