Damon Fowler (Interview)

From the swampy opening notes of Damon Fowler’s new CD, Sounds Of Home, you get the feeling that this is going to be good. Not exactly a greenhorn but still fresh enough to be pulling out some exciting new licks, Florida bred Fowler is finally getting the recognition he deserves as his third Blind Pig Records release is bubbling over with delicious blues wanderings. He starts out strong with “Thought I Had It All” and keeps rising with an up-tempo title track, a cover of an Elvis Costello favorite, a Johnny Winter tingler, a barroom crier and just enough Leon Russell twang in his voice to stand out in a genre already crowded with talent.

Choosing to work with Louisiana legend Tab Benoit again after a successful Devil Got His Way in 2011, Fowler brings his music up another notch with the help of his trio featuring bass player Chuck Riley and drummer James McKnight. After getting married and becoming a father for the first time, Fowler feels that more good times are coming in 2014: “I’m excited,” Fowler told me a few weeks ago. “I’ve got my hands full but I’m very happy.”

Why did you choose to work with Tab Benoit again? What made him so special to you?

His beard (laughs). I’ve known Tab for a long time. I’m thirty-five and the first time I heard Tab, I was probably like twenty. So we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s always been really nice to me and just reached out to help me. I’ve worked with some producers in the past and I’ve always had great experiences. My first record that I ever put out, Rick Derringer produced it. A few years later when I got signed to Blind Pig, I worked with Scott Cable for a couple of records. Scott Cable is a great friend of mine and I feel we made some good records. The reason why I went back to Tab, originally Southern Hospitality, my other project, we made our record at Tab’s studio and I like the way Tab works. We have kind of the same idea how you should make a record and I think when you go in to make a record with a producer, it’s good to understand each other, how you work, cause some people are into being very meticulous: record the drums one day and then record the bass the next day and then one guitar and then you layer another guitar and all that. That’s not how we do it.

The way we did these last couple of records is we go in and we try and record as much of it live as possible. And for me, there’s a few benefits: One, I capture the spirit better. I can’t say I capture the notes and I can’t say it’s perfect and everything; I can’t say there’s no wrong notes, or there’s a little squeak or a little pop here. That stuff is fine with me. That’s the human element of music. For me, it captures the vibe and when people buy your record and they listen to it and they like it and they want to support you, the worst thing you can ever do is when someone comes to see you and is like, “I want to hear this song,” and you’re like, “I can’t do it.” Or, you do the song and it doesn’t sound anything like what the record sounds like because you have all these multi-layers and levels of recording and different stuff on there. When I record with my trio live and they see me live with my trio, we can recreate it. It just feels more honest to me.

All those little quirks that you mentioned, that’s what we love so much about the old albums.

Right, exactly. To me, that’s the good thing about music, it’s human, it’s got little nuances and little bitty mistakes. Some of the best music that we could talk about came from mistakes.

I’m glad that musicians are going back to recording this way instead of doing so much Pro Tools. Everybody’s together in the studio again.

I do too and I think technology has had a lot to do with it in the last twenty years, because of the development and advancement of computers and all the recording software and everything. It’s fun to play with and it’s fun to get to know but I think by working with a lot of that stuff, people kind of lost touch a little bit. And now I think people are starting to realize, hey, let’s go back to the old way.

You’ve been a recording musician for a while so what was one of the biggest differences from the first time you recorded back in the late 1990’s to doing this CD?

For me, my character. I’m more confident, I know more about what I want. I know more how to communicate with an engineer and a producer. A lot of times your first record, you go in and you don’t overstep your boundaries. I feel there should be a high level of respect for everybody you’re playing with in the studio – the engineer and everybody – and you put that out and it comes back to you and it comes through in the music. As a young man, I knew I wanted to play guitar, I knew I wanted to write songs and make music and I knew I had a shot at it. But I didn’t have a very focused goal, you know. I think now I know more. When I go in a studio, I have more of an idea what I’m going to do, what I want, what I‘m looking for. We try to achieve that with no dilly-dallying.

