Outverge: What was the first song you ever wrote, and what inspired it?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I've always enjoyed writing my own material whether on the piano or the guitar than playing pieces that other people had written. I wrote my first song on the guitar when I was 16, a song I then called "Do You Remember Getting High?" Not exactly material for the Gershwin Prize. You know, Jackson Browne wrote "These Days" when he was 16 and I wrote a song about teenagers reminiscing about a time when they got high. I'll let you decide who had more talent at that age!
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I've always enjoyed writing my own material whether on the piano or the guitar than playing pieces that other people had written. I wrote my first song on the guitar when I was 16, a song I then called "Do You Remember Getting High?" Not exactly material for the Gershwin Prize. You know, Jackson Browne wrote "These Days" when he was 16 and I wrote a song about teenagers reminiscing about a time when they got high. I'll let you decide who had more talent at that age!
Outverge: Have your influences changed over the years?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: As I've gotten a bit older with time, I have come to appreciate much more the artists who became the roots of rock & roll. The foundation of rock & roll. Artists such as Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf through to Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley. Nowadays you kind of have to find them on your own, it's not like these legends are showing up on Top Hits radio. But not only are they important to musical history, they are incredible songs and pieces of art. Bob Dylan & Nick Drake are two artists that have also become incredibly important to me over the years. People have been trying for decades to write lyrics as good as those in "Place To Be" or "Desolation Row" and failing miserably. Myself included.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: As I've gotten a bit older with time, I have come to appreciate much more the artists who became the roots of rock & roll. The foundation of rock & roll. Artists such as Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf through to Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley. Nowadays you kind of have to find them on your own, it's not like these legends are showing up on Top Hits radio. But not only are they important to musical history, they are incredible songs and pieces of art. Bob Dylan & Nick Drake are two artists that have also become incredibly important to me over the years. People have been trying for decades to write lyrics as good as those in "Place To Be" or "Desolation Row" and failing miserably. Myself included.
Outverge: What challenges did you face early in your career, and how did you overcome them?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Every new artist, musical or otherwise, faces the challenge of being heard. Everyone wants to be heard, rightfully so. How do you turn people on to your craft, in this case, the music. It's always a challenge for me, no matter what stage of my career. We're not big social media people here at The Jimmy Dixon Group. That's just not who we are, fortunately or unfortunately. We have a website where people can see what we are up to or get in contact with us and we promise if you send an email, you get a personal response. But we don't have a Facebook page or Instagram or whatever the newest ones happen to be. Probably not the best promotional strategy for the 2020s but I found it's better to be genuine and true to oneself than try to be something you are not.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Every new artist, musical or otherwise, faces the challenge of being heard. Everyone wants to be heard, rightfully so. How do you turn people on to your craft, in this case, the music. It's always a challenge for me, no matter what stage of my career. We're not big social media people here at The Jimmy Dixon Group. That's just not who we are, fortunately or unfortunately. We have a website where people can see what we are up to or get in contact with us and we promise if you send an email, you get a personal response. But we don't have a Facebook page or Instagram or whatever the newest ones happen to be. Probably not the best promotional strategy for the 2020s but I found it's better to be genuine and true to oneself than try to be something you are not.
Outverge: Who was your first major musical mentor, and what did you learn from them?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: My first major musical mentor was the old record player in my parent's basement. I used to put on whatever records they had down there, The Beatles, The Monkees, Jim Croce, that kind of stuff and just listen to what the artists were playing and what they were trying to say. I was never talented enough to be able to hear a song and then play it immediately on the guitar - I'm incredibly jealous of people who have that talent - but I would have my old Takamine guitar and try to play what I was hearing, and instead, find myself playing something original and I would go and make up my own song. It's always been easier for me to play something original than something someone had written.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: My first major musical mentor was the old record player in my parent's basement. I used to put on whatever records they had down there, The Beatles, The Monkees, Jim Croce, that kind of stuff and just listen to what the artists were playing and what they were trying to say. I was never talented enough to be able to hear a song and then play it immediately on the guitar - I'm incredibly jealous of people who have that talent - but I would have my old Takamine guitar and try to play what I was hearing, and instead, find myself playing something original and I would go and make up my own song. It's always been easier for me to play something original than something someone had written.
Outverge: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: When I'm not writing or recording music, I like to be outside in nature. Whether that's in my own yard or garden or in a national park, just get outside. As Mudcrutch wrote, "it's a beautiful world."
The Jimmy Dixon Group: When I'm not writing or recording music, I like to be outside in nature. Whether that's in my own yard or garden or in a national park, just get outside. As Mudcrutch wrote, "it's a beautiful world."
Outverge: How do you balance your personal life with your music career?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I'm not entirely sure there is a distinction between my personal life and music career anymore. Maybe that's just a function of being a part of the modern world. Everything is blurred together. One's personal life becomes inspiration for songwriting and songwriting becomes ingrained in one's personal life. I'm sure that's similar to many people these days when it comes to their profession or passion. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not sure which one.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I'm not entirely sure there is a distinction between my personal life and music career anymore. Maybe that's just a function of being a part of the modern world. Everything is blurred together. One's personal life becomes inspiration for songwriting and songwriting becomes ingrained in one's personal life. I'm sure that's similar to many people these days when it comes to their profession or passion. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not sure which one.
