Bud Gambrell
Apr 18, 2025
The Alabama Heathens are off the charts!
Could there ever be a better way to begin an interview than with tacos? That’s right, tacos. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been beer, but none of us were day-drinking, so the beer will have to wait another time.
When I contacted Jude Roberts of The Alabama Heathens and asked about an interview, he picked the location for lunch. He chose a local restaurant, and away I went for a talk with Jude and The Heathens' lead singer, Dylan Johnson.
It’s unusual for an interview to begin with a video, but in this instance, I feel it may be necessary to tempt your musical taste buds. Take my word for it. Turn this up!
I have known these two young men for a couple of years now. If memory serves me correctly, I met them both while shooting a video for Jude’s father, Mike Roberts. That was the second music video for 5ive O’clock Charlie, Mike’s band, for which I had shot a drone video. Jude brings up a funny story about the shoot later in the interview. Stay tuned.
Mike Roberts is a musical staple in the Huntsville music scene. Our story goes back several years. I met Mike several times and saw him play with 5ive O’clock Charlie and Travis McCready. Around 2021, our friendship just seemed to bloom. Mike has become one of my favorite people to run into, either by accident or a planned lunch. He is genuinely a good soul!
That day was also the first time I saw the now Alabama Heathens play. At that time, they were playing together under a different band name. I was working, so I didn’t get to listen closely, but from what I can remember, they were very good.
If you know Mike, you know he always wears a smile and has wonderful things to say. Much is the same way with Jude. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in this case. Dylan and I have gotten to know each other better, too. He is also always a pleasure to work with and become friends with. Unfortunately, I do not know his father. They say your children are a reflection of you. If that is the case, his father is a wonderful man.
Fast-forward to July 2024. The Alabama Heathens performed in The Alabama Smoke Show, if you remember the article I wrote for that event. Seeing those guys play on that big stage at such a young age was impressive. I have seen them since, and they keep getting better.
During our lunch, we spoke at length about many things. I couldn’t tell you much about our discussion, as I was not recording that part. The banter and laughs did not stop. The parts I recorded are in the sections you are about to read.
My first question was for Dylan.
OTC: Dylan, tell me, who are the Alabama Heathens?
Dylan Johnson: The Alabama Heathens are a southern rock band out of North Alabama. On lead guitar, we have Jude Roberts. On drums, we have Ethan Chandler. On bass guitar, we have William O’Rear. And I'm on lead vocals. We pride ourselves on authenticity. I think we bring an old soul to our original music.
OTC: What's the story behind the band's name?
Dylan: It comes from a song I wrote two years ago called 'Alabama Heathens.' I wrote it about my buddies I grew up with. I felt like we were, you know, hometown heathens, I guess you could say. I can't really remember who mentioned it as the band name. I was initially against it, but maybe Jonathan said we should be The Alabama Heathens.
OTC: What got you into music?
Jude Roberts: Well, my first instrument was the tuba in 6th grade, and by the end of 6th grade, I got braces. I didn't want to play because, you know, braces suck when you're trying to play a brass instrument. Michael Cline said, ‘Hey, you should play bass instead.’ So, Michael Cline got me playing bass. I've been into music since before I came out of the womb.
I would like to give you a side note: Michael Cline plays bass for Mike Roberts’ band, Five O’clock Charlie.
OTC: Why is that?
Jude: My dad was reading a music theory book in the lobby while I was being born. I remember crawling on stage at an early age, maybe two or three, with headphones on while everybody played loud guitar amps and drums. And I've always just been around music, you know. I took my dad's CDs to go show the kindergarten class or the pre-school class. But I didn't really get into playing music on my own until Michael Cline got me playing bass, and until I heard The Clash's London Calling album. The entire album is golden!
OTC: Dylan. what got you into music?
Dylan: Well, I think listening to records at such a young age. And the earliest I can remember, I feel like it was the radio, too. Driving to school and riding in the car seat are the earliest I can remember. It was Johnny Cash. I guess it was the voice that I loved the most. I think it was 'Ring of Fire.' That was my favorite song. Kiss was another band that I loved as a kid. I would bang my head on my car seat.
OTC: Were these your parents' records?
Dylan: Well, some of these came from the radio, you know, from 95.1 The Rocket. My dad's records got me into wanting to play music. I just grew up listening to Bob Dylan, and Steely Dan was always on the record player. So much so that I would turn the record player off because I kept hearing the same song repeatedly. And then what got me into wanting to play was when I was 12, my dad took me to my first concert, ZZ Top. The production, the lights, the sound, the interaction of the crowd, you know, watching people cheer and laugh and cry, and seeing what music could do to somebody. It just hit me right away! I feel like I was born into it.
OTC: What are your main influences?
Dylan: Ohh, man. I mean, musically, I would have to say one of my biggest influences would probably be Neil Young. As a songwriter, he has his sound; nobody else sounds like him or writes like Neil Young. Bob Dylan is the same way. Maybe it's because I was named after Bob. It's the reason that I'm so into him. But I just grew up on that music.
OTC: Jude, what are your influences?
Jude: My most significant influence is my father. You can't escape the DNA. That DNA influence, I guess, is a weird way to put it. I've always heard him playing, and he was my first reference for an electric guitar player and what an electric guitar player should be. That was my first taste of hearing music, and I love Jimi Hendrix. I'm a big Duane Allman and Derek Trucks fan on slide guitar. I'm a big Rory Gallagher fan, too. I like Paul Kossoff from Free and Mick Ralphs from Bad Company. For the longest time, I said my three significant influences were Mike Roberts, Jimi Hendrix, and B.B. King. I've added Rory Gallagher and Duane Allman to that list, making it five.
