“It’s rare to find love later in life. Music makes me happy and there’s not a lot of things I can say that about.”
-John Arszyla
Crowbait, a “garage country” band based in Austin, Texas has set out to prove that its more than just an old horse. Made up of four friends who united later in life to experiment with their musical chops, John Arszyla, singer/songwriter/rhythm guitar, Steve Sheppeard, bass, Greg McCallum, lead guitar and Curtis Miller, drums are having fun playing together and gigging live at local venues.
I sat down with John to discuss his journey, how it all came together, what inspires him, his love affair with music and why whiskey makes everything better.
Give me a little backstory on the band. How did you get together? How long have you known each other? How is each personality unique?
Steve and I have been friends for over twenty years. We had a mutual love of music and guitars and limited experience playing music. I started writing some songs on an old acoustic guitar and Steve said he’d switch to bass and try to play along. We had some drummers and guitar players come and go. I wrote more songs. We got better overtime. Good enough that eventually some actually talented musicians started playing with us. We found Greg through a mutual musician friend about five years ago, about that time we became a real band and called ourselves Crowbait which is an old west term for a broken down horse. Then came Covid and all that mess. We were without a drummer for a while when we found Curtis about 6 months ago. We really got lucky. He really gets it. He gets the songs and understands the feel and the vibe. His addition to the mix has really revitalized things. Greg and Curtis have experience having played in lots of bands over the years. Steve and I are fairly new to the game. We’re very lucky in that everyone gets along well, we like playing together and drinking beer together. Steve and Greg both have home studios and have become pretty good recording engineers. We just have fun playing music together and love playing it live for other people.
What inspires you?
Texas inspires me. It’s the heart of the west. The backdrop of the Old West. It’s in the air. In the food. In the whiskey. I like to look for inspiration in the little things that otherwise might get overlooked. Surprises come in the strangest places. Also, heartbreak is a great inspiration. And what happens after that when you add whisky. If you’re not inspired, you’re not paying attention.
Who are your musical mentors?
I grew up on classic rock and dived into old country and Americana when I moved to Austin. I love punk and garage rock and reggae and blues and metal and blue grass. My top five musical influences in no particular order: Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Black Sabbath and Hank Williams.
How would you describe your music? What makes it special?
I like to call it ‘garage country’. It’s country music with sharp edges. Like mixing the outlaw country of the 70’s of Willie & Waylon & Johnny with the Sonics & the Clash and the Stooges. I like a song to tell a story. My lyrics tell stories. I think that’s a strong point to my writing. It’s satisfying when my words connect with someone.
Do you write your own songs? If so, how do you come up with the lyrics? If not, what covers do you gravitate towards?
I write the music and lyrics for the band. I love to write. I’ve got notebooks full of cool words and phrases and things I’ve heard and things I’ve read and snippets of ideas. Sometimes I string these things together and make a song, sometimes it just materializes out of the ether. Sometimes I sweat over it for days and weeks thinking it will never come together. We do mostly originals, but we do some covers too. About 75/25 %. I just look for covers that speak to me no matter the genre. We always try to make it our own and not sound too much like the source material. We do a Prince song and one from Iron and Wine, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, somehow it all works.
How does living and gigging in Austin help solidify your brand? Is Austin the place to be for all things music? If so, why?
Austin is known as “The Live Music Capital of the World “. I’m not sure if that’s true anymore. It sure used to be. I don’t know if it is anymore. Dive bars that used to rage with live music 5 nights a week are now upscale salons and specialty coffee shops. But it’s not all bad. Austin has a vibe. The people, my friends and neighbors, the city itself encouraged me to pick up a guitar and play when I moved here. I could not have done this back in my hometown. Austin encourages this. Our sound was not molded to fit Austin but rather I feel that Austin molded us to make the sounds we make. If this is our brand it was unintentional but welcome and Austin is surely a part of it.
If you could meet a musical legend, who would it be and what would you ask them? If you could collaborate with any modern-day musician, who would it be and why do you respect him or her?
I would say Tom Waits (damn! I left him off my list of musical mentors). I would ask him how he reconciles the classics with the avant-garde in sounds and songs and life. He crafts such a beautiful balance between catchy tune and cacophony. As far as modern-day, I would sing a duet with either Johnette Napolitano or Neco Case because both women have such beautiful, deep, strong voices and I would sing the high part and they the low part to juxtapose the expected. They’re also incredible songwriters.
Why is music your passion? What is it about for you? What gets you excited?
I have just always loved music for as long as I can remember. The closest I’ve ever come to a religious experience was listening to a great band play live. Music transcends. Music heals. It’s not a platitude. I always loved music, but I never played or wrote it until I was well into my 30’s. It’s rare to find love later in life. Music makes me happy and there’s not a lot of things I can say that about. Like Kinky Friedman said, “Find what you love and let it kill you.”
