Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What´s the name of your band? The J.O.B.

How was the band formed? The band was started by me, Jim O'Ferrell (rhythm guitar & vocals) and Jason Crawford (lead guitar) after my return from serving in the war in Iraq in 2008. A lifelong singer-songwriter, I had written a lot of songs between missions and the band was initially a vehicle used to arrange and record those songs. The J.O.B. quickly developed into an Alternative Rock band with a strong Americana underbelly.

Can you tell about your band? The J.O.B. is a four piece band. Crawford and I are both full time, committed musicians devoting 100% of our energy to the project. We've had several rhythm players over the years with a few appearing on the 4 albums we've recorded since 2008. Presently, Eric Bandy sits at the drummer's throne and Len DuPilka commands the electric fretless bass. They both are eager for the band to get to a position that will enable them to join Jason and I full time and make an actual living from the music.

Can you explain your music to someone who hasn't heard you before? Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, so too is a song. Put on your best headphones, push 

PLAY, and check us out. 

Where was your first gig?

Our first gig as a band was on May 10, 2008 in a fast food restaurant parking lot. We were a three 

piece then. As cars rolled through the drive-thru lane to get their chicken sandwiches, they passed

between us and our lawn-chair seated audience. It was hilarious. 

Where was the latest gig? We perform as many shows on the road as we do locally. We just got back from Fayetteville, North Carolina playing at a cool tavern with a capacity crowd of Harley bikers and paratroopers from Fort Bragg.  Everybody had a blast.

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music and who writes lyrics? I write all of our songs as acoustic guitar pieces, full structured songs with complete lyrics and phrasing. I then jam the finished song for the band during rehearsal and the guys give it an objective listen. If the nods are up & down rather than side-to-side, everyone begins to craft their own contribution to take it from a solo guitar-singer composition to a band song. Eric & Len create the rhythm, bass runs and drum fills. Jason develops his electric guitar accents and lead sections. 

Essentially, I write my own style of folky-Americana-rock music and the guys, with their own areas of expertise, strap rocket engines on it. Everyone collectively turns it into a rock song. Our process is about creating a complete, extraordinary song for all of us. It's not about spotlighting any individual musician in the band. Each of our songs takes weeks of work before we add it to our live set list. The secret to writing is rewriting. You can't fake a good song any more than you can fake a good meal.

Who has the best since of humor in the band? We take turns being the class clown.

What genre do you feel you are? We seem to have really good crossover appeal. We have had three songs appear on Top 40 Charts in the USA, all three in the 'adult contemporary' charts. We have fans who predominately listen to Country music, Folk music, Classic rock, Americana, Alternative, and straight Rock music. One reviewer referred to our sound as AltAmericana Rock. Our fan demographic also is about 60/40 men to women and equally spread throughout all age groups with the biggest slice between 24 and 54 years old. Part of that is attributed to our internal make up. The four of us range in age from mid 20s to early 50s and our influences range from prog rock & fusion jazz to death metal to classic rock to folk & traditional country. All of that ends up in our songs.

Why did you pick that particular style? We didn't choose it. We put all of our ingredients in the blender and this is what comes out.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We all started out playing covers just like everybody else. But learning & playing covers is part of a music artist's journey, not the destination. That's the difference between someone who plays music and someone who creates art, between a song player and a songwriter. Everything we do is 100% original. We never play covers. I have max respect for those music icons who came before me, but everyone already knows what 'Freebird' sounds like and I'd puke if I ever had to sing 'Brown Eyed Girl' again. 

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We are almost finished with the recording process for our 5th studio album. We'll begin mixing and post production within the next two weeks. It will drop this Spring and it will be titled "Portraits". We completed one song from this new album ahead of the rest and pre-released it last December. It entered the FMQB AC Chart at No. 156 and steadily climbed the rankings as more radio stations added it to rotation. Right now, 'Red Eye' is spinning on 146 radio stations nationwide and finished last week in the USA Top 40 at No. 36.

