On The Road with J. Scott Franklin

J. Scott Franklin is definitely pitching his tent in the camp of the often quoted "creative class" of Cleveland. An accomplished jazz trumpet player who has also been influenced by country and rock music, Franklin is a multi-instrumentalist with an innovative approach for performing to live audiences. Franklin has just recently returned from traveling in his automobile on a three-month tour of America, where he took his words and music to points North, South, East and West. It was an adventurous undertaking, and he brought back observations from his life on the road with some trenchant and experiential words-to-the-wise for Clevelanders.

Cool Cleveland: What was the impetus that caused you to be a one-man arsenal of music as opposed to settling for a more traditional, group or band approach?
J Scott Franklin: I had a lot of trouble organizing one core group of people who wouldn't change. I worked with my most favorite drummer ever, Ron Tucker, and he was with me as the group kept changing. By the time I had assembled what looked to be a secure and serious band, I had become used to doing my own thing and finding more of myself than within the group. I was like a teenager; I needed to break out and define myself - I was growing really fast, changing really fast, and these guys had been playing so long that they understood what they wanted to be. Now, I'm able to go back and work in that kind of setting, but at the time, I had written 50 songs right off the bat (in my first year and a half) and I had no idea if I was a folk musician, rock musician, or jazz poet. I was trying to work in the group setting, but I didn't understand that you're not supposed to get a group together to learn 30 or 40 songs, and then each week or two a new song would come out. I should have understood that the group could focus on getting eight to ten songs down, and the rest should be reserved for my solo performances.

You remind me of Chicagoan Andrew Bird, who does amazing musical theatrics with violin loops, reverb-drenched guitar, and keyboards as a solo performer. You and he are a far cry from someone like Hasil Adkins, with his retinue of folk instruments, his wailing, shouting and banging about on drums. I suppose Technology has really enabled the solo performer to achieve amazing results these days?
Yes, I don't use much technology even though it looks like it. I just use a Boss Loop Station and add layers, but I make the most out of it. However, you can see how much technology has changed our abilities - I have friends who aren't making much money, yet they have very effective and efficient studios and can turn out albums, recordings, websites and photographs which are world class. In working with some of these people, I've learned that time can often do what money can.

Are there any pieces of equipment or instruments that you’d really like to incorporate in your act, if you could afford them?
Other than one day getting a real amp (laughs). In teaching junior high bands in the city of Cleveland for three years, I had to learn how to play all the instruments at least on an 8th grade level. If I ever have a truck and people to help set-up my instruments, I'd like to have a trombone, a bass, a saxophone. I can play drums and would like to add in a set, then figure out how to make it musical and not novelty, which is, in fact, always my goal. I am continually searching for ways to make the song sound as it should, so that if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know it was one guy up there.

I know that you perform spoken word monologues, but you’re also a one-man band as well. Do you accept that moniker and do you have a better one you use to describe your act?
I like that. I also like Modern "one man band." And I like to be thought of as a rock band.

How long have you been a musician?
I started Mellophone in the 4th grade, but was kept out of band in 5th because of my grades. In 6th grade, I came back, but switched to cornet because it had the same fingerings and was lighter (the mellophone was almost as big as me). I was the worst trumpet player in the junior high band, and then among the top of the worst in High School. Before 11th grade, a graduating senior named Tim Weaver took some interest in my abilities and we hung out over the summer and I learned so many new things. His attention and belief in me caused me to practice hours and hours all summer, and I came back to school as the 1st chair trumpet player, ahead of all those kids who had been high in the ranks for so long. Tim also introduced me to the music of Chet Baker and Miles Davis, which is the reason I became interested in Jazz. Then I studied Jazz and classical trumpet in college, and though I felt I had a serious connection to trumpet as a gift, something was missing. Occasionally I would sing a jazz tune much in the style of Chet Baker, and it was only those times, or the few trumpet solos I had where a band really "felt" what I was saying. Then I felt I was coming into my life's calling. I was actually going to move to New York after college and follow in the footsteps of so many trumpet players I admired, but I had a pit stop in Cleveland and I ended up really liking this town. About three years ago, I started writing poems and words and reciting them on jazz gigs. Then I started doing a beat poet kind of thing at any venue I could, with just a bass player or pianist, but they didn't like much going home with five or six dollars, so I decided I needed to take up an instrument to accompany myself. I've been playing the guitar and singing almost three years now. The first time I read a single sentence of mine in public was when there wasn't anything missing for me anymore. I had previously put so much emphasis on the trumpet, that I thought the trumpet was me. In writing words, playing guitar, singing, and painting, I realized that there was a core to myself, and any single thing I do is an extension of that. There is nothing missing because I know where to find myself; even if I lost the ability to play trumpet or sing, I would do something else like carve wood or sculpt because any creative form is my extension: it is the act of creation, not the medium that gives my soul a place to pour out.

