By Brent Thompson

Five full-length albums into his recording career, John Moreland remains a consummate “songwriter’s songwriter,” possessing the ability to craft indelible lyrics in plainspoken fashion. His latest release, LP5 [Thirty Tigers/Old Omens], is an 11-track collection that finds Moreland enlisting the help of an outside producer (Matt Pence) for the first time. Pence’s previous credits include projects with Jason Isbell, Nikki Lane and Paul Cauthen. Later this month, Moreland embarks on a nationwide tour in support of LP5. On Tuesday, March 17, he will perform at Saturn. Recently, Moreland spoke with us by phone from his Tulsa, Okla. home.

Birmingham Stages: John, thanks for your time. If you will, tell us about the creation of LP5.

John Moreland: Most of [the songs] were pretty new when we started recording. “When My Fever Breaks” and I think maybe one or two others were older – or had parts from older songs that I kind of reworked – but I’d say 70% or so of the album was written in the last few months prior to recording it.

Birmingham Stages: Do songs still evolve even after you take them into the studio?

Moreland: It depends. On this album, we were recording at a really nice studio down in Denton, Texas working with a really good producer named Matt Pence. As far as how we are going to do everything, I don’t know and I want to leave that open. But as far as lyrics and the chord progressions and the structure of the songs, that stuff is pretty much done by the time I go in there.

Birmingham Stages: For the first time in your recording career, you brought in an outside producer for this album. How did you choose to work with Matt?

Moreland: I was just a really big fan of his and of his old band, Centro-Matic, and I really liked his drumming and the records that he had engineered – they always sounded really great. We didn’t know each other before we worked together. I knew we had mutual friends and I just thought that, musically, it would be a really good fit. When we got down there, it all kind of clicked and fell into place and he ended up producing the album.

Birmingham Stages: With several albums now in your catalog, how are you constructing your set lists for the current tour?

Moreland: That’s what we’re doing right now. We are having rehearsals and figuring out what we’re going to play and how we are going to play the new songs. Most of the time we can only play 20 of my songs, so it’s just picking out which 20 of those are going to be for this tour. I see bands and people request songs from 10 years ago and they’ll just bust it out and play the song, but I get wigged out if I don’t know exactly what’s going on in the set [laughs]. I like to feel like I have it planned out and know what’s going to happen.

Birmingham Stages: How does your writing process work? Do you typically write at home, on the road or wherever inspiration strikes?

Moreland: I definitely write a lot more at home. I don’t think I really write at all on the road, other than I’ll maybe think of a line or two and write it down. But as far as sitting down, working on music and putting it all together, I always do that at home. I used to be the kind of songwriter that didn’t really make myself do it that much – I just did it when I felt like it, but back then I felt like it all the time. Nowadays, it’s a little more like work. I have to show up for work every day, but it’s work that I really love. When I start making myself do it on a regular basis, inspiration starts to come a lot more frequently so it kind of fuels itself.

Birmingham Stages: When you are writing, do you typically start with a lyrical or musical idea first?

Moreland: There really isn’t a pattern – it can be anything. I never really sit down and write a whole song’s worth of lyrics without any music – I don’t really do that. Sometimes two or four lines come first and that starts the music from there and I’ll build from those lyrics. Sometimes I’ll have a whole musical composition with no lyrics and I’ll just write words to it.

Birmingham Stages: You are still based in your hometown of Tulsa. It seems that a lot of artists I interview have chosen – like you – to stay home in lieu of relocating to music industry hubs such as Nashville or Austin.

Moreland: It’s where I’m from and it’s where I can afford to live. It’s nice to come home from a tour and be in a place that really has nothing to do with the music industry at all. If I had to come home from tour and be in Nashville, I don’t think that would be good for me.

Birmingham Stages: Some artists applaud the musical climate in the era of iTunes, Youtube, satellite radio and other outlets that provide instant and worldwide access to listeners. Others say the current model makes it difficult for artists to be heard among the crowd. How do you feel about the current climate?

Moreland: I think it’s both and I’ve definitely felt both ways. Now that things are working out well for me, it’s a lot easier to say, “What a great time – anybody can take their phone out of their pocket and hear my music.” But when I was struggling to get noticed, it felt like, “There are just so many people out there. It does feel hard to get noticed.” But I think if you write songs that people are going to notice, then they’re going to notice it. You just have to make the best music you can and you can’t control anything else.

