Feature image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson


By Andrew Daly
andrew@vinylwriter.com

Image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson

Recently, I caught up with veteran multi-instrumentalist, Sebastian Robertson. Among other things, we touch on Sebastian’s origins, early influences, his father’s influence, working with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, and a whole lot more.

If you would like to learn more about Sebastian Robertson, the link to his Facebook is here. Once you’ve checked that out, dig into this interview with Sebastian. Cheers.

Andrew:
Sebastian, thank you for taking the time. As many fans know, the classic Led Zeppelin track, “When The Levee Breaks,” has just seen its reimagining/re-release. You were integral to its re-creation. Walk me through the recording process from start to finish.

Sebastian:
Over the last couple of years, Playing For Change, The United Nations, and myself have teamed up to produce an online event called Peace Through Music. It’s a docu-music event that brings together musical performances with short-form documentaries to raise awareness for key causes and organizations doing some really good work in the world. In 2021, with an eye toward the environment we wanted to take on a Zeppelin song and nothing fit this bill better than “When The Levee Breaks.” I created the seed of the track in my studio.

The original is nearly eight minutes long, so I wanted to tighten the structure a little bit and create a variation on the riff and overall feeling of the track that of course still remained true to the Zeppelin version. Starting with acoustic guitars really helped with this and then I layered a new electric riff on top. Banging on some drums and creating some percussive elements and drones I felt like we had a good foundation that lent itself to a world interpretation and rhythm. From there the song took flight with the addition of some amazing players and singers.

Andrew:
Your primary line of work has been composition work in the field of television, right? What led to you working with John Paul Jones on the track?

Sebastian:
You might say my entire life and absolute adoration led me to John Paul Jones. There’s no greater influence on me than Led Zeppelin. Like many musicians, I spent countless hours listening, deciphering, and obsessing on every musical element. Somehow I got up the nerve and felt good enough about the demo and the purpose of the project to reach out to JPJ’s management and the rest miraculously fell into place. He was so generous with his craft and it’s still hard to believe we actually performed on a song together.

Andrew:
The track features something of an ensemble band. How were the musicians chosen, and ultimately, wrangled in?

Sebastian:
There are a total of twenty people playing on the song from nearly every inhabitable continent on Earth. We’re still fighting through COVID, which makes these productions difficult at times but I wish we could’ve included Asia as well. Next time! I sent a text to Stephen Perkins who didn’t hesitate. His approach to the drums really lifted the track and paid homage but at the same time is very unique. John Paul Jones hipped us to Elle the singer from Norway and Playing For Change has incredible musical roots around the world.

A lot of times the song just told us what to do next and we followed suit. I was emailing Derek Trucks about this production while he was on the road and making an album. He really wanted to be a part of the track but the schedule was impossible. However, on Thanksgiving weekend he and his wife Susan Tedeschi snuck into the studio by their home and tracked their parts. They were the final piece to the puzzle and the song literally would not have seen the light of day for quite some time had they not been so generous with their time. So awesome how people come together when music is the driving force. 

Image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson

Andrew:
Going back now, as a burgeoning musician, what first gravitated you toward Rock music, and subsequently the drums? 

Sebastian:
Well, my upbringing certainly exposed me to rock and roll from the get-go but once again it was John Bonham and even more specifically his beat on “Levee” that propelled me towards the drums. His sound, his feel, and his energy kinda made the world stand still when I was around fourteen.

Andrew:
How big of an influence was your father on both your taste in music and your overall playing style

Sebastian:
What was cool was I had access to interesting music that was laying around the house. Cool albums by an array of artists. That being said, my dad really let me find my own way and didn’t try and influence me very much. In the 80s I was super hot on Devo, Peter Gabriel, and Run DMC. As far as playing style, I do think there’s something in the DNA that you pass down, and there’s an approach to an instrument that’s instinctive so for that, I thank him dearly. 

Andrew:
You’re something of a multi-instrumentalist. With that being said, which instrument do you personally most identify with?

Sebastian:
I will always have a deep-rooted love for the drums because that’s where it all started but my musical identity lies with the guitar.

