<\/p>\n
VIDEO PREMIERE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\nMusician: \u00a0RANDALL BRAMBLETT<\/strong><\/h1>\nMusic Video: \u201cGarbage Man<\/strong>\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>RANDALL BRAMBLETT DEBUTS \u201cGARBAGE MAN\u201d FROM NEW ALBUM <em>JUKE JOINT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD<\/em>\u2014OUT JULY 7 ON NEW WEST RECORDS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett is releasing his 11<sup>th<\/sup> studio album <em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> early next month. Combining elements of soul and funk, Bramblett marries profound lyrics with heart-thumping soulful melodies inspired by old southern music clubs\u2014juke joints.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the places we play are like the old juke joints where people dance and shout,\u201d Randall explains. \u201cFrom these people and places we find the energy we need to be free to shake the music up.\u201d He attributes the creative evolution of this 10-song collection to the bond he shares with his bandmates. This record \u201creflects the freedom that my bandmates and I have found in the last few years of playing together.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17343\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17343\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17343\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Highly sought-after for his creativity as both a collaborator and skilled touring sideman, the legendary Georgian\u2019s talent has earned him the respect of his peers and many of rock\u2019s finest luminaries. While having shared stages with Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic, Bramblett will be on his own tour through the summer supporting the new record that has a live in-the-studio feel to it. \u201cThe music is rooted more in the soul and R&B dance music I grew up listening to and playing. The songs will take you places that make you dream and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> will be released on July 7 (New West Records), and it is one of the most soulful albums Randall Bramblett has ever recorded. The music thumps at your heart, grabs your soul, and makes you want to get up and dance.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Randall Bramblett about his incredible career in music, the recent passing of Gregg Allman, his new soulful album, and how he continues to push the boundaries while remaining authentic to find his voice and his true center.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>RANDALL BRAMBLETT Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music & Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cGarbage Man\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cGarbage Man\u201d comes from memories of growing up in a small South Georgia town. I was thinking about the huge gulf between the classes and the races that formed the background of everyday life there. Everything was at once familiar and totally beyond my understanding.\u00a0It\u2019s also about that disconnect\u2014of living in a small town. Small town living can feel both safe and isolated. I felt like I knew everyone and yet there were huge swaths of the population I never knew. Idyllic\u2014and romantically out of touch. The \u201cGarbage Man\u201d represents the reality behind the illusions of small town life in the South.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17332\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17332\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17332 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-03 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tell us how this new album <em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> evolved.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I\u2019ve been playing with my four-piece group\u2014that I love, and they provided the direction for this new record. Playing with them inspired me. For this record, I decided to mainly feature this four-piece group\u2014trying to capture that quartet feel. After four or five years together, we are at the point where we can read each other\u2019s minds. A lot of this record reflects the flow and how we react to each other. I did my vocals at home, which I\u2019ve never done before, but it\u2019s pretty much live. We just did it in the studio, and it felt so good. It\u2019s got an organ quartet sound from the 70s, like Les McCann or Eddie Harris. But it\u2019s also got the craziness and edginess of what I like to do lyrically and sonically. It\u2019s a mix of the old and new.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did this album differ from the previous album?<br \/>\n<\/strong>The last record was <em>Devil Music<\/em>. My process is to keep writing, and let the songs lead the way. These songs are fun, funky but crazy lyrics. The songs, musically, came out of the live performances with the quartet\u2014that\u2019s what inspired me musically. The last album was pretty dark and heavy, and powerful to do. I wanted to keep this album simpler.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where were these live performances?<br \/>\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve been playing a lot of places like Bradfordville Blues Club, outside Tallahassee, FL. It\u2019s an actual juke joint in the woods\u2014with historical marker. It was an after-hours joint for Ray Charles, the Negro League baseball team and others. An old concrete block place they fixed up\u2014got the vibe. We play places where people dance. That\u2019s given me energy these past couple of years. Some of these songs came out of that energy\u2014they\u2019re danceable, they\u2019re fun. I like to see people dance, and I like to play funky music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is this a change from the music you\u2019ve been doing?<\/strong><br \/>\nNot too long ago, I went through a period where I was doing Americana. Not strictly, but it had that leaning\u2014more folky, Americana. But since this group, it\u2019s just been fun to watch people dance and have a big time. And these songs came out of that music.