Richard Lloyd, legendary punk guitarist and former member of the pioneering act Television, has an intriguing philosophy about the importance of being a musician.
"A successful musician is paid to go where tourists and others have to pay to go and when you get there, they applaud,'' he said. ''Also, a successful musician is truly transcendental and acts as a shaman, because they can break through the limitation of a job, social norms and real reality. A performer can break through those barriers and show you a different reality. This is not about breaking the laws. As musicians, the experience of performing is about participating and not excluding our audiences. In the past, there used to be a barrier between musicians and ordinary people. I don't think anyone is ordinary. Everyone is unique and beloved.''
Lloyd currently is signed to Riot House Records, founded by musician, booking agent and manager Brian Jenkins. Lloyd recorded two new tracks with Jenkins titled, "Something Remains" and "Tired Old Morning." These songs will be released on 7" inch vinyl in July and is a part of the "Riot House Records Sevens Series"
"I wrote some romantic love songs that have never seen the light of day. They are a part of my collection of songs called, 'Love Songs I Have Never Recorded.' I recorded two of the songs from that collection, 'Something Remains' and 'Tired Old Morning' for the 'Riot House Records Sevens Series.' I have seen grown adults weep when I play these songs live. It's that strong, like Bob Dylan, it's very human," Lloyd said.
Lloyd's band includes former Television drummer Billy Ficca and Danny Tamborelli on bass. Tamborelli played the role of Little Pete Wrigley on the mid-'90s Nickelodeon series "The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' and also was a regular on ''All That.'' He also plays bass and vocals in the New Jersey indie band, Jounce.
"Half of us were in the band Television and one us was on television,'' Lloyd said. ''That's pretty funny like synchronicity. I have a great band. Billy Ficca is a great drummer. His drumming leads me to believe that when I get off the stage, what just happened four human beings couldn't have accomplished. Ficca and I played in Television for so long. We have this wonderful intuition. Danny Tamborelli was a child star and is a wonderful musician. More people ask for Tamborelli's autograph than they ask for mine.''
Fact Box
When You?Go
WHO: Richard Lloyd, Semi-Supervillains, Michael Andrecic & Friends and Modern Life
WHEN: 9 p.m.
Friday
WHERE: Lemon Grove Cafe, 122 W. Federal St., Youngstown
HOW MUCH: $10
Since 1973, Television was a band that opened many doors for the years to come, sonically and culturally. Lloyd, along with Television frontman and guitarist Tom Verlaine, revolutionized the clean post-punk guitar sound, influencing everyone from Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth to Teenage Fanclub. The band regularly performed at CBGBs, the New York club that spawned The Ramones, Talking Head, Blondie and many others.
"I helped with booking bands at CBGBs,'' Lloyd said. ''It was like hosting a three-year-long New Years Eve party. I always got in free and there was an open bar with a ton of girls, great people and great bands. Sometimes the Hell's Angels would show up and they would play pool with us.''
Television's 1977 debut "Marquee Moon" is considered one of the masterpieces of that era. Rolling Stone included it on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."
"When I was 15 years old, I used whatever willpower and spiritual influences I had and thought about how I wanted the next 40 years of my life to look like. I wanted to be one of the best living electric guitarists and I wanted to impact the history of rock 'n ' roll," Lloyd said.
After Television split up, Lloyd pursued a solo career that ventured in different directions than his work with Television.
"My first solo record, 'Alchemy' was a purposeful record, which contained very little of Television's sound. It was sentimental, romantic and wistful. It was a young man's first record and it was meant to be that,'' he said. ''The album, 'Field of Fire' was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden during one of the coldest winters in a hundred years. The album 'Field of Fire' had a rock 'n' roll sound and could have easily fit in with Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen.''
Lloyd also was a session guitarist for artists such as Chris Stamey, Matthew Sweet, John Doe from the band X and Cleveland punk legends Rocket From The Tombs.Rocket From The Tombs spawned two of Cleveland's most famoust acts in the '70s, the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. The band included future Dead Boys guitarist at the time, Eugene O' Connor (aka, Cheetah Chrome). Lloyd played guitar with Chrome on Rocket From The Tombs 2004 reunion record, "Rocket Redux."
"In Rocket From The Tombs, Cheetah Chrome and I were a good team, just like Tom Verlaine and I were when we played in Television," Lloyd said.
Lloyd is happy to be writing music and is also writing songs for a brand new full length album which will be out in January of 2013.
"I am a musician and I am in one of three careers where the word for work is play. My sense of humor is as dry as a martini on Mars. Human laughter is such a magnificent, precious resource that it is exported to other planets and other solar systems as well as our own."