John Moreland will perform at Saturn on Tuesday, March 17. Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster will open the 8 p.m. show. Advance tickets to the 18+ show are $20 and can be purchased at www.saturnbirmingham.com. 

By Brent Thompson

Since 1972, George Winston’s music has provided musical solace to generations of listeners. Along the way, the Grammy-winning artist has sold 15 million albums. Though adept on guitar and harmonica, Winston is best known for landmark solo piano recordings including Autumn (1980), December (1982) and Summer (1991). His latest release, 2019’s Restless Wind [RCA/Dancing Cat Records], is an 11-track collection that blends original material with interpretations of songs by The Doors, Sam Cooke and Buffalo Springfield among others. On Wednesday, March 4, Winston will perform at The Lyric Theatre. Recently, he spoke with us by phone while en route to a performance in Austin, Texas.

Birmingham Stages: George, thanks for your time. Is it hard to believe that your recording career is closing in on 50 years.

George Winston: The albums just kind of happen from time to time. I notice that there are some songs coalescing together and feel like a certain theme. I wait for it and it gets completed when other songs emerge. I don’t push it – I just kind of observe it all.

Birmingham Stages: Restless Wind includes your interpretations of songs from a variety of artists including Gershwin, Buffalo Springfield, Sam Cooke and The Doors. How did you go about specifically selecting the material?

Winston: They just kind of seemed to work together. You go by feel and take a lot of time to do it, as much time as needed. If you rush it, it’s a recipe for “Why did I do it?” [laughs]

Birmingham Stages: When interpreting, is there a challenge to retaining the integrity of the song while placing your own stamp on the material?

Winston: There are basically three elements when you’re interpreting: The original song or wherever I heard it from, the instrument – be it guitar, piano or solo harmonica. Sometimes all the notes are there, but it sounds like a clever transcription – it doesn’t breathe or anything. The third element is what I want to do. When you’re interpreting, you become the composer. If you’re playing it, in a way it’s your song. You’re the one that has final say on everything. It’s those three things that go into it.

Birmingham Stages: With a large catalog of songs under your belt, how do you select material for your live performances these days?

Winston: I’ve got two shows – the summer show and the winter show. I just go by what I’m currently playing. Most of the songs I record are just for the record – I don’t play them live. Well, maybe 25 percent.

Birmingham Stages: You have witnessed a lot of changes in the music industry over the course of your career. How do you feel about the current climate in the era of iTunes, Youtube, streaming and satellite radio?

Winston: I never really think about the climate – I just think about the playing because things change all the time. Everything’s got advantages and disadvantages. If [I was] looking f0r a song, sometimes it used to take months. I sent letters to used record stores and now it takes 15 seconds. So, if I was going to play “Georgia On My Mind,” I can find 15 versions of it. So, it’s great to be able to get to those and study them. The music business has been fighting ever since it’s been in existence. Music and money were never meant to be married to each other – it’s not how music came out of the ground. It is what it is, but the bottom line is I always think about the music. I’m lucky because I don’t have big expenses – it’s just me and there’s no band and no crew so I’m lucky that way. I didn’t do that for economic reasons – it’s just what I do.

Birmingham Stages: How would you describe your writing process?

Winston: It’s a lot of trial and error. Something emerges and I’ll keep it around. I couldn’t try to compose something – it wouldn’t work. I have done soundtracks when I really liked the projects, but I already had all of the pieces. If I don’t already have the music, I refer people to folks who do that really well.

Birmingham Stages: It seems you have carved out a career on your own terms and that’s rare.

Winston: I always take a travel day between shows. I’ll make half the money and not hate my life. There’s nothing like wondering if you’re going to make the show or not. I don’t want to wonder if I’m going to make the show. I’ll do two in a row if they’re in the same town. Burning out is a long-term process. There are all these little things you can do to not burn out.

George Winston will perform at The Lyric Theatre on Wednesday, March 4. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $38 – $42 and can be purchased at www.lyricbham.com. Please bring a canned food donation to benefit Community Food Bank of Central Alabama – collection baskets will be placed at the theatre’s entrance.

