Break Out the Good Stuff

Yes without Jon Anderson? It's a little like thinking about Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant. (Of course, that's exactly what Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are thinking about these days.)

Of course, Yes has a history of fluid membership - even briefly replacing its singer once before, when Trevor Horn subbed for Anderson on 1980's Drama. And the band new singer Benoit David fronts on the tour starting Nov. 4 isn't exactly Yes - though it will feature bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White and it will play Yes songs. (Oliver Wakeman will fill in for his father, Rick Wakeman, on keyboards.)

My USA Today story covers the basics (feel free to go read it and click the "recommend" button so my bosses know you liked it), but I thought fans of the band might enjoy the longer interview I had with Benoit David earlier this month.

How did you get into the music of Yes in the first place?

Benoit David: I’ve always been playing in bands – Top 40, rock ’n’ roll bands, playing in clubs and so forth. I had this garage band at one point – that was back in the early ’90s, I guess – and there was this bassist. He used to tell me, ‘Man, you should sing Yes music. You’ve got the pitch, you’ve got the voice for that.’

I knew a couple of the songs. I knew the stuff from the 90125 album and a couple of other songs, the songs I heard on the radio – 'Roundabout' and 'All Good People,' all that stuff.

It so happened that a couple of years later, this guy met somebody that was looking for people to form a tribute band. That was in 1994. So this guitarist gives me a call and says, ‘Somebody told me you could sing that.’ I went and passed an audition, and it was an instant hit. We put the band together. That’s when I got familiar with Close to the Edge, The Yes Album and Fragile, Tales From Topographic Oceans. I thought it was just fantastic.

So it was because you had the voice that other people brought you into the music.

To be honest with you, that’s the way it happened. Some musicians that knew that material thought I had the voice for it.

That was Close to the Edge that formed back in 1994?

Back then it was called Gaia, with most of the members of the Close to the Edge band.

I’m betting that fronting a Yes cover band doesn’t pay all the bills.

No, it doesn’t – especially not in Montreal!

Do you have a day job as well?

Yes, I do. I own a business in which I repair car interiors – plastic, leathers, fabrics, that sort of thing. All kinds of damage you can find inside a car, a boat or RVs.

I understand you also have another band, called Mystery.

Mystery is a progressive-rock band that is basically one man, called Michele St-Pere, who is the owner of the Unicorn Record company. He does pretty much all Mystery’s music. He writes the lyrics, he writes the music. He performs a lot of the music. He actually lives very close to my place. He actually had come to one of Gaia’s concerts back when. He liked what he heard, so at one point he was able to find my number and give me a call, so that’s when we started to work together.

What was your first contact with the members of Yes?

My first contact with the members of Yes was on the phone when Chris called me. It was mid-June, and I was working. I remember – I was in the river, fixing seats on a boat. Chris Squire gives me a call, and I almost fell in the river. I thought somebody was pranking me! I was looking all over for cameras. I couldn’t believe. But, yes, it was Chris Squire calling me. That was the first contact. He’s a cool dude, a really nice guy.

Tell me about that conversation — What did he say? What did you say?

He had just spoken with Richard Lanthier, our band manager and bass player. They had a conversation before, a couple of conversations, actually. Richard had ordered a re-release of a vintage album Chris had made. Chris and his wife, Scotty, were taking care of that in their own kitchen. At one point, they give Richard a call. Richard, while he had them on the phone, said, ‘We have this Yes tribute band, you might want to check it out. Just go on the web – ctte.net.’ So that’s what Chris did. Then, he was very pleased with that, so he wrote that he liked us very much, that he would send the coordinates to the other band members.

It so happened that, a couple weeks after, Jon went sick. So Chris called Richard and said, I thought maybe we could borrow your singer for the tour. Would it be okay if we borrowed your singer? Richard said, I can’t answer for him. Give him a call. That’s when Chris called me.

So Chris says, I just spoke with Richard. I asked him if we could borrow you. He says, well, you know, we’re just getting ready to go on the road, then you heard the news, Jon got sick. We don’t have a singer anymore. So I thought maybe you’d be available to come and tour with us. That’s what he told me. I was so surprised.

A bit of chit chat – that’s about all I remember, to be honest with you. It was very surprising.

I assume there was some sort of audition.

Yes, there was, for sure.

I met them in a rehearsal room. We played a bit of music, got to chit-chat a bit. I thought they were very simple – you know, like band members. Like different bands that I was into. We were together to play music. Very respectful. It didn’t feel at all like I was this little guy from Montreal meeting with the big guys from London. It just felt like meeting with guys to put a band together and play music. It was very simple.

