By Gary Wien
originally published: 09/10/2014
The cover story of the
August 2014 issue of New Jersey Stage magazine was on Red Wanting Blue, a band from Columbus, Ohio that's led by Scott Terry (who grew up in Moorestown, NJ). Here's a little extra from our interview with him that focused on his autobiographical songwriting style.
You've said that what you usually find is that the topics you don't really want to talk about are the topics that the audience wants to hear the most. As a songwriter, you've written some very personal songs over the course of your career, but is "Leaving New York" your most personal song ever?
It might be one of them. I love that song. It's got to be up there with songs like "The Band". I still think that is one of the most honest songs I've ever written.
Sometimes I think the most personal songs are the ones that relate the most to the mainstream.
Yeah, I would probably agree with that.
I love the ending of "Leaving New York" with you screaming out those words. It sounds like true pain and angst are just flowing out of you.
Thanks. When I write stuff I write most as a skeletal structure with lyrics and a melody, maybe some chords drawn out. Then the band all sits down and we put it together and create actual songs. Sometimes I envision them going a certain way — most of the time I'd say it never ends up exactly as you would expect it to, but sometimes you can get really close, which is always a really gratifying feeling because it means the message and the delivery and everything you've drawn out is so clear. "Leaving New York" is one of those songs. It worked out so well.
"Little America" is one that's simple that worked out real well. Other songs like "Hallelujah" which the record starts out with... for me, I loved the song. I love it and I stand behind it enough to start off the record, but it took a few turns. That's usually what happens and that's the beauty of writing as a collective. We're collaborating and we're hoping that all of the hands are going to make a better song.
There are some great lyrics on this album. Have you ever written a line that made you just stop and say, damn that's good?
Umm... yeah, but those are probably lines that nobody likes. I remember being really tickled about the fact that in the second verse of "Hallelujah" I say "we shut our eyes in the dark / feel the shape of our hearts / listening to Jeff Buckley croon / a Leonard Cohen tune / hallelujah"
I just remember loving how that word play worked out. The chorus of the song is simply "hallelujah" but making reference to a greater man's really great song and a great performer.
One of my favorites is a simple line in "Hotel Oblivion" where you compare a relationship to a constellation and say "we are worth so much more together than we are apart". I love the use of the constellations and the stars as a metaphor for relationships and the traveler's life on the road.
I remember writing the constellation lines, I was feeling very Jeff Healey Band then. When Jeff covered John Hiatt's "Angel Eyes" back in the eighties. That "tonight I lie with the stars above" line.
I liked the line in "Hotel Oblivion" - "holding down home sweet home" and then "we've got our differences". When I think about it, I think it's a much more mature record because some of the topics being talked about are the things that someone in a long-term relationship talks about with someone else.
There are songs on this record like "It's All Happening" which is kind of, in my own weird mind, almost a sequel to "Sea of Old Friends". And "Hallelujah" is like an optimistic sequel to "Hope On a Rope".
Do you ever look back and listen to your old songs? It's sort of like a photo album of your life.
Yeah, it definitely could feel that way.
Is there any part of your personal life that you'd say is off limits for a song?
Umm... I don't know. I mean, there's a general line, but I'm an emotional writer. That's the stuff I get excited about. I would say as a music lover, I definitely have heard artists go beyond what I think is appropriate for songwriting and that goes into the land of airing grievances in the form of a song.
I always feel when you're coming in from an angsty place that you have to be careful. Not to quote myself from the new record, but songs like "Rest of Our Lives" has people hearing stuff like "we can do anything", "we are young and free" and an angsty line like "Jesus make up your mind". Youthful kids can get behind that stuff, but if you're talking about how your alimony or child support is too much money... it's just too much information.
I wouldn't write a song about drug abuse right now in my life, but, then again, if I run into someone in my life who has a serious problem with drug abuse and my life is forced to have to deal with it, who knows? I might be prompted to write a song about this. Even if it's not for awareness, but just for the sake of airing my own personal demons with that topic of life and hoping that other people might appreciate that.