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17331\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17331\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17331\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Nolan Terrebonne\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Nolan Terrebonne<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI try to journal a little bit every morning. I read a couple of meditation books\u2014recovery stuff. Sometimes ideas or visuals, a few words or feelings, maybe a paragraph\u2014I put that in the back of the book. Eventually, I take those down to my studio and get out a guitar or maybe a keyboard. I usually write on electric guitar because I don\u2019t play one very well. My hands don\u2019t know where to go\u2014that helps me not go to the same places. I usually run a loop program I\u2019ve used for years, ACID, just to get an ambient sound or a rhythm to get things going. I sing these words to that rhythm, and it sparks other words\u2014until a song emerges. I never have the whole thing planned or written. I just follow the thread of the idea of a scene or vignette, and let that tell me where the song is going\u2014and what the song is about. I\u2019m not like a Nashville writer. I usually don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to write about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nFor a song like \u201cHate to See You Go\u201d\u2014which was on <em>Rich Someday<\/em>. It starts out, \u201cBig green moth on a window screen\u201d which is what I saw one night. \u201cSo still and resigned\u201d is the next line. A metaphor for letting someone go\u2014hating to see them leave. I am looking at the moth saying \u201cI guess you\u2019re ready for anything that comes down the lonesome line.\u201d And that led to, \u201cWhatever happens, it will be alright. Guess I\u2019ll take my lesson from the moth tonight.\u201d I live out in the woods, and I see stuff like that. We also had a big drought, and that became a metaphor for drying up spiritually, relationships drying up. I hear things in meetings that really grab me. I heard somebody say, \u201cI\u2019m all prayed up\u2014but I still wanted to drink.\u201d I used \u201cprayed up\u201d on one of the songs on this new record\u2014\u201cAll Prayed Up.\u201d I love to hear phrases like that\u2014Southern and so beautiful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any other songs like that on this new album?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cI Just Don\u2019t Have the Time\u201d is funny because I\u2019m rambling on about somebody who is bugging the hell out of me\u2014or the person talking. It came from a story I heard in Nashville. During a session, this big time producer was being bugged by a new guitar player trying to weasel his way into a session. He was all talk, talk, talk. Finally the producer turned to him and said, \u201cI\u2019d like to get to know you, I\u2019d like to be your friend\u2014but I just don\u2019t have the time.\u201d (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nWriters need to pay attention to the world around them and to their interior world too. Try to be aware of what\u2019s going on. Make note of it, so you can use it\u2014whatever brings up a feeling, or maybe a metaphor. Make note of it. Be aware of it. Pay attention to your inner and outer surroundings\u2014to your environment. The other thing is showing up, and making time for writing. In the old days, people used drugs to make them write something. Sometimes it was good, and sometimes it wasn\u2019t. \u2018Oh we need 10 songs for a record, let\u2019s get high and write.\u2019 I can\u2019t and don\u2019t want to do that anymore.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17330\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17330\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17330 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-05 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17330\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>I<\/strong><strong>s songwriting difficult?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have to show up, and it\u2019s not always fun to make time for inspiration. Songwriting is frustrating as hell sometimes, but I\u2019ve learned that if nothing\u2019s happening, or I\u2019m lyrically up against a wall, I leave it and take a walk and come back. When I hear the recording again, I may think\u2014that\u2019s pretty good. I don\u2019t want to beat it over the head and capture it that way. I want to lure it into the cage. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are you the cage?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe album\u2019s the cage. Once you capture it on an album, you\u2019ve got it for all time. Funny, but I\u2019m now thinking about all these armadillo traps that I set around my house. I\u2019m luring them into the cage. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Songwriting and the whole creative process is mysterious. I can\u2019t guarantee that if I come down here I can write it\u2014even if I try <em>really<\/em> hard. Some days it\u2019s there, and some days it\u2019s not. Most of the time, it\u2019s frustrating. For others, it comes easier. After I write it, and record it\u2014the satisfaction is great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about one unique songwriting experience.<\/strong><br \/>\nI dreamed one song on this last record. It might have been the first time I\u2019ve done it\u2014the words, and the melody. It starts, \u201c40 buzzards on the cell tower.\u201d I did see a ton of buzzards on a cell tower when I was walking through the woods\u2014hell of an image. You can imagine if your phone rang, you wouldn\u2019t want to take that call. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) It\u2019s like death. The song goes, \u201cMan, I wouldn\u2019t take that call.\u201d And the chorus, \u201cMali katra, mali sutra\u201d\u2014who knows what that means. I used an Indian phrase of some type that means mysterious spirit\u2014always hiding in the background, always hiding in the everlasting daylight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strong lyrics.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m almost 69, so I\u2019m thinking about death. Some of these songs are\u2014what\u2019s it going to be like? Where are we going? How will it be not to exist? Do you fight it? It\u2019s just mortality. That song has some deep, strong lyrics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17329\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17329\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17329 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-06 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17329\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>You did a cover.<\/strong><br \/>\nI rarely do covers, but the record company and my agent\u2014they\u2019re always saying: you should do a cover. This time I thought it would be fun to cover a song I really like\u2014Beck\u2019s \u201cDevil\u2019s Haircut\u201d\u2014it seemed to fit with my musical vibe. We put horns on it. It\u2019s pretty funky.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you keep things interesting?<\/strong><br \/>\nOn the last record, I used some guests: Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks and Chuck Leavell. I hadn\u2019t done that before, so I thought I\u2019d try it. I\u2019m trying to do something a little different each time\u2014push the boundaries. It\u2019s a real honor to have <em>all <\/em>these guys play.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about working with Chuck Leavell and Sea Level.