in

Jon Wayne & The Pain: 10 Year Anniversary Interview

JWP
JWP

Last updated on January 22nd, 2019 at 05:46 am

Jon Wayne & The Pain

Initially formed in 2007, Twin Cities based Reggae Rock & Electronic Dub group, Jon Wayne & The Pain has become a rising favorite in the Midwest music scene. Celebrating 10 years together, members Jon Wayne, Chuckie Torgerson, Teeto Miller and Weston Schick are currently on the 2nd leg of their lengthy tour cleverly named, A Decade Of Pain.

Over the past few years, the band has gained steadfast momentum with invitations to perform on some of the nations most renowned music and art festivals, as Electric Forest, Summer Camp, Cali Roots and Wakarusa to name a few. Their transcendent live performances, loyal fan-following, cosmic reggae jam sound and fluid chemistry are what ensures the innovative band of JWP, a mainstay position in the ever-evolving music scene.

We were fortunate enough for Jon to take some time out of his day to talk with us about the band’s past success and future plans. He even shares their “secret ingredient” for getting in the mindset of putting on a spectacular performance.

Jessica: How did you guys form?

Jon: We formed in late 2007 as a brainchild between me and the [original] band members. I wanted to call the band a band name like U2 or something but they said that my name is Jon Wayne and everyone knows me as that so we should do Jon Wayne and the something. We just picked pain mainly because it rhymed, that’s about the only reason. 

With the personal struggles I went through with addiction and now being on the other side of that, sober and happy, there is some kind of double meaning to it. The pain of moving through all of that stuff gave it kind of a double meaning. We didn’t know it at the time but it ended up having some of a more fitting context then we realized.

We formed in basically the basement of the Play House, which was Wookiefoot’s famous carnival place where they always threw parties and there would be a bunch of freaks and fire blowers in the front yard. The back staircase was modified into a slide, so you couldn’t even walk into it you had to slide up and down, and I would just set up the guitar in the basement of this place. Its not that I wasn’t invited to be there but I wasn’t invited specifically to play music. People started to play with me and that’s basically how the band got started.

Jon Wayne Quote

Jessica: Do you still find a lot of time to practice, even with touring?

Jon: Probably not as much as we should. But yeah, we get together. Pretty much every time we get together we create a new song so it has not been a difficult thing.

Jessica: Do you jam or just stick to the songs you are working on?

Jon: Both. Sometimes I will write a song, just the basic form, and then the rest will just fill it in the rest of the parts. Other times Chuck, our bassist, will come up with an idea on a computer and we will build around that. We also will play a version of a song live and it just morphs into new.

Jessica: Who in the band typically writes most of the music, or do you all write it together?

Jon: I guess over the years I have written most of the music but it wouldn’t be what it is without what the other people add. If we had a different bassist, or a different drummer, or a different keyboard player, I think it would be a lot different song. Most all of the songs with lyrics, I have so to speak written. I have written the lyrics and the basic structure but most of the straight up electronic jams we have are a team effort or are brought to the table by Chuck.

jon wayne logo

Jessica: Do you have a specific creative process when you are creating music or does it just kind of come to you?

Jon: There’s a couple different ways. One of them I will intend to write a song and ill start it. Another is during my travels, I will be inspired in a moment because of the situation to write something. With that being said, there’s a time where I will write a chord progression and it will sound cool and ill record it to my phone and then ill put lyrics to it later.

Or I will use the notepad on my phone, and ill just start writing lyrics, and hopefully I will write something that, A) rhymes or B) at least makes sense together, and then will write the chords later. I also co-write with Ben Suchy (pronounced Suki), a singer-songwriter out of North Dakota. A lot of times I will birth the song, meaning write the beginning of it, and then I will email him the lyrics, song structure and recording of it, and he will raise the song, so to speak.

Jessica: Who is your biggest musical influence?

Jon: Originally Sublime, The Beasty Boys, and The Grateful Dead. Those influences are still there but now we are more formed to electronic stuff. Reggae-Dub is an old-school genre that continues to be popular and that’s one element of what we do. Our electronic influences are Pretty Lights, Sound Tribe Sector 9, and Lotus mixed with all of these elements of modern popular Reggae like Soja and Slightly Stoopid. Its a melting pot of inspiration.

I heard someone once call it musical A.D.D. because we will play a “roots” reggae song, then a jam band song, then a heavy-electronic song, then maybe a heart felt lyrical ballad. We don’t fit into one specific genre but I would say that we are more Reggae influenced then anything.

