Spotlight On

John Andrew Fredrick: The Black Watch Abides


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Today, the Spotlight shines On John Andrew Fredrick of The Black Watch.

After thirty-seven years of making indie rock, the band’s latest album, For All the World, boasts an energy and vitality that surprises even John. John’s a great guest: His creative process remains rooted in uncertainty, he reads more about music than he listens to it, he draws inspiration from everything from Dostoyevsky to David Bowie, and believes the best songwriting comes from not knowing too much about where you're headed.

John talked with me about his philosophy of creative doubt, his daily ritual of playing guitar, and why staying uncertain after all these years keeps the music feeling alive.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from The Black Watch’s album For All the World)

Dig Deeper

  • Visit The Black Watch at their Facebook page
  • Explore The Black Watch's discography on Bandcamp
  • John Andrew Fredrick's author page and novels at Verse Chorus Press
  • Shimmering & Shining with The Black Watch
  • Out of My Tree: An Interview with the Black Watch’s John Andrew Fredrick
  • Pennyblackmusic: Interview with John Andrew Fredrick
  • Dig into this episode's complete show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com

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Spotlight OnBy Lawrence Peryer

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