 

 

By Brent Thompson

Though undeniable, Tommy Emmanuel’s guitar virtuosity isn’t the emphasis of his recordings and performances. Instead, he places songs and arrangements over his well-documented, dizzying fretboard skills. The 64-year-old Australian who became enamored with Chet Atkins during childhood – Emmanuel eventually befriended and collaborated with his musical hero on several occasions – has released more than 20 albums while garnering several Australian music honors and two Grammy nominations. His latest release, 2019’s Heart Songs [CGP Sounds/Cooking Vinyl Records], is a collaboration with guitarist and fellow Atkins enthusiast John Knowles. Over the disc’s 14 tracks, the duo offers fresh interpretations of modern standards including “How Deep Is Your Love” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” alongside well-worn material by Hank Williams and Nat King Cole. On Saturday, March 7, Emmanuel will return to Birmingham for a performance at The Lyric Theatre. Recently, Emmanuel spoke with us by phone from Newark, N.J. while en route to Key West, Fla. for two performances.

Birmingham Stages: Tommy, thanks for your time. We are enjoying your collaboration with John Knowles, Heart Songs. How did you and John go about culling material for the album?

Tommy Emmanuel: Well, those arrangements didn’t just happen overnight – they evolved over years of getting together. John Knowles and I have known each other a long time and we were introduced by our hero, Chet Atkins. We just started working on songs each time I’d come back from being on tour. We’d get together and catch up and have coffee and we’d get our guitars out. Sometimes we’d sit in Starbucks and play and that was fun. The arrangements of these songs came together after playing them for a period of time and looking for new things all the time – we just enjoyed that process so much. Some of these songs – like “Cold, Cold Heart” and “How Deep Is Your Love” – they’ve been a big part of our lives for as long as we both can remember. Being the arrangers that we love to be, it’s a joy to have a melody that’s that good to work with.

Birmingham Stages: When you’re interpreting songs by other artists, is there a challenge in placing your own stamp on the material while retaining its original integrity?

Emmanuel: Well, exactly. It depends on the song. With songs like “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Somewhere” from West Side Story, basically I’m the singer and John is the orchestra and we kind of refer to it that way. We try to find ways of incorporating harmonies together and that’s the key part of being the arranger – making it seamless and it takes time to find and work out.

Birmingham Stages: I just wish I had been at the coffee shop when those sessions were taking place!

Emmanuel: [Laughs] There’s a coffee shop in Nashville called Sam & Zoe’s and they have a veranda area. We used to sit out there for hours on end playing and – as people are in Nashville – they’ve seen everything and didn’t take any notice.

Birmingham Stages: You lived in Nashville for many years. What prompted your relocation to San Jose, California?

Emmanuel: My wife got a job with Apple so she and our daughter, Rachel, and my mother in-law moved while I was away on tour. So when I came home to Nashville, I came home to an empty house [laughs]. We kind of knew it was coming and I had to find a way of getting everything done and selling the house on my own while the girls were all set up in California.

Birmingham Stages: How do songs stay fresh and relevant to you after you have performed them countless times?

Emmanuel: A good song is a good song and the arrangements of certain songs – like my Beatles songs or “Classical Gas” – those arrangements get changed all the time. I know that people love them and when I go into them people really light up. It’s really about that. It never gets old to me – it doesn’t matter how mama times I play it. Sometimes I do stuff with it that I never do on another night. I’m very much in the moment.

Birmingham Stages: Are you a gearhead? Do you frequent guitar stores when you’re on tour?

Emmanuel: I’ve never been a big gearhead. I have a few pedals, but they’re at home. The only gear I use onstage now is a tuner [laughs]. Other than that, I carry a preamp and an amplifier and really that’s it. I’m just looking for one good sound and that’s all I’m looking for. But when you tour as much as I do, I’ve got it down to a science. It’s three guitars, one guitar stand, the amp, the preamp and the tuner – that’s it. My biggest strength is my soundman and we know how to get a sound together. So I don’t rely on technology – I rely on him and the quality of my songs and that’s about it.

Birmingham Stages: You’ve been releasing albums for more than 30 years and the music industry has undergone many changes during that time. How would you sum up your career approach?

Emmanuel: Everything has to come from me. It has to be about the quality and integrity of what I do. It doesn’t matter how many times you hear it, if it’s good it’s good. I’m always trying to learn ways of being smarter about what I do, so it’s really about finding the right people. Too many guitar players are into themselves and they forget they’ve got to create a demand. How do you do that? You have to have something where people will want to rush out and buy a ticket and see. You learn how to do it from people that have already done it really well. It’s supply and demand – that’s the bottom line. I do it for all the right reasons because I love it. Something happens when I play the guitar and that’s good enough for me.

