AJ Ghent’s newest creation, The Neo Bues Project is a 6-song EP set for release on March 16, 2018, on Ropedope Records. AJ aims to create an unforgettable experience for music lovers, with the hopes of taking them to a musical paradise.
The Neoblues Project starts off with “DoThe Rump,”a sexy rendition of the Junior Kimbrough classic, creates a mood for the album by teasing; you can’t be shy. AJ’s slide is flawless and taunting as it goes over the edge with a tambourine hip-shaking ending.“It was an honor to cover Junior Kimbrough I wanted to put my spin on it adding a bit of slide guitar and synth with a touch of jam.”
Self-produced by Ghent at his studio, The Ghent Factory in Atlanta he focused on how he wanted music to flow on all instruments. AJ fires away on any of his axes whether it’s his Jackson Steel Slide King Guitar or his 33:3 custom 8 string guitar throughout the album making unreal riffs while carrying the melody.
AJ Ghent [J-ent] hails from Fort Pierce, Florida and growing up it was all about the music. Music that has truly been running through his family for generations; such as his great uncle Willie Eason, the creator of the ‘Sacred Steel Tradition,’ and his grandfather Henry Nelson, the founder of the “Sacred Steel” rhythmic guitar style. This style is played by many names today, such as Robert Randolph, The Campbell Brothers, and more.
AJ began his music career in West Palm Beach, FL with his sister Tiffany Ghent. There he spent many nights exploring a rich range of genres, from hip-hop to R&B. However, he was in search of something more, a style that was uniquely his own. Fresh with his marriage to MarLa, he set his eyes on Atlanta, GA. When he arrived in ‘A-town’ AJ took on sideman jobs and studio session work. Not long after, AJ met the legendary Colonel Bruce Hampton who began to mentor him; teaching him what mattered the most; “time – tone and space” for all his music and life journeys. AJ was invited to play in Hampton’s band, Pharaoh’s Kitchen, which he did for about a year — and like true Colonel Bruce style, the elder statesman always reminded AJ to be ‘true to himself.’
He has had a colorful career thus far playing and opening for such legendary acts Zac Brown, The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks, Robert Cray, and Gov’t Mule. He can be heard on various recordings with Zac Brown, Luther Dickinson, and featured on Zac Brown’s 2013 Grohl Sessions Vol. 1 alongside Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters). AJ’s band has had various formations, from a trio to a full-size live band with horns, playing small clubs to mid-large sized festivals and arenas; dazzling audiences everywhere. In 2015, he released a DVD/CD called Live at Terminal West – recorded and filmed at the Terminal West venue in the old King Plow factory in Atlanta, GA.
Glide is proud to premiere The Neo Blues Project EP in its entirety (below), a daring guitar based album that channels various masters of the six-string. Ghent puts a 2018 stamp on the blues that music listeners from young to experienced can grasp onto. Glide also had the chance to speak with Ghent in more detail below…
Congratulations on your new album – The Neo Blues Project – how and why did you come up with the term “Neo Blues?”
Thank you! I wanted to incorporate my life experiences and the different sounds and genres of music that inspired me, all while playing the blues. While performing, I noticed that my style had a “new” bluesy feel with a modern twist. That’s when the term Neo Blues hit me.
You mentioned you fuse blues, rock and pop into one- has it been challenging or did it come easy for you to fuse such broad elements into this one big sound? Did the vocals and lyrics come after the music or prior?
I’d say fusing these different genres together was easy because it came naturally to me. For me, usually, a melody will come first, then the lyrics, after that the musical arrangement. Then, there may be some vocal frosting added on top once the foundation has been laid.
What can you tell us about the track “Power”?
Power is a motivational anthem that I wrote to help us all stay encouraged during hard times. We can never have enough positive things being said to create more positive environments, so I wrote Power in hopes to give every listening ear the strength in knowing that they can overcome any obstacle.
The album comes out on Ropeadope Records- how did you hook up with them and what type of creative freedom have they given you?
I learned about Ropeadope Records through a friend and we hooked up from there. One of the great things about Ropeadope Records, is their mission, “… to build a distributed collaborative organization – a network of artists with the persistent goal of each building their independent business and retaining full creative control of their work.”
Do you plan on a full-length album in the near future and why an EP first a full length now?
Yes, I plan on a full-length album very soon. I chose to release an EP first, so that I could introduce myself and style. I want music lovers to have a chance to get to know me before I give the rest of the story with a full-length album.
I hear some of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gary Clark Jr and Robert Randolph in your sound- who were your primary musical inspirations?My primary inspirations were my grandad, Henry Nelson, and my dad, Aubrey Ghent Sr., who inspired many great steel guitar and slide players.
How many different guitars do you typically have in your rotation and which guitars are your go-to for composing and recording?
The number of guitars in my rotation depends….. I typically have three out on the road, but I more so lean towards whichever guitar I’m inspired by in the moment. I don’t have a go-to guitar, but I love to start simple, maybe with a six-string lap steel and then working my way up from there.
Your great uncle Willie Eason is the creator of the “Sacred Steel Tradition” – what has music taught you and what stories have you heard about his playing that has creatively inspired you?
His music has me taught me the beauty of simplicity, hard work, and faith. Stories that have creatively inspired me, would be ones of how he would play on the street corner, and bring his singers, and dancers. He was a true performer.
Col Bruce Hampton was your mentor- what do you most remember about your relationship with him?
The Col knew of me through my family’s work and history with the Sacred Steel Tradition. So when we met in person, it was like he’d known me for a while. What I remember most about our relationship would have to be his passion and dedication to time, tone and space.
