By Brent Thompson

“Supergroup” is an overused term in music, but in the case of Texas Headhunters it’s entirely accurate. The trio – Jesse Dayton, Ian Moore and Johnny Moeller (Fabulous Thunderbirds) – are each acclaimed musicians and fixtures in the Austin, Texas music scene. On October 9, the band will release Rise and Shine (Hardcharger/Blue Elan), the follow-up to its self-titled debut. On Friday, July 24, Texas Headhunters will perform at WORKPLAY. Recently, Dayton spoke with us by phone from his Austin home.

Southern Stages: Jesse, thanks for your time today. How did the Texas Headhunters project take flight?

Jesse Dayton: This whole thing is a full-circle thing. We’ve all known each other since we started out and we were all found by [legendary venue and record label founder] Clifford Antone in Austin. When I got off a 17-month tour with Samantha Fish – which was the most successful record for both of us – Rueben Williams, who manages me and Samantha, said, “You should do something with your friends” and I said, “I just did something with my friends.” He said, “You should do some Texas stuff.” I said, “I should call up Ian Moore and Johnny Moeller – we’ve known each other forever.” We went out to Willie Nelson’s studio and made the whole record in five days and now we’ve got a new record that we did in four days.

Southern Stages: We are really enjoying Rise and Shine. Are these songs mostly newer compositions, older ones or a mixture of both?

Dayton: They’re all new ones and we wrote them all right before we went into the studio.

Southern Stages: How would you describe the band’s writing process?

Dayton: We all just bring in songs and we end up playing all over each other’s songs. We can write songs together, but it’s just been working out where we all bring in three songs and an instrumental. We go with our four best songs and we end up getting 12 songs on the record and we let each other play whatever they want – there is total trust there.

Southern Stages: If you will, talk about the band’s efficient recording process.

Dayton: The weird thing is we are all at that place in our lives where we know exactly who we are. We don’t do a lot of overdubs. All the early blues that we love were cut in a matter of days. We are all three big Freddie King fans. Listen to his version of “Going Down” – there wouldn’t be Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or any of that stuff without him. We were the last generation to get to see all that kind of stuff. When we were kids, we got to see everybody.

Southern Stages: Given that you all have projects outside of Texas Headhunters, how do you coordinate your schedules?

Dayton: It gets a little weird sometimes on our scheduling, but we have done a really good job of communicating. For some reason, it’s always worked out. The universe is on our side with this thing.

Southern Stages: If you will, talk about your ongoing projects outside of the band.

Dayton: Texas Headhunters is the focus right now. I also just licensed a script of mine to Hollywood and they’re going to make it into a movie in 2027. It’s the third script that I’ve licensed. It’s a western crime drama – it’s all shot in Texas and Mexico. I also have some solo stuff that I’m working on. I don’t look at it as having a bunch of stuff going on – I just look at it like everyday I need to be productive. You’ll get overwhelmed if you start thinking about everything. Rome wasn’t built in a day – just knock stuff off your list. One thing I’ve learned is that there are no shortcuts, even if you get super lucky. We’re all lucky that we didn’t get too big too quick while we were young because half the audience would leave if we didn’t play “that” song. Our audience wants to hear the new stuff and that’s a huge blessing.

Southern Stages: How do you feel about the current music industry climate?

Dayton: It is what you make of it. I also think that we are drowning in a sea of mediocrity. I feel sorry for the younger artists – I don’t know how they afford to do what they do. When I started going on the road, we had dollar [per gallon] gas and $25 hotel rooms. My son’s girlfriend got signed to Sony over the weekend and she’s really good – her name is Bee Blackwell. She’s leaving to go on tour and they’re trying to figure it out because it’s so expensive. I’m lucky because I had enough of a cult following to be able to make a living. But my fear is that the working-class musician is dying out.

Southern Stages: You’ve certainly seen the industry’s “before and after” – pre-Spotify, Youtube, satellite radio and other modern outlets.

Dayton: Pre-cell phone! My first record came out in 1995 and it went to number one on the Americana charts and at the same time I was playing guitar for Waylon Jennings. A lot of the stuff that’s happened to me has been weird.

Southern Stages: If you will, tell us about your 2021 memoir, Beaumonster (Hachette Book Group). 