<\/strong><br \/>\nWe met in Macon\u2014on a session. We started off in the Allman Brothers Band. I needed to do more work. We joined Sea Level, and I brought Davis Causey with me. We did several records with them. We thought we\u2019d come up with a different sound\u2014especially the Southern jazzy thing. It was fine for a couple of records but we just ran out of steam. The drugs and alcohol were excessive\u2014for me, and we lost inspiration. The record company, Capricorn, folded. But Chuck and I remained close. We\u2019re playing in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sad news about Gregg Allman this past weekend.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m missing Gregg these days. I sent him a text a few weeks ago but never heard back. I thanked him for taking me on his first two solo tours. They were my first national tours and I\u2019ll never forget them. We had a big production with stage props of moss and southern swamp scenes on\u00a0Plexiglas. We also took an orchestra of what seemed like a hundred crusty union string players who also played poker between songs in rehearsals. I can remember being thrilled and intimidated when we played Carnegie Hall. How was it possible I was standing on that stage? We had a private plane for traveling fast and partying hard. That was my intro to that world too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did Gregg\u2019s music influence you?<\/strong><br \/>\nWatching Gregg play \u201cOncoming Traffic\u201d night after night on the big grand piano showed me what he could accomplish with just his voice and soul. Powerful stuff for a kid from south Georgia. I watched him play his soulful Hammond and memorized his drawbar settings. His voice became a model for how blue eyed soul could be\u00a0authentic\u00a0and original\u2014not just imitative. His influence on all of us upcoming southern songwriters and vocalists just can\u2019t be overestimated.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17328\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17328\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17328 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-08 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17328\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was a big Dylan fan since high school\u2014learned all the songs on guitar. I wasn\u2019t planning on being a professional musician. I was in college\u2014thought I\u2019d be a scientist or psychologist. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I liked religion. I got accepted to Seminary, but I heard guys like James Taylor (big reason I had a guitar), Van Morrison, Leon Russell, and got interested in songwriting. I was a senior in college <em>trying<\/em> to write songs\u2014sounding like James Taylor. Later I started writing funkier, like the soul band I was in. I was trying to find my voice\u2014moved to Athens, and met some writers there. After I wrote a few songs, I thought\u2014maybe I could do this. I didn\u2019t go to Seminary. I decided I\u2019d try to be a songwriter and a musician.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which Seminary?<\/strong><br \/>\nI got accepted into Harvard. This was college religion classes in Chapel Hill, but I liked them a lot. I identified with studying psychology and religion together. I got a high draft number, so I wasn\u2019t going to Vietnam. Religion interested me, and I thought going to Harvard would be so cool. It was a fork in the road. I was tired of school and the academic thing and picked going down to Athens to play music. I wanted to be a songwriter and have some fun. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17342\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17342\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17342\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett with his Lichty Guitar\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randall Bramblett with his Lichty Guitar<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What instruments can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nDefinitely Lichty Guitars. When Jay built that guitar for me, I wasn\u2019t a solo performer. But the record company needed me to go to radio stations and promote the record. I had to play solo and duo acoustic guitar things\u2014and I\u2019m not a great acoustic or electric player. But when Jay built that guitar for me, it gave me the motivation I needed. It was a really good guitar. I needed to get it together and work on being a good guitar player. I\u2019m more comfortable and it seems like this is my instrument. It\u2019s a beautiful instrument, and it sounds great. Something about him building this for me\u2014it gave me the confidence to be a better solo musician.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other guitars?<\/strong><br \/>\nI write a lot with a guitar called the Tradition Jerry Reed model. It\u2019s a beautiful guitar\u2014like a tele with a whammy bar and a special mechanism that keeps it in tune. It gives a big ringing ambient sound. I think I met the guys at a Bonnie Raitt show I was playing, but I got it in Florida. I use it to get odd distortions and echoes. But I would never try to play electric guitar in a session. Writing with it gives me inspiration because of the sounds I can get out of it that I cannot get out of an acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17327\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17327\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17327 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-09 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17327\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>And piano?<\/strong><br \/>\nI use the Nord Stage 2. It\u2019s wired into the Hammond XK-1C. I hook them together so the Rhodes piano sounds and organ play simultaneously\u2014triggered at the same time. It\u2019s a unique sound I developed over the years\u2014where you hit a chord, and sustain the piano, and you get a whispery organ sound that continues. It\u2019s a cool thing. I used it on almost every song on this last record.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your signature sound develop?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was trying to do organ and piano at the same time\u2014on a lot of songs. I had to learn how to midi them together. You can\u2019t play everything you want to play. The piano part would not be a good organ part, and vice versa. You had to find a middle ground where things work for both instruments. I like hearing what I\u2019m doing right now, so I\u2019m going to keep on doing it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What PRO are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m with BMI.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was Sea Level\u2019s 1977 \u201cThat\u2019s Your Secret\u201d \u2014it did well and climbed up the charts. I was probably in a fog, having too much fun\u2014but it was exciting to hear it on the radio. I hear my songs now on cable, and that\u2019s always nice.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17326\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-13 - Gregg Allman\" width=\"660\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman-300x222.