JOHNNY COOPER: Q and A for New Album ‘FOLLOW’

JOHNNY COOPER:

Q and A for New Album

 ‘FOLLOW’

Well, it still is "red dirt" it still is rock, it still is funk, pop, Texas country, R&B, it is still more than anything, me. Follow is another chapter of my life, every song is a short snippet of all the things I have encountered in the past few years, good times…bad times…and everything in between. I believe the music has evolved because I have evolved…the older you get the less and less you are scared to try new things, branch out and test your limits. Most importantly this record was a team effort. The producers and musicians had a huge role, something just clicked when we all were together. The talent of everyone who played on the record naturally made the music come alive.

What inspired you to title the album FOLLOW (also the last song on the album)?

The song “Follow” has a lot to do with it, mainly because it was the first song written for the album.  Also our first album Ignition was titled for the fact that it was our FIRST studio album. Follow felt appropriate for our second because we are saying “Follow” us onto the next chapter of the music.

Can you shed some light on what it was like to work with producers Glenn Rosenstein and Dexter Green?  Any particular moments of recording the album stand out in your mind?

Dex and Glenn are too cool! Working on this record was way too much fun and way too easy.  I really felt like I have known both of them forever, they are brothers. Individually both of them are super-talented–getting them together for this project was a huge honor. The first week of recording stands out–something happened that week that is unexplainable, it was magic.  It’s where all I can say is I’m really glad I got to be a part of that.

The album’s first single is “Bring Me Down.”  Give us some thoughts on the song.

I wrote it about some folks who forgot the reason why you play music! It’s a musical sucker-punch to people who don’t do things for the right reason.

In the song “Somewhere In Between,” you sing:  “I don’t want to be the joke of reality TV.”  What inspired this sentiment and the song overall?

The song is about keeping everything in balance–work, play, love, everyday life.  That line was an answer to the line right before it in the song… "I don’t want to be broke fighting just to eat…but I don’t want to be the joke of reality TV" giving the two extremes.

How do you feel your reputation as a live performer impacts the sound of the album?

I believe what people hear on the album they also want to hear live. The cool part about our live show is, it is always evolving and it gets better every week.  We played the majority of these songs live a couple months before we recorded them and that’s when you really work out all the kinks and get the song to what you hear now on the album.  Ahhh…the building process is the most fun.

Can you describe your live performance and how many shows you’ve done?

TONS OF FUN!   That’s why I do what I do, because it is so much fun! Our goal is to make you forget about everything else and cut loose for two hours!  Too many to count!! I have been playing since I was 15 and I’m almost 21…we have been averaging around 200 shows a year for the past five years.

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