VIDEO FEATURE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Musician:  JONNY LANG
Video:  “Stronger Together

Jonny Lang debuts first video “Stronger Together” from new studio album Signs

 

Jonny Lang’s first new studio album in four years, Signs, will be released September 8, 2017 on Concord Records. It is his sixth major label release. Earlier this week, he featured the first video, “Stronger Together” directed by Norwood Cheek.

Since the release of his debut album, Lie to Me, Grammy Award-winning Jonny Lang has built a reputation as one of the best live performers and guitarists of his generation. The path Lang has been on has brought him the opportunity to support or perform with some of the most respected legends in music. He has shared the stage with everyone from the Rolling Stones and B.B. King to Aerosmith and Buddy Guy, who he continues to tour with today.

It is hard to believe that at only 36 years old Jonny Lang has already had a successful career for two decades. Easier to believe when you learn he released his first platinum record at 15—an age when many young people are just beginning to play music. Lie to Me revealed a talent that transcended the crop of blues prodigies floating around in the late 90s. No flashy re-hasher of classic blues licks, even at that early age Lang was a full-blown artist with a style of his own. Also, setting Lang apart from the wunderkind crowd was a 15-year-old voice that sounded like a weathered soul shouter. Actual life experience was yet to come, and has been subsequently chronicled in a series of five uniformly excellent recordings.

Photo Credit - Daniella Hovsepian

Photo Credit – Daniella Hovsepian

What began as a bluesy sound, influenced by electric pioneers like Albert Collins, B.B. King and Buddy Guy, evolved over those recordings into a modern R&B style closer to Stevie Wonder and contemporary gospel music. Lang’s distinctive, blues-inflected licks appeared on every album, but became one element in a sea of passionately sung and tightly arranged songs.

Signs is not merely a return to the artist’s guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, leaping out of the speakers. “A lot of my earlier influences have been coming to the surface, like Robert Johnson, and Howlin’ Wolf,” says Lang. “I have been appreciating how raw and unrefined that stuff is. I had an itch to emulate some of that, and I think it shows in the songs. Still, I let the writing be what it was and that was sometimes not necessarily the blues.”

The record, which features funk, rock and blues elements, is held together by Lang’s distinctive playing and singing, and the lyrics, which center on themes of embattlement and self-empowerment. “Some of the songs are autobiographical, but not usually in a literal way,” Lang explains. “The main goal is for folks to be able to relate to what I went through. If I can’t make it work using just my personal experience, I use my imagination to fill in the blanks.”

Signs was produced by Lang, Drew Ramsey, and Shannon Sanders. Josh Kelly helmed “Bring Me Back Home.” Lang offers, “Josh and I cut six or seven songs together and had a blast doing it. I am saving the other ones for who knows what—but I definitely wanted that one to be on this record.”

Photo Credit - Daniella Hovsepian

Photo Credit – Daniella Hovsepian

Starting off the record with a juke joint stomp, “Make It Move” is Lang’s story about going to the mountain rather than waiting for it to come to you. “There have been times in my life where I thought something would take care of itself, when I should have put some effort forth to help it happen,” says Lang. “Being proactive has been a weak spot for me, and the song is about doing your part to get things moving.”

“‘Bitter End’ is about humanity continuing to repeat the same mistakes over and over—are we just going to keep doing that until we are all gone?” Lang shared. “Or, are we going to learn from them, and allow for it to be a lesson that lasts, which we can do something with, and turn the past errors into a positive—before we end up in a place where we can’t come back from.”

The songs on Signs has incisive lyrics and a captivating raw sound that jumps out and grabs the listener from the first song “Make It Move.” Lang’s honest soulful voice sings the blues in a way that is accessible for a wide age range of listeners. There is enough fierce instrumental work that will make aspiring guitar players realize Lang still has that certain magic that initially grabbed their attention on his debut album. And this new album underscores his commitment to the blues, while showcasing what he’s learned along the way during these past 23 years.

Our featured video, “Stronger Together,” showcases one of the underlying themes of the album, where Lang provides a hopeful, positive message. We talked with Jonny Lang about his songwriting, his guitar playing, his diverse musical influences, and what keeps him focused—and hopeful.

Photo Credit - Daniella Hovsepian

Photo Credit – Daniella Hovsepian

JONNY LANG Web-Exclusive Interview
with M Music & Musicians magazine publisher, Merlin David

How did the new album Signs evolve?
It started with me calling my friend, Drew Ramsey. He and his collaborator, Shannon Sanders, were the guys who worked on Turn Around [2006]—two records ago. I felt like I wanted to do a record that was raw—tipping the hat to older blues guys. I wanted that particular type of production. So I wanted to make this record with them.

Is there one song you’re glad made it onto this album?
There were some last-minute additions. The song “Wisdom” and “Make It Move” were roughly sketched out in my head, and we snuck them in at the tail end of the project.

Was “Wisdom” really written while you were recording it?
I had this basic idea of things you take for granted as a kid, and when you get older, you learn things that you can teach a younger person—if they’ll listen to you. It’s about passing the torch. The music was spontaneous—it just happened at the end when everyone was about to leave.

Photo Credit - Daniella Hovsepian

Photo Credit – Daniella Hovsepian

Is there a particular theme you wanted the listener to get out of this album?
I didn’t consciously intend to have an overarching theme. There is crazy stuff that will happen in life, but ultimately—you get through it and you are better for it.

