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JASON RINGENBERG TAKES A SOLO TURN; BUT EXPECT A SCORCHIN' SHOW JUST THE SAME

By BAKER MAULTSBY For The Tennessean
The Tennessean - November 23, 2000, Thursday

No rumble of bass and drums, and no wall of sound coming from wild man Warner Hodges' electric guitar and amp. And the skinny guy singing lead won't be dancing and spinning and jumping from speaker cabinets. But the skinny guy a Nashville rock 'n' roll renegade whose latest solo album is more rooted than rockin' promises to deliver, nonetheless.

East Nashville's Radio Cafe is a small place, far too small for the bombast of Jason Ringenberg's legendary, Nashville-based country/punk/rock band, Jason and the Scorchers. But it's just the right size, Ringenberg says, for what he calls his first full-blown solo show in Nashville.

"I think it's going to be a cool show," Ringenberg said confidently. He pointed to the "great vibe" of the Radio Cafe, and to the family-friendly 7 p.m. start of tomorrow's two-set performance. To those who recall the barroom pandemonium of his rock 'n' roll heyday, don't be shocked that Ringenberg now touts family values in the musical workplace: He's married now, and the father of a toddler and an infant.

His new solo album, A Pocketful of Soul, even includes tributes to his daughter (For Addie Rose) and wife (the title track). The album draws from Ringenberg's folk interests and his appreciation of plaintive acoustic music that often served as underpinning for the Scorchers' turbo-charged efforts.

This quieter Ringenberg is something of a departure, but the red-haired Illinois native wants folks to know he hasn't lost the edge that made him an underground hero and a primary influence on today's "alternative country" movement. "A writer in New York said, 'Jason, you're the rockingest folk singer on the planet.' I guess that's like being called the world's tallest midget," he laughed.

Ringenberg certainly acknowledges the differences between performing with the Scorchers and going out alone. "With the band, I can compartmentalize what I do; I'm only responsible for a certain part of what goes on," he said. "But solo, I'm responsible for everything. My concentration has to be a level higher."

After touring Europe and much of the U.S. as a solo performer, Ringenberg has also discovered a continuity, a connection that exists with or without Hodges' screaming amps or Scorchers' drummer Perry Baggs' propulsive backbeat. "I've been able to move people on an emotional level," he said. That's due in part to Ringenberg's natural way with an audience, but more importantly, he realizes, to a batch of good songs. "No question about that," Ringenberg said.

Twelve of those songs are on A Pocketful of Soul. Devoid of the full rock band backing (and "full rock band" hardly describes the onslaught of the Scorchers), the songwriting on A Pocketful of Soul retains much of what characterized Ringenberg's best work with the Scorchers: simple but sturdy melodies and vivid, uniquely Southern stories about people grappling with religion, love and the loss of a rural way of life. "I'm finding out this tour that there is a thread through my 20-year voyage, and it's the songs that tie it all together," Ringenberg said.

A case could be made that Ringenberg deserved far greater commercial success during his voyage with Jason and the Scorchers. While band members have admitted that the band's extracurricular excesses of the 1980s took a toll, some bad business luck and narrow radio formatting did, too.

Meanwhile, there are those who consider Ringenberg one of the most important voices on the country music scene of the last two decades, and some fans and critics rank the Scorchers among the best live rock 'n' roll bands ever. (A fabulous description of the band's early Nashville shows can be found in Tommy Womack's book, The Cheese Chronicles, in which he described the Scorchers live experience as the closest thing he knew to being at a Sex Pistols concert).

But Ringenberg isn't dwelling on the "could have beens" in his nearly 20-year career, a professional journey that began with a bang soon after the singer arrived in town from his parents' Illinois farm. "I have no time for the people who belly-ache about Nashville, who say it never gave them a chance," he said. "There are so many loads of opportunity here. Nashville is a great place to make music."

For instance, Music City is a place where a singer-songwriter can call up a longtime buddy with a studio and a network of sharp musician friends and go in and make a record. "The songwriting on this record was a gradual process," he said. "At the beginning, I just wanted to write songs about my family and my heritage. I wasn't even thinking about making a CD."

When he decided it was time to turn his latest body of songs into an album, he called on George Bradfute, who played for years with Webb Wilder and who is respected around Nashville as a musician, a guitar technician and a studio whiz. Bradfute's studio credits include albums by such left-of-center Nashville music makers as Phil Lee, Bob Bradley and Paul Burch.

The recording of the album wasn't a planned-out affair. Not like Ringenberg's 1992 solo effort, One Foot in the Honky Tonk, an album with some strong moments, but a lack of imagination on the production side. "I told him we could do whatever he wanted," said Bradfute.

What Ringenberg wanted this time was a stripped-down, acoustic sound, a marked contrast from One Foot's slicker country settings. Ringenberg laid down tracks of acoustic guitar and vocals, and, with the help of multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin, Bradfute layered fiddle, pedal steel, drums and electric guitar where appropriate.

The album had already received positive reviews in Nashville and beyond, and Ringenberg is excited to get the songs in front of live audiences. He's particularly geared up for tomorrow's show at the Radio Cafe. "It's the first real Jason solo show I've done in Nashville," he said. "I think it's going to be a special night."

Music journalist Baker Maultsby resides in Spartanburg, SC.

Getting there
Jason Ringenberg's Friday evening show at Radio Cafe, 1313 Woodland St., begins at 7 p.m. Ringenberg will play two sets. For cover charge and other information,
call 262-1766.

GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Jason Ringenberg, minus the Scorchers, performs tomorrow at Radio Cafe. He'll play songs from his new solo album, A Pocketful of Soul an
effort that's more rooted than rockin'.