You can't always write about love and you can't always write about heartbreak, you've got to write about other things. And choosing topics to write about is not the easiest thing in the world, which is one of the reasons I like writing about traveling because it is one of the things that we do.
Red Wanting Blue's latest release, "Little America", came out on July 1. For more information on the band visit http://www.redwantingblue.com
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
You can have your events appear here,
whenever someone reads an article about
click here for more information
Singer/songwriter Evening In The Round
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJSomething Special a round robin evening of music featuring a group of the finest singer/songwriter from our local area who come together for this one of a kind show not be missed
Freestyle Takeover 3
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJStarring Cynthia, The Jets, George Lamond, Johnny O, Nyasia, Denine and hosted by Dom G! Freaturing Dare Goes Da DJzz. After-Party available for additional fee. (Must purchase a show ticket to buy the After Party ticket)
The Righteous Brothers: Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJBlue-eyed soul pioneers The Righteous Brothers are back! With a string of #1 clas-sics, including the most played song in radio history,
You’ve Lost
That Lovin’ Fee/in’, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts in four decades. After Bobby’s death in 2003, Bill Medley con-tinued to perform to sold-out crowds around the world, but fans and friends pleaded with him to keep The Righteous Brothers alive.
Beat: Belew/vai/levin/bozzio Performing The Music Of King Crimson
Monday, November 09, 2026 @ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Prudential Hall
1 Center Street, Newark, NJFollowing more than 100 acclaimed performances across North and South America, Europe, and Japan, BEAT returns this fall for the last North American tour. Former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are joined by guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and legendary drummer Terry Bozzio to perform the music of the three landmark 1980s King Crimson albums—Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJJoe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Rick Steves Joins New Jersey Symphony for a Symphonic Journey Through Europe
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Guidebook author and public television host Rick Steves joins New Jersey Symphony November 7–8, 2026 for Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey, a concert that pairs Europe's most stirring Romantic-era anthems with high-definition travel footage and Steves' insights into European history.
Albert Music Hall to Celebrate Pinelands Folklore with Annual Jersey Devil Show on Saturday
(WARETOWN, NJ) -- Halloween may have come and gone, but the Jersey Devil is always lurking in the Pines! On Saturday, November 7, 2026, Albert Music Hall will celebrate one of New Jersey's most enduring legends with its annual Jersey Devil Show, an evening combining live music, storytelling, and the rich folklore of the New Jersey Pinelands.
The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 7:00pm.
Grunin Center's "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" Celebrates 100 Years of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five Recordings
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts' "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" series brings a century of jazz history to the stage this fall with a celebration of Louis Armstrong's groundbreaking Hot Five recordings, featuring trumpeter Andrew Stephens on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm.
U.K. Folk Trio, The Longest Johns, to Perform at The Vogel
(RED BANK, NJ) -- U.K. folk trio The Longest Johns will perform at the Vogel on Sunday, November 8, 2026. They are are known the world over for their rollicking harmonies and raucous energy, blowing new wind into the sails of traditional sea shanties and work songs. They are on a U.S. tour to support their latest release End of the Earth. Showtime is 7:00pm.
State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013. While they are a Grateful Dead cover band, they are known more for interpreting songs by the Dead rather than attempting to replicate the band's work.
NJPAC presents Gregory Porter with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell
(NEWARK, NJ) -- With a voice that can fill a concert hall and make every listener feel personally embraced, Gregory Porter has become one of the most beloved artists in contemporary jazz. On Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm, the two-time GRAMMY® winner returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell for an evening of soulful expression, exquisite storytelling and remarkable vocal artistry, presented as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor
(PRINCETON, NJ) — The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor on Friday, November 20, 2026 in an evening of upbeat and bubbling song filled with enthusiasm and love. The concert takes place at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. Showtime is 8:00pm. A livestream option is available as well.