Dayton: During COVID, we got the rug yanked out from under us – we didn’t have any way to make a living. I started writing these stories on everything you could imagine – from recording with Willie [Nelson] to making horror movies with Rob Zombie – all this crazy shit that’s happened to me in my life. I’m watching an Astros baseball game and my phone rings and this girl says, “I’m a literary agent and I’m sitting here with the head of Hachette Books. We’ve both read your Facebook posts and we think you have a book in you.” They told me to send them three stories and two days later they offered me a book deal. They gave me an advance and I lived off that advance for the first year of COVID. The book came out and did pretty well, especially considering I’m not a mainstream guy.

On Friday, July 24, Texas Headhunters will perform at WORKPLAY. The Mills will open the 8 p.m. all-ages show. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.workplay.com. 

By Brent Thompson

For more than 40 years, Drivin N Cryin has been a stalwart band with an especially devoted Southeastern following. Led by the distinct vocals of frontman Kevn Kinney, the Atlanta-based trio isn’t resting on its laurels. Earlier this year, the band released Crushing Flowers, a 10-track collection of new material. On Friday, June 19, Drivin N Cryin will perform at Saturn. Recently, we spoke with Kinney via Zoom.

Southern Stages: Kevn, thanks for your time today. We are really enjoying Crushing Flowers. If you will, tell us about the new album.

Kevn Kinney: Two of the songs have been around for 30 or 40 years or so. The one called “The Death of Me Yet” – we tried to do that one back in the ’80s. “Keep the Change” was a riff I had a long, long time ago. I really wanted to make this record for Drivin N Cryin fans. I don’t want to make a record to make people like me – this is just a record to make the people who have supported us for 40 years a little dessert [laughs] – a little final course for the community in our little world here. It’s a little bit of everything – “A band that’s like a record collection” is the first thing we used to tell people. I was arguing with myself the other day because people would say, “You guys are all over the place – you don’t play one genre” and I thought, “Where did we get that from? And I then I thought, ‘Wait a minute – (The Beatles) The White Album. There’s ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘Rocky Raccoon’ on the same album.”  I didn’t invent this – it’s just something I’m comfortable doing. My idols have always done it.

Southern Stages: How do older songs reappear and find their way onto an album?

Kinney: Songs have their own personalities and they’ve just got to wait in line until they’re relevant or they can find a platform that makes sense. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll just wait. If it doesn’t work today, it’ll work tomorrow. I’ve learned that sometimes just letting things breathe is a good idea until they’re ready.

Southern Stages: I know that you and Sadler Vaden have a long history together, but how did he end up producing Crushing Flowers?

Kinney: He made some EPs with us – they’re called our “Song” series. Those are all Sadler contributions from when he was in the band. I just loved how is guitar playing was and he was a positive influence  – and I’m getting him now while I can afford him [laughs]. He’s going to be a major producer I think someday. He writes all sorts of music – pop, hard rock and country. He’s a great songwriter. I had Aaron Lee Tasjan [produce] the last one (Live the Love Beautiful). I’m getting to that point now where these “kids” I’ve worked with are grown-ass men who are really accomplished musicians and producers. I really wanted to make a record that’s a nod to our influences. Me and (DNC bassist) Tim Nielsen – our biggest influence is The Who. Tim likes The Jam and I like The Ramones and The Who is our middle meeting point. Sadler’s first time to see Drivin N Cryin was when he saw The Who and we were opening for them in Charlotte. When I was putting this thing together I said, “I think I’m going to ask Sadler – he’d be the perfect fit for this record.” Me and Colonel Bruce Hampton had the same thing – we see something and get it before it’s gone.

Southern Stages: Todd Snider appears on the album – it may have been his last recorded performance.

Kinney: Todd came and visited and Tim made him sing. He stopped by for lunch and Tim said “Get in there and sing this last verse and Todd said, ‘Okay.”

Southern Stages: If you will, tell us about your recent shows with (R.E.M. guitarist) Peter Buck.

Kinney: Peter has been visiting Athens. We’ve been doing this residency in the basement of a hotel once every couple of months or so. It’s really great – they sell out and it’s a cool evening. We both stay at the hotel, so we just take the elevator to the gig and back again. It’s a perfect gig for a lazy musician like me [laughs]. I aspire to be a lazy musician – I just wish I could get my agent to agree.

Southern Stages: You’ve had a lengthy career, so you’ve seen the business before and after the existence of the Internet, Spotify, satellite radio and other outlets. How do you view the current state of the industry?