Code-R Productions presents: Tommy Emmanuel at The Lyric Theatre on Saturday, March 7. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $50.50 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

By Brent Thompson

With two full-length releases under its belt, flor is crossing the nation on its current North American tour. The California-by-way-of-Oregon quartet – Zach Grace, McKinley Kitts, Dylan Bauld and Kyle Hill – released ley lines in September of last year. The 12-track collection is garnering acclaim on the strength of singles “slow motion” and “dancing around.” On Wednesday, February 12, flor will perform at Saturn with Winnetka Bowling League and Wanderwild opening the 7 p.m. show. Recently, Grace spoke with us by phone as the band was crossing through California en route to Las Vegas.

Birmingham Stages: Zach, thanks for your time. We are enjoying ley lines. If you will, talk about the creation of the album.

Zach Grace: We went into it thinking we had a backlog and then we just kept creating new stuff. Eventually, all the stuff we were sitting on from earlier years we swapped out for new stuff. We had tons of material, but when it actually came time to commit to a vision for the album we felt like we needed a fresh start.

Birmingham Stages: Was it difficult to write for the new album while you were touring and promoting come out. your hiding?

Grace: It wasn’t actually – it was a pretty easy process. Because I’m on the road, I don’t do much with lyrics or melodies. I create tracks on computer and we bring those into the studio. So I had tons of instrumentals and the lyrical content was a little bit tougher. I want to create a meaningful piece without trying to sound too preachy in the process.

Birmingham Stages: Do songs still evolve even as you’re recording them in the studio?

Grace: That was more so on the first album. I think we added a guitar line to “Heart” maybe a week before we sent it to get mastered. We like to have it all settled and discussed beforehand and we were a little better about it for ley lines. You sit with some of these songs for months at a time and the more you can figure out what you’re trying to say, the more proud you’ll be at the endpoint.

Birmingham Stages: How do songs you’ve played a number of times stay fresh and relevant to you?

Grace: That is entirely dependent on the fans. You would think it would get so old, but when you see a crowd light up when you’re playing your music, you forget that could be the 100th time you’re playing a song. It’s an infectious energy we take from the crowd as much as they get from us.

Birmingham Stages: Some artists say this is a great time to be in your position given instant accessibility to listeners via Youtube, iTunes social media and other modern outlets. Other artists say – for the same reason – that it’s a challenging time to be found among the clutter. How do you view the current climate?

Grace: I feel both sides are very valid, but I think that it’s much more cynical to look at it and say there’s clutter. Anyone and everyone should have the opportunity to create in my opinion – there shouldn’t be any barriers. The more that we break down these barriers, the better. It just means that when you’re creating you have to do a step above the rest if you want to climb out of the ocean. You have to find that thing that rises you up above the rest. I like to go into it with that mentality instead of being disgruntled about the state of it. It’s a beautiful time and it’s a time without barriers and I think that’s really special.

Birmingham Stages: Are you still writing songs and laying down ideas while you’re on tour?

Grace: I am. I feel kind of guilty because I’m more excited than ever with the stuff I’m creating, but I know we have to give the time of day to this second album. But it’s a weird place to be because I’ll be writing this stuff and I want to share it already and I want it to be done, but it’s not on the schedule quite yet.

flor will perform at Saturn on on Wednesday, February 12. Winnetka Bowling League and Wanderwild will open the 7 p.m. show. Advance tickets to the 16+ show are $15 and can be purchased at www.saturnbirmingham.com. 

 

By Brent Thompson

Like fellow legends Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt and Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen is synonymous with Texas music and its renowned storytelling style. In a recording career spanning more than 35 years, the singer/songwriter has garnered a diehard fan base that sings along word-for-word with Keen at his live shows. He always delivers – no one leaves a Keen concert without hearing staples such as “The Road Goes On Forever” and “Merry Christmas From The Family.” On Thursday, January 23, Keen will perform at Iron City with Aubrie Sellers opening the 8 p.m. show. Recently, Keen spoke with us about songwriting, set lists and his latest project, Americana Podcast: The 51st State.

Birmingham Stages: Robert, thanks for your time. We are looking forward to having you back in Birmingham. Do you have plans to write an autobiography? It would be great to have a firsthand account of your life and career.

