Super six-string theory
Q&A with Jeff Kollman
Q&A with Jeff Kollman
Noted and highly respected American guitarist Jeff Kollman may not be a household name but his musical CV is a big as any of those households he’s not a name in.
Previous and current cases in point?
The Toledo born Jeff Kollman has worked, toured or gigged with, among others, Glenn Hughes, Lou Gramm, MSG, Sebastian Bach, jazz keyboardist/ bandleader Lao Tizer, UFO, Mogg / Way and Phil Mogg’s $ign of 4.
Kollman is also a member of Alan Parsons Live Project, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, Asia feat. Jon Payne and progressive/ fusion trio Cosmosquad.
Add in the fact he’s been a session guitarist, produces, has written for TV and movies and owns & operates Marmaduke Records (through which he releases the bulk of his albums) and you wonder where he finds the time to record and deliver said albums (eighteen band or solo works thus far).
But we should all be very grateful he does find the time, as underlined by recent instrumental album (and sixth solo studio record) East of Heaven.
Shortly after the release of East of Heaven Jeff Kollman took some questions from FabricationsHQ to discuss the album and its creation, as well as touch bass (or rather rock guitar) on a number of other projects from his storied six-string career, including his musical background and influences that helped shape the multi-faceted East of Heaven…
Nelson McFarlane: You have a great new album out entitled East of Heaven.
Did the album come about partly because of the pandemic or were you planning it anyway?
Jeff Kollman: I really wasn't planning it; I was supposed to be going out on the road with Alan Parsons.
We did the Superbowl thing in February 2020 as our last gig, and then lockdown started!
I think we were supposed to start back up again at the Ryman Theater in Nashville in March, but the whole tour was rescheduled and starts back up next month.
I'm usually writing, but as far as making this record I only started building a little momentum during lockdown. I got a few songs into it and thought "this is going somewhere."
NMcF: What were the practicalities of recording during lockdown?
JK: The musicians on the album were sharing files remotely but there are songs on there that are more intimate, which are just me adding bass and atmospheric tones – some numbers are less shredding than my Cosmosquad type material, so it reflects the lockdown period.
It’s a completely different record for me; there’s some driving music in there and it has a more mellow approach.
NMcF: On the less-mellow side of your playing, I know Eddie Van Halen was an influence.
Can you name some others?
JK: He certainly was. Also Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Randy Rhoads – I guess I wanted to be Randy when I saw him live when I was thirteen years old!
Also, acoustic players like Paco de Lucía and all the great jazz guys like Larry Carlton, Steve Khan, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie – and Michael Landau, who I've seen play over forty times; the sun rises and sets with that guy.
John Williams and Julian Bream from the classical side; new guys like Joe Robinson and Matteo Mancuso.
However, the songwriting is more important!
NMcF: Given all those influences, and your songwriting styles, how would you describe yourself?
JK: I try to do a lot of different things and not stay inside a box; so maybe just listen to my music is what I would say to people?
I can go from Cosmosquad to a song like Insomnia on the new album, so there’s a range. What I try to do is use tools of different writing styles and musical devices to try to figure out a way to make it sound like me.
That’s the trick instead of "oh, here's my blues song," "here's my country song" or whatever.
Some musicians write like they're just showing off that they can play different styles, but there has to be a thread of yourself within all of it.
A guy like Eric Johnson has influences like Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton but it still sounds like Eric Johnson.
Stylistically, I try to figure out interesting harmonic things so it's not just in one key, but Superstring Theory from the new album is a diversion from that as it’s very simple and doesn't modulate to another key.
Previous and current cases in point?
The Toledo born Jeff Kollman has worked, toured or gigged with, among others, Glenn Hughes, Lou Gramm, MSG, Sebastian Bach, jazz keyboardist/ bandleader Lao Tizer, UFO, Mogg / Way and Phil Mogg’s $ign of 4.
Kollman is also a member of Alan Parsons Live Project, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, Asia feat. Jon Payne and progressive/ fusion trio Cosmosquad.
Add in the fact he’s been a session guitarist, produces, has written for TV and movies and owns & operates Marmaduke Records (through which he releases the bulk of his albums) and you wonder where he finds the time to record and deliver said albums (eighteen band or solo works thus far).
But we should all be very grateful he does find the time, as underlined by recent instrumental album (and sixth solo studio record) East of Heaven.
