It’s been said that “Rock N’ Roll Will Save Your Soul”, but who is there to save the soul of Rock and Roll? The answer to that question is Chicago based band JT & the Clouds, who are carrying the torch for the brand of rock and roll that incorporates all the soulfulness of R&B and music from the south we used to hear from groups like Sly and the Family Stone or The Band.
This set of musicians, which ranges from a full 6-piece band to front man Jeremy “JT” Lindsay singing solo, have been on the music scene since about 2004, producing two albums as the full band, and one under Lindsay’s other moniker, JT Nero.
Playing along the lines of people like Rare Earth, Hall & Oates, and even showcasing hints of Sam Cooke, JT & the Clouds offer a sound reminiscent of what was so great about rock and roll during the hey day of roots rock and Rolling Stone.
Just this month the collective released their third JT & the Clouds album, Caledonia, and will be celebrating its release in their hometown at the Empty Bottle Friday, April 16th. The ten-track album explores everything from beach rock with the floaty feel of ‘Funeral’ to a little Prince inspired 80’s style in ‘Playin’ Dozens’. Others, such as ‘I Have Heard Words’ takes on a softer feel, with gentle strumming, wispy vocals and lyrics urging you to move on, but does anything but stay small when the times comes for its vocal build, use of horns, and Sam Cooke inspired harmonies.
More contemporary tracks like ‘Grow Your Flowers’ take on a percussive sound akin to the likes of Vampire Weekend but maintain the bands signature throw back style through the use of saxophone and horns. We even find a little hint of soulful Gospel through songs ‘Fever Dream’ and ‘Nobody Wants to be Alone, Nobody Wants to Die’.
Needless to say, JT & the Clouds succeed once again in delivering an eclectic sounding album jam packed with the earnest soulfulness they’ve become known for. From the twangy guitar riffs and rolling bass, to Jeremy Lindsay’s brassy belt, JT & The Clouds are a band we expect to deliver just as dynamic a full set as they do a full-length record.
The band took some time to talk to us via email about their new album, favorite local bands, and what a JT & The Clouds Comic would read like.
Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?
JT & The Clouds: The album, and everything that it entails, has taken up a great deal of our time, but we’re also writing new tunes for a JT Nero album, and the whole band spent some time in the studio helping our friends Po’ Girl record their new album “Follow Your Bliss.”
Reviewsic: Individually, how did you get your start in music? What’s the story behind you coming together as a band?
JT & The Clouds: Jeremy “JT” Lindsay - began playing in High School, and wrote songs and fronted numerous bands until 1998 when he moved to San Francisco with his singing partner Michelle McGrath…Jeremy decided to move from San Francisco when the rent of his 2 bedroom apt. rose to $81,000 a month, and at the same time JT’s brother Drew and his friend Dan were moving to Chicago where Chris Neal (Clouds’ vocalist, keyboardist, and saxophonist) had already moved. It was a logical fit and everyone settled in by late 2001. The boys met drummer Mike August shortly before putting out their first album “Delilah” in 2004. Bass player Chris Merrill was added after “demons/demons” was released in 2008.
Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
JT & The Clouds: The Black Keys - Because we can’t get enough of them right now
Lauryn Hill, w/ her band - Because that would mean she was making music again, and order would be restored to the universe.
Feist - We really like Feist.
Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?
Drew Lindsay:
OH it changes. It’s always changing. And this isn’t a fair question. BUT - historically:
Prince - So much of what he has done is endlessly inspiring (obviously, there is a good deal that is uninspiring as well, but who cares about that.) His good stuff - and there is a ton of it doesn’t get old, but also so much a part of a very specific time in my life. The formative years.
Gillian Welch/David Rawlings - “Revelator,” as far as contemporary singing and songwriting, it just doesn’t get any better- genre non-withstanding.
The Band - The truth is, for whatever reason, I haven’t listened to the Band very much in the last few years. Without going into why that may be, that is simply true. But they might be literally the most influential band for us, in some respects. Their attention to songwriting influenced us, their countryish/soulfulness influenced us, but most importantly they were a band who had three strong male vocals, they all switched parts, they switched lead, they sang in three part falsetto…without the many many years of us singing their songs, we wouldn’t be singing like we are today.
Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
Mike August: Rainstick
Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
Drew Lindsay: Literally? Dan Auerbach’s “Trouble Weighs A Ton”, Prince: “the Hits/the B sides,” the Cool Kids’ “Bake Sale”
Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?
