Roanoke - After several stints playing in notable acts within Boston's power-pop scene, John Paul Powell returned to his home in Roanoke and formed My Radio along with Hunter Johnson (drums), Brett Lemon (guitar), and Jeff Hofmann (bass).  This project could potentially be considered his most successful musical endeavor to date, and their single "Yeah Yeah Yeah" is currently featured in The Joneses, a film starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore.  My guess is you will be hearing more of My Radio's infectious melodies seeping into your subconscious through more media in the future, but in the mean time, J.P. talks about what My Radio has in store for us at the moment.      

33: Could you give us a brief rundown of how you guys got together?  What brought you to Roanoke?  Why did you pick Roanoke as a home base?
John Paul Powell: I moved back to the Roanoke Valley (I grew up here) after Chauncey broke up.  Wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I needed a change of scenery.  I met Hunter Johnson at Mill Mountain Coffee in Salem (several years ago) when I was home from Boston visiting my family.  We would talk casually about music, and that was about it.  When I actually moved back to Roanoke I met him again, and it clicked.  I thought to myself that this was the guy that I wanted to play music with.  He was cool, down to earth, and he hit the shit out of the drums.  Hunter knew Brett and Jeff from other bands, and the rest is history as they say. 

33: How did you all become involved with The Joneses?  How was your experience on the red carpet?
JPP: My Radio started with a simple, two-part philosophy.  The first thing is great songwriting and production.  My Radio writes and records songs that sound like they should be on the radio.  Hell, our band name even alludes to that.  We hold ourselves to a high standard, and we have no problem reworking or even ditching a song that isn't working.  The music has to turn us on first and foremost.  If we're not excited then what's the point? 

The second thing is good business sense.  Our business goal as a band was to land a placement company.  We didn't want a record deal, publishing deal, entertainment lawyer, etc., etc., etc.  Also, we didn't want to crawl into a van and tour 25 days out the month.  Been there, done that.  We wanted a placement company who would work our music to film, TV and advertising.  Why?  Because they pay you real dollars to market your music to a wide audience.  It is a very beautiful thing.  Ocean Park Music Group pitches our music continuously, and their first score for My Radio was a featured placement in The Joneses.  I had the opportunity to meet the director/writer for the film, and I was able to ask him why he chose our song for the film.  He said that he probably auditioned 500 songs for that scene, and when he heard "Yeah Yeah Yeah," he knew it was perfect for the film.  I joked with him that if I had known that we would have been tougher during negotiations.  Being part of the film has been great for us, and we've really enjoyed the experience.

33: Do you have any musical influences that might surprise our readers?  What are some of your favorite songs to cover live?
JPP: We love Tom Petty, ELO, the Beatles, the Killers, U2 and the Stones.  I would say Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Kings of Leon, Blur, Oasis and Nada Surf are in the mix as well.  As far as surprises I would have to say that old country is in our blood, and most listeners probably won't hear those influences in My Radio.  George Jones and Hank Williams are two right off the top of my head.  I love the storytelling aspect of country music and also the guitar playing.  In addition, I love soul music and Otis Redding in particular.  He might be the greatest rock and roll singer of all time.  My Radio only has one cover, and it is "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones.

33: Tell our readers a bit about your business venture in Roanoke.
JPP: Are you talking about the restaurant?  It's called Lucky, and we'll be open in late June.  Think great dive bar with great food.  No frills fine dining.  No TVs, no Red Bull, and no Jagermeister.  We have an old 1971 AMI jukebox that plays 45s.  Basically, we are opening a place that we would want to hang out in. 

33: How would you characterize your experience with the local music scene(s) in Virginia as opposed to your experiences playing in Boston?
JPP: Well, Boston is more concentrated.  It's a great music scene with loads of great musicians.  From my experience in the late 90s and early 2000s, Boston probably had the best power-pop scene around.  I played with three great bands there (My Favorite Relative, Bleu and Chauncey), and I loved the venues and local support for music. 

I would say Virginia's music scene is more diverse and less focused, and I mean that as a compliment.  There is a wide spectrum of music available in Virginia and equal amounts of support for all of it.  You don't have to look any further than Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke.  We play there, country artists play there, bluegrass musicians from Floyd and Galax play there, rock bands from D.C. play there, etc.  Virginians love music, and they truly support it.  There's a great music festival this summer called FloydFest.  My Radio is kicking it off on July 22, and it is probably the best music festival I've ever attended.  The music is great (and diverse), and the area is beautiful.  The last thing I'll say about Roanoke (as compared to Boston) is that it is easy to live here.  You have room to breathe and focus on your music as opposed to continuously focusing on survival.  I love Boston and New York City, but man does your wallet take a beating. 

