Interview With Jack Chernos

Allow me to introduce you to a banjo player who has put a twist on the traditional banjo picking and added lyrics that makes you want to stand up and fight for your rights! Jack is a very talented man who was born to play the banjo. Get comfortable and enjoy getting to know Jack Chernos.

SM- You play the banjo well, how long have your been "strummin on the old banjo"?

JC- I picked up my first banjo at a flea market five years ago. I'd been gigging on guitar for years, but after I had my first banjo lesson I realized I'd been trying to play banjo on my guitar all that time. The hiccup in my strum was that characteristic thumb on the fifth-string, my chord voicings (such as the V chord without the third) were banjo voicings, the constant hammer-ons were a banjo thing, and the tone was a tone I had been trying to get out of my guitars. It was really odd--I could play the banjo almost instantly, and songs I'd been stymied on for years fell right into place. So, I was gigging on banjo within several weeks, and got an endorsement deal with Deering Banjos just a few months later.

SM- Natural born banjo player, that is wonderful! You have a lot to say, especially for one's rights, what encouragement would you give to someone who might be too shy to stand up and fight for themselves?

JC- Just start with baby steps. Go out one weekend to an anti-war rally. Spend half an hour on a picket line of workers who are just asking for the basics of a decent life. Standing up is certainly not the easiest path. It is a lot easier at any given moment to just sit on the couch, to not make waves. But standing up for one's rights and working to make the world a better place can be really rewarding And it might not sound like a big deal, but it's also really important to discuss current issues with people you know and people you meet. Nowadays people in America tend not to discuss politics, and that's partially responsible for the state we're in. People are so afraid of voicing a differing or unpopular opinion. Due to the poor state of our media, there is an incredible amount of ignorance out there, and people can do a lot of good just by talking with others. Another thing that is really important is getting informed. You don't need to be an expert on anything, you just need to have some idea of what the corporate media isn't telling you. With the Internet it's pretty easy to get alternative sources of news now. Two real good sources are Democracy Now! and KPFA's 6 o'clock news, which you can download at your convenience from the Archives section of www.kpfa.org.

SM- Thank you so much! That is awesome advice. So, who are your inspirations?

JC- Well, great music, of course. The standard rock/funk/soul canon. Great, soulful singers. Great grooves. Although I call myself a political punk/folk banjo player, I don't listen to much political folk. I've sort of been going backwards in time a lot lately, listening to Apalachian banjo players like Dock Boggs, old zydeco, Dorothy Love Coates and the Gospel Hummingbirds, field recordings of the akonting (an African predecessor of the banjo), and Bert Williams, a turn-of-the-century black minstrel singer. I've also found a lot of good new stuff on MySpace recently, like Living in Polaroids, Phillip Roebuck, The Midnight Show, and Solidarity Park. But what really gets me going in terms of writing songs is beautiful political documents and speeches like the Gettysburg Address, the Bill of Rights, Eisenhower's last address to Congress, prescient writings by Jefferson, Washington and Madison, Martin Luther King quotes and speeches ... things like that.

SM- I enjoy your music a lot, I love your style! Next, when people listen to your music, what message do you want them to walk away from it?

JC-If people feel motivated and inspired to act or have a clearer worldview, then the songs have succeeded. Some of the songs are more abstract and just meant to give a perspective that I hope will resonate, and some of the songs are more explicit. Neither "I Just Needed To Borrow Your Saw, Friend" or "Dig Roads" advocates anything in particular, they are just songs about ownership and industrialism, respectively. At the other extreme, "My People are Rising" hopefully inspires people want to take action, and "The Silence of Good People" is explicit about the need to speak out. So the message varies from song to song, but there is definitely a core within each song which is the message.

SM- Thanks so much for your time! Last question, where could one see you perform in the coming months?

I post upcoming gigs on my website, www.department-of-justice.org. I'm out on picket lines and performing at rallies when I can, but I don't have anything currently scheduled because I'm holed up trying to finish my upcoming album by this summer. After that I'll be back out on the streets a lot more, and also playing in clubs and cafes. If I'll goes well I'll also be touring to promote the album in the fall. I've had great responses previously in Europe, so I'll probably tour there too.

Again, thank you, Jack, for being so nice to answer my questions. If you are inspired to be an active voice in today's society, check out his website, or research a subject you are intrested in and get active!