Joel: What role does rebellion have in Rock n’ Roll?
Lomax: Well, it's rebellious enough to play an electric guitar. Usually an expensive electric guitar, and running around the country getting laid, and having partying times, I mean that’s rebellious enough. I mean my parents were horrified when they learned I was in a band because they equated it with being in a gang, they were disowning me….my father didn’t speak to me for three years.
Joel: Recent times....who were the players; the musicians on your, The Ballad of Liverpool Slim record?
Lomax: The usual suspects; Jack Joshua on bass, Dave Stewart on drums, there were some other member in the band... Eddie Duenez on keyboards played some keyboards, Jimmy Calire and his son Mario, and there’s another guy Mark Andres (Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and more) who played bass on some of the tracks. He’s from Heart, a very good bass player.
Joel: How are things going?
Lomax: I've been very good, optimistic. Well, I didn't think I'd get a record deal and I did. Even though this album has been around for like 5 years, it's just my product. It was 3 or 4 different sessions I had to go through pro tools to make them sound like they were all done at the same time. It's a collection of songs I was doing with the blues band around Ojai and Ventura.
Joel: Tell me about 'Liverpool Slim’?
Lomax: Ballad of Liverpool Slim. Well, I was on a pool team for the Hub and I think I came up with it me self because someone said, 'Minnesota Fats couldn't come up with a shot like that.' So, I couldn't be Minnesota Fats, so I said I'm more Liverpool Slim and they all laughed… so the name stuck and it sounds bluesy. It sounds like a blues guy, doesn't it?
Joel: And you did the artwork on this. I didn't know you were an artist?
Lomax: I didn't know me self.
Joel: You've got 14 tracks on here!
Lomax: I'm always into value for money, so I always think you have to have at least 12 tracks for an album. So I had 12, it was just me, you see I own this, I did it by myself on my own dime, I took it to Liverpool 5 years ago and sold special editions all that I could print up and I sold them all.… I don't think I even have a copy left for myself. It was kind of dormant for a while and then this record company showed up and offered me a deal. Through a friend, they said they like it, they sent me a contract that was fair and respectful of artists; the best I've ever seen. Because I wasn’t going to print up any more. So now it will get into record stores in Europe and Asia, & the U.K. Unfortunately they are not in the U.S., but some label might contact them, you never know.
Joel: What's the common thread in the music?
Lomax: Blues, I think it's the best album I've done, I'm much more expressive guitarwise on this than I've ever done before.
Joel: Get better as you get older?
Lomax: Well, that's my theory, but that doesn't seem to be the theory of businessmen. They think when you reach 40 you're done.
Joel: How does that work ?
Lomax: Well, it took me years to figure out that what I was doing on the bass, finger picking style, could be
transferred to the guitar....I didn't think of it for like 20 years….then, once I started doing it, it all came to me very fast.
Lomax: I'm much more adventurous playing-wise. I've got some up-tempo stuff that people like, I've got some ballads that people like. I particularly like When my Soul is Free at Last. You know, I'm critical of myself too. I think it's a really good song. I hope somebody picks up on it and does their version. You never know.
Joel: What's it about ?
Lomax: It's sort of autobiographical, but I like to be vague about that.
Joel: You can get this on-line though ?
Lomax: Yeah I believe so, just go to www.jackielomax.com
Joel: So, tell me why you added the last 2 tracks?
Lomax: Well, I can tell you that. Simply they wanted me to do an old song again, a new version. So I told them I have this live album with Sour Milk Sea is on it Live. I sent that to them and they loved it. I love the
whole album….it's from 1976. That was my funky band from Los Angeles, two horns....even this version of Sour Milk Sea is funky, not like the original version at all which was straight rock. Then I've added Friend of Mine, which is a tribute to George Harrison which I wrote after he died. Well, I was at the dedication in Hollywood for George, there's a trail there up to the Hollywood sign…they planted a tree in his honor. The TV was there and the mayor and the head of the observatory, and I sang Friend of Mine, acoustic and there was a guy in the audience who said 'I've got a state of the art recording studio do you want to record that?' and I said yeah I do, and I put a nice slide solo in the middle that sounds like George would do. It uses chords that George used a lot.
Joel: Well.... was that a way of letting George go?

Lomax: Well, I lost another best friend the same month. That's why it’s called Friend of Mine, it doesn't say George, it doesn't say Kim, it doesn't say Entwistle, they are all friends of mine. This is a great example of George Harrison: a lot of Americans were coming over, hippies. The Hells Angels came over once and invaded the building, Apple Records. They said they were coming, they just came in and opened every door they wanted to. I was with George Harrison and we were in the press room and we were talking about the release, when it's gonna be, it's business, right…there were three of us in the room. Me, George and Alistair. And like all of a sudden the door flew open and there's this HUGE Hell's Angel guy standing there, and he just stares at us. Well, George immediately and quickly strode right into his face, right up to him like right here like that, and he said 'what do you want?’ And the guy said, 'I know you...' but he was backing away as he was saying it….and George was saying 'you've got no business here; we're busy ok,' and he closed the door in his face. Now that biker could have kicked all three of us out. George was like very intense, and this guy backed down. I think the guy couldn't handle that he had just met one of The Beatles…I think it sort of scrambled his brain. That was about 69….we were recording a project….let's
go for a ride…..
– Joel Anderson, editor

SOURCE: VIEW Issue 12, Mar. 2009

LINK: Classic VIEW Website

LINK: PDF Back Issues - Ojai and Ventura VIEW