Damon Johnson is one of the hardest working and hardest rocking men in the music business. In the 1990s, he injected a dose of retro rock n roll into the public conscious with Brother Cane. After their 1998 split, he went on to play with his 70s heroes, Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy. Over 30 years into his career and Johnson is still going strong with his latest studio album, Battle Lessons. We sat down with Damon to discuss his new band, The Get Ready, and how his past experiences brought him to where he is today.
Greetings Damon and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing this afternoon?
Damon Johnson: I’m doing great today. How are you doing?
I’m doing great too. It’s sunny and the weather’s nice. It’s gorgeous here in Chicago.
DJ: Man, I love me some Chicago.
You play here often, don’t you?
DJ: It’s just been a good part of the country for me, going all the way back to the beginning when Brother Cane started. There was just something about Chicago area radio stations and Chicago area rock fans. They really identified with our songs and the way we played and how we sounded. It’s been that way ever since for me. I’m grateful for that.
We’re grateful for you! I’d like to start by congratulating you on your new album, Battle Lessons.
DJ: Joe, I appreciate that buddy. I don’t recall ever loving a new record I have put out, either in a band or on my own, this much. That I was just over the top about every song on it. There’s not one song I don’t love. Obviously the band killed it. Obviously Nick Raskulinecz killed it in the production with all the gifts that he brings. I wrote most of these songs with my old friend Jim Troglen and we had a blast as well. Now that I can step back from it, I’ve said it before in other interviews, it feels like the record that 19 year old Damon Johnon was dreaming of making one day. It’s just steeped in all that influence that I had way back then when I was just consumed with rock n’ roll, obsessed with rock n’ roll. This record reflects that.
Appearing with you on this album is bassist Robbie Harrington and drummer Jarred Pope under the moniker The Get Ready. When did the three of you first get together and decide to make music?
DJ: I’ve known those guys for about 12 years now separately. What’s so funny is that we all met each other when we were all playing in contemporary country bands, if you can believe that.
No kidding!
DJ: Yeah, I was in a band called Whiskey Falls for two years, 2007 and 2008. That’s how I met Jarred. One of the guys from the band was from California and he knew Jarred. Jarred became our touring drummer. We did some festival dates and that’s when I met Robbie Harrington. He was playing bass for Dierks Bentley, who’s a big country star. But I just knew hanging out with them, these aren’t country guys. Neither was I. We’re rock n’ roll guys playing this country stuff, which was fun. It was awesome. I just made a note in my little book like, “Alright, I’m gonna make music with this Jarred Pope guy for sure.” Then it just turned out that a couple years ago Robbie’s schedule freed up and I didn’t hesitate to call him to come and play some shows. We did our first shows as a trio a little over two years ago. I can’t believe we’ve made a record this badass in that short amount of time. It’s pretty impressive.
Yeah it was a little over a year ago now, before the world entered this bizarre situation we’re in currently, that I saw you guys open for UFO and witnessed your energy firsthand.
DJ: Oh great Joe! Great! Did you see the show at the Genesee (Theatre)?
That was it! I reviewed that show.
DJ: Amazing! That was a special night on a lot of levels. Obviously UFO killed it. They sold every ticket in the place. It was packed. People got there early so it was a nice full house when we played. The thing I’ll never forget about that night is both of the main guys from our booking agency were there. Let me be honest. I’ve been trying to get higher on their radar for a long time. The further up you are on the radar, the more attention you get. One of the guys is actually from the Chicago area and the other one did all the booking in the UK. So he had seen me play when I did a Thin Lizzy show. Anyways, those guys were standing on the side of the stage at the Genesee. We played the Brother Cane hits. We played some stuff off my new record. I said, “Guys, pay attention. I want you to watch how we end the set.” So we did a little Thin Lizzy medley which you may remember ended with “The Boys Are Back in Town”. That’s such a great song. People were on their feet and clapping and singing along. I just know everybody in the building, those two booking agents included, thought that was the end of the show. Then I just went right into the first single off my last record. It went down gangbusters. I’ll never forget that for as long as I live. That was a very special night and I’m so thrilled that you were there.
It was definitely a thrilling evening. Was the purpose of this new album to capture that live spirit in the studio?
DJ: 100% yes. Playing those tour dates with UFO, and then the December before that we did some shows with my friends Clutch, who I love. It’s just a lot of badass rock n’ roll. Getting to talk to the fans and get a better sense of who they are and what they like. People would come back to the merch table and tell their stories. They’d tell me they had seen me play in different things. I don’t know man. I just feel like I took that energy straight into the songwriting. It reflects that. You’re very intuitive to pick up on that because there’s no question that had an impact.
