Interview With…

JD Dickerson of LENNY

By Jenny Stracener

Sometimes bands is automatically judged based off of their reviews- if the Nashville based group LENNY falls into this situation, they are in a pretty good position.  Simply reading what folks from bands, radio stations and even major labels have to say about the tunes coming from these guys makes one take notice.  To back up the words of the industry folk, all one has to do is listen to the songs and see what the guys have to say for themselves.

LENNY singer, JD Dickerson, recently fielded some questions about the band, their influences, their music and what they foresee in the Music City and beyond.

-What brought you guys together as a band? How long have you been together?

The band was conceived about 5 years ago. Originally it was me and another guitarist, who were coming out of another band together. It was just the two of us writing for about a year. After that Jason [Gilmore] and our first drummer came along and we started playing some shows. We split with the other guitarist about two years ago and that's when we really found our identity.

-Who are some of your influences, collectively or separately?

Personally, some of my bigger influences are Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, U2, stuff like that. But I listen to such a huge spectrum of music - everything from harder stuff like Every Time I Die, to classical, to older country like Waylon Jennings, to rap, and everything in between. I'm also really influenced by films and books, and I feel like that volume of influences makes our music what it is.

-Give us some insight about the ep you guys released.

Our EP "We Are Criminals" came out last March. It was a collection of songs that we had recorded over the previous 2 years or so. Some of the songs I wrote when I was fourteen, others I wrote and recorded right before the manufacturing deadline. So it was really an amalgamation of sorts. I feel like it was a great prologue for our band, sort of a summary of our first 4 years. But more than anything, it was a set-up for what's to come. I've grown a lot as a writer since that EP, and our new stuff is miles beyond it, while still maintaining a lot of the same essence and personality. Putting the EP out was a great experience. I started my own label, The Momentum Label, which we released it on. I'll never forget getting up on that Tuesday morning and driving down to FYE on West End and buying my band's CD with my little label's logo on the back. It was an incredible learning experience, and a lot of fun.

-How did you get involved with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount?

It was really wild how that came together. A friend put us in touch with a drummer down in Atlanta who we talked to briefly about joining the band. It didn't click with him, but during one of our conversations, he mentioned that he had worked with Zack and Kenneth a bit, and said he thought we would be a good fit for them. So I got in touch with them, they listened to our music and dug it, and we set something up pretty quickly. They said they wanted to work with us, and we were down there recording in about 3 weeks. It was an amazing experience. They've made some great albums with bands like Cartel and The Fold. The studio they work out of down in Atlanta, Tree Sound Studios, is a world class place. Everyone from Outkast to Usher to Elton John has recorded there. We spent a week there working with them, and it really took us to the next level. Zack and Kenneth are some of the greatest guys I've ever had the pleasure of being around, and they are amazing at what they do. What they brought to our music was incredible, and we're really excited to unveil the songs we did with them soon.

-What is your take on the Nashville music scene? Are there any particular artists that you have heard or seen live that you are really excited about?

Nashville is kind of a blessing and a curse all in one. There's obviously so much history in this town, and it's inspiring and an honor to live and create here. But at the same time there's a real tendency for jaded attitudes and apathy. It can be tough for a new band to break through here. It took us a while establish ourselves here, but the work it took really molded us into what we are. There's also a real saturation of bands in Nashville. It's hard to get people to care sometimes, because they usually have their own band that they think is 10 times better than yours. At the end of the day you just have to take everything with a grain of salt, and realize that this city is a great and fertile training ground.

In terms of artists from here that I'm excited about, I have a friend named Mark DiCicco who is incredibly talented. I really think he writes some of the best pop songs in this town. He's one of those guys where you listen to his stuff and say "Man, I wish I had written that!" In terms of bands who have already made it out of Nashville that I'm proud to see carrying this city's banner, I've really become a Kings of Leon fan. I was a late comer, but I think their latest album is brilliant. I feel like it's the perfect marriage of early U2 and southern grit.

-What would you say is the toughest part of being in a newer band?

I think the toughest thing is dealing with the ups and downs of the industry. I was lucky enough to grow up in the music business, so I head a head start in learning about the grim reality of how difficult, long, and disheartening the process can be. For some artists, success comes rapidly, but they are most definitely the exception to the rule. For any new band, determination, patience, and tenacity are key. The industry is a real roller coaster, and having been on that ride for a couple years now, I'm finally getting to the point of being able to take it all in stride.

-What does the future hold for LENNY? More recording? Shows?

We will definitely be touring soon. We are going out for about 3 weeks in August with our friends in The Laysan Rail, who released a CD on my label earlier this year. We'll also be recording some along the way. Right now a lot of our time and energy is in the business side of things. We're finally to the point where we feel like we have a great, solid team behind us, and we're going to be adding to it even more in the near future. We're really excited about what's next, and ready to maximize our potential.

More info on the band can be found on their myspace (www.myspace.com/lenny), including a sampler of the songs they most recently recorded with Zach Odom  & Ken Mount .