Warner E. Hodges

Warner E. Hodges (born June 4, 1959) is an American rock guitarist best known for his service in Jason & the Scorchers. His longtime bandmate, Jason Ringenberg, called Hodges "the only guitarist in the world who can really bridge the gap between James Burton and Angus Young."[1]

Hodges is from Nashville, Tennessee, and even among the many first-rate players from "Guitar Town," he has a longstanding reputation as an ace guitar slinger.[2][3] His style melds hard rock[4] and heavy metal[5] as well as punk[6] and country.[7]

Early life

Hodges was born in Würzburg, Germany. His father, Edgar W. Hodges, was a U.S. Army officer who served in Korea, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and the Panama Canal Zone in addition to Germany.[8]

Edgar and his wife Blanche were professional country musicians who toured with USO shows, entertaining troops at military bases. Their band, Swingin' Strings, opened for well-known performers including Johnny Cash, Lefty Frizzell, and Porter Wagoner.[9][8]

Blanche Hodges, a singer, had "a soft, pretty Southern voice." She and Ed made a special guest appearance on the 1998 live album by Jason & the Scorchers, Midnight Roads & Stages Seen. Before the performance of “Walking the Dog” by Rufus Thomas, she observed that she used the song as a lullaby for little Warner.[10]

Young Warner's first instrument was drums. He performed in front of a live audience for the first time at age 10 as a drummer when his parents needed a fill-in. However, Warner fell in love with guitar after seeing Angus Young perform at an AC/DC show.[9]

By that time, following his father's retirement from the Army in 1973, the Hodges family had settled in Nashville. Edgar and Blanche were strong supporters of their son's musical endeavors.[8]

Career

With Jason & the Scorchers

Hodges was in a Nashville band called the Electric Boys along with two other future members of Jason & the Scorchers, Jeff Johnson and Perry Baggs.[9] In 1981 they joined forces with Ringenberg.

Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, as they were originally known, were instrumental in the development of the cowpunk genre. Hodges' deep knowledge of country music, courtesy of his upbringing, helped form the bedrock of the band in tandem with his particular set of influences.[10][9] In a 2017 interview, he cited Danny Gatton as his all-time favorite guitar player, along with a long list of rock and country artists, famous stars as well as less-recognized names.[11]

His playing, which combined power and subtlety, was an integral part of the band's sound.

The guitarist contributed greatly to the visual aspect of the band's performances as well. Though Ringenberg was a highly energetic frontman, Hodges was also visually prominent and full of showmanship.

  • He typically wore "boots with dangerous-looking spurs."[12]
  • He played solos with a cigarette in his nose and a longneck beer bottle in his mouth.[13]
  • He spun himself in circles on stage.[14]
  • He threw his guitar on its strap over his shoulder 360 degrees and continued to play without missing.[12]

Both the spinning and over-the-shoulder moves may be seen in the appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on April 29, 1998: (Video on YouTube).

An apt description of Hodges as a guitar hero came in 1989. Stereo Review noted that he "shows more imagination per cut than most axemen demonstrate in a lifetime. On top of pouring out riffs like a rumbling volcano spits out lava, Hodges will interpolate delicate little rhythmic accents...He often manages to be brutal and graceful at the same time."[15]

A 1995 account noted that Hodges' "vast warehouse of guitar tricks" included "Chuck Berry riffs, crunching heavy metal sputter, barbed-wire arpeggios, [and] Eddie Van Halen squalls."[16]

The Scorchers disbanded in 1990 but reformed in 1993. They were active throughout the rest of the 1990s and have reconvened sporadically since then with various lineups; Ringenberg and Hodges are the constants.

Their last album to date is Halcyon Times (2010).

With Dan Baird & Homemade Sin

Former Georgia Satellites frontman Dan Baird introduced this band in 2005, with Hodges joining him on lead guitar. A 2008 article in the Irish Times noted the presence of the "celebrated guitarist" on the group's debut album.[17] Hodges played with Homemade Sin on various records and tours in addition to fronting his own band. A 2018 show review noted that Baird and Hodges gave "the undeniable sense you were in the room with a power source."[18]

With the Disciples of Loud

This band self-released an album called Let the Beatings Begin in 2003. Nashville Scene described the "guitar-slinger extraordinaire" and lead vocalist vividly that December.[4]

Preachin' the Gospel (under the billing "Warner E. Hodges and the Disciples of Loud") came out on Hodges' own imprint, Nash Vegas Flash, in 2013.

Nash Vegas Flash is also the name that Hodges uses for his song publishing.