The style of music you specialize in is rooted in 70s hard rock. Growing up in the 70s, who were the bands that shaped you as an aspiring musician?
DJ: It was the late 70s when I was in junior high school, so ‘77, ‘78, ‘79. It was a batch of bands that would just go on to have even bigger legendary careers. Everybody from Rush to KISS to Bad Company to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin. Van Halen changed everything in 1978 when that first record came out. I discovered Thin Lizzy shortly after that. AC/DC was huge. Powerage, followed by Highway to Hell: just an explosive moment for me as a young guitar player. I was a guitar player first and I stayed that way for much of those first developmental 5 or 6 years. I didn’t start singing until later. But I was obsessed with those bands. Then in the early 80s you had all that killer metal stuff like Priest, Maiden, those first two Ozzy records, Scorpions. I was into the Pat Travers Band. I could go on and on. There were so many great bands.
What encouraged you to start singing later?
DJ: I was in so many bands between 1979 and 1988. Throughout all those bands, I would sing background vocals in all the bands. Then I would sing one or two cover tunes in the bars because you’ve gotta take up the whole night. You’re playing two or three sets. So to give the singer a break, I would always sing something. But I never had any desire to be “the guy”. I wanted to find a singer to be my partner and we would go into the future and become Joe Perry and Steven Tyler or Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. That’s what I wanted right up until the band that would become Brother Cane got a development deal. We just couldn’t find a singer that was really working. That A&R guy that signed us, he heard me sing some cover tunes in a bar one night and that changed everything. And even then I resisted it. I didn’t want to do it. He was like, “You need to sing these new songs in the studio. Let’s see what you sound like.” I was like, “No way man. I don’t wanna do that!” “Well, we’re out of time. You are out of time. I’m out of money. I can’t get anymore money from the label to make you more demos. It’s now or never. That’s it.” So I said okay. I went in the next day. Later that night I met with the guys in my band and they said, “Yeah man, you sound great. Let’s do it.” And that was it.
When Brother Cane came onto the scene in the early 90s, it wasn’t fashionable to be playing retro hard rock. However, the band achieved considerable commercial and critical success. What was it like to coexist with the alternative rock and grunge scenes of the time?
DJ: It was exciting to be a touring band at that time. It was really cool to be on the radio, surrounded by those bands. The thing that was frustrating is that we got tons of mainstream rock radio, active rock radio, and classic rock radio airplay. But we did not get any alternative stations. In the 80s, “alternative” was more like new wave bands, who I dug as well. But in the 90s, as you know, “alternative” was all the fucking rock bands. Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and on and on and on. Well all those guys in those bands were the same age as us. They had the same influences that we did. I guess because we were definitely a little more rooted in our influences from the south. You didn’t hear any Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers influence in Pearl Jam or Soundgarden. Not really. I think that kind of pigeonholed us a little bit. It just limited us from being able to broaden. We had friends in Candlebox and friends in Collective Soul. They were killing it because they were on the same stations as us, but then they had this whole other network of stations that were playing their records as well. That’s where the kids were. And that’s the whole explanation in a nutshell as to why Brother Cane just couldn’t sustain a career. We just didn’t have any young, active ticket buying listeners.
Yeah in those days it was all kids who were buying up alternative music.
DJ: Yeah and it was great music. It was all a science project how it was marketed. Our record company was cool. They did the best they could, but it was frustrating for them. It was frustrating for us. I remember there was a giant influential alternative station in Atlanta, 99X. I spoke to the program director at the station and she was awesome. She said, “Damon, I love your record so much.” This was the second record (Seeds). She said, “I love your record so much. The bad news is I don’t have any room for it on my playlist and you really belong to my competitor across town that is the classic rock station.” It turned out to be that same challenge in every other major city in the country: Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York. But hey, we had a great run. I’m proud to be able to say I had three #1 songs on mainstream rock radio in the 90s. I’m proud of that, proud of the band. There’s no question that that experience opened all the doors that came the following 20 years after that.
Has there ever been talks of doing a new Brother Cane album or are you satisfied having Wishpool as the band’s swan song?
DJ: I think maybe I am proud to let Wishpool be the band’s swan song. That was a good group of guys. I love those guys and we keep in touch. We’re all friends to this day, but it was a different moment in time. Everyone was in such different places in their individual lives, much less the fact that we all lived in Birmingham together. We could hang out, we could write, we could rehearse. It’s not that way anymore. Everybody’s spread out and got other commitments, kids, just different lives. We still have music in common, but the geography and the schedules would just be really challenging. I’ll never say never. I’d play music with those guys anytime right now, but to make a record and put it out and market it and tour behind it. I don’t know. That might be tough.
