The Australian music scene in the late eighties & early nineties was full of variety & diversity, with artists such as Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly & Daryl Braithwaite focusing on successful solo careers, while bands like INXS & The Screaming Jets were out touring the world with their own styles & brands of music. Back in Melbourne, New York-born 19-year-old guitar prodigy Jack Jones was in discussions with members of The State to look at forming a new venture and after signing to Wheatley Records, Southern Sons were born with the line-up featuring Jones, Peter ‘Reggie’ Bowman (guitar), Phil Buckle (guitar), Geoff Cain (bass) & Virgil Donati (drums). Releasing their debut self-titled album in 1990 and quickly achieving success with singles such as ‘Heart in Danger’, ‘Always & Ever’ and ‘Hold Me in Your Arms’, Southern Sons gained an army of fans not only due to their well written & catchy music but also the outstanding vocals & long flowing locks. After the release of two more albums, Nothing But The Truth (1992) and Zone (1996) the band called it a day with Jones embarking on a successful career, reverting to his birth name of Irwin Thomas and working with artists such as John Farnham & Tina Arena, as well as spending around seven years with Melbourne rockers Electric Mary.
2018 saw Thomas embark on another of his solo tours and it was during this time he decided to revisit some of the Southern Sons material to see if it had stood the test of time and after hearing nothing but positive feedback he decided to reach out to his former band mates to see if they would fancy a catch up and before long discussions of a reunion were becoming a reality. After joining the esteemed line-up of artists on the One Electric Day concerts, Southern Sons embark on five stand-alone dates at the end of November & early December to remind fans just what they were all about. We managed to talk to Jack while he was sat at an airport awaiting an evening flight to discuss the thinking behind the reunion, his passion for music, where it all began and his love of vinyl.
Sean: Good evening Jack. It’s Sean from The Rockpit in Perth.
Jack: G’day mate. How you going?
Sean: Really good thank you and thanks for taking this ‘later than usual’ call.
Jack: That’s all good, mate. I’m just sitting at the airport so the timing is perfect.
Sean: Well, I have to say there has been a quite a buzz around the country since Southern Sons announced the reunion tour dates but the first question I really want to ask is why now?
Jack: About ten years ago I was asked if I’d be interested and if the boys would be interested in doing a tour but back then everyone was just too busy kind of doing our own thing. Then about a year ago, my manager and I were having a conversation about seeing what would transpire if I did a show that was just celebrating the Southern Sons first record and with a few other songs thrown in as well. So, I put a band together, we went and did it and to be honest with you I thought it was just an opportunity to put this whole thing to bed… not in a bad way but I just wasn’t really sure that anyone was going to be interested in it. I wasn’t being negative about it but I thought at least this way we will know and if anyone is interested then maybe it’s got some legs and it might be fun to go out, be nostalgic & celebrate that music again in a band kind of format.
So we did it and it went quite well [laughs] and following that my band and I did a bunch of shows around the country… well, this One Electric Day came up and Duane McDonald approached us and his question to me was basically did I think anyone else in the band might want to do it and I just said, “Do you want me to start ringing around?” I still see Virgil & Reggie (Peter Bowman) quite a bit so it wasn’t like I was cold calling the guys… I hadn’t spoken to Phil for nearly twenty years – not for any reason other than that’s how life has played out. Phil was the only one of the guys who was like, “Mate, go and do it with the boys and have a great time. It will be fun but I just don’t really want to go out and do any shows. I’m just loving being at home and making music.” And at the end of the day he is living his dream and I’m rapped for him – so it’s going to be Reggie, Virgil, Geoff & I and here we are. We are going to be getting out playing these wonderful songs [laughs].
Sean: So how have rehearsals been going?