Robert Earl Keen: That is on the list. One day I will write a book. I can think of plenty of stories that would go in there.

Birmingham Stages: If you will, please describe your writing process. Do you do it on a set schedule or when inspiration strikes? Do you tend to write more at home or on the road?

REK: I’m very visual in my thinking when I write a song. So I start with some sort of setting that I remember or had some impact, anywhere from sitting by a pond fishing or walking down a road or what I am looking at that time. I feel like the way to construct a song with some sort of narrative value is by creating the setting. I am very visually-oriented. I think the setting is just as important as anything else. I write out on some land in Texas in a place we call the Scriptorium. Out there, it seems like you can tap into the creative energy you can’t get to when other people are around.

Birmingham Stages: Obviously, there are certain songs that fans expect to hear each night and they will always be on your set list. How do those songs stay fresh and relevant to you after you’ve performed them literally thousands of times?

REK: Touring is easy if you have a good audience. The key is the audience. We have fantastic audiences. A friend put me on the phone with a woman just this evening. She had never heard of us, was mad at her husband for dragging her to the show and then told me that it was the best show she’d ever seen. She was so happy to talk about her discovery. Delightful discovery is better than free whiskey.
There are songs I love to play – no matter how many times – and I will tell you why. I believe some songs don’t necessarily have a universal meaning but have some kind of universal appeal in that almost anyone can find their own real perspective inside the song. I have heard, “I have lived that.” It is somehow cathartic, I get a huge reaction – a bunch of people that are either really sick or really sad and they just played these songs over and over and over again. And it made all the difference to them. It has a really good message and an open this-can-be-anything-you-want.

Birmingham Stages: Outside of the staple songs I just mentioned, how do you go about comprising the remainder of your set lists these days given your large catalog of material?

REK: I write my set list each day a few hours before the show. I change the set list for every show. Sometimes I even change it minutes before we hit the stage if something just wasn’t sitting right with me.  Right before we go on stage, I gather all my picks and capo and get centered for a few minutes usually quietly on the bus or in the dressing room.

Birmingham Stages: Some musicians I interview say this it’s a great time for artists given easy access and instant reach to fans via iTunes, satellite radio, Youtube, etc. Others say – for the same reason – that the current setup makes it more difficult for artists to be found among the clutter. As an artist with a lengthy and successful career, what are your thoughts on the current climate?

REK: I believe that the connectivity of the world now — particularly in the way of music — makes a lot of things a lot easier, although the competition is really steep. There are droves of people interested in making music, doing it from home or getting a place on America’s Got Talent or The Voice or whatever. There are so many outlets, but there are so many people who are trying to get in the music business. I would say, as it’s gotten easier to produce things and get things out there with the help of these accessible streaming services, the currency now is: how can you get it out there and get it heard?

Birmingham Stages: If you will, please talk about your podcast and the decision to set it in motion. What have you learned the most in doing it?

REK: I strive to stay in the music periphery and hang in there with [what’s going on]. As a touring band, you can really become isolated. It’s the same direction I was taking when I decided to do the Stryker Brothers record [2018’s Burn Band with Randy Rogers]. It was something else, something that seemed fun, something that might actually help some people and give some people some information they don’t know.
You can get out in your own solar system, spin out into the universe and never return. I’m always trying to rope myself back in. I can feel it when it’s happening. Making records is one thing, but I’ve made a lot of records. There are so many other avenues in the music business to explore in a creative way. I thought this would really, really be good as one of those trying-to-give-back kind of things.

Code-R Productions Presents: Robert Earl Keen at Iron City on Thursday, January 23. Aubrie Sellers will open the 8 p.m. show. Advance tickets are $27.50 and can be purchased at www.ironcitybham.com.

By Brent Thompson

Juliana Hatfield’s recording career spans more than 30 years, but that doesn’t come close to telling the story of her restless creative spirit. In addition to a prolific solo output, the singer/songwriter has been a member of The Lemonheads, Blake Babies, Some Girls and The I Don’t Cares (a collaboration with Paul Westerberg). Most recently, she has released an album of original material and two cover albums showcasing songs by The Police and Olivia Newton-John. On Sunday, January 19, Hatfield will perform at WorkPlay. Recently, she spoke with us by phone from her Cambridge, Mass. home.

Birmingham Stages: Juliana, thanks for your time. We are looking forward to having you back to Birmingham.

Juliana Hatfield: I’m looking forward to being there – I don’t get there very often.

