John Arrows - Your band has had a busy year and I know you moved to Ireland since we last talked. How did the move affect your music?

Wheatbread Johnson - Well, it takes a lot of energy to pack up and move house and start establishing yourself on a new scene, but you can't run from an ass whooping and this had to be done. So, far it has been great. The local musicians in Ireland have been very kind and welcoming. You meet great people wherever you go in this country. I thrive in the midst of change and the songwriting for the next CD has been moving along without interruption.

JA - The still title-less CD is set for release in early 2003. How will it compare to your live shows and sampler CD?

WJ - Favorably, I hope! The new CD is composed of all original tunes. I've been writing them over the last year, grabbing any time I can to write between gigs and practice sessions. When we made the sampler to send out to agents, clubs and festivals we stuck to covers because we wanted to build relationships with Blues and Rock clubs that had this sort of audience. Now, after having thrown in some of the originals into the live shows we feel it is time to show the world what we can do. It is the hardest thing for a Blues oriented Rock band to do. The genre is composed primarily of cover bands. Audience reaction to our songs has been phenomenal. I know that the CD will be well received by our fans.

JA - How do you go about writing songs for the band?

JA - What kind of problems?

WJ - A bridge you wrote last year that had no place might find a place in a new song. For 'The Change' on the new CD I had this bass groove in my head for a year and had no bridge for it, then one day I dug through some old ideas and found something that really worked with it and sounded as if it had been written as one song. I never throw any old notes out because of instances like that.

JA - That sounds like a fragmented approach. Do you ever write tunes all the way through?

WJ - Absolutely, 'Deep Down', a kind of modern John Lee Hooker song from the new CD, just fell out of my guitar one day, beginning to end. Sometimes you are lucky. I just do what works at the moment and wait to see if I feel that I was right. I have no problem making the song stronger by mixing and matching things as long as the end result doesn't sound fragmented.

JA - A lot of Rock and Blues musicians sound the same these days, Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan clones. How does your music compare with theirs?

WJ - There are guys out there bogged down trying to sound, act and dress like Stevie or Hendrix. I just go out there and do what I do. I couldn't fit into any of those costumes anyway! (laughs) I love Jimi and Stevie, but I have to be me. I write songs that reflect my history and influence with the music I heard as a child and loved. These songs have everything I love, Zeppeliny riffs, melodic and funky bass lines, unusual chord changes and TONS of Chicago Blues. You can't limit yourself to one idea. Not only will you bore the audience but you will bore yourself. Play what you love and people will appreciate it a hell of a lot more. They will feel your commitment.

JA - You just mentioned Led Zeppelin, who else has had an influence on your music.

WJ - Primarily Blues musicians, but you can't escape the influence of the world around you. Man, I spent day in day out with buddies who listened to Zeppelin, the Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd. If it was on the radio when I grew up or on my older brother's record player I was influenced by it. The difference between me and the other guys is I don't deny it. I am not a Blues purist. I just let it all flow out of me.

JA - You are well known for your live tributes to Stevie Ray Vaughan. How does his influence come out?

WJ - Touch, tone, feel. His work has guided me from the beginning. The trick is to use those lessons and be yourself without sounding like you are forcing originality. I also pay tribute to my other favorite players, like Magic Sam, Lonnie Mack and Eric Clapton. Also, the songs for the new CD could be viewed in this way. 'We've Been Here Before' has a very Clapton-esque feel, but it has a Zeppliny riff to tie it all together.

JA - There is a big debate going on in the music world about the validity of solos. What do you try to accomplish with a guitar solo?

WJ - I try to come up with memorable ideas that sound spontaneous. Most of the time they are, but in a pinch I will always go for memorable, hum-able, over the flashy stuff.

WJ - Studio. Live I just let it all hang out! (laughs) But, there are times when it helps to have that memorable studio version to fall back on. Stevie always outlined the general idea of his studio solos when playing live. You can't create the wheel every second of everyday.

JA - I recently saw you get a little choked up during a gig while playing your slow blues 'It's Not Your Fault'. Is that song a personal story?

WJ - It's based on an emotional relationship I had as a young man. I do get choked up singing that song sometimes. You have to let your emotions guide you onstage. I want the audience to know that I FEEL this stuff. I want them to FEEL what the song is about. The best way to accomplish that is to open myself up to them and show them what the song means to me. I have never, I mean never, been disappointed when I have the courage to do this. An audience knows when you are honest. I strive each night to make that connection with them.

JA - I think you do.

WJ - Well, thanks for saying so. You never hear enough encouragement in this business.

JA - Any plans for after the CD release in 2003?

WJ - Just to play to as many people as I can and start writing for the next CD after this one. I'm hoping we have enough clout to get some of my favorite players on the next one. I gotta keep moving. We are just getting known as a great live act right now, so I can't slow down.

JA - Good luck, then.

WJ- Thanks.