John Garcia Names His Most Personally Rewarding Album

John Garcia has fronted various bands over time, however throughout a chat with Full Steel Jackie, the singer revealed the album that was essentially the most personally rewarding for him.

Garcia’s resume is robust, having performed with Kyuss, Slo Burn, Hermano, Unida and Vista Chino together with making a number of collaborations with different acts. So what did he select?

“My first thought is [And the] Circus Leaves City from Kyuss. That one is nearer to my coronary heart than all the opposite ones. I feel I had somewhat bit extra participation in that when it got here right down to writing versus a few of the different Kyuss information,” says Garcia, although he’s fast to notice that he had the luck with enjoying with some nice musicians throughout all of his bands.

His collective catalog is on show this summer time as he and his solo band have been enjoying career-spanning units on a tour that additionally options Telekinetic Yeti and Nick Oliveri on choose dates.

Garcia mentioned with Jackie his ideas on Kyuss’ legacy, what its wish to be a touring musician with a day job, what he seems for in collaborations (together with one identify pairing he is labored with that he’d wish to see finally floor) and what’s been inspiring him of late. Try extra of the chat beneath.

It is Full Steel Jackie and this week we’re excited to welcome to the present former Kyuss singer John Garcia. You are on the market enjoying profession spanning units out of your numerous bands, Kyuss, Slo Burn, Hermano, Vista Chino, Unida, in addition to your solo works. That is gotta be enjoyable attempting to place collectively setlists and reflecting in your profession thus far. Trying again and taking in every thing in your life that was occurring at the moment, what album cycle was your most personally and creatively rewarding?

My first thought is [And the] Circus Leaves City from Kyuss. That one is nearer to my coronary heart than all the opposite ones. I feel I had somewhat bit extra participation in that when it got here right down to writing versus a few of the different Kyuss information, however all of them actually from Kyuss and Slo Burn, Unida and Hermano and Vista Chino, I have been very, very fortunate to have performed with such nice musicians.

A lot of individuals assume, why do I play in all of those bands and so forth and so forth. I haven’t got any guidelines when it comes right down to if I ought to play this, when and the way and if I keep on this act. I nonetheless have nice relationships with nearly all of my bands. And so to have the ability to exit and have fun a few of these information and bands and these songs, it is particular.

If somebody’s simply coming to those reveals simply to listen to me play Kyuss, do not come. That is not going to occur.

Kyuss, “Hurricane”

John, we had been speaking earlier about your present tour and what followers can anticipate and naturally it isn’t gonna be only a Kyuss set.

Will I be enjoying Kyuss? Completely, positive. But additionally such as you mentioned, Slo Burn, Hermano, Unida and Vista Chino. So it is type of a better of and I am in a extremely distinctive place to play songs from all of those information from all of those bands.

My guys present these songs an unimaginable quantity of respect. They make them their very own together with retaining to the guts and roots of the tune. So it is actually one thing cool and actually one thing particular.

I’ve not achieved this on the west coast ever in my life. I will be turning 55 this 12 months and I really feel nice. And with the help of my household and the physician that I work for, Dr. Peter Hennin, who’s a veterinarian who I am his proper hand on the Palm Springs Animal Hospital, it is nice. So I’ve everyone’s blessing, however most significantly my household. And it is one thing that I look ahead to.

And once more, that is only a celebration of my previous.

It is Full Steel Jackie. We have John Garcia on the present with us. This tour is primarily within the Western U.S., seemingly hitting markets you have performed incessantly at this stage in your profession. Do you make time when touring to expertise extra of the areas you play? And are there sure markets you simply attempt to get out and discover while you play there?

I have been been touring all around the world since I used to be in my late teenagers and early twenties. Europe, Australia, South America. I’ve by no means been to Asia, however out of all of the locations that I have been to, the US is an exquisite nation. And sure, Europe, it is beautiful and it has plenty of historical past, however the States, the West Coast, California, Oregon, Washington, the Midwest, I like visiting these states and being near going by means of Wyoming and Idaho and Utah and Nevada and the southern deserts of Colorado.

