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10 Questions with ... Paul Janeway
August 11, 2014
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1. Where did you all grow up? How did your location influence your style?
I grew up in Chelsea, Alabama. I was always in church but I hated dressing every Sunday for church. You had to put on your Sunday best. Now every time I play a show I am in my Sunday best!
2. Why did you want to get into music?
I love music. The way music moves people is a very spiritual thing at times. I never really wanted to "get into" music. It was just always apart of who I was.
3. Who are your influences and why?
Some of my big influences are Otis Redding, Al Green, Joe Ligon and Prince. Otis and Joe Ligon are just raw-emotion singers. You can hear hurt in their voices. Al Green is smooth while being rough. The nuances in his voice always blow my mind. Prince is a musical genius.
4. What's your favorite song that you have written and what was the influence?
"Grass is Greener" is one of my favorites. It just takes you high and then it takes you low. I am not sure what influenced that song.
5. What was the first piece of music that you fell in love with growing up?
We sang old hymns a lot, so "It Is Well With My Soul" was the first piece of music I fell in love with. The desperation in that song is still something I use today in my lyrics.
6. If you could meet any musician that isn't alive anymore, who would it be?
Marvin Gaye would be the person because I will always be fascinated with him. I would probably rush him straight to the studio so I could see what we would do in the studio. Probably ask him a bunch of questions about the albums, What's Going On and Let's Get It On.
7. How has life on the road been treating you all? Can you share with us any memorable stories from the road so far?
Life on the road has been busy. It is kind of a blur at this point. On our first-ever tour we played a show in Whitesburg, KY. A few of the fellas had too much fun after the show. I was sleeping in my bed and one of the fellas was sleeping in his bed. He ended up waking up and somehow projectile vomit crossed the room onto me from his mouth. I tell that story anytime I can. He will never live it down.
8. What is in your current music playlist? Any guilty pleasure songs?
I have been listening to Future Islands, Curtis Harding, Sharon Van Etten and Todd Terje. R.Kelly's song "Sex Planet" is my favorite guilty pleasure song.
9. Do you have any hidden talents we don't know about that you would like to share with our readers?
Not really a hidden talent but I am obsessed with college football recruiting. I can name probably most of the high school recruits in the classes Alabama football has had since 2008. It is a useless skill.
10. What's on tap next for you guys this year?
We have a fall tour mainly up the east coast. We head to Europe and tour through there for a couple of weeks.
Bonus Questions
If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
My fiancé, my dog and my family.
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