Shortly after the release of East of Heaven Jeff Kollman took some questions from FabricationsHQ to discuss the album and its creation, as well as touch bass (or rather rock guitar) on a number of other projects from his storied six-string career, including his musical background and influences that helped shape the multi-faceted East of Heaven…
Nelson McFarlane: You have a great new album out entitled East of Heaven.
Did the album come about partly because of the pandemic or were you planning it anyway?
Jeff Kollman: I really wasn't planning it; I was supposed to be going out on the road with Alan Parsons.
We did the Superbowl thing in February 2020 as our last gig, and then lockdown started!
I think we were supposed to start back up again at the Ryman Theater in Nashville in March, but the whole tour was rescheduled and starts back up next month.
I'm usually writing, but as far as making this record I only started building a little momentum during lockdown. I got a few songs into it and thought "this is going somewhere."
NMcF: What were the practicalities of recording during lockdown?
JK: The musicians on the album were sharing files remotely but there are songs on there that are more intimate, which are just me adding bass and atmospheric tones – some numbers are less shredding than my Cosmosquad type material, so it reflects the lockdown period.
It’s a completely different record for me; there’s some driving music in there and it has a more mellow approach.
NMcF: On the less-mellow side of your playing, I know Eddie Van Halen was an influence.
Can you name some others?
JK: He certainly was. Also Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Randy Rhoads – I guess I wanted to be Randy when I saw him live when I was thirteen years old!
Also, acoustic players like Paco de Lucía and all the great jazz guys like Larry Carlton, Steve Khan, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie – and Michael Landau, who I've seen play over forty times; the sun rises and sets with that guy.
John Williams and Julian Bream from the classical side; new guys like Joe Robinson and Matteo Mancuso.
However, the songwriting is more important!
NMcF: Given all those influences, and your songwriting styles, how would you describe yourself?
JK: I try to do a lot of different things and not stay inside a box; so maybe just listen to my music is what I would say to people?
I can go from Cosmosquad to a song like Insomnia on the new album, so there’s a range. What I try to do is use tools of different writing styles and musical devices to try to figure out a way to make it sound like me.
That’s the trick instead of "oh, here's my blues song," "here's my country song" or whatever.
Some musicians write like they're just showing off that they can play different styles, but there has to be a thread of yourself within all of it.
A guy like Eric Johnson has influences like Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton but it still sounds like Eric Johnson.
Stylistically, I try to figure out interesting harmonic things so it's not just in one key, but Superstring Theory from the new album is a diversion from that as it’s very simple and doesn't modulate to another key.
NMcF: Great track. Do you have any personal favourites on the new album?
JK: I really like Isolation 2020 as it depicts the dark side of the lockdown, and maybe somebody that's losing their mind. It has an eerie, haunting feel to it
My daughter asked "what does it sound like when somebody hears voices in their head?" So we Googled it and found a recording of what somebody might be hearing.
It was psychotic, but we put something similar in the track – so my daughter has a production credit on the album!
Another one I really like is Ghostly. I like songs which move away from the main theme and include chord sequences which aren’t obvious. I like to work out how to get from this key to another but keep it cool.
It's exciting when you can modulate.
NMcF: There are also a few songs on East of Heaven that sound cinematic.
JK: I have been doing a lot of film and TV stuff, including over eighty movie trailers alone.
That sort of work helps to keep my keep my head above water. When I am doing the film and TV stuff I I'm a little more conscious of space and texture.
I consider whether maybe a nylon string guitar may complement the piece better, or if this part is thicker then this part should probably be thinner, etcetera.
NMcF: Do you think those approaches to composition and playing are as a result of maturity and experience?
JK: Both, definitely. I have done a lot of film and TV stuff over the years, including spending thousands of hours in the studio realising that less is more.
NMcF: Given you are, as you said, usually writing, have you already got ideas, or anything left over from East of Heaven, for the next one?
JK: I've got a gazillion ideas! I just record on my phone but a lot of times lately I’ve been using a practice amp, which has a looper in it.
That way, I'll come up with an idea and choose what to use, create some melody lines or chord changes and just layer over the top and find parts. It's an interesting way to compose without getting into Pro Tools. Sometimes the idea is so fragile that you just need to get it down right away.
NMcF: So are you sitting in your 'man cave' just now where the recording happens?
JK: I am in a transitional period as we only bought this house nine months ago.
