Cayamo: Setting Sail on a Journey Through Song

The BGS team is gearing up to board the Norwegian Pearl and join the Sixthman team – along with the likes of Emmylou Harris, the Punch Brothers, Aoife O’Donovan, Dawes, the Mavericks… (we could go on and on and on about this lineup) – as we set sail for a journey through song in Cayamo. The cruise has been a fun-filled gathering of roots music artists and fans for fourteen years now, and we can’t wait to be a part of this reunion after a year away. The week at sea promises full days of live music and community set against the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean, and it all sounds like a dream.

And as we’re celebrating BGS’ 10th anniversary all year long, we had to take this epic vacation, and reunion of our roots music community, as an opportunity to go all out: we’re throwing a good old-fashioned birthday party onboard! Our Party of the Deck-ade Super Jam, co-hosted by Sierra Hull and Madison Cunningham, will be the ultimate celebration of everything we’re grateful for at this moment: ten years of roots music and memories here at BGS, the sustaining power of music, and the joy of being reunited with friends to share in that musical experience after so long apart. Artists from across the Cayamo lineup will join us on the pool deck and share songs that make them feel joy – songs that celebrate life. With a special cocktail menu, toasts all around, and even a birthday cake, it’s sure to be a party we won’t soon forget.

On top of all the festivities, we’ll be taking some time to Sit & Talk, as Fiona Prine hosts intimate conversations with esteemed artists, and her friends, Emmylou Harris and the members of John Prine’s band. She’ll dive in deep in these casual, but meaningful, conversations with the artists, taking us behind the scenes on songs, stories, travels, friendships and life on and off the road.

This year’s ship may be full as of now (though there’s still time to cross your fingers and join the waiting list if you’re the last-minute type), but no need to fret – we’ll be capturing exciting moments onboard so you can experience the fun from dry land. Stay tuned!

LISTEN: Elliah Heifetz, “Keep the Grass in the Ground”

Artist: Elliah Heifetz
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Keep the Grass in the Ground”
Album: First Generation American
Release Date: April 1, 2022

In Their Words: “Written within a week of John Prine’s passing, ‘Keep the Grass in the Ground’ is a tonal ode to one of my biggest heroes. I’ve learned so much about life and how to best live it from John’s lyrics, advice I wish I’d heard as a kid… so this song is basically an imagined conversation where I’m giving my younger self that advice. The thought is, we should follow our instincts, pursue our dreams and urges, open our hearts, let the tears fall when they come, and take the risks we need to. But never, ever at the expense of anyone else. It’s important to appreciate beauty, and just as important to know when to leave it be. I start every chorus with: ‘Take a stone, throw it; take a leaf, blow it; take a drive when the night sky’s good n’ glowing; Aw, but never grab a smile and pull it down.’” — Elliah Heifetz


Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo

Some Stardust Realm: A Q&A with Grammy Nominee Valerie June

Valerie June is in New York today, which means she’s not in Tennessee. When she’s not on the road, the singer-songwriter splits her time between the Big Apple and Humboldt, a small town of 8,500 souls nestled in the northwest corner of the Volunteer State. Known for its annual Strawberry Festival, it’s equidistant from the country music capital of Nashville and her beloved Memphis, but more crucially, her family lives there. “My mom is there, my whole family, and I still have my little room with all my stuff, a closet with all my old outfits and instruments.”

Humboldt is an oasis, where she can escape the city and see something besides concrete and skyscrapers—a place that feels like home. “Tennessee has that very specific personality to it, and sometimes I just don’t want to leave. And I still get down to Memphis or over to Nashville. Nashville is such a booming city, but Memphis is still a little sleepy. That can be great, but it can be bad because you just get so comfortable. There’s really not much push to go and do and explore more than just enjoying life.”

Big or small, famous or not, urban or rural, all of these places inform the music Valerie June makes, especially her most recent album, 2021’s breezily philosophical, buoyantly bluesy, unabashedly optimistic The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers. Those prescriptions, as she calls that round of songs, blend cosmic country with earthy R&B and churchly gospel into a sound that is familiar yet idiosyncratic, as though no one but Valerie June could have written, arranged, or sung these songs. She even brings in two of her Memphis heroes—soul-folk-in-action icon Mavis Staples and Carla Thomas, best known for a string of Stax hits (including “B-A-B-Y”) and for holding her own against Otis Redding.