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>Top 5 Musicians\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was early rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, people like Jerry Lee Lewis. Then I discovered Ray Charles and James Brown\u2014they continually are my inspiration. Then Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and the Beatles showed me lyrics \u2014you can write about things other than moon, June and love affairs. You can write about <em>anything<\/em>. They opened the door to write about things meaningful to me\u2014to expand my mind and not just write about things that people thought were acceptable, or what lyrics should be about and what music should sound like. That\u2019s a great gift Dylan and the Beatles gave everybody. These days, the soul music I grew up with is just sticking with me more than the folk music. I\u2019m diggin\u2019 the live playing and the band. I\u2019m enjoying it so much\u2014always fun and funky and beautiful. I\u2019ve gone back to my roots. I was always in a soul band\u2014trying to be black and sing like the black people I love. That\u2019s what\u2019s guiding me these days\u2014what I really love. Hard to beat those old records.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about some of your favorite albums.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Live at the Apollo<\/em> (1963) \u2013 James Brown \u2013 was a life changer.<br \/>\n<em>Genius + Soul = Jazz<\/em> (1960) \u2013 Ray Charles \u2013 all the early ones really moved me and still do.<br \/>\nEtta James, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Son House, Muddy Waters\u2014all of it.<br \/>\nThe Blues is just through everything\u2014it\u2019s a foundation. I heard them, but didn\u2019t pay much attention, but I am now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you played with people you admired?<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>There have been a few who really moved me. When I was in college, I listened to Traffic. In 1988, I recorded with Steve Winwood, who is one of my favorite singers. I played with him for the next 16 years. He\u2019s a consummate professional. His voice is just as good as it was when he was 16. He plays the organ, and I learned a lot of that from him. I played with Bonnie Raitt, and she\u2019s the same way\u2014gets better and better. Her generosity and support of songwriters like me is amazing. She opened my eyes. You can be a big star and be generous and supportive of other people. It\u2019s beautiful. She\u2019s a natural at it. I honestly love singer-songwriters\u2014people who write songs like she does. Roger Glover, the bass player for Deep Purple, heard my stuff and called me. I went up to Connecticut and did a couple of records with him. So many amazing musicians.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-17325\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-14 - Gregg Allman-2\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2.jpg 360w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/>Best advice someone has given you.<\/strong><br \/>\nWrite from the heart, don\u2019t get too clever, don\u2019t get too much in your mind\u2014play music from your heart. To me, it meant to not plan it out too much. Don\u2019t get too intellectual about it. That was good advice. I have to suit up, show up, and keep doing it\u2014persistence. Write things that mean something to you. Don\u2019t worry about what it means to anybody else\u2014or you get hung up trying to please other people. Write from your heart and trust it\u2019s going to get through. I always have to remember that. I\u2019ve sold a lot of records, but I\u2019m not that well known. I have to trust that what I\u2019m doing pleases me. I know it\u2019s going to please some people, but not a lot. I have to trust that it\u2019s OK. You have to define your own success.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d like to give.<\/strong><br \/>\nKeep after it. It\u2019s not easy to be a successful or recognized musician, but success should be defined as what pleases you. Keep pushing to do something different every time. I don\u2019t want to do the same old things I\u2019ve been doing on other records. I like to push the boundaries each time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s always exciting to get a new album out and see what the response is going to be\u2014to see if anyone likes it. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) See if radio plays it. Like anything else, it\u2019s exciting for a while, but shiny things get dull with time. I usually try to keep my expectations low. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Let it be what it is. I just have to trust that it\u2019s a good record. It comes out July 7, and we\u2019ll see what New West can do with it. I have to believe in them. I turn it over to them, and play live as much as I can\u2014and get the word out there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you learn while doing this record?<\/strong><br \/>\nI feel like I\u2019ve found my voice\u2014musically and lyrically\u2014I\u2019ve found my true center. And it\u2019s authentic music. Even when it\u2019s someone else\u2019s voice in a song, it feels authentic to me. I think that\u2019s a good place to be, and I feel good about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/RandallBramblett.com%20\" target=\"_blank\">RandallBramblett.com\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17324\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17324\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17324\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17324\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> VIDEO PREMIERE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: \u00a0RANDALL BRAMBLETT Music Video: \u201cGarbage Man\u201d RANDALL BRAMBLETT DEBUTS \u201cGARBAGE MAN\u201d FROM NEW ALBUM JUKE JOINT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD\u2014OUT JULY 7 ON NEW WEST RECORDS Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett is releasing his 11th studio album Juke Joint at the Edge of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[3346,9139,4123,9140,4578,5879,3592,3186,9141,9142,3879,9143,9144,9145,2530,2315,9146,9147,5740,8209,9148,2398,7357,9149,9150,8430,9151,3823,1624,9152,3670,9153,9154,1064,9155,9156,10161,7566,9157,9158,3010,7978,5335,4053,9159,9160,9161,9162,9163,9164,9165,3263,7201,9166,9167,9168,9169,9170,4898,9171,9172,4641,3818,9173,9174,8998,3527,9175,2264],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17322"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17344,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322\/revisions\/17344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>RANDALL BRAMBLETT DEBUTS \u201cGARBAGE MAN\u201d FROM NEW ALBUM <em>JUKE JOINT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD<\/em>\u2014OUT JULY 7 ON NEW WEST RECORDS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett is releasing his 11<sup>th<\/sup> studio album <em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> early next month. Combining elements of soul and funk, Bramblett marries profound lyrics with heart-thumping soulful melodies inspired by old southern music clubs\u2014juke joints.