Nils Lofgren has a long and colorful history playing rock and roll. He formed and played in the band Grin and worked with Neil Young, appearing on the seminal After The Gold Rush when he was only 17. His relationship with Young continued for years with Lofgren even joining Crazy Horse briefly.
But then the Boss came a-knockin’. In 1984, Lofgren joined Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street band, where he’s been squeezing in his licks between Bruuuce and Little Steven ever since.
With the recent release of Old School, Lofgren’s first solo studio effort since 2006, I had the occasion to talk to the singer, guitar player and unique live performer about his incredible career.
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You have a lot of Vintage Rock fans are thrilled you’re releasing Old School.
Well that’s cool. It’s kind of a vintage record I made. There wasn’t a deadline to it; it was simply, “Let’s make a record we’re proud of and keep it emotional and authentic to what’s going on inside me good and bad.” I really found a good balance for the first time really. I went on the road and played and worked, but I also spent time at home at with my wife and my family and six dogs and I left the studio doors open in the garage across the yard and said, “Look…if the dog needs to go to the vet, interrupt me. I’ll shut everything down and then turn it back on.” It was a good healthy balance of being available at home and not that saying, “Hey look, I’m being creative, leave me alone” thing. I was present for my family, I went on the road and I made a record at home.
One of the many things I like about Old School is the tonal quality of the CD. Not only did you scare up some different guitar sounds, which I expected, but the entire collection is very rich and varied in sound.
.It’s all very organic, I was fishing for things that were unusual but came naturally. For instance, I have been working live with Greg Varlotta, a great musician friend, whose an expert tap dancer percussionist He turned me on to “16 Is The New 18.” On the right side, he’s doing these castanets sounds but that’s him tap dancing on a hard floor, and on the left, he turned me on to this thing called a slicer. You run the sound of the tap through it — it almost sounds like this really cool hip hop thing. Just to bring some angst to mid-life crisis guy in that song.
I also noticed some really wild percussion in the song “Dream Big.”
That’s me tap dancing through an octave divider and gated reverb. We recorded a great live version of that from a show in New Jersey recently that you can catch on Youtube.
Lyrically, the CD really seems to be coming from a man of your age and your experiences, if I can be so bold.
I wanted it to be an authentic reflection, good and bad, of the ups and downs that I have at 60. I am also looking at a very dangerous time for our planet, the human race and I’m right in the middle of it and I wanted to speak authentically to all those things. But not just the fears but also the hopes and dreams that I’ve been blessed to be able to have after a beautiful 43 years on the road.
And with your current touring schedule, how do you fit it in? I just heard something about a Springsteen tour in the summer.
Yes, in a very surprising turn of events Bruce has committed to doing some festivals in the summer and wherever that leads. Obviously, I am very grateful and honored to be part of the E Street Band and will always feel that way and will always be there. So I am grateful that there will some shows in the summer now that we are committed to. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep doing my own shows when time permits and figure that all out as the schedule unfolds. It’s all part of the same journey. I’ve been touring on and off during the making of this entire record with Greg in my acoustic duo show, which is really colorful, the best shows I have ever done. I just booked dates in February and will keep doing so.
You have some amazing singers on this CD, like Lou Gramm, Paul Rodgers, Sam Moore. Do you just call these guys up and ask, “Hey, can you sing on my new CD?”
I have relationships with all of those singers. Back in the 80s I was playing on Lou Gramm’s solo records. In the case of Paul Rodgers, I grew up as a teenager thinking he was the greatest singer that’s ever been, still singing that good in fact! I just called these guys directly and said, “Hey, would you consider letting me send you a track, see if you hear a harmony you could help me out with, no pressure,” and I sent them the tracks and they all agreed. I am really honored that all three of them stepped up and did such a great job. Nobody can sing like any of those guys, and the fact that they lend their voices took every one of those song to a whole other level.
And you’ve released Old School on your own, right? You don’t have a record deal presently…whatever having a record deal means these days anyway.
Yes, I haven’t had a record deal in 16 years. I have my website and I’m off the grid doing my own thing, content to do it that way actually.
It seems a lot of artists feel that way I think these days.
Whatever the handicaps are of not having a company I maintain my freedom. I don’t have the bureaucracy of what are you going to do if you don’t sell enough record. You have to change and the only changing I want to do is to get better at what I do, not to try and become someone I am not comfortable with. That was climate I was seeing for artists that don’t have a hit record and I’m not blaming the company, I’ll take the hit. Nevertheless, I realized I needed to get out and after my last record, it took a rough year and half to really extricate myself, then when I did, I realized I needed to maintain my free -agent status and do whatever I’m comfortable with for the next chapter in front of me
Thanks to the Internet, I have great website with a lot of stuff I can share and I carry on. It might be grass roots and off the grid, but it’s also a powerful tool to stay true to yourself and still find an audience.
And you were relating some recent amazing sessions you played on?
I did the last Willie Nelson & Friends, playing in the house band there. And thanks to my swing man status in the E Street Band, I played on Jerry Lee Lewis’ recent country record. I went to L.A. and was the lap-steel player on that session. Jerry Lee decided to play guitar for the first time in his life in a studio setting, and during “Blues After Midnight,” all of sudden I hear Jerry Lee Lewis shout out on the mike: “Play that steel killer!” And I’m like, “Is he talking to me? I’m the only steel player in the room, but I’m so used to not being the steel player, but damn, that’s me!” I went out and played the solo. It’s an outtake but thankfully the outtakes were given to me by the producers and that’s something I am going to cherish! .
Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Neil Young — if there is a common thread to all of you great artists, what do you think it is that keeps you doing this rock and roll thing for as long as you have?
It’s a passion for it, really. Most of the people you name have an affinity for performing; all the people you mention are very comfortable in front of an audience. I personally thrive in that setting, it’s just like home, it’s a beautiful experience and you can’t stop the audience. It keeps you in the moment and there’s a freedom there and a kind of a risk taking you can’t create in a studio. And all those guys love being in front of an audience and are great at it and it’s kind of a life’s blood at this point. The audience keeps inspiring you. There’s a musicality and sharpness that comes from performing that I can’t create in a studio or home.
I hope you keep doing this a long time. The new CD is a gem and I can’t wait to see you on the road. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us.
I make music to share, I really feel good about this new CD and what I am doing now. Thanks for helping to spread the word.
