LAJON WITHERSPOON of SEVENDUST: When Fans Become Family
An interview by Sarah Kidd.
When Lajon Witherspoon answers the phone from his home in Atlanta it is like a bolt of electricity is streaming across the airwaves. Here is a man that is not only passionate about his profession, his artform, but about the very existence of life itself. As the lead vocalist of Sevendust for the last twenty-five years Lajon has been the musical influence of several musicians and was even ranked at number 35 in the Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.
Returning to New Zealand for a show on the 23rd of April at Auckland’s Powerstation, with their latest album All I See Is War safely tucked under their arm, I threw a few questions Lajon’s way which soon led into one of the most entertaining conversations I have ever had the pleasure of partaking in…
“Oh my god! New Zealand what is going on?! I cannot wait to get back to Auckland, New Zealand! Just New Zealand period is incredible! So how you doin?”
I’m good, how are you? [mutual laughter]
‘I’m good! I’m ready to get there and to jam again, and I’m happy that it’s not this long drawn out wait, it’s really cool to be able to come back and to really rock it out and hang out!”
Your fans are certainly looking forward to seeing you again that’s for sure!
“Well thank you…I don’t like to say fans, I like to say family! Cause that’s what we have. We’re too old to have fans now, I think everybody is family at this point” [laughter]
Let’s get down to a few questions, and seeing we are on the topic of family; it’s well known that your father was also a vocalist, is this what first inspired you to sing?
“Oh wow, uh yes, absolutely. My Daddy did. He was in a disco band, I would go to his rehearsals and he had a full band, a double bass, drum, the guitar, the bass. The instruments were so big, I mean it was a band!
I was like ‘Oh my god, this is crazy, my Dad’s like a superhero or something, what’s going on?! This is not the same dude at the house’. It was just magical to me and he trips out too – I’m forty-six years old now – and I can still tell him about clubs that he played at and soundchecks that he would allow me to come to. It was definitely stamped on me from him.”
So, when did you first truly discover that you personally could sing?
“You know in the choir, in church. I didn’t think that I could sing, I just knew that I had butterflies every time I had to do it and I enjoyed that feeling; and I really liked to dress up in the robes. Some Sunday’s you would wear these really beautiful red robes with gold, other Sunday’s you would get to wear this white one and if you were really good at singing you could wear this one that no one else could wear and for some reason that was always really cool to me… [laughs]
Like back then in the choir I felt like ‘Oh wow, I can really do it even cooler now that I got this on!’ You know that’s my armor, it might just be my bracelets that I wear, my arm bands now, but it’s a certain feel that I still have from when I was a child of preparing for a show.
It’s almost like you would turn into a…not a different person but just … like I said, my Dad was a superhero to me so …”
I think that’s beautiful…
[laughs] “You know what I mean? It’s a special magic thing, I don’t know how to put my finger on it but when I go on stage and I get prepared it’s like this really cool energy that comes over me that’s not always there, does that makes sense?”
Yes, completely. It’s your on-stage persona.
“I’m a Daddy and I’m a husband. Then I’m a singer, a writer, an artist, a performer; and so when I perform it’s a different me. This is what I feel like I was born to do – even with the ups and downs – this is my happy space and if I gotta put this necklace on and I gotta put these underwear on that I’ve had on for a year…” [laughs]
[laughs] Ummmm…
“I’m kidding, that gets weird. But I did do that for a while!”
[raucous mutual laughter]
“I remember telling Ben from Breaking Benjamin, I said ‘Man, these are my drawers!’ He was like ‘What?’ and I was like ‘Yeah, these are my magic drawers!’”
[mutual laughter]
“Let me remind you, they did get washed every night, but they were magic drawers that I had to wear when I performed … only when I performed” [laughs]
I love it, I love it…
“Well thank you for understanding” [mutual laughter]
Now Sevendust have obviously had a very long tenure in the music world – well over twenty years now from the first album to the last – did you ever truly see it lasting this long?
