John Daloia – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

John Daloia – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

JD: Hi. I’m John Daloia.  I’m a local guitarist/singer who plays across multiple genres but with a heavy blues/rock influence. My first gigs were in High School in the late 1970s and covered “hard rock” of the time. We cut our teeth playing Zeppelin, Sabbath, Aerosmith and the likes. I agree with Austin-based guitarist Jackie Venson that “the blues are the roots”, at least for a large swath of popular music, and most everything I played early on had that blues rock feel. Over the decades since I’ve learned to play a lot of different music, but not always at the time the music came out. In college in the early 1980s I was drawn to psychedelic and protest music of the 1960s and became a Dead Head. I had little interest in the big hair metal or rock bands of that era, but I did branch out into southern and country rock – even some bluegrass – and played in several party bands (playing both guitar and bass), where I learned many of the rock/pop standards that keep a party moving and grooving.

When I play solo now, I’m all over the map, but my band efforts are a little more genre focused. I’m currently juggling several bands, one covering 90s/00s alt-rock (Generation Gap), another a more typical “classic” rock band (Earth To Joe), and also an all-original indie band (The Villaineers, headed by singer-songwriter Jeremy Routhier-James). I’ve always embraced music diversity, and I love mixing up songs in the sets I put together, sometimes to the chagrin or amusement of my bandmates.

Playing for so long I’ve acquired a pretty extensive repertoire and I’ve been described more than once over the years as a human jukebox. I really think the last – let’s say – 75 years have been the best for experiencing music. Technology and digitization have obviously been a big part of this, with the amazing songs we have all grown up with and love accessible anytime, anywhere.

RRX: Our style comes from the extension of our influences. It’s like an evolution. We’re influenced, and it inspires us to influence. What can you say about your influences, and what you feel you’ve done with their influence as a musician or band? Have you extended their work?

JD: I was very lucky to be mentored by some awesome musicians. I took guitar lessons in my teens from a couple of legends – my older cousin (and world-class guitarist) Chuck Daloia and one of his mentors, Seymour Kougher, an older accomplished, local guitar jazzman who had also taught Chuck.  Seymour played in the style of the jazz greats – think Joe Pass or Wes Montgomery – and Chuck, younger and closer in age to me, exposed me to jazz and cutting-edge music of that time, artists like Herbie Hancock and Mahavishnu Orchestra, along with, of course, lots of rock music.

They influenced the types and genres of music I became exposed to, but perhaps more importantly they imbued in me what I consider are great ways to develop and grow as a guitar player.  There are many guitar greats who are very organic, both in style and how they grew. But I learned the old school way – weekly lessons, reading music and learning the basics of music theory.  Organic or old-school, you become a true student of your instrument, which lays the foundation for a fulfilling musical journey. Playing guitar, like any instrument, is, for many of us, a life-long endeavor – and always evolving and growing. We all have our limitations, famously stated by Jerry Garcia, and the beauty of exploring and finding new and renewed expression is what keeps us fresh and enthusiastic about playing.

RRX: We let it out differently when we play music. The happy, sad, good and bad; it can all be put out musically. Overall, do you feel better when you sing about the better times, or the worse times? Is there a difference you can describe?

JD: Music is an interesting thing.  The stories told are a record and reflection of our existence, so the subject matter can be pretty intense. Musicians feel these emotions when they perform and, on a good night, they infuse those feelings and connect with the audience. When things are working it is magical. My thing is mostly covers and what I see is that the connection people have to music is just amazing, whether the subject of the song is something very positive, or a haunting narrative. Our job as musicians is to bring it together in the cauldron, and get it mixed up right.

RRX: My singer punched my drummer out. Memorable moment, though nothing to brag about. But we have these things that, when summing up your endeavor, an incident comes to mind. What do you got?

JD: With my years playing you’re going to have to hear about a couple.  You don’t make it this far without “notable”, sometimes ignominious, happenings. Over the yea I’ve experienced the gamut…. everything from a New Year’s brawl where the band leader was in the middle of an out-of-control family feud/fight, to literally getting chased out of a Troy bar when bikers heckled and threatened our untalented lead vocalist (disclaimer: that happened when I was 17!).  More recently I got physically ill on the sidewalk out front at The Local 217, a first for me, but luckily near the end of the gig!  Or crazy happenings like LSD-driven college parties where music quickly devolved from any kind of structure into hours of sound, visual and audio. Day-glo paint was involved in a few of these parties, illuminating the partygoers, everything in the dorm, and the musicians.

Perhaps the most notable (or notorious LOL) was a teenage gig in my hometown of Mechanicville.  Our rock band played a late afternoon show at the City’s annual Feast of The Assumption – a notable local festival – and every teenager in town came out.  We were rocking out and the crowd was really getting into it, but the organizers thought it was getting a bit too boisterous and they shut the power off and ended the show. The crowd however was not too happy, and suffice to say, there was an article in the Troy Record the next day that quoted the local Bishop, who castigated the hooligans who disrupted the event. It’s a bit ironic and a testament to aging I suppose, that I’ve played at the Feast a couple times in the decades since, playing some of the same songs, in front of the same “hooligans”.  The rebels become the establishment!

RRX: What would you like fans to know before they come to see you play? (No basic stuff; get specific.)

JD: To begin, please come out and see me play! And book me and my bands for private parties and events! [laughing] I do get to do a little promo here right?

So, here’s the deal. When you see me play solo, you may hear anything from the last six or seven decades.  I play hits from classic rock, alt-rock, southern and country rock, blues and I am always happy to fulfill requests.  I’ve learned how to play to a crowd, although I would reframe that and say play “with” the crowd. In addition to club and party gigs, I’ve played at events for everything from births to deaths, weddings,  anniversaries, etc. and I can’t fathom any absolute takeaways other than music is a wonderful tonic that helps hold us together, and that I’ve been one lucky SOB.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where do you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

JD: Ok, I’m a 62-year-old cover guy, but even I still have dreams! I can honestly say that I’ve already experienced a fulfilling lifetime of music, but the journey continues.  I’m excited about the band and solo work I’m doing. I’m collaborating with some excellent musicians, and I still feel relevant, and in five or ten or fifteen years I hope it’s the same. Music is one of those unique human experiences where we get to commune and live in suspended, timeless moments.  I’m just so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and I’m going to continue to rock and roll until I can’t.

More from Liam Sweeny…