Welcome back to our Independent Interviews.
Today I have the pleasure and honor, sorry for the emotion, to interview one of the best guitarists in the independent world and today in the band of the legendary Cody Jinks: Jake Lentner.
Hi Jake, thanks for taking the time to chat here on my blog. It’s a real honor for me to interview a great artist like you. Tell us about Jake Lentner: where were you born and raised and when did you decide that music would become your life.
Thank you for having me! Glad to chat.
I’m originally from the western side of the state of Massachusetts, about 1.5 hours west of Boston.
I got my first guitar for my 12th birthday.
In the first couple years of high school, I really started to think about the idea of what it would be like to be a full-time musician after graduating.
What were your biggest musical influences? What do you like to listen to and which guitarist did you want to be like when you were young?
Growing up, I had many influences.
The biggest one was Metallica.
However, I listened to a wide variety of music, ranging from jazz (Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, etc.) to classic rock and heavy metal (a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, etc.)
You started out as a session musician in Nashville, when did you meet Cody Jinks? How was your first meeting?
I moved to Nashville in 2013 to really just be involved in music as a whole.
I just wanted to play: if that meant touring, session work, songwriting, or part of a band, I just wanted music to be full-time.
I did not meet Cody until 2021 when he needed a heavy metal session guitar player for his metal band side project, Caned By Nod.
We met at Sonic Ranch, and honestly, I didn’t really know too much about him.
I listened to some country music and his name had come up a few times, but I didn’t know how big his impact on country music actually was.
For that two week session, he and the rest of the camp made me feel right at home!
Which other artists have you played for over the years? Have you ever thought about starting your own band?
I’ve played with a lot of other artists, ranging from my alternative rock band (Ferris and the Wheels), to other up and coming country artists like Erin Viancourt and Michael Lisenby.
Some bigger ones include the guys in Love and Theft, some of the original members of Shinedown, and Mark Morton of Lamb of God.
Regarding my own project, my brother Joe and I have always played music together, all the way back to when we were in school.
We are actually working on an entire full length alternative metal album at the moment, and hoping to release that this summer!
You have experienced firsthand the dizzying increase in consensus for Jinks: how did you experience this increase in popularity? Is your relationship with fans the same as when you played for fewer people?
I’ve been with Cody for about 4 years now and I have learned so much.
Before Cody, I had never been on a tour with buses, crew, lighting, or anything like that.
I was also used to only playing for 100-200 people at a time.
My first show with Cody was about 3,000 people.
I still play those smaller shows with other artists and I always make sure to hang out with the crowd after those shows.
With the Cody shows, I am not always able to do that, since we have to get on the bus, or there isn’t really a place to talk to fans.
However, I still try to interact with everyone as much as I can, whether it’s in person or via social media.
I would say my relationship with the overall fanbase is similar, just on a different scale.
What is it like working alongside someone who changed the game of independent music? Is he a strict boss?
As I mentioned, I have learned a lot in my time with Cody.
I share the stage with him and we record together, but we’ve also written music together. Cody is one of those artists that has the ability to make a 10,000 person amphitheater feel like a honky tonk bar, so it’s always amazing to see the affect he has on fans.
He is not very strict, but he is very straightforward.
He’s an incredible boss due to his honesty and modesty.
I imagine that life always on tour is hard. How do you reconcile this life with that family?
We actually tour only a few days at a time, and a few times a month.
Most of the time, our touring schedule is Thursday through Sunday and usually just in the summer and fall.
My wife and I do not have kids, so while touring can be tiring, I miss it when we are off the road.
Is Jinks’ band the same in concert and also in the studio? Does Cody write the songs alone or is there a collaboration with the band?
Yes! What you see on stage is what you get in the studio.
Who you hear on the albums is who you hear on stage.
Cody writes a lot of the songs, but does collaborate and co-write with other songwriters from time to time.
We learned from social media that you were recording something new at the legendary Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, (if you can) give a gift to Trex Roads readers and give us a preview: should we expect something new this year besides the beautiful AC/DC cover and the single «Put the Whiskey Down»? Maybe an album?
We were indeed at Sonic Ranch, and we did indeed record a LOT of material.
However, I am not a liberty to say what exactly we were doing out there.
All I can say, is that we are very proud of what we did out there.
What is it like recording at Sonic Ranch? Is there a magical air, as those who have recorded albums there have said?
Sonic Ranch is not just one of my favorite studios, it is just one of my favorite places in general.
A “magical air” is truly the best way to describe the environment there.
I can’t describe it much better than that, but you can feel it when you are there.
Food and housing is provided, so once you are there, the focus is entirely the music.
It’s one of those places that somehow subconsciously pushes you to your creative limits every time.
I’ve been there 3 times now, and I’m excited to go back again whenever the chance arises.
Which is your favorite Jinks song and which do you love playing live the most? Do you decide the setlists together or are they chosen only by Cody?
I have a few favorite songs, but it changes depending on what else I’m currently listening to.
All It Cost Me Was Everything, No Guarantees and Grey are all pretty far up the list.
All It Cost Me Was Everything is also one of my favorites to play, because the chorus harmonies are very fun to sing.
Other fun ones are Fast Hand, Loud and Heavy, Hurt You and any of the tunes that have full band jams.
However, we played a brand new song last weekend in New Orleans on March 14th and that might be my new favorite.
Our band leader and bass player Josh designs the setlist, but we also provide input if there is a difficult guitar change or we need to tune in between songs.
Which are the places where you played that have impressed you the most? And where do you dream of playing?
Red Rocks is always a magical venue and we’ve played it 3 times now.
We also played several NFL stadiums over the past year opening for Luke Combs and those were some of my favorite shows.
The amount of adrenaline you get when playing for 50,000 or more people is incalculable.
One day, I would love to play Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
I’ve always been a fan of the American Football team the New England Patriots, so one day I’ll play there.
What do you think about the fact that your music can reach so far to a small Italian village? Why hasn’t Cody Jinks come to Europe yet?
We love how far the music goes! We have fans in Europe, South America, Australia, and parts of Asia. Yes, it’s called “American Country Music”, but that doesn’t mean other countries can’t be fans of it.
Touring Internationally is very difficult due to costs, logistics, work visas, and many other factors, but someday, we all hope to!
Thanks Jake for your availability, we can’t wait to hear new music and congratulations for your fantastic work.
Trex.
