GET FAMILIAR: TOMMY WRIGHT III
We are honoured to present the Memphis legend Tommy Wright III on the Patta Soundsystem stage during Appelsap 2019. We asked him some questions about shows in Europe, the skate community and his parents' influence, he answered them in his own incomparable way.
With the emergence of the internet, your underground tapes got digitalized and went from the car-stereos in Four Corners to iPods all across the globe. What’s that one place in the world that you’ve always wanted to visit and why?
Most of my albums were digitized by my former business partners in 2002. But I removed my music from Itunes because I didn't give them permission to do that and getting paid was difficult. So people flocked to free sites and found the underground tapes that I made early in my career. But one country that always supported me and bought tapes from me was Germany so that's the place that I have always wanted to visit...abroad. Along with any city outside of 4 corners. Such as New York & California. All of those were dreams to me.
You’ve recently started doing shows in Europe. How’s the experience been for you so far? Name some of the things you’ve seen that made the most impact.
Something that has surprised me during my trip to Europe was how music overcomes language barriers. I'm surprised that the concerts are sold out. I'm surprised at how many producers want to emulate my sound. I'm surprised at how many people my music has touched.
With the skate-community embracing you heavy, when can we expect a TWIII skateboard?
I have worked on a skateboard and I have heard many ideas from other people. But I am serious about being the owner of my skateboard and I prefer to handle it DIY style just like with my music. So I'm not rushing into it.
I saw in an interview that you’re a fan of John Maus. Are there any other artists you really rock with that your fans maybe wouldn’t expect?
I'm impressed with so many rock bands and I'm so happy to play with everyone that puts their heart into music. There's too many for me to name!
With both of your parents being deaf, how did it influence your musical upbringing?
Having deaf parents doesn't help as a musical influence. It only allowed me to experiment with music without being punished or controlled.
To be continued
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