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John Biz; Living the Happiest Days of His Life.

Written by Bruce Moore

John Biz is indeed happy these days. Once homeless and hungry; Biz used the experience to fuel his creativity and his drive to succeed. His hard work has paid off. ‘The Happiest Days of My Life’ his latest CD is a Rock and Roll Record reminiscent of the late seventies Punk movement and it explores the turmoil in his life and the belief that good can be found in whatever situation you find yourself in. I recently spoke with Biz about his songwriting and his newest CD.

When you write music do the words or melodies come first to you?

It is always different. I have this style of writing where I will wakeup in the middle of the night after having some crazy dream or something and just write something down. Also throughout the day I will write down tiny snippets of information then I will pillage my writings afterwards when I have a song. So I guess mostly the music comes first.

What benchmarks do you use to determine when you have completed a song?

If a song really moves me emotionally and I feel as if I am putting everything I have into it.

Are there any tracks on your CD that are your personal favorites or have good stories behind them?

Well on ‘The Happiest Days of My Life’ they all have some good stories. I mean all my songs have good stories behind them but on 'Happiest days of My Life' I would say that it would have to be, ‘We Saved Each Others Lives’ mainly because it is such an uplifting, rock and roll instrumental. Engine would be my other favorite song on that album which is kind of funny because usually I would lean towards the more rocking piece but it is just one of those things that came to me really fast, you know there was a lot of stuff going on in my life emotionally at the time.

What message, if any, do you want your fans to walk away with after listening to the disc?

I guess I would have to say that my music kind of relates to people that are going though some stuff. Especially the ‘Happiest Days of My Life’, because at the time there were such terrible things happening to me; I was bankrupt and homeless and I was searching for the good in all of that, that is where ‘We Saved Each Others Lives’ come from. The cover came to me after a struggle, I mean I didn’t even eat that day; I was really broke. The painting just sort of came out that day; after a couple of hours of messing with the canvas. I guess the message if there is one would be finding the good in all that you are going for, you know, making a negative situation a positive one.”

So you designed the cover then?

Yeah, I actually painted the image and then adjusted it in Photoshop to give it an Andy Warhol kind of feel. The album sort of leans towards the early punk influences like the Ramones and Husker Du kind of stuff so I thought an Andy Warhol type of cover would be really appropriate for this CD.

Let’s switch gears a little bit. Who were your influences when you were learning how to play?

It was all Led Zeppelin to be honest. I just wanted to be like Jimmy Page. I wanted to learn how he did everything he did. So I learned every Led Zeppelin song, then I forgot them and started writing songs of my own.

What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?

I’d say one of the most memorable moments so far would be when I was recording this album. There have been several moments that have made me really happy and made me feel like I was doing the right thing but when I went to record this album I had no where to live, I had lost my house and my car. It was September 26th when I went out there and I recorded the album with Steve Albini whose is one of my heroes. Just spending all of this time with Steve Albini was one of the most memorable experiences. He really speaks to me as a person; he is not just a guy that records a bunch of stuff. He is a really amazing person and a really amazing engineer.

How do you think your live performances are different from your recordings?

They are constantly evolving. The CD is kind of the foundation; it says what’s got to be said. All the songs were fresh and developed to some extent but I left a lot of room to expand. I am always playing with different guys and different bands that back me up all the time, this gives the music different interpretations. The band is always trying to learn my material and trying to say what I want them to say. I always try and lean in towards them and really not make it so they have to meet me where I am. The band has a certain vibe, I want to feel that vibe out and go for it because it is going to make the song so much more expansive. The bass part is always different, the feel and delivery is always different and we are constantly throwing new songs into our live sets.

Tell me about a book you have read that you think others should read?

‘Bound for Glory’ by Woody Guthrie would probably be my favorite book of all times.I started reading that book just before I lost everything and it was with me the whole time. I have read it maybe five times cover to cover. I have even bought copies and given them away. So if I was going to say any book, it would be that one.

What is next for John Biz?

Well, I just recorded an album in a completely different vein than “The Happiest Days of My Life”. I pulled in musicians from some of my favorite acts and called the band National Seashore I am thinking of calling the album ‘Love, Lore and Baseball’ It is all Woody Guthrie Songs that I have been inspired to create in my own setting. It is not Woody Guthrie covers but my interpretation of how these songs make me feel. That record is done and we are just waiting to release it. Then I will be following that with some heavy hitting John Biz again; really edgy stuff.

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