Greg Johnson: The 13th Floor Interview

Beloved troubadours Greg Johnson and Mel Parsons are taking to the road this November for a national tour.  Expect plenty of song writing gems from the pair responsible for the likes of Save Yourself, I Won’t Let You Down, Isabelle, Far Away, Don’t Wait Another Day, Get Out Alive, Now The Sun Is Out, and many many more.  Tim Gruar had a chat to Greg Johnson to find out a bit more about these upcoming shindigs. 

“I’m in Santa Monica at the moment,” Johnson says on the phone from his Los Angeles home, where he has lived for the past 15 years.  “It’s just up from Venice.  It’s busy, often a bit crazy, plenty of characters, as you’d know from the movies.  But just what we like.  And it’s by the beach.  There are a lot of creative people in this neighbourhood – actors, musicians, everyone.  It’s treated me pretty well.”

He’s been there a fair while now.  Has Santa Monica changed much?  “Yes.  What I’ve noticed is the small little businesses, the traditional places are all going away.  Like down the road was a Polish sausage shop.  It closed last year.  A lot of the little old diners have turned into wine bars and modern cafés.  It’s the older generation and their individuality dying off and its homogenizing things.  It’s nostalgia, I guess but it’s happening everywhere.  California is funny it lives in its own little bubble.”

Currently, his state has been going through a rough patch, with massive fires sweeping over a large section of LA County.  “We got back from a wedding in New York and could see the gold coloured horizon.  My daughter and I were having trouble breathing because the air quality was so bad.  It’s thick with dense ash and smog from the fires – even at the beach.  It’s awful.  And landmarks that we know so well, in our backyard almost, are under threat.  Like the Wilson Observatory which I think is the largest glass telescope in the world, that was at risk of being completely burned down.  You could see the smoke on the mountains up there.  The reason is that it’s been so hot and dry.  But we had a lot of rain last winter.  So everything grows and then it all dries out and produces tons of fuel for burning.”

“Have you been keeping up with politic and current affairs back here?”, I ask.  “Yeah,” it’s made the news here.  Winston holding the balance of power.” He’s very much up to date with the current election states of play.  “I hear he’ll announce which way he swings later in the day – your time.  It’s 6pm in LA.  Man, Winston.  He’s perennial!  He was up to those old tricks when I left in the early 2000’s”.

Given his time away, I ask how he feels about returning to New Zealand.  “It’ll be good to get back.  Time flies, eh?” he reflects.  “Sometimes I get back twice a year. I have lots of family and friends. And, really, New Zealand is my favourite place to tour. Everywhere else is much harder.”

This time it’ll be a tour he’s sharing with ‘young-un’s’ alt-country singer Mel Parsons and his own perennial side man Ted Brown.  “we’re sharing a rhythm section with her – drummer and bass player (Josh Logan and Jed Parsons) – both in their early 20’s.  I said to Ted at a rehearsal, the other day “Holy Shit!  We’re going to play with some energetic young players instead of our older compadres Wayne Bell and Mark Hughes that usually play with us.  Might have to do the tunes a bit faster or something.  Well, I’m getting older.  Ted’s 53 and he looks older – always did – it’s the hat I think,“ he laughs, referring to Brown’s trademark pork  pie.  “He always reminds me of Marty Robbins.  El Paso and all that…Ha!”

Johnson’s philosophical about getting older.  “I know there’s a lot of bands from the 1980’s and 1990’s who are in their 60’s now and thinking “we better get o the road and have a last shake before we get too old.”  I’m thinking that I’m hitting my 50’s and I’m not going to change what I’m doing because that’s too late so I’ll make the best of it.  Do it and make the best and enjoy it.  Rock’n’roll is a funny old business.”