Birmingham Stages: Has the tour started yet?

Hatfield: No, I’m home and we’re going to start rehearsing this weekend and then we leave next week.

Birmingham Stages: We are really enjoying [2019 release] Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police. I always assume that everyone is familiar with the songs, but you are probably introducing the band’s music to a whole new generation of listeners.

Hatfield: Yeah, when I was recording the album a couple of the interns at the studio were 20 years old and they were hearing the songs for the first time. My versions of the songs were their first exposures to the songs and then that made them go and look up The Police and they were digging The Police.

Birmingham Stages: I found it especially interesting that you covered Olivia Newton-John [on 2018 release Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John]. She’s an artist that doesn’t get mentioned much these days though she has an incredible string of hits.

Hatfield: People are maybe finding out about these artists, but I think some people also are revisiting them – people who had maybe not appreciated Olivia in the beginning are taking a second listen now to see if they missed something the first time around.

Birmingham Stages: And you released an album of original material [2019’s Weird]. You stay busy!

Hatfield: Actually, I feel like I’ve been slacking off lately because after I finished The Police album I took a break. I took a few months off to try and write prose – not music – so I have to get my ass in gear as soon as the tour ends and get in the studio to start making music.

Birmingham Stages: How does your writing process work? is there a pattern that has developed for you over the years?

Hatfield: I usually have to wait until I feel ripe – I don’t make myself sit down and write music every day. I wait until I feel there’s something that’s bursting to get out, even if it’s just a really vague feeling. I start to feel like the melodies are building up inside of me and then I sit down and try to get it out and then it becomes a process. I do like to have little periods of time where I’m not making any music because I think those times are like recharging my batteries.

Birmingham Stages: Do unfinished songs and ideas sometimes re-emerge and come back into the fold?

Hatfield: Oh, yeah – [the song] “It’s So Weird.” I have tons of cassettes full of snippets of music and melodies and sometimes I give them away. Somehow, one of these cassettes that I’d given to someone made its way back to me and I listened to the cassette and there was an idea on it, which was the chords and melody which became the song “It’s So Weird.”

Birmingham Stages: In approaching covers, how do you retain the integrity of the original songs while placing your own stamp on the material?

Hatfield: I like to respect the original recording of the song. I don’t want to tear apart a song just for the sake of novelty. If I’m going to really re-imagine a song, there has to be an instinct or feeling that I have that it makes sense. I’m not going to try to make something stand out just for the sake of being shocking. I’m very intuitive about it. When I’m learning someone else’s song, I’ll start playing it on the guitar and I just have these instincts for songs and what to do with them and I think that it’s a very organic and natural process. I don’t sweat over it too much – if it starts to feel like I can make it my own, I’ll go with it. But if it doesn’t feel like it’s becoming my own, I won’t do it.

Birmingham Stages: You have a large catalog of music at this point in your career. With that said, how do you comprise your set lists these days?

Hatfield: It can be really random. I made an album of covers called Juliana Hatfield – it was self-titled and kind of an obnoxious name for an album of covers [laughs] and I made it seven or eight years ago. Someone reminded me of the song I recorded by Teenage Fanclub called “Cells” which I hadn’t thought of for a long time. And I thought, “Oh, maybe I’ll play that one in the set” because I remember how much I liked it. There’s no real system. I’m trying to pull things from lots of of different years – doing a bunch from the last few albums and then going back to the first and second albums.

Birmingham Stages: How do songs stay fresh and relevant to you after you’ve performed some of them hundreds – or even thousands – of times?

Hatfield: Some of them don’t last. If a song starts to feel boring or worn out, I’ll just toss it. It’s a mystery why some of them still feel fresh and vibrant to me and some of them don’t. When I play “My Sister,” it still feels natural and like it’s saying something real and true.

Code-R Productions presents Juliana Hatfield at WorkPlay on Sunday, January 19. Advance tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 and can be purchased at www.workplay.com.

