I first met John Foley through the online music festival, Doomed Fest, back in March. The moment I first heard John sing, I knew there was something special about him and his talent. His voice sounded like something straight from the 70’s rock ’n’ roll era, which is something I think is truly admirable.
Ever since I became a music journalist and becoming friends with him after the festival, I’ve thought of interviewing him. This piece right here was a few months in the making but it was worth the wait! I had a great time talking with John, learning more about him personally and his history playing music.
So without further ado, let’s get on with the interview with the man who is the future of rock ’n’ roll, ladies and gentlemen….
Starting off, What’s your earliest memory involving music?
John: My earliest memory with music? There’s a song I found that I wrote when I was six called Rocky Road. The only line I remember from it is, “Gonna go down to the beach, gonna bring back a leech” So just great songwriting from early John.
(laughs) Sounds like it.
John: (laughs)
What does your songwriting process look like?
John: So I normally start with just one lyric or a line, like a phrase. It’ll either come from listening to another song and getting an idea or reading a little phrase, and then I’ll kind of base the song around that and go from there. I always start with lyrics and then a melody. So I just kind of sing the song as I’m writing it and then I try to put chords to it after. I’m really not a great instrumentalist, so everything starts off with just singing and then trying to make the guitar fit to it afterwards.
Do you come from a musical family?
John: Yeah, my dad is a bass player. He’s been playing for fifty years, or something - I’m in his music room right now - and he taught me guitar - I wish that I had let him teach me earlier than I actually did because he tried to get me involved in music since I was really little and I was not interested in it, when I was in middle school doing other things, I guess. Then, when I was 16, I finally let him teach me a few chords and started learning from him. But yeah, he plays in a lot of bands around Charlotte, like bar bands and things like that.
His dad was a trumpet player, I think and my mom’s dad sang in a choir church, so (laughs) there’s a little bit of it here and there.
So you’re releasing a new song called, Aces High, which I wanna add it is a very good song, by the way. And I wondered if there were any certain artists who inspired the song?
John: Thank you. I don’t think, off the top of my head, if not directly with this song. All of the songs on this new EP, I think I finished in 2017 as well as my last EP, so it’s been a while since it’s been written. I don’t super remember writing this song, so I wish I could give you some insights into what inspired it but I (laughs) really cannot remember writing this song.
(Laughs) Well, that’s perfectly okay. All that matters is that you did a great job and I like the lyrics. I like everything about it.
John: Thank you, I appreciate it!
You’re welcome. Speaking of musical influences, when you’re writing a song, who usually inspires the songs you’re writing?
John: So I think a lot of my songs, for the most part, they’re not - I don’t sit down to write about myself and my life. Usually, it’s from just writing a story, so I pull a lot of influences from Tom Petty and country writers like Robert Earl Keen, that are just really good story tellers, and Brandi Carlile. So that’s what I just try to do with my songs is tell a story, but even when I’m not trying to write about myself, I’ll go back and listen to older songs and be like, “Oh, that was about my life,” and I just didn’t realize it at the time.
So, what draws you to rock ’n’ roll?
John: I’ve always grown up with rock ’n’ roll. The Beatles, The Eagles, and Tom Petty were always playing in the house when I was little, so I just grew up with it. Then at a concert - the energy and the raw emotion in rock is what really draws me to that more than other genres. I listen to just about everything, but the energy, especially live shows - which sucks that we can’t go to any right now - that rock ’n’ roll energy that makes you feel badass and you can do anything.
What can we expect from your new EP?
John: After Aces High is released, three of the five songs will be out, but it’s kind of a moody, dark EP. The last song on it is kind of more Americana-y. I look at it like a bonus track because it doesn’t really fit in with the other four, but it’s one of my favorites, so I’m really excited for that to come out and Aces High, obviously. I’ve spent a lot of time with that song recently, working on the video, so I’ve grown to like that one too. It’s very lyrically-based. Like I said, very singer-songwriter is my method. So there’s some great musicians that played on there, some great guitar solos, and things like that, but lyrically-based, moody kind of classic rock feel music.
Well, I’m looking forward to this EP.
John: Thank you. Me too! I’m excited to get it out.
Since concerts have come to a halt, one question I want to ask you is: are there any concerts that have added to your inspiration to want to write a song?
John: I don’t know if I’ve had a song directly inspired by a song from a concert, but my most memorable concert is when I went to see Fleetwood Mac in Washington D.C. last year in March and we had nosebleed tickets. I think it was in the top row of the venue because I waited so long to get them, and we got there, I misread the door time so I thought the show started an hour later than it did. We showed up thirty minutes late and they went to scan our tickets, and he was like, “Oh, wait here for a minute,” and he stopped at the box office and waved us over, “So we have some extra seats. Do you want a free upgrade?” We were like, “Absolutely!” So we ended up 30 feet away from the stage, on the side. It was insane!
So being that close to Fleetwood Mac was like, “They’re real people. They’re right there!” And Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers was filling in for Lindsey Buckingham, so it was like you get a little bit of Tom Petty in there too. It was just crazy!
I definitely agree because I saw them last year in February and I never had the chance to see Tom Petty in concert, so to see Mike Campbell playing, I’m just sitting there like, “This is the closest thing I’m ever gonna get to seeing Tom Petty.”
John: Yeah, and then they did that tribute thing to him at the end, I thought I was gonna cry!
What do you miss the most about playing music live?
John: Definitely playing with a band. I’ve learned music and have done the vast majority of music playing by myself, just solo acoustic type things, but with a band, it just goes back to that energy. You have people to feed off and you have an audience. You can’t really get people going like you can with a full band with just an acoustic guitar, but just having people on stage with you sharing that moment, it’s like everybody comes together in those live shows with full bands and I really miss that community aspect of it.
What do you love the most about creating music as a whole?
John: My favorite thing would be letting a song go where it wants to go, so, like I said, I usually start with a lyric and build it from there. I usually don’t have a road map of what’s gonna happen with the whole song - Sometimes I do. Sometimes, I’ll sit down and very deliberately write a specific kind of thing, but normally, I just kind of let it go where it ends up going and so that’s where it goes for me. My really favorite part is when we start recording things and session musicians come in, and I don’t give a whole lot of guidance to the session musicians, at least to start with. Just watching it grow from a solo acoustic thing to more and more tracks being layered on and it finally turns a fully realized song. It’s awesome, it’s definitely my favorite part. Just watching the song grow from outside of my influence.
From what I’ve heard in your songs, it definitely works out very well.
John: Yeah, I’ve been very lucky to have some great session musicians play on the tracks.
Alright, that was all of the questions I had for you today and thank you again for joining. I had a great time interviewing you!
John: I’m glad that we got to do it!