Dude Cervantes interview
Dude Cervantes and the Panchos have a new self-titled album coming out this week via his own label Blind Owl Records. The album is rich with vibes, guitar work and stories about life, love, friendship, and just getting by in this thing called life. Cervantes continues to break new ground with his heady, flaming guitar solos and that is evidenced all throughout the album. Americana Highways had a chance to chat with Dude Cervantes about all of this and more.
Americana Highways: Your new album draws from your personal experience. To what extent do you consider your experiences to be universal, and how much would you say they are unique?
Dude Cervantes: I’d say my tale is mine to be told, but most everyone has something relatable to say about what happens day to day, and that is what I more or less write about. Things go right, things go wrong, you fall in and out of love, and the people you know come and go.
The album kicks off with a song called “It’s A Beautiful Day,” which, in my mind, is a vignette of a Sunday afternoon in Nashville, TN. There are some Easter eggs in the lyrics, but I’d like to think anyone can relate to it from anywhere and feel the same sentiment I do. Whether you know what the song is about or not, it’s got a feeling, and it is that feeling that I believe is universally shared.
AH: Which song is about your dog, and can you tell us more about the vibe on this one?
DC: The song “Lesson Learned” is about an ill-fated trip to Bryce Canyon, Utah. It’s a dusty road tune, and the line “with our dogs in the car” references my pup, Elvis (RIP), who was ¾ Corgi and ¼ Mini Aussie. He passed away just last year from cancer.
Back in 2019, I found ourselves deserted in the middle of nowhere outside of Cedar City, Utah. It was about 10 degrees outside, with the windows open at 3 in the morning, no power, a totalled car, and no reception. Made it out of there alive, but it was a journey! The song is more or less about that journey.
AH: If someone only had time to listen to 3 of your songs, which would you recommend and why?
DC: I’d recommend “Reach Out,” the album closer, because it has the most ripping solo I’ve ever laid to tape to date, and the song comes crashing in with a big ole kick-out-the-jams chorus.
“Billion Dollar Art,” because it’s a rad psychedelic journey that starts from nothing and builds and morphs into this crazed jam at the end.
AND “Thank You (For The Sofa)” because it’s got a vibe from start to finish. 100% vibe.
AH: Your music intersects Americana and psychedelic music. At the core, what do you think those genres have most in common?
DC: Rock N Roll. Heart and soul.
AH: When you follow the muse into guitar jams, what would you say is happening to you, and what do you hope the audience will experience?
DC: What is happening to me is a channeling. I’m letting my body be an antenna. What I hope the audience will experience is a connected lift-off. Go with me, let’s go together, let’s all ride the dragon.
AH: Lots of people write love songs, but not so many write songs about friendship. What’s the most challenging thing about writing a friendship song? Which song or songs are your most recent examples of this style? How rewarding is it?
I’d say the final song on my album, “Reach Out,” is a good example of a song about friends, about lovers, and about the principal factor that brings them together, which is love. And passion. Both are connections between lovers and friends.
In the same breath, “ain’t nothing like being betrayed.” You have to have trust first for it to be broken. You never forget both sides of the coin, but ultimately, love prevails and continues to be given to those you choose to give it to. There is nothing more profound than telling someone that you love them and that they are loved.
AH: Did any of the songs on your new album come to you almost fully written, and if so, what was that moment like? How do you usually write songs?
DC: Several songs on this album came to me fully written. Most, I’d say. As in, I sat down and more or less wrote the song from start to finish.
The song “Reach Out” was a stream of consciousness, sitting down at my desk and just letting the words come out of my head. Ticker-tape.
“Lesson Learned” was written the second I got to the hotel after this crazy Southwest Utah car breakdown. Gross and grimy and getting ready to go find a bar somewhere.
“Thank You (For The Sofa)” was written on the steps of my new home in Tennessee one morning after we had just gotten a new sofa.
Something just hits, and I find the closest thing to me to make music, make a voice memo, and hash it out while it is happening. Same thing with “Billion Dollar Art.” It was on an acoustic guitar one morning after being gifted artwork that was said to have been gifted to my gifter by a billionaire.
The original demos are all within an hour of seed to flower. It is the magic of the muse.
AH: Can you share an anecdote or something odd or humorous about producing and recording the album?
DC: This was recorded all to tape and with my friends, which is my favorite way to make records. I love all the contributors on it, and I had a blast making it. It was done very quickly, all said and done after about three days of recording and one day of overdubbing.
It rocks, and I can’t wait to make the next record.
AH: To what extent would you say music draws people together? Can you give some examples of this happening?
DC: Music is a communal experience. We wouldn’t be putting out records or going to concerts if it were only meant to be experienced alone. There is a gravity at the center of every performance, big or small.
When you set an intention on making it happen, the universe brings together those who are supposed to experience it. Not sure what else to say aside from some divine cosmos philosophy, but it surely has been a shared experience, from my experience…
AH: What’s on the horizon for you in the coming weeks?
DC: In the next few weeks, I shall embark on a five-week tour across the US and Canada celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Last Waltz. We’ll have a four-piece local horn section in each town and up to 12 or 13 special guest artists in each city.
That is up to 408 musicians and artists I’ll be sharing the stage with over the next month and a half. It is gonna be an epic journey, and I can’t wait!
Sounds great! Thanks very much for chatting with us, Dude Cervantes. More information and the music can be found here: https://www.blindowlrecords.com/products/dude-cervantes-dude-cervantes-the-panchos-vinyl-cd-pre-order
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: “The Ride Or Die Of Dude Cervantes & the Panchos”