Kinney: People are getting music for free, basically, but if they hear it maybe they’ll come see us play live and maybe they’ll get a t-shirt or an album. A lot has changed. I love that people will hear what I’ve put out there in 50 years. Personally, it’s great for us. I’m not losing millions of dollars like Metallica would be or people who are losing money on streaming – we were never in that category anyway. So, for bands like us, I love it. I love that people are making records in their bedrooms – I think that’s really cool. I also love the fact that you can buy records at shows. People forget that, back when (1991 release) Fly Me Courageous came out, we were not really allowed to sell the record at the shows. We would play in Salt Lake City or someplace and we wouldn’t have a box of records. If you enjoyed the show, we would send you out to the local record store who might have two copies. You never bought albums at shows.

Southern Stages: With a large catalog of material under your belt now, how do you comprise your setlists these days?

Kinney: I try to do one or two songs from every record. I always play the hits – “Fly Me Courageous,” “Honeysuckle Blue” and “Straight to Hell” – because we are a working-class band and people spend $60 on two tickets. We don’t have a setlist and that’s what’s great about seeing Drivin N Cryin. The band members have to know 160 songs and they have to know how they start and when to jump in when I start it. I used to make setlists at 5:00 or 6:00, but by 10:00 I didn’t feel like playing [those songs]. I said to myself, “I’m never doing this ever again.” If I can’t sell it, you’re not buying it.

Southern Stages: How do songs stay fresh to you after you’ve performed them literally thousands of times?

Kinney: That’s a good question – I don’t think I have a choice [laughs]. The words and the stories really help. Where I put it in the set inspires how I want to do it. I used to only do “Straight to Hell” as the last song of the night and now I do it an hour into the show so people can hear it before they go home to meet the dog sitter [laughs]. I keep it fresh by keeping the arrangement fresh.

On Friday, June 19, Drivin N Cryin will perform at Saturn. Laid Back Country Picker will open the 8 p.m. show. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.saturnbirmingham.com. Show is ages 18+. 

 

 

 

By Brent Thompson

You hear Sunny Sweeney prominently on the radio, both as an artist and show host. in addition to a recording career spanning nearly 20 years, the Nashville-by-way-of-Texas singer/songwriter hosts two SiriusXM radio shows – Sunny Side Up (Willie’s Roadhouse) and The Sunny Side of Life (Outlaw Country). On Thursday, June 4, Sweeney will perform at WORKPLAY. Adam Hood opens the 7:30 p.m. all-ages show. Currently, Sweeney is touring in support of her 2025 release, Rhinestone Requiem. “This is the first time I’ve made a record when I don’t have relationship problems,” Sweeney says. “My last album, Married Alone, was made right after my divorce. I’ve lived some life. Not all of it’s been pretty, but I feel like that’s what makes really good music.” She adds, “I really wanted this album to be a mixture of all the old styles of country music: Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn. I make music for myself and hope other people like it.” Advance show tickets can be purchased at www.workplay.com.

www.sunnysweeney.com

By Brent Thompson

A Nashvillian by way of Georgia, Ben Chapman wears a lot of hats these days – singer/songwriter, recording artist, touring musician, host (more on that later) and, most importantly, husband and father. Last year, Chapman and his wife, fellow Americana artist Meg McRee, welcomed a son, George. On May 22, Chapman will release Feet On Fire, the follow-up album to his acclaimed 2024 release Downbeat. Anderson East, a renowned artist in his own right and the producer of Downbeat, handled the production duties again on Chapman’s new album. On Wednesday, May 27, Chapman will perform at WORKPLAY. Recently, he spoke with us by phone from his Nashville home.

Southern Stages: Ben, thanks for your time. We are really enjoying Feet On Fire. Are the album’s songs newer compositions, older ones or a mixture of both?

Ben Chapman: To give a backstory on the record, 2025 was a crazy year for us. We found out on January 3 that Meg was pregnant with our son, George, and it was a little unexpected. I was already writing for Feet On Fire, so six songs were written before that time period and the rest of the record was written after that period. It was a pretty chaotic time, but a beautiful time – anxious and excited all mixed into one. Some of the songs like “Sweetheart (Ain’t It Hard)” – the song that ends the record – I’ve had that song for probably four years. I knew it was going to live on a record, I just didn’t know what record. We got to the final day of recording the record and I said, “I’ve got this song that I think that would fit on here.” I played it for Anderson and he said, “that’s got to go on there.” When I do a track listing, I like to make it cinematic and make it like a movie and end it with something I would say is the credit roll, and I feel like it’s a perfect way to sum up the record with “Sweetheart.”