Drew Lindsay: Anti- records, because I want to be at a party someday and be able to talk with both Tom Waits and Boots from “the Coup.” My conversation with Boots would be different than my conversation with Tom Waits. My conversation with Boots might bear resemblance to when the German gunfighter confronted Ned Nederlander in “Three Amigos,” but it would an important moment for me nonetheless.
Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
Jeremy Lindsay: Beastie Boys with Fishbone
Dan Abu-Absi: ZZ Top w/ the Black Crowes
Drew Lindsay: Bell Biv Devoe, Keith Sweat, and Johnny Gill LIVE at Savage Hall, Toledo, OH
Chris Neal: Dizzie Gillespie at the Brookfield Zoo
Mike August: Pearl Jam, w/ the Frogs and Bad Religion
Chris Merrill: Jesus and the Mary Chain w/ Mazzy Star
Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite Chicago band (past or present)?
JT & The Clouds: We’re going to give you categories, and we’re going to exclude Wilco and the Cool Kids as answers:
Contemporary: The Record Low
Historic: John Prine
Hair Metal (this is only JT’s answer) - Enuf Z Nuff
Reviewsic: If your band were to be fictionalized into a comic book what would your powers be, who would be the villain, and what would be the plot/conflict?
JT & The Clouds: We would be a bisexual hero, first of all, because there has never been a bisexual lead in the mainstream comics. No one in the band is bisexual or gay, but if we were able to fictionalize ourselves we would make that choice in solidarity with our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.
Our power would be to shoot flame, or maybe to turn things to fire. Obviously that isn’t new, but metaphorically it is the best representation of our music. There would be numerous villains, representing various booking agents and talent buyers we have tangled with throughout our career. Each of thesevillains would display a superhuman capacity to doubt our ability to produce flame. The plot/conflict would involve them continuing to doubt us in the face of insurmountable evidence of our abilities, and then trying to suppress our flame out of spite. Sometimes they would get close. Their would be “lost” years, like when Superman lost his powers and got his ass kicked by that guy at the diner. But, one by one, we would eventually prevail, and more often than not, turn our adversaries into trusted friends. Some, however, would remain our enemies, and we would hate them, and they would become “arch” enemies.
Reviewsic: Tell us about what this new release means to you. How would you compare yourself as musicians now as opposed to at your first release?
JT & The Clouds: Well, “Caledonia” was the best recording experience we have ever had. Every album we’ve ever written we’ve talked about recording it “live,” or with a “live sound.” We’ve achieved that in places before, but never for the whole album.
For “Caledonia,” we rehearsed the songs, went in to the studio and set all the instruments up, and hit record. It was exactly what we envisioned when we started writing these songs. So - in terms of our evolution - that was something we always wanted to achieve but, for various reasons, had never quite stayed the course.
Also - this album is an important addition to our overall sound. We made a pledge before “demons/demons” to record at a much faster pace because we have a lot we want to “say” to the people. The people! We have a lot of things we want to do musically, and our albums are always representing new installments.
When we were recording “demons/demons,” an album which sounds like thirty-something loneliness and hope dipped into a vat of reverb, we were simultaneously writing the soul//rock opera that was to become “Caledonia.” We were ready to do an album that, above anything else, you could hit play and dance to from the first track.
Reviewsic: What goes into your writing process?
JT & The Clouds: JT writes all of the melodies and lyrics, and brings the band a chord bed for songs…the song arranging is a completely collaborative process that we flesh out in practice.
Reviewsic: What are your top three favorite venues? Does that change in terms of playing a show versus seeing one?
JT & The Clouds: Empty Bottle, Schubas, and the Hideout. (those are limited to local venues where we have played.) That works for both playing and seeing.
Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?
JT & The Clouds:
Best Moment: Blues to Bop Festival in Lugano, Switzerland…it was in Lugano, Switzerland.
Worst Moment: I can’t be sure EXACTLY what moment it was, but I know it involved the following scenario: we’ve just played a really bad show (bad show equals: nobody there PLUS we had no fun playing), we’re beginning a long drive home directly after the show, and we’ve stopped at a truck stop that has a fucking horrible selection of food.
Reviewsic: If you were to put together a cover album, what are three songs that would just have to be included?
JT & The Clouds: I’m answering this in terms of songs that we might actually be able to cover:
‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” by Prince (realization of life-long fantasy)
“King Harvest” - the Band
“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” THE PLATTERS
