"What it always has been. I think some music today has the same power it always has. It allows people to let go, to hold on, to grieve and celebrate, to find God, to get laid, to get straight, to get high, to connect people that would otherwise have nothing in common."

Jhett Black: The Southern Gothic Blues

Roots singer/multi-instrumentalist Jhett Black soars on new "Babel" album set for release September 8th on Rumblestump Records. "Babel", the new album (CD and vinyl) is at once a deep dive into the depths of the Delta and an expedition into the future of blues music. After the successes of Jhett Black’s debut EP, Roots, and wins at the International Blues Challenge in 2022, Jhett embarked on a self-produced excursion alongside Glenn Halverson (who mixed and mastered the album) and co-producers Al Basile and Callie Sioux, growing up and out of traditional territories of the blues while maintaining the integrity of the genre. The dark and heavy content of Babel, which includes 10 original songs, plus a searing cover of the Freddie King classic, “Going Down,” is emphasized with the smooth and intimate croons of Jhett’s bass/baritone voice that explodes into passionate growls that breaks down the boundaries between rock, soul, and blues.

(Jhett Black / Photo Lukas @ Aloha Burn Frames)

Foot stomping rhythms and raucous slide guitar interweave with soulful gospel roots and balladry. The Southern Gothic sound of Jhett Black draws from years of  experience on the road with underground folk rock band, Gleewood, and his passion for American roots music. Somewhere between teaching himself slide guitar behind the chicken coop of a New Mexico ranch house and an endless sea of dive bars, the blues found their way into the young man’s heart and pours back out with the passionate performance of an older soul. The internationally received songwriter draws from deep sources such as Lead Belly and Howlin’ Wolf, while illustrating ballads with lyrical nods to storytellers like Johnny Cash, and Nick Cave.

Interview by Michael Limnios                     Special Thanks: Mark Pucci Media

How has the Blues and American Roots music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

American roots music has always been such an integral part of my life that it would be hard to imagine life without it. It's the angst and pulse of the American dream (at least the idea of it). It's the space and melancholy of the country. For me though, my respect and love for blues and American roots music in general really came into full bloom after touring Europe with me and my wife's previous folk rock project, Gleewood. Roots music has always been a part of me and never really acknowledged it as something particularly special until I experienced the way people listened to it in other countries. It was recognized as something distinctly American. That really added fuel to the fire and encouraged me to dig deeper into the history of the music I play.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

Southern Gothic Blues. Murder ballads and gospel blues. My largest influence in music has always been the Hebrew Psalms. Pain and hope. Struggle and victory.

What touched you from the One-Man Band act? What's the balance in music between technique and soul?

There's a coyote road-dog of a man, named Tom Bennett from Villa Rica, Georgia. I met him at a film festival, and we toured together extensively for a few years playing roadhouses and dive bars, biker joints, things like that. He lived the life of a traveling folk singer and so did we. He made me appreciate, for the first time, a one-man-band. I enjoy performing solo myself, but for me it's just a small piece of what I do musically. Foot percussion can be a good time until it's not.           (Jhett Black / Photo by Callie Sioux)

"A "no" can lead you in new directions and it's my second favorite answer. Don't buy into the lies that the world tries to sell you as success. There's a big distance between good music and great music but it's not the same length for every person and the margins are always moving."

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music?

I was a late bloomer in music. I bought a guitar and a one-way ticket to Hawaii when I was 17. At that time a could barely string three chords together. I knew I loved music, but it was just a good way to avoid getting beat up while I was traveling around and surfing as a haole playing Bob Marley and Led Zeppelin songs. I don't think that little kid would recognize me or could have known that music would be such a kingpin in my life - especially the blues. It took a lot of living and to get to where I am right now with music - a very different place in my life.

What has remained the same about your music-making process?

Not much. I am always growing and pushing my music in new directions. One honest grounding point has been my wife, Callie Sioux, though. She remains my muse, co-writer, co-creator. I wrote my first song the day I met her. She has been a part of the process in some way ever since.

Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “Babel”, 2023?

