Photo via Jon Leidtke
“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” as the old saying goes, certainly does not apply to musician Jon Liedtke. The guitarist stays busy with the blues-influenced Midnight Liedtke and the Witching Hours, the heavy metal of Lost Tribes of The Moon and the dark synth sounds of Cannabinol Synapse.
In December, Liedtke and his group Gozortenplat hosted the 22nd annual Milwaukee Zappafest. That virtual event broadcast from The Ring continues America’s longest running tribute to the music of Frank Zappa.
How has the lockdown affected your creativity?
The lockdown that we went through months ago affected my creativity in a way that ultimately led to some positive results. Since I was unable to work either of my jobs as a guitar instructor or a cook, I had a lot more time to work on musical projects.
The time spent alone during those very uncertain times forced me to do some self-analysis, reflection, and re-examine my priorities as well as perspectives. Those levels of thought helped me realize that this was a time for me to stay busy with music and let that carry me through any negative thoughts or news that was developing at that time.
I understood why some people put down their artistic creations due to the nature of events. But I felt more inspired to keep working because the future never looked more bleak than it did then, and I didn’t want to waste whatever time might have been left before things potentially got worse.
Music and art have always been a reactionary creation to the events going on in the world around us. I think a lot of artists and musicians are still doing that right now.
Do you have a routine or schedule for staying in practice or working on new material?
My routines and schedules for practicing have changed over the years, based on the material and variables involved in the situation at hand. I tend to be a musician who keeps his hands full and at times can be too busy for my own good, but it keeps me from ever being idle for too long.
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When it comes to working on material for a band or project, one basic rule I stick to generally is to practice for whatever task is closest at hand. If’s Tuesday and I have a blues practice the next day, I’m not going to spend that time practicing for my gig with my metal band the following week, I would obviously practice blues instead since that's the next thing I have coming up.
That might sound like an obvious method to use, but you’d be surprised how a lot of musicians don't apply that logic. When it comes to something like a long term project, I’ll find pockets of free time to whittle away at the work and then as deadlines get closer, I’ll double down on the time spent on it to make sure I'm ready when it's time to perform.
When it comes to working on new material, I’ll probably write nuggets of compositions, and usually a couple of ideas will jump out and I’ll find some momentum to ride with them which eventually will turn into a finished product. If I don't feel I know how to develop an idea, it’ll get it documented and categorized so I can go back to it later. Sometimes an idea will sit for a while (weeks or months) and when I re-examine it, the time away from it will give me a new perspective and usually give me a better idea on how to develop it.
When I feel momentum with a piece of music, I try to ride it as far as I can, but if I feel like I’m forcing my way to the end, I'll stop and give time for reflection. There's a lot of push and pull with the way I compose.
Are you making plans for when you can resume playing in front of people again?
I’m currently making some very loose plans for when live performances are a thing again. I think a lot of musicians got their hopes up over the last year as to when that time will be. I’ve learned in that time to not make any big assumptions on timelines. However, the groups I am involved with currently are all keeping goals in mind to play out again and are rehearsing material for when that day comes.
Later this year I’ll be getting my blues project, Midnight Liedtke back in action and will be practicing material for a live show. My heavy metal band Lost Tribes of The Moon is currently wrapping up tracking for our next album and hope to have it ready by summertime.
I would like to play an album release show at that time, but I’m not necessarily expecting that to be an option by then. However, Kneeverland Productions has an amazing setup here in Milwaukee for livestream performances and it’s the next best thing to playing in front of an audience. Their stage setup and video abilities are excellent. I’m in charge of booking Milwaukee Zappafest every year and I felt very fortunate that Paul and Kat Kneevers had everything I needed for my 8-piece band to perform and stream a high-quality video over multiple platforms. Having them as an option makes me not as concerned about what to do when I'm ready for an album release show.