And you have a CD out, correct?
I have a CD right now called Chain of Words. A beautiful collaboration with Infinite Number of Sounds in which they used my voice and words and added their own music underneath.

You’ve just recently returned from a three-month tour of the United States. How was it, in a three-month-adventure-summed-up-in-a-nutshell?
In a nutshell--I had to show up over and over in front of people who'd never heard of me. I had to do my best to both be myself and also to win people over as fast as I could, because they were on their way in or out of the door and they probably weren't there to see me. I also was fascinated by the way I was in new cultures every few days. If you are in one section of a city, you are in a subculture of that city, and you can travel to another section of the same city, to a different subculture or neighborhood, and while there will be some similarities, there are going to be significant differences; a change in humor, an ever so slight change sometimes in accent, a different way of being greeted or not greeted. That's just in one city! I witnessed this on a much larger level, and I had fun paying attention in order to learn how to act. One example is that west of the Mississippi, people aren't as hip to sarcasm as they are in the Midwest. In places like New Mexico and Texas, this could be from the fact that 100 years ago, a joke could find you dead..."Man, you're vest sucks!" Some places want you to talk yourself up and some don't and this can even vary within a region. Every couple of days I was in a new culture, even in just crossing a county, but sometimes in crossing a couple of states.

How far north, south, east and west did you travel?
The farthest north was probably Minneapolis, I'd have to check a map to see if it was that state or Madison, Wisconsin. And then Davies, Florida, near Miami, was the farthest south. The farthest east was Washington DC, and west was San Francisco and Los Angeles.

I take it you traveled by van or car, correct?
By car,...a Saturn. I took all the seats out of my car (except the driver's) and used a camping pad and sleeping bag to make a bed in the floor.

What city on your tour really impressed you, and for what reasons?
That's a hard question, because I didn't always see enough of a city to make an overall judgment; I could really only judge neighborhoods, mostly. However, I found Tucson to be very hip. They have a strip called 4th street that looks like it probably did 100 years ago, except it's paved and it's where the cool little shops and hang out joints are. As much as I used to be afraid of Detroit, I love that town. When you get into the neighborhoods and the people, I keep finding people I love. And they really want to go out and hear music and also buy whatever you have...t-shirts, etc. I have a little bit of word-of-mouth working for me up there, but still, I can't tell you how many times I've sold shirts and CDs before I even plugged my guitar in. And I've met people in other cities who were from Detroit and they were always very, very cool. Then, of course, there is Chicago. What can you say about Chicago? I guess when looking at the whole picture, that was my favorite. A lot of people who've lived there and here in Cleveland think that Cleveland is a small Chicago. And there is this one venue in Marion, Indiana called Beatniks, which is probably my favorite place to play, but I can't say much about the city, only the venue.

Were there any cities that seemed really hopeless; you know, the kind of town where Dracula might go to retire or where really cliched sitcom characters all go to die?
There are little towns all throughout the west which consist of a truck stop, a diner and a couple of dead buildings. A lot of people might find those places depressing, but I like them. I'm racking my brain for someplace that depressed me, but I can't think of anywhere. And I would have trouble saying so, because to talk about these places reflects on the people, and even in the saddest looking towns, I always found beautiful people mixed in.

Returning to Cleveland after seeing so much of the country — how does the city strike you now after being away for an extended period, and is it easier to see her weaknesses and strengths?
I know what I knew when I left; it was just reinforced, and I can prove it after seeing so much of the United States. Cleveland has just about everything you need. Cities are two things: what is there, and what people make of what is there. If you ignore the negative people, they'll tend to dry up and fall away anyhow; then you will meet so many people who are making something of this town. There is going to be an exchange of benefits and advantages when comparing different cities; and while you can find things wrong here that are right in other places, you can also find many things right here which are wrong in other cities. One thing I do want that I'm not sure will happen for me here is: a record contract from a company that is somewhat established, even independently, but one that knows what they are doing, and can help me make a living in my art. I don't know if that exists in Cleveland. If it does, I’ll find it. Maybe I’ve yet to bump into the right people.

