John Henry Celebrates Out at Sea Release with Exclusive Video Premiere
“John Henry is the guy next door that’s cool and chill. Always easy and friendly. One day he invites me over for a beer and the talk turns to music. He’s been in bands and promoted shows for years and asks, “Do you want to hear some of my music?” I thought I’d listen to a song and then I’d be outta there, but he starts playing his music, and with every chord, every song, a transformation took place. Four hours and several beers later I said goodnight and went home saying to myself, “I live next door to a bonafide music star. Who would have thought it?” -Robert Earl Keen
John Henry is a rock-and-roll lifer. As a mainstay of the St. Louis music scene, Henry is the talent booker for Off Broadway, one of St. Louis’s top music venues, and he founded and manages the annual Open Highway Music Festival, which recently celebrated its 10th year as one of the city’s marquee live-music events. Music fans in the Midwest know him best as the hard-touring, guitar-slinging singer-songwriter, first as the frontman for John Henry and the Engine and now leading his stellar new band of St. Louis all-stars. All along, John has toured or shared the stage with Jason Isbell, Dwight Yoakam, Nathaniel Rateliff, and countless others, earning critical raves for his songwriting, record-making, and galvanizing live performances.
Now married with two kids (and a third on the way), Henry’s commitment to life as a working musician has drawn on the deeper inspiration of the grace and beauty of his children and the compassion he feels for his community. Those influences have helped Henry craft the new Out at Sea, recorded with a first-rate band composed of the Bottle Rockets’ John Horton (lead guitar), El Monstero’s Jack Elking (keys), Tony Barbata (drums), Bryan Hoskins (guitar), and Kevin Bachmann (bass). “Ultimately, I am trying to be the best and most honest version of myself,” Henry says of the new record. “Lyrically I wanted to say exactly what I was feeling in the most efficient way possible while tackling heavy topics set to melodies that weren’t afraid to be pretty.” The result is the most personal and passionate music of Henry’s career, one that speaks to the harsh realities of the current national scene but that also reflects the renegade musical spirit of a great American roots rocker.
Q: What prompted you to write and record your new EP Out at Sea?
My antennas are always up. I started writing the chorus for “Out At Sea” one morning and I felt that I had a song and a concept that I could base a group of songs around. And for me having a central theme that I want to explore is always the key to a new record. The hardest step is writing the songs that can stand on their own, hopefully, while at the same time working within the context of the emotional theme of the record.
Q: This project is benefitting National Alliance on Mental Illness. Can you share about that?
We lost a band member to suicide and it was very traumatic. The feelings of lost chances, regrets, missing signs and wondering if I was there for him when he needed it the most were intense and I felt them deeply. I wanted to do a very small part in helping raise awareness for an issue that affects millions of Americans. I think the struggle with mental illness is a private struggle that many people suppress and push deep down. If you break your arm, you go to the doctor. If you struggle internally, a lot of times you don’t. I wanted to bring awareness to helping end the stigma of mental health and hopefully raise some money to help some of the people that need our help the most.
Q: What is your process for writing new music?
I am constantly writing down titles and humming melodies or lyrics into my phone. If I have a title or melody that I am excited by I will start to write around it, usually on the guitar or piano. I try to get my most personal thoughts down first and then constantly refine them until I feel like the song is saying what it needs to say in its most honest form. Sometimes it takes a lot of refinement, sometimes not. But I am a big believer in the craft of songwriting and the effort and refinement it takes for the song to be in its truest and complete form.
Q: Can you share more in detail about what inspired you to write “Blinded Eyes” and create the lyric video?
“Blinded Eyes” was one of the fastest songs I have ever written. It all came out in about ten minutes. I started writing about a person struggling with withdrawals from drugs and then expanded into the point of view of a young person of color and a young veteran, all struggling within the confines of their communities. I wanted to explore the point of view of a person who needs society’s help the most and how often times those are the exact people we, as Americans, turn our backs on when they are in plain sight. I wanted the chorus to lift and ask the question of why we do that. The song came out in basically the exact form in which it is recorded, even the keyboard riff is taken straight from the demo. As a writer, it was extremely satisfying because I felt I conveyed exactly what I wanted to say and did my best to step inside the characters in the song.
Q: Do you have a favorite song/s off the record and why?
At the moment I am partial to “Work” and “Morning Birds”. As a writer, I am trying to be as straightforward as I can lyrically. Part of that also requires a lot of faith in your band and producer and I love and have a ton of faith in both of them. I feel like both of those songs are examples of a band and a producer taking your original idea and making it so much better than the original idea because of their talents. I am very lucky to have a band who is both accepting of the original idea, while at the same time pushing me and themselves to make that original idea better.
Q: What was the recording process like for Out at Sea?
For this project, we primarily built the tracks up from scratch. We’d start with a scratch track and build a rhythm section, add guitars, vocals, and all the sweeteners on top of it. As the writer, the most I can hope for is to have a band that buys into what the song is about and then try their best to make it even better. I try to keep an open mind and surround myself with sympathetic and exciting players and I am very lucky to have that.
Q: Outside of being an artist, you’re also known in St. Louis for founding and managing the annual Open Highway Music Festival. How did that come about and do you have any plans for the future of the festival?
I love rock n’ roll. I love being around bands, I enjoy the business side and working with a team to create something. The festival was an extension of those loves. We are entering our 10th Anniversary year in 2021 and I am incredibly excited. Being able to bring a festival into the community I was raised is incredibly exciting for me. I think that more and more people are seeking music and artists that are true to themselves. A lot of the dividing lines between genres are blurred and having diverse acts following each other in front of an accepting and excited audience is what I live for.
Q: What can we expect from you in 2021 with your music? Do you plan to tour?
All I know about 2021 is that I am going to work as hard as I possibly can on getting this record to as many people as I can within the confines of the COVID-world we are living in. It’s been a really hard time for a lot of people and I am just grateful that I was able to get this music completed. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity and I am thankful each day. The band and I feel like a horse ready to run but stuck in the stable. We will tour when it is safe to do so and I cannot wait to play these songs live. I think your profession is tied so much to your identity and when you can’t do it, you question who you are as a person. I have had some tough moments during the pandemic, but I am trying to mindful that this will pass, I can still make music and I am sympathetic to those people who have had it much worse. Those people are the ones who need our help the most.
Out at Sea will be available on all streaming platforms Oct 2. for more information click here: http://www.johnhenrymusic.net/
