By Ashleigh Chevalier
Northern Virginia singer-songwriter E.P. Jackson is a busy musical bee, fronting the alt-country band “The Weathervanes,” playing bass for “The Walkaways.”
He recently released a solo acoustic rock album “Ninety Eight – Eleven” – available here. This EP (extended play**), no pun intended, has all the vocal feel of Mellancamp and Springsteen, with a bit of Dylan-esque inspired writing.
E.P. Jackson will break the Fredericksburg sound waves at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at The Kenmore Inn, 1200 Princess Anne St., with guitar, whiskey and fine, fine food.
Here are a few quirky sentiments from E.P. Jackson. But, listen to the music – it speaks for itself.
What was the most rewarding part of recording and releasing Ninety Eight – Eleven?
Ninety Eight – Eleven is basically a pre cursor to my band, The WeatherVanes, upcoming full length album due out this fall. So it was exciting to get into the studio and find some sounds and tones for this album that we can use in the future. It will be rewarding to get this solo effort in the hands of people because there are some really heartfelt songs as well as a few different treats that listeners may not expect!
How do you separate your projects and what you write?
I tend to write in bursts, so a lot of songs come out all at once and they seem to group themselves around what is going on in my life at the time. There is a lot of cross over between my solo material and what “The WeatherVanes” do, because almost all of the songs start out with me sitting with a notebook and an acoustic guitar.
What is the first album you ever bought, and in what medium? Do you still own it?
I think the first album I ever bought was ZZ Top “Eliminator,” on cassette tape. I was probably about six or seven. I probably wanted it because it had a cool car on the front, and I expect that tape is long gone. I do remember my parents having Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” on 8-track — which I covered and put out on a limited release CD a few years ago. I also have some older sisters that listened to Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, Montely Crüe, Bon Jovi, etc… So there was some music around that I didn’t have to buy!
Do you collect vinyl records? When did you start? What is your most prized vinyl album?
I do collect some vinyl; I started in college I think. I don’t have anything that is super prized, but a few of the most listened to are:
Led Zeppelin II
The Doors – “Morrison Hotel”
Ray Charles – “What’d I Say”
Hayes Carll – “KMAG YOYO”
Jack White – everything
And I also listen to a lot of my friends’ material on vinyl:
Mutts
David Ramirez
Karen Jonas
Tom McBride
How many times have you toured the U.S.?
I have toured around the U.S. and Canada pretty steady for the last six years. Lemme just say that there are almost 260,000 miles on my Toyota Rav 4.
Whiskey and coffee? Or….
Yes. Whiskey is liquid sunshine. Coffee is the most important meal of the day.
Ashleigh Chevalier is a Fredericksburg-based Raw Roots Rock & Blues musician passionate about promoting all musicians performing in Fredericksburg. She provides a weekly list of shows in the ‘Burg, and an occasional Q&A with a performer for Fredericksburg Today. Check her out at:
Ashleigh Chevalier Facebook
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**An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is usually too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.
The views of contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or Fredericksburg Today.
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