Joe Pug, a name, which in Chicago, is synonymous with the re-embodiment of Bob Dylan and the new face and renewal of Americana music. A transplant from Maryland, and more recently North Carolina, Pug was studying to be a playwright, but jumped ship to Chicago with a day job in carpentry and a passion and plan to pick up a guitar and start writing songs.
Non-stop touring, 2 EPs, one of which was which was peddled for free, and a recently released full-length album, Messenger, have boded well for the busy, young musician, who was recently nominated for the 2010 American Music Association’s New & Emerging Artist Award.
Having played shows at venues around the city such as Schubas, The Hideout, Lollapalooza, and most recently The Vic, Pug is no stranger to the Chicago music scene.
Pug took some time, while on the road, the day after his show at the Vic to speak with The DePaulia by phone.
The DePaulia: It’s been a huge two or three years for you, I know you just released your new album, Messenger, and it definitely has a different vibe than Nation of Heat, so how do you describe that evolution?
Joe Pug: I think it’s just, you listen to different things at different times, and they impress themselves on you in different ways. I think any artist, the evolution is not something that’s planned it just sort of happens and you sort of follow your instincts and your tastes and it leads you to new sounds.
TD: You’re on the road obviously a lot, so what part of that cycle is next, are you planning on writing more or continuing to tour, or do you kind of do both at the same time.
JP: I don’t really write while I tour, while I’m on the road, but whenever I get off the road I immediately get into sort of a routine when I go home where I wake up in the morning, and write and play guitar a lot, so anytime I’m off the road I’m trying to write new material.
TD: Being on the road a ton, you’ve played a lot of different venues, you’ve played festivals and small clubs, which do you prefer and where do you feel like you get the most audience response?
JP: It doesn’t really matter what type of venue it is, I mean obviously outdoors is not ideal for my type of music, but there’s a lot of shows indoors and the type of venue matters less than the city it is. I feel like, it’s really best, when there are cities in the U.S. where I have fans that really know my tunes and they come ready to have a good time no matter, whether it’s a massive theatre or a small 100-seater club. That’s always when it’s the best is when we’re both on the same page and they are familiar with the tunes.
TD: In Chicago where is your favorite place to play?
JP: You know, I’m always gonna love playing at the Hideout, it’s a very small club. I’ve had a chance to play some other very cool places. I mean, The Vic obviously last night was great, but the Hideout, that’s my favorite place to play.
TD: You play a lot of shows in Chicago, but where do you like to see shows in the city?
JP: Schubas is a great place to see shows. They’ve got a great sound system, and bands always sound great when they come to Schubas.
TD: I would say that you kind of straddle the line between a few different genres. Where would you place yourself among those?
JP: Well, you know, it’s hard to tell. I think, this is just American music. This is folk. This is country. This is, I mean, a little bit of blues in there too. This is rock and roll. American music is becoming more and more one big thing.
TD: Your senior year of college in North Carolina, you visited Chicago, and then soon after packed up and moved your life here. What was it about Chicago that captured you enough to make that drastic of a life change?
JP: Well, Chicago is just, it was, it still is to me now a very, very romantic city. Just from the way it looks, just from the vibe it has. It just really captured my heart and imagination the first time that I came through, I just fell in love with the city. I’m still in love with Chicago.
TD: It’s easy to fall in love with, that’s definitely true.
JP: It sure is. In the same way that New Yorkers will talk about being in love with New York, I’m really in love with Chicago. I think a lot of Chicagoans feel the same. You’d be really hard-pressed to find a Chicagoan who bitched about living in Chicago.
TD: Do you plan on staying in Chicago for awhile, or do you plan on moving somewhere with a larger music scene.
JP: I think Chicago has a plenty big music scene. You know, I’m a young dude, I’ll probably bounce around here and there, try and live some different places, hang out, but Chicago will always be my home base. I think I’ll always find myself returning to Chicago.
TD: Having gone from playwright to carpenter to wandering musician, what advice would you have for any students who are thinking of changing their direction, be it in their major or field of work?
JP: Well, I think you should always check in pretty often and see and make sure that you love doing what you do and you’re not doing it for other reasons and seeing whether it gives you energy or it takes energy away from you, and just be real honest with yourself. I mean, life is sometimes, sometimes you have to let people down, and that’s just a part of life and its natural, and the more you fight against that, the more heartache will be involved.