LAWTON, OKLAHOMA -- When it came to titling his latest album, it was no surprise that Jesse Stratton called it Family & Friends, with the word “family” coming first.
That is because Stratton, 36, the Wimberley-based singer-songwriter, always puts his family first.
In our rambling and pleasant telephone interview on a recent Friday afternoon, Stratton came off as laid back and easygoing, while also eager to talk about his music and his approach to promotion.
Rather than working tirelessly knocking on radio-station and news outlet doors, Stratton has taken a more subtle approach; traveling around his home state of Texas and playing the music he loves.
“I try to do the best I can,” Stratton said. “And I try not to be away too long.”
With a wife and four kids at home, well, family comes first. And with a 12-year old son who is interested in music and percussion, Stratton wants to instill that love and wonder for music, just as he has.
His son, he said, appears in shows with him sometimes.
“He sings harmonies,” Stratton said. “He is also learning songs on saxophone.”
He even runs his new songs by his son, and he’ll give it a “yay” or a “nay,” which Stratton says he appreciates.
Stratton added that earlier in his musical career he had toured with another up-and-coming Texas musician about a decade ago, before the Jesse Stratton Band formed in 2014. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Tony Garossino, bassist Lyndsey Torrez and drummer Kenny Martinez.
This particular Texas Music artist sang and worked and toured with few breaks; until he totally burned out and hung up his guitar. Stratton said seeing that first hand taught him what not to do.
“I learned a lot from that experience,” Stratton said. “Fortunately, I branched off before he quit. Seeing him (burn out) make me realize what I don’t want to happen.”
The song “Slow It Down” reflects Stratton’s emphasis on making every day count, sort of the opposite of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1972 hit “Someday Never Comes,” which is John Fogerty’s take on parents not being there for a young child, in his case, his own son, due to his heavy touring schedule. Now he’s highlighting family-oriented songs like “Think of You (For My Children),” and “Growing Old Together,” for instance.
Continuing, Stratton said, “I really try and try to promote (the new album),” he said. “I still go out and do radio interviews around Texas. And I know that I could do more. I could leave more often …” He trails off. He knows his approach right now is what works best.
So far, it is a strategy that has worked well for him and the guys in the Jesse Stratton Band.
But Stratton knows the perils faced by many touring musicians with families who later regret missing out on key events in their family’s history.
FAMILY, FRIENDS & FAMILIARITY
This reporter first became familiar with the Jesse Stratton Band’s existence back in August after reading a description of the band in the Port Aransas South Jetty newspaper, based in Port Aransas, the Texas Gulf Coast town where live music is part of the beach culture there.
During our conversation – weeks after I first began researching the group at their website, jessestrattonmusic.com – traveling around Texas, remembering the halcyon days of childhood and making the most of being a dad today – all within the boundaries of the Lone Star State – are themes that pop up a lot in Family & Friends.
The song that stood out the most to this reporter, the reggae/island-influenced number “Port Aransas Breeze,” reflects Stratton’s love of family vacations – remembering those taken when he was a child, and the trips he takes these days to beach destinations like Port Aransas. When he wrote it, he wasn’t sure his bandmates would dig it. But they responded quite positively, Stratton said.
“They loved it, ‘Port Aransas Breeze,’” he said. “But they all love all different kinds of music. The more variety the better as far as they’re concerned. And the crowds really like it too. Now we play it almost every time.”
But that is a thing in Texas and songs about Texas – which are very important to Texans, unsurprisingly. Reminds me of the legendary Texas Country musician Gary P. Nunn name-dropping Port Aransas as a beloved destination in his song “One State of Mind.”
The songs on Family & Friends are straightforward and unambiguous - a description Stratton is utterly comfortable with. Stratton’s voice is emphasized in the mix, as the JSB’s very capable musicians are quite talented and are clearly having fun throughout the 15-track, independently-released album.
“What I did with this album, I did straightforward songs,” he said. “I took some more care and took – I am creating my own little opera. Because I think it’s cool and I think it’s fun.”
Not only does Stratton play guitar and sing, but he also plays saxophone and harmonica. The sax is notable on the opening track, “2325,” an instrumental that leads into the rollicking “Rodeo Dust,” a song about the fun of going out to the local fairgrounds and enjoying all the carnival has to offer. It is one of the early tracks on Family & Friends.
Stratton noted that “Rodeo Dust” is his eight-year old daughter’s favorite song. His descriptions of the fair come through loud and clear, only as a father with young children could describe.
As for harmonica, I found Stratton’s harp blowing was particularly effective on the somewhat melancholy-sounding “Fredericksburg,” where the harmonica has a train whistle-like loneliness alongside drummer Kenny Martinez’s train-track snare. Oh, and Stratton makes sure to throw in a sax solo for the outro.
Road songs are important to Stratton. Texas is big and driving from place-to-place is part of everyday life. So, “Big Empty Highway” is a general “road song,” which Stratton says is about “going out and seeing the people you love.”
Added Stratton: “Explore.”
Stratton’s parents, particularly his father, have played a big part in guiding Stratton into music and making it a major part of his life. With “Lucky,” a song on Family & Friends dedicated to his mom and dad, was recently released in the form of a music video. It features old home videos, including the very moment in 1994, when a pre-adolescent Jesse Stratton is handed an acoustic guitar by his dad – triggering what would be a lifelong love of music.