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the places we play are like the old juke joints where people dance and shout,\u201d Randall explains. \u201cFrom these people and places we find the energy we need to be free to shake the music up.\u201d He attributes the creative evolution of this 10-song collection to the bond he shares with his bandmates. This record \u201creflects the freedom that my bandmates and I have found in the last few years of playing together.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17343\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17343\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17343\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-01-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Highly sought-after for his creativity as both a collaborator and skilled touring sideman, the legendary Georgian\u2019s talent has earned him the respect of his peers and many of rock\u2019s finest luminaries. While having shared stages with Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic, Bramblett will be on his own tour through the summer supporting the new record that has a live in-the-studio feel to it. \u201cThe music is rooted more in the soul and R&B dance music I grew up listening to and playing. The songs will take you places that make you dream and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> will be released on July 7 (New West Records), and it is one of the most soulful albums Randall Bramblett has ever recorded. The music thumps at your heart, grabs your soul, and makes you want to get up and dance.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Randall Bramblett about his incredible career in music, the recent passing of Gregg Allman, his new soulful album, and how he continues to push the boundaries while remaining authentic to find his voice and his true center.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>RANDALL BRAMBLETT Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music & Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cGarbage Man\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cGarbage Man\u201d comes from memories of growing up in a small South Georgia town. I was thinking about the huge gulf between the classes and the races that formed the background of everyday life there. Everything was at once familiar and totally beyond my understanding.\u00a0It\u2019s also about that disconnect\u2014of living in a small town. Small town living can feel both safe and isolated. I felt like I knew everyone and yet there were huge swaths of the population I never knew. Idyllic\u2014and romantically out of touch. The \u201cGarbage Man\u201d represents the reality behind the illusions of small town life in the South.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17332\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17332\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17332 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-03 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-03-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tell us how this new album <em>Juke Joint at the Edge of the World<\/em> evolved.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I\u2019ve been playing with my four-piece group\u2014that I love, and they provided the direction for this new record. Playing with them inspired me. For this record, I decided to mainly feature this four-piece group\u2014trying to capture that quartet feel. After four or five years together, we are at the point where we can read each other\u2019s minds. A lot of this record reflects the flow and how we react to each other. I did my vocals at home, which I\u2019ve never done before, but it\u2019s pretty much live. We just did it in the studio, and it felt so good. It\u2019s got an organ quartet sound from the 70s, like Les McCann or Eddie Harris. But it\u2019s also got the craziness and edginess of what I like to do lyrically and sonically. It\u2019s a mix of the old and new.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did this album differ from the previous album?<br \/>\n<\/strong>The last record was <em>Devil Music<\/em>. My process is to keep writing, and let the songs lead the way. These songs are fun, funky but crazy lyrics. The songs, musically, came out of the live performances with the quartet\u2014that\u2019s what inspired me musically. The last album was pretty dark and heavy, and powerful to do. I wanted to keep this album simpler.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where were these live performances?<br \/>\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve been playing a lot of places like Bradfordville Blues Club, outside Tallahassee, FL. It\u2019s an actual juke joint in the woods\u2014with historical marker. It was an after-hours joint for Ray Charles, the Negro League baseball team and others. An old concrete block place they fixed up\u2014got the vibe. We play places where people dance. That\u2019s given me energy these past couple of years. Some of these songs came out of that energy\u2014they\u2019re danceable, they\u2019re fun. I like to see people dance, and I like to play funky music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is this a change from the music you\u2019ve been doing?<\/strong><br \/>\nNot too long ago, I went through a period where I was doing Americana. Not strictly, but it had that leaning\u2014more folky, Americana. But since this group, it\u2019s just been fun to watch people dance and have a big time. And these songs came out of that music.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17331\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17331\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17331\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Nolan Terrebonne\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-4-Photo-credit-Nolan-Terrebonne-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Nolan Terrebonne<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI try to journal a little bit every morning. I read a couple of meditation books\u2014recovery stuff. Sometimes ideas or visuals, a few words or feelings, maybe a paragraph\u2014I put that in the back of the book. Eventually, I take those down to my studio and get out a guitar or maybe a keyboard. I usually write on electric guitar because I don\u2019t play one very well. My hands don\u2019t know where to go\u2014that helps me not go to the same places. I usually run a loop program I\u2019ve used for years, ACID, just to get an ambient sound or a rhythm to get things going. I sing these words to that rhythm, and it sparks other words\u2014until a song emerges. I never have the whole thing planned or written. I just follow the thread of the idea of a scene or vignette, and let that tell me where the song is going\u2014and what the song is about. I\u2019m not like a Nashville writer. I usually don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to write about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nFor a song like \u201cHate to See You Go\u201d\u2014which was on <em>Rich Someday<\/em>. It starts out, \u201cBig green moth on a window screen\u201d which is what I saw one night. \u201cSo still and resigned\u201d is the next line. A metaphor for letting someone go\u2014hating to see them leave. I am looking at the moth saying \u201cI guess you\u2019re ready for anything that comes down the lonesome line.