"Music used to be regional. A place had a defining sound that was unique in and of itself. It came from the struggles and stories of the people there. The rhythms came from what was in nature in that area. The stories came from the experiences- the work, the struggle, the joy- of life there. That still exists a tiny bit, but the immediate access to everything homogenizes culture. And I don’t think you can turn back the clock on that."

Dave Jordan: The Roots of Crescent City

For nearly three decades, Dave Jordan has been a staple of the New Orleans and south Louisiana music scene. He's been described as the swampy lovechild of Tom Petty, John Prine and Dr. John and “the personification of the New Orleans ethos”. His music freely flows between New Orleans funk, Americana roots, and rock and roll, defying genre and categorization. A three-time finalist in OffBeat Magazine’s 'Best of the Beat' awards for Best Roots Rock Band and Best Roots Rock album, Jordan has been lauded as “one of New Orleans’ great song-smiths and bandleaders of my generation” by long time WWOZ DJ, Marc Stone. Dave regularly performs at New Orleans music institutions Tipitina’s, the Maple Leaf and DBA, as well as every major festival in south Louisiana, including multiple performances at the iconic New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He has recorded with New Orleans legends Art Neville, George Porter, Anders Osborne and more. Jordan has released five albums since 2010.              (Photo: Dave Jordan)

As a national touring act, Jordan frequently performs in the southeast, Colorado and the mountain west, and throughout Florida to Key West. He has been featured in various national media outlets including Relix, Paste, Hittin’ The Note and NPR. Over the course of his career, he has shared the stage with legendary artists Widespread Panic, Little Feat, funky Meters, Col. Bruce Hampton, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Merl Saunders, Galactic, drivin’ n cryin’, Leftover Salmon and more. On his latest release, Keep Going (2022), Dave again teamed up with Anders Osborne. For their third album collaboration, Osborne not only produces, but also provides his extraordinary guitar work with a backing band including legendary bassist George Porter, Jr; renowned studio and touring drummer Chad Cromwell; and local violinist and frequent band-mate, Rurik Nunan. Featuring nine tracks, Keep Going highlights Jordan’s potent blend of Americana storytelling and south Louisiana roots music.

Interview by Michael Limnios

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

It connects you to a place, geographically and emotionally. I’ve loved traveling, driving the roads and highways of America since I was a kid, and roots music is a living soundtrack to these places. I love getting to know what makes a town tic, what’s important to the people there. And it makes me realize how connected we are, as human beings. The same hopes and needs and wants and dreams.

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

We touch on and combine elements of basically all styles of American roots music: blues, country, folk, New Orleans rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and even a little bluegrass and jazz. It’s a string driven band, with acoustic guitar and violin, with songs that can be played without amplification. But we do like to rock too.

On a personal level, growing up in New Orleans and having a family that is very interested in genealogy and our roots, it’s very natural for me to musically gravitate to those concepts. The melting pot of cultures. A critic once wrote that I write with “a luxurious lack of urgency”, and I love that description. It’s the rhythm and tempo of the city and it influences everything I do.

My father was a writer and professor and my grandfather was a newspaper editor and publicist, so writing is in the blood. I started writing poetry when I was around 10 years old. I use it to kind of process the things going on in my life. To release some emotion and make sense of things. My favorite part of being a musician is to have a line or an idea and take that seed and let it grow into a song that can be actualized, fully formed. I love to trust the process without focusing on the result. If I do it right, the result will come. If I force it, it won’t.

"I sing about things that are part of the human condition, kind of collective experiences and emotions that we come across throughout our lives. I hope it connects with people, that they relate to it and it gives them some sort of strength in knowing they’re not alone. We all go through it, so as rough or lonely it may feel, keep going." (Photo: Dave Jordan)

Why do you think that NOLA music continues to generate such a devoted following?

New Orleans is such a unique and special place. The blend and diversity of the people give it an amazing depth of cultural creativity. There’s just nowhere really like it. The pace is different. The acceptance and encouragement to be unique is everywhere. It’s African, European, American, Caribbean and Latin American all rolled into one. It’s an adventure and a celebration.

We hold our traditions very closely. The city is very averse to change and radically proud of its culture. It’s generational. It’s family. It’s history. I think that attracts people, like it has more soul, more grit, more honesty, more life, more joy. And it probably does. It’s a different way to live, especially compared to the rest of United States. All that being said, it’s not for everyone.