I think the way music will be created on front porches and around campfires, is all about to change. Digital music creation is careening into new areas of everyday life. It's becoming folk music, meaning it's the way people create music and listen to it. While I owe my heart and allegiance to the organic and lo-fi roots of American music, I wanted to push the boundaries of what I could do with a keyboard, a laptop and a guitar. My studio was always in motion for this record and with me wherever I was during the process. I remember writing and creating some of the synth pads and tones in the record while on the drive to a gig with my laptop plugged into my stereo. I was really inspired by all these kids making pop music in their bedrooms with nothing but a laptop. I think it's an interesting reflection of how blues music started. Just people working with the tools and resources available to them and bending those materials into something that reflects their emotions and thoughts.

"I was a late bloomer in music. I bought a guitar and a one-way ticket to Hawaii when I was 17. At that time a could barely string three chords together. I knew I loved music, but it was just a good way to avoid getting beat up while I was traveling around and surfing as a haole playing Bob Marley and Led Zeppelin songs. I don't think that little kid would recognize me or could have known that music would be such a kingpin in my life - especially the blues. It took a lot of living and to get to where I am right now with music - a very different place in my life." (Jhett Black / Photo by Callie Sioux)

What touched you from Freddie King’s classic song “Going Down”?

Everything. It's a sexy, driving, incessant groove. Freddie's version for me (although written by Don Nix) is where blues rock was formed. I noticed playing it live, that people couldn't help but move. I love a good, seated, intimate blues show, but I think blues music gets to be a part of turning people on to one another. It can be a very sensual thing. I started working on that song first on the record because I wanted that to be the color pallet I would use for the whole project. It showed me what I wanted to stay grounded in while we incorporated a bit more delta and a bit more electronic voicings. 

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

It's vital to my role as an artist and as an American to hold on to the beautiful things that have shown me the way through difficult times and reminds me that we are all in this thing together. It's a genre that was born in pain and turmoil by enslaved people. It lifted hearts and minds. Created points of connection. We can't continue moving forward without knowing where we came from musically or otherwise. 'Why wouldn't it be important? ' would probably have a much shorter answer.

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

I could never begin to contain all the magic I've seen and got to share with music in this interview, but some of my most important and memorable musical experiences have been for an audience of one. Especially if that song was written just for them.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I'm a pretty young man, so I'm not sure I really miss much. I have my fantasies about what things might have been like, but grass is always greener on the other side. My hope is that music with honesty and integrity - music that is true continues to thrive. I hope that musicians have courage to sing, write, and play what is truly on their heart and use mediums that reflect that. I hope people learn how to dance at concerts again and enjoy each other as much if not more than the artists on stage when music calls for it.

"Roots music has always been a part of me and never really acknowledged it as something particularly special until I experienced the way people listened to it in other countries. It was recognized as something distinctly American. That really added fuel to the fire and encouraged me to dig deeper into the history of the music I play." (Jhett Black / Photo Lukas @ Aloha Burn Frames)

What is the impact of music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

What it always has been. I think some music today has the same power it always has. It allows people to let go, to hold on, to grieve and celebrate, to find God, to get laid, to get straight, to get high, to connect people that would otherwise have nothing in common.

Do you think there is an audience for Blues/Roots music in its current state? or at least a potential for young people to become future audiences and fans?

Yeah. I'd be doing something else if I didn't believe in that. Like a phoenix, it will always rise from the ashes and be reborn. Anything that taps into truth is like that.

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really want to go for a whole day?

I'd like to be playing music and jamming at the wedding feast where Jesus turned the water to wine, although that celebration is still yet to come as well, so I can wait for round two.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

A "no" can lead you in new directions and it's my second favorite answer. Don't buy into the lies that the world tries to sell you as success. There's a big distance between good music and great music but it's not the same length for every person and the margins are always moving.

John Coltrane said "My music is the spiritual expression of what I am...". How do you understand the spirit, music, and the meaning of life?

I couldn't agree more. I don't pretend to understand much about all three of those things. I do know however, that I owe them to the God of the gospel spoken by a Jew from Nazareth and am exceedingly grateful for the gifts.

Jhett Black Blues - Home

(Jhett Black / Photo Lukas @ Aloha Burn Frames)