All About The South: Jaren Johnston On The Cadillac Three And Writing For Country's Big Names

It must be great being Jaren Johnston right about now. Not only have his band, the Cadillac Three, released a strong contender for album of the year with ‘Bury Me In My Boots’, he’s also one of Nashville’s most sought after songwriters and is set to become a father for the first time in the spring.

On the eve of his band’s latest tour of the UK and Ireland, we caught up with the irrepressible Nashville native to chat about the new Cadillac Three record, writing for country music’s elite and collaborating with the legendary frontman of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler.

You’ve described your new record as being ‘like Black Sabbath on cornbread’. What did you mean by that?

We were at some show here in the States and some old cat came up smoking a joint and was like: ‘Man, y’all are like Sabbath on cornbread.’ I was like: ‘Well, shit, we’ve got to put that on a t-shirt.’ Our management stopped us because they thought Ozzy might get a little mad, or Sharon. A lot of our influences come from those early days of listening to Metallica, Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, then growing up in the south, being heavily influenced by Garth Brooks and a lot of the big ‘90s country artists. That’s what we heard when we were forming our tastes. ‘Sabbath on cornbread’ hits each influence.

What’s really impressive about ‘Bury Me In My Boots’ is how it also mixes in elements of country, blues, Americana and gospel.

I think this record’s a perfect stepping stone from where we were to where we are now and also what the next record’s going to be. We’re in the process of working on the new one and that’s what’s great about being in a band and doing this for a living. You’re constantly able to be creative and keep moving. I think this record has got just the amount of what people liked about the first record, and what we love from the first record, and also shows where we’re going.

And where is that?

To hell in a handbasket my friend! No, I’d be lying if I said we didn’t want to be the biggest band in the world, y’know? Shit, we do. Every band does. That would be great. So we’re trying to do it organically and keep it real.

Any hints as to what the next record might be like?

It’s a little early, we’re probably eight or nine songs in right now and let’s just say it’s looking real good.

Excellent. So, the song Bury Me In My Boots epitomises what the record’s all about, mixing raw rock ‘n’ roll power with a strong, radio friendly hook. It’s the perfect opening track.

I think so. We wrote it in Austin, Texas. We were on the road and had a day off, booked a little studio and it just came out, man. I’d had that lick for a while and we just put it down. It was such a real moment and I think, with bands these days, that’s missing a lot of the time.

In contrast, Graffiti is quietly cinematic and poetic in the way it evokes imagery and memories of a certain time and place.

That’s probably one of my favourites, just because I have never, until this record, sang anything I didn’t write. Neil [Mason, drums, who wrote Graffiti with Corey Crowder and Luke Dick] played me that song on the back of the bus and I was like: ‘Man, play that again…play that again…Hey, email me that song.’ I started living with it and I’m like: ‘Man, this is just too damn good a song to give away.’ It’s a perfect bridge to fit in with This Accent and White Lightning. Those songs show a bit of the the growth our band was experiencing.  

I guess that if someone else writes a song you have to feel their words if you’re going to sing them?

Exactly, and that story is how I grew up, man. I remember seeing graffiti on the Shelby Street Bridge saying ‘Jeremy loves Christine, forever.’ Those people were small town famous because their names are on the Shelby Street Bridge. So when I heard that lyric and the way they did it I was like: ‘We’ve got to do it.’

You mentioned White Lightning, which is surely set to be a first dance song at many a wedding. The version on the new record has an instrumentally richer sound in comparison to the previous intimate rendition of the song. Why did you re-record it that way?   

We’ve actually recorded that like five times. We were constantly trying to nail that in the best way because we’re all so proud of the song. It’s tough because there’s really no chorus, so as far as it building dynamically you gotta really pay attention to the recording aspect of it. And, honestly, it’s funny you said that. We get messages every day from people sending us videos of them walking down to the first dance at their wedding to White Lightning, so it’s kind of a trip.

There are some super cool riffs on songs like Slide, Party Like You and Peace Love & Dixie. Who’s the architect behind those?

It’s a little bit of all of us when we get in there but usually, when it comes to riffs, it’s me. I loved all that angst music when I was a kid and that’s when I was learning how to play the guitar, so a lot of that comes out.

Who inspired your playing?

Man, there’s so much. I love old Matt Bellamy from Muse and the way he did a lot of crazy cool Queen stuff but also Rage Against The Machine riffs. I really loved how he incorporated that into his style and that’s kind of what we’ve done. Tom Morello would obviously be up there. I love [long-time guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers] Mike Campbell. I think he’s probably one of the most underrated guitar players of all time and it’s crazy because when you listen to some of his parts on those records, it’s so simple. But that song would not have been a hit or a classic without that riff.

I love your droning one note solo on Peace, Love & Dixie as it’s like a plane dive bombing the eardrums.

There’s your Sabbath.

The beginning of Iron Man?

A little bit of that. I was a huge Alice in Chains fan, too, so it shows in a lot of that stuff. I was just trying to channel my inner 1992.

You guys write a lot of songs about your southern roots and I was wondering why that means so much to you?