\u201d And that led to, \u201cWhatever happens, it will be alright. Guess I\u2019ll take my lesson from the moth tonight.\u201d I live out in the woods, and I see stuff like that. We also had a big drought, and that became a metaphor for drying up spiritually, relationships drying up. I hear things in meetings that really grab me. I heard somebody say, \u201cI\u2019m all prayed up\u2014but I still wanted to drink.\u201d I used \u201cprayed up\u201d on one of the songs on this new record\u2014\u201cAll Prayed Up.\u201d I love to hear phrases like that\u2014Southern and so beautiful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any other songs like that on this new album?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cI Just Don\u2019t Have the Time\u201d is funny because I\u2019m rambling on about somebody who is bugging the hell out of me\u2014or the person talking. It came from a story I heard in Nashville. During a session, this big time producer was being bugged by a new guitar player trying to weasel his way into a session. He was all talk, talk, talk. Finally the producer turned to him and said, \u201cI\u2019d like to get to know you, I\u2019d like to be your friend\u2014but I just don\u2019t have the time.\u201d (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nWriters need to pay attention to the world around them and to their interior world too. Try to be aware of what\u2019s going on. Make note of it, so you can use it\u2014whatever brings up a feeling, or maybe a metaphor. Make note of it. Be aware of it. Pay attention to your inner and outer surroundings\u2014to your environment. The other thing is showing up, and making time for writing. In the old days, people used drugs to make them write something. Sometimes it was good, and sometimes it wasn\u2019t. \u2018Oh we need 10 songs for a record, let\u2019s get high and write.\u2019 I can\u2019t and don\u2019t want to do that anymore.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17330\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17330\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17330 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-05 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-05-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17330\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>I<\/strong><strong>s songwriting difficult?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have to show up, and it\u2019s not always fun to make time for inspiration. Songwriting is frustrating as hell sometimes, but I\u2019ve learned that if nothing\u2019s happening, or I\u2019m lyrically up against a wall, I leave it and take a walk and come back. When I hear the recording again, I may think\u2014that\u2019s pretty good. I don\u2019t want to beat it over the head and capture it that way. I want to lure it into the cage. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are you the cage?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe album\u2019s the cage. Once you capture it on an album, you\u2019ve got it for all time. Funny, but I\u2019m now thinking about all these armadillo traps that I set around my house. I\u2019m luring them into the cage. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Songwriting and the whole creative process is mysterious. I can\u2019t guarantee that if I come down here I can write it\u2014even if I try <em>really<\/em> hard. Some days it\u2019s there, and some days it\u2019s not. Most of the time, it\u2019s frustrating. For others, it comes easier. After I write it, and record it\u2014the satisfaction is great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about one unique songwriting experience.<\/strong><br \/>\nI dreamed one song on this last record. It might have been the first time I\u2019ve done it\u2014the words, and the melody. It starts, \u201c40 buzzards on the cell tower.\u201d I did see a ton of buzzards on a cell tower when I was walking through the woods\u2014hell of an image. You can imagine if your phone rang, you wouldn\u2019t want to take that call. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) It\u2019s like death. The song goes, \u201cMan, I wouldn\u2019t take that call.\u201d And the chorus, \u201cMali katra, mali sutra\u201d\u2014who knows what that means. I used an Indian phrase of some type that means mysterious spirit\u2014always hiding in the background, always hiding in the everlasting daylight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strong lyrics.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m almost 69, so I\u2019m thinking about death. Some of these songs are\u2014what\u2019s it going to be like? Where are we going? How will it be not to exist? Do you fight it? It\u2019s just mortality. That song has some deep, strong lyrics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17329\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17329\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17329 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-06 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-06-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17329\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>You did a cover.<\/strong><br \/>\nI rarely do covers, but the record company and my agent\u2014they\u2019re always saying: you should do a cover. This time I thought it would be fun to cover a song I really like\u2014Beck\u2019s \u201cDevil\u2019s Haircut\u201d\u2014it seemed to fit with my musical vibe. We put horns on it. It\u2019s pretty funky.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you keep things interesting?<\/strong><br \/>\nOn the last record, I used some guests: Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks and Chuck Leavell. I hadn\u2019t done that before, so I thought I\u2019d try it. I\u2019m trying to do something a little different each time\u2014push the boundaries. It\u2019s a real honor to have <em>all <\/em>these guys play.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about working with Chuck Leavell and Sea Level.<\/strong><br \/>\nWe met in Macon\u2014on a session. We started off in the Allman Brothers Band. I needed to do more work. We joined Sea Level, and I brought Davis Causey with me. We did several records with them. We thought we\u2019d come up with a different sound\u2014especially the Southern jazzy thing. It was fine for a couple of records but we just ran out of steam. The drugs and alcohol were excessive\u2014for me, and we lost inspiration. The record company, Capricorn, folded. But Chuck and I remained close. We\u2019re playing in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sad news about Gregg Allman this past weekend.