Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with a band that has as much of a classic sound as it does an original sound. That band is Second Hand Mojo. From the Midwest to the world, Second Hand Mojo is a band that has found it’s sound from the steep history that is rock and catapulted it into a stratosphere of signature sounds from a set of musicians that are as much virtuosos as they are songwriters.
And, in this interview, we talk with guitarist/vocalist Vern Springer about that steep history, the music that is Second Hand Mojo, and what it takes to make a stamp in the modern world of independent music. We also get a glimpse of what is coming up next.
About Second Hand Mojo
Second Hand Mojo, out of Canton, MI. and surrounding areas, is a blues-rock band known for its distinctive, melodic guitar riffs, powerful keyboards, clever lyrics and powerhouse vocals. Members of Second Hand Mojo include Vern Springer (guitar, vocals), Chuck Riepenhoff (lead vocals) Scott Brokaw (percussion, vocals), MarQ Andrew Speck “Q” (keys, vocals) and James Hampton (bass, vocals).
Second Hand Mojo coming together as a band was a bit of a journey. Vern and Scott were in another band that ran its course and decided to start another project. They began by looking for a singer and other musicians. They had gone through a bunch of folks and just hadn’t found the right combination. Believe it or not, it was a Craigslist ad that brought Chuck into the mix who then brought James in to play bass.
Vern says, “The last piece was MarQ. I was playing in another band with “Q” and asked him if he would come in and play with us. He came in and we played “Saturday Night”, “Hold On “and “After Midnight” which he delivered a particularly tasty Organ solo on. We had our guy. The lineup was set, and we were on our way.”
Second Hand Mojo’s influences run the gambit from blues to gospel to indie rock, americana, jazz, funk, rhythm and blues. If you love Classic Rock from the 60’s to the 90’s, they will sound vaguely familiar but different enough to sound fresh and new.
As far as the writing process goes for Second Hand Mojo songs, Vern says, “We are collaborative for the most part in at least some way on every song. Sometimes it’s a lick someone is messing around with or sometimes it is a mostly complete song that we bring in. We work them out during rehearsal until we feel confident enough to take them out in front of an audience and eventually put them up for consideration on the next recording project.”
Second Hand Mojo is looking to reach as large an audience as they can, play some great shows and continue to release music.
You can hear their latest track, “Kiss My Baby Goodnight” on Spotify and their new video on YouTube.
LINKS:
https://secondhandmojo.com/
https://www.facebook.com/2handmojo
https://www.instagram.com/2handmojo
https://www.tiktok.com/@secondhandmojo
https://www.twitter.com/2ndhandmojo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWWX1rJddd77Jg-2wpiZPwg
