JD McPherson has premiered a new music video, and—you guessed it—you can watch it below. The Karkwa-esque song, "On the Lips," is from the retro rocker's monster 2017 album, Undivided Heart & Soul, which was named one of Guitar World's 10 Best Roots Albums of the Year.
The ethereal, Radiohead-meets-Duane-Eddy shimmy of "On the Lips" is indicative of the more contemporary sound of Undivided Heart & Soul. The Oklahoma-bred guitarist—whose early gems include three-chord rockers like "North Side Gal"—has been branching out a bit, album by album (Undivided Heart & Soul is his third).
Regardless, it's all rock and roll to McPherson & Co.
"If anyone asks what kind of music we play, we say rock and roll," McPherson told Guitar World. "We’re a rock and roll band. A lot of people might be surprised at my perception of what rock and roll is, the fact that it didn’t end after three years of its inception. I love rock and roll all the way through Rockpile, through T-Rex, through the Stooges. To me, all of those things are fair game to soak up into what we do. It also has a lot to do with what you’re listening to at the time or where your head is.
"And, I gotta tell ya, fear can be a real impediment to the creative process; it also can be an incredible aid to the creative process, because making this record was, like, these songs were just falling out, and I was having a really hard time wrestling with the fact that some people might be bummed out that it didn’t feel like the first record.
"There was a point where I literally couldn’t worry anymore. It was like, these are the songs I’m writing, this is what we’re doing. We did it, and so far so good. We’ve gotten a very positive response to it."
For the rest of that brilliant interview, head here.
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In other McPherson news, the guitarist is featured in Fender's latest video, which promotes the company's new American Original Series, a line of electric guitars inspired by some of their most successful Fifties, Sixties and Seventies models. You can watch that clip below. (McPherson first appears at the 21-second mark).
For more about McPherson and the new album, visit jdmcpherson.com.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
