Jim Basnight is back with another single that doesn’t disappoint, and the more I hear, the more I think he's one of the best. If you don’t know his work, Pop Top, the album this single comes from, is a good place to start.

Jim was kind enough to answer a few questions about "Stop the Words/Evil Touch."

Andrea Weiss: What is the backstory to these songs?

Jim Basnight: "Stop the Words" was a song which goes back to the Moberlys days. It's been a solid tune in my live show for most of my performing career.  Moberly guitarist Glenn Oyabe composed some great guitar licks which fall between the vocal phrases nicely, which I've brought forward in my live shows with a few modifications. It has an unusual groove, but it works great as a platform to demonstrate timeless 80's dance styles which always make me smile. 

"Evil Touch" also goes back to the Moberlys days. It's another bluesy rocker, built on a danceable shuffle, but with some nice modern rock power chords pumped in for good measure. The lyrics fit the current climate, as certain folks on the national scene have been messing with me so long that I've lost patience. I want no more of their evil touch and I think others may feel similarly. Both songs are simple pop guitar numbers, but also have unique feels. To me that's when the best rock and roll happens. Simple, energetic, but not something different, with a meaningful message.

AW: What is "Stop The Words" about?

JB: "Stop the Words" is about having been around the block enough to know when to hold your tongue. Simple message. Not that the singer knows it all, just that they are not going to take that ride again. Both songs have a somewhat serious tone, but the music is so fun that I doubt anyone will be brought down. Just a fun song with a little message that is basically positive. Nothing heavy, but not bubblegum.

AW: You write good melodies. How easy is it to get one going?

JB: Thank you!! It's very easy. The hard part is taking the time to document it while you're inspired, and the music is coming from your soul. If you don't do that, you may remember some things about the melody, perhaps even the correct notes. It's the feel, dynamics, and the emotion that makes the difference between good and great songs. Write down the words and chords, but make sure you do a little recording of your performance of it, even if it's just a phone recording.

AW: “Evil Touch” is a blues, and good blues, at that. Did the song just lend itself to that style?

JB: To me it's rock and roll, but with a roadhouse type of feel. Blues was the skeleton that both of those genres are built upon, but the song is not a pure blues. To me the Beatles and the Stones, two groups of Brits, are the touchstone I'd use to compare songs like this. Both acts were completely inspired by the first wave aka the golden age of rock and roll, which was of course a new way to present r&b and blues influenced hillbilly music aka rockabilly. The fact that they brought English and American pop influences into the mix, was probably because it was there and found a way into the creative process. Much like Elvis playing blues. 

When he was a child, Presley copied music he heard on the Grand Ol' Opry (hillbilly or later country and western), the Gospel Hour (Southern gospel, played on Sundays often by musicians who played juke joints and honkytonks the night before) and blues (new to the radio in the 1940's) or possibly by the time Elvis was around 13 (1948) it may have already been called r&b. Presley sang songs in the styles he learned to sing as a pre-adolescent and early teen and developed over the course of his teen years by absorbing these radio shows, when he auditioned for Sun Records' Sam Phillips in the early 50's. Phillips wasn't thrilled with the country or gospel. But, when Sam heard Elvis's blues songs, he learned from listening to the radio shows of "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Alex Miller) and "Howlin' Wolf" (Chester Burnett) on KWEM in West Memphis, AR, Phillips started seeing dollar signs.

I look at "Evil Touch" similarly. I write and sing songs which come from the songs I learned growing up, which I use like a set of building blocks to spell out how I'm feeling when I sit down to write. What comes out is a combination of those building blocks and the feelings in my heart that I'm attempting to spell out with them.

AW: What other singles and albums might be in the pipeline?

JB: Not sure. I'm working on several musical projects. I may release another single from my Pop Top (2022 Remaster) album, as there are more good ones to work with. But, I've got a few other things cooking, so we'll have to see.

I've booked a lot of live gigs in the NW, thankfully, so I'll be doing that, too, over the course of the summer. We'll just have to see what happens.