No God in Juarez
The album features all songs written by Moore's original Honky Tonk Hero and local Legend, the great Billie Gant! No God in Juarez was recorded at SOL Records Studio in Bright, Indiana and features Moore's new Band; Nick Giese on guitar, Mike Bernal on Drums, Paul Priest on Bass, Mike Owens on Harmonica and special guest Ricky Nye on piano and organ!
Pre-Order No God in Juarez NOW!
We had the opportunity to chat with Dallas Moore prior to the release of the new album and Release Party!
Tell us about the recording process for No God in Juarez…
No God in Juarez has been literally over 20 years in the making as I’ve been wanting to do an album of songs written by Billie Gant since the early 2000’s. Finally the stars and our schedules aligned and the time was right for it to happen now. We started out with Billie, Nick Giese and Myself sitting around Billie’s kitchen table and making acoustic demos of 33 songs. From there we found the 10 tunes that really fit the best together and took ‘em to our studio at SOL Records in Bright, Indiana. The recording of this album really solidified the new lineup of my Band and features Saint Nick Giese (Formerly with David Allen Coe and Billie Gant) on Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Mandolin and Backing Vocals (Nick also Hand Painted the album artwork) Mike Bernal (Formerly with Dale Watson and Gary P. Nunn) on Drums, Paul Priest (Jericho Woods and Bluegrass Veteran) on Bass and Backing Vocals and Mike Owens (Longtime Member of Dallas Moore Band) on Harmonica. We brought in our Brother and Honorary Band Member Ricky Nye to play the piano and organ tracks and it really brought things full circle as Ricky had played in Billie Gant’s Band The Vigilantes for a few years back in the day. All of the main tracks were recorded in one or two takes live with the band on the first session and then we added Ricky Nye and Mike Owens parts a few weeks later. Brian DeBruler was at the helm engineering as well as co-producing the album with myself and Nick Giese. I think we really captured a lot of the energy and intensity of the new Band and got some really good performances and tones on everything. I’ve always tried to kick the can a little farther down the road with each new album and I feel like we definitely did that with No God in Juarez. It really feels like a whole new beginning and era for my music and it was a labor of love to finally get the chance to make this record!
How was it to work with Billie Gant?
It was GREAT to work with Billie Gant on this album! Billie is my original Honky Tonk Hero as we first met when I was 17 years old and was just starting out. I snuck into a little Honky Tonk called Dody’s in Norwood, Ohio where Billie was performing and my mind was blown. I remember thinking “I wanna be THAT guy when I grow up, Lol.“
Billie was the most charismatic entertainer I had ever seen Live and was literally driving the audience Wild. Even though I was underage and not supposed to be in the club, Billie invited me and my best friend Bronson Burns (Drums) to sit in with his band for a few songs and that set off a friendship of over 30 years. Billie has been a Hero, Mentor, Champion and Friend ever since that night in 1987. A few years later Billie was involved in an automobile accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury which took him out of the music scene for about 13 years. When he made his miraculous comeback from the brink of death he began writing songs at a frantic pace literally locking himself up for days at a time working on his craft. It was during this time that Billie Gant became one of the most prolific and powerful songwriters of our time. I’m so honored to be able to share his songs with the World and also tell his story as he is certainly deserving of and long overdue to be recognized as the Legend that he is.
What can one expect at the album release party at The Southgate House Revival?
The album release party for No God In Juarez will be held at The Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky on Sunday June 4th. Doors open at 5pm and we’ll take the stage in the Sanctuary at 6pm with The Dallas Moore Band joined by Ricky Nye on Piano and Brian DeBruler on Percussion. Billie Gant will be our Special Guest of Honor and will join us onstage for a few songs and we’ll be available for photos and signings after the show. First 200 Thru The Door get a Free CD. The show is All Ages and we might even have a special guest appearance by my Daughter Victory Lee Moore!
What is next for Dallas Moore?
We’ll continue Touring in support of No God in Juarez as we’re booked solid all across America for the rest of this year and into 2024. Somewhere in between we’ll be getting back in the studio and working on the next recording. We’ve had such a great experience and response to No God in Juarez that we might be getting back together with Billie Gant for another album as he’s still got a lot to say and I love to sing his songs and tell these tales. We’ll see ya down the road…