As she explains, these songs may be grounded in place, but they’re all about dreaming yourself elsewhere—about dreaming as the foundation for a social movement. That idea took on new poignancy during the pandemic, when society seemed to be fraying at the edges, but it turned The Moon and Stars into Valerie June’s breakout album, landing on numerous year-end lists and earning her numerous Americana Music Award nominations as well as a Grammy nomination (her first) for the Best American Roots Song.

For its one-year anniversary, Valerie June added more prescriptions to The Moon and Stars, including new acoustic tracks and covers of songs by Nick Drake (“Pink Moon”), Stephen Foster (“Beautiful Dreamer”), and John Lennon (“Imagine”). In her small studio in her New York apartment, Valerie June sat down, guitar in hand, to speak with The Bluegrass Situation about visiting her different homes, singing with her heroes, and dreaming up a new movement.

BGS: There’s a distinct Memphis flair to this album, especially with the great Carla Thomas on there.

Yes! And Mr. Lester Snell did the string arrangements on this record. He’s an older gentleman who worked with Al Green and Isaac Hayes, Keith Richards, Margo Price, all kinds of people. Yesterday I had this little moment… A lot of times I can be down on myself. Man, I really went wrong there! I’ll just count up my failures. But yesterday I had a day where I was counting my blessings. Oh my god, Carla Thomas is on a record with me! That’s a victory. I’ll take it.

Did the pandemic make her or Mavis hard to get on the record?

I’d already captured “Call Me a Fool” with Carla, and Mavis said she wanted to do the song “Why the Bright Stars Glow.” We were gonna be in the studio together and everything, but when the pandemic hit that March, the world just stopped and she couldn’t do anything. I was even sculpting these ideas—like, could we send some studio engineers over to her house? Get everybody tested and just put the microphone through the mail slot? But it didn’t work, and we had to put the record out without her. But my manager said it was an extra long album cycle due to the pandemic and would I like to do something with some more songs? So, we were able to finally get Mavis. She’s a real saint. Saint Mavis.

Do you remember the first time you heard Mavis or the first time you heard Carla?

Mavis was part of the family growing up. She was like Cousin Mavis. My father would take us on family road trips, and the Staple Singers were always one of the first CDs that he played. And we would all sing along. There were five kids in our family, and everybody had their part.

And I knew Carla’s songs, but I didn’t know they were from her until I moved to Memphis and started studying Memphis music. You can’t live in Memphis without studying Memphis music. It’s everywhere. One year she played the Cooper-Young Festival, this small neighborhood event in Memphis, so I went down and saw her perform. She didn’t perform very much, but she was a star! She was just such a powerhouse, a joyful spirit like Mavis. Maybe that’s what happens when you get to record for Stax!

Can you tell me about the two titles for the album? When it was released last year, I wondered if the whole dream concept was rooted in that pandemic experience.

It was. And the reason why I added The Moon and Stars is similar. I wrote down the moon because the moon was with us every time Jack and I went into the studio. We didn’t plan it that way, but it was the week of a full moon. So, every night we’d enter the studio under a full moon. I wrote down Moon as a title, but I felt like there should be something more. Our last day in the studio, I walked out and there were three shooting stars crossing the sky. Okay, The Moon and Stars! But I still felt like there should be something more.

When the pandemic hit, I thought, our hearts are breaking. They’re breaking for so many reasons—racism, sex discrimination, age discrimination, so many issues. I saw the visions of people like Dr. King and people who’ve been pushing for change—even Mavis and Carla, two people who’ve seen all of these hard times. Carla has seen so much happen in that awesome city of Memphis. She’s seen it change and flip. I was listening to stuff like “A Change Is Gonna Come” and “Respect” and all of these movement songs. All of a sudden this clarity came over me. We can dream and hope for the future, and maybe we just need a prescription. We need a movement.

How do you mean?

There’s a lot of movements happening right now, but if I were to start a movement, what would I want it to be? I want it to be very loving and very hopeful and very positive. I want it to embrace all of humanity and sculpt a more harmonious and beautiful planet. Every movement needs songs. It needs its own “Change Is Gonna Come.” It needs something that will give you hope to open up your wishful mind and use your imagination. That’s what these songs are. They’re very ethereal. They put you in mind of some fantasy, some stardust realm where we look up at the stars and feel enamored. All of this is possible, but we’re drawing from the same cycles of trauma and oppression. It was all some deep thoughts.

