Ten Questions With ... 2019

---

How did you develop your love for honky tonk music? Could you give us your origin story?

JD: I grew up going to honky tonks in and around East Texas as a kid. This is where I first heard and saw what made this music so unique and why the folks who danced to it loved it so much. Plus there was always country music around my house as a kid. Willie Nelson and Ray Price were constantly playing. 

What performers from the past have inspired you?

JD: So many have inspired me. My fav country guys were always the ones who somehow transcended the genre of country & hard rock and even R&B fans because they were so undeniable. Waylon, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash all had a mass appeal because they were really trying to do something different with their music. I love Faron Young and Carl Smith too, but they were strict about not veering away from tradition and that bores me. 

Which of today's performers do you think are putting out good music?

JD: Oh there's some great stuff out there today you just have to weed thru a lot of mediocrity to get to it. Depends on what mood I'm in, but I like Brennen Leigh, Hayes Carll, Rev Horton Heat, Dale Watson, Shooter Jennings, Ryan Bingham and lots of others. Sometimes I feel like hearing traditional music like country or rockabilly like Deke Dickerson or Chris Scruggs and sometimes I wanna hear something like Social Distortion or The Yawpers. 

What is your favorite part about being a musician? Your least favorite?

JD: Favorite part of being a musician is being able to create a song out of thin air, rehearse it, then play it live and have people immediately respond to it. It's the best job in the world. Playing with your heroes is also an unbelievable experience. Worst part is the business. Dealing with all the folks who are constantly trying to rip you off or folks who are in the business for all the wrong reasons, other than being true music fans.

Where is the most unique place you've played or your favorite venue ever?

JD: Most unique place I've played was in Laos for the American Ambassador and several other Ambassadors that were there. Unbelievable night of music, French-Vietnamese food & open discussions about everything out on a huge beautiful porch that overlooked the Mekong River.  I've played all over Europe, Russia, South America, and even Africa but that was by far the most exotic. Favorite venue is Gruene Hall outside of Austin TX.

Who is the most famous musician you've gotten to know along your musical  journey?

JD:  A lot of them. Played all the guitar on the Waylon record "Right For The Time" which was amazing. Had some great times with Waylon. Recorded with Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Glen Campbell, Johnny Bush and also some rock n roll acts like the Supersuckers, Rob Zombie and X from Los Angeles. Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders just came to our show in London so we got to hang out and have been talking. People are people to me.

Have you always been a natural performer or how have you been able to deal with  the anxieties that come with being on stage?

JD: Never had an anxiety issues about performing. I guess, in my heart of hearts, I think people are inherently good and want to see me do well. Our crowds know I give them everything I have and they know I care. It's not about me, it's about them having the best concert experience ever. Not all musicians feel this way, but I'm a giver, it's just my nature.  

What's an average day like for you?

JD: When I'm not on the road are usually wake up and go to the gym, I eat pretty clean because it's not easy to tour so much and not be in shape, and I'm always working around the clock on music for the next record or music for film and television productions.  When I'm on tour it's a completely different thing. I usually sleep in on the bus because we play late at night and travel late at night but I still do a pretty good job of trying to eat the cleanest food I can and stay away from all the garbage.  When I'm home I spend some time with my hot rods and motorcycles and labradors and do trail running with my wife.  Touring used to be about the party for me and that still happens sometimes but mostly it's about coming home in one piece and making the shows as successful as possible. 

Willie Nelson named his favorite guitar Trigger. Do you have a favorite  instrument and have you named it?

JD: I have an acoustic guitar at home that's a mid 60s Martin called Lulu Bell. Other than that have a lot of guitars but I don't name them too much. I have friends that are super in-depth geeky nerds about guitars. I love them, but for me they've always just been tools.

What advice would you have for someone just starting out in this industry?

JD: I would say do not worry about what other people are doing. Do not try to jump on some hot bandwagon because everyone thinks it's cool. Do your own thing right. Play as many shows as possible. Build your following one fan at a time and make cool records on your own. Don't worry about record labels or radio,  just try to build your own following no one will ever be able take away from you.

Top

You are from the city of Chicago originally correct? What neighborhood did you grow up in and how did you ever get started with country music. Seems a little counter-intuitive to think of Chicago and honky tonk music.

DW: I actually grew up in four states, New York, California, Illinois and Arizona. Age nine through sixteen, I lived in the suburban Chicago town of Buffalo Grove. The first country recording I ever heard was a Johnny Cash prison record my older brother owned, then I started getting into the early 70s Grateful Dead records like Working Man's Dead and American Beauty, which were pretty country. I started listening to country more seriously after my first divorce in my early 20s, hitting the Willie and Kristofferson stuff pretty hard. It helped me immensely and sunk into my bones. At that point, I was sold and wanted to integrate some country into my rock band.

You and The Shinebenders been playing together in the Chicago market for almost two decades. How do you see the Chicago market for honky tonk music compared to places you've been nationally. Is it more or less favorable than when you first started out?

DW: 2019 will be our 15th anniversary as a band. When we started there were a handful of country bands in Chicago and seemingly a lot fewer country bands nationally. Back then bands were just starting to get on the internet and I don’t think the scene had really developed nationally or internationally like we have now. In hindsight, I see there were some good alternative country acts going at this time, but I was not aware of them aside from a few Bloodshot bands.

The Chicago market for country is good, although I’m disappointed more local venues don’t make it more of a priority. I do see some national venues such as Westport Saloon in Kansas City, along with lots of Texas venues that are dedicated to country and honky tonk. Montrose Saloon here in Chicago is probably the closest place we have to a honky tonk.

You've been doing a lot of touring lately. Austin, Nashville, Brooklyn, and others. Has there been a place or show that stuck out in your mind on your last tour?

DW: Our show at Skinny Dennis in Brooklyn was my favorite. The place was packed, and we played a long set, everybody in the house was grooving along with the band all night. Strangely enough the night began badly for me when my amp blew up. Luckily there was a house amp there I could use (it had no reverb so I played all night using my phaser pedal!). It was also nice to have Charles Hill Jr along for that show.

