Pulse - Arist Spotlight: Teddy Larkin

Larkin, co-founder of local music group Nashatoga, started his music career as a drummer for a USO band that toured throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean in support of the troops stationed there. After his stint with the group, he found himself in Boston playing drums in some of the city’s top blues bands, which eventually led to him performing with such well-known musicians as Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Susan Tedeschi and Rick Danko.

In 1998, after being burned out from the Boston music scene and realizing his desire to pursue a career in songwriting, Larkin moved to Nashville to see if the Music City could provide him with the right scene to reinvigorate his career.

Today, Larkin has produced two albums in Nashville and is currently working on a new one, Forth and Bride, with a release date scheduled for January. I recently sat down with Larkin to discuss his upcoming performance, his new album and his work with local music group Nashatoga.

What is your earliest music memory?

It was probably around the age of two. I am the youngest of five and at that time my brother used to rock me to sleep to the Beatles.

What made you decide to make the transition from blues music to country?

Without insulting anybody, it got to a point where blues became this kind of guitar-based ego thing focused on soloing, so I started listening to artists like John Pine. And because of that I was able to find a lot more soul through country/folk music, and since I really wanted a chance to start expressing myself through song, I decided to shy away from the blues. However, I really consider the blues my main foundation. And although I have the utmost respect for blues musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn, I didn’t want to bang away on the drums to his songs any longer. And that is why I turned to the country/folk side of music, but it is all still based around the blues.

How did your move to Nashville affect your music?

It exposed me to some brilliant songwriters and some great musicians. And since I had been pretty successful as a drummer – when I first got to town – I wanted to make some money playing the drums and to network with other musicians. But when I arrived in Nashville, I found there was this really big underground Americana music scene going on that I became drawn to. I eventually started working with a brilliant producer and multi-instrumentalist by the name of Michael Webb. He took a liking to my songs and we recorded three records together, including my newest one Forth and Bride.

What do you like most about live performance?

It’s my medicine. I just love getting into a rhythm, feeding off the crowd and playing each song with a different approach every time. I also love getting out and meeting the people in the audience, and they often inspire my song ideas through the conversations I have with them. Live performance is really why I am still playing music at the age of 44.

How do you feel about playing the Frederick Allen Lodge this Saturday?

I love a bar you can go into and hear Al Green on the jukebox. And that place in Saratoga Springs is the Fredrick Allen Lodge. The people in that area have been real supportive of my music and they have done a great job revitalizing the Beekman Street district. I have been able to go down there and play my original songs in front of people who really listen to them. And that is what I really love about Nashville as well – the people are there to here a new song.

Having been a part of various music scenes in Massachusetts and Nashville, how do you feel Saratoga Springs stacks up to other scenes in the country?

I love it. And with the help of one of my local sound engineers, Ryan Ghent, I have been able to get to know a lot of the people and musicians in the area. It has been tough to establish myself here because I am going back and forth between Boston and Nashville, but I am really looking forward to diving deeper into the scene having met some great musicians here. The people in this area are the heart and soul of country/folk, and blues is really alive too.

You are the co-founder of Nashatoga (a group bringing the Nashville sound to Saratoga Springs). What is the group currently working on?

It has been going great. My new album will be our first release under the label. We did some shows at the Universal Preservation Hall earlier this year, and hope to do some more next spring and summer. But most of our shows will be in Nashville and Boston this winter and then we will be picking things back up here when racing season starts again.

To learn more about Teddy Larkin, visit: www.scarywagon.com or www.myspace.com/nashatogagroup.