 Nashville based songwriter-singer Bob Rea will release his new project, SOUTHBOUND, on April 20, 2018. Produced by Steve Daly, the thirteen-track collection of all original material moves with adventurous wanderlust and incisive lyrical grit. Etched with universal truths and tinges of humor, there's a strength and familiarity in Southbound's tracks that comes from the kind of craftsmanship that's honed through years of doing what you love. In advance of the release, Rea took the time to answer his Essential 8 and talk about the album, inspiration, favorite albums, and more. Is there a particular story behind your album’s title? When I started going back through several years of songs I discovered that I had a number of them that had the word southbound or going south and many train references. Maybe because m house in Nashville is near the tracks and it's subliminal. Had just finished Southbound with Erik Stucky and was sure I wanted to put it on the Album. Up the that point I had thought Say Goodnight would be the title and theme for the story I was telling with the album but then I realized that Southbound was the theme and should be the title whereas Say goodnight was the synopsis Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did Getting the songs into a sequence to tell the story I wanted to tell with the album turned out to be more of a challenge than I had expected. I wanted them to be like chapters in a book leading to an inevitable conclusion. Starting the order with Southbound was had to be. then Say Goodnight at the three spot because it sums up everything else. The rest fell in place leading up to Fish Can't Fly in the number twelve spot because it's the flip side of the Southbound side. Then ending it with A Place in Your Heart because it has the melancholy yet open to hope quality that a last chapter should have With (please choose a song), what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? When writing Say Goodnight with my friend Jody Mulgrew we had a the chorus and a start of a verse and were getting pretty hungry so I recorded it on my phone and just sang verse lyrics as they came to me. Then we had some BBQ and went our separate ways. I didn't listen to the recording until several weeks later and I couldn't believe how profoundly the lyrics I had rattled off affected me. I didn't remember singing them but realized they were a painting of life in reverse. Old to young. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I'm not sure I draw inspiration as much as it draws me. Music, movies and books, although I have gotten lazy about reading and I'm really picky about movies and music. I try to begin writing with a blank mind and sheet of paper. I try out a few chord progressions and find a key that fits the day. Each day has a key that feels good and a song waiting that fits that key. If I get stuck I go through my notes on the cell phone to see if something fits the melody or pattern I have going and frequently there is something that fits close to perfectly. I don't get much done if I wait for inspiration but once I find something interesting it will come running. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? For a lot of years after I started writing practically every song I wrote was about my own experience and perspective. As i matured as a writer and when I got to a place in life where I could write a lot more i found that writing from that perspective got kind of boring and that it was limiting my reach. For the last few years I have been really focused on writing truthfully, so I'm not too concerned with where the story comes from as long as it has a truth to it. True and truth are two different things and truth is not necessarily true. What has been your biggest struggle so far? Myself. It's hard to hold faith in what you are trying to accomplish with your music but we all have to find a way to believe in the power of that music. Plus I tend to be a bit reckless at times which can create conflict between art and commerce. What are your “must have” albums for the road? Springsteen-Darkness at the Edge of Town, Tom Waits-Rain Dogs, Drive by Truckers-American Band, Covenhoven, Neil Young- Freedom, Alison Moore Shelby Lynne- Not Dark Yet, Knarles Barkley-St. Elsewhere, Lumineers- Cleopatra and on and on. Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? Saw Drive By Truckers at Americana Fest last year. Up till that night I was what you could consider a fan but after that show I'm a rabid fan. It was one of those shows that was an experience that that was mesmerizing and can't be duplicated. Patterson Hood. Wow. Website/Facebook/Listen
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