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Bob Bandiera: Out of His Head
An Interview with Bob Bandiera
by Michelle Paponetti

Bobby Bandiera. If you live on the Jersey Shore, there's no way you haven't heard the name before. Since the eighties, Bobby has been playing in clubs along the shore regularly, starting with bands such as Holme and Cats on a Smooth Surface and with his own band, the Bob Bandiera Band, consisting of Jukes bassist, Steve "Muddy" Shews and Juke drummer, Joe Bellia. Bobby is quite possibly the most under-rated guitarist the East Coast has seen. He has played onstage with such legends as Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, to name a few. Amidst his hectic schedule of playing with his own band, accompanying Southside Johnny and recording a new solo CD, Bobby found the time to answer a few questions.

Well, I guess the first thing I would like to ask you is about the Hope Benefit for your son, Robert. You've always been seen as someone who is quick to help out when someone else needs a hand. I imagine people were pretty quick to jump at the opportunity to return the favor...
It was truly amazing. Everyone on the stage, under the stage, behind the stage, in the audience and people who were standing on line that couldn't get tickets. It was just an overwhelming situation. And I hope that everybody could feel that way at some point or another that may need a helping hand.

Have you always wanted to play guitar?
I've always wanted to play guitar, I'm sure that you've heard it before from people, I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I'd like to be more original. I remember going to the Catholic Grammar School...

You went to Catholic School?!
Yes I did. And I was in a procession from 7-8 o'clock, and I got home just in time to see the Ed Sullivan Show. And the Beatles were on. And I said, "Mom, that's the last procession for me. Unless I'm in a coffin and it's the procession that's putting me in the ground." She said, "Don't talk like that! You're only 12 years old!"

And you taught yourself how to play?
Yes. I tried to learn as much as I could by listening to records that I had. Some of the first records were Cream's "Disraeli Gears," Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" The Young Rascals, "Collection" and I would pick out stuff. Shortly thereafter, there was a friend of mine who was also learning how to play. And there was an older guy in the neighborhood that knew how to play guitar and we'd go to sit with him once a week and he'd teach us how to play chords. So I basically played by ear. That's why my ears are so big.

Do you know what they say about men with big feet....big shoes. Frank Ravashiere told me that.

So you put your own band together in high school?
Yea, I guess I was about 15. My brother played drums. He used to bang away in the basement and piss everyone off in the neighborhood.

Does he still play?
Loghead? No. That's my brother, Loghead. He doesn't play anymore. He can still play though. He came to see me play at the Ringside Pub in Caldwell a few months ago and I got him up and he played great.

Any new solo projects in the works?
I'm trying to finish a record, a third record. I thought I'd have it ready by the summer, but something's always getting in the way. It's just the way it is. So I'm working on it. Eventually it'll be done. It's going to be about 10 songs, about 6 are going to be original.

Is there a way for the fans to get a hold of your older cds? I hear them asking about it on the message board every now and then.
At this point, Marty Ventura, who used to help me out with my mailing list takes care of it. Fartin' Ventriloquist, his website is connected somehow, Under The Sun, to my website, (www.bobbandiera.com) Under The Sun, Fartin' Ventriloquist.

How did you and Southside meet?
Southern Fried Johnny? I joined in '86. For about three or four years
before I joined the band, Kevin Kavenaugh, otherwise known as Carnival D#ck, Mark Pender, otherwise known as Skin Pipe, and LaBamba, otherwise known as Ear Cheese. Yea, they'd come around the Stone Pony, where I used to play all the time. So when it came time that Billy Rush wanted to leave the band, those guys were in Johnny's ear about getting me onboard. And one day Billy Rush called me up and he said, "I'm leaving the band. What do you think?" I said, "I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole."

You didn't say that.
No. I said, "Yea, alright. What do we have to do?" So he said, "I'll give you a bunch of songs, a bunch of records and we'll go over and we'll sit with him and go through them and go to a few rehearsals and get going."

And you hadn't met John before that?
Actually, I had. I had worked a benefit or two with Southside at the Count Basie Theatre. We used to do Christmas shows. LaBamba and I and a bunch of our friends. I used to see John at the Stone Pony when I was with the band Holme.

