02-28-25 Interview - Freddy Jones Band on Today

Quite the day today, and I'm happy to have something totally unrelated to what we've been talking about to talk about.

Right now.

I have two members of the Freddie Jones band, neither of whom are named Freddie Jones, in the studio with me right now, and let's.

Start with well, let's start right now.

Who wants to tell me why you have a band that's named after someone who isn't.

Even in the band.

Well, the funny thing is is that we for years were so embarrassed about the real story that we, oh, it's not good. Uh look, here's I apologize, But we told so many FIBs over for the over the years.

The real story isn't really that exciting.

But you know it turned into the first Canadian to cross Lake Michigan in an inner tube obviously was Freddie Jones, you know, all right, skydivers, trumpet players, you name it. We came up with stories flat tires fixed by you know, all kinds of.

Shit, no spontaneous combustion, that's prety lord, by the way, and we got uh, we've got Rich Ross in the studio as well, from the Freddie Jones man. Now, you know, I had no idea and I just told the guys a funny story about a friend of mine getting fooled by a guy named Freddie Jones.

He had a driver's license and everything. I'm sure he his name probably was Freddie Jones. I mean, there is a Freddie Jones.

There was a guy that played at halftime on the Dallas game and everything was Freddie Jones. And my phone's blowing up. Oh my god, I can't believe you guys are on halftime.

I was like, God, no one told me.

Yeah, the trumpet player Thanksgiving Day, Dallas Cowboys, Freddy Jones.

How long have you guys been doing this? For years? I wore out a cassette tape of yours, by the way, like literally broke it. I broke it. Well, it's not that hard to break a cassette.

Well, but you know you got to You got to play it a lot to break that cassette tape. And I did have at the time a really bad car with a really bad you know, I say sound system, but that's generous, right. It was a really cheesy like post install radio that had a cassette player in it, and it ate every tape, and it ate one of your tapes. So I had to buy another one, so you're welcome for that. It was hungry, It was hungry, okay.

Marty started this band in the late eighties, and I mean, now we're getting kids coming out to the shows, you know that are that are coming out with their parents, and the kids are singing the lyrics because they grew up listening to it, you know, the last of the few people that don't like rap.

You know.

Well, I think it's kind of interesting.

I have a fifteen year old daughter and so she plays DJ Quicksman where we're in my car, and it shocks me sometimes when she puts on some of my music, right and if used for me too, yes, And I'm like, where did you hear that? She goes, I don't know, the internet. So you guys live on on the internet. All you do You need to get on somebody's show though, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's the key. Stranger Things brought a lot of music to a lot of younger kids.

Trust me, we try, we have tried. We're available.

Yeah, there you go.

There you so where did you start? How did you start this band? Well?

We I mean the first there were a few different configurations of high school bands together and then some of the some of those members from different bands got together in college. And it was in South Bend, Indiana, and we just sort of ran into each other, like, well, looks like we're doing it here too. And there were some guys ahead of us at school there.

They were sore Notre Dame.

Well, I told my parents I was going to transfer into there.

I was your Notre Dame adjacent adjacent.

I had previously been a you know, amazing scholar at Zavier University in Cincinnati. Oh well, it's a good school. Yeah, I left, so well it was awesome, though I had ad a time there for one year.

Yeah, I too, am a college dropout, but I did four years of college that I then had to pay for without the degree. So you did a better job than I did by just calling it today.

So there were these guys in South Bend Notre Dame students. They were called the Pat Giblin Band, Oh of course.

And the guy Pat.

Giblin was not in the band. He was just a buddy of there's and they practice in this basement. He was like a soccer player or something, and for Notre Dame, and I just thought that was the funniest damn thing, and they left and I'm like, well, it looks like it's us. Now, let's just take it a step further and maybe we could come up with somebody and everybody will wonder. Because this guy was like big man on campus, right, I thought, oh god, what would you like to be

There it is.

That is That's almost as ridiculous as the Leonard Scared story, which is also ridiculous as well, But I kind of.

Like it because it adds to them the mystery. That's the real story when you heard it live here.

So if you hear another, you know, crazy crazy ass story from us, or you.

Meet a guy who says he's Freddie Jones from there, Freddy Jones band, he's lying, don't.

Go home, ye don't don't do that.

I can tell you many times we'll walk into a venue and the sound guy or whoever's at the venue look at Marty and be like, hey, hey, does if Freddie need anything.

I'm looking around, Yes he does.