Jack: We didn’t start until mid-October but everyone had their material to learn and I’ve been refreshing this stuff for about a year so it’s been all good. I’m feeling really stoked and Virgil keeps says, “You know, I’m feeling kind of nostalgic.” [laughs] I said to him, “I know mate we must be getting older!” [laughs] The funny thing was we had to find Geoff because no one knew where he was…He had disappeared so we had to track him down and it was amazing – this for me though has been a great experience. I love these guys, we did a lot of cool stuff together, had a lot of great experiences and I’m just stoked that we are going to get the opportunity to share this with a lot of the people who were there with us in the beginning and maybe even their kids [laughs]
Sean: And I think that is a good point because a lot of the younger generation want to know what all the fuss is about and will get to see your music in live form…
Jack: Yeah, look I must say every time I think about it I just want to smile… you know it’s like it’s full circle for us too, especially on the One Electric Day shows because John Farnham, who is headlining the shows, was such a great champion for me & the band – he’s always been very encouraging and a positive force so I’m looking forward to seeing an old mate again – it’s going to be a bit of an honour.
Sean: And of course you did also play with John for a while, didn’t you?
Jack: Yeah and that for me was a big… you know playing with the Sons and playing guitar with John, that was the beginning of the trajectory that I could never have seen coming. And the trajectory of my life changed forever because of that – that one moment in time, you know. To still be able to go out and play that music… well, I still get quite emotional when I think about it. I was doing a gig recently and everyone started singing ‘Heart in Danger’ and I just started crying… I just couldn’t believe it – a year before I had started doing these gigs and didn’t have high hopes of it doing anything. It kind of helped me put the brakes on things a bit because you kind of just keep going – I’m either playing on people’s records or writing songs or recording my own songs so you just go and keep on doing this stuff and you forget that you were in a band that actually kind of did something and that’s a really beautiful thing… a beautiful gift to be given by the people that were there and to be able to look back on that.
Sean: The debut album certainly left its mark on Australian music becoming two-time platinum album and that’s something that will never be taken away from the bands achievements.
Jack: Yeah, that’s so true. All these years pass and people still remember these songs. I still have to pinch myself some days and say “mate, your pretty lucky pal!” [laughs]
Sean: With three albums to choose from has it been easy to select a set list? I know there will be the expected favourites but has it been a case of putting song titles into a hat so-to-speak?
Jack: Certainly with the One Electric shows there will only be enough room in our set for the hits but as far as the side shows go we are going to be celebrating the majority of the music from the first record but also the more memorable songs and singles from the second album and maybe a little bit of stuff from the third one. We are really trying to put together a collection of songs that pay homage to the highlights of that time for us – we’re not looking to reinvent the songs… there won’t be a jazz fusion version or blues version of the Southern Sons – I find that when I go to listen to a band that I love, if I hear a song I expect it to start the way I remember it… I’m like, “Oh my god, they’re playing that song!” I think because of our fans and because we haven’t been treading the boards or kicking that can up the street for the past twenty five years, I think it’s a perfect opportunity for that sound to sound fresh once again too.
Sean: And when that first note strikes up on that first night, I know you are going to all have a little look across at each other and that little spark of chemistry will kick in…
Jack: [laughs] I think you might be right.
Sean: And you know what all the fans will ask then…”When’s the fourth album going to be released?”
Jack: You know what… this is an interesting concept. A mate of mine, earlier today asked me if I thought we might make another record. And I was like, “You really think?” and then I recalled him asking me a year ago if I thought the Sons would ever reform and I had said to him, “No.” [laughs] So, in a world where anything is possible I wouldn’t rule that out. It’s a possibility and whether it happens or not, who knows but I most definitely wouldn’t say it won’t happen.
Sean: That would be pretty cool. The artists on the One Electric Day bill and also the WA version which is dubbed Live at The Vines is such a powerful group of talent. We’ve already had Jon Stevens over here in WA earlier this year and he is sounding better than even and also the incredible voice of Vanessa Amorosi, who I’m yet to see live…
Jack: Yes, she’s just phenomenal isn’t she – such an amazing voice. I’m actually really excited to be coming to WA with all these guys and Sandalford’s is such a beautiful venue. I love that part of Australia – I don’t get over there nearly enough but whenever I’m over there I’m reminded what a beautiful place it is. I’ve got mates there and it’s funny because the things they complain about are also the things they love the most about WA… they say things like, “Oh we’re so far away from everything” and I say “I know, how great is that” [laughs] and then they agree with me [laughs]. Also “We don’t get people playing that much over here” but that also reflects in the artists that part of the country produces because they have a sense of uniqueness… with the internet and technology it’s hard not to be assaulted with content because it can be overwhelming but the reality is you can limit your exposure and sometimes these places create artists that have a very distinct identity – bands like Eskimo Joe have a really unique sound. I think geographically that’s a part of it – I don’t think you’d have got the Beach Boys out of Brooklyn so I think that where you are really has a bearing on the sound of what you create.