“He was showing me how to play an ‘A’ chord,” Stratton fondly recalls.
SPREADING THE WORD
Since its release in October 2021, Stratton has noticed a lot of interest in Family & Friends by listeners in Europe. And with this album, which features more blues influences than prior releases, Stratton said his songs have become more popular overseas.
It is common for American blues artists to tour Europe, where they often have bigger followings than they do in their home country of the United States. And Stratton says JSB guitarist Tony Garossino has brought a bluesy sensibility to their music of late. The outro on “Blue Skies & BBQ” is one such example on the new album.
“There have been a few radio stations playing our music,” he said. “I hired an Americana (music) promoter. It’s our first time doing Americana promotion. But right now not a lot of stations are playing it.”
Again, beyond playing gigs and doing the DIY-word-of-mouth thing, Stratton says “rubbing elbows” is “not a strong point of mine,” and if he did, he knows he wouldn’t be true to himself.
“I know what it takes. I did that for a few years,” he said.
The same day we spoke, Jason Boland & The Stragglers were releasing their new concept album The Light Saw Me, about a UFO kidnapping an 1890’s Texas cowboy and dropping him off 100 years in the future.”
While Stratton doesn’t personally know Boland, he said The Stragglers record at Yellow Dog Studio where he recorded Family & Friends. Coming off as very humble and unassuming, Stratton said he doesn’t seek out other Texas musicians, not because he’s antisocial or anything, but because he is focused on his family, his music and his job three days a week in a medical office.
There is an exception, however.
“Kevin Fowler reached out to me,” he said. “He will come to our shows some times. He is definitely a friend.”
MY MUSIC
The trappings of Texas Country and rock music in general don’t interest Stratton all that much, although he admits to playing covers of songs – many from out of the 1990s, during Stratton’s teen years – that go over well in a live setting.
“We like to play unexpected cover songs,” he said. “’Glycerine’ by Bush. We turned that one into a dancehall song. And we have a Green Day song, ‘When I Come Around,’ which is played in a bluegrass style.”
“We have a lot of songs we’ll play slow or faster. I’ll play a sax solo,” he said. “Our fans know it’s not going to be the same thing every time.”
Nineties music really resonates with Stratton, even though it was a decade when the saxophone fell out of favor, as did instrumental solos in general. The Jesse Stratton Band does their own thing, dismissing “trends,” as they say.
Earlier JSB songs, like the lovely “Hill Country Rain,” bring to mind tunes like Gary Allan’s hit “Songs About Rain.” And while there are some flourishes of outside inspiration on the new record, ultimately it is original and fresh while remaining familiar and appealing to the ear.
Stratton says he tries to keep his music fresh and play different songs at each gig. That Port Aransas gig I noted earlier in the article got rained out. Not once, but twice. But Stratton was able to turn it into a positive thing and take his son to a Robert Earl Keen show, the first non-Jesse Stratton Band gig he had seen. And since Stratton likes to cover REK’s “Corpus Christi Bay,” it was a neat opportunity.
Stratton says he is fortunate to have a group of reliable guys committed to being in his band.
“I try not to have a revolving door of musicians,” he said. “Camaraderie of the band brings something to the show. That’s always a positive thing.”
And their stamp is all over the album. Each member gets a chance to shine. But ultimately it’s Stratton’s baby.
“Everything on the album is super personal to me,” he said. “I tend to be very straightforward about what I write about.”
Additionally, Stratton takes time and care in the studio, explaining he is “very involved in the recording,” from pre-production to the final product. After all, it is his band and his name getting put out there.
Asked if there were plans for the band in the near future, Stratton said he is playing it by ear. He has shows close to home in Wimberley and Fredericksburg. A recent Texas A&M gameday gig in College Station was a blast for him and the band. And he also said they are playing the Houston area more and also in West Texas. They are also looking at opportunities for spreading their positive musical message in Oklahoma, as well.
We are slowly spreading out and getting into new communities,” he said. Beyond Texas and surrounding states, Stratton said the JSB will play in Wisconsin next summer, as he has a lot of family in the distant Badger State.
Any new music on the horizon?
“I don’t really have any plans to record (in the near future),” he said. “We’re not working on anything now, formally. But I am always working on songs. I write songs just constantly. As for the band, we’re going to try and do everything we can to get out there and play. We’re going to try and get our videos out there. The videos help. They’re expensive but when I look back, when you release a video for a song, (fans) seem to remember those songs more.” And with his godfather, Arthur Serrano, operating a charter fishing boat out of Port Aransas these days, Stratton said he and the band might ask him to use it in a future video for “Port Aransas Breeze.”
In the meantime, while being away from home is hard, he and the band “are doing fine.”
“We’re playing shows and people come to our shows singing along. It’s not like the whole crowd, but it is cool to see on a small scale,” he said.
There’s a pause. And then Stratton adds, “I’m lucky.”
For more information go to www.jessestrattonmusic.com
Andrew W. Griffin is a longtime journalist who has covered the Oklahoma and Texas Country music scenes for two decades. He is the founder and editor of RedDirtReport.com and is based in Oklahoma City. For more of his work, read his book “Rock Catapult: 1966 - The Launch of Modern Rock & Roll” at rockcatapult.com
