|  'A
Chemical Thing': Mickey Hart Chats About Hydra and the Dead
By Bob Makin
At 61, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart
isn't about to slow down. He could be taking it easy, recording
in his own state-of-the-art studio in Northern California or
playing with his latest percussive invention, the Hydra, which
follows the ambient RAMU (Random Access Musical Universe). Instead,
Hart is out on the road with cats less than half his age. He's
formed a new instrumental supergroup with members of Particle,
also called Hydra, which was inspired by the aforementioned
invention.
The funky, trance-like Hydra recently made its debut tour throughout
the month of April. "It's a chemical thing, just like in
the Grateful Dead," says Hart, who liked Particle's recordings
so much, he invited the band to jam in his studio a few months
ago. "It's a group mind, which is one of the principles
of trance music, besides repetition."
Also like the Dead, Hydra has two drummers. Having been playing
with Bill Kreutzmann for 40 years as part of the Dead's Rhythm
Devils, Hart says he hopes to form as organic a relationship
with Particle skinsman, Darren Pujalet. Hart expects to tour
with Hydra, as well as the Dead, again soon.
(To sample the new band's sound, visit
www.hydra-music.com.
Also visit www.mickeyhart.net)
Bob Makin : How did Hydra come to be?
How did you get close enough to Particle musically to commit
to a new band?
Mickey Hart: A mutual friend sent me a CD and DVD, which I really
liked. I liked the way the music unfolded, the conversation
that they were having. When word got back that I liked the stuff,
they came up to jam for a couple of days. It was pure magic.
It's a blast. I'm having a lot of fun. Right now, it's just
free; no compositions. But it was there, no doubt about it.
They're very energetic and really push me. It's a challenge.
BM: How did you come up with the name of the band?
MH: I had an opportunity to create a new instrument. I had created
RAMU (Random Access Musical Universe). This is an extension
of that. I call it Hydra. They were like, 'Hey, we like that
name. Why don't we call the band that?'
BM: What is Hydra, the instrument, like?
MH: It has an electronic side with a
short-wave radio and a DJ mixer. It has all kinds of electronic
sides to it. I had this vision for this new instrument. I slowly
had been putting it together when they popped up, and it became
this great playground. This is one great way of taking it out
and developing it further. It's made for trance bands. These
kids were born digital. Those sensibilities are innate. It wasn't
like me, where I had to learn everything smack dab in the middle
of it. They're very good musicians. The oldest guy is 28. I'm
61. They just want to see me collapse behind my kit, but I won't
be doing that.
BM: What attracted you most about Particle
and the possibilities of making music with them, and how does
that translate to performances?
MH: I really like their musical conversation.
It's moment music. Jam band doesn't describe it. The Japanese
say it's 'the way of going.' These guys have that kind of way
about them that I could relate to. I thought it was powerful
and fun. This is a fun band. Nobody had to think too hard to
make this music. It's more like giving it up than making it
up because everybody has skills. It's a chemical thing, just
like in the Grateful Dead. It's a group mind, which is one of
the principles of trance music, besides repetition. You hold
onto it just long enough, then give it up and go somewhere else.
Enthusiasm is a big part of this kind music too, as opposed
to good taste.
BM: How is Hydra different from Particle
and how do you influence that?
MH: It's a lot more electronic. Hydra
is full of electronics, but the weave is different because of
the interplay of the percussion. It has a stronger backbone.
It's a jackhammer groove. There are a lot of possibilities when
you have two drummers. I have a different kind of relationship
but similar with Billy Kreutzmann of the Dead. Bill and I have
that conversation going, but with him, it's been 40 years. We
share the same DNA. Darren is a fine drummer. We like each other.
The bottom line is, if you play this kind of music, you have
to have a mutual respect. Trust in the people you're playing
with also is an ingredient of this kind of music. It works well.
There's magic in the air. You can cut it with a knife. Whenever
that happens, you have to recognize it or else you're a fool
or not paying attention. With this, there really is no doubt
about it. Compare playing with Darren to being part of the Rhythm
Devils. In order to play like me and Kreutzmann, you have to
live together, cry together, do everything together for 2,500
shows. It's not that way with Darren because we're just beginning
the relationship. Billy and I breathe as one. Hopefully, Darren
and I can get to a place similar to that, but the only way to
do that is to play.
BM: Are the members of Particle fans
of the Dead?
MH: I think so. I know they're familiar
with the music. We don't talk too much about the Dead. It's
not a topic for conversation. Sometimes when we're playing,
some of the Grateful Dead music seeps through the cracks.
BM: What are Hydra's touring and recording
plans?
MH: It all depends on how it goes. We're
open-ended about this. We went into it like that. We had a great
time in the studio. It's a wonderful experiment and a great
challenge. I know it will make magic and be a magnificent tour.
After we're out there for a while, we may decide to go into
the studio (to record) and do future gigs. We'll see. There's
no major commitment here. We didn't want to record the music
prematurely. It's a live band. We have a whole new repertoire
that's not Particle and it's not Dead. It's its own Hydra repertoire.
We spent some time in composition, and the influences will be
recognized. Fun projects are a natural progression in their
careers. It's an unusual occurrence in mine. Not that I need
another career, but I sure need the fun. Sometimes the fun is
lacking in the music, especially if you're playing big stadiums.