Do you have any clips on YouTube? We sure do! 'Red Eye' has an accompanying music video on our YouTube channel, along with about 40 other videos; clips from road trips and concerts, live television appearances, candid studio stuff, and a TV commercial we did for the Virginia Lottery a few years ago. Lots of stuff.

What got you started in music? / At what age did you start playing? In my earliest memories, I have a guitar in my hand. Music has been a natural part of my life as much as walking, eating, or sleeping.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? My first public guitar-singer gig was in a red-neck saloon with sawdust covered floors in Stafford, Virginia when I was 15 years old. I played Johnny Cash and Hank Williams songs into the wee hours with a chorus of drunken, happy voices for pitchers of beer and about 10 dollars in tips. The world was a different place back then.

What places will you be playing in in the immediate future? We're in Richmond, Virginia this Friday; Greenville, South Carolina next Friday, and bouncing all over after that for the rest of the spring-summer. 

Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? We had a great tour last November, three states and a bunch of different venues. We do a lot of road trip clusters; travelling to do 3 or 4 shows in as many nights then coming home for a local gig, that kind of thing. We're planning a big tour to coincide with the new album release this spring-summer.

What are your goals with your music? I am going to take it as far as I can go. This is all I do. I have no other job, I want no other job. I will keep learning, evolving, growing, writing, recording, and performing with my band until someone wheels me off to the old folks home or I drop dead at the Grammys. 

When did you decide to go all in for the music? I decided that music was to be my life when I got home from the war alive and in one piece. I replaced my rifle with a guitar the day I left the Army.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. Anyone who says that there is no good music being made anymore is living in a bubble. There is so much fantastic music being made in all genres all over the place right now that it's hard for me to keep up! I am inspired by all of it.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I buy music in both formats. It's all just apples versus oranges to me as long as the artist is being compensated for his work.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? In the past couple of years, I've gone to see Queens of the Stone Age, Sunn, Swans, Torche, Gordon Lightfoot, A Place to Bury Strangers, Crystal Stilts, Peter Murphy, Tool, and a few others. In my car's CD changer right now I have Juicy J, Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Nine Inch Nails, The Mars Volta, and The National. I also get out and go to local band's shows as much as I can. It's important to support each other in the local scene. 

What do you hold most dear? My sons. I have three boys. There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for them.

When you are on stage, what do you fear most? I don't fear anything on stage. I feel completely comfortable strumming my guitar and singing my songs for people. I've been doing this long enough to have encountered my share of issues. It's live music and things happen. If we have a problem, we work the problem, stay focused and push on. We have contingency plans for routine problems; broken strings, bad cables, that kind of thing. 

What's the most memorable thing a fan has done for you? There are plenty of genies out there waiting to grant wishes. I've found that the harder I work, the more of them I encounter. We've had some great people do wonderful things to help us along, from writing big checks for recording projects to supplying needed gear to giving us excellent lodging on the road. It's all about good Karma; send positive energy into the world and it generally answers in kind.

How often do you rehearse? Our band rehearses twice every week as a minimum. I personally practice every day. 

Where do you rehearse? My home is our band house. Where most people would have a dining table, chairs, and a fine china cabinet, I have a drum kit, guitar cabs and a PA. Where there used to be a downstairs bedroom, I have a recording studio. I forget sometimes that most people don't live like this.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Red Eye from our new album and Will I Know from our last album.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and 

to keep playing? The possibility that fame & fortune are still out there somewhere, that validation for all the work and 

time and sacrifice may be over the next hill. 

Do you have any webpages? We sure do. Our official website is at http://www.thejoband.com; official YouTube Channel is at http://www.youtube.com/thejobandtv; our official Facebook is at http://www.facebook.com/thejoband; official Twitter is at http://www.twitter.com/thejoband (@thejoband); and our official Reverbnation is at http://www.reverbnation.com/thejoband. We are also on all the music services like Spotify, iTunes, Rhapsody, Bandcamp, Amazon, and others.

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? I'm not in a position to impart wisdom to anyone. Everyone's journey is an individual thing. I'll still be trying to figure all this out until I strum my last chord.