Southern Stages: Do your songs continue to get tweaked even while you are in the studio recording them?

Chapman: Lord, yes. I am the king of tweaking songs and trying to get them perfect up until that final moment that it goes to tape. Anderson’s great about saying, “What if we change this word?” or “What if we change this chord?” and making these very musical moments in each song that weren’t there before. It just adds so much to each song when he does something like that.

Southern Stages: How did you an Anderson first meet?

Chapman: I think it started out through songwriting. I’ve always been an Anderson East fan, so it’s a dream come true to work with him. With Downbeat – the record I released in 2024 – I was thinking of doing it ion Texas with a guy named Beau Bedford, who is another great producer. Anderson said, “I just built a studio in my backyard – maybe you should come here and we try to work something out” and I’m so glad that I took him up on it. I was blown away by his production style and it just kind of worked out. It came together in that typical “not trying” fashion – you’re not looking for anything and it just hits you in the face, which the best things always do. Working with Anderson is definitely an example of that.

Southern Stages: You host an ongoing live series called Peach Jam. If you will, tell us more about it.

Chapman: We started that in 2021. It’s not like a jam where everybody brings their own instruments and we don’t know what song we are going to play – it’s more put together. I pick the guests and most of them are people I write songs with or people that I’ve gotten cuts with – they come up and do a song of their choice and my band backs them. It’s really turned into something that I never thought it would. We started it at The Basement in Nashville, which holds about 150 people. In the past two years, we’ve moved it to Basement East because it just keeps growing. It is my thing, but it belongs to the community and that’s how I always look at it. It’s authentic and it’s real and it’s really cool to see how much it’s grown.

Southern Stages: How often do you host Peach Jam?

Chapman: We do it quarterly. For the first year, we did it monthly and that nearly killed us because we were on the road and we came home and had to learn five or six songs in two or three days. We moved it to quarterly and that seems to be the sweet spot.

Southern Stages: Do you write with Meg often?

Chapman: Yes. On Feet On Fire, I wrote six songs with her. On the project she just cut, I think I’ve got five or six of the songs. We collaborate on everything and we write a lot together for other artists, too. We are at the same publishing company here in Nashville – it’s a family affair for sure.

Southern Stages: Aside from the collaborations with Meg, how would you describe your writing process?

Chapman: It’s a constantly evolving art. I always try to write a better song than I did yesterday – that’s my process. I like to get ideas on the road. I drive the band because I’ve got OCD and a control problem, so I have to drive everywhere [laughs] and I get a lot of ideas driving late at night. Sometimes you finish [a song] by yourself, but the best songwriters in the world are here in Nashville and I like to get help. I love the family part of it – It’s fun to write with other people.

Southern Stages: Some artists say – thanks to Spotify, iTunes, satellite radio and other modern outlets – that this is a great time to be an artist as music is so accessible. Others say – for that same reason – that the current climate is oversaturated, making it difficult to be found among the crowd. How do you feel about the current state of the industry?

Chapman: There are two sides to that coin. I would agree with the people who say it’s harder to be found now, but I feel like it’s the best time to be making the music I’m making. It’s not that mainstream and it’s not going to be on commercial country radio. I wouldn’t consider my music country – it’s just American music and it’s a melting pot of all types of genres. I would say that we are at the best time to be found as an independent artist. From what I see, people respect independent artists these days and artists are getting out of their record deals. Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers – that’s the in-crowd now. When that stuff does great it helps artists like me, Brent Cobb, Adam Hood, my wife Meg, Taylor Hunnicutt and all these people that are in our class.

On Wednesday, May 27, Ben Chapman will perform at WORKPLAY. Advance tickets to the 8 p.m. all-ages show are $20 and can be purchased at www.workplay.com. 

 

 

By Brent Thompson 

He’s still the hardest working man in show business – his calendar stays full. On Sunday night, Warren Haynes and his band – bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Terence Higgins and keyboardist Matt Slocum – performed to a captivated audience at Birmingham’s Iron City. In addition to solo material, Haynes pulled from his catalog of projects that include Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band and Phil Lesh & Friends. Highlights of the two-set evening included “Sco-Mule,” “Man In Motion,” “Patchwork Quilt,” ” Soulshine” and a cover of Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic.”