Image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson

Andrew:
As you moved through your career, you had the opportunity to work with your father on several of his projects. Which of those are most near and dear to your heart, and why? How did each project differ in terms of its own musical identity?

Sebastian:
The dearest has gotta be drumming on Music For The Native Americans. It was our first collaboration and I’m still very proud of what I played. I was nineteen and rolling into a big old recording studio, setting up my drums and holding my own in the presence of my dad, the engineers, and the other musicians was a confidence booster that I’ll never forget. 

Andrew:
I wanted to dig into the Live at Academy of Music 1971 box set, in which you played a huge role in. For those that don’t know, this was the source material from which Rock of Ages was taken. I love the fact that you chose to leave the imperfections of the source material in, which truly leaves it as a live document. Expand on this for us.

Sebastian:
When this project was presented by Capitol Records, I immediately went to my dad and the team and brought forth the idea of a well-mixed, yet raw, warts and all approach, and the label loved it. I used to love listening to Jane’s Addiction bootlegs and the imperfections or the never repeated moments became my favorite aspects. I wanted to apply a fan-first focus to the presentation of the mixes I did. 

Andrew:
You’re longtime friends with Daniel Davies and have a long working relationship with him as well. How did you two first meet? What is it that makes your musician kinship so strong?

Sebastian:
You know when you meet someone and it’s just kinda magic? I was living in an apartment on Rossmore Ave in Hollywood and through my roommate, at the time Daniel just appeared one day. I think he slept on the couch a couple of nights and never really left. My other roommate moved out, Daniel moved in and we’ve been closely connected ever since. In fact, we spent the entire day together today. He’s a constant fixture in my life and we’ve been through it all together. We both really wanted to learn from each other musically. He has this incredible voice and he was curious about how I wrote songs. I think from the start we were committed to helping one another succeed and that stays true to this day. For the last twenty-some-odd years we’ve had each other’s backs. 

Image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson

Andrew:
Daniel and yourself recorded an incredible cover of Pixies classic, “Wave Of Mutilation,” some years back. Walk me through the recording and composition of the track.

Sebastian:
Thanks, man. I’m so happy you dig that track. It’s a great example of Daniel’s amazing vocals. We had just started a deep dive into synths at the time and were presented with an opportunity to make a version of that song for a soundtrack. It was a perfect moment to explore something we were really passionate about and create a synthesized interpretation of that legendary song. Daniel brought over the initial synth line, we added a couple of layers, and tracked the whole thing in a few hours. It was all clicking and I’m still really pleased with the end result on that one. Over the years, Daniel and I have spent a bunch of time with Joey Santiago the guitarist from the Pixies. I don’t think we’ve ever told him about that track. Maybe we should?

Andrew:
Over the years, you’ve scored a great many films and tv shows. This said, which are some of your favorites and why? If you have to pin down your style as a composer, what would it be?

Sebastian:
Working on Scorsese’s The Irishman was pretty awesome but an equally inspired and polar opposite project I did the score for is a short film called I’d Never Bother Another Chicken Again, by a director named Helen Cho. It was just a creative love-fest. Her film just inspired me so deeply on first viewing that I literally forced my way into the project. She was pretty certain she didn’t want a score so I just asked for the film, made the music, and was happy that I changed her mind. I think it’s on YouTube if you wanna check it out. I also think it embodies what I like to do most as a composer. A blend of synthetic and organic elements, swirling in drones and major scale melodies. 

Andrew:
Last one. You’re a man of many hats, Sebastian. What’s next for you in all lanes?

Sebastian:
I’ll continue to tend to Sonic Beat Records my production music label in partnership with Universal but I also have some film and TV projects on the horizon that I’m producing. Music will always be my bedrock but using my creative side to tell stories in film as opposed to song is a challenge I’m excited to explore. Keep an eye out for another Peace Through Music event with my partners over at Playing For Change too. 

Image courtesy of Sebastian Robertson

Interested in learning more about Sebastian Robertson? Hit the link below:

Be sure to check out the full catalog of VWMusic Interviews, by Andrew Daly, here: www.vinylwritermusic.com/interviews

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