Peter Wolf on Rootsy New LP: ‘You Just Wonder How You Can Endure’
There’s nothing abstract about the title of A Cure for Loneliness, the latest solo album by Peter Wolf. The J. Geils Band singer long ago discovered his own remedy for that universal condition, and with his new LP, he plans to share it with the world.
“Music’s always been so powerful in my life,” the veteran songwriter tells Rolling Stone. “I feel so grateful that I’m still absorbed by it and can continue on the path of doing what I do and meeting people like Merle [Haggard], doing a duet with Aretha Franklin, and spending time with Muddy Waters or Wilson Pickett. That to me is my cure for loneliness, and I feel so blessed for having had the opportunity.”
In 2010, the singer released the widely acclaimed album Midnight Souvenirs, which featured duets with Haggard and Neko Case. He’s hit the road multiple times both with the J. Geils Band and his own regular group of players, and he’s even found time to play music journalist, engaging with Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg for a rare, hour-long interview. Starting April 9th, he’ll tour the Northeast and Midwest in support of the new LP.
For his eighth solo album, out April 8th, Wolf decided to return to his musical beginnings, and the deepest roots of all American music: country and the blues. Across 12 tracks, including new originals, obscure covers and a bluegrass reimagining of the J. Geils Band classic “Love Stinks,” Wolf plumbs his own emotional depths in an attempt to strike back against the forces of time and complacency.
Wolf recently spoke with RS via phone about Shakespearean rock musicals, his kinship with the late, great Bobby Womack, and the great collaborators who continue to push him in directions both old and new.
A Cure For Loneliness is your first record in about six years. What have you been up to?
Well, I do a lot of touring. There’s downtime — I do painting and that takes over. Making a record is sort of like baking. You don’t want to rush it. You want to cook it and make sure it turns out right. Right now I’m working on taking the entire Shakespeare tragedies and turning them into a Broadway musical.
Really?
No, that was a joke [laughs]. It seems like every rock & roller is doing a musical these days, though. I thought I would choose all of the Shakespearean tragedies, mix ’em up, put them into one and turn them into song.
Like a Shakespeare’s greatest hits?
Yeah, like I Am Hamlet. “To be or not to be …”
How much of your time away from the studio these past few years did you spend really nailing down the material for this album?
Time flies by, and of course you want to find a good home for your work, and that takes time too. And before you know it, there’s this space. But it’s not for a lack of having material. I can go in and record tomorrow and do another kind of record, but it just wouldn’t make sense. There’s a certain cast of characters that I like to pull together, a certain group of players that I want to be involved because I believe in collaboration. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really fine musicians, and they bring in so much personality to the work and help lift the bar up for me.