We've got a special edition of Five Questions, a periodic feature where we briefly talk with interesting artists and tastemakers in the Country, roots and Americana fields. Rising singer/songwriter John Statz falls into this category and has worked with fellow Americana singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault to produce the upcoming Tulsa. Get to know John Statz before taking a listen to "Home At Last," a track from Tulsa.
Roughstock: For fans who may just be coming to your music, how would you describe it to them?
John Statz: I would describe it as psychedelic folk/americana. Tom Petty meets Thurston Moore meets Ryan Adams, perhaps?
RS: How would you compare "Tulsa" to your previous work?
John Statz: Tulsa was an entirely different animal for me personally than anything that came before it. I wrote with a band in mind, I wrote more skeletal songs that were waiting for the musicians to fill them in. I came into the studio with chords, lyrics, and melodies, but I wasn’t sure on the feel or how they would end up sounding.
RS: What was it like to work with Jeffrey Foucault on the project?
John Statz: Jeffrey is the man. I couldn’t have asked for a more encouraging friend and producer. He enabled an incredibly productive three days of recording, right down to cooking Portuguese stew for us. And it should go without saying that he knows how to hire a band.
RS: What is your songwriting process like?
John Statz: Lately it has changed quite a bit. I wrote a lot of topical songs for Tulsa, songs with factual or fictional backgrounds, but with stories to unveil. For the first time I actually did a lot of lyric writing ahead of time, before sitting down with the guitar. I wrote on airplanes and in Mexican restaurants.
RS: What can you tell us about "Home At Last," the song we're showcasing here?
John Statz: "Home At Last" started on an airplane. The opening line, “Midway to Denver over the plains...” was literally written while on a flight from Midway home to Denver, staring out the window somewhere over Nebraska. Colorado has become home for me in a hurry, and I am always excited to get back after some time on the road.
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