Editor’s note: This show was canceled due to recent positive COVID-19 cases in the touring crew.
The existential pause button that was pressed when COVID-19 whomped the planet back in March 2020 proved to be a double-edged sword for musicians around the globe. And while it was admittedly a challenge for Alice in Chains founding member Jerry Cantrell, the Tacoma, Washington, native instead forged on by not only finishing his third solo album, last year’s “Brighten,” but went so far as making this the first project he’s independently put out without the help of a major label.
With the inspiration coming out of Cantrell, having played a pair of sold-out Los Angeles solo shows back in December 2019, he and his crew had the basic tracks for this nine-song collection down by the time society shut down in March 2020.
“We knew the call was coming and we were watching the news to see what the CDC was saying,” Cantrell recalled. “We pushed it right up to the line and ended the day before they gave the stay-at-home order. Since we were already in motion and had a good chunk of the basic tracks done, I had plenty to keep me busy. I also took advantage of the fact that since it was going to take us longer, the brain trust of [mixer] Joe Barresi, [producer] Tyler Bates, [engineer] Paul Figueroa and myself had a lot of time to really think about the record. We had Abe Laboriel Jr. (drummer for Paul McCartney), Vincent Jones (keyboards) and Duff McKagan (bassist of Guns N’ Roses) come in later in the process because we got afforded the time. As a result, the album got quite a bit more depth and layers added to it thanks to them and the fantastic solid performances of all the other musicians. It turned out to be a better record because of our using this bigger group of talented people.”
Credit: Jonathan Weiner
Credit: Jonathan Weiner
Coming in at a compact 40 minutes and change, “Brighten” benefits from Cantrell’s songwriting chops that elevate his musicianship beyond his already formidable guitar-playing. Among the gems popping up are “Had to Know,” an epic jam that rolls forward on a combination of surging organ runs, layered vocals and cascading riffs that give it the kind of cinematic sweep you’d come to expect from a film buff who is upfront about his love of Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone. Elsewhere, Cantrell brings in unexpected nuances like pedal steel to ear worms like the atmospheric “Prism of Doubt” and the bouncy cynicism of “Black Hearts and Evil Done.” As a longtime admirer of Reginald Dwight dating back to childhood, Cantrell got the personal stamp of approval to include a cover of the Elton John classic “Goodbye,” which is handled with a brilliant balance of emotion, subtlety and with spot-on string arrangements.
And while the pandemic proved to add challenges to what the 56-year-old guitar-playing singer-songwriter admits is an already heady process of creating a record, he’s also rather matter-of-fact when asked about grappling with these and any other obstacles.
“Every record is a challenge and it’s amazing that a record even gets done,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s all good — every bit of it, even the tough stuff. There were a lot of things to do — artwork — and it’s the first independent record [I’ve] really done in my career, which is odd and kind of cool. It’s literally out of the office in my house. Tracking down vinyl, dealing with all the online elements and getting okays to release the record on different platforms are all part of it. But at the same time, it’s always a gamble and it’s exciting. You have a loose idea and a plan when you start out. A lot of it is unclear, veiled or a little bit in the shadows. That’s kind of cool — finding all that stuff along the way.
“Each record I’ve been a part of is a snapshot or period of time, not only in my life, but the people that I’m taking that journey with and who I’m going through that process with,” Cantrell said. “It’s being recorded for posterity and once you let that thing out of your hands, it’s out there permanently. You better be okay with it if you put it out. There’s not always a guarantee of that, too, and that’s kind of exciting. I’ve never had that happen yet, thank God, but if I ever got to the end of that process and thought it wasn’t any good, I wouldn’t put it out. But I haven’t had that experience yet — knock on wood.”
With his latest project out in the world, Cantrell is ready to hit the road. Booked until the end of the year, he’ll rejoin Alice in Chains from August until early October on a bill rounded out by Breaking Benjamin and Bush. But he’ll first jump out for a string of solo dates. For him, it’ll mean knocking off some rust while getting back into live music mode.
“I’ve been sitting on my couch way too long,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t catch COVID-19, but I did catch the COVID 20 and am in the process of trying to work it through. I need to get up there, sweat a little bit and remember that I play guitar in a band. So we’ll be playing a bunch of this record and a lot of “Boggy Depot” (his 1998 solo debut album). We’ll be playing stuff from all phases of my career of writing. I’ve been fortunate to have been writing for a while and written some tunes that have touched some people and I’m aware of that. If I’m showing up, and a couple of them want to hear me play ‘em and I’m going to do that.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Jerry Cantrell
8 p.m. April 15. $36.50-$75. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW. Atlanta. 404-659-9022, tabernacleatl.com.
