Perhaps it was written in the stars, or just fate, what ever it was, we are the benefactors. It was the winter of 2011, after a reunion between Warner E Hodges, and Joe Blanton, and later Dan Baird, that the band the Bluefields were formed. With a tremendous amount of talent between the three they set out to make Pure in my opinion one of the rock-ingest albums to hit the scene in a while. These guys blend together like a fine cocktail. With the duties of guitar shared between the three, and Dan Baird picking up the bass duty, all they needed was the drum beat. Steve Gorman, (Black Crowes) was the perfect candidate to lay down the beat in the studio. Who better to describe the songs and the process than one of the guys himself, Warner E Hodges. I was just the lucky one, who got to ask the questions.

“What you won’t do”, is a ballad that reeks of Neil Young with a modern twist, and yet manages to stand on it’s own. I understand that Dan had the basic licks tucked away in his memory bank. The song flows together effortlessly, and is the first track. Was it the first song written, and was it easy to develop that flow?

Okay, First off this was a Warner riff. I decided to really play some in some different tunings. I haven't done this much in quite a few years. The DADGAD tuning was used in this one and" Repair My Soul". It was an old chorus line that started with Joe after I had showed the guys my riff. Joe had had that line tucked away for a while. The first song written for this CD was "She's So Sick"

“Bad Ole Days”, is one of my faves on the album. It has the ability to soar to the top of the charts. With lyrics like “praying to the porcelain gods”, this had to have been written out of a few good memories. This had to have sparked some interesting tales being told, share a few of those with us?

This one is one of the 2 we affectionately call "Joe And The Scorchalites" Joe wanted to be a part of the JATS/ SATS family tree, and there you have it. It is a great walk down memory lane with 3 chords and a cloud of dust as the backing track.

“Don’t let me fall”, a classic love song, with haunting vocals, that are reminiscent of Jon Bon Jovi. It has a very distinct sound to it thanks to the guitar licks in the beginning as well as throughout, nice touch, who had this idea?

This one started with Joe, and in my mind, the band just needed to stay out of the way. Joe delivered a fantastic vocal, and the rest is history.

“Nobody loves you”, picks up the tempo, and has a rock a billy/Texas swing beat to it. This song makes me wanna dance, and be happy despite the title. Who was the inspiration for this song?

This was out take on an old Texas groove THANG. It got better and better as the parts to the tune presented themselves.

“Belong”, slows things back down, with a hymnal sound, and lyrics that reads like a love letter. This song digs deep in ya soul, like a religious experience. Sounds like some serious moments in the studio, did you realize you had it the core with this one?

We knew Danny Baird had cut to the heart of the matter with the vocal. Dan delivered it with such soul and heart, that the tune had to be his baby. We just supported it as a band. Lyrics were all Joe though.

“Repair my soul”, has a funky feel, like some Mississippi delta blues. The lyrics have that Sunday going to meeting feel to them. Sounds like somebody went back home on this one, how did the lyrics and sound come about?

This one was another line in the back of Joe's mind. The way it would usually work is a lick would fall out, then Joe would sing A line, and then Dan would dive in. 30 minutes later we'd be moving sections around until we were happy.

“If not now when”, has a good ole boy feel to it, like any good southern song should. Sounds like it has that “Nashville” rock feel to it. How do you think Nashville has influenced your sound?

That is kinda how that one came out. It was pretty natural. I guess that's how we do it in Nashvegas????

“Lay it on the line”, the lyrics sound autobiographical. Did you guys feel the freedom to “lay it on the line” when you were making this album, and do things your way?

Another tune that Dan was able to hang his hat on. Danny Baird can get to the heart as well as any singer I've ever seen. He is one of my musical hero's.

“Flat out gone”, has a ZZ Top Tres Hombres on Red Bull feel to it. Sounds like its a blast to play, is it, and was it fun to write?

Lord have Mercy. That is HIGH praise. Love the Lil''Ole Band From Texas.

“Trainwreck”, sounds like it has a mandolin on it, if I am not mistaken. Did you guys experiment with different instruments and go out of your comfort zone with this one?

I am on the mando, and electrics. It is another great tune with an amazing vocal by Joe. The man can sing, can't he?

“She’s so sick/100 watt girl”, this song catches you off guard, and rocks hard! It has a sassy hook, that I adore. What does the lyrics “she’s so sick” mean?

This one was before Dan had joined us. We put Dan on it on bass, but we had this one finished when Dan joined forces with us. It is a great little homage to the Faces, Aerosmith, and Jeff Beck, with a Pageyeque solo!!!LOL how's that for influences.

“Ain’t nothing wrong”, has a Marshall Tucker feel to it. How do you think being “good ole southern boys” as influenced your writing?

Wow. I'm on vocals on this one. Never been compared to Marshall Tucker, but they've lasted a long time. Maybe we can too.

“Done”, just when I think have got you boys sound pegged, you go out of the box. Off in a totally different direction. This song, if I had to describe it, has a Little Feat/ARS feel to it, and throws in some unique sounds that is hard to figure out, just what instrument that is. It is the last song of the album, and is properly titled. Would you please describe the making of this album, the experience of reuniting with old friends, mixing in some new ones, and recording in such an intimate studio?

Done is mostly Danny's idea. He and Joe did most of it while I was out on some JATS dates. The final solo is Dan . My God he can play a solo, when He wants too.

The whole record was a blast. Reuniting with Joe. whom I've know for 33-34 years, and then Dan falling in with us was so much fun. It was really never work. We just knda played in our "Fort" so to speak. "The Unde3rground Treehouse" was a magnificent place for us. It has a great, comfortable vibe. We just went in and had fun making music. Hopefully that come through on the record.

It has been a pleasure and a thrill to have the opportunity to work with the Bluefields. I enjoyed each and every tune on this album, with a couple faves of course. I would highly recommend that you check them out, and by all means, support some fine musicians, and buy their album.

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