What was your writing process like going into this particular album?

I had a few songs, and another reason I went to Tab and something I discovered with Southern Hospitality when we did that record, when Southern Hospitality first went in to record with Tab, we had a demo that we’d already made. We had all these songs written. So we go in, we do it but we were going back and listening to the demo going, well, it’s not like the demo. And the songs that I liked the most on the Southern Hospitality record, I like them all but the songs I enjoy the most are the songs that just came together while we were there at the studio. We had just little skeletons of ideas, threw them out into the air and everybody was like, “Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we try that?” Tab was a big part of that. So I took that approach to this record. I had ideas and I had outlines of songs and skeletons of songs but nothing was finished. And I think that was really where the magic with Tab, that’s where it lies, because he gets involved with it. There’s times where Tab will take your song and turn it into something nothing what like you thought it was going to be. He’s like, “Just try this” and eventually you try it and it works out and you’re like, Ok, all right, you’re right (laughs). You have to have a trust; the respect and the trust have to be there for a producer, you know.

So what was one of those songs that started one way and turned out completely different than what it was from the beginning?

Pretty much all of them (laughs). I would say, “Thought I Had It All.” It’s a rocker now but when I wrote it, it was a ballad.

I thought that song was a great way to start the album off.

Yeah and to me that’s another important thing that a lot of people don’t put effort into, is what order the songs are in and how when you first put it into your car or into your CD by the pool or wherever you listen to music at; you put it in and it has to have like peaks and valleys that have to be dynamic, like between the songs. They set each other up. You got great songs but the order is all wrong so you never really get the presentation right so it never gets it’s fair shake. And I think that’s something that a producer does that is very important.

You’re more of a blues guy. Why did you throw Elvis Costello into the mix?

You know, we were sitting around the studio talking about songs and I’ve always loved the song “Allison” and I’ve always loved Elvis Costello and we did it and that was like one take. Tab put some harmonies on it and we were like, Yes!! It’s not like any other song I’ve ever released but I think it’s really cool. I was like, we’ll try it. I just liked the song and there’s been a few times where I’ve played it live. Like, we’ll do it for an encore or something and people are always like, “Wow, I can’t believe you did that song.”

How does it feel getting all these accolades and still being so young?

You know, I’m thirty-five. It’s nice and it feels good. At the same time, it doesn’t feel any different. When you’re fifteen/sixteen years old and you’re in your parents’ house, you’re like, “Man, I’m going to get my stuff together, I’m going to play guitar and write some songs, go on the road and put out records.” First off, advice to those kids doing that in that position now, it’s pretty damn hard. It’s a lot harder and a lot more hours than I thought it was going to be. That being said, I enjoy it. It’s a labor of love. If I wanted to get rich, this is not something you’re going to get rich at, like financially rich. I have a lot of friends and there’re moments in my life that I wouldn’t trade for anything and most of them center around music and playing music. And I know people that make lots of money and they are completely unhappy. So for me, it’s my job but it’s also my hobby, so I feel very fortunate to get to do that.

You’re part of a trio. Why does that configuration work best for you?

I wouldn’t say it’s the only way I can fly or anything. Southern Hospitality was cool because it was a bigger band. We had a great guitar player in the band and just a monster of a piano/organ player. The freedoms I enjoy with my trio are textural freedoms because I can take it in any direction I want and it’s something I’ve done. I’m most comfortable with my trio because originally it started out of necessity, it’s all I could afford to take on the road. It’s hard getting guys on the road that you get along with in the van that can also play and that also are responsible enough not to get arrested (laughs), not to have major drug problems, not to let homeless people into your hotel rooms. You know what I mean? Chuck Riley is the bass player and he’s been with me a really long time and is a major part of our sound. And James McKnight is the drummer. We call him “Big Country.” He’s the most solid drummer I know. So I enjoy working with those guys. We get along on and off the stage. If ever there were another person to come along, a piano player or keyboard player or guitar player or whatever, I’m not against that. It’s just got to happen, you know. It’s not something I want to force.

