Review Fix Exclusive: JD & The Straight Shot’s Erin Slaver Talks Good Luck And Good Night

August 28, 2017 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with Erin Slaver, violinist/fiddler/back-up singer of Americana band JD & The Straight Shot, who discusses the band’s new album, Good Luck And Good Night, creative process and goals.

About JD & The Straight Shot:

New York City-based Americana band JD & The Straight Shot will release its spirited sixth studio album Good Luck And Good Night on Sept. 15. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan, guitarist Marc Copely (B.B. King, Rosanne Cash), bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton), violinist/fiddler Erin Slaver (Martina McBride, Rod Stewart) and drummer/percussionist Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Levon Helm, Saturday Night Live band), the dynamic group’s all-acoustic record was produced and mixed by Copely (Toby Lightman, Owen Danoff, Upright Man) and engineered by Chuck Ainley (Mark Knopfler, George Strait, Lee Ann Womack) at Soundstage Studios in Nashville.

Influenced by artists like The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd and The Beatles along with traditional Irish folk music and classical music, Good Luck And Good Nightdelivers a huge sound steeped in the quiet fire of American roots music and rock n’ roll.

Review Fix: What makes Good Luck And Good Night special?

Erin Slaver: We have all been touring and co-writing together now for several years and it is our second album to capture our strictly acoustic sound and arrangements.  It’s groovy in a way that reflects our vibe together as a live band. Marc Copely, our music director and lead guitar player was behind the board producing, so there was a very intimate and familiar ear guiding the sound.

Review Fix: What track on the album are you most proud of?

Slaver: I have a soft spot for “The Ballad of Jacob Marley.”  I love the energy of the track and the gang vocals on the chorus. It makes you want to stomp your feet. Plus, Byron plays the tastiest lick on the banjo that sucks you right down into purgatory. You can feel the weight of the chains and the heat of the fire.

Review Fix: Is there a story behind it?

Slaver: “The Ballad of Jacob Marley” is based on Dicken’s novel A Christmas Carol.  It wasn’t our intention to tell that story in the beginning, but as the chorus emerged, it struck the image of Jacob Marley so clearly that we followed the song down that road.

Review Fix: What are JD & The Straight Shot’s goals with this album?

Slaver: International superstardom… seriously though?… Intergalactic superstardom…

Review Fix: Bands often give their albums nicknames, like the Eagles call The Long Run, “The Long One” because of all the time they spent in the studio on it. What would you guys nickname this one?

Slaver: I’d probably call this one “Good Luck and Good Morning”… There were a few tough nights, trying to get everything right. At times I thought we’d be there till the sun came up!

Review Fix: How would you describe JD & The Straight Shot’s sound to someone who’s never heard you?

Slaver: It’s genuine, authentic music, steeped in the spirit of acoustic Americana.  If you listen close you’ll hear many roots including, bluegrass, blues, zydeco, even gypsy jazz.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone listen to this album?

Slaver: It’s refreshing! There is nothing like acoustic voices and instruments, thoughtfully arranged, expertly captured, and conveying an emotional intention.

Review Fix: What’s next for the band?

Slaver: International superstardom.

Photo By Kristin Barlowe

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14316 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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