Part One: Crossroads

There is a bit of folklore circulating the Shoals regarding UNA alumnus John Paul White. Legend has it that White was a young, promising local writer. Then, it seemed that White vanished from existence. As quickly as he had left, he busted back on the scene with amazing new material, nearly in a Robert Johnson “Crossroads” fashion.

“Yes, it’s all true,” White said of the tall tale. “It actually all happened at 7-Points in Florence, or maybe it was Elgin Crossroads.”

Although White quickly laid the tale in it’s eternal resting place, he didn’t completely discount a moment or two that changed his future and altered his path.

“I was coming out of Loretto High School and planned to move off,” he said. “There were a few things that happened and I decided to stay in this area. I was playing four or five nights a week, for hours at a time. I was basically just trying to find my way. Then, I enrolled at UNA and talked to Jana Malone in the Entertainment Industry department. She gave me the confidence I needed, and within six months, I had secured a deal.”

UNA set White on the right path, but it was also another moment that would change things for him again. White was writing for EMI in Nashville and doing his absolute best to write contemporary country hits. Even though he had a job writing music, he loathed every minute.

“I was doing what everyone else wanted me to do to be successful,” he said. “I was miserable and wasn’t having much success. I finally just decided, you know what? Screw it. I’m going to record things for myself. I started doing stuff solely for me. For whatever reason, EMI fell in love with it. Those songs started getting cut, and that made no sense whatsoever.”

White was finally beginning to feel comfortable in his own skin. It’s been said that imitation is the best form of flattery, but at some point, White realized he had to come into his own to truly see what he wanted in life come to fruition.

“You’re told your whole life to do what you do,” he said. “You get these shining examples of the way things should be done. The moment I started being selfish and started doing things for myself, is the moment things started taking off. I’ve tried to stick to that ever since.”

Flash forward a bit, and White has teamed up with singer-songwriter Joy Williams in 2009 to form The Civil Wars. The duos’ “Live from Eddie’s Attic,” offered as a free download, has been downloaded over 100,000 times, according to White. The Civil Wars also gained further attention, performing on ‘The Tonight Show’ Jan. 13. The band also will play two sold-out shows at the Zodiac Theater Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Their first full-length studio release, “Barton Hollow,” will debut Feb. 1.

Part Two: The Civil Wars

Ben Skipworth: When I hear “Barton Hollow,” I feel like I’ve just fully immersed myself in a Southern literature novel. It’s almost something similar to a William Faulkner piece. Was any of that an influence on your music?

I can see that in “Barton Hollow.” If people hear that influence, it wasn’t intentional inspiration. It was kind of by osmosis, I guess. I had a guidance counselor in high school turn me on to Faulkner. It’s not surprising that some of that has leaked into our music. Everything we do has sort of that whole Southern gothic vibe to it, but it’s totally without us trying to.

With Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” people have claimed to sync it up with “The Wizard of Oz.” Will we be able to do that with the Civil Wars and “To Kill a Mockingbird” then?

I am so intrigued to go try that now. I think it would be a little more modern like “In the Heat of the Night,” though.

You guys have been classified as folk, acoustic, pop and Americana. I hear more of acoustic folk with the lyrical honesty of old school country. It seems like you guys sing straight from the soul. Is there a genre that you guys generally place yourself in?

That’s paramount to us. When we’re singing something, we want to make sure it’s from the heart. One of the main things I’ve missed with music these days is being able to connect to it. I hope that people believe us. That’d be really flattering. We typically classify ourselves as folk, though. We incorporate modern elements, so sometimes it’s a little more dynamic than melodic. It’s not always story-based like early Bob Dylan or Seegar. I think we fit the folk genre better than any other.

When you guys are out touring, playing the same songs night after night, is there one that stays fresh? One you’re able to connect with every single time you play it?

“Barton Hollow” is the one off this record. It’s up-tempo, has a lot of energy and it’s the first song I bring my resonator guitar out for. It’s not for the faint of heart singing wise. You’ll probably see more of that kind of material in the future. “Poison and Wine” is kind of the same way. Hopefully it won’t ever lose its spark.

