Wisconsin-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jared James Nichols, returns with his new album “Black Magic” which is the follow up to 2015’s debut album “Old Glory & The Wild Revival”. “Black Magic” features 10 tracks and will be released by Listenable Records on Friday 27th October. All tracks on the new album were recorded at The Boneyard in Boston as well as Johnny Depp’s home studio in Los Angeles and produced and co-written by Tony Perry and Jared James Nichols.
Nichols is fast coming a force to be reckoned with in the blues rock arena for his unique blues grit and gusto and bombastic arena-size rock ‘n’ roll. When Jared toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd in Germany, Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington was so impressed with Nichol’s guitar playing, he invited him on stage to play lead guitar during “Sweet Home Alabama”, something they’ve never done before.
As soon as he got his first guitar at 14-years-old, the stage immediately called to Nichols. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he grew up minutes away from The Alpine Valley Resort—where Stevie Ray Vaughan performed his last show. He personally traces the beginning of his story back to a blues jam that his mother brought him to.
Jared was on tour when we called in on him: let’s get rolling.
Jared: Hey, how are you?
Mark: I’m great thanks Jared how are you?
Jared: I’m good, let’s do it!
Mark: Well what can we say about the new album ‘Black Magic’? I loved the last one: ‘Old Glory & The Wild Revival’ but I think this one goes one better and takes the sound forward, how are you feeling about it so close to release on 27th October?
Jared: I feel good about it, it’s one of those things you do stuff at such a pace you don’t know what’s real and what’s not and so you lose perspective a little bit, so for me it’s like I have to step away and think “OK where are we?”
Mark: You have to live with the songs for so long in the lead up don’t you?
Jared: Yeah, absolutely.
Mark: You recorded the album at the Boneyard in Boston, Joe Perry’s studio?
Jared: Yeah we actually did some tracks at the Boneyard and the rest at Johnny Depp’s house so a lot nearer home, we were lucky, it’s a great studio though.
Mark: So how was the process it always intrigues me how artists create, are you someone who is constantly writing? Always creating?
Jared: Yeah I’m always tapping away trying to get something going, all the riffs are written on the road, they’re real road songs. It’s like when we sound check and we come up with stuff we work on it, and when we get back off the road in the studio we’ll bring those ideas back and start to write demos and as we don’t have a lot of time between tours we’re bouncing back and forth, we’ll come off stage, try something new there’s a lot kind of happening. And we try and put together one piece at a time.
Mark: That sound pretty stressful, do you like writing like that or is it in the studio when you really start to realise those ideas that it really comes alive for you?
Jared: It always is like that and it always has to be like that. It’s always a very hands on approach, I’ve never had that… well there have been a few moments writing where I’ve got very excited but usually I leave that for the stage where we’re actually writing the music, for me it’s most exciting writing when it’s actually happening you know what I mean? The preparation that’s always good but it’s not where the excitement is. I’m sorry about the sound, we’re actually on tour right now and the sound is pretty crappy.
Mark: I’m getting most of it so we’re all good! I don’t think we’ll be putting this on the radio though!
Jared: (laughs)
Mark: Listening to the album as I have been for the past week or so, I just can’t play favourites – I love that fiery opener ‘Last Chance’ which everyone should check out the video for, but at the moment it’s the closer ‘What Love’ – wow, can you tell us a little about that song and why you chose it to close the record?
Jared: Yeah, oh thank you man. This is the funniest song on the record to tell the truth because you know I love Blues, I love it all, and Tony’s dad (Tony Perry, son of Aerosmith’s Joe co-produced and co-wrote the album with Jared) had this guitar and it has a bass string as the lowest string and the rest of the strings were set up like a normal guitar so it was like an open slide guitar and it was crazy as you could play bass and the lead at the same time. I just thought it was funny and thought “what am I going to do with this?” so I took it home for a day and tried to figure it out and the next day I went back and said “Man I think I have the idea for a song”. So we went over to the studio and I set up a vocal mic and we mic’d up the guitar and Tony said just play out the idea and that demo is the song! We just added very little, but that song is the idea and his dad and all these guys said “It’s perfect, don’t touch it, leave it like that.” And you can hear that, it’s kinda loose, like it’s on the edge of falling apart and that’s what’s exciting. And we sat on it, I thought about it for a minute and then we added the kick drum and the brass and stuff so what you hear it literally the first take. The first take, it’s crazy to me still.
