[CG]
Why
do
you
prefer
playing
in
3-piece bands?
[J.D.] It’s very freeing, and I don’t really think
about it. We found each other (band members
in Simo) and we’ve been together for a while
now. Adam Abrashoff is the drummer and Elad
Shapiro is the bassist, and at this point we were
on the road 298 days last year. We were only in
Nashville 50 some days last year from January
to December and that was 215 shows last year.
[CG] How will the new album compare to your
previous ones?
[J.D.] It’s going to be very different. What in one period of time that has been arranged, did last year, we didn’t want to do again. We’ve
I mean by that is, in the last year what I was demoed, and full pre-production of the songs. learned now what we want to do for our fans
saying earlier about working with Don, there’s We whittled it down from 60 odd songs to what as we move forward with this piece of work.
no replacing going out and playing that many we’re going to cut here, and it’s all been just First and foremost, you need to figure out who
shows and unless you’ve gone and done it, it’s the three of us. At one time we were going to and what you are and what you want to say.
hard to explain that because there is so much use a producer, a very notable one… a very If it ain’t genuine and you don’t mean what
that happens to you when you go through that. famous one. And we, as a collective, decided you’re saying or doing, it’s never going to find
There was a point early on in the year where that if the record label supported the notion, we an audience. There are a lot of talented people
we had already done 80 or 90 shows and would rather produce it ourselves. Luckily, they that I look at that are talented, but they have
we were all creatively bored. All of us started supported it. nothing to say. I’ve really focused on what is
it that I want to say. What is it that I want to
seeking influences that were as varied as we
could possibly get our hands on for stimulation.
[CG] When do you plan to go back on tour?
else’s persona? That process has been really
So as we come in to make the new record
we have more material than I’ve ever written
convey that isn’t me kind of assuming someone
[J.D.] We are off until April, because what we
difficult because you’re putting more of yourself
at stake. There’s a reason why I cut my hair off
and I’m not wearing psychedelic clothes. I was
fearful of exposing too much of myself, so I was
assuming someone else’s identity because it’s
easier to do than to be yourself. As we move
forward it’s a new beginning, because we went
through an intense year where most bands
would have broken up or you go crazy. I know
just from going through lyrically what I’m writing
about; I’m writing about things that mean
something to me. Hopefully when people are
exposed to it they can see a part of themselves
in it and we can garner more of a fan base that
is coming from a real place.
[CG] Why did you choose House of Blues
Studio D in Nashville to record the new album?
[J.D.] This was part of a studio complex down
in Memphis, TN, and so many important albums
22
Mar Apr 2017
CollectibleGuitar.com