Yeah, you guys, now, why are you trade off? Who gets to be Freddie? Like rich one day you can be Freddy, then Marty you can be Freddy.

Just roll it through the band. Maybe we'll just passed the hat around. Yeah, I actually love that story. How did you guys get your break? When did that happen? You had a couple of really big.

Hits in the nineties to my you know casette tape Joy?

Yeah, how did that happen? How do you go from South Bend, Indiana to that happening? Well?

I decided, you know this, this isn't for me. I'm going to Chicago, and then some followed with me, and then we found different guys in Chicago and became the Freddie Jones Band in Chicago, and then we were we started writing songs right away. Daydream had been written right around that time, and we played a show opening up at the Park West for widespread panic.

Oh gosh, So we got all the hippies following around to that.

So it's a bunch of twirlers, you know, and having a good time around the around the dance floor in the front of the stage, and there was a dude sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, like what is this? And he comes up to us afterwards and he's like, I'm from Capricorn Records in Nashville and they sent me here because they want to meet you guys, and they want you to come down for a meeting.

And we did. We went down and.

Played the exit in played a showcase and Phil Walden was there and he introduces me to Justin Kneebank, the record producer, and he's.

Like, this is who we think you guys should work with to produce the record. And what does that? It all happened in like forty five minutes.

But here's the thing, like, I mean, how does that hit you when you all of a sudden are meeting people who have obviously had conversations about you.

I mean, were you like, how do you even know who we are? Yeah, they took notice.

We already had our own CD right back when there were CDs, and we were just traveling around to like big ten schools, selling out of the truck and the car.

Just in Midwest.

We didn't feel like we'd work on the coast, just the bus as far as we could go.

We're all driving our own cars probably at the time, and they just took notice.

You know, they're like, yeah, some.

Little that's a cool story. Which when did when did you join the party?

So I played in the Samples in the nineties, okay, and you know I got in that band in ninety nine and Sean and those guys who are from Denver. It was a shock for me. I was really young, and that's when I met Marty young, you know, probably twenty five, never never been on tour.

Yeah, well, I guess that probably was kind of averwhelming situation.

You go go out, you're on a bus and then uh, and then that's how I met Marty. I met Marty at a show and uh. And then you know, I continued playing with the Samples over the years. I mean I still play with them now and then you know, and then just go in and fill in.

But you know, when.

Marty and I Marty, this band went away for a while and then and then when the band came back, Marty and I got together, and then that's kind of when we got everything is ten years now, we've been really out hitting it and you know, recording new music, playing all over the country, and it's been quite an experience.

You know.

Well, tomorrow night, you guys are playing at the Wild Goose Saloon and Parker. It's a great little venue. It's like super cool.

It is a very cool place to just be. First of all, I.

Haven't seen a show there yet. Yeah, So, because I'm you know, I'm a woman of a certain age, I like to be in bed by nine thirty. So if you guys could do like a two pm.

Honestly, we told our agent, hey, we're cool with playing alone, and we're also cool with starting at ad being done at nine thirty. But tomorrow's a special night because Rick Lewis has been a friend of mine for a long time.

I adore that man. He's here somewhere. I just saw him walking around somewhere. I love Rick and the Rick Lewis Project is opening for you guys tomorrow, so it's going to be a lot of fun. When you started this, or did you even think like this when you were young, because you know, we're all invincible when we're young. Did you think to yourself, like, I hope I'm doing this in thirty years or was it one of those things where you thought, we'll do this as long.

As we can ten like Lewis, I hope I'm still arounding ten years doing those playing music and you probably.

Thought when I'm old in ten years that perspective changes so much.

Yeah, exactly. So now that you guys are still how has your music changed? Because in the.

Nineties the big hit that you had and it's not just called daydream, what is it called? I know what it's called in a day Dream?

Thank you. I'm like, I know the song.

That song, by the way, people they call it the wrong I mean all the time people come up to me like, oh man, I love that song living in Tuesday Morning, so they just take a lie living in a dream, yeah, Tuesday Morning.

Or like, no wonder, I mean that that song.

You know, it was thirty years ago pretty much and it's that song single handedly put the band on the map. That was the song that didn't We actually re recorded it a couple of years ago over the thirtieth year anniversary, and we have a thirtieth Anniverse Street edition streaming everywhere on our website Freddiejonesband dot Net.

Of that song. Did you guys where we play it now in the summer? Was that a summer song? It was? You know, because I got to tell you, I listened.

