"I am not a Bluesman. I am not a Soul Man, I’m not a Country Boy, I’m Patrick Sweany."

Patrick Sweany: Southern Comfort
Patrick Sweany likes the spaces in between. On a given night (or on a given album) he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing 'em all together seamlessly into his own stew. Yet, the one thing that most people notice about Patrick isn't his ability to copy - it's his authenticity. Like his heroes, folks like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Eddie Hinton, Doug Sahm, Joe Tex, Patrick somehow manages to blend all of these influences into something all his own.

Patrick spent hours teaching himself to fingerpick along to Leadbelly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and other folk-blues giants. In his late teens, Patrick began playing the clubs and coffeehouses around Kent, OH. He quickly gained a reputation for the intricate country blues style he was developing: part Piedmont picking, part Delta slide - with an equally impressive deep, smooth vocal style.
It wasn't long before Pat drew the attention of other notables like Jimmy Thackery who was impressed enough to bring Pat on the road, and Roy Book Binder, who, after hearing Patrick's self-released debut CD I Wanna Tell You, arranged his first appearance at Merlefest in 2002. Book Binder also turned his longtime friend Jorma Kaukonen on to Patrick's music, landing Pat a perennial slot at the legendary Fur Peace Ranch alongside guitarists like GE Smith, Marjorie Thompson, Bill Kirchen and Bob Margolin. After 3 critically acclaimed CDs (the last two produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys), Patrick has expanded his touring radius to US and the UK. He's played premiere festivals all over the U.S., and supported national acts such as The Black Keys, The Gourds, The Wood Brothers, Sonny Landreth, Hot Tuna, and Paul Thorn on tour. His latest record, That Old Southern Drag, it was recorded to 2" tape in Nasheville, TN , Patrick's new home. Southern Drag expands Patrick's roots music palette without losing his signature Deep Blues sound.

Interview by Michael Limnios

Patrick, when was your first desire to become involved in the blues & who were your first idols?
My dad plays guitar and banjo, and would play at home and in church. I always liked it and would hang around when he and his friend would play tunes together after practice. I guess I was about 11 or so, when I really decided I wanted to play myself.

What was the first gig you ever went to & what were the first songs you learned?
The first song I learned was probably “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, and the first fingerpicking song I learned was “Freight Train.”  I guess the first gigs I my dad took me to were Bluegrass concerts at a nearby high school auditorium, and the Kent State Folk Festivals.

Which was the best moment of your career and which was the worst?
Really the best/worst moments of my career are hard to figure out. I think about all the nice people I’ve met, having conversations with people I would have never met other than through traveling around, touring.  Getting to know Robert Lockwood Jr. before he passed was very important to me. Being worried about money all the time, getting shorted or ripped off by clubs is the worst, but that isn’t anything specific to my life. That’s just being an adult.

How/where do you get inspiration for your songs & who were your mentors in songwriting?
I get inspired by the people in my family, my friends, my wife, the everyday ordinary things that everybody deals with. My songwriting mentors are definitely Dan Penn, Eddie Hinton, Doug Sahm, Joe Tex, Otis Redding, Ray Charles,  Charlie Patton, and Merle Haggard.

Do you think that your music and your songs comes from the heart, the brain or the soul?
I didn’t know that you could separate those things. I don’t think I could do anything if all three weren’t in agreement.

What does the BLUES mean to you & what does Blues offered you?
The Blues was just something that seemed more exciting to me, more emotionally expressive, yet more grounded and real, than anything else I could find.

What do you learn about yourself from music? How do you describe your sound & your progress?

I don’t know if can answer this. I am not a Bluesman. I am not a Soul Man, I’m not a Country Boy, I’m Patrick Sweany.  My music is most directly influenced by the Blues. I love the economy of language and subtlety of the Blues, Soul, and Country Music. As I keep doing this, I think the line between these influences gets blurred more and more. I think I learn less about myself through my music than I do through other people’s music. You hear a good line from some record and it stings you a little bit, puts a little tear in your eye, then you got something to think about. By the time my song hits tape, I have what I want to say or mean already thought out. It’s important to mean what you say in a song and really mean it. I guess the songwriting process is more where self-discovery happens. “Can I say that? Do I really mean that?”