You have what seems like a genuine, dynamic stage connection with Joy. Does that kind of coincide with making people believe you really mean what you’re singing?

We don’t really try to make it happen. People would sense it if we were acting. Whatever we feel, we try and portray it. A key to our live shows is the banter between songs. It’s some heavy music, and the music can make the room heavy. So, we try to keep things light, by joking as much as we can, to keep things as natural as possible. The stage connection just kind of happens organically.

There are good things coming out of the Shoals right now; however, there are two schools of thought. Some people think music is dying in the Shoals; the other side seems to think a musical gold rush is on its way. Do you agree with either of those?

I’ve been making music in the Shoals for quite a while. There seems like a lot of great things are bubbling below the surface and are about to burst. I think we have to be careful not to rest on past accomplishments just because we’re from the Shoals. It’s a downfall to think you don’t have to beat doors down and quit working. You have to make noise loud enough that no one will ignore it.

As an artist in the digital age of music, where CDs aren’t selling and people pirate music everyday, what are you guys doing to keep up with the times?

The sky is the limit for people regarding the Internet. We sold out our West Coast leg of the tour just from Facebook and Twitter. It’s constant and never ending. I don’t know that you can survive without the Internet. With one click of a button, we can let tons of people know what’s going on, and what’s coming next. In order to do what we’re doing now 10 years ago, it would’ve taken five years to get to this point. We’ve done it in a year. Our free live record has been downloaded over 100,000 times. People that are pessimistic about the business really shouldn’t be. The possibilities are endless.

You can’t survive on the one record every two years deal and expect it to work. Then again, you can media blitz all you want, but it all comes back to how good is the music?

Speaking of social media, The Civil Wars seem to have a nice international following. I saw a plethora of fans from Turkey commenting on The Civil Wars’ Facebook. Is it pretty crazy to have an international following?

Man, it’s that Leonard Cohen cover of “Dance Me Till the End of Love.” I think that was the first way that anyone had ever seen us sing together. We kept getting comments from Turkey. We did a show in DC and I met a lady from Turkey. She sent me a link of Turkish folk songs, and without us in any way knowing what we were doing, we were able to see why they liked our music. The cities we’re most popular in are like Nashville, Birmingham and then third is Istanbul. Three of the top ten cities are Turkish.

Is there any particular person, place or thing that you consider to be your musical muse?

I used to do that. I used to look for ideas, but that never really worked for me. For the past few years, I’ve just walked into a room with the mindset that I’m going to write the best thing I can that day. I watch a lot of movies, and read a lot of books to try and get inspired. I actually don’t listen to a lot of music, believe it or not.

I heard you guys cover “Billie Jean” on YouTube. Was Michael Jackson an influence on you at all growing up?

It’s impossible for him not to be an influence. The first album I owned was “Thriller,” and then Air Supply’s greatest hits. I should’ve been a pop star, but somewhere I went awry. I started listening to my cousin’s Ozzy cassettes or something.

Every musician bonds with at least one instrument. Is there a go-to guitar for you?

My Martin 0OO-18 1956, it’s the guitar that has stayed with me all my life.

The Rundown:

If you could be any 90’s music star, who would you be, and why?

At the time, I would say Chris Cornell with a dash of Billy Corgan. Now, I’m finally happy to be me and happy with what I’m doing. I’m not as envious of anyone else’s career right now.

How often do you get people saying you share an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp?

Pretty often. When I have my hair long people say, “You look so much more like Johnny Depp now.” When I have my hair short people say, “You look so much more like Johnny Depp now.” I’ve just kind of gotten used to it.

Do you follow any TV shows religiously?

I have kids, so my favorite show is probably “Spongebob Squarepants.” I don’t really have control of the remote anymore.

If you could win any award, fictional or not, what would it be?

Oscar for “Best Song.” A close second would be a Grammy in any category.

Which member of The Beatles do you feel you’re most like?

George Harrison. He’s the silent, brooding member of the band. I always seemed to gravitate more toward his songs on their records.