Bman's Exclusive Interview - Jay Gordon

Bman: Hi Jay. I appreciate you taking time out from your schedule to talk with me. First I want to congratulate you on your new release "No Cure". I hits like a freight train! I'm guessing that you're getting pretty good reviews all around.

Jay: Thank you for digging the CD, I like your comment Blues Venom - No Cure "It hits like a freight train"!
Yes, I'm getting great reviews from all over the world, also a lot of air play. (radio) As we speak the list is getting bigger.

Bman: I've never really heard anything quite like what you're doing. Some of the components sound familiar but not at all in this context. How long has your band been together and how do the other members influence your sound?

Jay: My music is original, I have my own distinct sound on guitar and vocally. I don't want to sound like all the clones out there trying to interpret their favorite guitar/band heroes. It's all about finding your own voice and standing as an artist on your own terms.

The musicians I put together for this cd Blues Venom - no cure have worked with me many times over the years and we have a certain chemistry that makes this project work. All my cd's are guitar driven, but Sharon and I wanted to do something completely different so I brought in the Keyboards and the harmonica to give the songs a nice back wash and still give the guys room to solo. As far as the overall sound of the band, they are all pro players and we just have a tight groove together.


JAY GORDON - LEAD GUITAR, SLIDE GUITAR AND VOCALS, SHARON BUTCHER - BASS GUITAR AND VOCALS, RICH GORDON LAMBERT - DRUMS
HARLEN SPECTOR - HAMMOND B3 AND PIANO
SPECIAL GUEST
MARIO RAMIREZ (younger brother of Richie Valens) - MISSISSIPPI SAXAPHONE, RICH WENZEL - HAMMOND B3 & PIANO
Produced By - Jay Gordon
Mixed By - Rich Wenzel
Musical Arrangements By - Jay Gordon And Sharon Butcher
Bonus Tracks Mixed and Produced By - Jay Gordon
Recorded At - Ardent Audio Productions
Engineer - Rich Wenzel
Pro Tools Engineer - Rich Wenzel

Bman: Do you write the music alone or is it a collaborative effort?

Jay: 99% of the time I write the music and the lyrics, lately the only other person I write with is Sharon Butcher.
On this cd, we wrote World Blues together.

Bman: I have pretty broad listening tastes and I hear different things that a lot of other people don't hear...or so I've been told. I hear early British blues like TYA in your basis yet the guitar style is really more predominantly Rod Price on slide but with a bit of distortion in the amp I think and Frank Marino and EVH on the articulated lead with musically minor overtones. Your vocal and harmonies could be heard over a contemporary euro metal band but the harmonica sound is genuine Chicago. Makes for an interesting mix.

Jay: By your comment I guess you have read some of the reviews, which are interesting because everyone has a different set of ears.

Since it is a guitar driven cd critics and reviewers all have a different opinion of the influences that they hear in ones playing.

So they always compare that artist to other players in that genre of music. I have been compared to guys like Johnny Winter,Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Alvin Lee, and Frank Marino, Warren Haynes even shades of Yngwie Malmsteen etc.

Which is nice because all these guys are great players, which is all right because it puts me in the right company.

Here is a quote from Andy Grigg - Real Blues Magazine:
Jay doesn’t sound like any of his predecessors and has long had his own distinctive voice. Never interested in merely recreating the past, Jay has moved the blues forward to the 21st century, infusing the music with the fire and power of rock while carving out his own place in the music world.
Gordon has recorded 14 CDs, headlined his own European tours and gained a worldwide reputation.
He was one of 50 guitarists picked by Eric Clapton (who was very impressed after hearing one of Jay's CDs) to perform at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival.
Jay has played and opened up for many famous artist, such as, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Rogers, and Bad Co., 38 Special, BB King, Def Leopard, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Montgomery Gentry and many more. Jay also played to 250,000 screaming fans at Sturgis, S.D. several times.
The whole concept behind my music is to promote the blues, keep it alive, show it's true art form, take it to a higher level and still be able to play rock and roll while showing the marriage between blues and rock in my own style.

Bman: Yeah. I know what you're saying. You're just playing what's in your head. I really haven't heard anything like what you are doing. I understand that you're working on a number of other projects right now. Can you tell me about them and how they differ from "No Cure"?

Jay: I have a few projects in the works right now, an all slide guitar record ... also the "Best of the Blues" a complication of all original songs off previous albums. The next studio album will be in the same mode as blues Venom with a few new surprises.

I'm in the process of putting a European tour together for next spring/summer and also working on getting some songs on TV and in motion pictures.

Bman: What's the timing on the next release?

Jay: Possibly next year. I'm always writing, so when it hits me that will be the right time.


Bman: With all of this time on the studio, are you getting any time for the road? Do you have a favorite venue?

Jay: As far as the road is concerned, we are looking forward to hitting the road, as long as the tours are put together in the proper manner.

My favorite venue is anything with a large stage, great sound system and a full audience. From Clubs to Concerts to Festivals.

This way my publicist, Doug "The Bull Dog" Deutsch can work his magic.

Bman: Well, good luck with "No Cure". I appreciate your time and hope to hear the next of your projects really soon!


Thank you for the interview Bman.

Blues Faithfully, Rock on,

Jay Gordon
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