Cris Cohen interviews Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers. They discuss:
- The new song "Sweet Spot" and its serving as a sendoff for Woody
- Lyrics like "Too early to call / too late to call sober"
- Performing "Be Still Moses" with a symphony and Boyz II Men
- Meshing his banjo playing with Steve Martin's banjo playing (Yes, that Steve Martin)
- "Try to love your way through the hardest situations"
- And more

​You can also read the transcript

The Steep Canyon Rangers website: ​www.steepcanyon.com

Cris Cohen: How would you say you guys are different as songwriters?
 
Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers: Good question. I couldn't really tell you, to be honest. I think most songwriters probably do it the same way, just like anybody writing anything. It's trial and error in a certain respect. You get an idea and you just try to float it and see if it'll turn into something. I'm sure you've talked to dozens of writers. Everybody has the same process. Everything you come up with as a writer, it's an idea that embeds itself in your head. Where it comes from? Who knows. 

It's something that you cultivated. I certainly think that people are born with an aptitude for music, but it's something that you cultivate, especially with writing. If you never tried it or determined that it was (not) something that you wanted to do, it wouldn't come to you. But once you've decided that, "I can write a song," that's where it starts. "Maybe I can do something." You write a song and you go, "Hey, that works." And then you try performing it and everybody goes, “Oh, that was good, Pat. You should write some more.” Then you go and try to write more songs. That's I think how it starts. 

From then on, it's just exhilarating. For every song you write, probably there are a hundred different ones that never get there. I have so many demos on my computer. Sometimes it’s a matter of minutes until you have something really great. Other times it's a matter of months to years to have something that’s solid. 

That’s the process for me anyway. (Bob) Dylan writes six songs every day and completes them. (laughs)

Cris Cohen: And it's interesting that Woody’s leaving was the impetus for the song "Sweet Spot," because it's such an optimistic song. It's not a sorrowful song. In that way, was it a pep talk for yourselves? 
 
Barrett Smith of Steep Canyon Rangers: I'd say so. We've been pretty glass half full about the whole situation of Woody leaving. I don't know if we're just trying to make it this way and look at the bright side of things, or if it is this way, or if there's even any difference, but there's a lot of optimism in it. We're all very close. And so there's this optimism of Woody making a change that he knows is a right change for his life. And we love him so much. And so there's an optimism in that, just knowing that somebody we care about so much is making a huge change that’s going to be really positive in his life. That's optimistic. It’s hard to put into words, but there are new optimisms of us changing really drastically, really suddenly, and yet having the stability and more than enough goodness and talent and skill to just keep trucking on. And to keep trucking on in a new way. There is optimism in that as well.

​From the interview with The Doobie Brothers …

Cris Cohen: To dig into the new book, what did either of you learn or realize now that you didn't know before you started writing?
 
Pat Simmons: I'm really a woman. 
 
Tom Johnston: Damn, and all this time.

Cris Cohen: I want to start off with the new single “Sweet Spot.” How did that tune come together? And was it always the plan to have everyone take a turn doing the lead vocal on that? 

Barrett Smith of Steep Canyon Rangers: No, that was not always the plan. It just happened that way. Graham wrote “Sweet Spot,” for the most part. He started “Sweet Spot,” let's say. Graham has a lot of songs that he’s started that are working their way through the Steep Canyon Rangers’ arrangement machine. And he has a lot that he hasn't given to us I'm sure as well. But that was one that had started making the rounds. 

Come to think of it, I want to say, from the very beginning, Graham pictured that with different people singing different voices maybe. I don’t know. The way this band processes a song… at this moment, almost every single one of them comes from Graham. They may come straight from Graham and go straight to the stage. More likely, they're going to go through one or all of us. We process it and it turns into this, it turns into that. 

And then, with Woody leaving the band... We went into the studio and recorded that single because Woody was leaving the band. I'm not sure we really knew why we were doing that, but we just thought. “This is an intense moment for us. Let's go record stuff.”

Cris Cohen: “This is our comfort zone, this is our soothing blanket,” so to speak. 

Barrett Smith: That’s what we do. It was soothing and also a little exciting. Because if there's something that can really put some juice emotionally in some song or some recording session, it's almost like, “Let's harness this power while it’s potent.”

Cris Cohen: I never thought of that, but that is an interesting take on it. “Let's take advantage of our emotions in the moment” kind of thing. 

Barrett Smith: And we did. And some of the lyrics that came out expressed that. Because in the end, we all did contribute to that. Woody wrote one of the verses. My wife and I wrote one of them. Graham kind of edited all of them. I want to say Mike Ashworth maybe wrote one. And then as far as who sang what, we did that the way we always do things in the studio. We just kind of jump in, produce ourselves, and let it fly. 