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m missing Gregg these days. I sent him a text a few weeks ago but never heard back. I thanked him for taking me on his first two solo tours. They were my first national tours and I\u2019ll never forget them. We had a big production with stage props of moss and southern swamp scenes on\u00a0Plexiglas. We also took an orchestra of what seemed like a hundred crusty union string players who also played poker between songs in rehearsals. I can remember being thrilled and intimidated when we played Carnegie Hall. How was it possible I was standing on that stage? We had a private plane for traveling fast and partying hard. That was my intro to that world too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did Gregg\u2019s music influence you?<\/strong><br \/>\nWatching Gregg play \u201cOncoming Traffic\u201d night after night on the big grand piano showed me what he could accomplish with just his voice and soul. Powerful stuff for a kid from south Georgia. I watched him play his soulful Hammond and memorized his drawbar settings. His voice became a model for how blue eyed soul could be\u00a0authentic\u00a0and original\u2014not just imitative. His influence on all of us upcoming southern songwriters and vocalists just can\u2019t be overestimated.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17328\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17328\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17328 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-08 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-08-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17328\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was a big Dylan fan since high school\u2014learned all the songs on guitar. I wasn\u2019t planning on being a professional musician. I was in college\u2014thought I\u2019d be a scientist or psychologist. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I liked religion. I got accepted to Seminary, but I heard guys like James Taylor (big reason I had a guitar), Van Morrison, Leon Russell, and got interested in songwriting. I was a senior in college <em>trying<\/em> to write songs\u2014sounding like James Taylor. Later I started writing funkier, like the soul band I was in. I was trying to find my voice\u2014moved to Athens, and met some writers there. After I wrote a few songs, I thought\u2014maybe I could do this. I didn\u2019t go to Seminary. I decided I\u2019d try to be a songwriter and a musician.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which Seminary?<\/strong><br \/>\nI got accepted into Harvard. This was college religion classes in Chapel Hill, but I liked them a lot. I identified with studying psychology and religion together. I got a high draft number, so I wasn\u2019t going to Vietnam. Religion interested me, and I thought going to Harvard would be so cool. It was a fork in the road. I was tired of school and the academic thing and picked going down to Athens to play music. I wanted to be a songwriter and have some fun. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17342\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17342\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17342\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett with his Lichty Guitar\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-Lichty-Guitars-2-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randall Bramblett with his Lichty Guitar<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What instruments can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nDefinitely Lichty Guitars. When Jay built that guitar for me, I wasn\u2019t a solo performer. But the record company needed me to go to radio stations and promote the record. I had to play solo and duo acoustic guitar things\u2014and I\u2019m not a great acoustic or electric player. But when Jay built that guitar for me, it gave me the motivation I needed. It was a really good guitar. I needed to get it together and work on being a good guitar player. I\u2019m more comfortable and it seems like this is my instrument. It\u2019s a beautiful instrument, and it sounds great. Something about him building this for me\u2014it gave me the confidence to be a better solo musician.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other guitars?<\/strong><br \/>\nI write a lot with a guitar called the Tradition Jerry Reed model. It\u2019s a beautiful guitar\u2014like a tele with a whammy bar and a special mechanism that keeps it in tune. It gives a big ringing ambient sound. I think I met the guys at a Bonnie Raitt show I was playing, but I got it in Florida. I use it to get odd distortions and echoes. But I would never try to play electric guitar in a session. Writing with it gives me inspiration because of the sounds I can get out of it that I cannot get out of an acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17327\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17327\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17327 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-09 - photo credit Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-09-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17327\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>And piano?<\/strong><br \/>\nI use the Nord Stage 2. It\u2019s wired into the Hammond XK-1C. I hook them together so the Rhodes piano sounds and organ play simultaneously\u2014triggered at the same time. It\u2019s a unique sound I developed over the years\u2014where you hit a chord, and sustain the piano, and you get a whispery organ sound that continues. It\u2019s a cool thing. I used it on almost every song on this last record.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your signature sound develop?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was trying to do organ and piano at the same time\u2014on a lot of songs. I had to learn how to midi them together. You can\u2019t play everything you want to play. The piano part would not be a good organ part, and vice versa. You had to find a middle ground where things work for both instruments. I like hearing what I\u2019m doing right now, so I\u2019m going to keep on doing it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What PRO are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m with BMI.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was Sea Level\u2019s 1977 \u201cThat\u2019s Your Secret\u201d \u2014it did well and climbed up the charts. I was probably in a fog, having too much fun\u2014but it was exciting to hear it on the radio. I hear my songs now on cable, and that\u2019s always nice.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17326\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-13 - Gregg Allman\" width=\"660\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-13-Gregg-Allman-300x222.