 

 

By Brent Thompson

Guitarist/vocalist Slim Dunlap is best known for his days in The Replacements, having played on the band’s Don’t Tell A Soul and All Shook Down albums. But following his days in the beloved ‘Mats, Dunlap released two acclaimed solo records – The Old New Me and Times Like This. Long out-of-print, the albums have now been re-packaged and remastered on a new double-CD entitled Every Little Word (Curation Records). Overseen by Dunlap’s family and Peter Jesperson (a well known figure in The Replacements’ camp), the project brings Slim’s recorded output back into a well-deserved spotlight. Start with “Cozy,” “Partners In Crime,” “The Ballad Of The Opening Band” or the beautiful instrumental “Love Lost” and you’ll be instantly hooked. Enthusiastic fan Bruce Springsteen stated that Dunlap was “a really unique guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the deepest and truest rock and roll souls I’ve ever heard. He has two fabulous solo albums out that I would tell everyone to run out and get.” If you already own the two Dunlap albums, you’ll want to own this remastered collection, thanks to the work of Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering. For the most avid fans, the vinyl companion Every Little Word – The Best of the Bonus Tracks is scheduled for a March 2026 release. Slim Dunlap passed away in 2024 after 12 debilitating years, the result of a massive stroke.  But his music endures and, thanks to Every Little Word, it has never sounded better.

www.curationrecords.com

By Brent Thompson

“I love singer/songwriters, but I could not be more proud to be in a band of six dudes. Every night, we’re trying to lay it on the line for each other and trying to create an environment where people can just let loose and enjoy themselves,” Clay Street Unit vocalist/guitarist Sam Walker says. On Friday, February 13, the Colorado-based sextet – Walker, Scottie Bolin, Jack Cline, Brad Larrison, Brendan Lamb and Jack Kotarba – will release its full-length debut, Sin & Squalor. Produced by Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters, the album captures Clay Street Unit’s unique blend of folk, bluegrass, country and Americana. On Thursday, February 12, the band will perform at Saturn. Recently, Walker spoke with us by phone from his Denver home.

Southern Stages: Sam, thanks for your time today. I just realized that you have an Alabama area code!

Sam Walker: Yeah, I grew up in Montgomery.

Southern Stages: Where are you based now?

Walker: I live in Denver, Colorado.

Southern Stages: Is anyone else in the band from Alabama?

Walker: Just myself. I moved out here after college and a couple of the guys went to school out here at CU Boulder. I met one of the guys and it was kind of like a domino effect – two of us started playing, then there were three of us, four of us and five of us. Now we’ve got a full outfit – it’s six of us from all over the country. we call Denver our home base, but only one of us was born and raised here in Denver.

Southern Stages: Sounds like Denver has been a good fit for you.

Walker: Yeah, it’s going on 10 years, so it feels like home now.

Southern Stages: We are really enjoying Sin & Squalor.

Walker: We appreciate you guys giving a listen to it.

Southern Stages: We are glad you guys will be in Birmingham around the time the album gets released.

Walker: We’ll be at Saturn on the 12th and that evening – around 11:00 – it’ll hit streaming platforms. It comes out officially on Friday the 13th.

Southern Stages: Even though the material is new to us, you’ve been living with it for a while. At this point, are you exhausted, excited, relieved or something else?

Walker: You just covered a lot of the boxes [laughs]. I think more than anything we’re excited and proud – we’re “ready” is the biggest word I’d use. We’re just ready to get this music out there and share with the people who have listened to us and, hopefully, get it to some ears of some folks who haven’t. We’re ready to tour this record and share these songs with the world.

Southern Stages: How did the album’s material take shape? Are these mostly newer compositions, older ones or a mixture of both?

Walker: That’s a great question. You know the famous saying – you have your entire life to write your first record and 18 months to write your second. It’s definitely been a labor of life more than anything. Some songs started when I moved out here 10 years ago and they’ve evolved and developed over the years. Some I wrote in my mid-20s after a pretty big breakup and a life-shifting event where the band started to become a more serious part of my life. A good handful of the songs were collaborations with our mandolin player, Scottie Bolin. Meeting him a couple of years into the band really pushed the trajectory of the writing and the music – he pushed the deliberate nature of what we needed to get into and holding each other accountable and exploring different avenues. So, it’s been a few different iterations of where we were as writers. The biggest component through it all is that there’s one narrative and one voice that ties it all together. It’s all coming from the same place and the same organism.