What experiences in your life make you a GOOD musician and people?
Paying attention to the feelings of other people, being compassionate,  being honest, and trying to understand the other guy’s point of view. I don’t think that is specific to musicians.

 

Are there any memories from Fur Peace Ranch, which you’d like to share with us? 

I love the Ranch, and the extended family around it. Jorma is just a great guy, and I relish every time I get to hang around him. His right hand man, Myron Hart, is one of my best pals. Meeting Pinetop Perkins at the Ranch was really cool.

Do you have any amusing tales to tell from your work with Jimmy Thackery & Roy Book Binder?
Roy Book Binder is a fantastic human being, and really helped me to believe in myself, and that it was possible for a musician to survive in modern America. Just a great guy. I don’t care to comment on the other guy.  When I knew that other  person, his drummer was Mark Stutso, now with the Nighthawks, who taught me how to mentally and physically survive on the road. Mark is still a great friend and I love him dearly. Mark used to flip the “Do Not Disturb” sign on my motel room to “Maid service needed” every chance he got, if he knew I was in the shower. Invariably, a hotel employee would be greeted by a less than clothed, and a very surprised Patrick Sweany, and Mark’s cackling laughter from the hallway.

Would you mind telling me your most vivid memory from The Black Keys, The Gourds, Sonny Landreth, Hot Tuna on tour? 

My Memories of these things usually had nothing to do with the performance. It’s really not that interesting. Driving, motels, load in, hurry up 10minute sound checks, trying to find a decent meal, working the merch booth all night, and then load out, driving, start over. I am lucky enough that all these guys you mentioned are nice people, and have great audiences and I was able to perform for them, hopefully make new fans. Most of the time spent is just driving in a van with the guys, telling jokes, listening to music.

From whom have you have learned the most secrets about blues music?

I would guess I learned the most from Robert Lockwood Jr.  He really was so influential on so much of the music and was THE guitar player on so many classic recordings. He had such an interesting combination of all these disparate elements of Blues, rural and urban.

What characterize the sound and the music philosophy of Patrick Sweany?

An audience knows if you are faking it, play hard, be positive, give the people the best show you are able, no matter how many people are there.

Some music styles can be fads but the blues is always with us. Why do think that is? Give one wish for the BLUES.

I couldn’t answer why Blues is what it is, and why it endures. I guess that we lucked out as humans that technology allowed us to record a really vibrant, exciting period in American music.  My wish? I hope all the guitar players that think a song is a vehicle for a guitar solo, die off, and drummers that can’t play their instrument under 100 decibels die too. Play a song, or quit breathing my air. Sorry to be negative.

How you would spend a day with Bobby Blue Bland & Joe Tex?

I would probably drive the Cadillac and just listen.  

What would you say to Eddie Hinton & Doug Sham? “Let me hang out with you guys!”

What is the “think” you miss most today, from the old folk blues of Leadbelly?

It’s just a different world now. People don’t sing that way, because we have microphones. They don’t play the guitar that way anymore.  I don’t really miss it, I didn’t live in that time, I just love those records. I wish there were guys like him that I could meet, and hang out with, and ask questions, but Leadbelly was a man that lived in his time. He would be a different person if he was around now. We have recordings, and that captured his performance in that time, but the world he grew up in is nothing like the world we live in now.  
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians thinking of pursuing a career in the craft? Start saving your money now!  Keep your mouth shut, and stop playing when it’s time to listen.

Any comments about your experiences from the recording time with Dan Auerbach?

It was a great experience. We had 3 days to track an album, which was longer than I had ever had before. He’s a nice guy, quiet. Focused. It was really just working. No screwing around.

I've heard two sayings about the blues, which are a little bit confusing. One is "Blues is a healer". Another one "You have to feel blue to play Blues". If it's suppose to be a healer, why should it make one feel sad?

It never made me or anyone I know, sad. It allows us to express that sadness, and get release and relief from it. That’s all I know.

Patrick Sweany's website

                                                          Photo Credits: Barry Berenson, Eartha Goodwin