Havalina Rail Co.
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R N watsonOne of the better things about living out here in Orange County, coming from the midwest, is being able to see bands like Havalina Rail Co. play more often, and on their own turf. I spoke briefly to Matt Wignall, lead singer and guitarist of Havalina, after seeing them a couple months ago, and he graciously agreed to do this inteview with me. Then after several weeks of laziness on my part, and a week of the flu on Matt's part, I emailed him a few questions, and this is what ensued. And I'd like to mention that this interview in printed form really fails to capture how laid-back and clever he really is in person, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
SS: Where do you live? What do you like to do in your spare time there?
MATT WIGNALL: I live in Long Beach, CA. The whole band is from here with exception of Dave who lives a little north of Long Beach, his loss. In my spare time I row gondolas (www.gondolagetawayinc.com), I play music, I take photographs and work in my darkroom, and I surf and skateboard.
SS: Listening to havalina, I seem to hear more east coast style than west coast; do you think that where you've grown up (cultural surroundings, musical scene, etc.) has shaped your music and the music of Havalina in any way?
MW: I believe so, I think Long Beach is an interesting city that has a lot of cultural nuances, there is a fairly rich musical heritage here, and I think the city in general feels a little more small and old fashioned than somewhere like LA or San Francisco. If you mean why don't we sound like Offspring or No Doubt... I don't know, I went to No Doubt concerts all through high school and I liked them but I was always personally into stuff like Bob Dylan and Neil Young so as I started to write music I was trying to be true to myself and not to what I thought was popular. I don't think that where I lived had that much to do with my current music except for in obvious ways like if I lived in Istanbul instead of Long Beach I probably would not play guitar.
SS: Has being a musician become full-time employment yet? If not, do you wish it was, and what else do you do for a living? What about the other members of the band?
MW: No, it is not full time employment, yes I wish it was. I row gondolas and shoot photographs and paint houses and engineer records for my living. Dave is a substitute teacher, Orlando holds a position at the library, Mercedes goes to UCLA, and Erick paints houses with me.
SS: I've seen some of your photography on the internet, have you been able to pursue this as much as you would like?
MW: No, my whole life as a photographer I've been lazy as hell. I deem myself a failure and I regret this greatly. I'm making major changes in my life as a photographer now, learning discipline and patience. I've always wanted instant gratification and to be any good in the darkroom you have to give up on that idea.
SS: Havalina have been around awhile... exactly how long? how did you guys get started, how did you meet and decide that you wanted to be "havalina rail co."? how long have you personally been playing music and writing songs?
MW: We have been around since about 1992. We started when I went on a campaign to find musicians so I could start an alt. country band, that changed but we named it havalina and from day one we kept evolving. We added the rail co. when we signed to tooth and nail and they did not want to get sued because they was another band somewhere called the havalinas. I have been playing guitar since 5th grade and writing songs since 12th grade.
SS: What are some albums/artist that were early influences? What are you into right now?
MW: The Ventures were a big early influence, later I got really into jazz, and I liked americana folkish stuff a lot too, Bob Dylan was my hero in high school, I liked Joni Mitchell, Woody Guthrie, and then I was into a lot of classic rock stuff like Pink Floyd and Zeppelin, as far as more modern stuff, I remember really liking the first Mazzy Star album, and I loved the Pixies, I guess in a lot of ways I still like the same kind of stuff. It always changes.
SS: When I talked to you a few months ago, I was really excited to hear that Havalina is working on a new album. How far along is that? Are you still label-shopping? Are you still looking at being able to market to the Christian industry, or not, or both?
MW: Most of the songs are written and hopefully we should be able to start recording it soon. We are going to release an EP in the meantime while we search for a label. I don't want to be on a "Christian label", after 10 years of being a band that has just caused us to fall through the cracks of the music world. I do like to play in the Christian scene, I think there is a lot of great stuff going on. I just think that there is a certain amount of integrity in being accepted for your music rather than because your a Christian. Christians put out a lot of crap in the name of art and if they had to take it to a real label or publisher etc. they would never make it. If we are lame I want to get shot down, not protected in the Christian industry.
SS: What can you tell us about the new album? How would you describe it, compared to the last few Havalina albums?
MW: It is a lot more pop, less country based music, less Russian based music. It will be called Space Love and Bullfighting. It will be a lot more to the point than all the other Havalina albums.
SS: What is your favorite part of Havalina--writing songs, recording songs, playing shows, or touring?
MW: Playing live and touring, I think we all like playing live the best.
SS: What are some of your favorite places to play, and why?
MW: The Lava Lounge in Long Beach, 'cause it's our hometown and it's a great venue. We also like New Orleans so we can eat creole food while we're there.
SS: If you could bring back any band that isn't around anymore, just to tour with them, who would it be?
MW: I don't know, I'll say Firehose (not firehouse!!!) or The Kinks.
SS: I heard that you sold Jackson/Rubio, the independent label that you had started, to a college kid for $200?
MW: I had to claim bankruptcy, he got the name and the back catalog. He got a good deal but if he didn't give me 200 bucks for it I'd be doing nothing with it anyway.
SS: Is playing music more a passion or hobby for you? Do you ever get tired of it?
MW: It would have to be a passion in order to spend the last 10 years making no money to do it. I get bitter at times, but not tired. I am interested in the other things I do, photo, gondola, surfing, skateboarding and recording music.
SS: Have you seen the movie "Being John Malkovich"? If you could be someone else, any musician in any band, if you could be inside their head for 15 minutes, who would you pick?
MW: I don't really want to be in anyone's head so I'll say Judita, my wife, she is more interesting to me than some weird musician.
SS: Are you guys happy with what you're doing right now, or would you define "success" for Havalina as something more?
MW: I guess we have success in a sense but I would like the same things many musicians want, to have the gratification of a lot of people connecting with your music.
SS: Where do you see yourself personally in 10-20 years?
MW: I don't know, life has always been a real adventure for me and it changes all the time. I hope I'm still taking pictures and playing music, maybe I'll have a dog.
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