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Interview w/ Jared Weeks of Saving Abel
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There’s a place near St. Louis and just over the Illinois border called Pop’s that is a complex that houses a strip club, horse track and concert venue all in one- quite the interesting concept. So, for Jared Weeks, singer of the Mississippi based band Saving Abel, it is amazing that he’d even want to sit down for an interview with all those distractions staring him right in the face. But during the interview, Jared maintained his professionalism and jovial behavior before his show at the venue.
Saving Abel has been out on the road for almost three years now, and has seen the band grow from bar band to a band with several hit rock singles (“Addicted”, “18 Days”, etc.) and now has a gold record to boot. During my interview with Jared, we discussed the long almost three year trek on the road and the ways they can provide to fans during this rough economy. Here’s my interview with Jared:
AM: After a long time on the road, are you guys looking to getting off the road?
JW: Well, we’ve been on the road for a good two and a half, almost three years now and I’d be lying if I didn’t say we could use a day off here and there. But it’s been great because we are seeing great crowds, crowds showing up during the week and it makes it worth it. To see how far its come in those few years is great, its getting us somewhere. But when we get home, we know that we can’t get too comfortable because we’ll be doing something else again. We’re off the road on December 8th and we’re gonna go in and start recording the next record.
AM: How is the second record coming along?
JW: Well, we’ll head up to Nashville after this tour ends and probably go in and write and record 4 or 5 new songs. We already have 11-12 songs already written and we just got to weed out and find the best songs. On this tour right now, we’ve been road testing a few of the new songs and the response to them has been excellent. We’ve got a song “Tap Out”, that we’re hoping the UFC or somebody like that picks up on.
AM: What do you think will be the differences with the new record versus the first record?
JW: The first record was a very personal record, very versatile. I think with the new record, we are going to show more of our southern rock edge to it and focus in on the heavier songs. The new songs are more edgier, almost punkier sounding tunes.
AM: What were your early expectations for the band and the debut album?
JW: Honestly man, I just wanted people to listen. When I was younger, I always just dreamed of living that rock and roll life and wanted to do anything to make it happen. What we’ve done has opened up doors for us and made that dream a possibility. It’s made all those sleepless nights, all those drunk night and hangover mornings worth it! (laughs). I look at those fans and say to myself, “I used to be that guys 5-6 years ago” and now I am getting to do this for a living.
AM: In an era where bands don’t sell many records, how exciting was it to have a gold record?
JW: I remember we were in New Jersey when it happened, and it was a pretty emotional moment- so much so that I had a little waterworks going on. Those type of moments seal the deal and see that we’re doing good and what we decided to do was the right thing. I actually gave the gold record to my mom, who hung it up in her house. When I get off the road, I’ll actually get a chance to look at it and take it all in.
AM: With the economy going, what have you been seeing out there with fans and their habits?
JW: Sometimes, some fans come up to me and tell me that they just had enough money to buy a ticket and cant buy a shirt. Hell, in some of these cases- they don’t have enough money to buy a beer or something. Sometimes, we’ll start talking and take them over to the merch booth and sign the shirt and just say “here you go” and give it to them. I remember what it was like to wake up at 4am and work the same job day in and day out. That’s why I love this job, you can give back. It’s like my grandfather used to say, “if you find what you love, it really doesn’t seem like work”.
Saving Abel headlines the “Class of 2009 Tour” at St. Andrew’s Hall on Saturday, November 14th. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.livenation.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.savingabel.com.
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