33: Could you describe your songwriting process?  Is it more of an individual or collaborative process?
JPP: As the singer, I write the melody and lyrics so I guess that makes me the songwriter.  Having said that, the My Radio sound is a truly collaborative process.  The band arranges and works out the music, and that's what makes My Radio sound like My Radio.  With respect to the songwriting, I always try to start with a specific idea and then build from there.  The worst thing a writer can do is to write about some vague, fluffy or generalized idea.  That's how you end up with trite crap.  Rather than writing a song about "love," why not write a song about very specific things that work together to explain one side of love.  A great example would be George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today."  In my opinion, that's great writing.  Another good example is PJ Harvey's "You Said Something."  Every time I hear that song I want to know what the "something" is that is said.  It almost pisses me off.  The other important thing is melody.  A friend of mine (Bleu) once told me that if you take your vocal melody and play it on a piano and it doesn't excite you, then it isn't a good melody.  That is 100% true. 

33: How was your experience recording Give Us the Sun?  How has your approach to songwriting and recording evolved over the years, given your time spent in previous bands?  How does My Radio differ from those bands?
JPP: We love to record, and we love being in the studio.  We had great producers involved on this record (Micah Wilshire, Ted Comerford, John Plymale and Mitch Easter), and we worked in about five different studios.  Micah is the most involved as he mixed the entire record.  Memories from the sessions?  Lots of beer, ping-pong and late night food, and sometimes all three at once.  We had a blast.  If you don't know how to have a good time making a record then you've missed the point.  It's all about the experience, and hopefully you escape with a good record. 

The biggest difference between now and then is that I'm relaxed and having fun.  For some reason there was always pressure and worry, and the overarching attempt to create the perfect record.  That can kill a band in its tracks (pun intended).  With My Radio we simply try to have a good time while getting to some serious work.  We are also very disciplined listeners, and we are all focused on the same thing.  Learning how to evaluate your own music is a skill, and I think we're quite good at it now.  We know when a song sounds good and when it doesn't.  The other thing that is important is to check your ego at the door.  There's no place for it throughout the creative process.  If a song sucks, it sucks, and too bad if you are the one who wrote it.  I have written plenty of shitty songs and, oh well, deal with it.  There are worse things in life to fear than criticism. 

33: Having been an independent musician for many years now, what lessons have you learned with regards to the industry, or even with regards to being on the road?  Did you have to learn any of these lessons the hard way?
JPP: I learned everything the hard way.  I've made every mistake in the book and sometimes twice.  If I could go back in time I would kick my own ass.  Probably the biggest thing is to not take yourself too seriously.  I think Radiohead said it best in "Anyone Can Play Guitar."  Get over yourself, because you are not that important.  There's a lot of shit in life that is way more important than your pop song.  Being a rock star is no excuse for being a bad person.  Play with people and associate with people that you would want to have in your life.  I only play or work with people that I like and respect, and that includes the business side as well.  Life is too short to have to put up with assholes, and that is especially true if you have to ride around in a 15-passenger van with one. 

The other thing is to ask yourself one question, and that is "Do I love music?"  And not just love, but need.  That is the only reason to do it.  If you truly love music then you'll stick with it even after it trounces on your heart (and wallet) for the fifth time.  Don't be afraid to fail, because you will.  Don't be afraid to get a real job, because you'll need one.  Don't expect music to always love you back, because it won't.  But if you truly love music, then it will truly enrich your life.  

33: Any plans for a summer tour?  New record?  Hopes for the future of My Radio?
JPP: We have a short tour coming up at the end of May, and we are playing some great festivals this summer: FloydFest (July 22 in Floyd), Celebrate Fairfax (June 12), and Stepping Out (August 6 in Blacksburg).  We are also currently working on our new record, which will be released some time this fall.

Check out My Radio's official website for tracks, and listen for "Yeah Yeah Yeah" on the trailer for The Joneses.

By Editor-In-Chief and Correspondent: Andrew Lutwin

Andrew is originally from Boston, but has spent equal time in Richmond and considers both home.  He graduated VCU with a B.A. in English and looks forward to seeing if his degree will be worth a damn.  While attending Northeastern University, Andrew began covering music for the Zig-Zag Live website and tour campaign, which won him the undying affection of Bostonians because of his access to free rolling papers.  He is fortunate enough to have parents with great taste in music and owes much of his musical sensibilities to them.  Some of his favorites include the Beatles, the Clash, My Morning Jacket, Mastodon, Mission of Burma, all 70s R&B, and anything that can be considered "outlaw."  Other hobbies include food, guitar, whiskey, hiking, Boston sports, and maintaining his beginner-level fish tank.

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