You talk about the opportunities that Brother Cain opened for you. Not long after the band broke up, you went on to join Alice Cooper’s band. When did you first meet Alice?
DJ: I met Alice Cooper toward the end of 2004. My old friend from Birmingham, Eric Dover, had been playing guitar in Alice’s band for 4 years at that point. He was getting ready to move on and do some other things. Alice Cooper did not know who Damon Johnson was. Quite frankly, I don’t think anybody else in the Alice Cooper band at that time had any idea who I was. All praise to Eric Dover for mentioning my name. Thank goodness Alice’s manager cared enough of Eric’s opinion to call me and say, “Hey, I got your information from Eric. We’re gonna have auditions on this date. If you could make it out, will you give it a shot?” So I flew out there. There were 7 or 8 other guys auditioning. Alice was not at the audition. He was filming a television commercial, so they were videotaping the auditions. I did the audition and immediately got back on a plane the next morning and flew back to Birmingham. A couple days later the phone rang and it was Alice Cooper. That was the first conversation we ever had. Then the first time I met him was when we started doing rehearsals about 2 weeks after that.
So you just dove straight in.
DJ: Straight in because Eric left midtour. They had about 6 weeks of tour dates. It was amazing because all those shows were in the US. We started in New Jersey and kind of made our way across the country. It was just mind blowing stuff man. Mind blowing. For all the things that I had done in Brother Cane, I never did anything like Alice Cooper, not by a stretch. It was a thrill. Alice treated me like an equal from the first rehearsal. He said, “Damon, I want you out front. I want you shoving that guitar neck in peoples faces. I want you to be as big of a rockstar as you want to be and as good as you can be.” And I said, “Yes sir! I will deliver!”
Of course Alice is known for his large theatrical productions. During your time on the road with him, were there ever any mishaps?
DJ: There were times the guillotine wouldn’t work and there were times that he’d have some confetti cannons. Sometimes those would be placed in an inopportune spot. Little things like that, but there’s one great story I’ve gotta tell you about my very first show. We had three days of rehearsals. The band had gone into meticulous detail to make sure I understood at this point in the set, don’t stand here because Alice is gonna be in the straightjacket. And then at this point in the set, don’t stand there because the guillotine’s gonna roll out. All these little cues, which was cool. I’m all excited because I had never done anything like this. It’s amazing. I got it. I made all my notes and everything was great.
Well we do the very first show in New Jersey. I forget the city. We play one of his classic songs from the early days, “Is It My Body”. I walk up to the front of the stage and I’m playing that nasty riff. There’s like 6 spotlights on me. I’m all alone out front. I’m feeling like a god. And then I feel Alice come up from behind me out of the shadows. I know he’s gonna come stand next to me and sing that opening line. It’s just me and him. Well dude, he’s got that fucking boa constrictor around his neck! No one had said one word to me ever about a snake. Ever! I knew Alice had had snakes in the show before, but there wasn’t a snake at rehearsal and it had never occurred to me that there might be a snake in the show *laughs*. Brother, I was shitting myself. I couldn’t just stop. I couldn’t just run off to the side of the stage. I’m the only guy playing any music for him to sing to. I’ll never forget when the band finally kicked in and I could move away. I went over to my guitar tech and I just went off like, “What the fuck?!” Of course he’s laughing and everybody’s laughing.
So you just had to grin and bear it. It was now or never!
DJ: Yeah that was a test of my fortitude. I’m cool with snakes as long as I know there’s one coming. Like, “Hey Damon, do you want to see a snake?” Yes! I do! But you can’t spring that shit on me man. I can’t take that *laughs*.
In recent years, you’ve played alongside Scott Gorham in Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders. What are some of your favorite Thin Lizzy songs to play live?
DJ: I love playing “Emerald”. I love playing “Black Rose”. It’s an honor to play “Black Rose”. That was one of Gary Moore’s greatest guitar moments in his short time with the band. I never get tired of playing “The Boys Are Back in Town”. It’s just one of the greatest classic rock songs of all time. I love the deep cuts. A couple years ago when we did a few festival dates, we added a song off of the Black Rose album, “Got to Give It Up”. One of my favorites. “Bad Reputation”, amazing. I could go on and on. I love those Thin Lizzy songs and I love them to this day. I think there’s no doubt that joining Lizzy and then later getting the experience of writing and recording with Scott in Black Star Riders, that definitely played a big role in the music I’m making now. I’m a veteran. I’ve been around a long time. I’m not gonna be competing on pop radio with a bunch of pop acts. It’s not how it works anymore. So why don’t I just make the exact kind of music I want to make and not give a shit what anyone else thinks about it? Scott Gorham played a major role in me getting to that point. I’ll always be extra indebted to him for that. He was my hero when I was a kid. He’s my hero now that we’re great friends and touring friends. It’s a special relationship I have with Scott.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the last bunch of shows you did as Thin Lizzy in 2016 for 40 years of Jailbreak?
