John Batdorf: "Plenty of Stones songs, more in store with Batdorf and Stanley show 6/6 at Canal Street"

Plenty of Stones songs, more in store with Batdorf and Stanley show 6/6 at Canal Street

Contributing Writer

Sunday, May 31, 2009

John Batdorf gave up on the touring life in the late 1970s, after a successful run with Atlantic Records recording act Batdorf and Rodney. While he remained in the industry — singing on jingles, doing session work and scoring television programs — the Yellow Springs native thought his performing days were behind him. That changed in 2004 when James Lee Stanley invited Batdorf to collaborate on a recorded tribute to the Rolling Stones.

"All Wood & Stones" took a group of dark, British invasion rock songs and transformed them into sunny, harmony-drenched, acoustic numbers. Favorable response to the album drew Batdorf back on the road for the first time in three decades, and more importantly jump-started his creative side.

Batdorf's second solo album since his return, "Old Man Dreamin'," gets its official release on June 11, but for now Batdorf is focused on his current tour with James Lee Stanley, which stops at Canal Street Tavern on Saturday, June 6.

"I'll be doing a few new songs when I'm in Dayton with James just to introduce them," Batdorf said. "I'm coming back to Dayton by myself in September and at that point I'll focus more on the new album. I like to have it out for awhile before I support the album live so people have time to get to know the songs."

Batdorf and Stanley will each be performing some solo songs, but the set will also focus heavily on covers of Mick Jagger and company.

"I haven't played with James in quite a while, but it's fun," Batdorf said. "I like doing The Stones stuff with him. It's kind of cool because those Stones songs are so popular that they're in the DNA of anybody from that era. They just like hearing them. They're really great songs, and it's amazing because people light up when they hear them. It takes them right back, which is what music does, and that's pretty incredible."

Batdorf was 15 when he left Beavercreek for California in 1967 with his band The Loved Ones. Now at age 57, he's as creatively driven as he was as a teenager. "Old Man Dreamin'," his third release in as many years, is proof of that.

"It was just time to do another album and it was a really quick thing that came together," Batdorf said. "You know, at this age there's no reason to hold back. You might as well do as many as you can because when you ain't here, it's all over with."