By Andrew Daly
Hailing from Palestine, Texas, five-piece outfit Blacktop Mojo fuses post-grunge, hard rock, bits of blues, and old-time Texas roots, forming a hard-hitting and classic-tinged mix.
As for Matt James, Blacktop Mojo’s searing lead singer, he’s as good as it gets as far as fellas out-front. His range is immense, and his stage presence is top-tier. To catch the vibe, after you dug in on Blacktop Mojo’s latest record, 2024’s Pollen, and their nifty back catalog, head over to YouTube and take in their cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” which is mega.
As for Pollen, out April 5, 2024, it’s Blacktop Mojo’s fifth long-player since their debut, I Am, dropped back in 2014. It’s brimming with the same passion, expressiveness, and bellowing vocals fans of the Texas natives have come to expect. But there’s a progression here, too—mainly in the form of continued maturity in songwriting and a deepening swagger that permeates this new set of tracks.
In support of Pollen, Blacktop Mojo’s Matt James beamed in with Buddy Magazine to dig into his origins as a vocalist, his favorite Texas haunts, the formation and lifecycle thus far of Blacktop Mojo, and more.
What inspired you to become a rock ‘n’ roll vocalist, and what keeps you inspired?
Singing was something fun for me that gave me a release growing up. I would be at home by myself and try to emulate my favorite songs at the top of my lungs. I think the thing that keeps me going today is that I still get that same release, but now I get to sing along with the folks that come and see us and hopefully help give them the same sort of feeling that I got screaming alone by myself.
Tell me about growing up in Texas. What was the scene like?
I grew up in a town of about 5,000 people. I didn’t really have any inkling of a scene back then. The only thing I really knew about music was from listening to my parents’ records in the car, watching music videos in the morning on MTV, or listening to the one country station that came in clearly on the clock radio in my bedroom while I was getting ready for school.
What were some of your favorite spots to take in shows as a kid?
I never really got to take in shows as a kid. I lived in a small town called Rusk, TX growing up that was about two hours from the nearest major city where most acts would roll through. My parents worked all the time to try to give us a good life, so they didn’t really have the time to take us out into the city much.
We were also big into sports and whatnot growing up, so most of my time was dedicated to that. I didn’t see my first real concert until I was 18 when I saw Whiskey Myers open up for Johnny Cooper at Hurricane Harry’s in College Station.
Did any Texas musicians inspire you as you were coming up?
I always loved hearing stories about Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top when they were coming up, and how they were inspired by the 13th Floor Elevators. Robert Earl Keen’s songwriting was always fascinating to me. Stevie Ray Vaughn on Austin City Limits was always a mesmerizing thing to watch. I’ll never forget seeing Willie Nelson perform and watching videos of all the old outlaws and him picking and grinning together like they were on somebody’s front porch.
How did Blacktop Mojo form, and what was the scene like then?
The band was formed in late 2012 after I graduated from college. I met our drummer, Nathan Gillis, and invited him to a coffee shop that I worked at where I was playing an acoustic set. He came to watch me play and, after, invited me back to his house. I showed up with a big bottle of Crown Royal and my guitar. He had his drum kit set up in his living room, and he beat it like it owed him money.
We spent the rest of the night sipping whiskey and talking about starting a band. Being from the middle of nowhere in Texas, there weren’t a whole lot of places to play around us that catered to rock music, so we ended up playing in a lot of country bars, playing covers, and taking gigs anywhere we could get them. It wasn’t until later when we started venturing out and traveling around to the bigger cities that had Rock clubs/bars.
Where are you pulling from regarding songwriting for your record, Pollen?
This record is sort of all over the place. There’s everything from songs inspired by grunge and early 2000s rock to songs inspired by Muscle Shoals soul and country. People are gonna be in for a wild ride on this one.
Which new song means the most to you, and why?
On this record, we have a song called, “As the Light Fades”, and it’s a complete departure from some of the stuff we’ve done in the past. It’s a song about a love that never ends, and I think the world could use a little more love these days.
How do you view the way you sing today versus the past? What’s changed the most?
I think in the past, I was really trying to emulate some of my favorite singers, but after the last decade of doing that, I hope I’ve sort of found my own unique way of singing along the way. I think what has changed the most from when we started is that we get to travel farther than we ever have and play to more people.
You’ve done some cool covers, like Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” How do you approach situations like that?
We had been putting out a cover or two every couple of months on YouTube while we were writing our second album. After we put out a couple, a friend of ours told us that we should try “Dream On.” Philip [Mosley], our producer, thought it might turn out cool, so we all learned the song and gave it a shot. That’s kind of how most of our cover songs came together—just messing around, and something sticks.
As continuous members of the Texas scene, what does that mean to you?
Texas is one of the most unique places in the world as far as music goes. You can find every sound and every genre here, and people make their living just touring in the state of Texas. There’s really nowhere else in the country that happens. We’re proud to even be a tiny part of such an awesome place.
What’s one thing about Blacktop Mojo you want people to know?
For those that haven’t seen us live, we are a true-blue old-school rock band. There are no laptops, no backing tracks, and no filler. It’s rock ‘n’ roll the way it used to be. Just five guys on stage giving every bit of energy we’ve got. What you see is what you get.
What are your short and long-term goals? How will you achieve them?
Our short and long-term goals are kind of the same at this point. We want to tour as much as possible and give as many people as we can a break from the real world where they can bang their heads and forget about their problems for a while.