Tell us one really great road story from your travels...
I played a venue in Tucson and there was nobody there during my sound-check, so the girl behind the bar called about 15 friends and they showed up. Or waking up in my car on Polk street in San Francisco, under my guitar at 6:15AM and seeing the parking ticket I received at 6:10AM, which I still haven’t paid. Or Waking up in the Denny’s parking lot outside Los Angeles at about 7:00AM just as a tow truck was pulling up to my car. He did some paper work and left. Then I saw the sign: “2 hrs. parking only.” Or hanging out with Hank Malone, the first poet to ever receive the National Endowment of the Arts grant, and also a longtime friend of Charles Bukowski as well as James Dickey. I got to spend 3 days with Hank at his home in Albuquerque.

Did anything scary or downright odd transpire during your travels?
Odd--In Tucson, I saw a guy walking a dog on whose back was a cat. On whose back were two mice. Scary--Sleeping in my car while four drunk guys were throwing McDonalds trash at it. Scary--playing in Madison with a 102 fever, nearly passing out while loading my car, and then finding out I had mononucleosis.

Were most of your gigs booked ahead of time by your immaculate organizational posse, or did you just pull into town and solicit an empty stage somewhere?
They were almost all booked ahead using the Musicians touring Atlas and internet searches. In Morro Bay, California, I showed up at a venue with the same name as the one I was supposed to be at in San Luis Obispo, California, so as I was leaving for the right venue I was given a show for the following night at the one I went to by mistake.

What kind of reception did you get from your audiences?
I always found good reception and it helped me to keep going. Even when there were only a few people, there was always someone listening to the words. In St. Louis I was being heckled, but by the end of the show, the lady bought my CD and said the performance was like a sermon to her.

Did you find that certain areas of the country seemed to enjoy your work more than other areas appreciated it? Did folks “get” what you were doing?
The farther out I got, the more I missed the Midwest.

Did you have the opportunity to open for any noteworthy acts while on tour, or perform any headline gigs yourself?
Transient Frank was probably the most well known band I opened for. They are constantly on tour. I got to headline some; in those places which really got hyped up before I got there.

I’m curious as to how many former Clevelanders you encountered “on the road” during your travels?
It’s hard to go back and count, but I’d guess 10. In San Luis Obispo, I met five people from Cleveland, and as we got to talking, one said he was from Parma, so I asked him if he knew a friend of mine and it turned out he did; he’d gone to high school with Brenda Stumpf, a Cleveland artist.

Most travelogue-based literature talks about the rhythm one gets into while traveling a long time on the road, almost like an ‘underground’ mindset or a different aesthetic one cultivates while being away from the 9 to 5 daily grind. Did you find your perspective or perception of time or daily duties or current events changing somehow, and has that Satori-esque experience changed you in any ways?
Yes, time was definitely warped. Coming back to Cleveland was like having been in space - and in the span of months, years had passed. I found that time went very quickly, but when it was over, it seemed longer than it had been. It was hard to define segments. I can’t believe it was only a few weeks ago that I was lying on a beach in Florida with my cowboy hat on, writing songs and chasing a crab.

Are you going to be heading out for the road again any time soon? Do you recommend such an adventure for others?
It will be awhile before I do anything that big again, but yes, I’ll be touring the Midwest between Minneapolis and Philadelphia. On the other hand, if I can find a manager and/or booking agent that can keep me on the road and makes sure I’m getting enough to maintain a car, I’ll drive forever.

When can Clevelanders check out a performance of yours?
Watch my website; I plan in February and March to play anywhere and everywhere I can in Cleveland to do a kind of “Environmentally Friendly” tour.

Any last words for the reading audience?
You asked if I recommend such adventures for others--I recommend doing what you daydream about to whatever level you can do it. Whatever you dream in your spare time is what you really long to do. See if there’s someway to incorporate it into your life, because in some form or fashion, it is your purpose. You don’t have to move into your car, but somehow, it should really be a significant part of your life.

You have a website, right? Is that how people can get a hold of your disc? Are any local stores carrying it?
Hopefully it’s in the stores; I wasn’t involved in the distribution process. But yes, it’s available right off my site at http://www.chainofwords.com, as well as at shows.

Interview by Daiv Whaley Daivw@yahoo.com

Photo from J Scott Franklin

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