Chattanooga Times Free Press music reporter Casey Phillips spoke with John Wesley Myers, keyboardist/vocalist for local blues band The Black Diamond Heavies about their upcoming international tours, recording a new album and going stir crazy off the road.
CP: What are you guys up to these days?
JWM: We’re enjoying a much needed break. We’re retooling our strategy for this year.
CP: What will that strategy be?
JWM: We’re not going to be on the road for 260 days this year. (Laughs.) We’ve done about one record a year pretty much, or just over a year, and we’ve concentrated on touring for the last four years maybe, but this year, we’re going to switch that around and make some records, more than one. We’re still going to be doing tours, mostly overseas. I don’t think we’re going to do too much in America, maybe four or five big ones, and that’s it.
CP: How many days will that put you at?
JWM: We’ve got May, August, September December at three weeks each. So 84 days and add another four weeks tooling around doing little weekend runs around this area. Probably about 100 shows this year, which is a huge break for us.
CP: What made you guys throw your hands in the air and say you’d had enough?
JWM: (Laughs.) It was about a year ago, actually. We were going to do this last year; we were going to take it easy. We were getting burned out. Van is married and has a dog, so it’s pretty hardcore the way we’ve been doing it. We were going to do it last year, but pretty big things were happening, so we felt like we couldn’t take a break. We felt like we needed to keep hitting it hard, so that’s what we did.
Big things are still happening, but we’ve come to realize that, ideally, big things are going to keep happening but in order to keep doing it with longevity, we need to take every year or so off and just chill out and make new records.
We needed new material, too. That was bringing us down. When we’re on the road so much, the songs’ inspiration comes from the road, but they don’t get written on the road, they get written at home. We were tired of playing the same old songs. We needed some time to think about the last few years and make a record or two.
Also, we’ve proved over the last few years that we’ll go anywhere in the world that they’ll bring us and play anywhere – a basement, a farm, a club, whatever – and we’ll do it for almost any amount of money. Now, we’re going to take it easy, and let people want it for a little while. Maybe that will raise the value. (Laughs.)
CP: Do you think you’ll be going stir crazy not being on the road?
JWM: Yeah, I do anticipate that. In fact, I already am. I’ve only been home since Christmas, and I’m already going crazy. I expect that, at times, it’s going to be tough, but our next tour is in May, and it’s a two-and-a-half week tour. We’ll each stay a few days and just relax over there in Switzerland. Just a few weeks later in June and July, we’ve got some festivals around the states, and in August, we’ll go back to Europe. Although we’re taking it easy, it’s not going to be more than three weeks off at a time. That’s about perfect.
CP: Is Van dealing with the time off better than you or is he also going a little nuts not being on tour?
JWM: I suspect that he’s also going crazy. (Laughs.) I’m sure he’s enjoying being home with his wife and his dogs, but in the last week or so, we’ve been tying together these tours coming in the summer, and I can hear the eagerness in his e-mails. We’re road dogs, man.
CP: Is that how you usually communicate, phone and e-mail? Do you get together very often?
JWM: No, it’s all phone and e-mail. He lives in Louisville, so we’re five hours apart. We have a show in Asheville, N.C., on Friday, and I’ll be meeting him in Asheville. Our communication is strictly phone and e-mail. Even way more than roommates, we live in the same van or car together for three weeks at a time, so that’s plenty. (Laughs.)
CP: How many times have you two toured France at this point?
JWM: Ah man. For touring, I was over there four times in 2009. I’ve been over there other times on top of that. I’ve mostly been hanging in Paris. France has really welcomed us, so it’s kind of been our home base for our Europe onslaught.
CP: It seems like that’s where you always end up playing first and even the last stops you make on the tour are in France.
JWM: Yeah, our coaching agent and all our equipment we leave in Bordeaux, which is in the south, and we have a lot of good friends in Paris and on the west coast in Brittany. Between those three corners, France, as a whole, is our home base. It’s crazy. Driving around over there, Europeans don’t really drive around all that much, but to us, all of Europe is like America, basically. When you drive from country to country, it’s like driving to Alabama; it’s not a big deal. France is kind of our Tennessee or Kentucky. (Laughs.)
CP: At this point, it probably seems normal that French audiences respond so well to your music, but when you made your first trip over there, did it surprise your main audience wasn’t in an English-speaking country?
JWM: Yeah, maybe a little bit. They dig us in Britain, too, but for a musician, Europe is the Grail, I think. The hospitality and welcome you’re shown in Europe, but particularly in France, is pretty awesome. Britain and Ireland are also really into it, but it’s just not the same.
When you play a show in France, when you walk in, there’s a big tray of food with sandwiches and fruit and coffee. That’s just the welcome. Two hours later, you’ll get a gourmet meal, and accommodations every night and breakfast every morning, backstage, there’s a case of beer, a bottle of whiskey and two bottles of French wine. That’s just standard; that’s every night. All European countries are that hospitable, but especially France. That just makes you feel wanted, so you’ll play a better show and have more fun. The French have really figured out the life. (Laughs.)
CP: Have you given any thought to relocating there?
JWM: You know, I’m hoping to be living over there by August. I’ll always be back – I’m not giving up citizenship or anything like that – but I’m hoping to at least be bi-local.
CP: How do you and Van spend your time when you’re not on stage in Europe? Somehow, I can’t imagine either of you trotting around with a fanny pack and a Kodak camera.