When you first started playing guitar, what was the hardest thing for you to learn?

When I first started playing guitar, I was ten years old. So the hardest thing was the F chord because my hands were small and the F chord is hard when you’re first starting out. I wouldn’t say the hardest things but an important thing you got to learn as a musician, especially a guitar player, is a lot of testosterone is running around in your head and you just want to play every note, every fast lick you could possibly think of at every moment. And I would say the older I get the more I like the space around the notes. I like the air in between the notes. To me, that’s where the art is. And really it should be more like a vocal, your solos and your riffs and stuff. If you can hum them, if you can sing them, they get into your head better.

What was your dream guitar when you were a kid?

When I was first starting out, I wanted a Les Paul. I wanted a black Les Paul. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve never owned a black Les Paul, but I will own a black Les Paul one of these days. I wanted a Les Paul because Slash played a Les Paul. He was a big influence for me when I was growing up. But when you’re young, that changes with the wind. Even today, I’m thirty-five, and if you want fantasy guitars, I’ve got many fantasy guitars. I’d like a Gold Top Les Paul, I’d like a Black Beauty, I’d like an Esquire. I’ve got an old Strat, I’ve got a 1960 Strat. I had a 1957 Les Paul Jr for a while but I sold it and financed the demos that got me signed. So it was well worth it.

Have you always listened to blues music?

I have. I’m an only child and my mom and I lived with my grandparents and they had a septic tank business. It was a family run business and all my uncles at one point had worked for my grandma and my grandpa. My oldest uncle, Bobby, was in a country band and he writes songs and his son plays drums. When I was ten, my grandmother was buying him a guitar and we were at the music store and just to get me out of her hair, she bought me a cheap acoustic guitar. Every Sunday, we had a pool with like a little deck, and my uncles and everybody that worked at the company would come over and we’d have these bar-b-ques and everybody would play a little bit. It was mainly bluegrass music and folk music and country music. At that point in my life, I thought that was what everybody did on Sundays (laughs). That’s how I got into it.

I’ve heard you talk about Johnny Winter. What was it that captivated you about him?

Man, he’s like raw electricity coming out of the speakers. There’s just something about the guy.

And you’ve gotten to play with him over the years.

You know, Rick Derringer had worked with him. Rick was a guitar player in Johnny Winter’s band after he released Progressive Blues Experiment; so when I was about eighteen or nineteen and I was making that record with Rick, I was already a huge fan of Johnny because my uncle had given me this record called Nothin’ But The Blues and it was like the Muddy Waters band with Johnny Winter and it’s just killer, knocked me out. From that point on, I’ve just been a big fan. I’ve been very fortunate to get to meet him a bunch of times, play a bunch of shows with him, we’ve been on tour with him, played New Orleans with him one time. We played Texas, all over Florida with him. I’m playing with him this tour. In February we’re playing Maryland with him, doing a couple of shows with him. His manager and his guitar player is someone that has been a big help for Johnny, getting him on the right track with his health. It’s a really professional camp and they’ve always been real cool to us.

What would you say influences your songwriting the most?

Well, growing up I had all these uncles and stuff and Bobby was the songwriter and I’d have to say he was probably my first inspiration as far as songwriters. I’m a big Willie Nelson fan.

What has been the most unique thing you’ve written a song about?

On my Sugar Shack record, I have a verse that says, “I know a girl that lived in a trailer down by the toxic mountain.” In Florida, everyone that lives around here knows about it because it’s a by-product of phosphate and I’d have to say that’s one of my unique references – the phosphate pit (laughs). It’s weird, nothing grows on it. It’s just by-product. They mine all this phosphorous and gypsum and the by-product that’s left they make this giant mountain out of. And as a kid till now, I’ve seen it grow and now it’s like this giant mountain.