How is the music on this album different from your previous albums?
It’s all just music to me. I’ve gotten to be a better songwriter, and better at saying what I want to say—both musically and lyrically. It made things a little easier this time around. And it gets a little easier for me to do that every time.

Tommy Sims played a prominent role with the last album. Tell us about working with Josh Kelly on this album?
Josh is awesome. I wrote with him, and we recorded a bunch of songs—to see how it would go. But only one of those songs made it on this record, “Bring Me Back Home.” But we’ll probably work more together in the future. He’s a really cool guy—nice and fun to write with.

Jonny Lang-5 - Signs_RGBDid you want this album to be a more guitar-centric record?
I wanted to put some of the songs that reflected that influence—the older blues stuff like Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson. Not that it’s an exact representation. But they just inspired me to go down that road.

What about Wolf and Johnson connected with you so much during this album?
I was driving in my truck, listening to something, and I guess it was just the season for me to do this kind of album.

Who inspired you to write songs?
It wasn’t anyone in particular. It was just a feeling—oh, this is what you do. If you make a record—you should write songs. And over the years, I developed some influences.

photo credit - Jeff Fasano

photo credit – Jeff Fasano

What made you originally want to write songs?
As I got older, I started learning what I wanted to do. I started swimming in the deep end of the pool. I looked at whatever skills I had at that point, and I felt the need to grow. With songwriting, I’m able to say what’s important to me, and what’s in my heart. James Taylor is probably my biggest inspiration for songwriting. Stevie Wonder as well. And if I had a chance to play with either of them—it would be amazing.

What is your creative process for writing songs?
It’s a weird thing. I rarely ever sit down and write a song. Usually something pops in my head and then I’ll go write it. I have no control over that. (Laughs) I use the Voice Memo app on my phone. It’s sad because I have a thousand little voice memos, and only a few of them have actually been completed. (Laughs)

Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?
I remember when “Lie to Me” came on the radio. We were listening for it because we knew they would play it that day. We were sitting by the radio. I was sitting on the floor in a little house I was renting at the time in Roseville, Minnesota. The anticipation was amazing.

photo credit - Jeff Fasano

photo credit – Jeff Fasano

What are your Top 3 favorite albums of all time?
Ice Pickin’ (1978) – Albert Collins – I bought that CD over and over—I don’t know how many times. (Laughs)
Hourglass (1997) – James Taylor – And I’ve bought that record so many times. (Laughs)
Music of My Mind (1972) – Stevie Wonder – It’s my favorite record of all time. From front to back, I think he’s playing everything. It blows my mind to listen to that album. It’s a record you can go on a journey with—from front to back. You listen to the whole thing and it takes you on this amazing journey. It’s an absolute crazy masterpiece of a record.

Tell us about a “pinch me” moment—a time you recorded or played live on stage with someone you admired.
Getting to play with B.B. King was huge, and spending time with him was awesome. Buddy Guy continues to be an inspiration to me. One of my favorite memories is going on the road with Sting. He was just so nice to us—really, really kind to me. He had me come out and play almost every night with them. It was so cool. It was a big deal for me. I was only 18 years old, and for a young guy to be included like that—by somebody like him—was truly awesome.

photo credit - Jeff Fasano

photo credit – Jeff Fasano

Are there any musicians you’d like to work with in the future?
Stevie Wonder and James Taylor—those are my two all-time gets. But there are tons of other artists that I love—whose music has become important to me over time. To be honest, really—just about anybody. (Laughs)

Best advice you’d give upcoming musicians?
The thing I’ve learned about navigating this music life is that there are so many variables and aspects. The one aspect I really love is creating music and playing it for people. I wish I can do that until the day I die. I hope I am able to do that. Then there’s the part of it that enables you to do that in our world. Those are the parts that do not come naturally to me—at all. (Laughs) I think it’s that way for a lot of creative folks. I don’t necessarily want to be in a business meeting—pushing your career in a non-creative way. That’s been something I’ve reluctantly had to embrace over the years. Just remembering why it is you’re doing it—is the most important thing. It will keep you going.

How do you stay focused?
It’s easy to lose sight of it. There are so many distractions. You will find yourself reeling and going, “Man, I’m done.” (Laughs) Everyone wants to throw in the towel at some point. Just try to get back to that place where you realize—the world needs all of us—our gifts and talents. It’s important. It would be sad to take that away from other people. And what you have to offer is unique.

photo credit - Jeff Fasano

photo credit – Jeff Fasano

Tell us how your life changed after winning a Grammy.
What’s weird is that the more I learned to slow down and not get anxious about things—the better I feel—which, of course, makes sense. (Laughs) It’s been the hardest thing for me to be able to do that—not be concerned about something little that goes wrong—because I’m wired like that. Just being a little more Zen about everything. (Laughs) It’s slowly happened over the years—over 23 years. I can’t believe it. It’s gone by in a flash.

What’s next?
Releasing this record, and going on the road. It’s going to get real busy here soon. We’re going to Europe and some other international destinations. We have a pretty busy year. But I love every minute of it. Playing this music is satisfying—fulfilling.

Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?
JonnyLang.com

photo credit - Jeff Fasano

photo credit – Jeff Fasano

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