Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Clay Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Clay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I would honestly say the most meaningful project I’ve done so far is the one that I’m currently working on, my debut album. Releasing a full-length album has been a dream of mine for years and to see it currently coming to fruition has really felt like the full culmination of my life’s work up to this point.

I’ve released stuff in the past, yes, but nothing to this scale. When I was 20, the Indie-Rock band I was in, The Lengths, did a 12 song release, but that was all demos from a rehearsal that we put together into a collection that we called “The Labyrinth Demos” (still available on SoundCloud for any of those curious about what those days were like and who enjoy the sound of kids in a musty venue learning how to hone a sound). However, that was just a simple collection of rehearsal demos crafted to be like an album, just so we had something to show venues when we were booking.

A couple years ago, the band and I went out to some buddy’s studio out in Campobello, SC and recorded our debut EP, ‘American Folks’, and while that was a lot of fun and a huge step forward at the time, it was nothing in comparison to the process we’ve been undergoing with this current record.

I guess the reason it’s so meaningful, not just because it’s the culmination of my life’s work to this point, is because of how much time and effort has gone into it so far. We’ve been working at it for three months and are only about halfway through. Though as I hear the playbacks, it makes me so jazzed up to know that soon enough it’ll finally be out there. It’s a lot to me because we did this the legitimate way; we got a producer, we went into the space, we did it instrument by instrument and worked hard at doing it the way that your legit artists do it. The EP was fun, just being a band in a room plugged up with mic’s and playing how we normally play, but to be here getting down to the nitty-gritty and doing it piece by piece and seeing just how much hard work goes into it, is something else entirely. Not to mention the individual improvement I’ve seen from my bandmates during this process. Just flat out doing it is fun but seeing the people you work with become better musicians in their own right is something else.

I just know the feeling I’m going to have in mid-March when the first single drops and the big picture comes more into view. If it’s already such a meaningful thing, I can only imagine how it’s going to feel when the whole thing is out there in the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

So, my name is Clay Johnson and I’m from Spartanburg, SC. I’ve been doing music for almost 17 years and specifically been doing music as my full-time job for the last 5 years. In the last interview (which can be found in the link in my Instagram bio) I went into a lot of detail about growing up wanting to do music, falling in love with it at an early age, teaching myself to play guitar as a way to cope with my parent’s divorce, and all things of that variety. It really and truly was a love from the get-go. Some people are just born with that love and desire to play music, I was one of those people.

I guess the best way to describe what services I provide would to just flat out explain why I wanted to be the musician that I am and strive to be. See, when I was a kid and my parents would fight as they were going through their divorce, I would lie in my room turning up the volume on my record player to drown them out; in those moments I found solace in the meager collection of vinyl records that I’d started putting together when I was around 14. As I’d lie there listening to the records, I’d look up at the posters on my wall; posters of Tom Petty, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, etc., and I’d think in that moment how helpful their music was to me. How their music transported me to a place where things were okay and how their music made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the world.

When I made the decision to be a musician, I told myself that I wanted to be that kind of person, rather that kind of musician figure, for some other sad kid sitting in his bedroom listening to music. It’s never about fame or money; it’s about helping people get through things and I like to think that my songs and experience have the ability to do that. Now, will I ever be as iconic as those cats? Hell no *laughs*, but it’s very worth my time to try. There are worse things I could be doing with my life than driving around in a 37-year-old van all over the southeast chasing a dream. I always joke that I’ve “Sold 10’s of records”, even have that in my Instagram bio, which means that I haven’t done much, but I’m still proud of what I’ve done.

One-time last summer, we were on tour in Elkins, WV, our favorite place on the road to play, and we were playing in the coolest bar in that town, The El Gran Sabor (it’s a Venezuelan restaurant by day and in the back is a club that plays host to bands local and touring), Coolest place we’ve ever played, if you’ve never eaten a Cachapa, I highly recommend it, it’ll change your life. Well, after this show, this one girl came up to us and told us that she had found our music online a year or so prior (how that happened, by the grace of God, I will never know), loved the music, and told us it had helped her through a really hard time and that she had seen that we were going to be here and she drove from a couple hours away with her friend to see the show. Mind you, we are 7 hours away in the mountains of West Virginia, outside of our usual social media reach, and somehow this girl from even further away had found our music. I remember noticing her in the front of the stage singing along all night. That right there was enough to make me smile, but when she said it helped her, that just did it for me. So, we signed some stuff, signed and gave her a setlist, took pictures. I hope it made her night because it sure as hell made mine. I just hate I didn’t get to talk to her more and ask specifically how she found our music, and do more chatting, but this one drunk dude after the show wouldn’t leave me alone trying to talk and I eventually had to dip out back to get some air.