When I hear you play, I hear all the traditional sounds of honky tonk and western swing music, but, depending on the night, you guys can turn into a bit of a psychedelic, honky tonk jam band. How do you categorize what you do? 

DW: It is difficult to categorize the band. Honky tonk country is probably the most general label you can put on us. I’ve used an assortment of labels over the years including urban honky tonk, freak country, 21st century honky tonk, whiskey drinking and hell raising, etc. We do go off on tangents sometimes, or “freak outs”, as we used to call them in my old rock band June Bug Massacre. I don’t put any specific limitations on the types of country we do, as long as it’s good. For example some of our stuff is straight shuffle/swing like Bob Wills or Ray Price, while other stuff may sound more 70’s outlaw-ish, hillbilly or jazzy. Country is a rather wide spectrum and I like to explore all areas of it short of Bro country, which obviously sucks.

What's your favorite track off your latest album "Anything You Wanted To"? Is there any backstory to this song?

DW: I don’t really have a favorite track of the latest album, but I will give you some backstory on The Legend of Kye Lafoone. This was the first song I ever completed, although I changed and augmented it along the way over a few decades. I wrote the verses back in early high school about a fellow student that I got to know briefly before he was mysteriously absent. Kye was from Texas but the rest of the story I just made up to create a legend around him. I wrote and performed the song for an English class project using my friend Howard Covitz’s guitar. I only knew a couple guitar chords at the time. Playing the song in front of my class, I put a little comedy into the performance, and as I recall the teacher didn’t really understand that. I recorded the song originally on the Great Plains Gypsies album One Dark Day in the late 1990s. That version sounds a little different since it uses a rock beat over the chorus. Scott Schenke came up with that cool riff which I reproduced for this latest version using a Mike Hagler’s Fender Jaguar at Kingsize Sound Labs. 

You opened up for Shooter Jennings the other night at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. How did the show go and how was it sharing the bill with a little country music royalty?

DW: It was a cool show. The place was packed, and we went over really well with the crowd that came to see Shooter. It’s always nice to open for national acts since the crowds they bring out are much different that the crowds that show up for local band shows. Shooter himself was in and out of the place like Elvis, so unfortunately I didn’t get to meet him. I would say that he has forged his own sound and is distinctly different than Waylon.

What was it like to get nominated for an Ameripolitan Award (Best Honky Tonk Band - to be determined in Memphis in February 2019).

DW: I am very happy to be nominated for the 2019 Ameripolitan awards. It’s something I’ve been working on over a few years now. We went to the awards last year just to check it out and we had a great time meeting people and seeing the showcases. This year will be a huge step up since we were actually nominated. I think Ameripolitan nominations are noteworthy since they can really put an artist on the map that people may have not been familiar with before. The band is looking forward to heading to Memphis in February. 

Really enjoyed your cover of Mel Tillis's Mental Revenge the last time I saw you and the Shinebenders. In talking to you, it seems like you have an extensive knowledge of country music history. Who is your favorite performer or performers of all time? 

DW: I’ll comment just on the performers I’ve actually seen in person. In all genres I’d have to say my favorite performer is Nick Cave. The man is simply electric! In the genre of country my favorite performers are Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dale Watson, and Wayne Hancock. There are countless country artists I wish I had seen but they’re dead, and others where I’ve just missed their shows. Oh for a time machine!

You are also part of an online radio station available through www.chicagohonkytonk.com. Could you talk a little about what your role is and what you are trying to do with it?

 DW: Chicago Honky Tonk is a website I started with JB Duckett, Benjamin Miles and Megan Williams primarily to draw more attention to Chicago country music. We do listings for local shows, we curate shows and we have an internet radio station. I’m primarily doing the radio station. It’s set up to play 24/7 and features both new and old country. There’s also lots of local artists on there which works well since we do listings for these artists’ shows. The radio station is starting to get international listeners now, which I’m excited about. If you live in Chicago or are visiting the city and you’re looking for something to do I would suggest you check out the website to find out what options you have for live music. We also have a monthly show we set up at Empty Bottle that showcases a couple bands and features dancing and dance lessons. It’s usually held the third Sunday afternoon of the month.

What do you have coming up either from an album or tour point of view? Are you back in the studio soon?

DW: We’ve winded down our touring for a few months but will still play locally and in some adjacent states over the fall and winter. I have a new batch of songs that we’ve started working into our live repertoire and we hope to record those tunes for a new album sometime this winter or spring. The touring will start again in spring. You can stay tuned with our happenings by signing up for our monthly newsletter at https://danwhitaker.com

top

You are originally from Colorado, and you started playing music serving as a member of the US Coast Guard. Could you tell us a little more about how you first got started in this business? 

MC: As a performer, I started in stand-up comedy.  After going to a show, a girlfriend suggested I should try it out.  I won an amateur open-mic and started getting booked as an opener.  I did stand-up for about 4 years.  I was also listening to a lot more music and it was opening my mind up creatively.  I picked up the guitar to learn Bob Dylan songs.  My sister gave me an old Goya and my brother gave me a binder with chord charts printed out.  At some point I thought, “I can do this too.”  I learned a few songs, wrote a couple, and ventured to open mics.  I’d say while I was still in the Coast Guard, in New London, CT, were the first times I performed music.  It was a few years after that I had made my way to New York City for school and started picking the guitar up with more intention.        

Where did the name The Robert’s Troubadour come from and how did that start?

MC: Robert’s Western World is an iconic honky-tonk in Nashville.  It’s become a central location in my Nashville experience, starting with being a bar-back one day a week.  There’s something about that place, the spirit of the place, the people in the place, the orbit.  I’d never been so happy to take garbage out.  The lyrics to a song came to me while I was at work and a story developed out of that, that the real value to being there was the relationships, the shared experience, and the ability to take it all in with some perspective.  A friend of mine wanted to make a video out of it and we asked if we could film it there.  It caught on with Julie, the GM, and Jesse Lee Jones, the owner, and they shared it on their website calling me “The Robert’s Troubadour.”  A truly classic and fun honor!  I’ve worked about every job you can there from doorman to cook, so I suppose it’s fitting.  It’s also humbling because, while I’ve played at Robert’s sporadically, others have played that stage for years and much better than me.  There are some incredible things happening in there.  Sarah Gayle Meech, John England & The Western Swingers, Rachael Hester and her bands, Don Kelley, Josh Hedley, Eileen Rose, Scott Icenogle, so many more...  John McTigue on drums, Brad Albin on bass.  Just the best players. 