By Brent Thompson

   Photo Credit: Scott Wills

Steve Gorman chuckles when I suggest that he is quickly catching up to Warren Haynes as the busiest man in show business. After all, the Trigger Hippy drummer/radio talk show host/author doesn’t have much white space on his calendar these days. Gorman, formerly of The Black Crowes, has recently written a tell-all book about his days in the band titled Hard To Handle: The Life and Death of The Black Crowes [Da Capo Press]. In October, Trigger Hippy – Gorman, Nick Govrik, Amber Woodhouse and Ed Jurdi – released Full Circle & Then Some [Turkey Grass Records], the delayed follow-up to the band’s 2014 debut release. The album’s title is fitting as Gorman and Govrik reformed Trigger Hippy after an extended hiatus, revamped its lineup and moved it from side-project status to full-time band. On Saturday, December 14, Trigger Hippy will perform at WorkPlay. Ice Station Zebra will open the 8 p.m. show. Recently, Gorman spoke with us by phone from his Nashville home.

Birmingham Stages: Steve, thanks for your time. I know we are here to discuss Trigger Hippy, but I did want to mention that I’m currently reading Hard To Handle. Your candor in telling the warts-and-all story of The Black Crowes makes it a great read.

Steve Gorman: Thank you, man. I didn’t see the point in writing something that didn’t approach it with that mindset. People come up to me and want to argue with some of the things I wrote and I want to say, “I’m not campaigning here – I’m not trying to get your vote. I’m just trying to give my perspective.” The sacrifices I made and the stupid decisions I made and the times I was part of something great – I’m not trying to convince anybody that I’m right about anything, but I can just tell you what happened.

Birmingham Stages: As the book was about to be released, did you have any feelings of anxiousness about getting those stories out to the public?

Gorman: I had some of that once we agreed to do it. By the time it comes out, you don’t even care if people like it  – you just think, “Put the thing out – let’s go already.”

Birmingham Stages: If you will, talk about revamping and reforming Trigger Hippy.

Gorman: We put a record out in 2014 and, almost immediately, it became apparent that the band was not built to last and that’s not an indictment of anybody; it’s just a statement of fact. None of it was personal animosity and, trust me, that’s rare in a band. We didn’t have any drama. Nick and I always wanted this to be a full-time band and a working band – playing shows, recording and moving forward at all times. It was pretty obvious early on that we had a different definition than everybody else and that’s okay. I respect chemistry above anything else and that band was a lot of fun and a sea change from life in The Black Crowes. If I was guilty of anything, it was trying to put a square peg in a round hole where that band was concerned. About six months later, we put a band together at my kid’s school for a fundraiser. That night, Nick and I said, “Let’s find some people” and that little one-off gig really got us thinking. I saw Ed Jurdi and he said, “I’d love to put my hat in the ring” and I said, “Okay, cool, let’s do it” because I love Ed and I wouldn’t have thought to even ask him because he’s really busy. He and Nick clicked right away and we were all on the same page.

Birmingham Stages: Over the course of your career, you’ve played some songs literally thousands of times. How do older songs stay fresh to you?

Gorman: in the case of The Black Crowes, in both good and bad ways, there were nights we played “Jealous Again” nothing like the night before and nothing like the recorded version. You go see Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – that’s as great a rock band as you can see. But if you see them three nights in a row, the songs are going to sound a lot alike. The Black Crowes were never going to be that kind of a band and at times we went too far off the grid for my personal taste. A lot of bands do it in rehearsal – we did it live. For Trigger Hippy, we’re just not even close to a point where I’m thinking about that. By design, it’s a band where there’s a lot of improvisation, too. We have the basic arrangements but the versions allow for longer solos. You can only figure it out once you’ve been playing it for a live audience.

Birmingham Stages: How is the basic set list comprised for a Trigger Hippy show?

Gorman: We’re doing three or four songs from the first album and pretty much everything on this album.

Birmingham Stages: As a drummer, are you a gearhead? Do you comb music stores or websites looking for equipment?

Gorman: No, I see stuff occasionally but I play a four-piece kit and I keep it very simple. Give me some cardboard boxes and I’ll make them sound good.

Code-R Productions Presents: Trigger Hippy at WorkPlay on Saturday, December 14. Ice Station Zebra will open the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.workplay.com.

By Brent Thompson

Photo Credit: Jim Wright

It doesn’t seem possible that Pete Yorn released his acclaimed debut album, musicforthemorningafter, some 18 years ago. Exploding onto the scene in 2001 with songs including “Life On A Chain,” “Murray,” “Closet” and “Strange Condition,” the singer/songwriter has never looked back. Over the course of his career, Yorn’s restless creative spirit has seen him involved in soundtrack contributions and side projects (Scarlett Johansson, J.D. King) in addition to his solo output. In August of this year, he released Caretakers [Shelly Music] with the aid of producer/musician Jackson Phillips. On Thursday, December 5, Yorn will headline Birmingham Mountain Radio’s Holiday Soiree at Iron City. Recently, Yorn spoke with us by phone from Santa Monica, Calif.

