Navigating some of life’s heftiest challenges such as divorce, grief and redemption isn’t an easy feat. On his new album, How The West Was Once, A.H. Pettus takes listeners on a raw and emotional journey through these struggles and triumphs.
Released last summer, the 13-track album offers a fusion of folk-rock, Americana, and singer-songwriter influences, telling poignant and personal tales of difficult experiences and making it out on the other side. The album hearkens to a wild west scene and overall energy, touching on themes of justice and humanity.
In 2017, Pettus turned to songwriting in search of refuge during a tumultuous time. He created a musical memoir, letting each song rise and fall much like his own journey of self-discovery. Recording, instrumentation, mixing and mastering were all done by Pettus in his basement-studio. The album is a true representation of Pettus’s hands-on musical approach.
We got to talk with Pettus to learn more about his musical journey thus far, the new album, what’s next, and much more.
It appears that How The West Was Once is your first solo release (at least on Spotify). What can you tell us about your musical journey that led to the creation of this solo album?
I started writing it in 2017 when I was living in Los Angeles towards the end of my first marriage. I hadn’t really written anything musically for about 4 years at that point, but for some subconscious reason, the title song came to me one day when I was driving through Topanga canyon. I kind of finished it [the song] and put it on the shelf for a while, but after my first marriage ended, and I moved home, some of these songs just came pouring out. I spent the next 4 years or so writing and recording everything myself in this little janky basement studio I put together. It’s not perfect, but it’s raw and real, and that’s just how life is, so I’m really proud of it.
I see the new album deals with heavy topics like divorce and grief, but also resilience. Is there a song or two on the album that was the most difficult to write/record for one reason or another?
The title track was for sure, it was written and then re-worked while I was going through the worst of it [the divorce], and maybe “Of Love and War and Birth,” that one took a lot out of me emotionally.
Can you talk about the recording and production process itself?
I recorded it by myself in my basement office outside of Charlotte, NC. I hadn’t had to do everything before — the mixing, mastering, and engineering — so you can kind of hear some changes in the songs I recorded earlier versus later as I learned and tried to teach myself. I had hoped this would serve as more of a demo and could go into a more professional studio to add some more band elements, but in the end I just kind of pushed it out there on a whim. But who knows maybe there will be a re-release in the future.
I do have to give my eldest daughter Elle some credit here- she was the one that told me I should record again.
What was the most rewarding part of writing this album?
The best songs are usually the easiest songs to write, the songs that you could just play over and over all night long. It’s something, a feeling, you never stop chasing, and sometimes you find one and that’s when it’s really rewarding.
How does this album compare to your past artistic works?
Very stripped down and more roots and folk than in the past. We had a full touring band for a few years and those songs were more classic rock, but maybe I was just too young or too insecure, but I always felt like a caricature. I don’t feel like that now.
How did this more stripped-down folk n’ western style and approach develop?
I’ve always listened to more folksy singers, but I started deep diving into old standards which led me to the old country singers which sang more western than southern. People like Marty Robbins, Guy Mitchell, Peggy Lee and Johnny Bond. Then I mixed that with some indie bands I like a lot such as The Shins, and I was raised on classic rock so there’s always going to be some Led Zeppelin and Doors in there somewhere. I’m also a big fan of the older blues guys as well such as Son House, so its a pretty big mix I guess.
How would you best describe your songwriting process, and what inspires you most?
Chaotic. Life and people inspire me the most, the human condition and how we all absorb and radiate our experiences. As a writer I love to sit and observe all that life has to offer and then try and distill those observations into a story or a poem and put music to it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
What does artistic success look like to you?
There are many forms of success, and we don’t need a lot to survive. I’d be happy if just one person was helped or really connected with a song I wrote. That would be enough for me.
What are some of your goals for 2024, musically or otherwise?
I’ve got some of my paintings in an exhibition with the Charlotte Art League opening on March 8th. I’m about halfway finished writing the next album, but who knows If I will finish it or not. The last one took 4 years, haha. I also have a novel I wrote that I have been trying to get published called Jazz Wasteland for a little while now. I curated a whole playlist with some great jazz songs mentioned in the book to listen to while you read and everything so hopefully I can get that placed this year as well.