You had a hand in writing 2 songs on the Jukes new album "Going to Jukesville" - "Baby Don't Lie" and "I Won't Sing." What's the songwriting process like with John. Does one of you do the lyrics and the other do the music?
If he's got a melody in his head, I try and write chord changes underneath it that would fit it. If I've got a riff, I'll throw it out and he'll write around the riff. It's all different ways. He may come up with some lyrics that he likes. In fact, "I Won't Sing" was that. I listened to what he had and we tried a few different things.

I know you've been all over the world, but what's your favorite place to play with the Jukes?
Coming home is always fun. Playing the Jersey area.

Do you find there's more anxiety circulating around those shows, higher expectations.
Sure, cause most of the band is from there. And we know a lot of people, some older faces, and hopefully some newer faces. And you want to make sure for the older crowd that's used to seeing you, you're giving them as good a show as you've ever given. So you're on your toes. Overseas, I'd say London is always one of my favorites. And Paris. We've been to Scandinavia, we've been to Germany, but somehow those two cities stand out most in my mind.

I remember you played with Southside, along with David Hayes and Rusty Cloud. You went to England and France and played some acoustic shows.
Yes.

Do you think John will ever do another tour like that or do you think he's more band oriented these days?
I think he's more band oriented these days. You never know. He likes to change it up that way. If you get a good lineup. It's not always guys that are in the band. We went over once with Kevin Gordon and Rick Schell. And it's not always something that you go out and do with your natural instrument. I played bass half the time, just to make the format of the acoustic approach work better as opposed to having a bass player added on. And Kevin Gordon also pick up the bass on one or two songs. And it worked.

Until Johnny picked up the bass...
Right. And then the world tilted.

What's the most bizarre thing you've ever seen at a show?
Great Gosh Almighty. Well, aside from the antics that gravitate around the band....somebody'll feel nutty one night. I've seen Mark Pender put a pair of panties on that were thrown onstage. I wouldn't have thought of doing it. I egged him on to do it because I knew he would. So there's stuff like that, but I remember I was doing Jon Bon Jovi's solo tour, and we were playing in Germany somewhere, and the crowd was really at a high pitch, feverish state. And the people that were up front were getting crushed into the barrier and he stopped the show. And he asked everybody in the place to take a step back. People were actually passing out. That was pretty much the strangest thing I've ever seen, that wasn't on a comical note. It was pretty amazing to be there and it makes you say, "God, I don't want to be here. I don't want to be the reason that this is happening." I was part of the reason that it was happening. I don't think they were crushing to see me, but I was part of the music.

I know you've had the opportunity to play with quite a few musicians including B.B. King, Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton, but I have to ask you, who was you're favorite person to meet/play with?
Good question. I'd have to say that each and every one that you mentioned, I don't know if you mentioned Keith Richards in there, all those guys I've help in high esteem over the years in my learning how to play guitar, my learning how to approach entertaining an audience, my learning how to sing. Each and every one of them were integral in the way I turned out. You've heard it before, I'm sure, you shouldn't ever think that you've learned all there is to learn. Having the good fortune to step onstage with guys like that, was a huge opportunity for me. To step on the stage with somebody you are in awe of, and what's more is to be complimented by so many of them. It's a thrill to know and feel that I could hold my own.

Do you ever get star struck with any of these guys?
I did a little with Keith, and I did a little bit with Eric Clapton. And I did a little bit with Stevie Wonder. And I did a little bit with B.B. King. I mean, I can't help it, I don't think. It's hard not to after you've held these people in such high esteem. And you've learned from people with such reputations. Yea, so each one of them I was certainly taken aback by.

Is there anyone who you have always wanted to share the stage with, that you haven't already?
Van Morrison, Bob Dylan. I've certainly worked with people that I consider somewhat on the genius level, as far as their creativity is concerned, like Bruce Springsteen. Because I've known him from the neighborhood, I still was taken back by the fact that I was standing on the stage with this guy, back when he used to come up with my band Cats On A Smooth Surface in 1981 at the Stone Pony. So I would get a big thrill out of being on the same stage with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, whom I consider equally as talented in their songwriting. I just think that it's fun to kind of rub elbows with somebody, thinking in the back of your mind that maybe some of it will rub off on you.

