John Oates. Photo Credit: David McClister

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Oates chatted about his new solo music, and his 2024 tour.

Song selection process for the new album

On the song selection approach for the new album, Oates said, “I began to record some of the these songs a while back. I had been putting them aside because they are acoustic-oriented. Eventually, I had a whole album of new material.”

“I hope people appreciate the incredible musicianship that is on this album. I have some of the most amazing players on there. It’s an all-star cast of musicians from the world of Americana music and some amazing Nashville studio musicians,” he said.

“Overall, the musicianship on this album is at a very high level,” he added.

New single ‘Reunion’

“I wrote a brand new song with A. J. Croce, who is a new friend of mine and he is fantastic. This song was inspired by my father, who is 100 years old. The song is called ‘Reunion,’ and it’s about reconnecting with yourself,” he said.

“This song is about finding your true self. It is really a cool, deep, and powerful song. We will be releasing that as a single in a few weeks. The album will be called ‘Reunion’ as well,” he added.

The Paramount show in Huntington

On April 4, Oates will be performing at The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island as part of “John Oates: An Evening of Songs and Stories.”

“I am excited about this show. It will be great,” he admitted. “My former manager, Brian Doyle, is a co-owner of the venue, so he and I go way back. We’ve known each other for over 40 years. It will be great to see him and his family.”

“The Paramount is a fantastic venue. I did get a chance to perform there a while ago, and I am looking forward to coming back. I have a whole new show and an acoustic trio, which is amazing,” he said.

“It will be an evening of songs and stories. I have so much new music that I am trying to play because I have a new album coming out in a few months. I have a new single that will be coming out in a few weeks,” he elaborated.

“I will be playing a lot of the newer material and telling a lot of stories. I will play some surprising selections and some more familiar selections.”

“The Paramount will be a fun show. I hope everyone will come out to enjoy this show. I’m going to tell a lot of stories about how the songs were written, the inspiration behind songs and where they come from. I will play a wide variety of music. It is going to be a musical time trip,” he added.

The Landmark on Main Street

Oates also had positive words to say about performing at The Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington on Long Island back in 2019. “That show was great… it was a while back, right before the world shut down due to the COVID pandemic,” he said.

Advice for young and aspiring artists

For young and aspiring artists, he encouraged them to listen to the people that they like. “That’s what I did, and that’s what a lot of my contemporaries did,” he said. “Literally, learn their songs because it’s an inside of who they are as musicians. Try to learn from them, and what makes them tick musically.”

AI on the future of the business

When asked about AI on the future of the business, he responded, “I don’t know, the business is crazy. I’m glad I started back in the ole days when you made an album and a single, and you went out on toured.”

“Now, it’s a whole new different world. Anyone who is creative and wants to make a creative statement can do it because of the Internet and the digital technology,” he said.

“On the other side, it’s a double-edged sword. The bad thing is that everyone can do it, and it’s oversaturated. It is hard to break through and to get people to pay attention to you when there is so much out there in the digital universe,” he explained.

Favorite mottos to live by

On his favorite mottos to live by, he jokingly said, “When you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you’re still in the tunnel.” “For me, that means if you think you’ve reached the end and you’re still not there, then you’re still not there,” he said.

“You need to keep pushing forward. It’s my personal philosophy that you should try to better yourself, work harder, and try to achieve something that is perhaps is just outside your reach,” he explained.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Oates said, “Reunion.”

“What I’m discovering in myself now with everything that is going on in my life is that I’m trying to get back to the essential version of who I am, and who I was a a a child. I’m trying to make sure I don’t forget about that, and that I keep focused on my true essence as a person,” he elaborated.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 2014, Oates was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the musical duo Darryl Hall and John Oates. “That was great. It has been a great thing for my career. A lot of people put a lot of emphasis on that,” he said.

“Getting inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame before that, was perhaps even more important because if we didn’t write the songs that we wrote perhaps we wouldn’t have made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” he elaborated.

“Inductions into both of these Halls of Fame was very important,” Oates added.

Success

Regarding his definition of the word success, he said, “Success means a lot of things.”

“Success is the freedom to create and the freedom to spend time on the important things in life such as my family, my music, and my creativity. Also, to be present and to live my best life,” he explained.

To learn more about John Oates, check out his official homepage, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.