Interview: New Blues with Dylan Bishop
Dylan Bishop is an exciting young bluesman from Fort Worth. While making his second album, Afterglow spoke with him about his background, love of the Blues and what to look forward to in his new album.
Written and photographed by David Koeller
Although he only recently passed drinking age for the bars he plays at, Dylan Bishop has recorded songs with Jimmie Vaughn and maintains a regular touring schedule. He immerses himself in the tradition of blues, and cites artists like Buddy Guy and Albert Collins as some of his inspirations.
There’s something about great blues artists that when singing about human suffering - the pains of rejection, loneliness and disconnection - they remain optimistic. Their music has an affirming and comforting sense of community. You could say it’s this quality of the blues genre that Dylan relates to the most.
It’s a pleasure to talk with you. Tell me about yourself, Dylan. How’d you get into the music scene?
I grew up in Fort Worth. The big thing that got us into guitar was video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. When I was about seven, my older brother Zach wanted to get some guitars. It was his idea and I said “alright,” so my dad, my brother and I got guitars. I just stuck with it and that's how I got into music. At the time I would listen to Aerosmith, AC/DC and Jimi Hendrix CDs.
So then who was your first big musical obsession?
ACDC 100%. I first heard their High Voltage album. It’s Malcolm and Angus Young playing guitars, and I was obsessed with Angus's style — t’s super soulful and bluesy, it's rooted in Chuck Berry, but he applied all the rock and roll flash of the ‘70s to it. I heard it at the perfect time, and I was so turned on by it; ever since then I've been hooked. Angus Young would dress up in a school boy outfit — that was his stage costume. I would come home from my Catholic school at age nine or ten and still have my uniform on and play guitar and I'd pretend I was him. I took some guitar lessons but I grew up in the generation of the internet so I can get on YouTube and learn how to play any song I’d like. That’s basically what I’ve been doing since I was seven.
I first went through the old blues musicians of the ‘40s and ‘50s like Eddie Taylor and B.B. King and that's still where I draw most of my inspiration from, that American black music. Lately I've been into more into the ‘60s, maybe early ‘70s rock and roll. I listen to both American and British bands like the Stooges and MC5 from America and the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin from England. It’s all about combining that newer music like The Yardbirds but still staying true to the original blues music that I like.
What about your influences outside of those two genres?
I like old country musicians like Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, George Jones and Johnny Cash. What I like about them is they have a sincerity and a soul about them, they sing with so much heart. I don't know much about jazz but I enjoy listening to it a lot. If you ask me this question tomorrow though, I would tell you something else.
Some of the stuff I hear on the radio today doesn’t move me though because it’s too excited or too nervous. I don’t want my music to be safe, I want it to have an edge, an unpredictability, excitement, confusion. I want my music to be vulnerable because that’s what we all feel in our own lives. We’re confused and we’re self aware.
How do you put that vulnerability and that newness into your own music?
I guess I try to be natural. It’s such an oxymoron: try to be natural. But I try to play the song just how it comes out, and not to hang on to anything too much. It’s all the mistakes in our favorite recordings that make them so cool. I’m learning when to leave something alone, and just let the imperfections remain. My guitar, it’s so beat up and ugly, and that’s why it’s so cool.
So tell me about the new album that you're working on.
So the new album we're putting together is me, Gian Ortiz on bass and Damian Llanes on drums. We all exchange ideas in the studio in such a free and open way. We’ve got a few tracks down, and I feel really proud of it. All the songs are positive and uplifting. The album is called Wake and Shake, which is the whole spirit of it: wake up and have a good time.
On your last album, you had Jimmie Vaughn playing on a few songs. What was it like working with him?
It was amazing. From a young age I've been a fan of Jimmie Vaughn and his music. He's developed a style that's totally his own — I look up to that so much and I still take a lot from it. He's one of my heroes that’s still around, playing shows. My dad would take me out to hear him play and after the show I'd wait in line and speak with him. Eventually, he started to remember me. I recorded my first album, The Exciting Sounds of the Dylan Bishop in Billy Horton’s studio, who happens to be Jimmie Vaughn’s bass player. Billy texted me one night in the studio and said Jimmie was going to be there and he wanted to play a few tracks if we’d have him. Since then we’ve had a relationship I value and cherish. He’s a hero I’ve gotten to know on a personal level.
So is he coming back for this album?
That's a good question, maybe! I'll have to ask him!
So is this album all original songs?
I think so far it’s all original songs. I’ve toyed with putting one cover on there.
What’s the cover?
There's an old Billy Bob Arnold song called “Wish You Would”. Not only is it a good song I’d love to have a chance at representing, but I’d hope someone would hear the song and then go listen to Billy Bob Arnold. That would be a win for me.
How does the songwriting process work for you?
It's always seemed like a daunting task. There's so many good songs out there already. First and foremost, I consider myself and guitar player so I’ll start with a riff even if I don't have words. Words usually come towards the end of the process. I really enjoy the process. I love putting a song together, getting an idea, and bringing it into the studio. I want to talk about my experience in a way that people can relate to. It's still a new thing for me, writing songs, and I want that to be reflected in them. I'm figuring out stuff, I'm vulnerable but I'm willing to share what I come up with.
This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.
Listen to Dylan Bishop on Spotify and find him on Facebook.