San Francisco based guitarist shared his appreciation for a strong message for us shortly before his death.

In exclusive interview with Clandestino Radio, he shares details about his upbringing, his love for cultures and influences, including his proximity to Betty LaBelle and James Brown (video and transcript below).

Besides playing guitar for an internationally touring band (We are the kind), Deforrest kept busy busking in the North Beach district, or playing open mics around San Francisco. It was a few months his tragic death early 2020, when he sat down with Clandestino Radio near China Town and shared what it meant for him to be an artist, and the differences between audiences of different countries. Deforrest’s life and experience shined through his openness and positivity; he is missed by family members and friends.

Transcript excerpt

CR: Clandestino Radio
D: Deforrest

CR: How did you first experience music?
DW: It was my mom and her girlfriends that got me involved in music. One of my mom’s best friends was Patty LaBelle. They would always get together play records and do some singing. Later on, I had the pleasure of an uncle who took me to see James Brown when I was 13. It was James Brown and the Famous Flames, he had like a 21-22-piece band and he was such a showman that I was enamoured about the whole concept. I was like “This is what I want to be. I wanna be the guy who’s a part of that whole phenomenon. I had never seen anything like a live concert before, especially a concert on that level of energy and expertise, of showmanship.” Many years later when I moved to San Francisco, I used to be a host of an Open Mic twice a week for 5 years. That gave me notoriety in the city because you get people coming from all over the bay [area], it was a very popular open mi. That was my real, real initiation into my music thing happening here, in the city [San Francisco].

CR: What is it like to be a musician in California?
DW: Here it’s a struggle. It is a struggle to exist as an artist because of the economic environment. In Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, we are treated with a higher degree of respect as artists (as a musical artist) than here in the United States. Every time I go, bro I feel like I’m a rock star. Here, I am just Deforrest, you know. We got a good band, we’ re trying to breakthrough… It’s a major difference. I feel like we are so much more appreciated there.

CR: What do you think of the world?
DW: The world is a big place but the world is not as big as you think it is. When you start travelling you realize the world is a very small place. So for me, one of the good things about being a musical artist is that it affords you to travel. And I think everyone, from a very young age, parents, grandparents, I think everyone should take their kids and go somewhere where you’ve never been before. Because life is truly amazing, my friend. Life is good. When you travel you realize there might be a religious difference, there might be a cultural difference and there’s definitely a language difference but pretty much in general we are human beings.

CR: What’s your advice for fellow musicians?
DW: My advice would be, dare to be the person whom you wish to become. The only one in life that can make you or me or anyone else happy is ourselves. So dare to follow your dreams. You can make no one else happy if you’re not happy yourself. By pursuing and being a pursuant of the individual self creates happiness. Dare to be yourself! One love, my friends.

Video

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