Congratulations on having your song, “The Night That I Found Jesus Down At Robert's Western World,” featured in Rolling Stone's 10 Best Country and Americana Songs of the Week (Oct 5). What did this mean for you?  

MC: Thank you!  I appreciate it.  I was taken back a little when I read it.  It means a tremendous amount that someone takes the time to listen to your songs, to put a critical ear to it, and to have it come out the other side resonating.  That’s the real goal.  To have the nod from them, it feels good to hit a benchmark.  It means they think their audience can benefit from hearing the song and I appreciate them for that.  I hope I can give them more to listen to. 

By now of course, many of us are aware of Blake Shelton's comments regarding the current state of country music (Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa's music, ...) and Dale Watson's classic reply (Well, I'd rather be an old fart than a new country turd ... ). In your songwriting, how do you avoid certain time-worn, country clichés while bringing so much vitality, modernity, soul, and grit to this art form?

MC: I appreciate the kind words!  For me, I’m focused on taking the concepts in my mind and using language to bring them to life.  I seem to let lyrics and words cycle through my head, finding the right combinations, phrasing them, twisting them, and on...  It’s important for me to engage the listener, so I use a lot of active verbiage and alliteration (maybe too much), to keeps things flowing.  I also see things in a very visual way, so I want to give the listener something to grab onto so that they can relate and personalize the experience.  The art of country music is an amazing thing, because at the heart of it, it’s about the listener.  That’s just not something very many songwriters are focused on, regardless of what side of country you’re on.   

You are about to release your new album, The Man With Everything, on November 9th (Recorded and produced with Joseph Lekkas. Flour Sack Cape Records). The songs are tight, perceptive, and contain a lot of classic American imagery. I hear you in this album as a fire-side legend teller, a traveler in need of mercies, and as a restless poet still trying to find a home. Can you talk about some of the things that inspired you to make this album? What does it mean to be a man with everything at this moment in history? 

MC: I usually write songs in groups and once there are enough that have a cohesive feel, I’ll set about recording them.  It’s a constant process and each is sort of a progress report.   The songs are snapshots of my own journey.  I moved to Nashville with the idea of fostering relationships with like-minded people, musicians, producers, etc.  Also, to be heard in the marketplace. That’s the benefit of being here and I knew it would be valuable in my development as an artist.  From that standpoint, this is a great step.  Joe and I met early in our Nashville experiences, along with a few others in the Flour Sack Cape orbit... Ben Douglas, Charles Harger, Ben De La Cour.  To watch the steady stream of great players come into the studio was a real thrill for both us.  I have hard time writing about things that I don’t know, but the comforting thing I’ve learned is, most people’s daily concerns are similar.  Most people are in need of mercies.  Most people feel restless at one time or another.  Most people have hopes and ambitions.  They just don’t know how to voice it.  Not just this record, but all the records I’ve made are inspired by the need to let others know that they’re not alone.  That’s what music did for me.  That’s what Bob Dylan did for me when I was a confused kid in the Coast Guard.  The lyric in the song is “The man with everything may yet be empty still.”  It’s a song, and ultimately, a record about perspective.  If there’s one thing folks need at this moment in history, it’s perspective.  The conclusion might be that many of the things we seek externally are already available to us, internally.  That in terms of time, our own collective journey is a footnote in history.  That doesn’t mean it’s not important.  

This might be a little difficult to do, like a parent who has a favorite child but tries to hide this sentiment from the others, but do you have a favorite track off your latest album and can you give us any backstory to this song? Or, what is the first track we should listen to off this album if we haven't heard a Matt Campbell song before.

MC: “Twice As Big” - I was on a train tour in 2011.  It was the first real touring I had done, and I bought a 30-day pass on Amtrak.  I made a loop around the country, playing solo, mostly in places I’d never been.  I was on a train from LA to San Antonio and in the dining car had a great conversation over dinner with 3 strangers.  We covered all the bases... travel, sports, religion, politics.  At that time, sort of crawling out of recession, people feeling down about the prospects of the country, I think I was being cute when I said, “Some people see it half full, and some see it half empty, but I think it’s twice as big as it needs to be.”  It drew a few snickers, but it stuck with me.  I hear sometimes the idea that current generations are worse off than previous ones.  I couldn’t feel more different.  As a culture, we live a life far more advanced than our parents did, much more so than our grandparents did, and under less adverse conditions.  The world is at our fingertips, every day.  It’s about how we engage that opportunity, personally, professionally, creatively.  Those are the ideas I struggle with.  What is it from life that I’m supposed to want?  It took 5 years to manifest itself as a song, but that idea has informed nearly everything I’ve done since.  It’s sort of magical when you have a perspective shift like that.  When you come to see the world in a different light.  That’s how living in New York City was for me.  It altered my worldview.  Sitting on the train with those folks in that moment, I took another turn.  

In your opinion, what are some elements needed to make a great country song? Any examples from this generation's crop of artists? Someone we may not be aware of?

MC: You need to be able to pick a listener up in one moment and transport them somewhere else.  I think you do that by engaging the audience and giving them something to relate to, hold on to, take with them... really, something to believe in.  That could be the result of many different elements.  I do like Kristina Murray quite a bit. I appreciate her determination, her grit.  She’s less packaged than some, but it’s a benefit to her.  Her songs are good and she has great presence.  I can believe in that.  My favorite songwriting contemporary is more folk, but Mikal Shapiro  from Kansas City is one of the best.  She’s engaged in pure expression.  It’s whimsical and serious, light and dark, all at the same time.  A great voice.  She makes me write better songs.  Logan Ledger is another.  Most folks don’t know him, but I imagine they will.    