So much has happened in the year since the album was released. Has your relationship to the songs changed during that time? Have they revealed new meanings or new implications?

They have changed. I put out the original version with arrangements that I created with Mr. Lester and Jack Splash, and now I’m releasing the new version with some acoustic songs, which have more fiddle and banjo. It was a musical chain, and I love it so much because it shows how songs can live in different realms. I love the beauty and evolution of a song. That’s what I’ve been experiencing with this record, because of the long album cycle. And when we do go on tour, that’ll be another evolution as we go from produced record to stripped-down acoustic versions to the live sound. They’re gonna keep growing and changing.

I like that about covers, too. I’m a songwriter, but I didn’t learn how to play technically. I just play to my own voice when I cover something. I can’t really do it like the original artist did it because I don’t know how to do that. You know, we lost Nick Drake a long time ago, but “Pink Moon” still lives with every person who sings it. It takes on a new character. So, the songs outlive the singer. It can go further and further and further.

The three cover songs on the new version seem to extend that dream theme. Was that planned?

When I was choosing the covers, I wanted songs that either worked with the theme of moon and stars or the theme of dreaming. It had to have “moon” or “dream” in the title. That’s how I chose “Beautiful Dreamer” and “Pink Moon.” And “Imagine” is one of those songs that sums up the record in a lot of ways. John Lennon had this dream for humanity.

And you also did “Summer’s End” on the recent John Prine tribute, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows Vol. 2. How did that come about?

His label and his team, they know how much I love John. I love his music, and I got to tour with him and sing with him onstage. It was such a high point in my life. And they sent me a letter asking if I wanted to cover that song. And while I was singing it, I started wondering if the reason they asked me to do that song was because it goes [sings] “The moon and stars hang out in bars, just talking, and I still love that picture of us walking.” I was like, What? It was so perfect. I absolutely adore that song and sing it quite a lot on the road.

I wanted to ask about the Grammy nomination. Well, I don’t really have a question, just a congratulations.

Thank you. And thank you on behalf of Carla, too, because it’s huge for both of us. We were nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Music Awards, and she came up from Memphis to sing with me at the Ryman that night. And she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Inspiration. Is she not an inspiration to everybody! She was interviewed for the Memphis paper and she said the only thing she wanted was to be nominated for a Grammy. And now look at her!

That must feel good, to take somebody who is a hero and introduce her to a new generation of fans.

It’s true! Sometimes I wonder why we didn’t get her an achievement award sooner. Why does that happen with our elders? They’ve contributed so much and made it so we can be here. That’s what happened with John Prine toward the end of his life, and all the awards and appreciation meant so much to him. I think we need to thank people like John and Carla and Mavis for what they’ve given us. I was grateful for the Americanas and the Grammys for honoring and appreciating this beautiful star, this Queen of Memphis Soul.


Photo Credit: Renata Raksha

BGS 5+5: Jason Scott & The High Heat

Artist: Jason Scott & The High Heat
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Latest Album: Castle Rock
Rejected Band Names: Dad Behavior, The Big City, The High Diamonds

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Tough question, but probably John Prine. He can really put a song together. I love how simply he weaves his words. It’s hard to write simply, nobody does it better than John to me.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

We played the Tower Theatre in July of 2021, a bunch of our friends were in attendance, and the energy was just incredible. We shot a video and released a couple songs from that night, it was that special to us.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

I think “Sleepin’ Easy” was the toughest on this latest record. It took several years to write, probably because I had to go through more shit before I could finish it. I think I’ve got several other verses for it somewhere. It can probably be rewritten a million times.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Just keep working, and asking questions. I’m learning every day, and that’s largely due to the company I hang around. Hopefully I can keep that going, and we all make it haha!

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

The garlic chicken at El Siboney with John Prine, RIP. I’m sure I speak for most when I say we miss the hell out of you. That’d be a pretty amazing night, especially with good friends and family.