Sean: We are still blessed with some wonderful original artists here in the West. I’d love to take you back to the beginning if I may, to talk about your early years, growing up with music in your life. Your father was a Broadway performer & your mother was a folk singer & dancer so clearly music had an influence at home but was there a point that you sat up and realised it was something you wanted to do for the rest of your life?
Jack: So, as you are aware I was born in the US and I was taking a trip to Australia with my mother and there was something with our visas that meant we got delayed in Honolulu. My mum took me out on the town… I was two or three at the time [laughs], I saw this guy playing the ukulele and I begged my mum for one and I think that was the beginnings of me really taking a shine to music – my mum’s got tapes of me at two and a half years old making up songs. I also dabbled with playing a bit of violin. I started guitar lessons when I was about five but I was too young so I had violin lessons when I was at school. Then we moved to Australia in ’81 when I was ten years old, I really wanted to learn guitar so my mother got me lessons with a great guitar teacher, who I’m still in touch with & is still a great mentor of mine and I just feverishly pursued it. Also my mum used to always play great music – Neil Diamond, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell… there was always great music around in our house.
So for me it was always just there and I hear it in everything – I wake up in the morning and if I hear a car driving by or a truck blowing their horn or hitting the airbrakes or a bird tweeting then it’s all music to me. I know it’s an old cliché when people say “I didn’t choose it, it chose me” but I think that’s really true for me and I don’t think I have much of a choice in it – I have other interests in life but when it really comes down to it, that’s how I feel the most expressed and you know it’s a conduit for me to be expressed and to get stuff out that I wouldn’t normally be able to kind of… you know, in other areas of my life that I wouldn’t normally be able to express in any other way. I feel very fortunate to have had that. You know I’ve worked really hard but I’ve also been really lucky and had some great breaks and I guess because I worked really hard then I was able to make the most of those but there certainly is an element of luck. Another mentor of mine once said to me, “Luck is what happens when preparation & opportunity meet” and, “The harder you work the luckier you get, you’ll see” [laughs] so I kept working hard and I do feel I get luckier because of it. Its funny isn’t it.
Sean: I do understand what you mean because I have friends who played professional sport back in the UK and they were always told that you create your own luck in life…
Jack: I think in this whole ‘game of life’ thing you have to make sure you participate and show up for it but you also have to do the hard yards and I think that will always be the way but we live in a world with so many distractions with social media – “How many likes have I got?”, “How many people like me?”, “I’m going to buy some friends”, “I need more fans so I’m going to buy some” not that there’s anything wrong with anyone doing that but it’s kind of a false economy. When I was growing up there were few options and I’ve always been happy with that – I always try to lead a life where there are less options… keep things as simple as I can. I love my studio, I love my creative space and I love the adventure, I love participating, I love showing up. I love the inspiration and that side of music in my life. In this day and age its way easier to be de-railed and bamboozled by things… it sometimes seems like people are needing & seeking approval from others, living for the next ‘like’ or ‘post’ and when I was growing up none of that stuff was there. I would come home and either ride my bike with my mates and hang out or I’d practice and for the most part I’d go to where I went to school and I’d get some practice done and then when I got home I’d get some more practice in, do some homework and get even more practice in.
Look, it had its moments and it wasn’t always great fun but I really gained some self-worth & self-esteem from that experience and I felt that what you put into it you got out of it. I think that has kind of stuck with me over the years too. I was one of the biggest approval junkies going as I was getting older – I just wanted everyone to like me and find me funny or whatever but as you get older you get more comfortable in your own skin. With music you’re not learning like a trade such as a carpenter or a plumber but you’re learning a skill and it’s something that can be of real value to you as you grow. So I like to just try to keep my life locked out of that stuff because that allows me to remain focused on the things that seem to create that luck that we just talked about.
