The band Turbine will perform at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Kimball's Pub, 972 Second St. No strangers to Williamsport, Turbine will bring their eclectic show to Kimball's. The duo-turned-quartet hail from New York City and will showcase some of the new material during their performance as well.
The Sun-Gazette recently caught up with Ryan Rightmire, the musically ambidextrous guitar and harmonica player for the band to discuss their upcoming performance, new music and his bilingual qualities that are incorporated into different aspects in his life.
BETHANY WIEGAND: First things first, who are the members of Turbine and what role do they play in the band?
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RYAN RIGHTMIRE: You're starting me off easy, just like they do with a lie-detector test. My name is Ryan Rightmire and I play the harmonica and guitar. Jeremy Hilliard plays lead guitar and sings most of the songs. Justin Kimmel on bass and Danny Bradley on drums.
BW: How did Turbine go from a duo to a quartet?
RR: Well, Jeremy and I had started the band (he was my neighbor in NYC), toured as a duo and released the first Turbine album. After that, we decided it was time to take it to the next level and add a rhythm section.
BW: Being based in New York City, you probably get to experience a ton of different music. What music have you heard recently that gets you really inspired?
RR: There really is a lot. I went to the Love for Levon Helm concert recently and got to see some of my favorite current musicians, including Roger Waters, My Morning Jacket, Mike Gordon and Garth Hudson, to name a few. I also saw Radiohead this summer, which is always a special occasion.
BW: Again, with the advantage of the city, what are some cool places that you've played and-or gone to listen to music?
RR: We've played at so many great venues from the Bowery Ballroom to the Gramercy Theater. But my favorite is the Turbine Boat Cruise. We just had our fifth one and we circle the Statue of Liberty for three hours playing music. Another favorite past show was at Bonnaroo. We played on a stage with a huge wind turbine next to it. It was the first turbine-powered Turbine concert.
BW: What makes Turbine "progressive rock"?
RR: I tend not to think of us that way, as it implies that every song has odd time signatures and complicated sections. Some songs are nice and simple and don't really need any bells and whistles. But other songs are complicated and if you were to hear two of them in a row, you might think that's all that we do.
BW: What can audiences expect at a Turbine show?
RR: They can expect to be transported to another dimension. In that dimension, they are incredibly bored at the show. But it just so happens that it's a dimension that exists exactly opposite our own. So while they are practically falling asleep in that dimension and checking their Facebook during every solo, they are also having the time of their lives in our dimension.
BW: According to your touring schedule, this isn't your first time visiting our lovely city of Williamsport. What did you think of your experience here? How was your visit?
RR: We've had a lot of fun in Williamsport and met some really friendly people. Actually, we're thinking of forging our birth certificates and entering Turbine into the Little League World Series. Maybe I just ruined our chances now though.
BW: If you could pick one thing about playing live that is your favorite, what would it be?
RR: It's being bilingual. I play the harmonica and guitar at the same time and use lots of effects, so that the harmonica sounds like an organ or DJ turntable. People always ask, "How I do two things at once?" but what they don't realize is that I speak two languages at once. As I sing our songs in English, I'm singing them at the same time in my head ... in Spanish!
BW: What types of projects has Turbine been working on? What's in the future?
RR: We've been writing songs for the next album. You'll be able to hear some of them at the show at Kimball's, including "Black Limousine," "Shape of the World" and "Cannonball Lightening." Also, you can check turbinemusic.com to see videos and hear live shows, if you'd like a sneak peak.
BW: What are three physical items you couldn't live without?
RR: Fried green tomatoes - the book, movie and food.
BW: Is there anything specific that you do to get into the creative mood, or does it come unnannounced?
RR: Well I try to write the worst song ever, knowing that in the opposite dimension a great song is being written. Then it's a simple matter of switching the songs.
For more information at Turbine, visit www.turbinemusic.com.
or check them out on Facebook.