To it this morning because I haven't heard it in a long time, and it just took me back to this like one summer, and I remember all the things I did with my friends.

In that summer, and I remember.

Going to the beach and hanging out and all the stuff that we used to do. And it was like, I really appreciated that moment for myself, and I think a lot of people kind of probably have those moments where it takes them back to when they were young and beautiful and enthusiastic about life.

Yeah, you know, I can't remember what time of year it was when that came out. That was actually the second single off that record. They weren't even sure what to put out next after Take the Time that was the first single, and I remember kind of sitting back thinking.

They're not going to miss the boat on this.

They're not going to like that's so obvious that that should be, and they did. They got it right, So I'm thinking maybe it was probably going into that next summer.

I remember it being a summer song. I remember it being a part of my summer. I used to work with a classic not a classic rock but an oldies program director, and he programmed his oldies station based on what was hitting at that moment. So if it was a winter hit, he would play it in the winter, and if it was a summer hit, he would play it on the summer. And I asked him, I was like, I don't understand why you're going to all these great links.

Song was a hit.

I thought it was kind of genius, but it definitely is true. Rick Lewis has joined us in the studio.

Everybody in the chair and yeah, you put me in. It's like the kids chair, Zolensky chair.

That's what I'm gonna call from now after today's dumpster fire in the White House. So yeah, that's that's the Volensky chair.

Well, this is going to be a fun night tomorrow night if rich Ross and I go way back.

Yeah. In fact, he used to play in my band. Really, oh yeah, not a fantastic but you didn't mention my band. Yeah.

And then Marty opened for Freddy Jones Band the first show at the Pepsi Center back in nineteen ninety nine. Oh yeah, you guys were a big time then, so we never met. But I'm gonna.

We're big time now. Is big time now too? No, big Time.

Had a couple of big hits which you guys talked about, and hey, this this is a great band. You guys still sound incredible. Rich sends me thanking your stuff all the time. And it's going to be a really good night tomorrow night.

It is going to be a good night. Yeah, I'm excited.

And it's your birthday and it's my birthday, my birthday actually today, but we're saying marthy birthday.

Is there going to be cake because I'm coming to the show. If there's gonna be cake, I want to save room.

Yeah, you guys can, Evay can come backstage and we have cake. Yeah, what a cake we having?

And I'm gonna be on here about the cake. I want to make sure. No, I don't know what. I'm sure Marty's running to King Sooper's right after this. If you're not still on strike or wherever, let's go have she It's always a better cake. She just letting have she can. I'm sure he's got something huge plans for me. You know me very well. Yeah.

Can I ask you guys just a general question about the music industry because your story about a guy coming and sitting there and watching you and then you get signed. We are now in a period of time when the Internet has democratized so much stuff, especially with music. My daughter listens to artists and I go, who is that. She's like, Oh, it's so and so. I've never heard of them in my life. I go, well, where did

This band is one hundred percent independent. Now we do everything. We finance everything on our own. We you know, set our own schedules. We I mean, that's how we're doing it now. It's great because, you know, the band's legacy has got us to a position where, you know, we're friends with everyone in the industry. You know, we were out with Train recently, Pats a friend of ours, Rob Thomas from Matchbox twenty, all these guys, they talk about

Yeah, it's hard.

I mean here we're in the kind of like the mecca of live music in Colorado, I think because we have so many options and so many incredible venues. But I talk to people around the country. It's like they're not going to shows. And granted I'm old now, so they're not going to shows. But we are very lucky here in Colorado to have the scene that we have.

You know what, it is hard to make money.

Excuse me for jumping in in the in the record business story. I've got a couple of guys in my band that are recording artists as well, and you know, they've got a million or two downloads from Spotify.

They get like a hundred bucks.

Yeah, you know, it's pretty difficult unless you're a Taylor Swift or.

See million on merch alone at or stop in Denver. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, don't you think that's my concert? Tickets are so expensive.

Right now, These are very affordable.

They're twenty five bucks at the All the VIP stuff is sold out, but there's there're twenty five bucks to go see the band tomorrow night. And it's going to be a blast. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to be there. Does anybody need to know anything else?

We have a lot of friends.

I grew up in Colorado and we have a lot of friends coming tomorrow. Hopefully Sean Kelly may even show up. He mentioned he might come out. And you know, we that's the best part about traveling around. I mean, Marty and I we've done the anthem at the Cubs, you have first Peach.