People have noted the influences of Bob Dylan on your work. Your only cover on this album is Dylan's Simple Twist of Fate from Blood on the Tracks. Why did you choose to sing this song and how did you approach interpreting this music in your own style? 

MC: I love the song.  Traveling so much, living such a fleeting lifestyle, I can connect to it.  As a band, we play a lot of honky-tonk shows, so being able to two-step to a song is important.  It’s great to see people dancing to a Bob Dylan song.  Many don’t know it’s him, and the ones that do think it’s a real treat.  Nashville Skyline was the first Dylan album I owned.  They would play “Lay Lady Lay” on the oldies station my Dad listened to.  I was so taken with that song, the pedal steel, the easy rhythm.  I was working in a drugstore with a small CD section and that was one of them.  I hadn’t recorded a cover before, so it seemed fitting.  I’m sure I could fill a few pages on his influence.  Suffice to say, he opened the door for me.   

You host For The People,” a weekly radio show presented by WSM 650AM that streams over the internet. Can you tell us a little about your show? What's it like to have a show on the same station that hosts the Grand Ole Opry. Lots of history there.

MC: It’s a dream to host the show in conjunction with WSM and Route 650.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to do it.  I had the idea for a weekly showcase that was recorded and broadcast for some time.  I started to book live shows and record them in the hopes of building up content.  Robert’s got involved as a vocal advocate for my idea and WSM having interest was very serendipitous.  I’ve picked up great production tips/ideas and began doing freelance work for them too.  It’s an important skill to have and I use it to present other voices and perspectives.  We have some great live recordings and interviews.  I’m a big Ernest Tubb fan.  He was very aware of his audience, as well as the talent that surrounded him, and he marshalled his resources for the benefit of others.  It’s another way of engaging the audience and the creative community.  That’s the spirt of the show and the Route 650 stream.  Eric Marcum at WSM and music folks like Brendan Malone and Post 82, The Farmer & Adele... We have our own shows, so it feels like a cavalcade of country hucksters!  I think about my parents as kids in the 40’s and 50’s, picking up the Opry or one of those shows on the old tube radio.  Now, their son is part of the same tradition.  Pretty special.    

What are your plans from here? After releasing The Man With Everything, are you touring in support of this new album?

MC: I’ll be out on the road in support of the new record.  I love to get out and tour.  I’ll be trying to make the jump to Europe this coming year too.  It’s all just a continuation of the body of work.  It never stops.  I’ve got new songs to record and few more new ones to write.  I’ll always be out there trying to engage new audiences.  That’s what really inspires and motivates me.  The people.

Top

 Somewhere on the internet, I read that you were born in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory? Is this true? As a fellow Canadian, that even sounds harsh to me. How long did you stay there, and what happened to make you relocate to New Orleans.

PR: Well. Funny thing is I’d had a few drinks and told someone that and then forgot all about it. So, one day, I was loading into a show at a really nice cultural arts center in Donegal, Ireland — my first show ever outside of the USA — and the first thing I see are handbills on every table that read “Born in Nunavut, Canada, Pat Reedy...” and so on. I’m glad I didn’t say something weirder. 

I was actually born in Meeker CO. Grew up in Illinois, then moved down to New Orleans. I lived there more of my life than any other place. I just returned from New Orleans to Nashville where I now live. I played a set at the All-Star Country Covered Dish Jamboree with my old New Orleans lineup, kind of a birthday present to myself.

I’ve lived in 8 states:  Colorado, Illinois, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Louisiana, now Tennessee.

It's well-documented that you wrote down bits and pieces of your album That's All There Is on bits and pieces of construction site wood and paper scraps during breaks on the job. Are you always on guard for new material for your songs? Could you describe how you begin the process of composing a song?

Most of my songs came to me when I was on a job site or driving a truck. I have no process really. The songs come uninvited into my head, and I write them down as soon as possible.

You worked for years as a blue-collar worker helping to build the shiny new version of Nashville that we see today. What's the toughest construction (or other) job you ever had? What was the best one?

PR: I worked construction my whole life, other than some time in mining and the oilfields out west.

I worked as a heavy equipment operator in an oilfield waste landfill on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota for a year or so. Basically, a toxic waste dump. Place was remote, cold, and lawless. I mean this place was dangerous. No one knew what they were doing. Drill rigs everywhere. At least two people died every day seemed like. I would, on a regular basis, climb out of my excavator and have teach some fella’s girlfriend how to operate her truck so she could dump in my mixing plant.  It was like this:

2 week “hitches” 1 week off, 12-hour shifts. I lived 17 hours away in western Wyoming. The “man camp” trailers were a 3-hour drive from the actual landfill. So, I’d drive every morning 3 hours from the trailer to work, then operate equipment and pull trucks out of the mud for 12 hours, then drive 3 hours back to sleep. At the end of the 12th day, I’d drive straight back to Wyoming to go on a 5-day party. Then they changed it to 28 days on, 14 days off. 

This wasn’t close to the hardest work in the oilfield though. The rig hands worked harder.

The lyrics to your songs are full of clever word play, insightful humor, working class ethos, artful story telling -- something sorely lacking in today's country music. Where did you get this from? Are there any similar story tellers or artists in your family?

PR: Thank you. To my knowledge, I’m the only serious musician in my family. But I never knew my father’s side so who knows? I know I have half brothers and sisters out there somewhere. 

In February, no less than Rolling Stone magazine describes you as a new country artist we need to know. What did the mention in Rolling Stone mean to you, and what did it do for your career?

PR:  I was very honored to get that write-up. A lot of my friends have congratulated me, and my family told me they’re proud of me.

You began your career as a 21-year-old busking on the street corners of New Orleans. How did this early experience affect your later career as a live performer?

PR: Well, they’re not a captive or intentional audience, if it doesn’t have rhythm, it won’t grab them, and they’ll walk on by. Also, the ethic is different. Buskers in New Orleans are damn proud of code. When I started playing mandolin with my old friend Troy’s band down there, I knew I wasn’t that good, so I tried to take a smaller portion of the money. He gave me a strict non-negotiable line, “Pat, you’re taking full pay, everyone does. If you’re good enough to play you’re good enough to get paid.”

