Music N' Other Drugs

As a kid growing up in the ’90s, Loggins & Messina were a band that I heard quite often around the house yet never fully immersed myself in. Their lack of heaviness played a role, but the real reason for my reluctance had to do with not wanting to admit that the stuff my parents were listening to was cool. It was only when I got older and able to curate my own collection that I reappraised their six studio albums in an effort to unlock the magic.

Now, I love the harmonies, the instrumentation, and the signature Strat tone from Jim Messina that gets richer every time you hear it. While Kenny went on to become “King of the Movie Soundtrack,” Jim feels like the unsung hero given how committed he was to every aspect of the production. Toss in the four albums he recorded with Poco and his contributions to Buffalo Springfield’s swan song “Last Time Around,” and you’ll begin to see why he deserves more respect than he’s been given.

His prowess will be on display when he hits the West Herr Riviera Theatre stage on July 25, but, until then, here’s a conversation that I had recently with the man himself about his legacy in music.

MNOD: You have so many different projects to draw from at this point, so what can fans expect in terms of a setlist for the upcoming North Tonawanda show?

Messina: I’ll pretty much keep it the same as what we’ve been doing, but I’m thinking of putting ‘Same Old Wine’ back in the set. I wrote it back in 1971 about the election process and how messed up everything was, so it feels appropriate to bring it back. It’s not about red or blue or black or white. Rather it’s about people making good decisions. The opening portion of the show is done acoustically with ‘Thinking of You, ‘House at Pooh Corner,’ and ‘Danny’s Song,’ but there’s also a country portion featuring ‘Mexican Minutes,’ which is a song I wrote that Brooks and Dunn recorded, and ‘Listen to a Country Song,’ which was recorded by Lynn Anderson in 1972. Then, we’ll play ‘Holiday Hotel’ and ‘Your Mama Don’t Dance.’ We’re playing the trilogy from ‘Sittin’ In’ and then closing out the set with ‘Angry Eyes’ before a possible encore. I have a five-piece band with me, so you’ll get the bass, percussion, saxophone, and four different singers. I like to stay with the original arrangements or pretty close to them.

MNOD: So, the classic sax solo on “Angry Eyes” will show up?

Messina: Yes, but the second horn part gets played on a B3. I think the version we do now is even better than the original, because it’s more mature and has less angst. I also keep my guitar solo the same, because people love to hear the songs played the way they remember them.

MNOD: What were your expectations when you first began working with Kenny Loggins?

Messina: I initially wanted to write songs that had longevity. Olivia Newton-John was considered for me to work with, as well. She was a wonderful artist, but I didn’t think that I could do a good job with her in a pop format. I had done three albums with Poco from 1968-1970, but we were too rock for country and too country for rock. Getting airplay was a struggle and I just wanted something different. I met Don Ellis from Columbia Records and he thought that Kenny would be a good fit, because he had been working on some tapes. I remember Kenny showed up at my house for dinner with a fuzzy beard, braces, and a smile, so we set up a tape recorder and hit the record button. He did ‘House at Pooh Corner,’ ‘Danny’s Song,’ and ‘Sailin’ the Wind.’ For ‘Pooh Corner,’ the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded a version first, but I wanted ours to be more ethereal and childlike. I was really able to gauge Kenny’s level of ability right off the bat. He was making $100 a week as a songwriter, because he could make his voice sound like anyone from Elton John to Leon Russell. We had a band for him, but it was a lot of work. The record company ended up being more involved in that first record than I wanted them to be, but they were invested. I met with Clive Davis and decided that our partnership was going to work. I think I overworked Kenny at first. All of our songs were designed to work in a live setting, and I think that’s why they became popular and successful. It was a lot of work, but I wanted to deliver a good product.

MNOD: You mentioned earlier that the lack of airplay was a problem during your time in Poco. How do you look back on those three albums today?

Messina: I think the public’s opinion of Poco has always been high, but I’m not so sure about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or anything like that. The popularity and the sales just weren’t there. We didn’t have the hits. I remember there being a time in my life when Elvis and The Beatles weren’t inducted, either, but I didn’t get into this to earn an accreditation or to be a star. I’m an artist. Besides music, I’m also into art, woodworking, and welding, but no one on the outside sees it. It’s just for me. I think Poco may have been too far ahead of the curve at the time, because now everyone is blending country and rock on the radio.

MNOD: What do you have to do in preparation for a tour at this stage of your career?

Messina: I go over my parts consistently. I usually practice 4-6 days depending on time. I don’t arthritis at all, so I don’t have to deal with that. My vocal range has increased as I’ve gotten older, so I enjoy singing more now than before. We do our sound check at noon and we’re usually ready by three. It’s definitely more organized now than it used to be. Less stress. In the early days, we were young and not as concerned with exhausting ourselves. I started playing at 13 and producing at 16, so this is what I’ve always loved to do.

Jim Messina plays the West Herr Riviera Theatre on July 25 with John Ford Coley.

See http://www.jimmessina.com or www.rivieratheatre.org for details.