Quentin Jones is at the spinning wheel of a lightning-bolt hot rod. Under his knowing guidance, the Pennsylvania-based Lanark Records has launched a new era of wildcat rockabilly. And yes, that genre’s usual country, blues, and jazz inflections crowded along for the thrill ride. Under Jones’ guidance, Lanark has released numerous must-have discs, including ones by ’70s/’80s legends the Rockats and Robert Gordon, as well as newer luminaries the Devil’s Daughters, Gas House Gorillas, Martini Brothers, and more. Even veteran rocker Charlie Gracie, who struck immortality with 1957’s “Butterfly,” plans a spring 2015 release.
And, of course, there is guitarist/songwriter Jones’ own band, the Reach Around Rodeo Clowns. They have six releases available at Lanark’s online shop, including the new Rockabilly Deluxe.
A Gretsch-slinger of uncommon ability, Jones has perfected rockabilly’s driving, explosive sound. Besides charging the Clowns, his resume includes backing Gordon and sitting in with the Rockats. And, he is that noteworthy sort of songwriter that makes magic of the mundane. (His “King of the Slot-Car Track,” on the Clowns’ Rockabilly Deluxe, is a particular gem.)
DC Larson: How would you describe Rockabilly Deluxe?
Quentin Jones: For Rockabilly Deluxe, I wanted to make a record that sounded like Gene Vincent lived into the early 1970s, hired Mott the Hoople or T. Rex to be his backing band. and went into an early ’70s studio to cut it. I like to give things a slant. I love trad rockabilly but there are a lot of great trad bands out there, so I try to do our own thing whenever I can.
How would you compare it to previous Clowns releases?
Each Reach Around Rodeo Clowns album has a little different feel. Our first self-titled cd and “Whip it Out” had a touch of humor in the songs and our brand of psychobilly. Circuit Rider, which was produced by Lee Rocker, was much heavier. Dark Days Dark Night was a concept horror album that was packed with 19 songs and art work from Ren and Stimpy artists and co-creator Jim Smith. It got great reviews, and the people that heard it love it, but it has yet to find its audience. So with Rockabilly Deluxe I want to put some rockabilly together with the feel of a seventies glitter rock band. Heavy drums, saxophones and horns with overdriven guitars sung by a rockabilly singer with rockabilly bass. Different.
What first drew you to rockabilly? What are some other genres you dig/write in?
The Beatles lead me to the fifties music and girl groups! I think the Beatles kept rockabilly alive for some years. The Beatles for Sale is really a rockabilly record! My dad always played music and he played lots of Hank Williams Sr, early Cash and from him I got a love for 1950s and 1960s country. My brother, Bruce, always introduced me to new music. I also grew up at a time when you could turn on the tv and see live acts from the fifties still doing it in the ’60s. I remember seeing Little Richard and was like wow!
I have studied all kinds of music since I was a kid in the early ’60s, and I love it all. I started as more of a producer and writer but when I wanted to be a better guitar player I started studying the cats that could really play and a lot of them played rockabilly. In order to play rockabilly right, you’ve got to be able to move around in the jazz world to the rock world to the blues world to the country world, all within the same solo! So that is another thing that drew me to rockabilly. So, to be a better player, I’ve study rockabilly since I was a kid… and that was a long time ago!
I write all kinds of stuff. For Charlie Gracie’s new album, he wanted to do some country gospel along with rockers, which was quit common in the day. Look at the Orange Blossom Special album from Johnny Cash, It has everything on it. So I wrote Charlie four gospel tunes. Right now, I’m writing new songs for the next Clowns album, songs for Billy J. Kramer, some songs for Linda Gail Lewis, and songs for the next Gracie album. That means one second I’m writing a psychobilly song, then a rockabilly tune, then a ’60s tune, then a country tune, all at the same time!
You’ve sure got an impressive resume! In addition to your Clowns, you’ve worked with golden-age rocker Charlie Gracie, and ‘2nd wave’ rockabilly icons Robert Gordon and the Rockats. Any insights on those experiences, either live or studio?
I also played like 20 gigs for Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits, produced the Gas House Gorillas and lots of other great bands, and every day [that] I wake up, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. These are people I respect as a fan first! I was crazy about Robert when I first heard him as a teenager. The same goes later with the Stray Cats. I ended up playing on two Gordon albums, had Lee Rocker produce and then cover the Reach Around Rodeo Clowns. Slim Jim booked us at his club. Working with an artist like Charlie Gracie is an honor known to only a few. That lead me to co-producing an album for him, with Al Kooper. Man, I cant tell you how much I learned from Al Kooper!