It is actually cool for me and I am a little bit of a foodie myself, so I like simply stopping off on the mother and pops on the facet of the highway, not the massive company place however the household owned locations and discuss to the locals and eat the native meals there. You discover out what’s particular there and the recipes which have been handed down for generations and a few of these mother and pop roadside eating places. That to me can be a spotlight and it simply makes it all of the extra pleasing and never solely only for me, however with my guys too.

John, inform us about your guys within the band.

You have obtained Billy Cordell, John Bennett and Greg Saenz, who I have been with for fairly some time. I’ve obtained an awesome band, I’ve obtained an awesome crew. Everyone’s all respectful and simply calm, cool and cordial and we’re all, you realize, simply tremendous good associates.

It is a rarity for all of us. All of us have full time jobs, we’re all fathers, we’re all husbands. John Bennett, he is an English instructor. Billy Cordell, he has a really profitable yoga enterprise within the Coachella Valley. And Greg Saenz, he manages and runs one of many largest and most prestigious bars in a really, very prestigious nation membership down right here within the Coachella Valley.

And I assist run Palm Springs Animal Hospital with Dr. Hannon. So to have the ability to take a break from the norm, which we’re all fortunate to have nice careers, however to have the ability to take a break from that, actually Jackie, and to exit and do one thing like this, that is one thing particular and that is one thing that we don’t take with no consideration.

We admire having the ability to do that and having our wives and our youngsters be supportive and having our jobs be supportive and say, “Go have enjoyable. You could have our blessing.” So that is one thing that we do not take with no consideration. And we’re in a really distinctive, distinctive place to do one thing like this. And we all know it.

So after we play the Casbah, after we play the Fonda, after we hit Sac, San Francisco, Portland and El Corazon and in Seattle, which is famous, and I performed there earlier than up by means of Vancouver and during Canada and down by means of Minnesota and Wisconsin, it is a actually cool factor. It is a celebration once more.

I am going again to that phrase of celebrating of my previous and this music. After which the fellows have interjected some actually cool blues instrumental music that they’ll inject into the set midway by means of. So it is previous, it is current, it is future. That is for the {couples}, that is for the youngsters, that is for the households.

Right here we’re. Get in, dig in, get your tickets. It may be cool, it’ll be a riot. And we’re right here to take the listener on a journey and we’re gonna do this.

John, Kyuss earned a sure stage of respect for his or her 90s output. And time has been sort with regards to recognizing the expertise inside that band with years of separation from it. How do you are feeling in regards to the legacy of Kyuss and the affect they yielded with different acts? Did that band meet, exceed or fall in need of your expectations of what you thought it could possibly be?

Yeah, it went far and past no matter my expectations had been. I am proud to say that I can journey on the coattails of Kyuss. That is cool, that is nice if folks need to put it that method. However there’s extra to my profession than simply Kyuss. I’ve embraced it.

I feel that the phrase legendary and that phrase legend will get thrown round somewhat bit loosely. I take a look at anyone like Robbie Krieger from the Doorways, I take a look at anyone like John Densmore from the Doorways which might be nonetheless alive and for example and these true dwelling legends and the legacy that they’ve left together with Jim and Ray, that is one thing that I think about to be true legends and leaving a legacy for me personally.

READ MORE: Brant Bjork Didn’t Like Kyuss Being Called the ‘Next Metallica’

I do not take myself that severe and I do not think about myself to be a legend or any of that stuff. That is not who I’m. I am a veterinary technician who loves what I do and I do effectively at my job and I thrive at that. And my job is to assist individuals who need assistance.

John, over time you have had various nice collaborations. Certainly one of my favorites was your pairing with Crystal Technique on “Born Too Sluggish.” What are you on the lookout for in your musical collaborations and is it completely different relying on whether or not it is a band, an album mission or only a one off expertise with one other group?

Yeah, what I am on the lookout for is a problem. It is nice when Scott And Ken from the Crystal Technique and say they obtained Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit they usually need me to sing. I am like, “Oh, wait a minute, do you guys know what I do? I do not take heed to EDM, I do not take heed to digital dance music.” However was I accustomed to their music? Completely.

