MAY JUNE 2017

BB - You have just released,
“Way Back
Home” which features
songs, “Tell Your Daddy”,
“Your Funeral, My
Trial” and about 8
more. Where do you
get your inspiration
songs like these? (By
the way, they are very
good!)
SC - Our "Way Back
Home" album was released
in September,
2016. That was a breakthrough
CD for us. It just took off, charting at # 8 on
Roots Music Radio Charts and it was selected as
one of the world's top 50 blues albums for 2016. It
was added to syndicated radio programs in the
USA and Europe and got rave reviews from music
critics around the world. Those reviews are archived
at: backtrackbluesband.com.
BB - How long does it take to complete a CD?
Writing, arrangement, rehearsals, studio time,
mastering? You get the idea!
SC - Six of the tunes on the CD were Backtrack
originals, with four covers from our heroes like
Sonny Boy and Little Walter. The record took us
around a year to put together. George Harris mixed
the music and Mike Fuller mastered the project.
Those guys are tops in the business so the sound
quality really helped our goals of getting broader
airplay.
noisy, feral roosters down there. My friend was
complaining about the early morning "crowing"
and threatened to shoot the bird! Well, we never
hurt the rooster but it did give me the idea for one
of our new songs "Shoot My Rooster".
Our newest project is the release of a live record
and DVD from a show we did at the Palladium
Theater this year. We had five cameras there and
Buddy Winset oversaw the shoot. We think it's
going to be an amazing, super high-quality video.
Keep an eye out for that later this summer.
BB - Is everyone a family man? How does the
band maintain a balance between the music and
personal lives?
SC - All the guys in the band have personal lives
that fit well with the band. Most of us are married
and several have children. Our spouses do support
the band, and they all dig live music so it's generally
a very positive vibe.
BB - What advice do you have for people who
want to form their own blues band?
SC - For those who are bold enough to start their
own blues band, I'd say be prepared to hang in
there for a while. Success doesn't come overnight
for most musicians and the blues genre is a bit
tough, since many folks don't actually spend
enough listening to and understating blues music.
That's a shame because blues is the foundation of
ALL contemporary western music. There would be
no jazz, no soul, no rock n roll, no R&B, and no pop
BB - What is the songwriting process like? Do
you keep the handy notebook available for
when the inspiration hits?
SC - As far as song writing goes, I usually get
inspired by a theme or image and then build lyrics
to express that perspective. For example, I spend a
good bit of time in the Virgin Islands, and we have
38 BUZZ Magazine May-June 2017