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News Meet The Scorchers Learn Back to Articles > Look		JASON RINGENBERG TAKES A SOLO TURN; BUT EXPECT A SCORCHIN' SHOW JUST THE SAME By BAKER MAULTSBY For The Tennessean The Tennessean - November 23, 2000, Thursday Copyright 2000 The Tennessean No rumble of bass and drums, and no wall of sound coming from wild man Warner Hodges' electric guitar and amp. And the skinny guy singing lead won't be dancing and spinning and jumping from speaker cabinets. But the skinny guy a Nashville rock 'n' roll renegade whose latest solo album is more rooted than rockin' promises to deliver, nonetheless. East Nashville's Radio Cafe is a small place, far too small for the bombast of Jason Ringenberg's legendary, Nashville-based country/punk/rock band, Jason and the Scorchers. But it's just the right size, Ringenberg says, for what he calls his first full-blown solo show in Nashville. "I think it's going to be a cool show," Ringenberg said confidently. He pointed to the "great vibe" of the Radio Cafe, and to the family-friendly 7 p.m. start of tomorrow's two-set performance. To those who recall the barroom pandemonium of his rock 'n' roll heyday, don't be shocked that Ringenberg now touts family values in the musical workplace: He's married now, and the father of a toddler and an infant. His new solo album, A Pocketful of Soul, even includes tributes to his daughter (For Addie Rose) and wife (the title track). The album draws from Ringenberg's folk interests and his appreciation of plaintive acoustic music that often served as underpinning for the Scorchers' turbo-charged efforts. This quieter Ringenberg is something of a departure, but the red-haired Illinois native wants folks to know he hasn't lost the edge that made him an underground hero and a primary influence on today's "alternative country" movement. "A writer in New York said, 'Jason, you're the rockingest folk singer on the planet.' I guess that's like being called the world's tallest midget," he laughed. Ringenberg certainly acknowledges the differences between performing with the Scorchers and going out alone. "With the band, I can compartmentalize what I do; I'm only responsible for a certain part of what goes on," he said. "But solo, I'm responsible for everything. My concentration has to be a level higher." After touring Europe and much of the U.S. as a solo performer, Ringenberg has also discovered a continuity, a connection that exists with or without Hodges' screaming amps or Scorchers' drummer Perry Baggs' propulsive backbeat. "I've been able to move people on an emotional level," he said. That's due in part to Ringenberg's natural way with an audience, but more importantly, he realizes, to a batch of good songs. "No question about that," Ringenberg said. Twelve of those songs are on A Pocketful of Soul. Devoid of the full rock band backing (and "full rock band" hardly describes the onslaught of the Scorchers), the songwriting on A Pocketful of Soul retains much of what characterized Ringenberg's best work with the Scorchers: simple but sturdy melodies and vivid, uniquely Southern stories about people grappling with religion, love and the loss of a rural way of life. "I'm finding out this tour that there is a thread through my 20-year voyage, and it's the songs that tie it all together," Ringenberg said. A case could be made that Ringenberg deserved far greater commercial success during his voyage with Jason and the Scorchers. While band members have admitted that the band's extracurricular excesses of the 1980s took a toll, some bad business luck and narrow radio formatting did, too. Meanwhile, there are those who consider Ringenberg one of the most important voices on the country music scene of the last two decades, and some fans and critics rank the Scorchers among the best live rock 'n' roll bands ever. (A fabulous description of the band's early Nashville shows can be found in Tommy Womack's book, The Cheese Chronicles, in which he described the Scorchers live experience as the closest thing he knew to being at a Sex Pistols concert). But Ringenberg isn't dwelling on the "could have beens" in his nearly 20-year career, a professional journey that began with a bang soon after the singer arrived in town from his parents' Illinois farm. "I have no time for the people who belly-ache about Nashville, who say it never gave them a chance," he said. "There are so many loads of opportunity here. Nashville is a great place to make music." For instance, Music City is a place where a singer-songwriter can call up a longtime buddy with a studio and a network of sharp musician friends and go in and make a record. "The songwriting on this record was a gradual process," he said. "At the beginning, I just wanted to write songs about my family and my heritage. I wasn't even thinking about making a CD." When he decided it was time to turn his latest body of songs into an album, he called on George Bradfute, who played for years with Webb Wilder and who is respected around Nashville as a musician, a guitar technician and a studio whiz. Bradfute's studio credits include albums by such left-of-center Nashville music makers as Phil Lee, Bob Bradley and Paul Burch. The recording of the album wasn't a planned-out affair. Not like Ringenberg's 1992 solo effort, One Foot in the Honky Tonk, an album with some strong moments, but a lack of imagination on the production side. "I told him we could do whatever he wanted," said Bradfute. What Ringenberg wanted this time was a stripped-down, acoustic sound, a marked contrast from One Foot's slicker country settings. Ringenberg laid down tracks of acoustic guitar and vocals, and, with the help of multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin, Bradfute layered fiddle, pedal steel, drums and electric guitar where appropriate. The album had already received positive reviews in Nashville and beyond, and Ringenberg is excited to get the songs in front of live audiences. He's particularly geared up for tomorrow's show at the Radio Cafe. "It's the first real Jason solo show I've done in Nashville," he said. "I think it's going to be a special night." Music journalist Baker Maultsby resides in Spartanburg, SC. Getting there Jason Ringenberg's Friday evening show at Radio Cafe, 1313 Woodland St., begins at 7 p.m. Ringenberg will play two sets. For cover charge and other information, call 262-1766. GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Jason Ringenberg, minus the Scorchers, performs tomorrow at Radio Cafe. He'll play songs from his new solo album, A Pocketful of Soul an effort that's more rooted than rockin'. © 2000-2001 The Tennessean — All Rights Reserved


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