Page 60 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2020

JP: A little earlier, I made a comment
about today’s mainstream music. Do you
think today’s mainstream music industry
is more interested in looks and gimmicks
or talent and the quality of music?

JF: It’s really hard for me to say. I don’t pay
attention to what is called the ‘new’ music.
There’s not a lot of it around here (Atlanta).
The radio stations, they’re all playing classic
rock. It’s like there’s nothing new going on.
The only place you can find new music is on
internet and satellite radio. I’ll be honest, I’m
not a huge fan of a lot of the stuff that comes
out on Octane. It’s just not really my style of
music. I follow more of the European rock
and metal. I think they’re doing it right over
there.

JP: Of all the towns, clubs, areas of the country, is there one that has always given you a
great vibe, the place you can’t wait to play again?

JF: Wow. We used to play Raleigh a lot. People would come out and see us and it had a great
vibe. That’s a cool place to play. We played a lot in the Carolinas and Tennessee. We’ve played
Minnesota, Wisconsin. There are a lot of cool towns and cities out there. We enjoy a lot of the
smaller towns. People seem a lot more engaged with music and a lot more people come out to
see it.

JP: You’re a veteran of the business. If there was a super talented teenage blazing guitarist
that wanted to make music his life, what advice would you give him based upon your
experience?

JF: First, it’s extremely tough if you want to make a living out of it. The odds are not in your favor,
but that doesn’t mean not to try. In fact, we had a teenage blazing rock guitar player back in
2009. His name was Dallas. He found us online and moved down here from Ohio. We aren’t
making tons of money doing this, so his thoughts and dreams were kind of shattered a little bit.
But he got the experience. I’d say go out there and get the experience. That’s the only way you’re
going to do it. Spend as much time as you can writing music. You’re going to write good songs.
You’re going to write bad songs. Just keep writing and get out on stage and play with as many
people as you can.