Outverge: Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics and melodies?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I think moments and experiences in one's life ultimately are the foundation for songwriting inspiration. It doesn't seem like I am in control of the songwriting inspiration, it just comes and goes as it pleases. I'm inspired by songwriters that I admire, but to write a song, that creative desire has just always been lurking somewhere inside my head. Writing a song is such an odd phenomenon: sometimes it's there and 2 or 3 songs come out in the matter of days or even hours. Those times it seems like the songs are just writing themselves. Other times it's elusive and nothing good comes for months on end. But when the muse appears, it would just be impolite to ignore it. As for melodies, I enjoy sitting down with a guitar and letting the guitar do the talking. Sometimes it wants to talk endlessly and other times it's not in the mood. But the guitar plays itself, I'm just there to take notes.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: I think moments and experiences in one's life ultimately are the foundation for songwriting inspiration. It doesn't seem like I am in control of the songwriting inspiration, it just comes and goes as it pleases. I'm inspired by songwriters that I admire, but to write a song, that creative desire has just always been lurking somewhere inside my head. Writing a song is such an odd phenomenon: sometimes it's there and 2 or 3 songs come out in the matter of days or even hours. Those times it seems like the songs are just writing themselves. Other times it's elusive and nothing good comes for months on end. But when the muse appears, it would just be impolite to ignore it. As for melodies, I enjoy sitting down with a guitar and letting the guitar do the talking. Sometimes it wants to talk endlessly and other times it's not in the mood. But the guitar plays itself, I'm just there to take notes.
Outverge: How do you handle writer’s block or creative slumps?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Some might say our whole career has been a creative slump [laughs]. Sometimes the spark is there and sometimes it isn't. I have just come to respect that dynamic of the creative process. Maybe other people have found ways around but I have come to realize that the muse just needs time. The time is right or it isn't. But you have to give it a chance. That's why I sit down every day with a guitar - maybe one day a 1956 Fender Esquire electric guitar, maybe the next day a 1967 Martin 12-string acoustic guitar - and see what happens. Sometimes I play something and I have no idea where it came from. I didn't sit down to write that melody but it appeared almost out of nowhere. Other times I sit down and nothing happens. It wasn't the right time. Maybe tomorrow, the guitar will be in the right mood...
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Some might say our whole career has been a creative slump [laughs]. Sometimes the spark is there and sometimes it isn't. I have just come to respect that dynamic of the creative process. Maybe other people have found ways around but I have come to realize that the muse just needs time. The time is right or it isn't. But you have to give it a chance. That's why I sit down every day with a guitar - maybe one day a 1956 Fender Esquire electric guitar, maybe the next day a 1967 Martin 12-string acoustic guitar - and see what happens. Sometimes I play something and I have no idea where it came from. I didn't sit down to write that melody but it appeared almost out of nowhere. Other times I sit down and nothing happens. It wasn't the right time. Maybe tomorrow, the guitar will be in the right mood...
Outverge: How do you stay motivated to keep creating music?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Sometimes I think the motivation to write a song is innate, you don't know where it comes from but it's just always there. I just enjoy the creative process of writing a song. There's no better feeling than sitting down with an instrument and then somehow later standing up with something brand new written. It's like no other feeling. Even if you know - as I do - that what you are writing pales in comparison to what others have written, it is YOUR melody and YOUR song. It's just an incredible feeling. That feeling is what ultimately continues to motivate me to write music.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: Sometimes I think the motivation to write a song is innate, you don't know where it comes from but it's just always there. I just enjoy the creative process of writing a song. There's no better feeling than sitting down with an instrument and then somehow later standing up with something brand new written. It's like no other feeling. Even if you know - as I do - that what you are writing pales in comparison to what others have written, it is YOUR melody and YOUR song. It's just an incredible feeling. That feeling is what ultimately continues to motivate me to write music.
Outverge: How do you prepare for a live show or tour?
The Jimmy Dixon Group: The Jimmy Dixon Group isn't doing a whole lot of touring right now. We have so many new songs right now, we don't know what to do with them other than to record them at the moment. So we've been in the studio for over a year, first recording and mixing our first album "The Rough Demos" and now recording and mixing our second album "The Rough Demos II" - we just kept coming up with more songs. They are not perfect records - we're flawed individuals and so it's no surprise you'll find some flaws in our records - but we are so proud of the material we are recording to share with the world. We want to connect with people who might enjoy the music almost as much as we like to create it, whether that's 10 people or 10,000 people. If someone listens to The Jimmy Dixon Group and says, 'hey, these guys aren't so bad' and finds a small place in their music rotation for us, we couldn't be more happy and grateful.
The Jimmy Dixon Group: The Jimmy Dixon Group isn't doing a whole lot of touring right now. We have so many new songs right now, we don't know what to do with them other than to record them at the moment. So we've been in the studio for over a year, first recording and mixing our first album "The Rough Demos" and now recording and mixing our second album "The Rough Demos II" - we just kept coming up with more songs. They are not perfect records - we're flawed individuals and so it's no surprise you'll find some flaws in our records - but we are so proud of the material we are recording to share with the world. We want to connect with people who might enjoy the music almost as much as we like to create it, whether that's 10 people or 10,000 people. If someone listens to The Jimmy Dixon Group and says, 'hey, these guys aren't so bad' and finds a small place in their music rotation for us, we couldn't be more happy and grateful.
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