Interview: Powell St. John to Release New Record in July

How did your relationship with Tompkins Square Records begin?

There is a story behind this. A couple of years ago I was invited to sit in with Roky and the Explosives at the Austin Music Awards during SXSW. It so happened that Josh Rosenthal was in the audience. Josh is the human face of Tompkins Square Records. He was impressed by my harmonica playing I guess because subsequently he contacted me and suggested that I do an album for his label. I, of course, agreed and we began to kick around ideas for what the recording should be. Once we had a concept and I had a stable and reliable group of musicians, Tompkins Square set us up with Wally Sound and the recording began. Now that the project is complete and soon to be released they are doing a great job of promoting it.

We see that The Aliens will be your backing band -- what triggered that and how long have you known the guys in the band? Are you going to be touring in support of On My Way To Houston?

A few years ago when I was looking to get a band together I chanced to meet a gentleman named Craig Luckin. Craig was Roky’s manager in the 1980’s when Roky was working with The Aliens. Craig suggested that I get in touch with Aliens electric autoharp player, Billy Miller and see if our association could produce a band. Bill and I met and decided that a collaboration would indeed be a good thing. Bill introduced me to Aliens guitar phenom Duane Aslaksen, one thing led to another and Powell St. John and The Aliens was born. All this happened around two years ago. Since then we have gigged around the Bay Area and worked on this upcoming CD. Things are looking good for us -- we are now a six piece ensemble and are looking forward to touring in support of the CD.

Powell St. John by Toby St. John

I came to Austin to attend UT. I believe there were 18,000 or so students then and Austin was a small town compared to what it is today. Being a small town there was a deeply conservative atmosphere. I found this atmosphere restrictive, and my fondest memories of those days are of the friends I made, people who also found the atmosphere restrictive.

Today things have changed a great deal. The town is a lot bigger and that is not a good thing in my opinion but in spite of that the relaxed, laid back atmosphere that my friends and I enjoyed in the old days seems to have spread over the entire the city. Maybe this offsets the blight of urban sprawl.

As for the tacos, I’d say they taste better than ever. Thanks to the influx of Hispanic residents there is a much greater choice than there was in the past.

Take us back to when you first met Janis Joplin and Roky Erickson -- any interesting anecdotes from the 60's you can share with us? Describe a day in the life of The Waller Creek Boys in, say, 1960 or 1961.

Here you take me into a misty and dimly remembered realm. Janis and I first met in 1962 when she moved to Austin. Lanny Wiggins and I worked as a duet we called The Waller Creek Boys until Janis arrived. At that point The Waller Creek Boys became a trio starring Janis Joplin. Yes, she was a star even then. She starred at gatherings in the back yard of an apartment building at twenty eight and a half Nueces, a place we called The Ghetto, she starred at the weekly folk sing at the UT Student Union, and within a year or so of her arrival in Austin was starring regularly at Threadgill’s Bar out on the old Dallas highway.

On a typical day at the Ghetto we might get up about ten AM, scrounge up some breakfast and move out into the yard. We were then off the street and we could play our music and drink our Grand Prize Beer in peace, sometimes all day. Come evening there would often be a party either at the Ghetto itself or at the pad of some other counter culture type. We would go and play music at the party and drink beer. The same thing we would have been doing if we hadn’t gone to the party.

Roky I first met around 1964 through a mutual friend, Tommy Hall. I vividly remember the first time I saw him perform. Tommy and his wife Clementine took me to the Jade Room to see him. Roky was 18 years old appearing with his band The Spades. That was the first time I heard “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and I was blown away. That was when Tommy informed me that Roky was going to be the lead singer in a band that Tommy was putting together. That band was The 13th Floor Elevators.

Some of your songs have been covered my quite a few legendary musicians -- at what age did you write your first song? What inspires your songwriting?

I began playing harmonica when I was 12 but I didn’t begin writing songs until around 1962. I was initially inspired by two songwriters, Austin’s own John Clay and Bob Dylan. I didn’t know whether or not I would be any good at songwriting but it was a cool thing to do so I made the attempt.

Your art was featured at the South Austin Museum Of Popular Culture this year -- do you still paint/sketch, and how often?

When I came to the University I entered the school of fine arts with the intention of becoming a painter. I emerged in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. After graduation I never put my degree to work and along about 1990 I decided that since I had this degree I should get busy and create some art. So, during the 90’s I produced an average of one drawing about every three weeks. I no longer do that but I do have plans to get back to it ASAP.

Lastly, who are some contemporary musicians you admire and would like to work with?

I like The Dixie Chicks; The Black Angels are darn good too. Does anyone need a chromatic harmonica on a recording? I stand ready to deliver.

Thank you speaking with Austinist.

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