Sean: One thing I have noticed, as you have grown as an artist, is how varied the music has been that you have created & been involved in. From Southern Sons to Electric Mary but one track that really grabbed me was ‘Peace Now’ from your 2007 EP ‘Made in China’. What an incredible song that…
Jack: I’m glad you mentioned that one – that is such a beautiful song. I’m a big fan of that song… there’s just something in there so moving. Then there is ‘The Evolution of Irwin Thomas’ that I collaborated on with Rusty (Brown) and that’s whole other genre, I guess. I absolutely love that record and I still listen to it even know… this may sound kind of conceited… hopefully in context it won’t but I still probably listen to that record at least once a year and just ball my eyes out – that record had so many things against it but it managed to get completed and now it’s there forever and like any record I’ve ever made I listen and think I’d change this bit and that bit but I’m really proud of that record for a lot of reasons – It was such a departure and we took a lot of chances on that record but we kind of pulled it off. I love music and it’s what gets me up every day so if get to be a founder member of Electric Mary one day and then get together with my mates from Southern Sons and get to celebrate that music for five weeks and then get to play guitar with Richard Marx for a month somewhere down the track and then I get to do a solo gig with Phil Turcio, who I think is ‘The Maestro’ then back in the studio to write a bunch of folk songs and record a record and put it out there, that just all lights me up… for me, that is living an extraordinary life. It keeps things fresh for me.
I used to love going out on tour with people like John (Farnham) or Richard (Marx) or Daniel Bedingfield – I’d love all the prep and the learning of the songs and being out there playing but also I would come home with a whole bunch of ideas after meeting a whole new group of fabulous musicians, these incredible people that I was going to know for the rest of my life and I still live to be a part of that amazing community – I just love it. A big part of it is just participating and just showing up. With the marvels of technology I get to now make records and I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission or have to borrow ‘X’ amount of dollars to make a record… “Oh, I don’t know? Why don’t you play us some demos and we’ll see if we like it or not and then we’ll try and change it!” I can be like “No!” because you just get to do it now and there is something really beautiful about that experience that I am rediscovering… I’m just lovin’ it mate.
Sean: I can hear that passion in your voice Jack and that’s a wonderful thing to hear. With music clearly such an important everyday part of your life I’m interested to know what the last album was you listened to.
Jack: I can tell you that the last album I listened to was Aqualung ‘Still Life’… I absolutely love that record and I put that record on as a record. I also do the same with Elbow’s ‘Asleep in the Back’… now that’s a record! That’s an album I put on and listen to from top to tail. And also in that group of albums is Emmylou Harris ‘Wrecking Ball’… same thing.
Sean: So are you a vinyl man or CD?
Jack: Vinyl. CDs are convenient but I love vinyl. I’ll never not love vinyl.
Sean: How great it is to see the accessibility of vinyl increasing?
Jack: Beautiful. You know they sold more records last year than CDs? Thank goodness.
Sean: I did hear that. It’s nice to see the vinyl disappearing off the merch desks first at gigs, especially here in Perth.
Jack: Amazing – love to hear that. It’s so fantastic isn’t it because you get great artwork… maybe we are embarking back on a time where people are really coveting music again? Music has a currency – I know you have to put a value on buying your CDs or records or whatever but there is a currency that is outside of that… its clichéd but it is the soundtrack of our lives. When we buy a record we should be afraid of scratching it… wear it out before you scratch it. There’s that care that you take when you get a record. , You pull your album out, you de-fluff it and the inner sleeve had all those lyrics on it as well as who has played on it, who has mixed & mastered it, who has engineered it, who made the coffee, who wrote the songs, the thank you messages and all that stuff – all those people who created this thing that you are holding in your hand. That right there is the experience of music. Mate, you just don’t get that when you share the data, which is what music has become for a lot of people.
Look I’m an old guy. I don’t want to lease music. I’m not going to pay someone $9.99 a month to listen to whoever I want… I want to go and buy it so I can listen to it whenever I want. I just love that tactile experience that you have. The other thing about an album is that is has two sides which means there are two arcs for the order of the songs whereas when you make a CD and not making an album your only making that one arc. If you put on ‘Back in Black’, the first side finishes and you turn it over and the second side starts with ‘Back in Black’ and the “You Shook Me All Night Long’… and I love it when you have to get up and turn the record over – I love it.