This is a big room but it's not a formal studio, but I do have my pre-mics set up and I can track guitars in here.
I mixed the last record in here, and other rooms, but although it’s not really treated it's functional.
But my own studio is still in Los Angeles where I have a house; but right now I'm renting it for a year to get through the pandemic. I try to balance out time in music with seeing friends and just enjoying time with the family. That’s part of the reason I got into film and TV stuff – I didn’t want to be on the road as much as a lot of the guys.
Maybe I am not as much of a household guitar player as some of those guys, but I was home for my kids and that's priceless, as long as you're paying the bills and being creative.
NMcF: You also have your own record company, of course, and some endorsement deals.
Could you summarise some of those and your equipment?
JK: Marmaduke Records started back in 1987. I have some guys who take care of that stuff; it’s all just time-management and I'm not a workaholic – I know a lot of guys that are driven like that but I'm certainly not!
Let’s go to the beach! [laughs]
I have been endorsing Fender since 2007, but I also play Gibson. There’s an offshoot brand Hamer, which I also really like. I also have a Korina V and I play a Martin acoustic and big body Gibson jazz guitars.
My amps are old Marshalls and modded Marshalls, and some Bogners.
As far as the pedals go we created the Kollmanation pedal; the idea is you can plug into most amplifiers and then just dial in the sound you want, with either clean or dirty settings.
We have now designed three different pedals; Steve Lukather now has one on his board, which he loves.
JK: I really like Isolation 2020 as it depicts the dark side of the lockdown, and maybe somebody that's losing their mind. It has an eerie, haunting feel to it
My daughter asked "what does it sound like when somebody hears voices in their head?" So we Googled it and found a recording of what somebody might be hearing.
It was psychotic, but we put something similar in the track – so my daughter has a production credit on the album!
Another one I really like is Ghostly. I like songs which move away from the main theme and include chord sequences which aren’t obvious. I like to work out how to get from this key to another but keep it cool.
It's exciting when you can modulate.
NMcF: There are also a few songs on East of Heaven that sound cinematic.
JK: I have been doing a lot of film and TV stuff, including over eighty movie trailers alone.
That sort of work helps to keep my keep my head above water. When I am doing the film and TV stuff I I'm a little more conscious of space and texture.
I consider whether maybe a nylon string guitar may complement the piece better, or if this part is thicker then this part should probably be thinner, etcetera.
NMcF: Do you think those approaches to composition and playing are as a result of maturity and experience?
JK: Both, definitely. I have done a lot of film and TV stuff over the years, including spending thousands of hours in the studio realising that less is more.
NMcF: Given you are, as you said, usually writing, have you already got ideas, or anything left over from East of Heaven, for the next one?
JK: I've got a gazillion ideas! I just record on my phone but a lot of times lately I’ve been using a practice amp, which has a looper in it.
That way, I'll come up with an idea and choose what to use, create some melody lines or chord changes and just layer over the top and find parts. It's an interesting way to compose without getting into Pro Tools. Sometimes the idea is so fragile that you just need to get it down right away.
NMcF: So are you sitting in your 'man cave' just now where the recording happens?
JK: I am in a transitional period as we only bought this house nine months ago.
This is a big room but it's not a formal studio, but I do have my pre-mics set up and I can track guitars in here.
I mixed the last record in here, and other rooms, but although it’s not really treated it's functional.
But my own studio is still in Los Angeles where I have a house; but right now I'm renting it for a year to get through the pandemic. I try to balance out time in music with seeing friends and just enjoying time with the family. That’s part of the reason I got into film and TV stuff – I didn’t want to be on the road as much as a lot of the guys.
Maybe I am not as much of a household guitar player as some of those guys, but I was home for my kids and that's priceless, as long as you're paying the bills and being creative.
NMcF: You also have your own record company, of course, and some endorsement deals.
Could you summarise some of those and your equipment?
JK: Marmaduke Records started back in 1987. I have some guys who take care of that stuff; it’s all just time-management and I'm not a workaholic – I know a lot of guys that are driven like that but I'm certainly not!
Let’s go to the beach! [laughs]
I have been endorsing Fender since 2007, but I also play Gibson. There’s an offshoot brand Hamer, which I also really like. I also have a Korina V and I play a Martin acoustic and big body Gibson jazz guitars.
My amps are old Marshalls and modded Marshalls, and some Bogners.
