An HI Sound Bite: Rocker-reporter Jamie Winpenny interviews himself
The Hawaii Independent’s Downtown Editor Jamie Winpenny is also a professional musician. We asked him to pick a local artist for a Q&A session about music in Hawaii, and he replied “Hell, I could interview myself.” So we let him. Here is the result:
Jamie, how long have you been a professional musician?
My first paid gig was in 1990. It was a house party in Kailua, and we didn’t have a name. The fact that we were paid in beer is immaterial. I was a weed whacker jockey at the time, and free beer was a windfall. We defaulted into the ska band Red Session.
Still, that doesn’t count.
You’re right. My first gig somewhere that wasn’t someone’s back yard was at Snapper’s in Discovery Bay. I remember being glad to be old enough to drink. It was awful.
But you kept at it.
Yeah, I was starved for attention. I kept writing songs, and all the gear was set up at my house, so I’d inflict my songs on my mates in exchange for letting them raid the fridge.
And it eventually got you touring on the continental United States.
It did. We were successful, if by successful you mean “not making any money individually in a culture of extreme mutual amusement and abuse.”
What was your most memorable gig?
Playing the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco with Reel Big Fish was pretty huge. I remember choking on a guitar solo and, later, looting the headliner’s hospitality suite.
When did you return to Honolulu?
In April, 2000. I had just finished what has come to be known as the Rock Bottom tour with a band that hired me because their guitar player’s new wife had announced that he was no longer permitted to tour. You take what you can get, I guess, for everyone involved. I came home to be with my family.
And you haven’t stopped playing?
Nope. I’ve managed to cultivate an ability to suspend disbelief in other, more talented musicians. I’m having more fun playing music now than I ever have.
What is your current project?
I play with an amazing group of musicians in a Celtic rock band. I’d name it, but that would be too much like shameless self promotion. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
What is the worst thing about playing music professionally in Honolulu?
Ten years ago, I would have said it’s the hangovers. Now that I play sober, I’d have to say that it’s that guy that screams “Freebird!” in front of the tip jar, and doesn’t fill it. We’ll play it, dude. But you’ll pay.
What is the best thing about playing in Honolulu?
The people I play and work with, above all. Also, simply having the opportunity to make at least a part of my living playing music in my hometown is enormously gratifying. The sublime self-delusion of artistic relevance is nice, too.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians in Honolulu?
If anything, it would be “Don’t be a dick.” However talented you may be, you’re still going to have to work with people. I’ve always found that the best work gets done when you get along with people. Also, always have a Leatherman, a roll of duct tape, and a Sharpee. Chances are that at any given gig, you’re going to need at least one of them.
