Today we’d like to introduce you to George Baba.
Thanks for sharing your story with us George. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Song and dance are vital to my culture as a Palestinian-American. However, my parents were born in the USA, so I’ve had the luxury of exploring both Arabic and Western music. My father very much inspired my musical tastes, as we always listened to rock and roll. He turned me on to all the classics like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young. Then one day after school when I was 12, I came home and heard this god-awful sound coming from upstairs. I walked up and there was my dad fiddling with an electric guitar that he didn’t know how to play. “Check it out, look what I got ya,” he said. Honestly, it was the best gift I ever received. I learned every song I possibly could, playing along with old cassettes and watching concert videos religiously. I didn’t just listen to music, I really studied it. I wanted to know how it was made and what techniques would make me sound like my idols. I’m still trying to figure that out.
Then in high school, I played in a band called “Void” and began writing my own songs. I gained a bit of a reputation for it. I realized it wasn’t just playing music that I loved, but actually writing music. I would just daydream in my classes, think about the songs I was writing and working them out in my head. I still do that at work. It’s a really unique feeling to create something that wouldn’t exist without having to first think of it. It still just blows my mind. But that’s what art is. Pure creation.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the creative side of things, I’ve been very fortunate. I’m addicted to being creative, so it comes very easily to me. I could never understand how an artist can only make a few albums a decade, but I guess that’s their process. The easiest thing about my musical path is that fact that I can find inspiration in almost anything. So for that, I’ve been grateful.
One of my first big projects was “The Dead Revolt”, which was a three-piece progressive rock band that sadly ended in the death of our bass player, Spencer Golvach. The drummer, Dylan Golvach, was his younger brother and I was a friend, a roommate, a co-worker and a bandmate with Spencer for a decade. It was devastating but, in a way, it inspired me to branch out and try different styles. Since then, I’ve done heavier projects such as “Death By Supernova” and “WARLUNG”, a dark-pop project called “Botis Voxhead” an acoustic solo album and even Dylan was inspired to start his own band, “Den Mother”. It wasn’t fair what happened to him and I feel guilty that even his death inspires me. But like I said, everything inspires me. When we lived together, I would play in my room and he would knock on my door and ask me about what I was writing because he liked it so much. Even today, when I write a song, I ask myself, “Would Spencer like this?”
One big challenge in my life is balancing school, work and music. I’ve been doing it for a while, but it’s still not easy. Working over 40hrs/week, while studying in grad school and finding time for my personal and music life can be exhausting. I’m thankful that my bands have been so patient with me and my schedule. I’ve just earned a Masters in Geology at the University of Houston so that’s one thing I can cross off my list. Also, the music industry isn’t very forgiving to those with full time jobs. It’s pretty much impossible to tour with a demanding job and often times I’ve had to turn down shows or even leave shows early because of a work night.
I would say the main obstacle in music is the financial aspect. Instruments, recording, and production cost thousands of dollars. When show promoters pay you in pizza and beer, it’s kind of hard to make a living. Hats off to musicians who can make a good living that way, but I’ve never been able to. Maybe if I pursued it professionally when I was younger, I could have excelled, but I actually prefer to just keep it a passion than a career. To be honest, if I was just a musician, I probably wouldn’t have enough money to be a musician. It’s ironic but it’s true. The only reason I can afford to make as much music as I do is because I work in another industry. And when someone like me, who puts out a couple of albums out a year, the final product sometimes suffers because of the budget. Someone said, “what if the cure for cancer was trapped inside the mind of someone who can’t afford an education?” In my case, there’s a masterpiece in there, but I can’t afford to record it.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
If I’m working on a personal project, I will write the music and lyrics, perform all the instruments and oversee the mixing and mastering process. If I’m working in a band with other musicians, I share all responsibilities with the other members.
What I’m most proud of is the diversity of my music. Some projects might be progressive rock or heavy metal, and others could be acoustic, electronic/pop, etc. I don’t think musicians have to be monogamous. There are too many genres to stick to just one. I much rather prefer artists who can master multiple styles. My biggest influences is Jimmy Page. That’s where my inspiration of musical diversity comes from. One thing that sets Page apart from other guitar players is his versatility. He can play blues, jazz, rock, folk, classical; you name it. So that’s what I’ve been trying to do. Even though I focus mainly on rock and roll, I always incorporate aspects of other genres into each project. That way it always sounds unique, or “georgesque”, as I like to call it.
I believe that’s what sets me apart from other players. Because I’m disciplined in multiple styles, I can always add something out of the ordinary in a song. I can write a rock song but use the arabic scale for my guitar solo instead of a typical major/minor. Or, I can write a pop song but put a dark spin on the vocal melody instead of a happy one. I don’t know, but I would hope that anyone who really listens to my music will notice that kind of effort. I’ve only been recording albums for eight years so far, but I’m about to release my 12th album with WARLUNG. I’m proud to say that not a lot of people can do that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have a lot of memories about playing music from high school. I gained a reputation for how I played to a point where I would show up at a party and instead of being the lame guy playing guitar that no one paid attention to, they would just put a guitar in my hand and tell me to play. Sometimes I would just start playing in someone’s room and after a while the whole room would be filled with listeners. It might sound like I’m bragging but it was a huge confidence booster for me. I figured if teenagers would rather sit in a room and hear me play guitar instead of getting high or trying to get laid, then I must be doing something right. We also used to put on these shows at our friends’ properties. We would throw these parties and bands would play and everyone had a pretty good time. It was a blast. It was just fun then but looking back I can see how important those times were.
I also remember the first time I played in front of people. When I was a kid, my father and uncle owned a bar in east Houston. I probably shouldn’t have been there as much as they allowed me to, but the patrons didn’t seem to mind. Sometimes this band would come and play old R&B songs for the regulars. My father calls me one night and tells me I need to come down there and play with them. I didn’t want to at first because I was maybe 14, and nervous that I wasn’t any good. But my father was persistent and wanted me to experience that. I didn’t know the songs, but I knew enough to improvise. That’s the great things about blues, if you know one song, you pretty much know them all, so it wasn’t hard finding my place. I just remember how much fun it was and how much fun the crowd was having. It was my first time playing in front of people, and I haven’t stopped since. I figured if I can play with guys three times my age in front of hippies and pool players, I could play in front of anyone. And I have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://georgebaba.bandcamp.com
Image Credit:
Jason Smith, Lane Marie, Chiara Lombardi
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
