Welcome to Shine's CatchUp, a web interview series where WFPK host Laura Shine catches up with musicians and their music.
Singer/songwriter Durand Jones used to live up the road in Bloomington, IN but he's from Hillaryville, Louisiana, a small town with a painful past. The town was first established as a form of reparations to previously enslaved Black Americans but suffered systemic ravaging over the years. On his new album Wait Til I Get Over (out May 5 on Dead Oceans), he explores his relationship to the town and what it's like to go home with odes of joy, prayer, and wild, raw, songs with a groove. Durand and his band will be our headlining act for our first Waterfront Wednesday of the season on April 26th on The Big 4 Lawn in Waterfront Park! Check out the video for the single "Lord Have Mercy" that also includes an interlude with Durand's Grandmother talking about how she felt about the town of Hillaryville, below our interview.
We are loving the new single "Lord Have Mercy". It's got such a great groove! What inspired this song?
I really appreciate the love. Otis Redding first and foremost inspired this tune. Wilson Pickett and Little Richard come closely behind. I wanted the production of this tune to feel like it came right out of Fame Records.
The new album Wait Til I Get Over bills your name without your band, The Indications. What happened to them or is this a solo project and you'll record or perform with them again?
Wait Til I Get Over is a solo project with completely different musicians. It was something I absolutely needed to do. My work with the Indications is collective. I needed a project, an experience that felt 100% like myself. Wait Til I Get Over was the answer. As for working with the Indications, we're still together-- just taking some time off.
You've lived in Bloomington, Indiana for some time but are originally from Louisiana. What brought you to Indiana? Where are you based now?
Music brought me to Indiana. Specifically the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. I came there to study classical music with a concentration in saxophone. I started a quartet there with some friends called Kenari Quartet. It is still going to this day, though I am no longer a member. I now currently live in San Antonio, but I hope to continue to travel and live all over the world.
Since many in Louisville have never seen you perform before, what can they expect from a Durand Jones live show on April 26th?
My intention is to heal with music. So I expect to bring love, joy, happiness, and honesty. There is a lil sadness in there too-- to represent the blues. Soulful singing, rock and roll guitars, a lil mix of gospel, and a whole lotta heart.
Official video for "Lord Have Mercy"