JWM: (Laughs.) No, nothing like that. The beauty of seeing Europe on tour is that we do some of the tourist things sometimes, if there’s something you have to see, but really, our European experience comes from within. If we’re not in a hotel, then we’re in somebody’s house. We prefer that, actually, if we’re not imposing. We like to stay with people and listen to their records and enjoy that fellowship. If the locals we’re staying with are like, “You really have to see this. You can’t leave without seeing this,” then we will, but really, our European experience is pretty grass roots. It’s pretty awesome, an awesome way to discover and learn.
CP: Having established yourself on a touring circuit in Europe, what’s your goal on these tours? What do you want to get out of the experience?
JWM: Wow, that’s a good question. I’ll say that first, it is our job; it’s how we make our living right now. On the one hand, it is that, but it’s a reaaally cool job. What do I hope to get out if? Just fun, man. At the end of the day, the money is good, but it’s not super great. At this point, we’ve made friends all over the world, so this band is a vehicle to see our buddy in Lyon or wherever we’re going.
CP: What are you guys writing these days? What are your plans for those albums you talked about earlier?
JWM: I do the writing in the band. We do some collaborating, musically. Certainly, I rely on Van for rhythm, but as far as lyrics and melodies, I do that. We’ve been working on that quite a bit. I started right around Christmas, and I have about half the record written now and the other half laid out.
I’m not a very prolific writer. I don’t spit songs out every day like some guys can; I wish I could. My songs are autobiographical, and sometimes, they have to incubate for a while before they come.
I’m enjoying writing this record as a piece of work instead of songs that came throughout the year. That’s going to make the project more cohesive. We’re going to start on this project the day after our next Chattanooga show.
Our first record was done here in Chattanooga at Revolution Sound, Mike Pack’s studio. We’re going to go back up there the day after our next Chattanooga show and possibly start on the record. However, both Van and I agree that we’re not going to put any constraints on this record. The live record was made in one night, the one before that with Dan Auerbach was made in three days, and the one at Revolution Sound was made in a week. Because we’re taking some time off the road, we’re pressed to get it done immediately. We just want to make it exact, the very best record we can make, and put it out there and see what happens.
When we go into the studio in Chattanooga in a couple of weeks, I don’t know if we’ll be demoing. I would be open to recording a song, and in two weeks, if we wish we’ve done it differently, have the freedom to redo it. We’ve never really had that luxury.
We’ll be recording the show in Chattanooga. We just released a live record, but it’s getting the best reviews of all of them, and our record label is pretty pleased with it as well. They’re trying to convince us that our best sound is live. We weren’t planning on doing another live record at all, and in fact, I just told Van what’s going down the other day.
This show is such an amazing lineup, though. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime time thing. This lineup will never happen again. We have people coming down from Wisconsin, and some fans are coming over from England. This show is going to be a big one. We’ve got fans coming from all over to see it and video it.
So we figured to do a releasable recording of the whole night and then decide what to do with it. We can synch it to the video and release a live DVD or release a double LP of the whole night or each act can do what they will with it. We’re not sure, but I definitely expect to get something usable. I’m also interested in getting a record out there that was recorded in Chattanooga, Tenn.
CP: Who else will be on the bill?
JWM: Mark “Porkchop” Holder was an original member of the Black Diamond Heavies. He’s been doing a solo act for a while now, and it’s really impressive. He and I have been collaborating a little bit over the last few months. He’ll go first, and then we’ll play, and the final is T-Model Ford, who is the last, and oldest, blues man alive. He’ll be 90 in June. He was on Fat Possum for years. His last record was on Alive Records. He’s the real deal, and he’s the last of the real deal.
We do a T-Model Ford song and Porkchop does a T-Model Ford song. We’re old friends with him, but it’s always an honor to share the stage with him. I know Porkchop will be doing something with us during our show, and I was talking to T-Model’s band, and it sounds like we’ll do a little free-for-all at the end. It’s going to be a pretty big thing, so we’re going to capture it in every format we can.
CP: How did this whole thing come together?
JWM: T-Model is from Arkansas. I believe he lives in Mississippi now, but he’s a road dog, just as much, if not more, than we can. That man lives to play music. John (Shoemaker) at JJ’s was the one who said he got T-Model and asked if we would be interested? We said, “Yeah, of course. We’d love to do it.” Everyone in T-Model’s camp, his band and booking agent, are all friends of ours. Once we decided to try and capture the night, we made a few phone calls and got everybody on board. It’s going to be a good one.
CP: Where are these other tours you’re planning for this year?
JWM: May is built around a blues festival that’s the biggest one in Europe. It’s happening in Switzerland, just outside of Geneva, in a castle, no less. That tour in August is built around that and will include France, Switzerland and Beligum.
Then, we go back in August, which will be in France again. That one is built around another festival in Brittany in the Northwest of France. We’ll also be hitting up Spain and possibly Portugal.
In the fall, we’ll be in England, Ireland and Scotland, which is great, because we haven’t been there in two years. I feel like they’re ready.
This is still in the works, but we’re hoping to go back to Australia in December, and also tack on New Zealand and Tasmania.
Those are all big ones. In June and July, we’ll stay in America and do some picnics and festivals, just one- or two-day shows out on the road that are pretty easy.
CP: Is it difficult to play these huge festivals and tour European venues and then come back to play a barbecue in Georgia?
JWM: (Laughs.) It’s awesome, man. They’re all great. Every show is great. Every show in every place has its own charm. I love going to Europe, and I love coming home to America. It’s pretty awesome. Playing a rib festival or a picnic in the South in June – that’s where I come from. That’s about as good as it gets. Our friends in Europe would love to come over for that. It’s equally special.