The North Star Band – Country Rock Goes Crazy!

Responses by Al Johnson

1. What do you remember from the beginning of the band?

The North Star Band was named in 1975. The gigs back then were in the local DC, Maryland and Virginia area.  At first, I booked small bars, honkytonks and military bases and called side musicians to play in the band.  Our set lists were mostly rocked up country standards from the 1950’s and 60’s, outlaw country songs, and some original songs as well.  In the early days dozens of musicians played in the band, including legends Danny Gatton (guitar) and Bruce Bouton (Pedal Steel guitar). 

In 1976, the nucleus of the band began to form around Jim Robeson (Bass- vocals), Jay Jessup (pedal steel), Lou Hager (Piano, vocals), Paul Goldstein (Drums), Chris Sonnenberg (electric guitar) and me (acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals).  In the early years we worked on our sound, playing over 340 gigs a year, just about every night.  By 1978, Chris left the band and Gantt Mann Kuschner (guitar) joined.  We went into several studios and recorded our first album Tonight the North Star Band (Adelphi Records).  After the album was released in early 1979, the crowds were huge and most performances were standing room only.  We still performed over 300 nights a year and began to hit the road, performing regularly up and down the U.S. East Coast and Mid-West.  In early 1980, Jim left the band and Dave Besley joined. We recorded a live album in 1981, Burnin’‘Em Up Live at Eskimo Nells (The club burned down shortly after we recorded the album)

Some of our favorite venues were;  The Lone Star Café (NYC), Desperado’s (DC), Carolina Opry House (NC), Cowboys (Laramie,WY) and 117 South Main (Blacksburg, VA) as well as festivals such as the Wild Turkey Jamboree (Nashville) and Carolina Jamboree (SC).  I remember the crowds were amazing and we would play 5-6 hours a night –never got tired of touring and playing.  We had an opportunity back in the day to play our own original music and many of our songs became fan favorites.  We travelled around in a Winnebago RV and an equipment truck and never got tired of the life.  Some of the greatest memories include shows that we did with legendary artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, David Allen Coe, the Allman Brothers, Alabama, Marty Robbins, Tammy Wynette and Johnny Paycheck.

2. How did you decide to combine Country and Rock music?

It was a natural combination in that all the members of the band were coming from a rock and roll background.  We all gravitated toward classic country songs but always approached our music from that rock and roll mindset.  Our fans were young, with a mix of rockers and country music lovers. In the early days, we would take old classic country songs, push the tempo and rocked the beat, to create what we called Kick-Ass Country. We introduced our hard driving sound into country songs and created a unique blend of music that crossed over into both genres. When we wrote songs, we had that driving sound in mind.  It seemed natural to us, and we all were in the same place artistically.

3. What did happen, and your 3rd album was never released?

After nearly 7 years together, we just decided to go our separate ways.  The U.S. was in the middle of a recession, record labels were cutting back and many of the live venues were changing over to disco.  We parted as friends.

4. What did you do as a band or solo musicians between 1982 and 2022?

We all continued to play music, some full time, some part time.  Jay Jessup took over his family business; Lou Hager moved to California, started a family and a career in construction and maintenance; Paul Goldstein continued to play in various bands in the DC area and became a real estate agent on the side.  Dave Besley continues to perform live shows full time and is a prolific song-writer, releasing over 20 albums of his originals through the years; Gantt Kuschner has continued to perform live and in the studio full time. He opened his own recording studio and continues to play in various bands in the DC area; Jim Robeson went to work for Bias Recording Studios in Virginia as an engineer and producer. He was nominated for 9 GRAMMY awards and has won 2.  Jim still plays live shows with various local acts;  Al Johnson continued to record and perform. He started a new act called the Pheromones that continued for 10 years, with 4 LP and CD releases in 1986 (Yuppiedrone), 1988 (Collateral Damage), 1990 (So Far So What) and 1991 (Common Scents).  In 1992 Al moved to Florida, raised a family and became a government lawyer.  Paul, Gantt, and Jim all currently play in a metro area band called Lunch with Bob.

5. Why did you decide to come back as a band in 2022?

In 2018, some fans from back in the day asked us if we would be willing to do a re-union show at the Birchmere.  We jumped at the offer and after not playing together for 36 years, we had an absolute blast.  I remember Gantt saying that the show “felt like coming home.”  As a result, we decided to record a new record, and release the album from 1982 as well.  We went into the studio in 2019 and recorded 10 songs.  Post production began, and COVID delayed the project for a while.  Then in late 2021 the album was mixed, mastered and we contacted the Birchmere to headline an album release party in May, 2022.  We decided to come back for the love of the music.

6. Which was your experience from the reunion show at the Birchmere in Alexandria?

The shows in 2018 and 2022 were fantastic. We performed to sell-out crowds and got to see so many of our fans for the first time in 40 years.  We were all smiling from ear to ear the entire time.  It was so much sweeter since we never expected to record and play our music again. 

7. Would you like to talk to us about the tracks that you have recorded?

We all have different styles as songwriters which gives us a different sound depending on the writer/singer.

Jim’s style is more edgy and tends toward a rock sound with songs like Climb That Wall and Yes I Do.  He also can move toward a pop-rock sound with the more melodic Marianne.

Dave is a storyteller.  His songs have great hooks and speak about people, places, life and love.  Whistle Blow and Goose Creek have been getting a lot of attention around the world.

Lou is a crooner.  His love songs are simple and from the heart.  Songs like Got to Forget About You and I’ll Always Wonder tug at your heartstrings.  But then he can surprise you with a rocker like Emergency.

Paul is a honkytonk, R&B songwriter.  Where Does That Get You To is a self-reflective journey through the hardships of trying to make it in the music business, while Thinking of You is a classic old style country song about a failed relationship.

I’ve always tried to tell a story with my songs.  Brown Shoe Willy is a song about an alligator wrestler who met his match.  I was very proud to be able to include a song written by my son, Louis Johnson, in Nashville, What Goes Up.

The glue that keeps our sound together is the awesome musicianship of Gantt Mann Kuschner and Jay Jessup.  Jay on steel and banjo, and Gantt on guitar provide the glue that makes us what we are as a band.  They are both accomplished on their instruments and blend together along with Lou’s piano to give us that punch to make our sound unique.

8. How was the experience of releasing again a new album?

The experience of releasing a new album is incredible.  We never expected to be in this place, so all the good things that we are experiencing are so special!  Hard to describe the labor of love that we all felt in making this project a reality.

9. What are your future plans for the band?

We are planning to record another album in the Fall and are weighing options to perform more live shows.  We’re even talking about taking our show on the road to Europe.

10. How do you consider the modern Country Rock scene?

Country Rock has certainly changed over the years.  Much of the commercial music has lost the raw power and spontaneous feel of the earlier recordings.  Sometimes the more authentic music is labeled under Inde-Americana.  In some areas it is called Outlaw Country.  Good authentic country rock can still be found if you look for it, and there are some great young artists that are re-inventing the genre.

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