Home of drummer Greg Hipskind!

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If you or anyone you know is interested, I am teaching drums, please contact me and let me know. I'm accepting new students right now, and I'm hoping to fill my schedule. Thanks! Greg E-mail me at: greg@wicked-liz.com or call (309) 292-2923 AUGUST 2007 INTERVIEW WITH GREG!!!! Here we are headed to fall of 2007 and we thought it was time to touch base w\ our good friend, baseball enthusiast and all around great guy Greg Hipskind. As well as being the drummer in Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls, Greg has been working on his singing and has really wowed some audiences recently! INTERVIEWER: Greg, thanks for taking time to speak w\ us. First, we know you are a big baseball fan, can you tell us about some games you've been to this summer? GREG: The highlight of this season was when I finally made it to Fenway park in Boston. Got to go to 2 Red Sox games, and wouldn't ya know, they lost both of them. On that same trip, I caught a game at Yankee Stadium in NYC. Glad I got to see the place before they tear it down....but I still HATE the Yankees. I'll be heading to Cleveland in September too....that will be my 11th stadium in the past 3 seasons. I'm 1/3 of the way done!!! INTERVIEWER: As the season winds down, who do you like in the playoffs? GREG: Boston's gonna win it all!!!! I would also love to see the Cubs make it to the playoffs, I just don't think they have what it takes to make it very deep. INTERVIEWER: You are highly regarded as a drummer, some folks may not know you have written some guitar parts to Wicked Liz songs... can you talk about those songs? GREG: Most people don't know that about me.....I've brought the ideas for 2 of our songs to the table. "Tuesday" from our first CD was a little lick that I had in my pocket for a while, and has become a fan fav over the years. I also put together the parts for the song "Wonder" from the Hulathong CD. This has really become one of my favorites to play. I took ideas that I had been messing with for a while....played a drum loop behind it, and BAM there's a new song!! INTERVIEWER: In the late 70's Punk arrived on the scene> to clear out the heads of those lost in the flighy clouds of prog-rock or the limp wristed excess of disco, from that era... name your favorite Chicago Cub. GREG: Current player.....Aramis Ramirez. All time....gotta go with Sandberg INTERVIEWER: You teach drums, how has that affected your approach to drums? GREG: It really has helped me in my playing, partly because I've had to kinda relearn everything...and be able to describe exactly what I'm doing, and help someone understand why and how to play a piece. My chops have gotten alot better to. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! If anyone's interested contacted me. INTERVIEWER: How has the recent re-emergence of Porter Waggoner affected your songwriting? GREG:I never knew he left. I know our guitarist Leo is fanatical about him though. He even bid on one of his sparkly suits on eBay!!! INTERVIEWER: What bands\albums are you currently listening to? GREG: Unfortunatly, I haven't comeacross anything lately that I am just hooked on. I have been listening to Scott Miller, Jack Ingram, Pat Green and guys like that alot. INTERVIEWER: Of all the new reality shows hitting the airwaves, Gene Simmons, Bret Michaels, Flavor Flav... which are you tuning into and why? GREG: I am addicted to the Bret Michaels "Rock of Love". Mostly becasue I've always been a huge Poison fan. I'm also into the Scott Baio show. Really not that bad...for being a reality show. INTERVIEWER: Do you find it curious I didn't ask you about Hulk Hogan?!?!? GREG: I do catch that every now and again. Not a big fan....but it is the Hulkster!! INTERVIEWER: Isn't it true that in the mid-90's you worked as a go-fer for Vince McMahon? And isn't it true that in that time period you gained 37lbs of muscle in a one month period? To what do you attribute that? GREG:No. I didn't work for McMahon. But I did gain some weight.....they told me the cream was icy hot. Don't you have to stick a needle in your butt for it to be steroids? INTERVIEWER: And do you expect us to buy that load of hogwash? GREG: It works for Barry Bonds. INTERVIEWER: Sir, I will let it pass, as I am a gentleman... tell me, summer is concert season, have you been to any good ones? GREG:I didn't make it to very many shows. We did spend a couple days at Summerfest in Milwaukee. Saw John Mayer, which was better than I thought it would be. Then got to see him jam with blues legend, Buddy Guy...in the rain!!! One of the better concert experiences I've had!! INTERVIEWER: In alphabetical order, please name your favorite dwarves. GREG: How can I rank them, if they are alphabetical order? INTERVIEWER: Don't answer a question with a question!!! GREG:You didn't ASK anything.....Go check the transcript! INTERVIEWER: Touche sir! You have bested me! We Thanks Greg for his time, make sure to ay "hi" to Greg when you go to the next gig, he likes that. OCTOBER 2005 INTERVIEW WITH GREG HIPSKIND We're here today speaking w\ Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls drummer Greg Hipskind, Greg is the heartbeat of this great midwestern rock band. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: We understand when you are not busy rocking with the band, you teach drum lessons, tell us a little bit about that... GREG: Yes, I started teaching about a year ago. Now I'm have a little over 20 students, mostly teens and a couple as young as 7. It's a very rewarding job, seeing the kids progress week by week. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: You are reportedly a massive Cub fan... did you get to Wrigley enough this season?...and how do you feel about waiting for "next year" again? GREG:I made it up there 3 times this year...I started a new thing to where I'm going to try and hit as many stadiums as I can each year. Made it to 4 this year. 8 total games. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: The band has recently released it's 3rd CD HULATHONG, tell me a little about the recording process: GREG: This CD is the best we've done so far. I'm happy with pretty much everything I did. The drums sound great! It took more time than we had originally planned, but it was worth it. If you want it done right, you can't cut any corners. Rock Island Rapids--- CD release show (photo Jef Wros) WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: What brand of drums do you use? What is the significance of these drums? GREG: The kit is use is a Pearl Prestige Session Series. I bought this kit about 5 month after joining the band. I've been very happy with it. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: Do you have any favorite tracks on HULATHONG? Any special moments? GREG: My favorites to play right now is Break Me (I liked the song when we recorded it, but now I love playing it live.) I also really like the jazzy part at the end of Mary Kate, one of those things that came together in the studio, it wasn't originally part of the song. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: Looking at the calendar, the band has a lot coming up, what are you especially looking forward to? GREG: I'm very excited about the trip to Texas. I've never been to the Lone Star State! Austin also has a great music scene, so hopefully we will have a chance to check out some other bands while we are down there. Playing at Rookies in Davenport...April 3rd, 2004! WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: If Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls were the FAMILY GUY cast, who would you be? (who would the others be?...) GREG: I'd go with Brian (The Dog), not exactly sure why I pick him, but I just think its hilarious that the dog talks like a regular person, with a regular name, and Stewie talks like a crazed Nazi. Leo would be the Mom, just cause he's the one we all go to when there's a problem. Bob, he's a great Peter, the Dad figure of the group, and he's got a million "remember when I did this" stories. Liz, would make a good Stewie, just because you always have to keep an eye on her and make sure she's not getting in some kind of trouble Now that I've re-read what I've just wrote, anyone else thing it's kind of weird that I made Bob the Dad, and Leo the Mom....but I guess that normal in some states. WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: Can you tell us what you are currently listening to? GREG: I don't listen to much stuff that is played on the radio. So I will list 5 of my favorites at this time. No particular order, and this could change at any time, it's just what I've been listening to: 1. Jim the Mule - Jim the Mule 2. Butch Walker - Letters 3. Robert Randolph - anything of his 4. Hello Dave - Perfect Day 5. Sam Cooke - Greatest Hits WEBSITE GUY ASKING QUESTIONS: What were some of the first rock shows you ever saw and how did that impact you? GREG: My first concert was AC/DC at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames. I was in the 6th grade. I don't remember a whole lot about the show, but I do remember the canons firing during "For Those About to Rock" The show that changed everything for me was when I saw Poison at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. It was in February 1991. I remember about halfway through the show, with all of the explosions, fireworks, lasers, and girls...I said to myself..."I gotta do this..I wanna play drums!" So after saving my paper route money for a couple months, I bought a drum set at a yard sale for $75, and the rest is history. A couple of months ago, I met Bret Michaels (singer for Poison), it was a very cool moment for me, to meet the guy that played such a big role in my early days of playing. Feel free to ask me sometime, I love to tell that story. He had alot of very encouraging words for me, and I gave him a copy of our "Hulathong" CD. WEBSITE GUY CONCLUDING THIS FEATURE: We thank Greg for his time, make sure to stop and "hi" to Greg at the next gig and ask him about meeting Brett Michaels!   Hanging out at John O'Donnell Stadium Birthdate: December 12th Favorite band: The Beatles Currently listening to: Hello Dave, Counting Crows First Encounter with a Bellyswirl: I met Bob Kelly at the Village Inn in Bettendorf. After that fateful meating we didn't talk again for a month!   Cocktails in Cedar Rapids has quickly become one of our favorite places to play! This is me taking a breather between songs. Opening Night @ QC LIVE-- another Jef Wros Photo   Cordova Dragway---Spring of 2003