Southern Stages: If you will, talk about the band’s writing process. Do you get in a room and play until something happens, does one person bring an idea to the other members or are there other ways of doing it?

Walker: it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation – it changes every song. Sometimes Scottie will come in with a song 95% finished and I’ll tweak two things, and we’ll take it to the band. It takes on a life of itself when you add the pedal steel, the drum line and everything like that. It starts like a toddler and grows up as the band’s introduced to it. Everybody gets their own flavor and their own influence on it. Some songs get finished in three hours and some songs sit there for three months – it may feel like the best thing we have, but it’s not ready at the moment to be the song it’s going to be one day.

Southern Stages: Do you still have some completed songs that weren’t included on Sin & Squalor?

Walker: Yeah, certainly. We just try to take it step-by-step and decide what songs are ready, what songs we feel confident about and what songs feel like what we’re trying to represent and what we want to get accomplished. So, we definitely have some that are in the live rotation, some that are in the vault that we’ve written that have been changed and will change again. I was actually sitting down this morning and doing some big-picture planning for record two – revisiting some old stuff and fleshing out some newer stuff. It’s starting to get in that exciting phase of the new record.

Southern Stages: How would you describe your personal writing process?

Walker: I’m kind of a maniac. I’ve got a journal right here with plenty of ideas and I’ve got scrap pieces of paper and sticky notes all over the place. My computer notes are crazy, my phone notes are crazy – I’ve got it everywhere.

Southern Stages: Some say – thanks to Spotify, iTunes, satellite radio and other modern outlets – that this is a great time to be an artist as music is so easily accessible. Others say – for that same reason – that the current climate creates an overload that makes it difficult to be found among the crowd. How do you feel about the current state of the industry?

Walker: It’s never been more accessible, but it’s also never been more saturated. There have never been more people with a guitar and a microphone at their house and they can get a song out in 24 hours. Once people can access it, there’s the sustainability of it because of how much music constantly comes out. Every Friday, bands are releasing records and there’s so much product to be consumed. You can put your life and effort into a project and it gets swept up with the way the Internet works these days. It’s harder to stay topical and to put something out that people will latch onto and keep listening to.

Southern Stages: I assume you will you have some family and friends in the audience at Saturn.

Walker: My folks live in Birmingham now, so I sure hope they’ll come out [laughs]. I’m hoping to see some familiar faces and some college buddies.

On Thursday, February 12, Code-R Productions presents Clay Street Unit at Saturn. Cris Jacobs will open the 8 p.m. show. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.saturnbirmingham.com.

 

By Brent Thompson

As an Alabama-based outlet, we know firsthand the pride that exudes statewide for the musical importance of Muscle Shoals. And while the 2013 documentary Muscle Shoals gave us a film version of the story, there hasn’t ever been a book released that seemed to do it justice. Well, that all changes on November 25 with the release of Land of a Thousand Sessions: The Complete Muscle Shoals Story 1951-1985 (Malaco Records). Author and six-time Grammy nominee Rob Bowman (Soulsville, U.S.A. – The Story of Stax Records, The Last Soul Company) has penned an exhaustive – but never uninteresting – account of the “Hit Recording Capital of the World.” Yes, it clocks in at nearly 800 pages and 30 chapters, but there is a lot to be covered and Bowman does it well. Stemming from interviews with more than 100 key Shoals figures, Land of a Thousand Sessions reminds us that Muscle Shoals – the catch-all name for the tri-city area of Muscle Shoals, Florence and Sheffield – had two distinct musical chapters during its recording heyday. First, soul was the order of the day led by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, The Staple Singers and Percy Sledge. Then, rock and country took over when The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson and Rod Stewart came to town. So, the next time you hear “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “I’ll Take You There,” “Kodachrome,” “Old Time Rock and Roll” and “Tonight’s The Night,” just remember that each song traces directly back to a hallowed – if somewhat unlikely – scene in northern Alabama.

www.malaco.com

By Brent Thompson

Many artists boast about being in touch with their fans, but David Wilcox has always taken it to the next level. In nearly a 40-year span of recording and touring, the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter has built a loyal fan base like few others. In addition, Wilcox started his “Custom Built Songs” concept several years ago which – as the title implies – finds him writing personalized songs for his fans. In August, he released his latest album, The Way I Tell The Story, on Freshly Baked Records. On Saturday, November 22, Wilcox will perform at the Woodlawn Theatre. Recently, he spoke with us by phone from his Asheville, N.C. home.

