The Story behind American Road

An interview with artist Jason Didner

Where did you get the album title?

American Road is a real street address in Morris Plains, New Jersey, where I was doing some work. At the end of the road is an enormous American flag. When traffic slowed down one day so everyone could get a look at a minor accident, the American Road theme all came together - reality TV, road rage, disconnectedness, and the inner struggles to return to a more connected state - that was my American Road.

How did you go about writing the songs?

Just as with the title song, I wrote the majority of the album while driving. Once I turned the radio off, I allowed myself to write my own soundtrack, so to speak. Usually it was lyrics first, and the music followed quickly after. I usually come up with verses in whatever order they occur to me, and then rearrange the order so they tell the story. If I tried to be completely linear as I'm writing my first draft of the song, I'd have been more likely to give up, thinking it's just too hard.

Wow - guitar rock, blues, acoustic folk, and reggae - this album covers a lot of territory. What holds it together?

All the songs are part of the same larger story - an average human who’s put through his paces of going throuh everyday life - fighting the urge to hide out from the world - learning to put more of himself into his relationships - dealing with resentments - feeling the shock and horror of war and terror - mourning its aftermath - and learning to be a generous member of a larger world. Sure, there are mood swings - just like we have, but it’s all coming from one perspective.

What was it like working on the long-distance collaborations with your guest artists?

Man, it was great! These were some of the nicest, most enthusiastic people you’d ever want to virtually meet. Scott Landers is an incredible human being who’s too busy rocking out on his rippin’ guitar style to feel sorry for himself over his muscular dystrophy. He gave me exactly what I was looking for on Enemy of my Enemy - he created a war on his axe, just like Jimi Hendrix did with “Machine Gun.”

Pete (who works under the name Europica) gave me a brilliant piece to work with, with these really sincere, uplifting lyrics and a thumping reggae beat - “Will You Be my Brother?”. I had such an easy time giving this song the rest of what it needed, because all the elements were right there. Ed Drury is a consummate professional in his own right, and was the perfect guy to sweeten the track with this really tasty trumpet part that he did on the keyboards.