JPG: It’s pretty amazing in regards to the timing of the album’s release. I’m listening to The Universe Inside and I’m thinking about the ideas behind it and how it relates to a post-election world.
JL: I wish I could say that we knew Trump was going to be president and wanted this message to happen but we didn’t. At the same time the stuff is going on and has been going on. For whatever reason, this process and election has brought it to the surface, and the veils are being lifted. With that comes a lot of scariness but within that comes also a lot of potential for growth and learning and changing. So, go back and read a poem from some famous poet that you love. It could speak to today. That’s where you start to get into some really good, timeless art. That message could be felt and heard over generations.
I grew up on Sixties Folk, Activism Music, Bob Dylan and…those messages still ring true today. A different set of circumstances but they’re very similar things. We’re still fighting for human rights and we’re still fighting for minorities. These things haven’t gone away.
JPG: Are you familiar with the English dance act from years ago, The Shamen? They incorporated consciousness concepts and the influence of Terrance McKenna into their music. There seemed to be a correlation in what they did and what you’re doing. It may be something for you to check out.
JL: I’d love to! I’m always into stuff like that. I think you really spoke to something. These messages…it’s hard to say…I don’t want to claim that our messages are universal– that’s for someone else to decide – but those correlations when you talk to somebody else and feel that these are connections that humans have.
You know through your work and the industry that you’re in, the jamband world…you probably read this in the article that we did last time…Jambands isn’t about the music. It’s about the people and the culture. Right? You can’t say Medeski, Martin & Wood is a jamband and somebody else is a jamband. You understand we’re not necessarily talking about the style of music. We’re talking about the community. And what a community it is! These people are supporting live music. They’re connected. They become a family. They have relationships that are probably 15, 20 years…some people met at a concert 20 years ago and are still buddies. It’s this incredible social linking element that’s really important in our culture right now.
JPG: When I interviewed you last time we discussed peaceblaster.com, I didn’t see it on the band’s website. So, do you post informational stories on your Facebook page or…?
JL: Well, it’s diminished a little bit. It’s funny that you should mention that because we were just talking the other day about wanting to bring that element back.
JPG: Back to the new album, it’s out on your 1320 Records label. There are 55 artists listed on the label’s website. We talked about it in 2010. How has it evolved since then? Are you still deeply involved with it or more hands off due to being busy in STS9?
JL: The roster’s increased with a lot of young artists who recognize our place in the industry and what was done and want that association with us. It is something that goes through periods of time where we’re more hands on for periods of the year and more hands off when we have people that we trust making sure that things go right. It’s a little of everything.
I will say that the plans for the future will be to utilize that a little bit more and try to offer the artist some more services, some broader things. It’s something we want to keep alive. It means a lot to us. It’s mostly a labor of love, not a huge profitable thing for us but it is important.
JPG: Also, back in 2010 we discussed the Make It Right Foundation and plans to build a house in New Orleans (at the time of the interview the band was in the midst of raising $150,000 to build a house in New Orleans’ 9th Ward following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.) Do you have an update on that?
JL: There is. I don’t think it took more than 18 months from the time that the remix album started (released to raise funds) and we raised enough money. Probably in another six months after that there was a family in the house living there. We got a chance to roll through the neighborhood and ended up meeting the family who invited us in their house. It was one of the Make It Right Foundation’s houses.
It seems like a lot has affected one family. It’s an incredible thing but the reality is there’s so much we can do and so much to give back. We have spent a number of years trying to get a non-profit status, not for the whole organization, of course, but to be able to do non-profit work. It’s something that’s real important to us, and it took a real long time. Just this year we have now got our non-profit organization put together. It’s called Just Thanks. It’s just an infant right now but in 2017 we’re gonna be unveiling and bringing back some element of that back.
JPG: My final question relates to the band’s approach in the live setting. Is there a different approach to playing a festival show versus a headlining gig versus a vacation destination gig like Dominican Holidaze?
JL: Not really, unless we’re doing an Axe the Cables set. But, I will say that within that there’s consideration of what time we’re in and what we played there last time, what’s in the news. We had a plethora of incredible artists who passed away. So we paid homage to David Bowie and Prince…
All that being said, that goes into every show. We like to say that whether it’s Red Rocks or a 500-person venue, every night’s Saturday night. Those people who paid that money to come through the door deserve our best every night, and just because it’s a Sunday doesn’t mean we’re gonna gear down or play a mellow show. Just because it’s Dominican on the beach where everybody’s in flip flops that we’re not going to come out there and squash your face.
We are just becoming a finely-tuned thing and we’re coming with it every chance we get. We’re excited. We’re amped over here.
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