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>Top 5 Musicians\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was early rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, people like Jerry Lee Lewis. Then I discovered Ray Charles and James Brown\u2014they continually are my inspiration. Then Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and the Beatles showed me lyrics \u2014you can write about things other than moon, June and love affairs. You can write about <em>anything<\/em>. They opened the door to write about things meaningful to me\u2014to expand my mind and not just write about things that people thought were acceptable, or what lyrics should be about and what music should sound like. That\u2019s a great gift Dylan and the Beatles gave everybody. These days, the soul music I grew up with is just sticking with me more than the folk music. I\u2019m diggin\u2019 the live playing and the band. I\u2019m enjoying it so much\u2014always fun and funky and beautiful. I\u2019ve gone back to my roots. I was always in a soul band\u2014trying to be black and sing like the black people I love. That\u2019s what\u2019s guiding me these days\u2014what I really love. Hard to beat those old records.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about some of your favorite albums.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Live at the Apollo<\/em> (1963) \u2013 James Brown \u2013 was a life changer.<br \/>\n<em>Genius + Soul = Jazz<\/em> (1960) \u2013 Ray Charles \u2013 all the early ones really moved me and still do.<br \/>\nEtta James, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Son House, Muddy Waters\u2014all of it.<br \/>\nThe Blues is just through everything\u2014it\u2019s a foundation. I heard them, but didn\u2019t pay much attention, but I am now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you played with people you admired?<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>There have been a few who really moved me. When I was in college, I listened to Traffic. In 1988, I recorded with Steve Winwood, who is one of my favorite singers. I played with him for the next 16 years. He\u2019s a consummate professional. His voice is just as good as it was when he was 16. He plays the organ, and I learned a lot of that from him. I played with Bonnie Raitt, and she\u2019s the same way\u2014gets better and better. Her generosity and support of songwriters like me is amazing. She opened my eyes. You can be a big star and be generous and supportive of other people. It\u2019s beautiful. She\u2019s a natural at it. I honestly love singer-songwriters\u2014people who write songs like she does. Roger Glover, the bass player for Deep Purple, heard my stuff and called me. I went up to Connecticut and did a couple of records with him. So many amazing musicians.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-17325\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2.jpg\" alt=\"Randall Bramblett-14 - Gregg Allman-2\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2.jpg 360w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-14-Gregg-Allman-2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/>Best advice someone has given you.<\/strong><br \/>\nWrite from the heart, don\u2019t get too clever, don\u2019t get too much in your mind\u2014play music from your heart. To me, it meant to not plan it out too much. Don\u2019t get too intellectual about it. That was good advice. I have to suit up, show up, and keep doing it\u2014persistence. Write things that mean something to you. Don\u2019t worry about what it means to anybody else\u2014or you get hung up trying to please other people. Write from your heart and trust it\u2019s going to get through. I always have to remember that. I\u2019ve sold a lot of records, but I\u2019m not that well known. I have to trust that what I\u2019m doing pleases me. I know it\u2019s going to please some people, but not a lot. I have to trust that it\u2019s OK. You have to define your own success.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d like to give.<\/strong><br \/>\nKeep after it. It\u2019s not easy to be a successful or recognized musician, but success should be defined as what pleases you. Keep pushing to do something different every time. I don\u2019t want to do the same old things I\u2019ve been doing on other records. I like to push the boundaries each time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s always exciting to get a new album out and see what the response is going to be\u2014to see if anyone likes it. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) See if radio plays it. Like anything else, it\u2019s exciting for a while, but shiny things get dull with time. I usually try to keep my expectations low. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Let it be what it is. I just have to trust that it\u2019s a good record. It comes out July 7, and we\u2019ll see what New West can do with it. I have to believe in them. I turn it over to them, and play live as much as I can\u2014and get the word out there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you learn while doing this record?<\/strong><br \/>\nI feel like I\u2019ve found my voice\u2014musically and lyrically\u2014I\u2019ve found my true center. And it\u2019s authentic music. Even when it\u2019s someone else\u2019s voice in a song, it feels authentic to me. I think that\u2019s a good place to be, and I feel good about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/RandallBramblett.com%20\" target=\"_blank\">RandallBramblett.com\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17324\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17324\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17324\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Ian McFarlane\" width=\"660\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Randall-Bramblett-12-photo-credit-Ian-McFarlane-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17324\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Ian McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> VIDEO PREMIERE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: \u00a0RANDALL BRAMBLETT Music Video: \u201cGarbage Man\u201d RANDALL BRAMBLETT DEBUTS \u201cGARBAGE MAN\u201d FROM NEW ALBUM JUKE JOINT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD\u2014OUT JULY 7 ON NEW WEST RECORDS Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett is releasing his 11th studio album Juke Joint at the Edge of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[3346,9139,4123,9140,4578,5879,3592,3186,9141,9142,3879,9143,9144,9145,2530,2315,9146,9147,5740,8209,9148,2398,7357,9149,9150,8430,9151,3823,1624,9152,3670,9153,9154,1064,9155,9156,10161,7566,9157,9158,3010,7978,5335,4053,9159,9160,9161,9162,9163,9164,9165,3263,7201,9166,9167,9168,9169,9170,4898,9171,9172,4641,3818,9173,9174,8998,3527,9175,2264],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17322"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17344,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17322\/revisions\/17344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}