Johnson also has a small ‘mixing room’ at his house where he composes scores for films and sometimes advertising.  He also produces other artists.  “It’s a small but perfectly formed space to do this at my own pace.  I also do some commercial stuff, soundtrack work, bits and bobs … It’s one of those professions where you have to branch out a bit these days. I’m a bit of a jack of all trades. I think I’ve become a much better engineer.  Being able to do everything has both advantages and disadvantages.  But I love having this place where I can escape.”

“Mel,” he says “I first met her about 10 years ago in Queenstown when she did a support gig for us and I’ve followed her since.  I like her work ethic.  She’s out there playing tons of shows and she’s built an audience for herself and though that combined with mine that would make a great show.  And a lot of (those audiences) will cross over, too.  A nice chance to introduce each other to our own crowd, as it were.”

“The format will be a set each and then I’ll join on a few of Mel’s, and play a bit of trumpet on a couple as well.  Then she’ll do the same on my set.  And then we’ll do a couple of covers.  So, it’ll be nice with the two sets blending quite well.”

For Johnson, his ‘audience’ will know his material well, especially material from his most popular album Here Comes The Caviar.  Recorded in 2004 at a “big, old classic studio” in Silverlake, near Hollywood, …Caviar was the first album Johnson had released since his 2002 move from Auckland to Los Angeles.  It was also his most successful, spawning a succession of radio hits (Save Yourself, It’s Been So Long, Kiss Me and Don’t Be The One) and reaching the New Zealand top 20.  Lead single Save Yourself also generated airplay in the United States.  Of course, those with longer memories will also remember his break-through hits, the 1997 APRA Silver Scroll Award-winning Liberty and the infectious Isabelle,

But this show won’t just be a ‘best of’ for Johnson.  “I’ve deliberately pointed it at some new material.  At least half the songs will be off the new ep and two or three of the last album (Swing The Lantern).  The new ep is only just finished.  I like that length.  I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to consume a whole album these days.  We consume music in little bites.  I’ve always loved a little 4 track ep, 20 minutes is enough, no filler, especially if it’s good.  It’s not so much of a mission to complete.”

I ask if this new ep (Low Frequency Word) will follow his signature sound.  “You know I can’t get away from my own sound, it’s true.  This one is a bit different.  Swing The Lantern had a very ‘live’ sound and a bit of a rock sound.  This one (the ep) is a bit more ‘jangly- jangly’.  The first song, for instance, called What Are You Trying To Say? has a slightly different song structure to what I’d usually do.  So; I’m trying to push the boundaries within my own writing.  Still guitar based and horns.  A God Feather Hat is a bit of a stoner special (We do have excellent herb here in California).  I find you can get a lot of character out of a four-song format as well.  And I like to create these little vignettes about the City I live in’”

Johnson’s forthcoming EP ‘Low Frequency Word‘ will be released prior to the tour and available on CD at the shows.  You can also hear it on his website – www.gregjohnsonmusic.com

Greg Johnson and Mel Parsons – a dream New Zealand tour of songs and swagger – takes place 9-26 November with 11 dates from north to south.  Tickets available here

Update: Due to popular demand, two more Auckland shows have been added to Greg Johnson and Mel Parsons’ upcoming New Zealand tour.

With the first show sold out (The Vic – Nov 9) and the second selling fast (The Tuning Fork – Nov 10) this is a tour not to be missed! Secure your tickets to a heart-warming string of songs and swagger taking place across November in the depths of both North and South islands.

Tim Gruar

 

• Thurs 9 November: The Vic, Devonport
• Fri 10 November: The Tuning Fork, Auckland
• Sun 12 November: St Peter’s Hall, Paekakariki (matinee show)
• Sun 12 November: Meow, Wellington
• Wed 15 November: Sherwood, Queenstown
• Thurs 16 November: The Cook, Dunedin
• Fri 17 November: Blue Smoke, Christchurch
• Sat 18 November: Naval Pt Yacht Club, Lyttleton
• Fri 24 November: Totara St, Mount Maunganui
• Sat 25 November: Haumoana Hall, Hawkes Bay
• Sun 26 November: Nivara Lounge, Hamilton