Tell me the Keith Richards story, about Johnny getting you on stage at the Beacon Theatre.
It was a Benefit for the Rain Forest Alliance, and they had the lineup all set. It was going to be Southside, Keith Richards, Jackson Brown, Keb Mo', Dr. John. I thought it was all set. And at the last minute, John said to me, "Why don't you come so that it will be easier for me to play with the house band without having to explain what I'm hearing or not hearing. I think you could explain it better, and be part of it as well." So, I got there and sure enough, they only allotted a certain amount of amplifiers. There wasn't enough. When everybody's not up there, it won't be a problem. There'll be one or two amps open. At the end of the show, when there's a jam session, there's not going to be any amps. So, I didn't get to play with Keith Richards like you would understand somebody jamming with another musician, where you're plugged into an amp and you're actually playing off each other. But I said, "Screw it, I'll just walk out and hang out." Which was silly, but it was just a thrill to me to be involved. And he even came up to me looking at me like he might have been hearing something I was doing, and I'm looking at him like, I'm not plugged in! I was kinda making faces like I was plugged in though, and I don't think he knew that I was or wasn't! (laughs) But I do know that he had mentioned, when he was standing with Dr. John after Johnny and I had done our couple of songs, that he liked the way that I played. And that and a dime won't get you a cup of coffee, but it's still a thrill. But you and Steve got to hang out and see him in action at the after party. I guess he lives up to his reputation whenever he can.

You were also a part of Jon Bon Jovi's band during the "Destination Anywhere" album. I know there are a lot of Jukes fans that would love to hear how that came about.
Jon was always a big fan of Southside's. And over the years, he's come up and jammed with us when he wasn't on tour. He'd be hanging out at home with nothing to do, and say, "You mind if I come up tonight?" When you come off tour, you're kinda antsy, because you're not getting up the next morning at seven o'clock to make the next gig. You just don't get up the next morning. You get up sometime early afternoon. But when you do get up, your energy level is a little bit off kilter and you don't know what to do with yourself. So the first thing you think of is - who's around, I'll go out and play. And that's what happened to Jon. In fact the first time I met him was at the (Garden State) Arts Center. He had just come off tour and somehow he had met Willie Nelson. And Willie Nelson gave him a leather cowboy hat. And he had it on when he came on stage with us, and Southside proceeded to look at it while they were both out on stage, and flung it in the audience and it was goodbye to the Willie Nelson hat. Jon was like, "hey, my hat." And that's where I met Jon. After that, a couple years later, right after one of his tours, like I said, he was antsy and he called me up and said, "What are you guys doing for the next couple of weeks?" So I said, "We're in a couple of vans, and we're going to be doing about two to three weeks of dates between Philadelphia and Massachusetts." And he said, "Can I come?" So I said, "In the van?!" He said, "yea." and I told him, "But you'd have to room with me!" He said, "Well, I don't want to room with you but..." Nobody wants to room with me! So, anyway, he did. He came out and he had a great time, just being a Juke. And then when he finally thought that he was going to give his band a rest for a while, he figured he'd do a solo record in the meantime. I lived fifteen minutes away from him. And I'm sure because of his experience with being out with us, he thought of me to come and play some guitar on it. And the record came out great and it was fun. to be included and it was nice that he thought of me to play on the record. Jon's very dedicated and very focused on what he does with his music and pretty much with his life. You learn a lot from being around somebody like that. As is Bruce, as is Steven (Van Zandt). You look at these guys and their intensity as far as their focus on what they do. It comes out in the end as being obvious that their that intense about what they do. It's always fun to work with people like that. And it was fun to take a little bit of that and try and utilize some of that in my own work.

What's the last CD you bought?
(laughs) The last CD I bought was a Yardbirds compilation. I haven't bought a new record from a new band in probably twenty years. What I hear on radio stations when I'm switching around in the car, nothing appeals to me. And when it does, the name of the band sticks in my head and the name of the song sticks in my head, but I never go so far as to buy it. I like Radiohead.

I wouldn't have guessed that.
Somebody taped some of their stuff for me.

They're a very experimental band that seems to get a little more experimental with each new record they put out.
Yes, and I like them for that, but being from an older approach, guitar, bass and drums to me is rock and roll. I can play that stuff until it comes out of my ears.

Update on Robert Bandiera:
At this time, Robert is being treated in a New England hospital. Bobby wishes to thank those who attended the Hope Concert as well as those who were so generous as to make a donation. To make a contribution in assisting Robert Bandiera, you can send a check, made payable to The Rock and Roll Musc Fund, to 329 West End Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740.

Bobby Bandiera Photos | Bobby Bandiera Discography

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