The Songster's Story: An Interview with Luther Jett
- Kristin Kowalski Ferragut
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Luther Jett is a gifted poet, songwriter, educator, and thinker. He is also a wonderful human being and great friend. My poet interviews are among my favorite blog posts. I’ve been eager to add interviews of songwriters to my posts as well and, one of Luther’s many likable traits is that he often seems game for almost anything. So, here we go…
Hi Luther. Thanks for agreeing to this interview. Although I've interviewed many poets and you are a poet, you are here as my first singer-songwriter interviewee. I appreciate your helping me launch this new series.
When did you start writing music?
Luther:
In my head? Possibly before I could talk. Seriously, I think the earliest song I committed to paper was written during my senior year in high school. “Hearts Are Always Wild” was the title. Lyrics were about walking alone on a windy beach; very much teen angst.
Kristin:
That's so cool! Do you remember it? Do you ever play it now?
Luther:
I still have the manuscript! And a transcript I made in the 1990s. I remember the melody and could probably reconstruct the chord progression, but I have not played it in a very long time.
I continued writing songs through college and grad school and on up to the present. That sounds like a lot of material, and I suppose it is.
Kristin:
When did you start playing guitar?
Luther:
In high school. I took formal lessons from Victor Litz for about a year. He was frustrated with me because I didn’t hold the neck of the guitar right, and I was frustrated because the songs in the practice book weren’t the kind of music I wanted to learn to play. Except there was one twelve bar instrumental piece that I think was supposed to be a nod to rock and roll. I experienced a kind of epiphany when I practiced that one.
Eventually, I just bought a bunch of different songbooks and learned the chord progressions to songs I liked. Back then, you couldn’t just look something up on the Internet because there wasn’t any internet.
Kristin:
Did you play pretty steadily after that or is guitar something you came back to after a while?
Luther:
For several years I played with friends — originals and covers. We were very much into punk and Talking Heads, but we also loved Gram Parsons and Emmy Lou Harris. So we'd do country stuff when we weren't head-banging.
But then I went through a period when I slacked off and didn't play for a while. It was my cousin Larry Rice who inspired me to take it up again.
Kristin:
Do you have a favorite guitar that you've owned and what do you play now?
Luther:
Oh, my favourite guitar is absolutely the one I have now — which is a Martin D-X2E, steel-string hybrid. I like the action and the tone. It still has the original strings.
Kristin:
You've grown so much as a guitarist in the past few years. Your walkdowns and embellishes are really sublime. Can you talk to us about your practice? Do you take lessons? How does your practice look? Do you keep a practice schedule?
Luther:
Other than the year with Mister Litz, I haven’t taken any formal lessons. When I want to learn a song, I’ll sit down and work out the chord structure, then go from there. I try to play a little bit every day. When I know there’s a gig coming up, I focus on the set I plan to perform, otherwise, I play what I feel like playing. I will go through phases when I’m focussed on a particular artist or genre.
I think my style is largely derived from flat-picking, which I managed to teach myself. Also from listening to Delta Blues.
I hear the embellishments in my head and my fingers sort it out. A lot of it is muscle memory.
Kristin:
Who are some of the particular artists you most like playing, when you're not playing originals?
Luther:
Buddy Holly, Robert Johnson, Dylan ... it does depend upon my mood. Recently I started working on some Hank Williams songs. Lou Reed is another favourite, but I have to be in a particular mind-space . Johnny Ace. Leonard Cohen. I could go on and on.
Funny, I just named a bunch of male artists, but when i'm listening to music, I tend to gravitate toward women — Emmy Lou Harris, Adele, Amy WInehouse, Billie Holiday, and of course, Patti Smith. Those women have influenced my style as much as the guys. Maybe more.
Kristin:
How do songs come to you? Do you typically start with lyrics or melody?
Luther:
Yes.
Seriously, it’s different every time. Sometimes a melody line will pop up while I’m just noodling around. More often there will be a key phrase, or a mood that I want to capture. I try to tell a story with most of my songs. Or hint at one.
I wrote “Lilac Wine” (shameless plug for my up-coming single) because the idea of Lilac Wine popped into my head and I thought it was a surreal image. Turns out there really is such a thing, but to me it was just the image. Lilacs are ephemeral flowers, they bloom for a few weeks and their scent is intoxicating, then they’re gone. Like some relationships. So there’s a tinge of sadness there. Whitman’s poem about “When Lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed” is really about loss.
Kristin:
That's beautiful, and we'll come back to your single, but also, a good segue, in addition to being a songwriter, you're an incredibly gifted poet.with five books to your credit. When you come to writing from a mood or line, how do you tell if you'll shape it into a song rather than poetry?
Luther:
If it sings, it's a song. I wish I could give you a better answer.
Kristin:
So you're going to release "Lilac Wine" as a single. I'm so psyched. I love that song. Tell me a little bit about how you went about recording and when it'll be released.
Luther:
Michael Occhionero offered to produce one of my songs, and this was the one I chose. He has a studio in his basement, and I went over there to lay down the main tracks. It was interesting to break out my vocal from my guitar-work because I'm used to just playing and singing simultaneously. Then Michael sent me a mix and I picked out the parts that weren't working. I went back in the studio to re-record some of the vocals. Also, Michael added some instrumentation — bass, second guitar, and a mellotron setting on keyboard that I really love because it gives the song a nostalgic, summery feel.
The single is scheduled to drop on December 1st, right after Thanksgiving. It will be available through CD Baby, and folks can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, and You Tube. https://lutherjett.hearnow.com/
Kristin:
What next plans do you have for writing songs, playing out, and recording?
Luther:
I have to decide whether I want to do another single, or pull together an album. Because of the times we're living through, I like the immediacy of releasing a single, and if I do that, the next song will be more overtly political.
I'm looking forward to playing a short set at Grape Escape in Kentlands on November 21st, along with a roster of other singer-songwriters. Each of us will be discussing the back stories to the original songs we perform.
Beyond that, who knows? I enjoy playing before an audience. I especially appreciate participating at open mikes and hearing what other folks are doing. There's a real positive energy at those events, and a sense of community that we all very desperately need these days.
Kristin:
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Luther:
Was it Emma Goldman who said "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution"? We all have our parts to play in helping to make this world a better place — Resistance has many faces. Creating beauty, whether its through music or poetry, or art, and sharing that with others can be a powerful force for goodness. I really think it can make a difference.
If you want to check out Luther’s poetry books, here are some links:
Flying to America
The Colour War
Little Wars:
And his website from where his earlier works can be found:
Thank you, Luther, for all the beautiful poetry and music you put in the world!