Nominations for the Ameripolitan Music Awards (held in Memphis in February) are in, and you are up for Best Honky Tonk Male. How did this testimony to your recent successes make you feel?

PR: Great! I really love what they’re doing with the Ameripolitan Awards. There are so many amazing, talented, and hardworking musicians involved in that. I’m deeply honored that I got on this list. 

You've recently come back from a tour that spanned much of northern Europe. Any notable stories or shows from that long tour?

PR: Man, we stayed in an honest-to-God windmill built in 1740 and got to see how it worked.  We went on a boat ride. We ate weird fermented herring in Sweden -- the list goes on. Whenever I go somewhere, I want to do the things they do there. And I love traveling too. The audiences were appreciative and generous. I love Europe. I went swimming in a different mountain stream every day before our shows in Switzerland.

George Jones and Dwight Yoakam are always listed as early influences in your career. Who of this generation of players do you like to listen to?

PR: Thing is, when I was a kid, they still played real deal country on commercial radio. It’s sad that they don’t anymore. As far as the big names, I’m a big fan of Merle Haggard and Billy Joe Shaver. They really lived those songs. 

What's new for you? Are you heading back into the studio soon?

PR: I am. In February I’ll be recording a new one through Muddy Roots Records. Then I’ll be doing a tour of UK again. Won’t make it to mainland Europe until August though.

Top 

Most people who visit Amsterdam love the city. But we all don't move there. What prompted the move for you? Is this temporary or do you plan to stay for awhile. Also, what part of the city did you land in? What are your initial impressions as a resident? And what about Dutch culture appeals to you?

SS: What prompted me to move was the yearning to play to completely different audiences. As an artist you should find other cool audiences. Dad did the same thing. We have that sense of adventure, so it was planned. I was born in Salinas, California, then moved to Texas when I was 3, so I never lived anywhere but Texas and Cali. I like Mark Twain's quote on travel; it's my motto.* It has enriched my life tenfold. But you need money to live your dream, so I sold my house in 2017. My immigration guy was instrumental in making it easy. I've gone here for vacation and touring and always wanted to know what it's like living outside USA. So no culture shock. It's right up my alley. My landlord is a friend from whom I rented an apartment when I used to visit. I live in the Museum Quarter across the street from the Van Gogh museum.  

Life's the best it's ever been. Not perfect, but I'll take 98.5 percent. The Dutch are hardy people. A little dry in humor, but so what. I have huge respect for the pragmatic Dutch people. Destiny got me here, let's hope it keeps me here.

*“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain

You had a childhood that had to have rivaled anyone's for unconventionality, extremes, and access to some incredibly famous people. Clearly, you loved your dad.  If you don't mind, what was the best part of being Doug Sahm's son? What was the worst? 

SS:  Well, more pros than cons really. It was wonderful -- music all around. Yes, it was truly cool, like going with Dad to say hi to Bob Weir or Willie.  I've been around famous people playing in Meat Puppets and with Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers frontman). Also, I just never stopped playing music.

The down side? The Sahm genetics of restlessness and impatience. Dad put up with a lot to live the life the way he wanted. Also, my dad not going to a doctor in twenty years let us all down -- both fans and family. His death sucked. It didn't have to happen if he'd just have gone into a hospital. I do the opposite of what Dad did concerning diet and lifestyle. I practice patience and don't sweat the small stuff.

With all the instruments that were floating around in your home as a child, how did you become a drummer? You play some guitar as well correct? Anything else?

SS: The drums just chose me. I never had a lesson, just picked it up, then went with it. Then fate and destiny had me getting signed to Geffen two years after high school -- just never looked back. 

I can play guitar, bass, and I sing but just good enough to give it passion. I'm not schooled in those instruments like I am with the drums, but it's great. You need to play tight, on time, in tune. In the studio, that's all you need. I can be a one-man band, but I like other's ideas as well.

You started with the Heavy Metal band Pariah after being born into the eye of "the groove." What influenced you to take the heavy metal route when you first got started playing music.

SS: Well, I just went in that direction because I love rock and roll. But it's not really heavy metal, it's hard rock -- a big difference. I see metal as fast screaming, like Lamb of God or something. We played more like old Guns N' Roses. Not really heavy metal, I guess, unless you think Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are metal. I like that kind of metal.

What was it like playing drums on the Sir Douglas Quintet album, 1994's Day Dreaming at Midnight. Talk about that experience. Many musicians viewed your father with awe. Did you have a sense of that growing up? It must have been doubly daunting being his son and supplying the drums on one of his albums.

SS: No, not at all. It was great learning from Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drummer for Credence Clearwater Revival) who also played on the album. That was truly cool. It was also lots of fun being in studio with Dad. He had it all in his head, how he wanted everything to sound. 

You've done two tours of duty with the incredibly influential Meat Puppets (1999-2002 and 2009-2018) and shared stages with some of the biggest names in music such as Stone Temple Pilots, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Dave Grohl, among others. Is there a show that stands out in your career as the funnest, weirdest, best, or biggest train wreck? We'd love to hear a standout tale from your past life or lives on the road.

SS: There's so many gigs and good ones more than train wrecks. Hanging with Chris Cornell when we opened for Soundgarden. He was a really nice guy. Just seeing how big musicians treat the regular folk. Best? Too many. SXSW and Dave Grohl (Meat Puppets opened for Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players at SXSW in 2013). Australia. Riot Fest twice was awesome. 

Panama was great too but the second time we played there, it was a train wreck, because they didn't know how to run the monitors. It was like I was five thousand miles away from the other band mates. When that happens, you just go for it, hang on, and hope it's okay but you're human so you can get a bad gig every so often. 

Playing with Gibby Haynes was awesome too. The thing that sucked about that was having a killer Europe tour scheduled like Prague and having it cancel because the bass player quit, and we didn't have time to find a replacement. It's been a great ride with more great things than not so great things. 

How has the move to Amsterdam affected your music? Is this a creative fresh start? Are you in a comfortable place for yourself musically?