Do you still live in the area where you grew up?

I live about forty minutes from there

Why don’t you want to move to Nashville or LA?

I live in Florida (laughs). When we go on tour, the biggest question is people are always like, “You guys are from Florida?” And we’re like “Yeah.” And they’re like, “Why are ya’ll here?” (laughs) People save their whole lives, all year long they save to go on vacation to Florida. And the thing is, I’ve been really lucky these last few years with touring and stuff and I’m just trying to take it to another level. But if you just want to be a gigging musician, you can do that in Florida. You can work five nights a week.

You’re also known for playing a lap steel guitar. How did you get into that?

In the circles I play in, I’m mainly known for fronting my band and playing guitar; and also I’m kind of known for playing lap steel. I started playing lap steel when I was probably about twenty-three. I owned a lap steel for about a year before I even started playing it. I saw it at a music store that was going out of business and it was a Gibson and I just thought, well, it’s an old Gibson so I should buy it. It might be collectible someday. So I propped it up in my room and didn’t touch it for a year. Then one day I saw a video – this was before the internet and instruction is so easy for guitar now off the internet – but at this point in my life, this was in like 1994, maybe 1995, maybe a little later, 1996. The internet was still there but it wasn’t as rampant as it is now. So I learned about open-tunings and I applied it to my lap steel and it became something unique for me and it’s expanded my musical knowledge and also my ability to play with other musicians.

What would you say is the hardest thing about playing live?

The hardest thing about playing live is getting a good sound man. I’m not lying, that’s not a joke. That’s the hardest thing. The issue with sound men is that I look at it one way and they look at it another. I’m looking at it as this is sound reinforcement, so anything that I can’t carry from the stage to the people, they got to go ahead and carry the rest for us. The sound men look at it like they’re part of the band and they’re going to inflict their artistic integrity on your art. And that’s when they want to start adding delay and silly effects and to me that’s just the most frustrating thing.

Who was the first real rock star or musical legend that you ever met?

Bill Monroe. I was really young and Bill Monroe used to play the Strawberry Festival and the Florida State Fair. My grandparents were huge bluegrass fans and my grandfather with the septic tank company when the fair and the Strawberry Festival would come to town, he would go and he’d pump out their tanks. It was like a good business thing for him and he’d make a lot of money. He would get the account every year and he would go around and all these people with tour buses, he’d go knock on their bus and be like, “Hey, instead of going to dump I can just hook you up to my truck,” and back in those days it was like twenty bucks or something, cheap. So he did that and got some tickets. So Bill Monroe was playing the Strawberry Festival and he did his tank and got some passes. I was about nine years old, either my mom or my grandparents went to the Strawberry Festival and got to hang out for a minute and I got to shake Bill Monroe’s hand. That was before I was even playing music.

To me, he has always been old

Yeah, he was old then. I remember being like, Who is this old dude? (laughs) I didn’t know who Bill Monroe was. I was miserable. I wanted to go ride rides, man (laughs)

What has surprised you the most about being a professional musician?

The pleasant surprise that always gets me is the outpouring of encouragement and just the overall love and support from people. There are people that really care about music and I don’t know if surprise is the best word for it but originally when I first started figuring it out, I was surprised. People, they wait all week. They pay money to come watch you play. It’s humbling as hell. And times are hard and they’ll come up and buy your shirt or buy your CD and you’re like, thank you. I know you worked for that money.

So what are your plans for this year?

Well, we’re going on tour. We’re going up the East coast, then we come home and then we’re going out on the West coast, to California, to Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois. Then we come home, fly to Cancun. Once we get back from that, we start another tour. I’m doing some one-off’s this year with Southern Hospitality. We’re doing the Blues Cruise in a couple of weeks and I’m really looking forward to that. You get a chance to play with a lot of great musicians and it’s kind of like a floating blues prison (laughs), cause you’re stuck on there for like a week but it’s fun.

Photographs by Tracy May