By Robert Duguay

Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and I talked about the making of his latest recording, his most recent two solo albums versus his previous two, and his thoughts about his Boston fans.

Guitar legend Jerry Cantrell has played a role in making some of the best rock songs over the past 35 years. Examples of when he was part of the Seattle grunge icons Alice in Chains would include “Man In The Box”, “Would?, “Them Bones”, “No Excuses” and “I Stay Away.” His solo output has had its highlights as well, with tunes such as “My Song”, “Cut You In”, “Angel Eyes”, “Prism of Doubt” and “Vilified”, the latter to be found on his most recent (and excellent) album I Want Blood, which came out this past October. As part of his tour in support of the full-length release, Cantrell and some musical compadres will be at House of Blues Boston on February 4. The show starts at 8 p.m. with industrial rock icons Filter kicking things off.

Cantrell and I talked about the making of his latest release, his most recent two solo albums versus his previous two, and his thoughts about his Boston fans.

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Photo: Darren Craig

The Arts Fuse: On I Want Blood you are supported by Duff McKagan, Greg Puciato, Vincent Jones, and Gil Sharone. They were part of the sessions for your previous release Brighten. But you also enlist Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Faith No More’s Mike Bordin, and Lola Colette on the new record. What was it like having all of these different people involved in the creative process?

Jerry Cantrell: It’s always exciting working with people who you’ve never worked with before. It’s really interesting because you’re kind of feeling each other out and learning each other’s dialect. There’s also another other positive part of the experience: you’re working with somebody who you’ve made music with before and they like the music that you make and you like the music that they make. In the case of most of those folks that you mentioned, I’ve made a few records with all of them. I like working with people I’m familiar with and jamming with my friends. It’s also nice meeting their friends, and some of those folks that you listed are friends of some of the friends I’ve made music with.

It’s a good group of people. Regarding the Brighten crew, my friend Tyler Bates helped me put that unit together and it was a really good record and a really fun tour. This go-around, Tyler was still involved in the writing process with me. We got to write a great song together called “Echoes of Laughter.” But Joe Barresi and I kind of took over for the production side. I called in a lot of the same players because we sound good together and we know each other’s shorthand.

AF: You’re no stranger to vocal harmonies. You did them with Layne Staley and William Duvall as part of Alice In Chains. You are also working that way with both Greg and Lola. What appeals to you about vocal harmonies?

Cantrell: I’ve always been a big fan of bands that have a lot of voices, a lot of strong voices, often two or three lead singers. When they sing together, it amplifies the performance. I’ve always liked that after the blueprint was set with Alice in Chains. I’ve been able to work on strategy, and hone it through the years with Layne, William, Greg, Lola and other folks I get the opportunity to play with. I like writing for multiple voices; it is interesting to play with that. It’s like staging a scene with different characters, like in a play. I like the interplay, the conflict, along with the way the voices merge together to make a bigger thing — in this case, one plus one plus one equals five.

AF: You’ve released four solo albums in total. In what ways are 2021’s Brighten and I Want Blood different from your first two records, 1998’s Boggy Depot and 2002’s Degradation Trip?

Cantrell: They’re separated by about 18 or 19 years, partly because I was involved with a pretty good band (laughs) that took up most of my focus. I don’t often get the chance to make records outside of Alice in Chains. When I’ve found the time, I’ve used it. There’s also a weird similarity between the pair. I didn’t plan it to be this way, but Boggy Depot and Degradation Trip were recorded back to back. Brighten and I Want Blood were also done back to back. The recordings span over something like 20 years, and that’s the cool thing about making a record. The album is an indelible reflection of that period of time in your life and of the people around you. It just happens naturally. I never go into making any record, whether it’s with Alice in Chains or on my own, and go, ‘I’m gonna make this kind of record’. I can’t do that. I just get in motion, start reading the tea leaves, and look closely at the signs of where the music wants to go. I then try to mold it into what it wants to be.

Cover art for Jerry Cantrell’s I Want Blood.

AF: You’ve played Boston a bunch of times over the course of your career as both a solo artist and with Alice In Chains. What are your thoughts about performing in front of the  audiences here?

Cantrell: Boston has really passionate fans for both sports and music. Each place around the world has its own kind of dialect. People share a lot, but they also have their own trademark idiosyncrasies. Boston is very up front, very in your face — and I appreciate that. I love New York for that nerviness as well — they got a lot of that. Philly as well. Let’s just say those East Coast cities exude a lot of strong energy.

Rob Duguay is an arts & entertainment journalist based in Providence, who is originally from Shelton, CT. Outside of the Arts Fuse, he has also written for DigBoston, Aquarian Weekly, Providence Journal, Newport Daily News, Worcester Magazine, New Noise Magazine, Manchester Ink Link, and numerous other publications. While covering mostly music, he has also written about film, TV, comedy, theater, visual art, food, drink, sports, and cannabis.