What’s the difference between rehearsing with those guys and with Close to the Edge? You’re playing the same music, but you’ve got completely different people.

I never asked myself the question. I’m trying to see. Obviously, it’s playing with the real guys. That’s special. They’re there. I mean – Chris, Alan, Steve – they’re the real McCoys, you know? Otherwise, it’s playing music with the boys.

So what you had done with Close to the Edge had really prepared you. You knew this music, which is pretty complex stuff.

Yes, oh yes, that’s for sure. I learned the music and the most complicated songs anyway. Yes, I was very well prepared for that.

How has the announcement that you’d be touring with Chris, Alan and Steve changed your day-to-day life?

Well, my life has changed completely. I had to put aside my business and become a full-time singer, which I hadn’t been since I was 25, when I was touring in bars and those places. So, yes, I had to put away my business for a little while and arrange for somebody to take care of my kids for the time that I’ll be away and basically focus on the singing and learning the songs.

How many kids do you have?

I have two boys.

You said you own your business. Do you have a storefront, or do you work out of your home?

It’s a mobile business. I work out of my truck. I referred my customers to somebody who can take care of them while I’m away. It’s fairly simple. But I’ve worked hard for a while. It took me a little while to get used to the idea.

Close to the Edge focuses on Yes music from 1971 to 1974. What will the In the Present sets draw from?

The set lists are not done completely now. We’re working on that. We’ll rehearse different songs of different eras and just trying out different things, to try to make it as good as possible. It’s going to be more than just the 71 to 74 period, obviously. We’re not sure yet exactly what it’s going to be.

Which Yes songs do you most enjoy singing?

I get a pretty big thrill out of all of them, to be honest with you. I really get a big kick out of 'And You and I,' 'Heart of the Sunrise.' I love to sing 'Soon.' 'Close to the Edge' is great as well. They’re great songs. Just to tell you, you can’t imagine, I mean – you’ve listened to Yes music, haven’t you?

Definitely.

Listening to Jon Anderson sing, how does that make somebody feel? Can you just imagine what it’s like to sing it yourself? It’s indescribable!

Are there any songs that are especially difficult for you to nail?

The nailing period is when I have to learn it. When that is done, then it’s okay. So I’m okay with all of them now. Sometimes, they’re difficult, because they’re complicated. They’re hard to sing, in a vocal point of view, because it’s Jon Anderson singing. It’s not always easy to do that, for starters. And the music is – I don’t know if this is the right word, I always have to translate from French to English when I speak – ‘complicated’ music. It’s not easy to do. Sometimes, it takes a lot of rehearsing. It takes a lot of figuring out. It’s hard work sometimes.

Have you discussed with Chris or anyone else in the band plans beyond this tour?

What happened was ... Yes hasn’t toured for four years. They’re ready to go on tour, then Jon went sick. They really wanted to do this tour, so they asked me to do the singing for now. But everybody hopes that Jon gets well as soon as possible and comes back. So, for the time being, we’re talking about this six-week period. That’s what it is for now.

At one point, Jon posted something on his website saying he felt disrespected by the other band members and was disappointed they didn’t wait till next year to tour, when he was fully recovered. They've apparently smoothed things over since then, but how did you feel when you heard that?

To be honest with you, it doesn’t really concern me that much. It doesn’t have much to do with me. How I felt is, I’m just putting myself in Jon’s shoes for a second. He’s been singing for 45 years or so. He’s been singing with that great voice, having all that success and writing all those great songs. All of a sudden, his health doesn’t permit him to do it anymore. I can just imagine how he feels.

When things like that happen, sometimes, as a person, you can feel bad, you know, and say different things. He didn’t say anything bad against me. I’ve never met him. I think things have smoothed out now.

Have you ever had a chance to speak with Jon – or Trevor Horn, for that matter?

No, I haven’t, actually, no.

Have you followed what fans have said online on Yes message boards?

I haven’t. My buddies, my bandmates, every now and then, give me a couple of things on that. But, no, I haven’t read them.

How do you mentally prepare yourself to go in and replace somebody who’s so important to you, as well as to so many other people?

I just do what I usually do, and I do it my best. I’m getting my voice ready. I’m learning the songs and all those things. I’m not Jon Anderson. I can’t replace Jon Anderson. I’ll just do my best. I’ll just sing the songs and do my best, but I can’t replace Jon Anderson – nobody can.