When you meet T. C. Costello you can't help liking him. He is warm, friendly and laughs allot. On stage he pulls you in with his music and you want to drink beer and sing along. He's a world traveler and showman. I was happy to get an interview with him. He and I pressed forward even though the bar had "The Walking Dead" playing at high decibels.
Elaine: Where are you from?
TC: I'm from Columbia but live in Greenville right now.
Elaine: What do you consider your musical style?
TC: I call it Celtic, gypsy, punk.
Elaine: Who are your musical influences?
TC: Actually Hellblinki. The band Andrew Hellblinki is one of them. The band that inspired me to play accordion is called the Zydepunks from New Orleans. They came through Columbia a few years back and I got an accordion a few months later.
Elaine: If we were to turn on your Ipod or car stereo what would be playing?
TC: Well in my car it's books on tape but that's not what you're after.
Elaine: Cool. No. That's fun.
TC: Well, actually books on tape, the books I read or listen to actually inspire me to write songs. Like recently I read a book called "The Republic of Pirates". It's about why people became pirates back in the 18th Century and I wrote a few songs inspired by that book.actually.
Elaine: So you like pirates?
TC: Oh definitely, I play allot of sea shanties.
Elaine: Do you mostly perform around the Columbia area and Greenville?
TC: I spent most of the year in Moscow, Russia believe it or not. So yeah, mostly I played in Moscow. I did a couple of European tours. One was just the Czech Republic and Germany. The other was Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom, so England and Scotland. I've been back for two months, yeah, a little over two months.
Elaine: What was the audience reaction in Moscow?
TC: It was really hit or miss different nights. I played at the same bar every Saturday. It was an Irish pub and if I got allot of people I knew they'd be really into it but if I didn't some people said eh background music. But then I'd get other nights with people I didn't know and they'd get really into it too. It was kind of hit or miss. I learned a few Russian songs which were really popular with the local Moscow people.
Elaine: Was there a problem with the language difference?
TC: Not really, they knew I wasn't Russian you know and I sang a couple of songs in Russian, I'd sing the chorus'.
Elaine: Is there anywhere you'd like to go and perform that you haven't been yet?
TC: I'd like to play in the Pacific North West. Like Portland, Seattle and especially Vancouver. Allot of my favorite musicians are actually from Vancouver. So I should have probably mentioned them when you said what was in my CD player. Well, there's Geoff Berner whose an accordion player. I started out where I pretty much ripped him off before doing my own thing. Um.. and the Dreadnoughts who are.....you know them?
Elaine: Yeah, I like them
TC: Oh cool, they're probably my favorite band. Who else, The Tower of Dudes, I met them in Prague and right now they're based near Vancouver.
Elaine: What other instruments do you play?
TC: Oh allot, my first instrument was guitar then I learned Mandolin and then the Irish tin whistle. The banjo which I really don't play that well, just Tom Waits' stuff, the bluegrass stuff. I learned a traditional instrument in Laos called the Khaen. I might play it tonight. It's in my car. I'll get it out. I got an instrument from Russia called a Balalaika and I also have some really obscure instruments like a Marxophone. It's really un-describable, you gotta see it but I don't have it with me and the Xaphoon which looks like a little clarinet.
Elaine: What's the main thing you want people to know about you?
TC: I really don't know. I never thought about that before.
Elaine: That's cool. Thank you for letting me interview you.
TC: No problem
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