Cris Cohen: I was talking to a young up-and-coming musician, you might know, named Huey Lewis.
 
Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers: [laughs] Up and coming.
 
Cris Cohen: He’s a kid, but I think he's got some chops. I asked him, what makes The Doobie Brothers so good. He said, “They are a great band, because like all great bands, they are greater than the sum of their parts. Not to denigrate their musicianship, because they're all great musicians, but they make each other better.” That makes me wonder, can you see that in musicians as you're looking for new ones to join? Or is it just kind of Kismet? Is it fate?
 
Tom Johnston: It's kind of organic most of the time, to be honest with you. When Keith (Knudsen) passed away, which was a big deal for us, when Mike (Hossack) passed away, which was a big deal for us -- those are two of the main drummers in the band… and John Hartman -- we actually did a tryout of drummers, because it does make a big difference. Because Mike Hossack did a lot of our early studio work. John played too. But Mike was the forefront drummer for a lot of the… I don't want to just say singles, but also for a lot of the deep cuts. He was a studio-quality drummer. Then Keith came along and he took up the same position. And he sang, which added another element.

Joseph Terrell of the band Mipso: I'm not against positivity in the sense of what we're doing is getting together and there's a powerful, spiritual, communal aspect to that. That's really important. But I'm a sad person. I don't know, how can you live in the world and not experience some sadness? To me, that's powerful stuff. I want to hear that. And so, I want to give that to other people, too.
 
I'm not sad all the time, just to be clear. I feel good right now. I will be sad alone later.
 
Cris Cohen: [laughs] Okay. Also, I believe it's a confirmation for the audience, "Oh, someone else is feeling the way that I feel." 
 
Joseph Terrell: Yeah, that's it, right? You don't want to express your sadness alone. You want to offer it to someone. I think it's a gift. So that you can see yourself in this. 
 
Cris Cohen: Yeah. And the gift is, "Oh, someone else gets this. I'm not the only one who is feeling this way." You get that invisible bond with that band or that artist. That's where it becomes magic, where the feelings are being exchanged, more than just words in a beat.
 
Joseph Terrell: Yeah. And more than just a commercial exchange. I think a lot about how all the spaces (where) we gather are commercial spaces to share music. And then there's a barrier to entry in terms of having to pay something. So in my mind, the exchange that you're talking about best happens in a place where it's like, I invite you into my home, or “Let's go to a place together.” It's the thing that you balance as a professional musician

​Cris Cohen: Over the years occasionally you brought in new band members. What were you looking for in musicians? What made for a good member of The News? 

Huey Lewis: Well, obviously they have to be good musicians. But it's a good question, because the hardest part about being in a touring band is the other 22 hours, right? You want somebody who is going to be fully committed, improve every night, and fit in the band as a good band member. They need to travel well, not complain, and be a good road soldier. That's very important. 

And you don't necessarily want the guy who auditions the best. It's the guy who is going to eventually be the best. 

Let's face it, rock and roll is not brain surgery. Most people can learn the music. But you want somebody who really cares about it and is going to improve all the time.

It's always tough replacing somebody. But what's nice about it is that a new member brings a new sensibility to the songs. And that's always been the thing I've cared about most: That our catalog stays current, that our songs live for a long time. And what's interesting is that a new member of the band gives the song a completely different setting somehow. And I really enjoy that. They sound differently in different hands. 

Cris Cohen: So it kind of it makes it more of a living, breathing entity. 

Huey Lewis: That's it. And it's fun to see the song that you wrote now take on these different versions. 

Cris Cohen: And then I find it interesting… I have never heard that before, that you don't necessarily want the guy or girl who auditions the best. 

Huey Lewis: There are session musicians who can come in and can get 90% of it on the first take. But that might be all they're going to get, because they don't care enough maybe or they're bored with it after a while. You want somebody who might only audition at 70%, but he's going to get to a hundred percent. It's a tough thing to judge, but that's what you're looking for I think.

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​Cris Cohen: I have never heard anyone talk about that line that you do not cross as a songwriter before. Where is that line in your mind?

Paige King Johnson: I feel like those boundaries start coming up whenever you are pulling from very personal things. Usually for me it is places of hurt. Whether it's loss, whether it's heartbreak, in those situations, especially if they pertain (not to me but) to people who were close to me, that's their life and that's their story. And if they want to tell it on their own, then great. But I respect my family, I respect my husband, and I am very cautious of delving into that very personal life when it comes to those scenarios. Because pain and heartbreak and loss…  everyone deals with differently.