The High Plains Drifters – Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!

By starrymag | January 5, 2021

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

 

A) We thought about going for a sound that would be akin to The Eagles meets Travis Scott. Then, we realized that’s insane. But it makes a point, which is that the “sound” of The High Plains Drifters is tough to nail down or describe. We have been called “genre bending” by several reviewers and that’s accurate. In the words of one DJ now spinning our new Xmas song, we are “a unique blend of Country, Blues, Soul, Rock and Americana . . . [with] a hint of post-punk angst in some” of our songs. Speaking just for myself as the lead singer and primary songwriter of our material, I consider myself a modern rock singer-songwriter in the “storyteller” tradition. If you pay attention to the lyrics of most of my tunes, each is a mini narrative telling a story. Speaking as to the rest of the band; however, that’s where all these other wonderful musical influences come into play. We are a band of older guys, with a lot of musical influences and boasting truly stellar musicians who can play anything. Inevitably — and sometimes even within the same song — you’re going to hear hints of multiple musical genres. That said, at our core, we’re a modern rock band:  two guitarists, bass, and drums with sometimes keyboards and strings and horns. 

 

Q) Tell us a little more about the story behind “Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!”

 

A) This song was as much “provoked” as it was inspired. Two Christmases ago, I was hosting a chunk of my family (the Studnicky family) at my Connecticut home. On the afternoon of Christmas Day, after some alcohol had been imbibed, there was a bit of explosive family drama — things exploded like a bomb went off. I don’t want to go into details, but some tempers really flared. 

 

I was the first one awake on December 26th and I was maybe a bit hungover. I had just started making the coffee and was pondering how such a fabulous holiday had gone so horribly awry. This song came out of nowhere in a flash. Well, at least the first few lines did (the lyrics with the melody all at once, as if sent by some Spirit of Christmas): “I’ve been drinking way too much this Christmas. My friends all wanna know the reason why. I’ve been drinking like a fish all Christmas. Well at Thanksgiving my love told me goodbye.”

 

I liked what I was hearing in my head. I instantly sang it into my iPhone. But I wasn’t immediately sure WHY the narrator’s gal had dumped him. Then, inspiration actually did hit: Santa stole the singer’s girlfriend. Once I had that concept, the rest of the song’s lyrics and melody flowed almost as easily as had the booze on Xmas day.

 

Q) Are there any plans to do a music video with the release of this song?

 

A) There are actually two music videos. One is a cute “visualizer” showing the thief who stole my baby with his sleigh. It’s on YouTube now. The other video (which should be out by the time this interview is published) is a lyrics video — the lyrics scroll as you watch some animated scenes that track the story of the song. Neither one is very fancy — we’re a self-promoted indie band, after all. But they’re both very well done and enjoyable. You readers can just search YouTube under the band’s name or the song title. 

 

Q) In addition to the new single, what can fans expect from the upcoming album?

 

A) I don’t want to sound boastful, but the band is hitting on all eight cylinders right now and we’re cranking out some really catchy upbeat songs, along with a few beautiful ballads. We’re halfway done with the recordings (six out of twelve songs are in the can). The album probably won’t be quite as “genre bending” as our debut outing. The musical direction and production are all a bit more focused on this record, as is the overarching theme of most of the songs: lost love. 

 

In fact, for a couple of the songs, I decided that HPD should visit with some of the famous girls that other bands were singing about when we were growing up. So, there’s a song called “Michelle,” which is a nod (in title only) to The Beatles tune penned by Paul McCartney. And there’s one called “Ruby, Run Away With Me,” which was triggered in part by the passing this summer of Kenny Rogers; who, when he was with the First Edition, recorded and sang the great Mel Tillis song “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” 

 

I’m hopeful that our listeners will recognize parts of their own lives in the stories that my lyrics are telling on this next album. I think some of those lyrics will make them smile in remembrance, and maybe a few lines will put a tear in someone’s eye. 

 

Q) Which song was your favorite to record on the upcoming album?

 

A) Out of the six we’ve recorded it would have to be the one called “How Did I Write This Song.” What I love about the recording process are all the magical, unforeseeable, but truly spectacular things that often happen when you’re lucky enough to work with musicians as talented as our band. This song is a case in point. When I sang the first vocals-only demo for our producer, Greg Cohen, I had only two verses — no chorus and no ideas for the instrumentation (on some songs, I can hear almost the entire band playing in my head as I work out the lyrics). 

 

Right after I sang it, I said to Greg, “That’s all I have now, what do you think?” He answered, “You’ll think I’m crazy, but this song would make a great bossa nova tune.” Now, I’m a huge fan of that genre. There’s a good reason that Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “The Girl From Ipanema” is among the most-covered recordings in history. But I never thought that I could write a bossa nova song. 