It’s just home. It’s where you hang your hat. When we started this band I found a topic that I had a lot to write about, and so I wanted to make the first record have a point and tell stories of life on the road. And the second record we took that a little further and spread out. But with The South being on there, it’s still very…it’s where we’re from and there’s not too many things to be proud of in this world. So it’s one of them we hold very dearly.

Why is there such a long history of southern bands singing about their roots?

Dude, Americans are idiots like that sometimes. Y’know, like: ‘We’re all about the south.’ If you’re from New York they’re all about the Yankees and New York City. West coast California, all the rappers. I think it’s part of our heritage, it’s just the way we are. It’s funny but it’s also something’s that’s fun, like how seriously you guys [in the UK] take your football. [We played] in Manchester and said ‘we were in Birmingham last night’ and everybody booed. And I was like: ‘What the fuck?’ And this dude says: ‘Their football team sucks.’ We’re like: ‘Oh, well, we’re the Cadillac Three and we don’t care.’

As a songwriter, you’ve penned tunes for a lot of successful artists. So what’s the secret to writing a great song?

Whether you’re playing a guitar riff or singing a lyric I think it comes down to being honest, doing it from you and not trying to do it for someone else. That’s how you get the best results.

Which songwriters have most influenced your work?

As far as really, really famous guys you gotta look at the Tom Pettys, the Steven Tylers. All of those guys that wrote some of the biggest things. Last Dance With Mary Jane, I mean what the fuck, y’know? It’s a great song. Free Fallin’, that kind of stuff. And then there’s a lot of people that influenced me, like a guy named Tony Lane. He lives in Nashville and he’s just a really brilliant writer. One of my co-writers, Tom Douglas, he’s taught me a lot of things about the art of songwriting. I think in every songwriting session I’m trying to learn something to do from this person I’m writing with and something not to do.  

What’s the process like when you’re writing for someone like Tim McGraw or Keith Urban?

Man, it’s different every time. It used to be you’d write a song and hope it’s good for anybody. Now we’ve done so much and gotten close to a lot of the artists, we’ll write and then halfway through you’re like: ‘Man this really sounds like Keith Urban, or it really sounds like something Tim would like.’ So maybe you try to lean that way a little bit more. But I think, in the end, we’re always just trying to write the best song possible. It could end up a Cadillac song or a Garth Brooks song, you never know. That’s the beauty of country music.

Was there one song that opened the doors and allowed you access to all those artists?

I’ve been really lucky on a bunch of them but I got to go to the Grammys for a Tim McGraw one with Faith Hill called Meanwhile Back At Mama’s. That was a big one for me. You start getting calls from Kenny Chesney and a lot of guys that really respect a well written song. That and Raise ‘Em Up – which Keith Urban and Eric Church put out – those two are the ones that put me on the next level.

Have you ever given away a song and then wished you’d kept it for yourselves?

Oh shit, yeah man. I’m glad Raise ‘Em Up had all the success it did but we definitely should have kept that. That would have been a great song for right now with me having a kid and the record coming up.  

You wrote with Steven Tyler for his latest album. Was it nerve-racking collaborating with someone who is a hero of yours?

I don’t really get star struck or weirded out by people but, buddy, I’m telling you the first day I went over to his house I was there six hours. We were writing a song and he’s got all these cool drum sets and pianos and guitars, everything you could ever want. There’s dogs everywhere and four assistants and it’s really overwhelming. And he’s like: ‘Hang on, hang on, let me do this...’ So he sits down at this toy piano and starts playing Dream On. He wrote that when he was 17 years old, you know what I mean? It took me about a week to really get past that because I just couldn’t calm down around him, I couldn’t be myself. But we’ve become dear friends and to still have that passion at the age he is, and at the point in his career where he is, it’s pretty inspiring.

How do you feel about the changing nature of country music and the backlash against the whole bro-country scene, because you’ve written for many of those artists?

I think there’s room for the genre to spread and grow in any way you want to. Look at your Sam Hunts, who’ve taken it about as far pop as you can possibly go. Look at us, who’ve taken it about as far rock as you can go and Florida Georgia Line, who’ve taken it about as far rap as you can go. And then there’s Sturgill Simpson and [Chris] Stapleton, who are bringing it back to the original spot. So that’s the beauty of country music. It’s so wide a spectrum that everybody can have a little fun, no matter what it is.

And you’ve said you’ve benefited from Eric Church bringing a more rock element back into the genre.

Yeah, man, he opened a big door for us. I mean, shit, he opened a big door for us taking us over to you guys for the first time. I think people seeing what he has done with that heavier sound, that outlaw approach, it opened the door for Brantley Gilbert and us. He’s a dear friend and a big influence.

Have your shows changed to adapt to playing larger venues? What can we expect from these forthcoming dates?

Three dudes, same three chords, man. We’re gonna keep hammering it. It’s the mindset of ZZ Top: just keep doing what you do and get better every show. I think the fans can expect new songs and a bigger situation.

The Cadillac Three Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:

Sat November 05 2016 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Sun November 06 2016 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Mon November 07 2016 - CAMBRIDGE Junction
Wed November 09 2016 - GLASGOW O2 ABC
Thu November 10 2016 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Fri November 11 2016 - BRISTOL O2 Academy2 Bristol
Sun November 13 2016 - BELFAST Empire Music Hall
Mon November 14 2016 - DUBLIN Whelan's

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