INTERVIEW: Elijah Jones of The Constellations on his beloved Atlanta

The Constellations, under the leadership of Elijah Jones, can be seen across the United States on the Vans Warped Tour this summer. Playing in support of their latest album, Do It For Free, the Atlanta-based band brings together soul and psychedelic rock for a unique mixture of untethered energy. Much like their first record, Southern Gothic, the group finds inspiration in the open road. They tour constantly, so much so that their native Atlanta has become a distant, but still resounding, memory.

“Touring on Southern Gothic, I had been listening to a lot of soul music and searching for new music,” Jones said recently during a phone interview. “A lot of what I got connected to was a lot of old blues and a lot of old soul music, obscure stuff. It wasn’t like mainstream Motown stuff. … Hooked up with Andy Rose, the producer on the new record, and he got it from the first day. We stepped in the studio and just jammed out and wrote three songs in a day basically. That’s why the direction went that way.”

The Constellations shifted from Virgin to 429 Records for Do It For Free, and their notoriety continues to build. A spot on the Warped Tour, although not an obvious fit for the band, has brought them exposure to a new contingent of fans. “The Warped Tour is traditionally considered more of a punk rock, hardcore kind of scene,” Jones said. “Because we’re so different, I think we stand out a lot. … We’re playing with a lot of really great reggae bands and hip-hop bands. It’s a really good place for us. We’re doing soul music, and I think soul music connects to all of those different genres. I think the audience has definitely been surprised. We get a good response.”

No matter where the open road takes The Constellations, Jones and company will always be thankful for their Atlanta roots. The Georgia capital plays a large role in the lyrical quality of each album, almost like a specter hovering over the bandmates. “Atlanta was the other member of the band on the first record,” he said. “The second record … when I reference Atlanta it’s more about missing Atlanta and wishing I was there and missing my friends and family. Stories from an outside point of view, of being on the road and stuff like that. We toured constantly since Southern Gothic came out, and it’s been hard to keep in touch with my family and friends. That adds to some of the heartache that the record, I think, has. Just a little undertone of melancholy throughout the whole record, even on the happy, bouncy songs. There’s a sadness to it, and that’s definitely about missing Atlanta and missing my friends, my family.”

The Constellations have an almost indescribable sound. There’s a definite blues vibe, especially with the album opener, “Black Cat,” but then the band can rev things up for a livelier tune, like “Afterparty”. Most of the songs, all written by Jones, originated from “hotel recordings” on the road and then were polished in a Santa Monica studio.

” ‘Black Cat’ I actually wrote a long, long time ago, before the first record was even put out,” Jones said of the song. “Basically it’s about some of my young life, getting lost in Atlanta streets, getting involved in drugs and letting them take me over the edge, and looking down at the abyss, and staring right back at me kind of stuff. Drugs are a serious thing. You can’t take them lightly. They will take over your world in a heartbeat. … I’ve buried a lot of kids and a lot of my friends are in prison and stuff like that. … That’s what the song is about.”

Although The Constellations have garnered critical success, the tough realities of the current music industry can be difficult. A band needs to work its way up the ladder, one concert at a time. Overnight successes are rare. “If you want to become a musician, don’t expect to be on top of the world,” he said. “A lot of it is a struggle. Your writing will always, always, always prosper from the struggle. The struggle is what it’s all about. The minute I’m comfortable is probably the moment I’ll put down my pick. … Everybody downloads shit for free, but if you really strike a chord with somebody in the live show, if you really connect with somebody, they’ll come and buy a CD. That’s what it’s about. That’s love, shared love, a shared experience.”

This realization seeps into the new record as well.

“We named the record Do It for Free because basically that’s kind of the statement we were making,” Jones said. “We’re out here on the road 365 days doing this basically for free, as long as we can eat and have somewhere to lay our heads. We’re playing in front of people and it’s great. By no means are we getting rich. We do this just for the love. We do it for free. That’s the statement. It’s a hard life, man.”

After the Warped Tour winds down, and The Constellations take a well-earned break, a headlining tour will likely begin in the fall or early 2013. It seems the stage — no matter where in the country — is where Jones feels the most comfortable, the most alive, the closest he’ll get to his days in Atlanta.

“There’s sometimes when I’m on stage, where I close my eyes and I completely forget about what I’m doing, or where I am, or anything. And I open my eyes, and I remember that I’m in front of a bunch of people. But those are the blessings, those are the gifts from God. That’s when the sunshine rays just shine right down on you, and you forget what you’re doing and where you are. And the fact that you’re singing, it’s all just one energy or one bright shining moment. It’s love coursing through your veins. My two great gifts in my life are being able to play in front of people and being able to record and write music. It’s the same feeling. It’s love, absolute love.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Constellations continue on the Vans Warped Tour throughout the summer. Click here for more information on the new album and the band.