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Transcript of interview with Jason Ringenberg on Dec. 23, 2003 By Tom Conway, Freelance writer TC: So, you live on a farm? JR: I do, actually. A small farm between Nashville and Memphis. West of Nashville, about 40 miles. TC: What kind of stuff do you farm there? JR: It is just a hobby farm, really. Just an atmosphere farm, I should say. We have a pony, and a pig, some chickens, and a real big garden, and fruit trees. Things like that. 35 acres. TC: Were you up this morning, then, doing the farming thing? JR: I was outside working, actually, doing some construction, building a barn. TC: Cool. Let's start with Jason & The Scorchers. What do you think of the alt.country scene that, basically, I think, you started? JR: I don't think we single-handedly started it., but, we were certainly among the early people that pioneered that sort of art form, I suppose, you know, along with Steve Earle, Rank & File, Lone Justice, and a few others. That was, of course, the second wave. There was the first wave with Gram Parsons, and the whole Southern California thing. TC: But, you brought the whole punk thing to it. JR: Absolutely. We can absolutely take credit for that. (Laughs) I think that is undeniable. TC: For me, personally, at that time, I was one of those people that would say, "I like all kind of music, except country". Then you came along, and I was, "Wait, I do like country. What am I talking about?". JR: (Laughs) Right. That is a pretty common thing, actually. TC: What do you think about the bands out now, the stuff that has followed you? JR: I think there is some really good stuff happening. Anytime that you get tagged with the term "pioneer" and things like that, those kinds of phrases, it is always good for you. I am quite proud of that. Good stuff has followed in our wake. TC: As I remember, back then, it was considered very radical, what you were doing. I think, on both sides, country and rock, you probably got a lot of flack, didn't you? JR: Absolutely. I tell kids that now, 20 year-olds who are doing that sort of thing, and they can't believe that. In the early days of the band, it was violent at times. We would go into certain places, and if we happened to get booked into the wrong room and, it didn't matter, it could be the South or the Midwest or the East or anywhere really, if we were in the wrong place with the wrong crowd, there would be violence. There were fights and stuff. Our music would cause that kind of reaction among fans of ours, and people who just thought that we were being sacrilegious to country music. A lot of people did. TC: In Nashville. How was it taken in Nashville? JR: In Nashville, we were a sensation right from the start, really. We hit the ground running. It happened so fast. There was a lot of radical reactions on both sides. We had a lot of support in this town, but we also had a lot of people who just didn't understand it, and, once again, thought that we were making fun of country music. TC: What do you think of the state of country music today? JR: To me, it is un-listenable. I just can't get behind it. I liked a lot of it in the early 90's and mid-90's. Commercial country. I've always loved real country. As far as commercial country is concerned, I did like some of it in the early 90's. Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and folks like that. Dwight, of course. But, now, I can't listen to country radio. It is impossible. It is despicable. They have pandered to, they have traded for this sort of suburban, faux-country audience that is huge. It is like millions of people that like that stuff. They just pander completely to it. You can't hear a song about drinking and cheating anymore. Or, if it is about drinking, it's all about, "Let's all party", and everybody sings along in this rousing chorus. TC: That's funny. Did you think, back in the days, you were probably in your 20's when you started, or even earlier, that you would still be doing it this long? JR: I think that I had long-term ideas, but, I think that Warner was always the one that said, "Man, I want to have a long career". That is what he always used to say. That kind of rubbed off on me. I never really thought past of what we were doing then. It hasn't came together like I thought it would. I expected us to be… this is going to sound funny to you, but I kind of expected this sort of massive success, and then I would probably just buy a farm somewhere and retire. (Laughs). That was kind of like my thought when I was 21. Leave a pretty corpse, as they say. But, I'm happier the way it turned out now, knowing the realities of the business. I would much rather be 45 years-old, still playing, and still selling some records, and still doing business, rather than having a smash success, and then not being able to follow it up. TC: Right. You're big in