 

I trust Greg’s instincts; however, so I said let’s do it. Greg and our two brilliant guitarists (John Macom and Mike DoCampo) worked out all the chords in two more demo sessions. While they were doing that, I was thinking to myself, “Shoot, now I have to write a bossa nova chorus.” And I did — magically and unexpectedly while in my car driving from my Connecticut home in late October to Greg’s Manhattan studio. The chorus just came to me, out of the blue and (shockingly) it fit the bossa nova style. 

 

HOW DID I WRITE THIS SONG won’t likely be a single release, but it may well end up being the coolest song on the album. And . . . it’s genre-bending!

  

Q) “Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!” was produced by Greg Cohen, who has worked with such artists as Robin Thicke and Nile Rodgers. How was it working with him on this track and what did his background help bring to the overall feel of the song?

 

A) Greg Cohen is our secret weapon. He has great musical chops and, maybe more importantly, the experience and good judgment to know when “enough is enough” – if you know what I mean. Especially with today’s digital recording technologies, a band can get carried away. You can finish a song and see that you’re looking at having to mix from dozens or scores of individual tracks. It can be overwhelming. After working with our band producing the second half of our debut album, Greg realized that the guys were solid enough to record together the old-fashioned way — everyone playing simultaneously (to a demo track with my scratch lead vocals). 

 

As importantly, Greg and I have been buddies for roughly thirty years. It’s like we’ve grown up together. It just took us forever to become musical collaborators, which was probably a good thing — the younger Greg Cohen and the younger me wouldn’t have had the experience to produce the kind of material that the band’s now putting out. 

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from “Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!” and the upcoming album?

 

A) The “Santa!” song was written by me (along with John and Greg) with a single goal:  to bring some old-fashioned, light-hearted Christmas cheer to a world that has had too many reasons to grow weary this past year. We know now that we hit our target. For the most frequent feedback we get from listeners and radio DJ’s can be summed up as: This song made me smile and laugh. 

 

As for the upcoming album, anyone who pays attention to the lyrics will (I hope) remember people — sometimes fondly, and sometimes maybe not so fondly — who they loved in the past. At least in this country, we’ve had enough of bickering. Things got way out of hand this past year. It’s time to get back to loving one another. IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME PEOPLE!!! Cut the crap already!

 

Q) Are there any plans for a virtual listening party with the album release?

 

A) That’s a really great idea and I think we shall steal it. We did a listening party for friends and family after we’d finished mixing and mastering our debut album. It was a blast. Doing that online for our fans would be awesome. I think you can count on it happening. 

 

Q) Before becoming The High Plains Drifters, you and your band members also had the opportunity to work with some iconic names in music, including Pete Townsend (The Who), Micky Dolenz (The Monkees), Brian May and Roger Taylor (Queen), Suge Knight (Death Row Records) and Fred Schneider (The B52’s). With such an impressive resume under the band’s belt, what important lessons did they teach you about the music business that still resonate to this day?

 

A) The single most important lesson we all learned from them is that raw talent isn’t enough. Success in any industry requires hard work. All of those guys are consummate professionals who, even now, don’t rest on their laurels. They work their asses off to improve. When they’re performing live, they don’t “phone it in” — they give you something to remember. Okay, so Suge Knight wasn’t a performer; but he too worked hard to make each new Death Row record something memorable. 

 

Q) With live music still currently on hold, have you thought about doing a virtual tour for your fans?

 

A) Sorry, but I am not a fan of virtual tours. It’s like drinking virtual booze, taking virtual drugs or having phone sex: What’s the damn point?

 

Q) Who would you love to collaborate with on a future music project?

 

A) Well, if you’ve listened to our debut album, then you’d think (and you’d be right) that I would like to collaborate on a future music project with Jennifer Aniston. I have no clue whether she has any musical talent. I would think she must have some musical talent — I think most people do. If all she did was occasionally show up and possibly appear for a few seconds in a music video of ours, I’d be in heaven. 

 

Given her busy schedule (needs new shoes, needs new houses, needs new husband, etc.), I would instead like to work with Paul Weller, founder of The Jam and The Style Council. Now THAT is another genre-bending dude. I think we could do amazing work together. 

 

Q) What would you like to share with your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) It’s a cliché, but here goes:  Don’t give up on your dreams. I waited a few decades before I had the balls to commit to getting recordings done of the songs that had been writing themselves in my head since high school. Whatever is your artistic or creative passion, MAKE the time to pursue it and then work hard at it. We still live in a country that usually rewards hard work, thank God. Your book or screenplay won’t write itself, nor will your songs. If things initially don’t work out the way you hope, don’t get discouraged. Try again. The creative process itself holds so many rewards, even if you’re never commercially successful. If you’re pursuing your passion trying to be famous, you’ve already missed the whole point. You should be pursuing your passion BECAUSE it’s your passion. 

 

 

 

All Questions Answered By Lead Singer  Larry Studnicky 

 

Watch The Video for “Santa! Bring My Girlfriend Back!”

 

Lyric Video