SS: Oh yes, it sparked it again. In Austin, everyone is in a million bands, and it's hard to keep your A-band. It's awesome. Within 8 months I landed a manager, Kathy Keller, at Friendly Folk Records in Rotterdam. I'm from Austin, and I've never had anybody want to help manage me, so my destiny brought me here. Wish my USA friends could play to this friendly environment. Art and music is why I moved to Amsterdam. It's everything and more than I thought it would be.  

Is there a memento you have from your father that you cherish above everything else? An instrument? Piece of memorabilia?

SS: I have a few of dad's shirts that he wore for the 1+1+1=4 album. The shirt he had in the 1972 pics with Bob Dylan for the album Doug Sahm and Band. I gave Dad a Three Stooges magnet he liked, and I have that. Shawn's got all the equipment. When Dad passed, I actually wore his 71 Wrangler shirt to the funeral. I'm also wearing it in the Dad documentary (Sir Doug & the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove).

Talk about your recent single, Give Back The Key To My Heart (Friendly Folk Records). This is a remake of a song your dad wrote in 1976. There's also an alt-country Uncle Tupelo version on which your father sings one of the verses correct? Why did you make this record? 

SS: I made The Sahm Covers Sahm EP to introduce myself to the European public. In July, 2019, I'll release my own original EP. So just a little start up. Give Back The Key To My Heart is on all digital sites like Spotify or the Friendly Folk Records website http://www.friendlyfolkrecords.net. I'm singing, playing drums, and acoustic guitar.

Can you tell us about your schedule for 2019? Touring, studio? What does the new year look like for you?

SS: Yes, in Jan/Feb 2019, we plan to release Sahm Covers Sahm. I plan to play all around Europe. I'm not paying attention to USA, it's my dream to just tour Europe. I'm looking at the possibly of playing Austria and The Utrecht Record Convention in April. Just go to my Facebook artist page https://www.facebook.com/ShandonSahmOfficial/ and follow me. I'll post all information regarding Sahm-related music.

Play and play some more.

Top

 You started out as a drummer didn't you? How did you get started playing honkytonk music? And when did you make the transition to front your own band.

DQ: Yeah, I started drumming around 10 or 11 years old. I always had a lot of energy, so drums seemed like the right thing to start with. My dad and brother played guitar, so I was always messing around with that too, but I started out in blues and rock and roll bands as a drummer. I heard John Prine from my dad for the first time when I was pretty young, and it changed everything for me and started me on a long journey into old country and roots music. I was always writing and journaling, so I decided to try and turn that stuff into songs. As my taste continued to grow, I could not find people who needed a drummer and were playing the type of music I wanted to play, so I figured I would just start playing my own songs, and I made the switch. 

Talk about the evolution of your sound from your earlier 2017 release of Low Down to the soon to be released Wanderin' Fool. Low Down tacked between both alt and traditional country, and Wanderin' Fool contains significant ambient experimentation as well as the traditional honkytonk two-steppers.

DQ:  You have a good ear. I think the most significant part of the evolution is the backing band on both. Low Down was done with some great musicians and good friends of mine, but they are not necessarily “country” players, so I think that helped shape the style. My backing band for Wanderin’ Fool was done with some country music heroes of mine. The sound of this new one was really dictated by these guys. They did what was natural for them, and it came out the way it did. 

Have you always written your own music? Who has inspired you, guided you, or are you completely self-taught? And what things do you really relish writing about?

DQ:  Yes, writing is my favorite part of all of this. I play guitar and sing as a vehicle to share the songs I write. A few songwriters that have really inspired me are Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and John Prine. For me, those are the heavyweights when it comes to songwriting. When I heard Townes for the first time, I couldn't write a song for six months, because I knew I would never be that good. I have always been really into writing and the process of it. For me, it is a very personal thing, and I always write alone. There is no better feeling then creating something that wasn't there just a few hours ago. It is also very cathartic. 

How did the production of Wanderin' Fool come about? What was it like recording in Nashville at Bomb Shelter Studios with Andrija Tokic? That's been a hot studio of late. First, Alabama Shakes, Luke Bell, and now David Quinn!

DQ:  It sure was a lot of fun. I was bugging Andrija for a while sending him some demos I had made asking him to help make this record with me. We finally connected on a call and talked over a few months while getting to know each other and eventually we made it happen. My favorite part about working with Andrija is that he does everything analog and straight to tape. He likes to capture as much as possible live and works pretty fast which helped create a certain energy that I think shows. We made the whole record in five days. 

The album includes some standout keyboard and steel guitar flourishes on songs like "In my dreams." Some notable musicians appear on your album including Nashville Bassist, David Roe who was Johnny Cash's bassist from 1992 until 2003. Tell us a little bit about the backing players on your album and how you met these people.

DQ:  One day Andrija called and said “Hey, I think I have the perfect band for you.” and I was blown away by the names he said. Growing up, Jimmy Lester was one of my favorite drummers, and then I was in a room with him making a record. Dave Roe has played on some of my favorite records of all time. Hearing Dave and Jimmy trade old stories was one of the best parts of it all. Micah Huslscher who plays keys for Margo Price is one of the most talented people that I have ever worked with. That's John Estes on steel, and he ended up playing a few different instruments on the record. Then we brought in Alexis Saski for some harmonies, and she really killed it. it was a humbling and inspiring experience, and we all had a great time doing it.  

From the atmospheric prairie anthem, "Where the Buffalo Roam" to the cowboy two-steppin' "Cryin' Shame," there's plenty of variety to choose from on the new album. If we haven't listened to a David Quinn song before, which song on the album should we start with to understand what you are all about?  Also, how do you, yourself, categorize your own music?

DQ:  I think lyrically the song “Wanderin’ Fool” sums up who I am, but “Where the Buffalo Roam” might be a better representation of where I am going musically. I really struggle with the “category” thing. I have always called what I do Country Music but I have had plenty of folks disagree. As Harlan Howard puts it “it's 3 chords and the truth.” 

How do you know if you've made a good song and what current honkytonk performers out there right  now do you think make good music?

DQ:  I just try to go by intuition, and I always try to write from the heart and make something I would want to listen to. I have a pretty strong world view and point of view, so I just try to express what is true to me. If it ever feels forced, I just stop. Most of the time a song just sort of shows up, and I feel as If I am just transcribing what's already there. Those are always the best ones. 