Sean: You spoke about data-shared music and one thing that is great is that the ‘Southern Sons’ three albums aren’t on Spotify…
Jack: I know [laughs]… it’s so funny. We’ve been talking about putting the music on there but I’ve never been too fussed with it but in a way it’s kind of interesting isn’t it [laughs]
Sean: I’m glad in a way that they aren’t on there because I will enjoy hunting for them and that will be the challenge and I think they are worthy of being in my collection.
Jack: Thank you mate – too kind.
Sean: Another thing about CDs vs vinyl… I think you and I are about 6 months apart age-wise but as we near the half century mark, how bloody hard is it to read the writing on a CD?
Jack: Tell me about it [laughs]. I have enough trouble reading a menu mate [laughs]
Sean: [laughs] Talking of menus, if you could invite three guests from the music world, dead or alive, to join you at a restaurant for dinner for the evening who would you invite?
Jack: David Bowie has got to be there. He’d be a fascinating guy to chat to. Got to have Lennon in there too I think because he would be an interesting guy. I’d probably see what Kate Bush was up to that night too. Kate or Peter Gabriel and they can do a couple of shifts if they like [laughs] but on the whole those people would be pretty interesting to spend the evening with for some great conversation.
Sean: Well, as you are Jack Jones and it’s been such a great chat, I’ll pull you up an extra chair and you can invite Kate & Pete but only because you know after a couple of wines they’ll end up singing ‘Don’t Give Up’…
Jack: [laughs hysterically]… and that’s worth the price of admission alone. Fantastic.
Sean: [laughs] Classic. What a song that was too. So finally, if you could be credited with writing any song ever written, what song would you choose?
Jack: ‘A Day in The Life’ by The Beatles is definitely up there. That is a great song. There are so many fantastic songs but that is an absolute ripper. It’s one of the greats so I have to pick that one.
Sean: A new song to my list which is always great. Jack, it’s been an absolute pleasure chatting to you and such an insight for me into your career, as well as your passion for music & vinyl.
Jack: It’s been fantastic and thank you for reminding me about vinyl because I don’t get to have that conversation very often so I really appreciate that.
Sean: My pleasure mate. On behalf of the all of us at The Rockpit Jack, we wish you and the guys all the best for the reunion shows and look forward to seeing you performing at Live in the Vines in December.
Jack: I look forward to that as well mate and thank you so much for that chat. Make sure you come and say hi.
Sean: I will do. Thanks Jack.
TOUR DATES
Thursday 21st November 2019
Croxton Bandroom, THORNBURY VIC
www.thecroxton.com.au | www.thecroxton.oztix.com.au
Friday 22nd November 2019
Chelsea Heights Hotel, CHELSEA HEIGHTS VIC
www.chelseaheightshotel.com.au | www.oztix.com.au
Friday 29th November 2019
Anita’s Theatre, THIRROUL NSW
www.anitastheatrethirroul.com | www.ticketmaster.com.au
Saturday 30th November 2019
Southport RSL, GOLD COAST QLD
www.rslclubsouthport.com.au
Friday 6th December 2019
The Gov, ADELAIDE SA
www.thegov.com.au | www.oztix.com.au
ALSO APPEARING AT ONE ELECTRIC DAY
Saturday 16th November 2019
Brisbane Riverstage, BRISBANE QLD
John Farnham, James Reyne, Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi & Southern Sons
www.ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100
Sunday 24th November 2019
Werribee Park on the Great Lawn, WERRIBEE VIC
John Farnham, James Reyne, Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi & Southern Sons
www.ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100
Saturday 7th December 2019
Seppeltsfield Wines, BAROSSA VALLEY SA
John Farnham, Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi, The Black Sorrows & Southern Sons
www.ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100
LIVE IN THE VINES
Sunday December 8, 2019
Sandalford Estate, Swan Valley, WA
John Farnham, Jon Stevens, RockWiz, Vanessa Amorosi and Southern Sons
Tickets: www.sandalford.com