How did you learn to play guitar?
Picked it up and doped it out! I was eight or nine, and my brother Bruce stole a guitar from my uncle who was leaving my aunt. It was a great American Epiphone acoustic! I got a few books and started making heads or tails out of it. My father also played a little, and had a beautiful voice. I would watch him play, and figure it out later. He would strum the guitar and sing folk songs when I was just a boy. I would be amazed.
Growing up, my father was a horse trainer. From the age of ten, I worked for him after school on weekends and over the summer. In my 20s, I thought I get a “real job.” I found out I was a bit too wild and crazy for that. So I made up my mind to be a full time musician from then on. I took my guitar, a drum machine, and my brother Wendell as a singer, and started doing 20 or so gigs a month. Play that much each and every month and you are forced to get better or starve. That, along with focusing on being a better player, got me to the point to where I feel good about my playing.
Let’s talk writing. Who are your songwriting heroes and influences?
So many. I will just start naming them. Lennon and McCartney, Gram Parsons, Jimmy Web, John Prine, the Burnette Brothers, Little Richard, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Jerry Reed, Hank Williams Sr, 1960s country music writers, the Clash, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Gene Vincent, early Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Chuck Berry, Burt Bacharach, Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley – just to name 1% of the writers I love.
Do you prefer writing alone, or with collaborators? Anyone you particularly enjoy writing with?
I love writing with my brother Wendell Jones. But most songs I write on my own, because I have to write so many and it is just easier to write them on my time.
For you, what comes first — music or lyrics?
Both. It depends on the song. I’ve done it both ways. There is not one set way. Sometimes, I just write down titles for songs and then write from there. Or sometimes, I want to write a song with a feel.
What is your approach to writing lyrics?
I try to come up with ideas about different subjects when writing for the Clowns. When I’m writing for other artists I try to make it universal for any listener, and something that the artists can relate too. But in doing so, I try my best to say new things or cover old subjects a new way.
What inspires you to create?
Most of the time I can’t wait for inspiration! So I keep my ears open for something quirky I hear on TV or someone says a phrase or something that catches my ear. Or I might be thinking about something, and come up with a concept for a song.
In the early days of the Clowns, we used to play a lot of NYC gigs – which were three hours from where we lived. We would drive up, do the gig, drive right home. Those the trips were blasts. We would come up with ideas from stories we told on the way. Most of the Clowns’ songs are based in fact, like the song “Psychobilly Band”. The first verse talks about growing up on the farm. Well, I did not grow up on the farm, but I did work in a barn. We used to get our straw from a local potato farmer. We were driving to a gig one time, and we were joking about what a dick this guy was when we were kids, and how, on 100 degree summer days, this jerk would bring a huge wagon of straw for you to unload. He would park it in front of the barn, so you would have to unload eight tons of straw first thing. Then start your day. Or if he was helping you unload it, he would throw the bales on top of you! So in the song, I changed it to, “I grew up on the farm worked my life away, digging potatoes and baling the hay.”
Anyw particular location you find especially conducive to writing?
The idea for a new song can come up anyplace. But I like writing in my bedroom, as my wife falls asleep at night. The room is quiet, my love is there with me, and I am relaxed. I also enjoy writing in the studio. Most times, I block out an idea wherever and whenever, then I come back to it at night or in the studio.
What’s a song on Rockabilly Deluxe you’re particularly proud of and why?
“King of the Slot Car Track,” because it is a song about my childhood. My brothers and I would get dropped off at the local slot car track as kids. I remember looking at the older guys who were like 17 or 18 at the time. They had hot girlfriends, and real cars, and were going to the high school. There was one local guy who got known nationally for racing slot cars, and then went off to Viet Nam only to get messed up for life. That song is also about him. The thing is. people think it is a funny song, but it really tells a sad story. The song got noticed by Stephen King, the great author, and he tweeted about it. I thought: Wow, a great writer talking about something I wrote. Wow!
Live audience reaction is important, of course. What’s a song of yours that’s really gotten crowds moving?
“Flame Thrower,” from our second album. It’s a great song to end with and it usually brings the house down. as does “Bad Dudes a-Surfing.”
If you could co-write with anyone living or dead, who would it be?
Brian Wilson.
Who do you consider an underrated songwriter?
Marshall Crenshaw and Gram Parsons.
Any unrecorded songs you’re saving for the next Clowns disc, or for someone else?
I’m working on all kinds of new songs for the Clowns and other artists. Stay tuned!