As far as the pedals go we created the Kollmanation pedal; the idea is you can plug into most amplifiers and then just dial in the sound you want, with either clean or dirty settings.
We have now designed three different pedals; Steve Lukather now has one on his board, which he loves.
NMcF: You have quite the CV of musical projects with a large number of bands and musicians.
One that intrigued was playing bass on a UFO tour. How did that come about?
JK: So what happened there was that [Cosmosquad bass player] Barry Sparks called me and asked me to play bass for a few weeks on a UFO tour. He had a commitment to play on another tour – I can’t remember which, he has so many gigs! – he asked "why don't you play bass as I know you're not going to try to steal my gig!" I was friends with the UFO guys anyway so it was really interesting.
I also played bass for Michael Schenker; I also did a G3 with him.
NMcF: That sounds equally interesting…
JK: I first met Michael Schenker when I was twenty-six years old and in a transitional period of my life.
I had just moved west and we had just formed Cosmosquad. Barry, again, said "do you want to go out with Michael Schenker?" I had just met Michael in the studio a few weeks earlier when Ron Nevison asked me if I wanted to be his guitar tech for two days; so I set up his Flying Vs and hung out in the studio with him.
Meeting Michael Schenker, and guys like Uli Jon Roth – who I should have mentioned earlier – were also big influences.
NMcF: To return to the UFO – or in this case nearly UFO – subject, how did the Phil Mogg connection come about and your subsequent involvement with Mogg / Way and Phil’s Sign of 4?
JK: Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records called me and said that Phil Mogg was looking for a guitar player; Mike thought I would be a perfect fit.
At that point it was going to be called UFO so I was over the moon! I wrote a couple riffs / songs and we got together at Phil’s manager’s place in Los Angeles.
Phil was living in London at the time so rather than audition I sent bed tracks for him to sing over.
That kind of sealed the deal!
NMcF: Mogg / Way’s Chocolate Box is one of the great underrated rock albums; it somehow slipped under the radar.
JK: I got into a lot of different tunings on that gig, including Drop C and Drop G; the direction was different from any previous UFO.
However the name got reduced down to being called Mogg / Way, which kind of sucked for me because I thought it sounded like a proper UFO record but with a new identity and direction – but there was still enough in there for the Schenker enthusiasts as well.
However Phil and Michael had made an agreement in 1995 that they couldn't be UFO without each other so that record came out as Mogg / Way, but deep down they knew they were never going to get together again.
I then produced the Sign of 4 album, which included some brilliant tracks.
The song Dancing with St Peter, which Phil and I wrote, was later covered by UFO.
One that intrigued was playing bass on a UFO tour. How did that come about?
JK: So what happened there was that [Cosmosquad bass player] Barry Sparks called me and asked me to play bass for a few weeks on a UFO tour. He had a commitment to play on another tour – I can’t remember which, he has so many gigs! – he asked "why don't you play bass as I know you're not going to try to steal my gig!" I was friends with the UFO guys anyway so it was really interesting.
I also played bass for Michael Schenker; I also did a G3 with him.
NMcF: That sounds equally interesting…
JK: I first met Michael Schenker when I was twenty-six years old and in a transitional period of my life.
I had just moved west and we had just formed Cosmosquad. Barry, again, said "do you want to go out with Michael Schenker?" I had just met Michael in the studio a few weeks earlier when Ron Nevison asked me if I wanted to be his guitar tech for two days; so I set up his Flying Vs and hung out in the studio with him.
Meeting Michael Schenker, and guys like Uli Jon Roth – who I should have mentioned earlier – were also big influences.
NMcF: To return to the UFO – or in this case nearly UFO – subject, how did the Phil Mogg connection come about and your subsequent involvement with Mogg / Way and Phil’s Sign of 4?
JK: Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records called me and said that Phil Mogg was looking for a guitar player; Mike thought I would be a perfect fit.
At that point it was going to be called UFO so I was over the moon! I wrote a couple riffs / songs and we got together at Phil’s manager’s place in Los Angeles.
Phil was living in London at the time so rather than audition I sent bed tracks for him to sing over.
That kind of sealed the deal!
NMcF: Mogg / Way’s Chocolate Box is one of the great underrated rock albums; it somehow slipped under the radar.
JK: I got into a lot of different tunings on that gig, including Drop C and Drop G; the direction was different from any previous UFO.