But we're playing Roseland in New York. That's a wonderful,
great place because you can actually see the people sweat, see
their eyeballs popping out. That's great. I love playing in
those kinds of places. It's manageable. You actually fit everything
into one big truck instead of 20 semis. That's a boon. It's
like you're mobile. We can do things at the spur of the moment
that we couldn't do with the Dead. I remember we used to show
up in a park and play for free. I hope this band does things
like that. Of course, we'd get arrested. But we used to do it
on a regular basis. We'd play one free and one for pay. We'd
play better when we gave it away. I remember we did that at
Columbia University. There was a student revolt in 1968. They
took over. We played the revolution (laughs). You come from
an era when rock was an art form and the album was its canvas.
BM: Given that, how do you feel about
downloads?
MH: I think you should pay for intellectual
property. To take something without permission is stealing it.
If you share it, give to each other, that's one thing. But there's
got to be some middle ground. And you can't legislate you're
way out of it. It's a moral thing. We chose to give it away.
We said, 'Hey, let's make a good record, but if they want to
record the concerts, let them go ahead and have it. When we're
done with it, you can have it.' But to take someone's intellectual
property without consent is not the right thing to do. My daughter
is 11. I gave her a download account at ITunes. I've been doing
that since ITunes began. She has a computer filled with the
latest stuff. It's part of her allowance. She does her chores,
and I give her credit at ITunes. That's how I teach her the
morality behind it. She says, 'Hey, it's for free. Everybody's
doing it.' And I say, 'But that's wrong.' That's not what you
do if you want great music to be composed, for songwriters to
make new works. That said, it should be fair business. The artists
and songwriters should get a fair price. From a CD store, a
record company makes millions. Artists make very little off
CDs. So people who know the business of it know the morality
of it. They make an informed decision: “Do I want to keep
major labels reaping the profits”? There's a lot of inequity
with a lot of these things. But I think the album has fallen
by the wayside as a part of history. With digital downloads,
the sound is better and it's more convenient. I have an IPod,
and I use it every day. I have music on it that I love. I don't
have to have the whole CD. I just take what I like. But the
artist has to be paid for his services. A doctor couldn't work
for free all the time. And once you get a taste, you want more.
BM: Did the Dead's allowing tapers pave
the road for free downloads?
MH: Here's how it went. We weren't great
visionaries allowing people to record our concerts. It's what
happened. The fans wanted it, and they kept coming to shows
with equipment. The guard would take it away and give them a
pink stub so they could claim their equipment on the way out.
They came to us and said, 'We need more guards.' We had two
choices, let them in or become cops. Now, we didn't want to
police the situation, to turn into recording cops. So we just
said, 'Let them in. When we're done with it, they can have it.'
We didn't have any great business vision. We didn't know it
would increase our audience by millions. They started with cassettes.
We realized, 'Hey man, the audience is taping, but the real
thing is in the board tape, and they'll buy it.' It's about
a thirst for music. If it's something rare, like moment music
or jam music, people will really want it because it's unique.
They have an equity in it because they're there making the music
with us. When we play compositions, they're ours, but when we're
jamming, the content is the audience's too. They are owners
of it in a way, time sharers. It increases the thirst and the
hunger. We went to mega-Dead. We couldn't even play stadiums.
At one time, we thought about folding the tent. People were
being killed, being thrown off balconies, fighting with police.
We were like, 'That's not what the Dead is about. This is getting
out of hand.' But with digital downloads, it eases that pressure.
Everybody is having to be there to share it it; maybe not in
that moment, but eventually they'll share it. There's a lot
to be said about that. But you have to understand that the musician
has to support himself in order to go on writing new material.
BM: Particle must be pretty psyched.
They're playing with Mickey Hart and opening for Trey Anastasio
this spring. What plans do you have after the Hydra tour is
over?
MH: I'm writing and researching books.
I enjoy being with my family. I'm recording. I'm doing remote
recordings around the world. I just got back from Thailand and
going to China to do a major recording over there of indigenous
music. And I'm composing. I own my own studio, and I'm working
in it every day. I go to work like you do every day. My work
is composing music. I do that till dinner time. I live in my
music world all day until I pick up my daughter at school and
hang out with her. I like to see the leaves fall, the seasons
change. All those years on the road, I wasn't able to do that
much. I'm not anxious to spend my whole life on the road. There's
a balance in life. I'm having fun with it. But I think maybe
Hydra will do more gigs. You might see us work some more, maybe
record a DVD.
BM: Will the Dead tour again?
MH: Maybe. We might do a Terrapin Station
thing. Hydra might be a part of that.
BM: What do you think of Phil's new book,
"Searching for the Sound?"
MH: I haven't really read it. I skimmed
it. I don't really read books that dissect the Grateful Dead.
But I read some parts. What I read was hilarious. There are
some funny moments between me and him, so I read that stuff.
It's really funny. But I don't read those books. They're certainly
interesting to other people, but I lived it. It's like eating
the same food over and over again. I know that Phil worked hard
on it, and it's probably a wonderful book. I hope he does well
with it. It's good therapy for him.
Bob Makin is an award-winning music writer
from New Jersey and co-founding volunteer director of Jersey
Jams Fund (www.jerseyjamsfund.com),
a United Way music education program for NJ children.
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