As for some current artists I really like -- Tyler Childers, Luke Bell, Sam Outlaw and Charley Crockett to name a few. There has been some great stuff coming out recently.

Chicago isn't normally thought of as a hotbed for honkytonk music. From your perspective, what are the benefits and pitfalls of being a honkytonker in Chicago?

DQ:  Yeah, it can be tough at times especially because the word “country” can turn some Chicagoans off who might otherwise like the songs I play. There is a tight knit group of honkytonk/country groups around and most of them have been pretty welcoming. Also the folks over at Chicago Honky Tonk have created a community of like-minded musicians and honkytonk fans, and they have been very kind to me.

Tell us a little about your live band that includes Shane Allen, Andy Holcomb, and Tommy Veronesi. How did you guys meet and decide to start playing music together?

DQ:  We actually met on Craigslist right before I went to make my record in Nashville. Shane (guitar) and Tommy (drums) had just moved back to Chicago, Shane coming from South Carolina and Tommy from a stint in Colorado. I think I met with Andy first who plays bass. The first time we all met each other as a band was when I got back from Nashville to play the mixes for them. We all hung out and listened through the record and they have been playing with me ever since. I'm lucky and thankful to have those guys back me up. Tommy is the funkiest country drummer I have ever heard. Shane plays a mean slide guitar, and Andy can tear it up on upright and electric. 

What are you plans for 2019? We see you are playing in the Chicagoland area at numerous venues. Are you planning to expand your reach and hit the national scene? Give us a little idea about what you have in store for this year.

DQ:  Yeah, so I have my record release show on April 5th at the Empty Bottle, which I am really looking forward to but after that I have a few short tours being planned. I will be doing some stuff out on the West coast and probably a few trips back to Nashville and south. I definitely want to expand beyond Chicago. I have been lucky enough to get some press and write-ups building up to the record as well, so I hope it all helps expand the audience. 

top

 When I listened to your eponymous Western Swing Authority album, my initial reaction was an immediate acknowledgement of the high level of musicianship on that record from the vocals on down through each instrument. Please tell us about the genesis of The Western Swing Authority as a group, and how this "swing supergroup" came together. 

WSA: Well, first of all thank you for the kind words. We are so proud of this latest album and all of the work that went into it. Of course, we are proud of all of them, but this album really hit a special place for us. 

The Western Swing Authority came to be out of pure love of the genre and happenstance. Shane (my husband and our fiddle-slaying band leader) had been chatting with a friend at a gig at The Commercial Tavern. The friend was Charlie St Denis (who happened to become our first drummer) and the Commercial Tavern is the bar we wrote about in the final track of Big Deal, “This Old Bar.” Charlie knew that Shane loved Western Swing music and had since he was a kid. He would sit at the top of the basement stairs when his parents would have a party and listen to the music instead of going to sleep. Charlie had this DVD of The Time Jumpers PBS special done at the Station Inn, and he told Shane he HAD to check it out. We took the DVD home that night and watched it, and I remember the moment vividly when Shane looked over at me and said, “I have ALWAYS wanted to have a band like this…” I looked back and said, “Well, why don’t you then?” That night he sent a message to a bunch of musician friends who were all at the top of their game in studio and touring alike. Those musicians became the band and the rest is history. Our first gig was the first time we all got together (ever!), and we haven’t looked back. We spent the first year or two playing all cover songs and really just enjoying the traditional sounds that none of us got to play anymore in our other musical lives. WSA was born out of the desire to keep this kind of music alive. 10 years later, we are still loving it, but it has become so much more. 

What does it mean to you to sing "new vintage" originals? How do you take a classic sound like Western Swing, put your stamp on it, and make it sound vital and fresh today? Do modern production techniques account for some of the immediacy of the sound? Are your arrangements slightly different? How does your sound all come together? 

WSA: Being that we have been playing together for a decade now, I think we have certainly honed in on “The Western Swing Authority” sound. There is a trust among the players and a lack of ego, which makes it so fun and a safe place to experiment. I think the thing that has changed us the most is the writing that we have done. We love playing traditional tunes and keeping those old standards alive, but it’s like any living thing. If you don’t feed it with new fuel it could die. We have worked really hard to create songs that stay true to that classic sound while being fresh and new. I know our audiences appreciate having cool, new music to listen to along with the best of the past.  

As for production techniques, that definitely helps our music to keep up to “radio standards” of today. I love the power that we are able to recreate in studio. The true litmus test for us, though, is that we need to be able to sell it live just as well as we do in the studio and that is where the musicianship and excellence of all our players really shines through. Some arrangements shift as we play them more live … added shots, harmonizing lines, upgraded solos. But we truly pride ourselves in being able to bring the same tight arrangements to our live show that we create when recording.  

The Western Swing Authority is very well-known north of the border. Since you are based in Toronto, Canada, how did you get involved with the Ameripolitan Awards in Memphis? How did Dale Watson and Celine Lee find you? 

WSA: That is a great question … one I would like to know the answer to as well! When the Ameripolitan Awards began 6 years ago, we were still doing mostly local shows and didn’t have a lot of spread, but somehow our music landed on the radar of Dale and Celine, and we were contacted during the preparations for the first event in Austin. We got an email from the coordinator back then, and he said that we had been nominated and would we want to come down to the award show. That year, back in the ballroom of the Garden Suites, we arrived and knew there was something special about this organization. We have been nominated in some facet every year since the very beginning, whether it be for Western Swing Group or Western Swing Female. We are so proud of that. We haven’t taken either award home yet, but to risk sounding cliché, it really is an honour to be nominated along with all the fabulous talent out there. Our peers are all wonderful artists and musicians, so really when something wonderful happens for them it’s good for everyone. And hey, even Susan Lucci won eventually! We plan on just keeping on with creating great new music that we love and sharing it with anyone who will listen. I love watching the Ameripolitan movement grow and find its feet. 