Photo Credit: Brittany Phillips

WATCH: Annalyse & Ryan, “Singing With Angels”

Artist: Annalyse & Ryan
Hometown: Beacon, New York
Song: “Singing with Angels” (ft. Cindy Cashdollar)
Release Date: October 29, 2021

In Their Words: “Even if you didn’t know him personally, John Prine had this innate ability to make you feel like you were his best friend simply through his music. He expressed so well what it was like to be human, even in those tiny throwaway moments when you think no one is watching — those moments that may seem meaningless, but they’re the ones that always tell the real story.” — Annalyse McCoy

“We started writing this tune soon after John passed — having followed his horrific journey through this unthinkable virus and learning that it had taken him, we were devastated as so many in the music community were. The comradery we felt in the entire process of recording this song was palpable. All parties involved put their hearts into this project, and it came together because of this intense sense of community and love. Musicians have had a hard year and we’re just starting to come out of the haze. It’s important to us to pass along the stories, traditions, and styles of those who came before us and inspired us. And there’s nowhere else John Prine could be now but singing with angels.” — Ryan Dunn

Photo credit: Matt Ambrosini

LISTEN: Nicholas Edward Williams, “Shake Sugaree”

Artist: Nicholas Edward Williams
Hometown: Rising Fawn, Georgia
Song: “Shake Sugaree”
Album: Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Label: EarthTone Records

In Their Words: “I’ve taken a keen interest in Elizabeth Cotten‘s famed ‘Cotten picking’ style starting back in 2016 with my mentor Joan Crane. I had no idea how to articulate what Elizabeth was doing and my first successful thumb-led syncopated bass lines — while adding the melody to ‘Freight Train’ with my forefingers — took nearly a year to wrap my mind around and get comfortable with. From there, Elizabeth laid the foundation for so many other fingerpicking styles that I’ve come to study, mostly thanks to Joan, who was an absolute whiz at Delta blues, country blues, and Piedmont blues on guitar.

“I love that Elizabeth actually wrote ‘Shake Sugaree’ with her grandchildren, asking each one to take the chorus home in their heads and figure out a verse before they went to bed. She had such a fascinating life story, and the music she put out was incredibly influential for American folk and blues guitarists in the 1960s when her album Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs was released, thanks in large part to the Seeger family. She won a Grammy at 90, just a few years before passing away, and directly influenced John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, John Fahey and countless other pickers, yet today, she’s not as well-known or revered as she should be. I’ve felt drawn to share her songs and stories for some time. This is just the first time I’m adding it on a record.” — Nicholas Edward Williams


Photo credit: Cypress Rae Photography

LISTEN: Carolyn Wonderland, “Fortunate Few”

Artist: Carolyn Wonderland
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Fortunate Few”
Album: Tempting Fate
Release Date: October 8, 2021
Label: Alligator Records

In Their Words: “Well, sometimes we write ourselves advice we don’t take for a while, don’t we? I started writing ‘Fortunate Few’ one hard, bleary-eyed morning on the road while holding my head in one hand and trying to count my blessings on the fingers of the other. It originally had a more John Prine feel to it (think: ‘In Spite of Ourselves’), but I thought better of trying to emulate the master in a form so closely related to that chord structure and started banging away on some acoustic blues. The title made me realize I also must have been listening to a lot of Delbert McClinton the night before. That is never a bad thing!” — Carolyn Wonderland


Photo credit: Ismael Quintanilla

The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 220

Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, this weekly radio show and podcast has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on the digital pages of BGS. This week we have John Prine’s final recording, a BGS exclusive performance from Americana duo Jackson+Sellers, a playlist in 3/4 time, personally curated by Dori Freeman, and much more.

APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY

John Prine – “I Remember Everything”

The Americana Music Association was able to celebrate the works of its community in-person last week, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, with the 20th Annual Americana Honors & Awards held at the historic Ryman Auditorium. And one of the night’s biggest awards, Song of the Year, was given posthumously to none other than John Prine for his final recording, “I Remember Everything.” Watch below to see John perform the song himself, followed by a tribute from Brandi Carlile, Margo Price, and Amanda Shires at last week’s awards ceremony.

Martin Sexton – “Riding Through the Rain”

New York’s Martin Sexton spoke on performing at Madison Square Garden, his pre-show and pre-studio rituals, the influence of artists and performers from Black Sabbath to Looney Tunes, and more in a recent edition of 5+5.

Rod Gator – “Out Here in Echo Park”

Rod Gator wrote “Out Here in Echo Park” during his last year living in Echo Park, when every evening he’d walk down to the L.A. River and sit along the bank. Take a listen, and you might start missing Echo Park, too.