However the name got reduced down to being called Mogg / Way, which kind of sucked for me because I thought it sounded like a proper UFO record but with a new identity and direction – but there was still enough in there for the Schenker enthusiasts as well.
However Phil and Michael had made an agreement in 1995 that they couldn't be UFO without each other so that record came out as Mogg / Way, but deep down they knew they were never going to get together again.
I then produced the Sign of 4 album, which included some brilliant tracks.
The song Dancing with St Peter, which Phil and I wrote, was later covered by UFO.
JK: When it was decided to put UFO back together Phil and I talked on the phone about the band although it was later reported that I wasn’t that interested!
But when Vinnie Moore called after being offered the gig I said "go for it" – because he's a great fit – "but proceed with caution!" [laughs]
NMcF: On another of your many projects, what’s happening with Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats?
JK: We started writing some new stuff and I think we have maybe half a record done.
We can jam and write material in three days in the studio. That's how the first and second albums came together. It's just really getting everybody's schedule together – the schedules of all the band members are busy and Chad is really busy with the Chilli Peppers. I could barely get a text back from him recently!
I am sure we will squeeze in three or four days somewhere though.
By the way the strange song titles for the Meatbats are derived from "what do we call these instrumental songs?" We just tell stories that happened on the road and other experiences.
NMcF: Going all the way back, how did you get into the business? What’s your back-story?
JK: Well I wanted to be a football player but wouldn’t have made the grade.
My mother turned me on to a lot of great music though; a lot of rock stuff came into Toledo. My dad bought me a guitar and my brother Tommy started playing drums.
Then my dad got a better job and was able to get us some better instruments.
After about three years of playing I got considerably better and I was getting into Rush and Thin Lizzy.
We got a four-track cassette recorder and started recording original ideas. By the time I was fifteen I could play in the styles of Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. I was really into it – in fact I retrospectively released Teen Metal Years with my brother which included those old four-track recordings; I just wanted to have it archived.
My brother and I formed a band which became Edwin Dare and toured the US. We got support gigs with Skid Row, Cinderella, Poison, Dio and had some shows in Japan and Europe.
But our timing was off; we couldn't get signed and then grunge killed it.
That’s when I decided to move west, to try and be a freelance guitar player, which was a tough decision. Tommy moved to Florida and abandoned getting a record deal. He still did a lot of music but after our father passed away I don't think he had the support system.
Then in December 2012 my brother was shot by a police officer in circumstances that are very difficult to understand. I was just absolutely destroyed and couldn't function.
Eventually I started writing again and wondered when a song dedicated to my brother would arrive?
One day I woke up and had this melody in my head – this whole song was there; I just had to figure out how to play it.
It was released two years after he passed away on my Hills of Granada album.
But when Vinnie Moore called after being offered the gig I said "go for it" – because he's a great fit – "but proceed with caution!" [laughs]
NMcF: On another of your many projects, what’s happening with Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats?
JK: We started writing some new stuff and I think we have maybe half a record done.
We can jam and write material in three days in the studio. That's how the first and second albums came together. It's just really getting everybody's schedule together – the schedules of all the band members are busy and Chad is really busy with the Chilli Peppers. I could barely get a text back from him recently!
I am sure we will squeeze in three or four days somewhere though.
By the way the strange song titles for the Meatbats are derived from "what do we call these instrumental songs?" We just tell stories that happened on the road and other experiences.
NMcF: Going all the way back, how did you get into the business? What’s your back-story?
JK: Well I wanted to be a football player but wouldn’t have made the grade.
My mother turned me on to a lot of great music though; a lot of rock stuff came into Toledo. My dad bought me a guitar and my brother Tommy started playing drums.
Then my dad got a better job and was able to get us some better instruments.
After about three years of playing I got considerably better and I was getting into Rush and Thin Lizzy.
We got a four-track cassette recorder and started recording original ideas. By the time I was fifteen I could play in the styles of Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. I was really into it – in fact I retrospectively released Teen Metal Years with my brother which included those old four-track recordings; I just wanted to have it archived.
My brother and I formed a band which became Edwin Dare and toured the US. We got support gigs with Skid Row, Cinderella, Poison, Dio and had some shows in Japan and Europe.
But our timing was off; we couldn't get signed and then grunge killed it.
That’s when I decided to move west, to try and be a freelance guitar player, which was a tough decision. Tommy moved to Florida and abandoned getting a record deal. He still did a lot of music but after our father passed away I don't think he had the support system.
