Jackie Greene 'American Myth' album

"I like the vibe of records that capture a moment in time," says Jackie Greene. "That's what it's all about anyways, moments. Music that's too perfect isn't music anymore. It's better to just capture the moment and let it live on its own."

Jackie Greene's second Verve Forecast release American Myth represents an ambitious leap forward for an artist who's already emerged as one of America's most celebrated musical forces. The album once again shows the young singer/songwriter/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist to be possessed of a rare talent, as well as a restless creative spirit that consistently propels him forward into brave new musical territory.

Beyond his obvious instrumental mastery, American Myth showcases the artist's vivid songcraft and his rootsy, organically soulful performances. His casually commanding voice resonates with immediacy, while his compositions boast striking, personally-charged lyrics and embrace a far-flung assortment of rock, folk, blues and country influences. Or, as Greene puts it, "This record sounds like a rock and roll record; at least my kind of rock and roll. And that's good enough for me."

American Myth, produced by Los Lobos member and seasoned studio vet Steve Berlin, includes 13 new Greene originals, ranging from the bluesy swagger of "Hollywood" and "14 Miles" to the acoustic intimacy of "Just As Well" and "I'll Let You In,” the fluid grooves of "I'm So Gone" and "Closer to You" and the bittersweet balladry of "When You're Walking Away" and "Love Song 2AM."

"It's quite a bit different from my last record," says Greene, whose acclaimed 2005 release Sweet Somewhere Bound marked his Verve Forecast debut. "The last one was pretty much just me laying down tracks and overdubbing, while the one has more of an old-fashioned band-together-in-a-room kind of vibe. Most of the songs were recorded live to tape, with the band playing and me singing at the same time, and many of them are first takes. We used a lot of old analog gear—stuff with big knobs and VU meters, things that make strange, crackly noises when they're not supposed to.

"These songs," he adds, "are all intended to paint a picture of America, in sort of a non-specific way. The characters in the songs are all Americans: the waitress with the tattoo, the mayor kissing babies, the drag queen, the sailors, the socialite."

In addition to Greene's evocative vocals and his sterling guitar, dobro, piano, organ and harmonica work, American Myth also features Elvis Costello's longtime rhythm section of bassist Davey Faragher and drummer Pete Thomas, plus noted guitarist Val McCallum, who also plays with Faragher and Thomas in the trio Jackshit. The album includes additional contributions from such respected players as renowned steel guitarist Greg Leisz, Tex-Mex accordionist Joel Guzman and producer Berlin on mellotron, vibes and percussion.

While American Myth marks a substantial step forward for Jackie Greene, it's also the latest chapter in a career that's witnessed the artist's steady evolution from precocious teen guitar prodigy to an artist of considerable musical and emotional depth.

The California native has been consumed with music "pretty much since I was born." Growing up in Cameron Park, a small town 30 miles east of the state capitol of Sacramento, he first taught himself to play on a battered old piano in his childhood home, before picking up an old guitar that his father had left behind when his parents split up. His initial influences were such contemporary hard-rock acts as Metallica, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but he experienced a pivotal revelation when, during the summer before his first year of high school, he discovered a cache of his parents' old rock, country, blues and R&B LPs in the family's basement.

"Our television broke, and my mother didn't get it fixed," he recalls. "I went into the basement and I found all of these old records. The first thing I put on was a Ray Charles record, and it was the first time I'd ever heard music like that. I was totally mesmerized, and I spent the whole summer going through this pile of records. By the time I got to high school that year, I was a big blues, country and old rock 'n' roll freak. I didn't really fit in at my high school, so it was an outlet for me to be different. I kind of worked my way backwards, from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones to Muddy Waters, Leadbelly and Hank Williams Sr."

With his musical reference points now drastically rewired, Jackie began composing original material during high school, quickly developing into a distinctive songwriter and lyricist. He made his first public appearance at the age of 16, and before long he was playing his own tunes at a coffeehouse in nearby Placerville, recording his compositions in his makeshift garage studio and burning CDRs to hawk at his gigs. He saved the money he made selling those discs to finance a more formal full-length effort, the self-produced, self-released Rusty Nails. Despite being a homespun D.I.Y. release with minimal promotion, it generated an impressive amount of regional attention.

"That's when I really got serious about music," Greene states. "Since then, I've been writing, recording and performing nearly non-stop. I've lived in cars, hotels, basements, apartments, houses etc. Slept on floors, couches, strange girls beds. I wrote lots of songs in those places. Some I'll never remember, but that's all part of it."

After graduating from high school, Greene relocated to the more cosmopolitan environs of Sacramento, a move that instantly brought new performing opportunities. He was soon playing in front of standing-room-only crowds, sometimes in clubs that would make him wait outside between his sets because he was still underage.

"When I got to Sacramento, I just started playing all the time, just about every place you could possibly play," he recalls. "I'd play five or six nights a week; some nights I'd play a solo happy-hour gig from four to seven, and then run across town to play a gig with my band. I busted my balls, and it worked. I learned quite a bit in a short period of time, and people started noticing."

One of those who noticed was Marty DeAnda, owner of the independent Dig Music label. After seeing Jackie play at an open-mike night, DeAnda became Greene's manager and signed him as the company's first new artist. Dig Music released the second formal Jackie Greene CD, Gone Wanderin', in late 2002, and praise began to pour in from listeners and critics far beyond the artist's home state. The sophomore effort won a California Music Award as Best Blues/Roots Album and remained on the national Americana charts for over a year.

By this point, Jackie was already a local star, with the Sacramento News and Review proclaiming him "a legend in the making," the San Jose Mercury News calling him "fated for stardom" and Sacramento Magazine designating him 2003's "Best Local Troubadour." The buzz surrounding Gone Wanderin' led to expanded career opportunities, including a series of national tours as opening act for such esteemed artists B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal and Buddy Guy, as well as prestigious festival dates across the country. Whether playing solo or with a band, Greene consistently won new fans while playing for unfamiliar crowds, building a national fan base one listener at a time.

His experiences touring the country informed the songs and performances of his next release, Sweet Somewhere Bound, on which the versatile artist played all of the instruments himself. Initially released by Dig Music, it generated rapturous press notices and a far-reaching music-industry buzz, leading to Greene singing with Verve, which reissued the album to widespread acclaim.

"I've made four records in my life and each one is different on purpose," the artist notes. "If you do the same record over and over, it becomes a boring day job. I like to explore sounds and songs. I believe it's important to stretch as far as your bones will let you."

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Jackie Greene - American Myth