Southern Stages: David, thanks for your time. We are really enjoying The Way I Tell The Story. How did the album take shape?

David Wilcox: There’s a lot of new ones and there are about three that are a couple of years old. I love how it came together – it was such a fun project. I listen to a lot of singer/songwriters and every once in a while somebody will come out with a record that’s so good and I’ll think, “Oh man, they must have been through some shit”[laughs]. I listen to my new record and I realize that, “Oh, yeah – it’s my turn.” Life gets tough and music gets good.

Southern Stages: Over what time period was the album recorded?

Wilcox: Probably a year and a half.

Southern Stages: If you will, tell us about the recording process.

Wilcox: I have figured out the best way for me is to play it live and I usually start with that. I record my tracks, sometimes with a drummer. On this record, we recorded some with a little band – some of my favorite players on bass, guitar and drums and that was really fun – the energy was so inspiring.

Southern Stages: Where was the album recorded?

Wilcox: It was recorded here in Asheville at a lovely studio that’s unfortunately closing. It was a great place.

Southern Stages: How would you describe your songwriting process?

Wilcox: I love to start with a conversation. I love to be talking about something with a friend and realize that I don’t have a lot of clarity. To me, the process of writing a song is the process of getting clarity – it’s the process of knowing my heart. It usually starts with an interesting conversation with a friend and I’ll get asked my opinion and think, “I don’t know – let’s see.” I realize that it needs some further discovery.

Southern Stages: If you will, tell us about “Custom Built Songs.”

Wilcox: These custom songs that I’ve been doing for a while are really satisfying to me. A song will come with a need to hold them accountable to something they’ve decided or maybe it’s a healing song about something that happened. When I write the song, I’m listening to their heart and I’m using the skills that I have to try and clarify and maybe see the issue in a different light. It’s given me this window into other people’s lives and it’s very fun.

Southern Stages: When you write a custom song, do you ever get tempted to hold a song back for your own catalog?

Wilcox: There’s one that I’ve recorded so far, but there are probably 60 custom songs – maybe more my now – and I think it would be a great thing to have them on the website with the stories behind them. They’re very different from the usual kind of songs because they are written for one person specifically, so you don’t have to tell the whole story because they kn0w the story. You just have to get to the heart of it.

Southern Stages: How many years has this concept been around?

Wilcox: I think the custom songs have been around for six or seven years.

Southern Stages: Some artists tell me that – given modern outlets such as YouTube, Spotify and satellite radio – this is a great time to be in your position as listeners can access and purchase your music immediately. Other artists say, for those same reasons, it can be a challenging time to be found among the saturation. How do you feel about the current industry climate?

Wilcox: I got really lucky with the timing that I got my record deal. I kind of got the best of both worlds – I have the ability to get that nice ride on the company and get good promotion from A&M (Records) and then, when my career naturally slides downhill [laughs], I have the ability to be in community with the people who found my music and they want to stay in touch and it’s easy for me to stay in touch.

Southern Stages: As a guitarist, are you a “gearhead” that combs music stores while on tour?

Wilcox: I have a real love of getting a fantastic guitar sound and it’s an endless quest. Every time there’s a new thing, I’ll test it out and see if it’s for me. I really love the challenge and practice of finding the best tone I can.

Southern Stages: Even though you recently released an album, do you continue to lay down song ideas?

Wilcox: Definitely. The voice message is the real key for songwriting for me these days. It’s always a steady process. I love the process of writing even more than finishing. I would love to be in the middle of a song rather than having just finished it because the longer I’m working on it, the longer it’s working on me and I love how songs change me.

On Saturday, November 22, David Wilcox will perform at the Woodlawn Theatre. Advance tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $30 and can be purchased at www.woodlawntheatrebham.com. 

By Brent Thompson

On November 11, The Lemonheads brought the Love Chant tour to WORKPLAY. Over the course of 25 songs, the trio – Evan Dando, John Kent and Farley Glavin – played fan favorites (“It’s a Shame About Ray,” “Into Your Arms,” “Drug Buddy”) alongside material from its latest release (“Cell Phone Blues,” “Deep End,” “In the Margin,” “Togetherness Is All I’m After”). The show also included a five-song set of Dando performing solo. The tour coincides with the release of Dando’s memoir Rumors of my Demise. www.thelemonheads.net