*English translation of the original interview published in RUTA 66 magazine, Spain, in September 2021
Whenever you go through the songs from Greg Prevost’s new album, you just know you’re in the right place at the right time. Thus, the album isn’t titled Songs for These Times for nothing. Long gone are the days when Greg parted from the band that made him public. As the frontman of the great The Chesterfield Kings, they had a clear message to carry on: take you back to the past and let you enjoy the good old days of music. With the Kings disintegrated about 10 years ago, Rochester born Greg came up with a new solo career and also a new name, ‘Stackhouse’ (a tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson’s guitar player), not only taking you to the past again, but going even further back in time and paying homage to his very idols. And then for any real music lover nowadays, you know that’s the right path to go. Then you have Penniman Records (the name pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?) A Barcelona-based independent record label which worked as the perfect niche for Greg’s works -and also a bunch of other great artists- that right from scratch of his career tasted the same flavour, that of strict rock and roll with touches of country and more, carrying a large imaginary neon sign in front announcing ‘raw blues’. Or as journalist David Fricke explains it in the liner notes of Prevost’s new record, “songs from across time, from all times. They’re set at crossroads of love and lust, connection and loss, question and mission, despair and rebirth».
It’s been a few years since the Chesterfield Kings split, but you know there’s still plenty of fans worldwide that still ask themselves what took the band to end. Since it’s you who started the group back in the late ’70s, I cannot think of somebody better to detail the very reasons why you called it quits 20 years after or more.
GREG: Honestly, I don’t think we were that important. Maybe in the early ‘80s up to the early ‘90s—and sort of in the early 2000’s—we had our high points on occasion. In the end we faltered. I don’t think anyone wondered or really cared if we were still a band or not. I started it in 1978 with Rick Cona (bass), Doug Meech (drums) and Bob Ames (guitar), and I was the ONLY member from start to finish with multiple personal changes over the years (roughly 20 people all together were in/came/went). We did our last show in 2009. It was miserable, and I was not really happy or into what I was doing, and what I had become. The band was basically the “same old thing” for the past/last years we existed. After that last show we sat around and did nothing. In 2011 I made my exit. We fizzled out and no one knew. I got out because I was just plain TIRED of doing the whole band thing. I was around 10 to 15 years older than all of the other members and had done it way longer. Simple as that. No real “big break up”—just fizzled out.
Kings’ fans saw the band going though lots of music styles back in the day. There’s the old garage sound, raw Stonesy rock’n’roll (‘Let’s Go Get Stoned’ will remain forever as the very best one and only Stones-non Stones album ever made), the Beach Boys tribute album, the sleazy New York Dolls phase, and finally psychedelia in the band’s last two studio albums. I know you guys were always paying tribute to your music idols, or else took the best from the ’60s bands and redid it your way for a contemporary audience. Influences were all over them. Still, according to you, which one would be the most personal one and, by the way, which is your favourite Kings’ album and why? Looks like going solo released you of some heavy burden. Is there something like «more freedom» now?
GREG: The band was whatever my mood was, whatever music I was listening to at that particular time, and whoever was in the band and what they were capable of doing. I don’t have a favourite album. If I had to pick one I’d say DRUNK ON MUDDY WATER because the band was REAL then, and it was authentic and honest. Doing my ‘alone’ thing after the group just takes me back to the early ‘70s when I did a similar trip for my own personal entertainment. And it is total freedom-no hassles, whining, arguing, touring or playing the bullshit game. Plus writing for myself instead of for a band is really a plus for me and totally where it’s at.
You finally started a solo career back in 2012 with the Mississippi Murderer album. Was that somehow already planned when you still were in the band? Being it a «raw blues» record (and what an amazing debut album you came up with!), and even launching your own stage-name «Stackhouse», as much a blues lover and musician you’ve always been in your heart, can you say you aimed yourself to began an almost strict blues musician? Could you name some favorite blues artists by the way?
GREG: It actually started (‘solo career’ as you called it) in 2011 when I did the “Mr. Charlie” / “Rollin’ Stone” 45 on Mean Disposition/Penniman Records. What I did was not planned. I never planned on doing music after the band trip. What happened was this: I was still writing the ‘Stones Gear’ book and was figuring out what tunings Keith played on songs, and that led to me just making a return to what I did in the early ‘70s. I then sloppily recorded Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Mr. Charlie” and Reverend Robert Wilkins’ “Rollin Stone” the way they recorded 78s back in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Very crude and primitive. I was friends with Enric Bosser at Penniman Records. We met in the ‘80s when my old band played in Barcelona, and we crossed paths again when we did a show with his band the Meows in the ‘90s—and numerous other times when we toured in Spain. We stayed in touch over the years as friends do. I sent him the tape of these two songs to see if he liked them. I just wanted his opinion, I never expected him to want to release it as a 45! That was the beginning-he then said, “I can hear ‘Exile’ Stones if you added a bass and drums…” which led to the ‘Mississippi Murderer’ album. Enric was responsible for me re-inventing myself. Had he not taken an interest in putting that out as a 45 I may have just played a bunch of songs I liked playing for awhile then stopped. At the time I was back into playing golf. “Stackhouse” was a way to re-invent myself in a new light away from my former persona. I got that name from Sonny Boy Williamson’s guitar player, Houston Stackhouse. I must point out that I am NOT a strict blues musician. I also like playing folk, country, country blues, psych and gospel style. I am a combination of many things, not just blues, though blues has always been a constant in whatever I did through the years. I am very comfortable playing any kind of blues. Favourite ‘blues’ artists-Howlin’ Wolf, Reverend Gary Davis, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker … the list goes on.
