From The Vault :: The Gary Higgins Interview
Are you originally from Sharon, Connecticut? What was growing up like for you? When did you first begin to fall in love with music, and what was it about the guitar that initially fascinated you?
I was born in Sharon, CT in 1948. My family was from Salisbury CT, and we later moved to Lime Rock when I was 5. Sharon is the town where the hospital is located. I did live there very briefly when I was 30. I have 3 brothers and a sister. Growing up was pretty laid back, a typical small US 1950s rural town. There was a decent number of children but it was still a very small town. I would say for the most part it was a very good time. I remember it fondly. Music became important to me, I would say, when I was around 7 or 8. My parents had a lot of old 78 country (and other) records I used to like a lot. Right around then, rock n' roll also started to take off. Elvis was huge, and I really liked that as well. The guitar was a big part of all of that music and was surely the reason I became interested in it.
What were some of your favorite pastimes aside from discovering music and did you attend any local shows/concerts in your area? What was the music scene in your community like back in those days? Were there any groups you saw or heard that made a huge impact on you early on? Did you participate in any outfits prior to recording your legendary solo record? When and where did you play your very first gig, and what was that experience like for you?
We did sports, fishing and the usual games of the day. Nothing ground shaking really. I never felt deprived in any way for sure. No shows at all in those days, all of that (if it happened) would have been in cities and too far away to travel. Non-existent in my early youth. Some places started to have bands in the early to mid-sixties and venues then rapidly gained ground through the late sixties. I never saw any big name groups till my late teens. Of course, TV shows had an impact. Mainly folk groups and then later on the Usual Suspects, The Beatles, The Stones, etc. Bluegrass has been my favorite for quite a while. Bill Keith, Flatt and Scruggs. The Beatles pushed me and everyone over the pop edge. Folk as folk would take a back seat. Always a major influence though. A few informal folk-based groups. A jug band and then eventually a rock band (The Random Concept). Members from each of them ended up recording parts of “Red Hash”. Probably the first was an HS talent show where I played with other students doing some folk tunes. Definitely gave me the bug! It was very exciting!
How did you initially meet your bandmates, Maureen Wells, Dave Beaujon, Paul Tierney, Pete Febrioriello, Terry Fenton and Jake Bell, and what were your first impressions of everyone? Tell me about working with producers Chico Cardillo and Billy Lockwood/Bill Shanley on that record? How did you initially end up singing with the label Nufusmoon?
There was no Pete Fabriorello. I think he was a photographer. Dave and Jake were in my HS and we three formed The Random Concept, 1964/65. Later, to be joined by the late Simeon Coxe (Silver Apples) and Terry Fenton and Ronnie Bailey. Maureen and Paul I met a bit later on and we, plus Jake, then formed an acoustic group called Wooden Wheel. These both coexisted at the same time period. RC was rock. We were acoustic. I did both. The story was simply that we were all friends before any groups, it was really just a natural progression. I had positive first impressions of them all! Remain friends to this day. Denise Sherwood shot the cover. They were not sessions in a normal sense at all. Not organized anyway. That particular shot may even have been from well before the album. Denise and her husband were good friends of mine before “Red Hash”. It was really great, a time when a lot of people got together to make something perfect happen from some bad circumstances. Billy helped out a ton in pre-production. Rough recordings for seeing how things should go etc. Encouraging support and great energy for sure! Chico and I were close friends then and remain so to this day! He was also arrested when I was and actually got a worse sentence. He turned out just fine and eventually became a very successful businessman to this day. Bill Shanley did a really nice job at his studio and played an integral role in the record's progress from start to the pressings. He was a great help with it all. Nufusmoon was really a one-time thing. A label we coined, it was an extension of all the bands and friendships. There was hope that it could grow, but it was not really meant to be. Doing the album was my desire to get my music out in the event I might end up in prison for a very long time. A real possibility at one point. I really did not know where I would be as a result. Getting busted for that much hash way back then was a very big deal. Scary times during Dick Nixon's "War on Drugs".
“Doing the album was my desire to get my music out in the event I might end up in prison for a very long time. A real possibility at one point. I really did not know where I would be as a result. Getting busted for that much hash way back then was a very big deal. Scary times during Dick Nixon’s “War on Drugs”.”
What was the overall process of writing and recording your 1973 masterpiece “Red Hash”? When and where did recording begin, and how long were those particular recording sessions? What did you ultimately want to achieve and express with this work? Was there an overall vision for the album?
Writing the songs was gradual and natural, most were written right around that time period and some from a few years earlier. When writing, I had no plan as to where they might end up. I had no grand vision. We recorded the album in one week, 40 hrs approximately. It was done in Litchfield, CT at Bill Shanley’s studio. The vinyl and all that took a while longer, of course, but was probably ready by mid 1973. I really only wanted to have the music out there, with a chance for anyone to hopefully hear and enjoy it. I had no long-term vision really. Of course, you always hope that it might really take off and a lot of people will end up really liking it, but just getting it done meant a lot to me.
What was the first order of business once the physical album landed in your hands? What eventually happened after 1973? Did you continue to play music? Tell me about connecting with the fine folks over at Drag City, who would eventually release your 2009 LP “Seconds”? How did all this come about, and what was it like to put new music out after all these years? What do you think of a whole new generation of fans and listeners appreciating your music after all these years?
I was in prison when it was released, so there was no tour support. I could do very little to help. The Nufusmoon team did an enormous amount of groundwork to get exposure and airplay. They had remarkable success in the NY/Boston area really. It was well received, as I recall. When I was released from prison, I really just tried to get my life back on track. I always played music, I was a member of several cover bands and played in local bars of the day. Had several jobs. I eventually married and had a son. Life in general was good. The music business was as crazy as it always was. I was quite happy with a “normal” life. Trudged along with the rest of the world. Drag City, of course, released the "Red Hash" reissue in 2005. I had continued to write long past the "Red Hash" days in 1973, so there were many tunes from which to choose. A follow-up to the reissue seemed like a logical plan since the reissue was such a success. It got a ton of attention. I was super excited about doing something new. I continue to write and record. I remain friends with all former members. Sadly, Paul Tierney has passed but everyone else is still doing well. The Random Concept has several releases out. Currently working on a new CD/album/release with them as well as a new release of just my songs. I try to keep engaged and playing, no desire to stop until I just can’t do it anymore… In another 20 years. It really is a satisfying thing. I am honored. It really makes it all worth it. It really drives home the concept of timeless. I couldn’t be happier about that generational jump.