“You know what, that’s a good question. I felt like I was destined to do it and I remember years ago saying to the band, my brothers, ‘You know what would be cool is if one day we could have a tour bus and have our wives and our kids out on the bus and stuff’ and guess what, it happened. It has even gotten to the point where my wife has looked at me and said ‘I will never ride this tour bus with you guys ever again, I’ll see you at the hotel’ [laughs]
It’s been incredible, I would never have thought we’d been still doing this and even to talk to you right now about coming to New Zealand, I mean it’s crazy to me! I could never take this for granted and I feel so very blessed even though it’s been so many years.
I feel like with the new backing we have with Rise Records and our new staff that it’s a new beginning for us! I feel younger and healthier than I have ever felt in my life and I feel like there is so much more for us too. That’s weird right?”
No! I think it’s actually really wonderful, especially when you note that the members of Sevendust – or as you so rightly refer to them ‘your brothers’ – have been together since 1994. Now that’s a claim that only a handful of bands today can make.
What’s the secret? So many bands dissolve over money issues or ego and yet you guys are still together – still the originals. That’s something to truly be both proud of and cherish.
“We’re true brothers. We have our issues of course, today he’s a douchebag and tomorrow you’re gonna be a douchebag, but I still love you. We all have our things, but we’re tight. Like if anything went down, we would be the guys who would be there together. We’ve gone through so much it would be foolish to take what we’ve worked so hard for, for granted and the opportunities that we’ve had.
We’re not the biggest band in the world and we’re not as big as some of our brothers and sisters, but you know, I’m in a place that I’m happy in my life. I’m able to be relevant in the music industry when it’s so frugal, we’ve been able to keep a certain flow and a certain avenue to do music in and people allow us to do it. Because at the end of the day it’s all about the family out there that allows us to come and perform.”
I understand exactly what you mean; I have a couple of older brothers and there are days where they are often douchebags. But when push comes to shove they are always there.
“Yeah, absolutely. And that’s the way we’ve been together. And it’s very cool, you know. No matter what, we all have our problems, we have families, we have wives, we have kids…guess what? Somebody [Lajons child] threw up on me today! We were at the hospital at 5am this morning – been up since four – but that’s beautiful to me, that’s life. That’s what it’s about – everyone’s ok – but if you don’t experience that stuff… I don’t have anything to write about. I can’t always be on the road, on the tour bus and jamming in front of people. I have to be here [home], I have to do this, and this is what’s important too as well as being out on the road.”
You yourself have been cited as a major influence on so many vocalists over the years, but out of interest who inspired you – besides your superhero of a Dad?
“That’s weird, I didn’t think that a lot of people were inspired by me, but that’s cool to hear, that’s awesome, thank you to whoever’s out there that said that.
You know what, I grew up listening to everything; from Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, not only that but country, you know like Johnny Cash, just everything. My music was never limited where I was from. We had R&B, but then when I would go and spend the summers with my grandfather – he was the first black man to desegregate Tennessee Walkin Horse shows in the 60’s – so he was country… [laughs] We’d go to the farm and all I would hear is country music! So, I was country and rock n roll and I would come back home and people would think I was weird but I just loved music.
And that’s what’s in my house, from classical to rock, to everything. Nothing is limited, I feel like if you have compassion in it, then I feel it, it’s real. Music is real to me and I feel like if we didn’t have it, then this world would be even crazier than it is right now. What would we have to talk about – other than crazy stuff – if we didn’t have music? Music has definitely saved my life and I think it’s saved a lot of people’s lives and I continue to wave that flag.”
You are certainly a man after my own heart. Music is a wonderous thing, and one where no boundaries should be set; listen to whatever brings you joy.
“Absolutely! So, let me tell you something, I got called to do Jesus Christ Superstar for Broadway. It was right before we did this last album [All I See is War] and all my mind is on this album and then all of a sudden, right before I’m supposed to fly in to do the album, I fly into New York to do the audition for Jesus Christ Superstar.