With the Warner E. Hodges Band

Hodges has released four albums under this band's name:

  • Centerline (2008)
  • Gunslinger (2014)
  • Right Back Where I Started (2017)
  • Just Feels Right (2020)
  • Soul Shaker (2023)

In addition to playing lead guitar, he is the lead vocalist and is "more than capable" in the latter capacity.[19]

A compilation, Boots Up: The Best of the Warner E. Hodges Band So Far, was released in the U.K. and Europe in 2021 and in the U.S. in 2022.[19]

The Warner E. Hodges Band are lined up to take part in the Outlaw Country Cruise in February 2024, as they did from 2019 through 2023

With the Bluefields

This Nashville band features Hodges' friend Joe Blanton, another member of that city's rock scene. Blanton had previously been singer and guitarist in The Royal Court of China, a 1980s band.[20]

As Hodges explained in 2022, he is part of a songwriting team with Blanton and Dan Baird. The songs wind up in either a Bluefields pile, a Homemade Sin pile, or a "Warner" pile.[19]

The Bluefields have released four albums between 2012 and 2020.

With Drivin N Cryin

Hodges toured with Drivin N Cryin in 2015 and 2016. That band's leader, Kevn Kinney, remarked, "With Warner Hodges, it's a special show."[21] Kinney later described Hodges as "a legend...a take-no-prisoners guitar-shredder."[22]

With De Piratas

In August 2021, Hodges and old comrade Jeff Johnson (whom he hadn't seen in more than a decade) were guests on a podcast about Nashville's rock history. They invited one of the hosts, Jonathan Bright, to join them in a new musical venture.

The result was an album called F.U., self-released in April 2022. Also playing on the album was bassist Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick.[23]

Personal life

Hodges developed a problem with alcohol in the 1980s. He has been sober since 1992.[9] His hard-earned achievement has led many others to seek his advice. He has been married twice. He met his second wife at an A.A. meeting.[24] He is stepfather to his wife Deborah's three children: Brock, Chauncey, and Emelia.[8]

References
  1. Puckett, Jeffrey Lee (October 5, 2010). "Scorchers are relighting their fire". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  2. de Yampert, Rick (March 18, 1999). "Gnashville has its own unique brand of guitar gods". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  3. Ghianni, Tim (July 22, 2016). "Exit/In: Nashville's rock temple still standing". Nashville Ledger. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  4. McCall, Michael (December 25, 2003). "Disciples of Loud". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  5. Sasfy, Joe (October 31, 1986). "Jason &". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  6. Hill, Christopher (November 1989). "Jason and the Scorchers: Thunder and Fire". SPIN. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. Palmer, Robert (March 7, 1984). "Jason Ringenberg and His Scorchers". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. "Edgar Wadsworth Hodges". The Tennessean. February 17, 2010. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  9. Meeker, Ward (November 2008). "Warner Hodges: Ahead of His Time, Two Times". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  10. Hisaw, Eric (May 2012). "Ring of Fire". Lone Star Music Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  11. Taylor, Nikki (April 2017). "Dan brings Homemade Sin to Lizotte's". Newcastle Live City Sounds. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  12. Boehm, Mike (September 14, 1995). "Jason and the Scorchers: Heat of the Night". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  13. Courter, Barry (October 1, 2019). "Walk the West is back in the saddle, opening for The White Animals". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  14. Williams, Dan (2000). "A Pocketful of Soul". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  15. Givens, Ron (October 1989). "Jason and the Scorchers: Elemental Rock" (PDF). Stereo Review. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  16. McKeough, Kevin (March 12, 1995). "Hit Rock". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  17. Breen, Joe (November 14, 2008). "Roots: Dan Baird & Homemade Sin". Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  18. Clarke, Melissa (July 3, 2018). "Show Review: Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Power Rock At The Hill Country In D.C." Americana Highways. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  19. Sanders, Daryl (September 1, 2022). "Warner Hodges' Best-Of Collection Proves He's More Than a Six-String Wizard". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  20. "Bluefields reap the best of Nashville rock". The Weekender. February 24, 2014. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  21. "Scarred but smarter". Trussville Tribune. March 25, 2015. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  22. Harris, Vincent (July 28, 2016). "Drivin' N Cryin' brings guitarist Warner Hodges along for their three-decade ride". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  23. Sanders, Daryl (April 7, 2022). "De Piratas Shows Off Potent Rock 'n' Roll Chemistry on Debut LP F.U." Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  24. Wildsmith, Steve (November 25, 2019). "Scorcher, Sinner, sober: Warner E. Hodges is a man of many hats". The Ties That Bind Us. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
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