by Daniel Markham
Fresh off the heels of starring in Blaze, the Blaze Foley inspired reimagining directed by Ethan Hawke, a summer tour with Hayes Carll and appearances on many of the nation’s most widely-respected radio stations, Ben Dickey will be coming through Knoxville to perform at Second Bell. I had the chance to talk to Ben about a myriad of topics including his own musical career, his thoughts on Knoxville and more. Here’s how it went.
BLANK: You’re playing at the Second Bell Music Festival.
Ben Dickey: I’m excited to do the festival! I love Knoxville. I’ve been going there to play music since I was a teenager. My friends from Little Rock in this band called Thumbnail moved to Knoxville in the mid-early 90s.
BLANK: What will you be playing?
BD: I’ll play stuff from my new record (“A Glimmer On The Outskirts”). I’ve got a bunch of new songs, and I’ll probably throw in a Townes and a Blaze song to tip my hat to those dudes with all respect due.
BLANK: Let’s talk about Blaze. You worked with Ethan Hawke as the director. How did you create those early Austin vibes while filming in Louisiana and Mississippi?
BD: My father was born in Austin. I was always turned on by all the music and the characters that ever emanated out of that world. Ethan and I are good friends. One of the things we wanted to do if we ever made a movie about Blaze Foley was to take care of his music and make it right. We also wanted to portray Austin the way it was. As much as it is a love letter to anyone who has something to say as an artist, it’s also a love letter to Austin and the people who made it the way it was. We used some rural parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, and we put it in a frame. It was the people inside the frame that really brought it home, and it was fun. It wasn’t easy. It was time travel.
BLANK: What are you working on now?
BD: I just wrapped a role in this new Showtime program called The Good Lord Bird which is a book by James McBride about the abolitionist warrior John Brown. I’m in the pilot episode, and I have a rough fate. Ethan is the one who got the rights to it. He’s playing John Brown. I’ve got these John Prine shows coming up. My huge focus is trying to get my band on the road. It’s gonna work out eventually, but we’ve got to build it slow. I’m writing all the time, and I’m super anxious to get back in the studio.
BLANK: What are you plans for the rest of the day?
BD: I just put new power tubes in my Magnatone. I was worried that it wasn’t going to be OK, but it’s OK. I’m thrilled about it!
Catch Dickey at Second Bell on August 17th. See schedule for showtime.