Jackson+Sellers – “Hush”

Jackson+Sellers’ debut album, Breaking Point, comes out next month, but until then, we’re listening to the song that brought the pair of songwriters together as a duo. Jade Jackson initially reached out to Aubrie Sellers about singing harmonies on a new song she had written, and the rest is history! On their partnership, Jackson says, “Collaborating with someone who’s so energetically strong, it gives you even more creativity and license to explore.” Watch the duo’s performance of “Hush” from our Yamaha Artist Sessions below.

Dori Freeman – “The Storm”

For a recent Mixtape, our friend and songwriter Dori Freeman crafted us a playlist celebrating waltzes –her favorite type of song — which always touch her heart in ways other songs don’t.

Kirby Brown – “Ashes and Leaves”

“Ashes and Leaves,” the latest from singer-songwriter Kirby Brown, is a meditation on acceptance: “Sometimes, we are the ones being left — by lovers, friends, family, etc. At other times, we are the leavers. Maybe this is one of the inevitable arrangements of life…”

Brad Kolodner – “Foggy Mountain Special”

Old-time musician and radio host Brad Kolodner was a recent 5+5 guest, speaking about his new album, Chimney Swifts, his earliest on-stage memories, the soul-nourishing experience of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, and more.

Béla Fleck featuring Sierra Hull & Molly Tuttle – “Wheels Up”

No matter how far afield he may roam, with his new album our Artist of the Month Béla Fleck wants the world to know his bluegrass heart will always call bluegrass home. And this rip-roaring number is about as bluegrass as it gets. The studio recording features the talents of Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull, while this live performance below features Fleck’s current all-star live lineup: Sierra Hull on mandolin, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Mark Schatz on bass, Bryan Sutton on guitar, and Justin Moses on dobro.

The Barefoot Movement – “Back Behind the Wheel”

“Back Behind the Wheel” is ultimately a song about hope and the idea of letting yourself feel what you need to feel, but not allowing that to be the end of the journey. “When it comes to this, I don’t know what it means to quit…”

Tammy Rogers & Thomm Jutz – “I Surely Will Be Singing”

“I Surely Will Be Singing,” a new release from songwriter Thomm Jutz and The SteelDrivers fiddler Tammy Rogers, was written at the beginning of the pandemic, as a hymn to nature and to the spirit of human resilience in the face of adversity.

The Secret Sisters – “Dust Cain’t Kill Me”

A new Woody Guthrie compilation from Elektra Records isn’t just a tribute album, it’s a reimagination. Home in this World: Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads features a host of compelling modern artists — like John Paul White, Colter Wall, and Chris Thile – offering their takes on Guthrie’s seminal Dust Bowl Ballads. One standout is The Secret Sisters performing “Dust Cain’t Kill Me.”

With such passion at the heart of it, Home in This World brings new life to music that has shaped American culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. “Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads is as relevant as ever,” producer Randall Poster states. “While profiteers exploit our natural resources, there is a growing sensitivity to the harsh farming practices that put our well-being at risk, and a concerted movement toward regenerative agriculture that can reinvigorate the soil and push back on climate change. I asked some of my favorite artists to help render these songs, hoping that this collection will reinforce the enduring power and prescience of Guthrie’s music and reveal the power of song.”

Caleb Lee Hutchinson – “I Must Be Right”

Caleb Lee Hutchinson teamed up with Trey Hensley on a new song, “I Must Be Right,” as he tells us: “I have been a fan of Trey for quite some time and was very excited to write with one of my favorite guitar pickers… It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written as a result.”

Abby Posner – “Low Low Low”

Los Angeles-based musician and songwriter Abby Posner is joined by Constellation Quartet on a new video for “Low Low Low,” a beautiful, contemplative song about depression, anxiety, and learning how to live with the darkness within.

Colin Linden – “Honey On My Tongue”

“Roots music and blues do speak to a lot of people right now. Much of the healing and release you get from listening to this music… has shown itself to be so vital in these times… I hope the memories of every soul who has loved and been loved are like honey on our tongues,” says Linden of his track, “Honey on My Tongue.”


Photos: (L to R) Dori Freeman by Kristen Crigger; John Prine by Danny Clinch; Jackson+Sellers by Ashley Osborn

BGS 5+5: RC & the Ambers

Artist: RC & the Ambers
Hometown: Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Latest Album: Big Country
Personal nicknames: RC “Rooster” Edwards

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Probably have to say John Prine. Something about the way he could be heartbreaking, hilarious, and most of all clever in the same song. He teaches a lesson about not taking yourself too serious. Nothing wrong with a song being fun. Nothing wrong with a song being sad. Sometimes both. Gotta remind myself that sometimes.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Two events come to mind. I was maybe 6 or 7 or so and my ma took me to see this group play in the parking lot of the Hardee’s burger place in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Everybody was singing, dancing, having a ball. I thought, man, I wanna make people do that. That group was the California Raisins.

