Warped Tour in Kansas City: I’m Too Old For This Shit

Several hours and a horrendous sunburn later, I retired to an air conditioned and couch-filled trailer to talk with oddball addition to the tour, Shooter Jennings. The son of outlaw country music legend Waylon Jennings, Shooter said he had brought his jazz, gospel, and Southern Rock-infused country to The Warped Tour because he “hates being boxed into a certain kind of music. I hate boundaries.” Shooter Jennings on the Vans Warped Tour is most certainly a boundary buster.

Shooter Jennings
Photo © 2009 Meredith L. Phillips

Popshifter: I hear this is your last stop on the tour. What’s the experience been like for you?

Shooter Jennings: It’s been great. Our last stop technically is in L.A. but this is our last date touring with the show. It’s been a really wild experience but it’s been great getting it under our belts It’s been interesting to dig ourselves into this world for a minute.

Popshifter: How have crowds taken to your set?

Shooter Jennings: They’ve been really good. When we started in San Francisco it was a bit of a low audience, but as we’ve gone along it’s grown. I think people are starting to hear about us; there’s definitely a curiosity factor when people walk over. Angelo (Moore) from Fishbone has been playing with us. That’s been a lot of fun.

Popshifter: What are some of your influences musically?

Shooter Jennings: Man, that’s all over the place. Obviously there was country music when I was little, but I was a rock kid growing up. As I got older, I started to appreciate the song writing and fell in love with country all over again. I explore that a lot but I’m all over the place. I listen to everything from Jerry Reed to Nine Inch Nails to George Jones, so pretty much anything. I just appreciate music as a whole.

Popshifter: What did your dad say when you told him you wanted to be a musician?

Shooter Jennings: Well, it wasn’t as cut and dried as that. I was messing around with it for a while and when he finally heard what I was doing, he was very supportive which I was really lucky to have. A lot of people don’t get to grow up in families that play music or make a living off it.

I think my mom (country music singer Jessi Colter) was more like, “Are you sure you want to get into this?” I think Dad would be proud of what I’m doing and Mom has definitely been supportive of my music.

Popshifter: Have you found that the Jennings name is a help or hindrance in your career?

Shooter Jennings: I could never be angry about it because I had such a good dad and mom; I grew up very close to them and I’m very proud of the music they made.

You know, it never really crossed my mind until I really got into it and put music out there, then the comparisons started coming. But there is no way I can ever be angry with that.

Popshifter: How has being a father changed you?

Shooter Jennings: My daughter (20-month-old Alabama) has changed my world completely. My whole life has changed; the way I look at life, the way I act, I live with a lot more meaning. I miss her every day I’m away. It’s been a long run. Two days from now I get to go home to her; I’m very excited about that.

Popshifter: What is it that you’re trying to bring to country that’s unique?

Shooter Jennings: Well, I think I’m just trying to blend all the music that I’m a fan of together and trying to exist in a space without any boundaries. I don’t like being boxed into country or rock or anything else. I just like music that’s progressive. That’s what’s important to me.

Popshifter: What has been the defining moment of your musical life so far?

Shooter Jennings: Wow, that’s tough. I’ve had a lot of really big moments but I don’t think I’ve had THE defining moment yet. There have been times when I’ve been part of things that I’ve been lucky to be a part of but I’d chalk that up more to luck. The defining moment is still around the corner, I guess.

Popshifter: Any new record plans?

Shooter Jennings: Yeah, it’ll come out around October. No solid date yet. It’s a pretty progressive, different album. It’s kinda what fueled us to do this tour and some other things. There will be a tour this fall around the record. There are a lot of surprises on the record. We’re definitely asking the fans to take a risk with us but I think it will be something they’ll like.

Popshifter: Will you be back in Kansas City on the tour? The Midwest kind of gets skipped over sometimes when people tour.

Shooter Jennings: Yeah, we’ll be back most definitely. KC and the Midwest always does us right. There’s a little thing between L.A. and New York called America. Artists should never forget that. Never leave them out.

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