Then in December 2012 my brother was shot by a police officer in circumstances that are very difficult to understand. I was just absolutely destroyed and couldn't function.
Eventually I started writing again and wondered when a song dedicated to my brother would arrive?
One day I woke up and had this melody in my head – this whole song was there; I just had to figure out how to play it.
It was released two years after he passed away on my Hills of Granada album.
NMcF: With tours starting up again I’d guess you've got very busy schedule ahead?
JK: I’m actually not a guy that plans ahead too much, but I can tell you all the things that are cancelled!
I am, now, for example, supposed to have been in Japan for two and half months with Japanese legend Eikichi Yazawa where we play enormo-domes every night; it's a great gig and really pushes you in so many different styles.
The interesting thing about Eikichi is that he lived in Los Angeles years ago; he’s seventy-one years old and runs around the stage like Mick Jagger! He is just amazing, with perfect pitch.
A lot of his sessions back in the day were produced by Andrew Gold who would hire great players like Steve Lukather and Mike Landau. You know some tunes are going be all over the map; it’s one of the more challenging gigs that I've done.
I think Alan Parsons also wants to do a new record so we are pitching ideas to him for it. He's very gracious and allows the band to bring in songs. There’s also talk of a new Cosmosquad album.
NMcF: So clearly no tours coming up in the UK or Europe in the immediate future?
JK: Not right now, no. Again it's lockdown to blame. I am not sure at this stage about longer term plans. Incidentally, I had a little bike accident recently where the front tyre left the bike and I went face first into concrete but I had my hand out to break the fall. I damaged a couple of fingers so I had a tough phone call to say I couldn’t make a gig, playing in Texas, with Billy Gibbons, during the lockdown!
NMcF: Ouch! Outside of the uncertainty of touring, what else is on the horizon?
Is the Jeff Kollman Band still going?
JK: The JKB might get together to do an album with guest singers – maybe call it Kollmanation Inc.?
But it’s just an idea at this stage.
NMcF: Thanks for spending time with FabricationsHQ Jeff, and best of luck with the new album.
It deserves a lot of exposure.
JK: Thank you!
Nelson McFarlane
Q&A with Jeff Kollman
August 2021
East of Heaven is out now on Marmaduke Records. Jeff Kollman website: https://jeffkollman.com/
Click here for FabricationsHQ's Feature Review of East of Heaven.
Photo credits: Official media/ promo images
JK: I’m actually not a guy that plans ahead too much, but I can tell you all the things that are cancelled!
I am, now, for example, supposed to have been in Japan for two and half months with Japanese legend Eikichi Yazawa where we play enormo-domes every night; it's a great gig and really pushes you in so many different styles.
The interesting thing about Eikichi is that he lived in Los Angeles years ago; he’s seventy-one years old and runs around the stage like Mick Jagger! He is just amazing, with perfect pitch.
A lot of his sessions back in the day were produced by Andrew Gold who would hire great players like Steve Lukather and Mike Landau. You know some tunes are going be all over the map; it’s one of the more challenging gigs that I've done.
I think Alan Parsons also wants to do a new record so we are pitching ideas to him for it. He's very gracious and allows the band to bring in songs. There’s also talk of a new Cosmosquad album.
NMcF: So clearly no tours coming up in the UK or Europe in the immediate future?
JK: Not right now, no. Again it's lockdown to blame. I am not sure at this stage about longer term plans. Incidentally, I had a little bike accident recently where the front tyre left the bike and I went face first into concrete but I had my hand out to break the fall. I damaged a couple of fingers so I had a tough phone call to say I couldn’t make a gig, playing in Texas, with Billy Gibbons, during the lockdown!
NMcF: Ouch! Outside of the uncertainty of touring, what else is on the horizon?
Is the Jeff Kollman Band still going?
JK: The JKB might get together to do an album with guest singers – maybe call it Kollmanation Inc.?
But it’s just an idea at this stage.
NMcF: Thanks for spending time with FabricationsHQ Jeff, and best of luck with the new album.
It deserves a lot of exposure.
JK: Thank you!
Nelson McFarlane
Q&A with Jeff Kollman
August 2021
East of Heaven is out now on Marmaduke Records. Jeff Kollman website: https://jeffkollman.com/
Click here for FabricationsHQ's Feature Review of East of Heaven.
Photo credits: Official media/ promo images