We saw Stacey's stunning performance of "You don't Know Me" at the Cindy Walker Tribute event in Memphis for the 2019 Ameripolitan Awards. Stacey's performance was one of the highlights of a magical, musical weekend for us. What was it like singing that classic song in front of so many great musicians and an audience that included Country Music Hall-Of-Famer Rose Lee Maphis and Texas legend, Gary P. Nunn? 

WSA: Aw, that is so sweet. It was truly a highlight for me too. That song is such a well-known tune, and it has been performed by some of the best in the music business, across all genres. That to me is what I love best about that song. To be able to reach a universal audience like that no matter who is singing? That is the real deal.  

To be quite honest, I was absolutely shaking the whole time. Being backed and standing beside all of those strong, beautiful and talented women alone was incredibly powerful in and of itself. But that song has a life of its own, and the energy in the room was absolutely electric when I began. Perhaps it was because of the video that we had all just watched at the beginning of the show. It was like a big, beautiful wave of emotion that I didn’t come down from until I was long back at the hotel. I cried a lot afterward with gratitude just to be able to share that song, my way, in front of so many people I love and respect. It was a truly humbling experience. 

How do you approach singing a standard like that? How much interpretation do you usually allow yourself? And how did you get assigned that particular song? 

WSA: Ha! When they sent the email out to ask everyone to put in their votes for songs, I just snagged it!! It was between “You Don’t Know Me” or “It’s All Your Fault” (which I perform with The Western Swing Authority in regular set rotation). When I heard back that I could have it, I was nervous, because I wanted to do it justice, but I knew that my attack of the song would be less “western” and more soul oriented. My favourite version of that song has always been the Ray Charles version … and I grew up listening to Motown, R&B and soul music with my dad. Since I lost him this past year, it just seemed like the right way to go. I got so many neat little signs that he was around, and the performance that day was one of them. 

Western Swing was born in the dance halls and honky tonks of yesteryear. Who is the audience for your music today? 

WSA: I feel like the audience could be anyone really. Our age demographic is very wide. The very young to the very old. The music is upbeat and fun … slow and romantic at times, with intricate arrangements for the “musos.” That is what I love about the Western Swing genre. There is such a breadth of inspiration for the sound. You’ve got jazz, blues, country, swing. The same song could have a different audience depending on which sound you focus on the most during the performance. I really feel that good music can find a place in any audience. Of course, those who like traditional country music and swing music will enjoy our sound, but we just think of it as “feel good” music. Everyone wants to feel good these days. 

The Western Swing Authority played a private party in Nashville in March of 2018 for Garth Brooks and his manager Bob Doyle. Could you tell us why that happened, and what was it like? 

WSA: Surreal. Stressful. Amazing. Humbling. Unforgettable. 

It was a whirlwind trip that almost didn’t happen. We got the call literally ten days before we were down there asking if we were available to play a surprise party for Major Bob Doyle’s 70th birthday. He had requested a Western Swing band for the party, and they had called to see if The Time Jumpers could come, but they were unavailable. Jimmy Mattingly, Garth’s longtime drummer, has been a friend of ours for a while and threw our name into the hat. It was an amazing vote of confidence for us, and we will be ever grateful that he took that chance on us and trusted us to pull it off. There was rush paperwork to figure out, we had to find a substitute drummer, figure out last minute travel arrangements and childcare. SO many reasons it could have fallen apart, but it didn’t. As well, my dad was in hospice care. I could barely imagine leaving, but he was the first to say that we HAD to go. He had been a fan of Garth Brooks for a very long time, so knowing that he would in the same room as us was really exciting for him as well as the band. We all knew it was a once in a lifetime chance, even if the timing wasn’t ideal. I never got the chance to tell Garth how much it meant to see him in the audience, really listening to us play, but I hope to someday. Being appreciated for exactly who we are and getting to play for such special guests … it made being away during a difficult time much easier. The day after, we drove home on a big high and just kept saying “Can you believe what we just did?” I will never forget that day. 

WSA's 4th studio album, “BIG DEAL,” includes guest appearances by nine-time Grammy winner Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel), Grammy-nominated Jazz performer Jane Monheit, and others. If we haven't heard The Western Swing Authority before, what's a track that we should start with? Do you have a signature song or two that you would like to share with us? 

WSA: OOOOOOOH. I love this question, but it is so hard to pick! As for signature songs, we have a few originals that I think really capture our sound of the last few years. “Sweet Harriet” from our album Now Playing is pretty hard not dance to and “I’ve Got a Feelin” from our album All Dolled Up is a true signature torch song that embodies the band’s playing and the way I like to sing. I love all the songs on the new record, but if you are looking for just a few I recommend “Mississippi”, “In the Middle of the Song” (written and performed with the amazing Miss Carolyn Martin) and "Extra-Ordinary." Silly to saucy to sublime. We try to make sure that every album is a great listen all the way through as a whole. It’s a musical journey, so it’s best listened to all the way through in my opinion. 

Stacey has shared the stage with some legendary artists including Merle Haggard and The Nitty Gritty Dirt band. Is there a performance or show that really sticks out from these encounters? 

WSA: Oh wow. That is going back to another lifetime ago! I was in a more pop-country girl trio at the time of those encounters … no kids, no husband. It was a very different time. I DO however remember opening for Merle In Georgia with my band of the time, LACE. We were three young girls and Merle’s manager came to the trailer with tee-shirts for us to wear. They weren’t very big, and I ended putting mine on my teddy bear when I got back home. It fit him better.

Tell us about your plans for 2019? Any trips planned for the US? Any large festivals we should be aware of in Ontario? Back in the studio soon? Please let us know. 

WSA: World domination! OK, seriously … we are heading out for a bunch of corporate dates into spring and some soft seat theater dates in Ontario. We have some radio trips planned to small markets nearby. Beginning in June, we will head to Ottawa and Pembroke to do some backing gigs for the Country Music Association of Ontario awards, and playing for our friend Jason Blaine at his celebrity Golf Tournament and show. (featured with us on My Window Faces the South on Big Deal) Other than that, we would love to get back to the States for some more runs of shows, and someday Europe and beyond. Baby steps and big budget planning for this big band.

top