Photo Credit: Ismael Mendez
If there is one thing Johnny Delaware loves, it’s working with others in a musical sense. It’s the first thing we spoke of when we connected via words in an email thread, but I could sense his excitement for collaborations and what being in bands, like the acclaimed SUSTO, has meant to him. However, November 1st marks the release of his third solo record, ‘Para Llevar.’ We talked not only about the collabs and the record, but its connection to a Los Angeles staple, and more like all the touring he’ll be doing in the coming weeks and months!
Kendra: You’re no stranger to stepping out on your own to explore musically. With two solo records already under your belt and your third, ‘Para Llevar’ out on November 1st, when do you know it’s time to do you and step away from the bands, musically, of course?
Johnny Delaware: Well, first off – I love collaborating. My dream was to always be in a band growing up. So when I moved to Charleston, SC in 2012, I ended up moving into a house full of musicians who took me in and accepted me right away. I was a total stranger who suddenly was playing in bands and living the life! So I love being in bands. Not necessarily when I’m even the lead singer. I just love playing music with my friends.
And of course, there’s a balance with everything in this life, so when I feel a lot of energy is given to other projects, I need to swing the pendulum back to my own art, and that time has come again. It’s a healthy thing. You just kinda feel it and embrace the inner knowing of having to do it. If you ignore what you need, that can manifest negatively in to the other bands you work with, and they don’t want that to happen either. I’m in a mindset where I want everyone to succeed and there’s enough out there for everyone, especially the bands I work in or produce. So I can assume they feel the same way about my music.
Kendra: I’m currently reading ‘Once in a Millennial’ by Kate Kennedy and she noted right at the start that there are observers and performers. With ‘Para Llevar’ you approached it from the point of view of a nomadic observer. Did you have to dig deep to get into that mindset as someone who has spent the better part of the last decade as a musician AKA performer?
Johnny Delaware: I’m not sure haha. I tend not to think much at all when I create. I don’t mean to sound naive, I just don’t really know or understand what I’m doing while I’m writing songs. Whatever feels best to me, I guess. For the lyrics, I did go through several drafts, more than usual. I pen down several verses until it feels like my voice. But to get closer to answering your question, there are a lot of moments on ‘Para Llevar’ where I’m singing from the perspectives of a sociologist, and the places I saw. Much more than previous works.
Kendra: When I saw this record pulled from Laurel Canyon, I got really excited because I used to live out in the valley, and the few times I’d gone through there, it was such an escape from the rest of Los Angeles. I know you’d spent time in Mexico City and were just as inspired by Latin America, but did you get to stay in the Canyon as well for any writing sessions?
Johnny Delaware: I actually never lived in Laurel Canyon, or have visited! But a lot of folks compare my writing style to that era.
Kendra: This is an album that digs deep and runs deep on songs like “Running,” one that is about coming to terms with your own history. This is something I tend to struggle with because it’s not like you can ever change the past, right? Why do you think we tend to obsess over things that are already said and done?
Johnny Delaware: Yeah, great point! It’s usually a clarity of mind. Time usually settles the dust. When things happen to you – enough to inspire you to write – the past usually can’t make sense until you’re granted the space to fully look back. There are a lot of emotions through trauma and pain, so if artists decide to express anything of that, the lyrics are usually directed by what phase of healing you’re in. I think that’s why we write about things long after they’ve been done. It’s a more healthy place to be – than in the thick of it – where you don’t fully understand what’s happening or how you’ll navigate through. But some of my favorite songs are the artists showing their vulnerable side, expressing their pain right then. I love that shit.
Kendra: Time for a side note – What song would you say you’re more thankful for as a fan of music?
Johnny Delaware: “Clean Slate” by M. Ward
Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Para Llevar’ out everywhere on November 1st, what are your plans as we head into the winter months and soon, 2025?
Johnny Delaware: It’s an exciting time! Things start out with the full band US tour (November 12 – December 12) and then we’ll be hitting more shows in March – April in the States. We’re also planning a European tour in May.
