Hello Tom. I really admire what you’ve done for musicians through Aldora Britten Records and I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with some friends across the pond.

 I’ve always loved music from as far back as I can remember. I first started playing an instrument at around 8 years old. My father got hold of an old Hamond Organ that he brought home one day. Not sure why because he didn’t play but anyhow I started messing with it as a kid and taught myself how to play by ear. As I got a little older, I got into folk music and my parents bought me a beat up old 5-string banjo which I taught myself to play and soon started a “Jug band” (a la Jim Kweskin) in my hometown (Worcester, Massachusetts). After about a year, my friend and guitar player in the Jug band (Paul Bouffard) and myself got heavily into the blues. I traded my banjo in for a guitar at a local pawn shop and Paul and I started learning as many songs from old albums of such greats as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Furry Lewis, Robert Johnson, etc. We were both about 17 years old at the time and we travelled around New England playing at “Coffee Shops”, church halls, bars, street corners or any other venue that would let us do our thing. We never made much money but it was great experience and we learned a lot along the way. Unfortunately, the two of us were forced to split up when we were accepted for admission to different universities. I majored in the field of genetics at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, IND but kept playing music at local bars etc. One of the highlights of my musical career was at the “Bloomington Blues Festival” when I got the chance to open for Muddy Waters and his band. Some local DJ who organized the festival had heard me play in a local bar and gave me the chance. It was very cool for me to be backstage around all those real blues artists although I got the distinct feeling that they were thinking “Who the hell is this guy and what is he doing here?”. Anyhow, I think I did OK because when I got off stage, they invited me to join them in their pre-show “shot of gin”. After Indiana, I moved to California (Davis) to attend graduate school in genetics. By this time I was sure I would never make a living playing music but I kept playing whenever I could because it was fun and there was no way I could stop. I joined a local blues band (”Buddy Funk”) that played at bars around the San Francisco Bay area. 

• And now, let’s take a leap forward to your collaboration with the fantastic Mark Maxwell.  Your duo with him has produced some exceptional output, for sure!  How did this come to be?  How did you first meet and what was the initial spark that brought you both together on a musical level?

After graduating from the University of California, I got a job at the University of Georgia (Athens, GA) but continued to play mainly acoustic blues music locally. I became friends with the extremely talented singer/songwriter Eric Dahl shortly after arriving in Athens. Eric had made a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest where he was originally from before moving to Austin Texas and then to Athens, GA. He already had several albums out and had started recording locally at Maxwell Sound Studios in Athens. The owner of the studio, Mark Maxwell, was a famous classical guitarist who had played, e.g., with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and had several albums out. Mark’s studio was a well-known and respected studio in Athens and was where a lot of famous artists had recorded- including Kenny Rogers when he was living in Georgia. When I told Eric I had never thought about recording, he surprised me by setting up (and paying for!) my first recording session at Mark’s studio. By this time, I had gotten heavily into Americana music and went on to record a couple early albums. Mark played bass and back-up guitar on many of these early songs and he was instrumental in connecting me with several outstanding local musicians who also contributed to these early albums. 

.I’ve got a new Americana album coming out in October (“Fools for Each Other”) on which Mark plays lead on several songs

• In 2022, you released a fantastic bluesy set with Mark called Touched by the Blues.  Within, you reinterpret some classic blues tunes.  It is a superb LP!  How do you reflect back on this set as a whole now, and how would you say you have grown and evolved as an artist since its release?

I had wanted for some time to go back to my roots and record a blues album and Mark agreed to join me in putting something together. As I soon found out, Mark not only plays incredible classical guitar, he also can play amazing blues licks. The result was “Touched by the Blues” which we released last year. Mark and I have recently started working on a 2nd blues album which we hope will be out by spring 2024. 

I think all of us who contributed to “Touched by the Blues” were pleased with the final project. The songs are ones I had been playing for years and I was fortunate to get some fantastic Athens, GA musicians to join me on the album. 

• I have been doing some digging over on Bandcamp recently and have discovered an album called One Red Rose.  ‘Pancho and Lefty’ drew me in here!  One of my favorite tunes of all time.  What are your memories from writing, recording and releasing this set, and is there anything that you would edit or change in hindsight?

“One Red Rose” was a tribute album to some of my favorite Americana artists that all recently left us. Overall, I was happy with the album- songs from that album are among the most frequently streamed of my songs on Spotify and Apple Music. When I finish an album, it takes me a long time to get to the place where I stop critically analyzing it and just sit back and enjoy it. It took me about a month to start liking “One Red Rose” after it came out. I agree with you “Pancho and Lefty” is one of my favorites. I also really like “The Last Gunfighter’s Ballard”- my friend Nathan Bowen did a great job on the back up vocals.

