John Ralston

CTG:You've played in bands like Dashboard Confessional and Legends of Rodeo, which do you prefer, being in a band or being a solo artist?

John Ralston: Well, I feel happy doing anything music-related really. When I was in Legends, it was great because we were like a gang. We learned how to play music together. How to tour, etc.... And those guys have been and continue to be brothers to me. When I tour with Dashboard, I get to sort of sit back in the shadows and play and not have to be in the spotlight. And everyone, band and crew, has become like family to me. You couldn't ask for a better bunch of people. And Chris and I don't get to spend a ton of time together because we are always touring, so to do it together is a breath of fresh air.

CTG: What are your other passions?
John Ralston: I love my pit bulls. I have started a new studio in Lake Worth, FL called Elegbaland and I spend ALL my time there now when I am home.

CTG:If you weren't making music, what would you be doing?
John Ralston: Who knows????

CTG: Do you get nervous before you do a show?
John Ralston: I battle back and forth with stage fright. Sometimes I get sick before shows. But over the last few months I have REAALLY enjoyed playing live.

CTG: What is the largest audience you have performed in front of?
John Ralston: I don't think it was the biggest, but Madison Square Garden was amazing.

CTG: My absolute favorite song is I Believe in Ghosts, can you tell me what you were thinking when you wrote it??
John Ralston: I am not sure really. People ask all the time how I go about writing. It's not a process really. The songs come to me from somewhere else. Somewhere outside of me.

CTG: Give us an idea of what your next album will sound like!?!
John Ralston: I am about to release an EP called White Spiders. Very excited about it. Produced, recorded, and mixed at my studio. It seems much more sparse than Sorry Vampire. Maybe it is a cross between that and Needle Bed???

CTG: If you could chose one artist to work with, dead or alive, who would it be?
John Ralston: Brian Wilson. Tom Waits. Paul McCartney.

CTG: You have come a long way, where do you see yourself musically in 5 years?
John Ralston: Playing future music.