Birmingham Stages: Pete, thanks for your time. We are looking forward to your return to Birmingham.

Pete Yorn: We love coming to Birmingham – always great shows, great town and great friends. Love it.

Birmingham Stages: Will the Iron City show be a full-band or solo acoustic show?

Yorn:  This is a full band – first time in years and I’m psyched to bring these guys through.

Birmingham Stages: We are really enjoying Caretakers. How did the album take shape? Are these newer songs, older ones or a mixture of both?

Yorn: Mostly new – there were a couple of older songs. One song called “Friends” has been around since maybe 2007 or 2008 and a song called “Do You Want To Love Again?” has been around since 2012. I had been working on it and trying to nail the right version of it. There are a few other songs I’d written close to when I started recording with Jackson. After we got a few under our belt, we started writing songs together in the studio. So a lot of it is brand new.

Birmingham Stages: You mentioned that “Friends” had been around for over a decade. How does a song like that find its way to an album so many years later?

Yorn: I had written it and done a demo of it. A French singer recorded it for her record and she did a beautiful version of it. I was messing around with it one day and it just resonated with me – the lyrics were hitting hard so we did it and I liked the way it turned out.

Birmingham Stages: If you will, talk about your working relationship with producer Jackson Phillips on Caretakers.

Yorn: It was the first time that we had worked together. We met at a birthday party and four months later we finally got together and decided to try and record a song. It quickly blossomed into this thing where we were recording like a song a day – we just had a good studio flow together. He was really an amazing partner for what I was trying to say and the sound I was trying to bring alive. He just got it.

Birmingham Stages: How would describe your writing process? Is there a typical pattern that works best for you?

Yorn: There’s no one way. Sometimes it’s lyrics first, sometimes it’s music first. But I will say that some people are business-like about it and they get up every day and go write and I’m not like that at all. I’m really more about when inspiration hits. A lot of times things will be bubbling up in my head and I’m not even realizing it and all of the sudden I’ll have all these songs start to pour out. I just address it as they come up.

Birmingham Stages: Some artists I interview are positive about the music industry in the age of Youtube, iTunes and satellite radio. Other artists tell me that multiple outlets have created an oversaturated mess. How do you view the current musical climate?

Yorn: Yeah, it’s a little bit of a knife’s edge. You have to find the right balance to cut through. There’s so much music and you’re getting hit with Spotify playlists with 100 songs. I don’t mean to sound old-fashioned, but I’m human and I can’t process it – nor do I want to – and I don’t listen to any of it. But then there’s the side of it where you can get your stuff out there easily and globally and put your resources to other things like marketing and making visual content. At the end of the day, I make music and it starts with me. It’s not selfish, but I do it for myself. It helps me make sense of my world and hopefully helps other people make sense of their world. I focus on doing that the best that I can and I have faith that the rest falls into place. It’s the world that we’re in now.

Birmingham Stages: With several albums in your catalog, how do you comprise your set lists these days?

Yorn: I’ve been super excited to play a bunch of songs off the new record and my live band is kind of special right now. Jackson – my recording partner – has a band called Day Wave. He basically just grabbed those guys and said, “We’ll back you up on this tour.” So it’s cool to have a guy that played a lot of the parts on the record also playing them live on tour. I let [the band] pick some old songs that seemed fun for them and they came back with some songs and we learned those. I really like what this band is bringing to the old material – it kind of freshens everything up.

On Thursday, December 5, 107.3 Birmingham Mountain Radio presents: Holiday Soiree featuring Pete Yorn, John Paul White, Devon Gilfillian and Wilderado. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show can be purchased at www.ironcitybham.com.

By Brent Thompson

Joe Bonamassa’s musical prowess has been so well documented that it’s easy to overlook his skills as a vocalist and bandleader. On Wednesday, November 20, the guitar virtuoso – backed by a seven-piece band including Reese Wynans on keys – captivated a spellbound audience at the BJCC Concert Hall. Highlights of the two-hour set included “This Train,” “Little Girl,” “Mountain Time” and Bonamassa’s acoustic workout on “Woke Up Dreaming.”

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