Southside Neighbor band opens for Leon Russell

BY JEANETTE JUNGBAUER

Two years ago, the Strange Friends recorded their fourth and most recent album, Fireside Recordings, Vol. 1, around a fire pit in a South Minneapolis back yard with very little technical assistance. The veteran Minneapolis musicians are currently recording a new album at Humans Win! studio, and are slated to open for Leon Russell at Lee’s Liquor Lounge on August 15. Tulsa-born Leon Russell has been all over the map as a session, solo and songwriting musician. Most notably, he has recorded with George Harrison, Eric Clapton, BB King, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra. He also organized Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour in 1969, and has released more than three dozen albums over the past 45 years.

I’m sitting around that same backyard fire pit on a Sunday afternoon with the Strange Friends. The back yard belongs to John Fenner, front man for the band and 20-year Longfellow resident. Band mates are Eric Hohn, Pat Mavity and John Devitt (John the Younger).

Southside Pride: So you guys have four albums out already. What was your first recording?

John F: Oh, first recording—when Ronald Reagan was president.
Southside Pride: Your recording Under the Cherry Spoon was listed as one of the best independent records of the year by the [now defunct] Twin Cities Reader, right?

John F: Yeah, in 1991, and that’s [during] when Eric was fired.
Eric: Yeah, the band had created its best critical acclaim in my absence. Maybe I should get fired again?

Southside Pride: You guys have gone through quite a few members, especially drummers. Tell me about the current Strange Friends.

John F: Nowadays, there’s four of us. We finally settled upon a real drummer [John Devitt] after the late Dave Pederson—anybody of our generation who grew up in the Minneapolis Public Schools knows public safety officer Clarence Pederson—his son Dave was our original drummer—and, um, he died suddenly of meningitis—what was it, 10 years ago?

Pat: Um, 11, it will be 11 in October.
Southside Pride: And that prompted the recording of Dave’s Not Here?
John F: Yeah. It’s not really his coffin on the cover. It came out in 2006. It’s a collection of recordings from different studios, different years.
Southside Pride: So, you’re in the process of recording with John Devitt, aka John the Younger?

John F: Yes, nowadays we play with John the Younger, who was a 12-year-old kid when he joined us. First show, we played Palmer’s. Spur of the moment. Called Palmer’s and said, “Can we go play?” And we went and played Palmer’s.
Southside Pride: When you open for Leon Russell, John the Younger will be turning 15, right?

John F: It’s his golden birthday.
Southside Pride: Wow, not many kids can say that. So, are you in band at South High?

John D: Yeah, I played drums for them last year. Next year, I really don’t want to be in a full, concert band. I want to be in a jazz band. And, that’s an extracurricular thing, but I would much rather do that.

Southside Pride: Does South have that?

John D: Yeah, they have two jazz bands.

Southside Pride: What do you guys do besides play in Strange Friends? I know you, Eric, work for the Linden Hills House of Music.

Eric: I still teach at Linden Hills House of Music. I was one of the co-founders, but things got so hectic and I sold a while ago. I [still] have about 35 students a week

Southside Pride: And you run sound at Cedar Cultural Center on a regular basis?

Eric: I’ve been sound tech there—this will be the beginning of my 18th season.
Southside Pride: They have good programming.

Eric: Yeah you stand still and the world comes to you. You learn a lot.

Pat: I did work at the Green Institute for four years, from ’98 to 2002. It was before that building was put up, when they had the Re-Use Center in the mall.

John F: Oh, that beautiful Green Institute buildng … right where the most beautiful trees in all of Minneapolis were. They mowed ’em down and built the Green Institute. Ironic. And me? For years I ran open stages. I was a celebrity. Thirty acts a night—Five Corner Saloon, Crossroads, Mayslacks. A lot of great songwriters came out of that.

Southside Pride: So, tell me about your new album

.
Eric: We’ve started a new album, recently, at Humans Win! studio in “nordeast.”
John F: [It’s] . . . just the four of us. I kind of want it to be a Beatle Record, which means that you really have fun in production.

Eric: You do lots of extra things.

PAT: Right now it’s almost turning out like a Tom Petty record, where he records everything live and just mixes it.

John F: If you [have] a studio, you may as well make a Beatle record. Otherwise we could just make one around a fire pit.

Southside Pride: Let’s talk about Leon Russell.

John F: He’s on a record called Mad Dogs and Englishmen. It’s one of the great records ever made.

Eric: Leon Russell’s an awesome songwriter. I mean, he wrote “Masquerade” and, what’s the one that Karen Carpenter did?

John F: “Superstar,” for the Carpenters.

Eric: And, uh, “Song for You.”

John F: One of the greatest love songs ever.

PAT: Leon Russell is from Tulsa, as are some of my other big influences. {Tulsa music} has a kind of a—you can feel the dry heat in the sound of the music.
John F: Leon Russell’s a big deal. He’s a big deal to open for. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us.

Southside Pride: John the Younger, any thoughts on Leon Russell?
John D: Uh… I like his hair.

Visit StrangeFriendsMusic.com for more information.

Pat Mavity, John Fenner, John Devitt, and Eric Hohn are the Strange Friends.