I like that problem of having the ability to go, “Dude, take heed to this observe.” Am I capable of match lyrics and a melody to one thing like this? And I jumped at that chance. I like these challenges.

I like this artist by the identify of Adrian Quesada of The Black Pumas. He is their guitar participant and type of the producer of Eric Burton. I’d like to go sooner or later in that course. I am only a massive, massive fan of the Black Pumas. I’d love to have the ability to collaborate with him someday within the close to or far future. We’ll see if that pans out. If it does, nice. If it does not, that is okay too.

However man, if, if you have not heard the Black Pumas and if you have not heard any of Adrian Quesada’s solo music, I extremely advocate going out and happening the rabbit gap. It is effectively price it, I promise you.

The Black Pumas, “Colours”

John, again a few 12 months you spoke about engaged on music with Invoice Kelliher of Mastodon and one other previous collaborator, Wealthy Mullins of Karma to Burn. The place did the friendship with Invoice first begin and what had been the beginnings of attempting to do one thing collectively musically?

You had the rhythm part, the unique rhythm part for Karma to Burn, Wealthy Mullins and Nathan Lumbaugh. And after I first was turned on to them, they opened up for Kyuss again within the early 90s and I used to be floored by their music. I grew to become actually good associates with them.

Wealthy, we have all the time type of saved in contact with one another. And Wealthy had this concept of working with Invoice and Invoice was into it. I talked to them each they usually mentioned, “Yeah, we now have these concepts. Why do not you come to Atlanta?” So I flew out to Atlanta and we did fairly a couple of tracks. I feel we did six or seven tracks. They usually turned out to be very well.

As for Invoice, that man. Let’s speak about legends. That man is a dwelling legend. What an awesome man he’s. I am unable to converse extremely sufficient about him. He is very proficient. He is a household man. He is simply an general powerhouse of a guitar participant. And he is a household man. I like that. He is not a drug addict. He has his head on straight. He is peaceable, he is sort. I am now actually good associates with Invoice, and we simply obtained alongside in spectacular vogue. And hopefully certainly one of today, extra before later, that music will see the sunshine of day.

However between his schedule and my schedule, it is fairly powerful. Once more, possibly certainly one of today we’ll have the ability to get it out and I definitely hope so.

John, so far as new music goes, what have you ever been engaged on of late? What’s been inspiring you, both musically or lyrically?

I am impressed by the Black Pumas actually, rather a lot. They’re simply an unimaginable band. And Adrian Quesada, all of his solo stuff is completely unimaginable. It is Eric Burton, not Eric Burdon, however Eric Burton, the singer for the Black Pumas. He is an unimaginable singer, songwriter. However them collectively because the Black Pumas, that is a drive to be reckoned with. Completely unimaginable band. So I am impressed by them.

Hermanos Gutierrez, two guys that do Spanish guitar, no vocals. Unimaginable. Completely unimaginable band. They’re phenomenal. So there’s plenty of Latin affect that it is type of creeping up now. I am unable to converse a phrase of Spanish both.

I do not plan to. It is simply I by no means have. I used to be raised by a German Polish girl, my mother, who took care of three children on her personal. However, I am actually leaning in direction of challenges for me, whether or not or not it’s an acoustic tune or electrical tune, however I am leaning in direction of the style of, what I have been listening to, which is Hermanos Gutierrez, which is Adrian Quesada which is the Black Pumas.

Now, how that interprets to no matter I put out, we’ll see how that every one pans out. However writing with my guys is all the time nice and we, we plan to hopefully come out with a file right here in 2027. We’ll see the way it all goes. However, you realize, proper now I am pleasantly content material, Jackie. I’ve obtained an exquisite spouse, I’ve obtained an exquisite daughter, I’ve obtained an awesome son and an unbelievable profession. And I am pleased and I admire the straightforward issues in life.

Due to John Garcia for the interview. Keep updated with Garcia by means of his Facebook, Instagram and X accounts. Discover out the place you’ll be able to hear Full Steel Jackie’s weekend radio present here.