At some point my brother got a VHS copy of the Richie Valens biopic La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips. He watched it over and over again so I did too. “Here’s a bit of a rattlesnake.”

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

My favorite has to be when Turnpike used to have a pre-show ritual known as the Golden Hour. One hour before doors we would all gather up, drink a few salty dogs, and watch an episode of The Golden Girls. Started out it was just me and Laser. A week later you had to get there early to get a seat.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

The river for sure. We go kayaking almost every Sunday or Monday at Diamondhead here in Tahlequah. Our version of the Illinois River is beautiful here. It’s always been sort of reset button to chill out and start a new week.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Too often probably. Classic deflection mechanism. I’ve also written a song about someone else and later realized it was about me.


Photo credit: Amber Watson

BGS 5+5: The Delevantes

Artist: The Delevantes
Hometown: Rutherford, NJ… then Hoboken, NJ… and now Nashville
Latest Album: A Thousand Turns
Rejected band names: “The band was originally named Who’s Your Daddy. The name came from the Zombies song, ‘Time of the Season.’ The lyric reads: ‘What’s your name? Who’s your daddy?’ but very few people ever got it. In fact I think maybe one person did. And it eventually made a list of top ten bad band names. Eventually Mike and I decided to go with our last name. It was easy and simple (for us) to remember. But it’s hard to count how many times it was misspelled in ads or on marquees. One of our faves was ‘The Deldinkos’! Probably should’ve gone with that.” — Bob

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I had played guitar since I was about 4 years old and I enjoyed it. Our family was very musical. But I don’t think I understood its full potential until I was a teenager and got together with friends and played as a group. Even just in casual circles. That’s when I saw what it can do and how it can bring people together. Our music began in friendships and it grew out from there. — Mike

In high school after lunch my friend Matt and I would pull out our acoustic guitars and play some songs in the auditorium. A little Simon & Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, or maybe something from Will the Circle Be Unbroken. As we played some of the football players’ girlfriends came over and sat down to listen. We realized guitars and harmonies, not helmets and shoulder pads, was the way to go for us. — Bob

Which artist has influenced you the most… and how?

There are so many, but I would probably choose Bob Dylan. Lyrics, folk music, rock ‘n’ roll — there are so many layers and I love that. And he just turned 80 and has released what I think as some of his best work! – Bob

Probably the Beatles. The combination of both amazing lyrics and some of the most incredible melodic lines. I don’t think anyone has come close. — Mike

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Being asked the day of the show to back up Levon Helm at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show in Cleveland. Rehearsing for about an hour that day and performing “Rag Mama Rag” and “Atlantic City.” — Mike

There are quite a few but two really stick in my mind: The first, we were playing an outdoor festival in Holland and it started to rain. There was large crowd on the hillside. I think the attendance was around 10,000 people and when it started to drizzle all these different colored umbrellas opened up. It looked like a field blooming. The second is the first time we opened up for John Prine and he asked us to sing on the encore, “Paradise.” Won’t forget that one. — Bob

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Sitting down for a dinner of baked ziti and a beer with Frank Sinatra at Ricco’s in Hoboken, NJ, around 1941, just as his career was taking off. — Bob

Hearing the E Street Band play on the boardwalk in Asbury Park with a slice of NJ pizza. — Mike

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’m a designer, photographer, and illustrator as well as a songwriter. All these different disciplines feed each other. They’re all ways of telling stories and I work in all of them. My favorites are probably looking at other artists’ photographs and watching films. They probably affect me the most and inspire my work. — Bob

Going to art school in NYC opened my eyes to how a particular time and place with different art forms can be combined to create a story. The act of creating art alongside other artists — and being fully immersed in galleries and seeing bands in clubs at a certain time — created a story in my head that I can still see. A film with a soundtrack. That time inspires me to find similar moments in how you can imagine a song or say a painting can take on meaning for other people. Part of it is freeing in a way… you don’t have to control every aspect because they will put their story into your art and make it their own. — Mike


Photo credit: Emma Delevante