Bozeman’s Wickens shines in debut record as indie country artist
by Skip Anderson
With his recently released debut album, indie country artist Jason Wickens is attempting something that has proven tricky for many a talent before him: launching a career as a singer/songwriter from Montana. Living 4,423 collective miles from Nashville, Los Angeles, and Austin, lends itself to a bevy of logistical challenges. The upshot of being far removed from industry’s epicenters? His coming of age on his family’s cattle ranch in central Montana seems to have instilled an artistic authenticity within him that might have been harder for him to find elsewhere.
Wickens, a lifelong Montanan now living in Bozeman, delivers an impressive, nine-song eponymous album that’s steeped in good songwriting, solid musicianship, and well-measured direction from Grammy-nominated producer Wes Sharon (Turnpike Troubadours, Parker Millsap). Wickens wrote or co-wrote the entirety of the record, which flows from one song to the next like the trout-rich rivers that wind their way through and around our happy town.
He may be a newcomer as a recording artist, but Wickens is no neophyte to the intertwinings of melody and lyric. He’s booked more than 300 (and counting) singer/songwriters to perform on Live from the Divide, a live-performance public radio program he and Grammy-winning producer Doc Wiley launched six years ago. LFTD heavily features Americana artists. And, importantly, Wickens has interviewed most of them about songwriting – sometimes for inclusion in Live from the Divide’s podcast, sometimes for personal edification. Perhaps some of the mojo of Sturgill Simpson, Cruz Contreras, Bonnie Bishop, Ray Wiley Hubbard, and hundreds of other talented songsmiths, helped bring his own talents to the forefront. Wickens sat down with The Rolling Zone in August to discuss his new record and the artistry behind it.
RZ: When did you decide to cross over from radio program producer to singer/songwriter?
JW: Actually, I crossed over from singer/songwriter to radio producer [laughs]. This whole Live from the Divide radio thing was not on the to-do list at all. But, it served as a catalyst for me to selfishly experience all this music that was happening in all these places where I didn’t live. I always knew I wanted to do this. I started taking myself seriously about three years ago. So I knew I needed a plan and a producer.
photo by Green Door Photography
RZ: Did you have all the songs written for the album at that point?
JW: I had 50 to 60 songs written that I thought were worthy of somebody listening to. I sent them to Wes Sharon, my producer, to consider.
RZ: How did you come across Wes as your producer?
JW: I was driving in Bear Canyon in 2013 and “Gawd Above” by John Fulbright [produced by Sharon] came on the radio and I was struck by the production. I literally stopped my car to listen to it. When I decided I wanted to find a producer, Wes was No. 1 on the list. I could hear something that I wanted out of my record from Wes’ work. He’s got the ear that works for me.
RZ: Did contact with the singer/songwriters you’ve booked on the show over the past seven years help you to decide to follow that same path?
JW: Absolutely. I didn’t want to be them, though. It was more that it took some of the mystery out of it. Seeing first hand how hard they work and understanding that it took years to get them where they are today was helpful.
RZ: Who provided the most potent lesson for you as a singer/songwriter?
JW: The first person to validate me as a songwriter was Walt Wilkins, although I didn’t accept it at the time. For me, his songwriting is the next step outside of John Pride or Kris Kristofferson. The emotion he instills into a song is amazing.
RZ: In what ways did Wes Sharon impact this record as a producer?
JW: I wanted a producer who could check all of the boxes. He took a very green and raw individual and created the record. He allowed me to come in with my songs and he brought in a few members of the Turnpike Troubadours. It was a total trust-fall. It’s an uncomfortable process completely trusting a group of strangers to essentially bring your songs to life. But if you’re lucky enough, that’s why you should pick your producer. I’m just glad that I trusted myself enough to trust him. He couldn’t have done a better job.
RZ: Is it hard to get the attention of the industry from Southwest Montana?
JW: I’ve thought for quite a long time that it doesn’t matter where you’re from. It just doesn’t matter. If you make good enough art and make enough noise, it will work itself out.
RZ: You open the record with “Hi-Line,” a song that embraces the Montana landscape as a shelter from the storm. What prompted you to write this one?
JW: “Hi-Line” is one of those songs I didn’t think anyone would ever hear. I wrote it for myself because I was really homesick at the time. Writing it made me feel better. It just came from a very sincere place.
RZ: What is your starting point for a song?
JW: It’s funny, I’m in a place I’ve been trying to get to since I was 12. It’s an emotion-based place. My melody sensibilities have always been there, but I’ve had to work my ass off to figure out how to write lyrics. And to make it real through emotions, you have to make yourself vulnerable, write it down, and sing it for people. If I’m having a bad event in my life, I might spin that into another story as a songwriter through someone else’s eyes. I’m finally able to channel those emotions into it.
RZ: Has putting out a record affected how you might approach songwriting differently moving forward?
JW: For sure. Wes Sharon was just up here visiting for a few days and we’re talking about what the next record might entail. The first record was very introspective. Opening for Turnpike Troubadours [in July], I really have the itch to do more of a show. So the next record will be geared more toward what would go into a show. I’m approaching songwriting with my band in mind.
RZ: Will you perform at Live from the Divide?
JW: I’m going to perform in October. It’s really tough, for a lot of reasons. The venue owner booking himself is not the coolest look. I knew I didn’t want to do it until I had a record out. People seem genuinely up for the show, so I don’t think it’s just me promoting myself. But it’s still weird.
Jason Wickens’ self-titled debut album is available now. Learn more about the local singer/songwriter at www.jasonwickens.com. Be sure to follow him on Facebook for up-to-date performance announcements. Find a current LFTD show calendar and further venue information at www.livefromthedivide.com.
Skip Anderson is an award-winning music journalist previously based in Nashville, Tennessee. He relocated to Bozeman in 2016. •