Currently you’ve one more release with Anders Osborne. How did that relationship come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album "Keep Going"?

He and I first worked together in 2000, then again around 2010, so I joke that we’re due for a new album every decade. We’re casually discussing making a follow up to this one, so that would break that timeline and it would be great if we can make that happen. We also did a bunch of live shows together after Hurricane Katrina. Back then, with so many people displaced, everyone worked with who was available and I played bass in his band a little bit. We live on the same street and are friends and neighbors off stage. It’s very easy and natural to work together and I really value his input and ears and ideas. We come from a lot of similar musical influences, so it’s not difficult to dial in to what we’re trying to do.

I think my favorite story is how the song “Front Of House” came about. I had the little guitar part and one verse written as a tribute to our friend Griper, who suddenly passed away during Covid. He was a soundman and bartender, both at home and on the road, and I had the general thought to make his song an homage to all the behind the scenes people. But I didn’t have it fully formed, just a sketch. I was showing it to Rurik (violin), as maybe a pretty duo song to close the album, not really much more than a short interlude. Anders overheard it and was curious, so I told him my idea. He said nope, we need to have the whole band on it. So I wrote a couple more verses and we showed it to George and Chad. Anders heard one of the lines in the verse and said let’s repeat it and make it the chorus and Rurik helped come up with the phrasing and melody of that part. Porter said that it would naturally resolve to the minor key. When George Porter says go to the minor, you go to the minor. I think it’s a law. We ran through it maybe twice and it was cut. Probably took 20 minutes total. It’s incredible to work with artists that have so much experience, expertise and technical proficiency. Pretty mind boggling good. And people love the song, it goes over great live.

"We touch on and combine elements of basically all styles of American roots music: blues, country, folk, New Orleans rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and even a little bluegrass and jazz. It’s a string driven band, with acoustic guitar and violin, with songs that can be played without amplification. But we do like to rock too." (Dave Jordan / Photo by Tiffany Anderson)

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

Music used to be regional. A place had a defining sound that was unique in and of itself. It came from the struggles and stories of the people there. The rhythms came from what was in nature in that area. The stories came from the experiences- the work, the struggle, the joy- of life there. That still exists a tiny bit, but the immediate access to everything homogenizes culture. And I don’t think you can turn back the clock on that.

That being said, music is supposed to evolve and transform. It follows the same struggles and stories of people, just with different technology. It’s still a living history. A snapshot of what’s happening around us. I don’t really fear any of it, as it will follow the natural course that it’s supposed to.

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

I’ve been fortunate to have my heroes become my friends and have the opportunity to learn from them, both onstage and off. And in some cases, like having George Porter Jr on this album, get to work with them.

We did a gig a few years back to honor the late, great Art Neville. He’s the oldest Neville Brother and founded that band, as well as The Meters. He’s a New Orleans icon. The band was called Cha Dooky Do, after one of his early hits. It was a 9 piece, full horn section, big band. I played bass and sang a couple songs. We did a career retrospective, from his early 1950’s hits, through The Meters to the Neville Brothers.

Art was still alive at the time and we were fairly certain he’d play on a couple tunes, but advanced age and health issues limited his energy. He was so excited about it, he ended up playing the whole 2+ hours, to a sold out crowd at the legendary club and New Orleans institution, Tipitina’s. We surprised him by having his teenage daughter Amelia join us and it was the first time they ever performed together. It was a very special night and I often think I’m not sure if I’ll ever top it.

"New Orleans is such a unique and special place. The blend and diversity of the people give it an amazing depth of cultural creativity. There’s just nowhere really like it. The pace is different. The acceptance and encouragement to be unique is everywhere. It’s African, European, American, Caribbean and Latin American all rolled into one. It’s an adventure and a celebration." (Photo: Dave Jordan)

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

I sing about things that are part of the human condition, kind of collective experiences and emotions that we come across throughout our lives. I hope it connects with people, that they relate to it and it gives them some sort of strength in knowing they’re not alone. We all go through it, so as rough or lonely it may feel, keep going.

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

That we are much more bound by the things that connect us then divide us. So focus on those and don’t buy into or feed the things that drive wedges between us. And in music we can share these wonderful, inspiring moments, so appreciate the beauty around us and love one another.

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