Northampton’s Johnny Memphis will celebrate his birthday this year by having his band play the Iron Horse Music Hall on May 15.
But even though Memphis is hitting the ripe old age of 70 and has been playing music alongside others for decades, this year marks just the 11th year his own band has been in existence.
“I really should have started a rock ‘n’ roll band much earlier. I have a song called ‘Running Late,’ which speaks to that,” he said.
Memphis, who is known for his days as a longtime DJ and sideman in Big Bad Bollocks, talked about his band, his approach to now being a frontman, and why he still is willing to lug gear in and out of clubs at age 70 in a recent interview.
Q: How has the band changed or evolved over the past decade?
A: The Johnny Memphis Band changed when we added a banjo in 2022. I didn’t know we needed a banjo full-time in the band, but I was recording a song about my brother Dan who loved bluegrass. We got Laurie Rozenfeld to play on the recording and she was so good and so fun, we just kept her in the band. As it turns out she was also a great singer who has gotten us doing three part harmony. That has taken us to another level.
Q: How often does the band play out and is it hard to book and keep everyone fresh between gigs?
A: We play out sporadically. I try to get good gigs. As I like to say, “Not too late, not too loud, not too long.” Every Tuesday we play at my house in what I call a tune-up. I don’t like to use the words “practice” or “rehearse.” Every time we play together is a special occasion. The tuneups are as much fun as the gigs.
Q: How would you describe the music for those who have never heard the band?
A: We are a quintet that plays rootsy rock ‘n’ roll with electric guitar, bass and drums, alongside banjo, fiddle and sometimes mandolin. I like being both electric and acoustic. Our sets are mostly originals with a few covers of songs by people like Prince, Los Lobos and Louis Prima.
The Johnny Memphis Band will play the Iron Horse Music Hall on May 15 at 7 p.m. (Paul Shoul)Submitted
Q: When you put out your first album, you had 30 years of your original songs to choose from. How do you choose which songs to record now?
A: The whole reason I started a band was because I had a bunch of songs that I thought were worthy, and I needed people to help me manifest them. I got great musicians like Katherine First, Paul Hartshorne and Jason Smith to help me. When I get a new batch of good songs, we will record again. Living in the age of distraction, our recordings have gone from eight songs to six songs, to four songs. Looks like a double-sided single might be next.
Q: You’ve now been a frontman for more than a decade. You were obviously immediately comfortable with that, having been a DJ and of course played as a sideman for other great frontmen. Has your stage presence evolved or changed over the years?
A: Having been a radio DJ for decades, I am comfortable talking into a microphone on a stage in front of an audience. It’s not rocket surgery. Read the room. Be yourself. What I have tried to improve is opening my eyes and looking out when I sing. I think it helps for the audience to see your eyes.
Q: You largely play bass in your band. Was that a conscious specific choice on your part because that’s what you feel best at, or more of a Paul McCartney-like “no one else wants to do it” decision?
A: I played bass in the first band I was in, The Suburban Headswappers, and I found that I loved it. I like being down in the engine room, making a groove, connecting the drums with the other instruments. When I joined the Big Bad Bollocks, I picked up the mandolin to fit in with their jigabilly.
Q: What makes you want to keep playing live at age 70, and do you ever see yourself stopping?
A: At this point it’s too much fun to stop, plus the band keeps getting better. I try to gig at places that have their own P.A. and sound engineer, but sometimes you have to bring your own. I try to convince myself that lugging gear is like going to the gym.
Q: Any new recordings on the horizon?
A: I am going to make a holiday album called “Yuletide Shindig.”
Tickets, starting at $24 (including all fees), can be purchased on the Iron Horse Music Hall website.