Mississippi Murderer is so good that it don’t even give us listeners the chance to skip songs, it’s just one great song after another, and then the album is over, leaving us asking for more. Besides the opening tune «Death Rides with the Morning Sun» and other songs you penned, and all those raw blues covers, you even dared to include a version of the Stones’ «I Ain’t Signifying», which has been in the Stones’ vaults for years and finally showed up officially in the expanded version of Exile On Main Street only 2 years after you recorded it. How much of a Stones fan you are, besides the hardcore one we can sure assume you are after all these years? Any era in particular?
GREG: I originally did NOT want to do any Stones material on that album. I wanted to be MYSELF and if I sounded like the Stones, it was only because I was influenced by them, and NOT because I was trying to sound like them like I did in the old band which was more focused on that. I purposely tried to avoid recording “I Ain’t Signifying” and originally planned—and recorded—Charlie Patton’s “Spoonful Blues.” When I didn’t like the way that came out, I needed a song that I liked playing, and that was “ready to record” which turned out to be that Stones number. I played it for a long time and it was easy for me to pull off quickly. I was NOT trying to ape the Stones again. Plus I did my own version which is acoustic rather then electric. Stones fan? I guess, like everyone else, really. Who doesn’t like the Stones? I suppose my father didn’t, but that was his generation. Favourite Stones years for me are 1963 to 1974.
Then four years later we had «Universal Vagrant», where you kept showing that raw blues and Stonesy sound, but with a twist. More polished production, say, girls doing backup vocals, with lots of more self-penned songs, but also a few covers. What about the process of going for this of that cover version? Since you’re so much in so many artists, it doesn’t look that easy. And, by the way, what is it that inspires you when writing songs?
GREG: “Universal Vagrant” was “my” Stones ‘Sticky Fingers’ / ‘Exile’ album. As far as when I choose material to cover songs that I like, the process goes like this: I have a repertoire of about 90 to 100 songs or so that I learned-and I still do when I feel the vibes to learn something I like. Some songs work really well—others don’t make it—so I take on the ones I like. When I record things I pick the ones I feel are the most original, in that I made the songs MY OWN. For example, if you compare Muddy Waters “Mean Red Spider” to my version, it is like a different song and not a copy. When I was in the old band I tended to copy things, which in essence is pointless. Possibly why the former band never ‘made it to the big time’ as they say. As far as writing original material, it just happens. I never “try” to write things-they just happen.
As much as a solo artist you became after 2012 (and then taking care of not only the main vocals but also guitars and harmonica) there are other guest musicians that recorded with you, like Alex Patrick, Zachary Koch. etc. All Rochester-based musicians too? And by the way how do you see the music scene in your town nowadays, meaning, if there’s something like a Rochester scene at the moment?
GREG: Yes, Alex and Zach are close friends—from Rochester (NY). Zach was actually in the last version of the Chesterfield Kings in the capacity of rhythm guitar/keyboards. He appears on the last album ‘Live Onstage… If You Want It.’ He is first and foremost a drummer, and plays drums on my albums. He was originally in a band called St. Philips Escalator (which I named) and I produced their first album years before he worked with me in the Chesterfield Kings. We became close friends and I met Alex through him. We are all on the same page musically -and mentally, which is why everything works out so well. As far as a music scene in Rochester, I really don’t know, I am not a part of that and don’t go out very often. Alex and Zach are part of whatever scene there is-Alex with his band Dangerbyrd, and Zach with his new band The Low Spirits.
Your new album «Songs For These Times», released this year, shows you’re still taking the same blues path but this time you went deeper (there’s cover versions of Big Bill Broonzy’s «Tell Me Baby» or Reverend Gary Davis’ «Death Don’t Have No Mercy», among others) and then you went for an «all acoustic live-in-the-studio» record. Not to mention, with great results. What exactly took you to go «all-acoustic»? Plus the fact besides all those great renditions (Donovan, Love, 13th Floor Elevators, and more) You even paid tribute to Bob Dylan by reproducing the cover art of his 1965 «Bringing It All Back Home» album. What’s the story? The David Fricke liner notes included explain it all quite well, but your opinion is still welcome!
GREG: The “All acoustic” thing, like everything I have done since leaving the band, just happened. Spontaneously. I was thinking half acoustic, half electric, like the early John Hammond albums, then after Alex and I did three songs, the feel and vibes were so happening that it all went in that direction. Again, I made no attempt to “copy” songs, I just did them my own way. The “Bringing It All Back Home” Dylan-like cover was also not planned. Just happened. My wife Caroll shot the cover photo in an hour. We liked it-then Enric and I (and Pablo De La Cruz who did the layout) decided to go for a vintage Columbia Records vibe, which came off exactly the way we all hoped. David Fricke tells the story of every song in the liners and there is no point elaborating on his detailed descriptions!
What about your other activities? You did lots of writing on magazines, not to mention one-of-a-kind things like the ‘Stones Gear’ book. You’re also quite an expert on vintage TV shows and movies. And then invite us to «join the shitkicker rebellion» on your own website at www.gregstackhouseprevost.com Have you ever wondered what would be of you without music of your other hobbies?
GREG: I would just play golf. I started playing in 1959, played a lot in the ‘60s through ‘80s, stopped for awhile, then started years back again. I also have an autobiography coming out in the near future.
You do great albums. You go out on your bike. You’re an avid music lover and collector. You love taking pictures of your cats, who even make some «cameo» in your last record. Any plans of playing live or touring some time?
GREG: Hard to say-I never plan anything—it all just happens since I don’t have to answer to anyone or deal with any ‘band’ members, managers, agents etc—playing live will just happen. I never like to plan things like that out-I just do them when the mood strikes.
Marcelo Sonaglioni 