What am I doing there? What. Am. I. Doing. There? [laughs]
And I go in and I memorize this song – kind of, as I only had a couple of days to do it – I sang it in front of the UK staff, and I remember the big guy saying ‘Smashing!’ and I thought that was great”
[mutual laughter]
“I mean is that a good thing? I would hope so…”
Yeah, that’s a good thing. That’s a very good thing.
[laughs] “Right, right?!
So anyways I wasn’t able to do it, but luckily, I’m in their books now. I had to do the new album and we had a tour and it would have affected everything, it would have taken too much away from the band, but I just wanted to share that with you!”
Your vocals in that production would have been amazing!
“Thank you! I think the same thing! And guess what, they better call me back because I’ll do it! I’m a little weird about dancing and doing some of the moves [laughs] just let me do my own thing but hopefully they will call me again, or maybe for something else.”
Speaking of the new album – which Sevendust of course released last year – I absolutely love the juxtaposition between ‘Dirty’ and ‘Not Original’. It is almost like they are two sides to one coin, their styles in contradiction with each other yet fitting together on the album so well. What was the thought process behind those two particular tracks?
“Wow. Very cool that you noticed that. Well ‘Dirty’ was written in Atlanta, that was one of the first songs that me, Morgan, John and Vinnie did together. With ‘Not Original’ me and Morgan went to Clint’s house to write and ‘Not Original’ was a song that Clint pulled up that was not going to be on the album as it was kind of not all there. But when I heard it, I immediately said this needs to be worked on and put on this album!
I think ‘Not Original’ is one of the most original songs because it is one of the most honest songs. It’s about not only having writers block but not feeling relevant in the industry or the world as a person and sometimes I feel like that happens. But I think with love, energy, hope, promise and dreams that it makes everything original again.”
Well after the length of time that Sevendust have been together, writers block would certainly be something that would not only be very possible but would feel like a plague. As for relevance, again a genuine fear in a music industry that is ruled by the digital age, where playlists replace albums…
But it is a testament to not only your work, but the quality of your work that Sevendust are not only still relevant, but still touring after twenty-five years and more importantly still producing new material.
“Well thank you very much because you know what, at the end of the day – this is me being honest with you, my sister and me being a brother to you – you do think ‘Uh, are we still … still cool?’ You know what I mean? [laughs] I mean we’re doing it, and I feel great, I hope that it continues for a long time, I’m not ready to stop!
Well considering Sevendust were only recently nominated for a Grammy…
“I couldn’t believe it, I was sitting two rows behind Stevie Wonder! My wife was sitting beside me…it was just crazy to be there and to take my family. We stayed right across the street from the Staples Center. That night after The Grammys we went back to the hotel and hung out with one of my buddies – my neighbour at the time, Tech N9ne [at this point Lajon mentions that there are plans in the works for a collaborative song between himself, Tech N9ne and Stevie Stone] – and then we went to this party. It was Alice in Wonderland themed so right when you walked in, there were people on stilts, candy everywhere, a 70’s disco era lady singing; it was like this world of magic [laughs] it was the craziest thing you ever saw but what a beautiful experience!
And to me growing up as a kid and watching the Grammys for so many years, to be there and to be nominated was crazy. Even though Ghost won it – hey I love Ghost, I know Tobias and we’re cool, although I wish we had won it [laughs] – to be a part of it… I just wish everyone could experience the feeling that I had that evening; to see some of the stars that I would never, ever have usually been in the same room with. I can take that to the grave and say that that was something very special.”
Sevendust are performing a one off show at Auckland’s Powerstation next week (23rd April 2019) alongside City Of Souls. Tickets still available via mjrpresents but get in quick as they’re selling quickly!
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LaJohn lives in Kansas City, not Atlanta.