DJ: Actually in 2019 we did four festival dates in Europe. The celebration there was 40 years of the Black Rose album. Two of those shows we played the album in its entirety, in addition to the other songs. It’s hard to believe that’s already been two years ago. I talked to Scott recently and there’s a little chatter about maybe doing some stuff at the end of 2021. It’s perfect for me to still continue to be a part of Thin Lizzy because Scott doesn’t want to do those long tours anymore. There’s never gonna be 70, 80, 90 shows on the calendar and that’s perfect for me because I want to keep making my own records. I want to keep building my name and my reputation out there with The Get Ready. I’d like to be touring and working much more in North America than I was able to in my time with Black Star Riders. That’s a goal and I can see it starting to happen.
I love the title of the new album, Battle Lessons. After all your years on the road and in the industry, what are some of the biggest “Battle Lessons” you’ve learned?
DJ: Well I’ve learned a lot of lessons. I’ve learned that you can never let up on your work ethic, your commitment to just working hard. It never gets easy in this business. And there are people that have massive careers, far greater than I’ll ever dream of achieving, that have still continued to work hard. I think of Paul McCartney. I think of Sting. I think of Steven Tyler. Those guys just work and work. If you’re doing what you love, you know this, it’s not work. I just feel like, now more than ever, if I can continue to write songs, stay focused, stay productive, that these other opportunities are just gonna come to us as far as festivals and some supporting tours and things of that nature. It’s already kind of happening. My manager and my agent see how hard I’m working. They heard this new record. They were blown away. They couldn’t believe it. They were like, “How could you make a record this great this far into your career?” Well, I don’t know, but it’s happening and I’m not gonna let up. I wanna keep doing it.
I’ve learned that bands are a challenge, especially as we get older. I loved being in Black Star Riders so much. Everything about it was amazing. You cannot deny that it’s a challenge to get a bunch of guys in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s in Scott’s case, to agree on things like the schedule, the song list, who’s gonna produce the record, who’s gonna shoot the next photo. Every decision was just a conference call or an email chain. It would just get exhausting. I’m not gonna kid you. It’s definitely awesome to be the guy, to be the boss. Jarred and Robbie know they can count on me. I’m never gonna steer them wrong. They’re gonna get all the information they need. But they don’t have to worry about making those decisions about artwork and the running order and the setlist and the guestlist. I got all that. I’ll take care of that. I guess after all of those “Battle Lessons” that I have learned over my career, I just think it’s almost kind of funny that I’m right back to sort of doing everything the way I did in the early days when I was a teenager. Putting bands together, making bands out of nothing, teaching a guy to play the bass just so I could have a bass player because no one else could play the bass *laughs*. I feel that same commitment. Whatever it takes, I’m gonna make it happen. I’ll figure it out. The new record is just like holy shit. Look at what we did. Look what we achieved with that mindset, with that commitment to creating and working.
I imagine the plan from here is to keep striking while the iron is hot with The Get Ready.
DJ: 100%. There’s been some really good news the last few days about the pandemic. Some of the restrictions are loosening up. Even the CDC is starting to see the productivity of the vaccines. It’s gonna make promoters more confident. It’s gonna make venue owners more confident. Most importantly, it’s gonna make the fans more confident to be able to go out and see some live shows safely and to stay healthy. That’s amazing. That’s what we’ve all been waiting for. All of us.
It’s been a long year.
DJ: No doubt the longest year of our lives. There’s a part of me that, I won’t deny…the record came out a couple weeks ago and without being able to tour, it feels a little incomplete as far as the energy that I typically feel when I’ve put out a new record. Every other record I’ve made in my whole career, you put it out and boom. You’re playing shows. You’re taking these new songs to the people on a stage. Lights, sound, experimenting with the setlist. Hey tonight, let’s open with this song or let’s close with that song. It’s gonna be a thrill to add these 9 songs from the Battle Lessons album to what is already a pretty solid song list of material to choose from that we have. All that Brother Cane stuff, my other solo material. Now you got Battle Lessons. It’s gonna be badass. I just can’t wait to get back out there and start playing shows with the guys.
For more information on Damon Johnson, visit www.damonjohnson.com.