We've done cool. You know, we go out and do all that. We love sports. Marty and I are the sports guys in the band.

We're watching football and the fall and baseball and going to games on on days that we have off, and and we we get to do these pretty cool experiences that are a lot of fun for us.

And obviously growing up in Denver Broncos.

Fan again right now, it's gotten fun.

This seasons changed. I was excited about that next season. Yes, very much, so very much so. You don't rich used to be up for tickets all the time.

I I I won't just hit him up for tickets. I hit him up for tickets to come to practice, you know, with the coach and I was in the locker room.

I don't know how long ago was that.

Uh during during camp here, you know, I had I had a blast and coach says he loves the band.

I don't know if that's that's true.

You know what, Just lean into it. Don't ask follow up questions. Just go with the first response. Okay, it's fine as long as he doesn't say, yeah that Freddie wants he's a great guy.

Yeah right, went over that.

Okay, guys, it's time to wrap up the show. And every day at the end of the show, I play this stupid game. You want to play the stupid game with me?

Nobody will you want to play? But I'm out.

I have nothing to do right now. Headphones, he's got it goes like this, first of all, but do me a favorite before you leave. When I get to the end of my think, you yell in the world really loud. Okay, ready to go. I know it's time for the most exciting segment on the radio of It's.

Gone of the day. All right, it works like this, guys, it's a dumb game. Remember that.

First of all, we do Dad Joke of the day. You can laugh, you can grow, you can sit in quiet judgment of the joke.

It's entirely up to you. A rod, what's our dad joke of the day? Dad joke of the day. Little known fact.

Before the crowbar was invented, crows simply drank at home.

Yeah, there you go. That is a dad joke for you.

And then we do word of the day, where we guess what this word means and we get it wrong most of the time.

It is a verb RB propitiate, p R O p I t ia te, propitiate, good luck, propitiate a VERRB.

Can I blurt it out?

Yeah?

Go ahead? Yes, to lose your hair?

Oh, I love that you might propitiate with losing your hair.

But I wanted to complain or be upset or to complain. No, you gotta shot to contemplate, to think.

That's playcate or make peace with ah. Where are you my next.

Guest, are public schools?

Yeah, there you go.

What US Museum created the National Toy Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety eight. I think it's a Smithsonian. I feel like they were involved in that. Oh, I'm totally wrong.

If you don't know it, you're not going to give it. Definitely the Denver Museum. No, no, it.

Would be the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. I bet you were, Marty, I bet you were. Yep, right on the tip of his tongue. No, nothing, everybody knows that. To play Jeopardy right sure here Instead of buzzing because we don't have buzzers, you shout out your name Marty or Rich okay, and then we call on you and then you answer the question in the form of a question.

I will wait.

Until the end of the question because your guests and I'm trying to be nice.

Normally it's a blood sport.

You can jump in at any time, okay, so jump in whenever you know the answer.

Go ahead. What's our category?

Peaceful words? Peaceful words words? Okay, Bill or nearly? Still keep this and carry on?

What is correct? You guys gonna jump in?

See about halfway between extremes or one who communicates with.

Spirits, Maddy, what is a medium that is correct?

It's okay, everybody loses this part.

It's musician means very this. You're musicians, gentlemen.

Do you know this? I don't know it.

I'm not a musician that I don't know that word. I know, I've never heard of it.

I don't even know you guys softly Okay, this was proverbially.

You do this to your heels when you're kept waiting? Rich, what is clicking wrong? What do you do?

Mandy? What do you tap? No? What is cool? Fine?

Often used when describing plain food, This five letter word means not highly flavored, maybe even tasteless.

Rich, what is planned that is correct?

Rich? And Time?

Yeah, are no rich? Richmith's one right there.

So that was a fine showing though you're on the board rich at zero, guys, I appreciate that.

I told you it was a dumb game. Don't feel that nobody ever wins. That gets us thinking.

That gets us thinking, I've been playing that game for twenty five years doing this show. No, twenty years doing this show, so.

You always win? No, I don't.

Actually you would think you would think that I would always win, but I don't. Sometimes the longer the more you play, the better at it you'll get, and then people start to beat me, so I only let people play once. Anyway, we will be back on Monday. I hope you guys can make it to the Wild Goose Saloon. Get your tickets on I put a link on the.

Blog and Freddie jonesband dot net. You can go on there. All the informations on there as well. Excellent