Europe. Bigger than you are here in America. Why do you think that is? JR: Well, I don't think that I would ever use the word, "big" with me for anything. (Laughs) We do better business in Europe. I get more appreciation. I play there a lot. I have a better, stronger following. TC: I've noticed that they really like the roots-rock. They like the Americana-type music a lot more, apparently, than the American people do. JR: Yeah, I think so. I think there is a better community, particularly in the UK, Scandinavia, Spain. They are all good places for it. You just have to remember that when you are talking about Europe, it is not a monolith. It's like, if you break the States, you break the States, pretty much. There are regional acts, but, pretty much, if you break the States, you break the States. But, in Europe, you could be huge in Spain, then go across the border to France, and be unknown. That is just the way it works. TC: Now, are the Scorchers done? I saw that Perry and Jeff left the band. JR: Right. Yeah, without Perry and Jeff, it is getting dicey. We haven't officially broken up, but then again, we are not actively together either. We do shows every now and then. For example, Jack Emerson's benefit that we did last week. We played for that. TC: How is it going, from being in a band, and now going to do these solo shows that you do? JR: Well, I think that I did the right move when I went solo in 2000. I didn't make any pretense that I would be a band artist, you know, a Jason Ringenberg solo band kind of thing. That was the mistake I made the first time around with my first solo record in '92. There is no way you can follow Jason & The Scorchers with another band. It is impossible. I think, by going completely solo, it is so different, so new, and so challenging for me that I think it is working far better than anyone, including ME- expected. TC: Now, on to the Farmer Jason stuff. How did that come about, deciding to do a children's record? JR: I remarried in 1998, and started a new young family. Pretty late in life, actually. I have a daughter Kelsey from my first marriage, who is a teenager now. Then, I have two little youngsters, Addie and Camille, who are six and three. So, I am just around it all of the time, around children. Also, I was touring constantly, and I thought, what a neat thing it would be to have a CD for my kids to listen to of me. They could just put it on and listen to it when I'm not around. So, that was it. I wanted to have it for my kids and wanted to do something for fun, really. It has developed way past that. It has almost taken on a life of its own. It is quite exciting, actually. It has an energy all it's own. I don't have to work very hard to get things accomplished. (Laughs) Things seem to be happening. There are a lot of really good things in the works for this. I anticipate working Farmer Jason probably for the rest of my life, in a lot of different formats, in a lot of different kinds of venues. TC: I think it is pretty cool that you, Warren Zanes and Bloodshot Records, all these people that are doing that for children. The kids today get a lot of cooler music than we had growing up. JR: Yeah, I think they are. TC: I was surprised when they sent me the CD. I was like, "Oh no, he is doing a kid's record". And, I put it on, and it rocks. It's good for me, and good for my kids. JR: We tried to, when we were making the record, to make it interesting for adults, as well. There is some adult humor in some of the songs. The playing, in particular, is quite adult. There is some pretty good picking there. George Bradfute and Fats Kaplin did some pretty good playing on that record. TC: If anything, you'll get the fans early. Get the kids when they are young to follow your career later on. JR: Yeah, you're right. That is a good point. My goal actually is to see fans of mine who have kids bring those kids to my shows. That is really common now, of course. It happens all of the time. But, what I would like to see happen is that those kids grow up to be fans of my adult music. Maybe then, THEY have kids who they bring to the Farmer Jason show. (Laughs) Long range. That is my 40-year plan. TC: That is a good plan. Very good plan. Well, I look forward to the show. This is for Lawton, Michigan. I think it is not a Farmer Jason show, am I right? JR: The Lawton show? Yeah, that is a regular Jason Ringenberg show but I will be doing some Farmer Jason songs. The ones that are more adult in approach. TC: But, it will be just you on acoustic guitar? JR: Yeah. I think maybe Jim Roll will be coming by. TC: Well, I look forward to the show, and I really appreciate your time. JR: Amen. You know, I just love that Lawton room. That is such a cool place. TC: Yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing you there. JR: All right, Tom. We'll see you real soon. TC: All right. Thanks, Jason.