Mark: That’s amazing, it’s a great song and just shows that sometimes the best inspiration just comes from doing stuff a little differently.
Jared: It’s amazing.
Mark: You’ve played with some great artists over especially over the last year or so as diverse as ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Zaak Wylde, Glenn Hughes, Blue Oyster Cult, UFO and Saxon, and one guy I spoke to just recently Walter Trout, when I asked him who I should look out for as far as new artists go named you, so there you go.
Jared: Oh yeah? That’s great.
Mark: Take us all the way back if you can and tell us what that moment was when you realised that music was going to be your life?
Jared: Honestly it was pretty early on I started playing guitar as a kid, you know just learning riffs and other little things and it was pretty innocent in the beginning. But I kinda knew it was taking over when I was about 16 and I got my license to drive here in the states, and once I got on stage and I started going to open Blues gigs, once I started doing that, all of a sudden I connected and I was like “Wow, I love this feeling” and I loved the music, I loved the feeling before the gig and I loved the shows, and I just started to really get into it. Playing in front of people, playing Blues and the whole thing just got me really excited. And I just remember thinking that if I could do all of this, that would make me really happy. And flash forward a bit and I thought “my God I hope it works out”, so I just spent all of my time honing my craft and learning more, trying to play as much as possible, plying more shows, it’s funny I couldn’t even drink in the bars and I already had six years under my belt. It just felt right.
Mark: Tell us about your unusual style – how did that come about? You play without a pick?
Jared: Yeah, I do some weird stuff. And I do everything left handed except for guitar. I didn’t realise it was unusual at first that most guitar players play with a pick, but it’s not something you only think is you when you are just starting out. I like to feel the frets when I’m playing, feel the strings when I’m pushing down and I thought that was so cool, so I started developing I guess my own style playing without a pick like guys like Jeff Beck, Albert King – I watched what they were doing and kind of pushed it in my own direction. It’s cool, sometimes the weirdest stuff happens, it wasn’t like I was thinking “This is gonna be my thing” you know, I just started doing it. And it grew into a thing where it’s like: “Hey no pick guy!” (laughs) *
Mark: (laughs) It’s interesting to hear how these things start and often just come out of the music you love and the artists you listen to. Here’s a question we tend to reserve for all the old Blues guys but I’d love to hear your answer, it’s a difficult one though: If we had to put you on the spot and ask you to name one single song that really exemplified your feelings about music, it’s power and emotion what would that song be today?
Jared: Man this is so tough you’re so right. Musically for me, and I always say it, it’s like my motto is ‘Blues power’ I would have to go with ‘Blues Power’ by Albert King because it’s so emotional, it’s so dirty, so disgustingly real you can literally hear everything and you feel it, it’s so direct. I think if I could sum it up in a song I think that would be it. It’s such a tough question though I have to go with that otherwise we’d have to sit and talk about it for another hour (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) You can’t go wrong with Albert King, one of the greats, a wonderful musician and so much great music.
Jared: Absolutely.
Mark: And we always end with a really easy one – what is the meaning of life?
Jared: (laughs) For me, if it’s possible the meaning of life is just to ‘connect’. To connect with as many people as possible on a real level and to have an absolute great time spreading love, spreading a positive message and having a deeper connection. That’s the meaning of life to me, giving everyone everything that you have and getting that connection. I think the biggest thing more than all the possessions in the world, more than fame, is just to connect. Music gives you that, to be with people and connect, that’s all, as simple as that.
Mark: I think you’re right and music is the best way to connect on that other level, it’s such a positive force to bring people together. You have a tour of the UK in February and everyone should get out to that, the new album is just around the corner it’s going to be a great few months.
Jared: Cheers man thanks a lot. Sorry my phone connection was so crappy but it was great to speak to you. Thank you.
Mark: Sheers Jared, take care.
* Apologies to Jared if I paraphrased him on that answer the line dropped out for parts of the reply.