All-in-all, it just meant a lot to hear someone enjoy our music like that and have that experience. So really, that’s my big M-O. Just trying to make peoples day with some songs and have a damn good time along the way doing it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I actually very much love this question for many reasons. First off, I think it starts with support of artists and creatives that you don’t already know. For me, that’s explicitly in the realm of music and music performances. I mean, we all have those already known artists that we love and adore and listen to constantly, which is great, but I think sometimes people forget that at one point and time all those artists were also just starting out. When you’re in a position like mine, you find yourself playing a lot of gigs that some would call “low on the totem pole” for a lack of a better way to put it, as in, not playing filled out venues, but rather doing three hour shows in bars, restaurants, and in my case, sometimes even grocery stores. It’s very easy for folks to go into those kinds of gigs and request cover songs all night long. Which is great! We all love to hear songs we already know and are familiar with, especially when an artist that we don’t know is doing so well at capturing the vibe and essence of those that we already love. However, it’s just as important to listen and pay attention to them when they’re playing their original songs too. Sometimes, it feels like it’s easy to forget that all those cover songs you know and love were once original songs being played in the corner of a bar by someone that no one has ever heard of. I just think that it’s very important to support both sides of that coin. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with artists who just explicitly play cover songs. We all do what we love to do and what we prefer and it’s important to give support to all. I think really the best way to create that thriving ecosystem is to just listen and support; go stream those artist’s music, follow along on their social media pages, watch their reels, keep up with all their happenings, and most importantly, go support local Open Mic Nights.

I myself have hosted a weekly open mic at Rockers Brewing in Downtown Spartanburg every Wednesday night for the last four years and it’s been amazing. Open Mics are the foundational backbone of any thriving local music scene. It’s where the locals go to find community, to try new songs, to hone their craft, and to get a foot in the door at local venues. For the listener and supporter, it’s a chance to find new artists that you wouldn’t otherwise hear about. I couldn’t tell you how many first timers we’ve had walk in on a Wednesday night, keep coming back every week, and then find themselves entrenched in the local scene and not only getting better at what they do, but getting out and performing more. It’s a wonderful thing. Point in fact, that’s how we got our guitar player, Ashton Young, in my full band. One January night, he came into our Open Mic Night having never played solo in a stage before and he was so good; a phenomenal singer-songwriter in his own right, and with a little encouragement he came back every single Wednesday and kept playing and getting better. Eventually we asked him to be our guitar player, he joined the band, came on the road with us, and does a hell of a job. Also very much entrenched and active in our local music scene. Just a prime example of the strength and importance of local open mic nights.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

See, when it comes to goals and missions, I think there is two different ways to look at it. There’s the individual moment goals and the overarching goals. A couple off the top of my head would be to open up for my favorite band, SUSTO; I love their music, and they inspire me heavily. I’d also love to be able to tour in a tour bus and not know what it’s like to have to drive 5-6 hours a day to get to the next spot (though, I wouldn’t trade the memories that we’ve made in our 1988 Dodge Ram Van, Mahgeetah, for anything in the world. I love being a small-time band crammed in a van way older than I am. It toughens you up and builds character *laughs*). Really, my ultimate individual moment goal is to play the mother church, The Ryman Auditorium, in Nashville, TN. It’s the iconic home of country music and the greatest venue in the world. A couple years ago I bought tickets to a Ryman show. My favorite band, SUSTO, was opening up for another favorite band of mine, Futurebirds, and I knew that I couldn’t miss that. I bought the tickets on a whim as a 29th birthday gift to myself. So, my best friend and drummer, Levi Mclean, and I hopped in my jeep and drove the 5 hours up there for the show and immediately drove the 5 hours back (then subsequently woke up and drove 3 more hours the next morning to a Braves game in Atlanta with our friends, but that’s a whole other story all its own). While there at The Ryman it all came together to me that that’s my ultimate goal. If I get to play on that stage, it’s all worth it.

Yet then, there is also the over-arching goals. I tell people all the time that as long as my bills are paid and my dog is fed, then I’m good. That’s just my simplistic way of saying, “If music can pay for my survival, then I’ve met my goal.” I just want this art to be able to provide comfortable and enjoyable lives for me and all of the people that join our team. Fame, fortune, and all the trivial stuff don’t mean a damn thing. It’s just about making enough to keep on doing it all and feeling fulfilled at the thought of being able to keep doing it.

Now there’s some other lofty dreams that float around too. I’d love to be successful enough to buy the duplex house I live in and turn it into a single unit and live downtown on Hannon Ct. forever (I love my street). I’d love to be successful to open a bar and music venue in town to help kids chase their dreams like I did and give people that opportunity. Really though, all things considered, it’s just a goal to make my city proud and be a good representation of Spartanburg, SC. Now if they put up a commemorative sign for me on the Hub City Music Walk (this is a thing featuring the likes of Spartanburgers like The Marshall Tucker Band, Pink Anderson, Uncle Walt’s Band, and many many more) I think that’d be pretty fantastic, but I got a lot more work before I ever get to that point. Until then, I got bills to pay, I got a dog to feed, and I got lots of songs to sing.

Thanks, Yall.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clayjohnsonmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rclayjohnsonjr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClayJohnsonMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@clayjohnsonandthehardpromises
• Other: www.instagram.com/clayjohnsonandthehardpromises https://www.tiktok.com/@rclayjohnsonjr