“It's a porch-stompin', fiddle-sawin', bass-spankin' hootenanny!” — Lifestyle Frisco
Since sprouting up in the North Texas scene in 2012, The Bodarks have been described as a “hootenanny” band — high-energy with the rootsy sound of “ragtime, jug band, and Western swing, but mixed with punk” (Lifestyle Frisco). Though recently nominated as “Best Country Act in Dallas” (Ghosty Awards), they have more often been likened to genre-breaking, folk-oriented artists such as “Pokey LaFarge, Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Avett Brothers” (KHYI 95.3FM The Range).
True to the original hootenannies of the Woody-Guthrie and Pete-Seeger days, their live performances also obscure barriers, inviting the audience into the experience, “connecting with the crowd and trying to bring us up on the stage,” says Brett Dillon (KHYI, 95.3FM The Range), with “delightful harmonies that had the audience singing along to their songs,” says Sarah Badran (Blitz Weekly). It's Americana without borders.
After all, the tree from which The Bodarks take their name is all about defying borders. That twisted hardwood, once used to hedge in cattle, is still found stubbornly invading farmers' fence rows and suburban medians, dropping its massive horse-apples on every side of the street.
No sooner had they formed the band than they were selected as a Shiner Rising Star finalist in 2013. Their blend of styles caught the attention of the judges: “You create your own genre,” said Donnie Nelson (GM of the Dallas Mavericks). “You crash through every genre.”
This border-blurring is evident in the wide range of ages and musical tastes of their fans and in the touring acts for which they have side-staged - including Kansas, Pat Benatar, Gary P. Nunn, Randy Rogers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Old 97s.
Alan Mercer: I’m going to start with you Jeff. Are you the founder of the group?
Jeff Brooks: Well actually, Jason and I went to college together at Texas Tech. The two of us used to play guitar together in the dorms. We would do some duo shows and then after awhile we decided to put together a band with some more pieces. We posted a Craig’s List ad and we got a few answers including our fiddle player, Shelly New.
AM: How did you choose your unusual band name?
Jeff Brooks: Here in this particular area of Texas and into Oklahoma and Arkansas, there is the Bodark Tree with the big monkey fruits known as hedge apples or horse apples. It’s kind of rootsy, organic and local.
Jason Bell: When I first met Jeff in college, we were instant friends, but it took a couple of years to get to know each other and our families. When I went into Jeff’s grandma’s house, I felt like I was going into my grandma’s house. They were cow people and raised livestock and when his grandpa talked about the bodark tree, it felt like my grandpa was talking. The word Bodark has a rich, colloquial feel to it and it just stuck in my head. Our music has that rich American musical heritage feel to it.
AM: When did you start performing as a band?
Jason Bell: It was around 2010.
AM: How did you end up recording your first album?
Jeff Brooks: We were part of the Shiner Rising Star contest where the winner would get a record deal, but we didn’t win so we thought, no record, but our fans got together and did a Kickstarter crowd funding, so all our fans paid for it. That was amazing.
AM: I love good fans!
Jeff Brooks: We did record a live album and pretty much gave it away to our fans as a thank you to them.
AM: What sets your new album apart from the earlier releases?
Jeff Brooks: I think one thing that sets it apart is Fort Worth Sound and Bart Rose. He captured us so well. He knows how to capture acoustic instruments well. We’re a bit weird. Doc makes us really weird. How do you record a washboard, but Bart Rose did it.
AM: Jeff, what instruments do you play?
Jeff Brooks: I play guitar, banjo and I stomp. It’s like stomping on a porch, so it gives us a thump, thump.
Robert Carter: On the record Jeff, you also play accordion, slide guitar and a little piano.
AM: You have band members that come and go, right?
Jeff Brooks: Yes, family has always been very important to us and sometimes someone needs to leave to prioritize their family. We all like to be back home and sleep in our own beds with our families at night. We’re kind of an ameba type of group. Also, Shelly and I play a lot of duo gigs. I t allows us to adapt.
Jason Bell: We built to whole thing with the intention to be flexible and without a big backline of a drum kit and a normal rock band with two guitars. This allows us to play patio gigs and private parties at somebody’s house. There’s way less set up.
AM: Who does the songwriting?
Jeff Brooks: I do the lion’s share of the writing. The rest have all helped some.
Shelly New: I will say that Jeff will come up with a structure and then as we all start contributing to it, it changes. There have been some songs that we all go, it’s OK and then as we work on it, it morphs into a much better song.
Adrian “Doc” Cook: It was only my third gig with the band, that we started writing together.
Shelly New: We had a gig that got rained out, so we all started writing this tune that had popped into my head that week. That song ended up being on the new album and it’s ‘Won’t Stop Till I’m Dead.’
AM: The first song that stood out to me was ‘Circus.’ I love the video. It’s the very best lyric video I’ve ever seen. That vintage circus footage is so beautiful. Your music reminds me of something I would hear on ‘Boardwalk Empire.’
Jeff Brooks: We love that. The old, old is the new kind of new.
AM: So, where did ‘Circus’ come from?
Jeff Brooks: Well, it’s not about a circus. It’s really about materialism, greed and money. Sometimes that makes clowns out of people. It can suck the soul right out of you. So, the song is about people obsessing over money.
AM: Is attitude that reflective of your Punk sensibility?
Jeff Brooks: That Punk sensibility comes through more in our performance, but that song probably does get closer to that along with social commentary. Punk and Folk music have a lot in common in a strange kind of way. Mostly due to social commentary.
AM: After listening to a lot of your music, much of it does have a deeper message.
Jeff Brooks: Yes, many of them do, sometimes by accident. (Laughter)
Jason Bell: Many of these songs, at the time we were writing them, felt a little bit edgy and we wondered, can we say that? Are people listening, only responding to music because they don’t understand the words? Are we saying things that people don’t want to hear, but maybe need to hear?
AM: I did notice an edge to your lyrics, but I like it. Doc, do you play any other instruments besides the washboard?
Adrian “Doc” Cook: It’s my favorite thing to play. I started out in marching band, but then I didn’t play music for fifteen years. I’m a trained actor and theatrical artist. This buddy of mine had a Folk band and was down from Pennsylvania and he said, “Hey, you got drums. Come play with me.” So, I got into playing again. I would play washboard on one or two songs along with my hand drums. I had seen the North Mississippi Allstars with Widespread Panic and this guy came out with a plugged-in washboard. I thought what is that!?! Ten years later it came back into my consciousness. That’s when I thought, I’m plugging this thing in. Not only do I get 8 to 9 strikes, instead of just 2, like with sticks or hands, but now I can bend the sound and make it sound like the mothership taking off. I can get a little funk going.
Jeff Brooks: It adds a band jam element to the sound.
Adrian “Doc” Cook: My sensibility is jam based.
Jason Bell: It does open up the sound a little bit.
AM: You all sure do have some great music on your albums.
Jeff Brooks: This is album number four, and I haven’t felt this way about the other three. There’s just something about it. We all knew that when we started to record it and then suddenly everything came to a halt when we got into the covid situation. That did allow us to take the time to add some more to it. This allowed it to percolate. We think it has some singles on it since singles is what it’s about now. It’s a work of art with little nuggets in there.
