John Carter Cash/Cash Collective Go Rock Route On "Hey Crow"

On its powerful new album, "Hey Crow," The Cash Collective returns to bandleader John Carter Cash's roots, but we're not talking country. Cash of course grew up around country music. He is after all the son of the iconic Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. But "Hey Crow" is full-out rock-and-roll with a touch of prog, a celebration of Cash's devotion during his formative years to groups like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Alan Parsons Project and Pink Floyd.

The enjoyable, by turns solemn and joyous album, is full of heartfelt musical and lyrical emotions mined deep by Cash and his ensemble. Make no mistake; the Cash Collective is greater than the sum of its parts, melding its talent to produce a singular sound featuring a bevy of vocalists, guitarists, lap steel and banjo players, keyboardists, and other instrumentalists.

The album opens with "Rise Up!" a rousing call to brotherhood, kin and kinship that is timelier than ever. "Sunshine Song" is hopeful and optimistic. The music is spirited and the lyrics touch on a spiritual element that plays at times throughout the album: "Don't let the darkness in/There is someone unseen on your side."

Meanwhile, "Secret Project" has a Doors-like intensity while "Black Crow's Eyes" begins with a subdued vibe before seguing into a thundering chord progression that is likely the heaviest in Cash's catalogue. Album centerpiece "Packaging Committee" is passionate prog-rock with tasteful lead guitar work. Set closer "Through the Fire and the Flames" showcases the Collective's truly awesome talent as they rearrange British rockers Dragonforce's speed-metal tune into a stirring, acoustic anthem. It's the perfect finish to a truly transformative album.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with John Carter Cash from his home in Tennessee.

What was the impetus behind doing a rock album? Was it a challenge to write given that most of your previous work doesn't touch upon the genre?

It's where the creative direction went naturally. It truly was a work of Justin Johnson (Cash Collective songwriter and guitarist) and I wanting to do an album that was focusing on rock-and-roll. We followed the strength of the songs and where the songs needed to go. It's also a group of writers that saw no limit, no boundaries. In some ways it's one of the more consistent albums that I've ever done. Some of my other records have more diversity in the style of music across the board. This is all rock-and-roll. It's paying homage to those tones and those styles of music that influenced me growing up and the other musicians that are on the album.

The lyrics about families coming together and spiritual strength are very relevant in these times.

They've proven themselves in my life. There's a lot more going on in the world today that connect in with the lyrics. This album means something more to be now.

The opening track and debut single "Rise Up!" sets the course for the album musically and lyrically

It's about unity of people and equality and everybody standing up strong and rising up together in this time that we're in, against the coronavirus and also against racism. We made that clear in the video for the song too.

There's still a southern, somewhat country bent to some of the songs. You've got some banjo and lap steel guitar in there.

I can't help but be southern in my taste and how I hear music. But the greatest groups always and the greatest players have great diversity. But even in those songs like "Secret Project" that have a lap steel, it’s still almost a Doors-like hard rock.

"Packaging Committee" is especially powerful and the most all-out prog-rock track. It also has very creative lyrics.

It's sort of about the music industry and how it tries to fit you into a box and everything having to come out in line with the next big thing. It's also an exercise in word usage and imagery. Lyrically it's mostly my daughter's work. It's also about addiction. There's a lot in there back and forth. One verse may mean one thing and the next something else.

How did you come up with the idea to interpret the band Dragonforce's speed-metal track, "Through the Fire and the Flames," into an inspiring acoustic song?

My kids played it for me and what stood out to me was the melody. It's really strong and definitely lent itself to the possibility of going in the direction of like Kansas or a Deep Purple. I saw that possibility and of it being epic in different stages that grew in intensity. It's really Justin's arrangement of the song. I went to him and said, "What can we do here with this song." That was a lot of fun.

While you are the ensemble's namesake, you like to make a point that the Cash Collective is much bigger than one individual.

It is a we and the collective mind is greater than the sum of the parts. That's really what it's about. For this album it was a collective mindset of everybody coming together and unifying with the basic rule of there are no rules.