Jon Wayne and the pain Bassist

Jessica: Do you have a before show ritual to get you going?

Jon: The guys smoke a ton of dabs. They love their dabs! I normally will do some vocal warm-ups before we play. There are a bunch of funny sounding vocal warm-ups on Spotify, and I will put head phones on, so if you heard it and didn’t know you would ask what the fuck I was doing. But most of the time we are out mingling with the fans. We like to meet people and think that’s really important.

Jessica: Is there certain music you listen to more than others on the tour bus?

Jon: I’ve been listening to a lot of Xavier Rudd’s album, Nana. Its reggae with super conscious lyrics and great melodies. This last weekend I was listening to Master P, Coldplay and Bob Marley. I listen to so many different things. I really like classical music and also listen guided-meditation.

Jessica: How do you balance your music obligations with your personal obligations? Is this an issue for anyone?

Jon: It can be. If a husband goes home from his good money 9 to 5 job one night and says they are going to quit and become a musician, it would probably be a huge pay cut, and would maybe be really stressful. Especially if they have kids or something. Most people in this situation would not be able to do it.

On the other side of that, for the last 8-10 years, we have all been making a living playing music. I was playing music when I met my wife so she had realized right away that this is how I make my living and she totally supports me in it. Its a non-issue and we both love it. With any of the guys in relationships, it can be a strain. But I think that across the board its not a problem.

Jessica: Do you guys have anything coming up? Is there anything that you are working on?

Jon: We are working on a new album that should be done within the next month or so. We will have a big cd release show on January 21st with some other really cool bands. Then, we will be starting our tour immediately after to support the release of the new album.

There is one of the songs on the album, called “Thankful”, that is a reggae meets electronic, with (hopefully) uplifting and conscious lyrics. In September we flew to L.A. to do a music video in the mountains. Its a really good quality video that will be released really soon. We will be touring in general, regionally, until then.

Jessica: Since you are in the middle of making your album, do you have any advice to give to bands creating their first album?

Jon: If you can get a good sound doing the at-home studio, then that’s great. But, I think bands want to put out an album and put the least amount of money into it. I’m not saying a lot of money equals a great album either, but I think you need to be willing to bring in a couple professionals: A) in the realm of the final mix of how the album sounds, or and B) in the realm of mastering.

A lot of bands don’t get their album mastered and it sounds like crap. Its really important to get it mastered. It is a separate deal and they get paid a lot of money because it is really important.
We also have set a cd release date and then the album isn’t done yet and its so stressful. I think its much easier to finish the album and then set the release date.

Jon Wayne & The Pain will be celebrating their CD release show January 21st, however the location has yet to be announced. Keep an eye on updates on band news by liking their facebook page! Catch Jon Wayne & The Pain on tour this winter. Check the dates below.

Jon Wayne & The Pain Tour

Oct 28 // DG’s // Ames, IA
Oct 29 // Gabe’s // Iowa City, IA
Nov 04 // Redstone Room // Davenport, IA
Nov 05 // Vangarde Arts // Sioux City, I//
Nov 11 // The Nest // St Cloud, MN
Nov 12 // Zorbaz // Detroit Lakes, MN
Nov 17 // Wicked Moose Bar & Grill // Rochester, MN
Nov 18 // Reggie’s Rock Club // Chicago, IL
Nov 19 // Brauerhouse // Lombard, IL
Nov 29 // Rock Point // Bismarck, ND
Nov 30 // The Pub Station // Billings, MT
Dec 01 // Top Hat // Missoula, MT
Dec 02 // Lewis & Clark Brewery // Helena, MT
Dec 03 // The Filling Station // Bozeman, MT
Dec 05 // The Foresters Club // Mccall, ID
Dec 06 // Town Square Tavern // Jackson, WY
Dec 07 // Zbar & Night Club // Spearfish, SD
Dec 16 // Short Branch Saloon // Neenah, WI
Dec 17 // Masonic Center // Marquette, M

Written by Anna Paulson

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Loading…

0

Comments

0 comments

51DLN2WWg7L 1

Temper Trap Uses Iphone Camera To Capture Album Cover

Screen Shot 2016 10 25 at 6.59.47 PM

Minnesota Band, Jon Wayne & The Pain Raise Money For Protestors of Standing Rock