I have a new Americana album (“Fools for Each Other”) coming out in October. Most of the musicians that contributed to “Touched by the Blues” also played on this new album. People have been telling me its one of my best.  I’m still at the stage where I’m critically re-analyzing every song- but it sounds pretty good even to me.

• I love your rootsy sound and approach to music.  It covers so many elements of a classic ‘American’ sound.  Folk, blues, country, and so much more.  How would you say your style came about, what goes into it for you, and who are some of your biggest influences and inspirations as an artist?

When I get into a song, I don’t just hear it, I try to feel it. I think that’s why I have always liked the blues- there’s a lot of emotion in there. A lot of Americana songs hit me the same way and that’s the kind of stuff I like to sing and see if I can get across my take on what the song has to say. 

As I previously mentioned, I’ve been listening to and playing the blues for a long time so it’s hard for me to pinpoint a single influence. In addition to the original founders of the genera, I, of course, love the likes of BB King and Buddy Guy and, like everyone else, I admire Eric Clapton’s blues guitar. 

• I love your talent as an interpreter of songs.  I think this is an important trait for a folk or blues musician.  I would like to talk about ‘See That My Grave is Kept Clean’ and ‘House of the Rising Sun’.  For each, what is the story of the tune to you and how did you bring your own fresh spin to the track?

I’ve been playing (and singing) acoustic versions of both of these songs for a long, long time. When I first approached Mark about including electric versions of these on “Touched by the Blues” he told me “House of the Rising Sun” was the very first song he learned when he started taking guitar lessons many years ago. Both of these songs deal with highly emotional topics that are captured as much by the music as the words. As I mentioned above, these are the kind of songs I like to get into. Mark on guitar and my friend Glen Denham on harp did a truly fantastic job in capturing the musical feeling that I think both of these songs deserve. 

 

7.       A broad question to finish.  We have been through such a unique time in history in the last few years.  Both politically and within society, and that is before you throw in the pandemic.  How have the last several years impacted on you as an artist and on you personally?  How do you think this time has changed the music industry, both for the good and bad?  I am curious to hear your insights!

The saying (apparently incorrectly attributed to Confucius) “May you live in interesting times” certainly applies to all of us. However, “interesting” doesn’t necessarily mean good. It seems that “conflict” is today a wide-spread theme and “reconciliation/compromise” is out. Unfortunately, a lot of contemporary music seems to reflect these angry vibes which I think is unfortunate. I hope this all turns around sooner rather than later.

From the practical side, one obvious impact of the pandemic for all musicians was the dramatic drop in live performances. For many professional musicians this had a huge financial impact but not so much for those of us with day jobs. What the reduction in live gigs did for me personally was to push me more into the recording studio. I guess this could be construed as a good thing. However, for most of the time, the band was not able to play together. We all came into the studio independently to lay down our individual tracks. This slowed the recording process way down which drove me crazy. 

As we all know, the days of musicians selling lots of albums (especially CDs) is pretty much over. As a consumer, I like the convenience of being able to stream any song I want when I want. However, as a musician, I think the downside is that at least some consumers may miss the intended impact a collection and/or the order of songs on an album is designed to have.  All in all, there is a lot of good music out there and great new stuff coming out every day. I remain positive about the future.   

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Favourite artist?

 

I can’t really point to any one person- my musical tastes are too diverse. On the Americana side, Guy Clark and John Prine are my heroes. As far as blues, acoustically I’ve always admired John Hammond’s contemporary interpretations of the classics and, of course, BB King, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy can’t be beat. I don’t know where Leonard Cohen and Mark Knopfler fit on this musical spectrum, but I love a lot of their music.

 

• Favourite album?

Again, I can’t say I have any one favorite. The album I listen to most at any given time changes. Right now, I have been listening to a lot of BB King.

• First gig as audience member?

Chuck Berry

• Loudest gig as audience member

Paul Butterfield Blues Band (in a small bar in Boston)- couldn’t hear right for a week.

• Style icon?

Not sure what this means but let’s go with Warren Zevon (second choice Iggy Pop, third choice Taylor Swift). I’m not big on appearances.

• Favourite film

Casablanca

• Favourite TV show?

Yellowstone

8.       Favorite underground artist?

 

Most of my favorites are quite literally underground but, of those still breathing, I have to give a plug to my friends Eric Dahl (ck out his two most recent albums “Three Pawn Shops” and “Lost Horizons”) and Mindy Towe and her band Check the Signs (ck out their albums “This Time Around” and “Along the Way”)