OTC: Now you guys just did some dates in Florida. Tell me how that went for you.
Jude: Oh, that was great! That was fun! We played Docie’s Dock in Fort Walton Beach, which you can't see, but I'm wearing a hat they so kindly allowed me to keep. It was a warm reception for our first time playing in Florida. The crowd had their attention on us, which you can't say for some venues. We just had a great old time!
OTC: Dylan, tell me some things the Alabama Heathens have coming up for this spring and summer.
Dylan: Tomorrow, we'll open up for a band called The Skeeters in Fort Payne, Alabama. That should be a massive gig for us! We're looking forward to that! I know the Alabama Smoke Show is coming back on July 19, 2025. I'm not exactly sure who is all on the bill for that, but I'm looking forward to playing Mars Music Hall again. That's a staple of Huntsville, so I'm very grateful to be a part of that. Hopefully, we will visit Minnesota to play some shows around August or September. We're getting that worked up for about five days or something. We will try to sneak our way from Tennessee to Kentucky and Minnesota. I think it would be cool if we could get that done. We want to try to get some real touring going on. I mean, that's our main thing. Plus, we've been in the studio.
OTC: Speaking of that, I’ve seen pictures of you in the studio. Can we expect some more new material coming soon?
Dylan: Absolutely! Hopefully, by mid-summer, our song 'Throw the Dog a Bone' should be coming out. We've already been in the studio and cut it. We're excited to put some new music out! I think we're just going to do singles for the next couple of months and see where that takes us, and hopefully be prepared, you know, by next year to do a full 12-song album.
OTC: Speaking of singles, the latest one is 'Here for the Whiskey'. I've heard it, and I’ve watched the video multiple times. I love this song! Jude, tell me a little about how the initial idea and the song's recording came about.
Jude: Well. 'Here for the Whiskey' was written by Dylan Johnson, James LeBlanc, and Jonathan Moody. They had a recording sent to me when I first joined the band with all of the original songs to learn. So, you know, I joined the band not long ago compared to these guys. And I just figured out how to add slide guitar to the songs. Playing in a band with two guitar players is pretty hard to figure out where you're supposed to fit. We had a pretty good idea of what we were doing, but Jeremy Stephens at Clearwave Studios helped us orchestrate and arrange it to be more professional.
OTC: I think the slide stands out on a great song. You mentioned Duane Allman. Where do you get your slight guitar influence from?
Jude: Again, my dad was my first slide influence. The first riff I ever learned was 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zeppelin, and he showed me how to do the slide part. I've been playing the slide technically since I first started playing guitar, but I didn't get into it until I heard Derek Trucks playing slide. Derek Trucks is probably one of the greatest guitar players ever to walk the earth. So that led me back to Duane Allman. I've been listening to Elmore James. Warren Haynes is a huge slide influence on me. Warren plays slide in the standard tuning instead of an open tuning like Duane or Derek. We play many songs, and it's easier for me to go ahead and play in standard tuning. I don't want to have to switch guitars if I want to play slide. I just put my slide on my finger. George Harrison is also a considerable influence.
OTC: Have you gotten any feedback from the new song yet?
Dylan: We posted it on Facebook, and I've received a lot of great feedback from friends, family, and fans. We also put out a music video for it, which was super cool! It has almost 1000 views. I'm not sure what the streaming aspect of it looks like, but I think it's done pretty well so far.
OTC: We have worked together a couple of times. We’ve done photo sessions together, but I think the first time I met you, Dylan, and Jude may have been the first time I met Jude. We were in the field on a rainy day, shooting 'Fast Country' for your dad's band, 5ive O’clock Charlie. Do you remember that?
Jude: Oh, I remember that like it was yesterday.
OTC: I think y'all were still called the Debriefers at the time. Now, that's an interesting name. Tell me about the name Debriefers.
Jude: Before I do that, I will say the biggest thing I remember about that day is Bud Gambrell dropping a smoke bomb on us! I looked back at my drummer, who's also named Dylan. Dylan Hurley. He is a wonderful human being! Seeing the expression of terror on his face as he got engulfed by smoke, and then slowly but surely, the entire band got engulfed. I watched the video. We all just looked panicked and confused! Then we're just engulfed by smoke, and you see Bud leaving the crime scene.
(laughter)
I add a little smoke to everything he remembers about that day. Well, it was supposed to be a “little”. The smoke would make the video more visually appealing, right? Somebody back me up here. Mike? Duane? Dylan? Anyone? If one smoke bomb was good, two smoke bombs would be great.
Anyway, it was funny, a little? Here is the video. You be the judge.
Jude continues to explain the name of his previous band.
Jude: The Debriefers is a spin-off of the Panty Droppers, a beautiful name. Dylan Johnson came up with that. We tried for a good month or two to figure out a name. Band names are hard. Man, it's just like a song title. You must find the right one but can't use any old name. So, I decided to do some Grissom academics and make it Debriefers. So, we were able to be school-friendly.
OTC: Dylan, surely, there's something else you remember better about that day than the smoke.
Dylan: Well, there was a damn downpour. I remember that. Yeah, I remember it rained like crazy! We were on a trailer. We were on a gooseneck trailer set up with a great sound system. And we had a crowd we were playing for. We played 'Whipping Post.' It was a bit rocky, but we had a good time that day. I remember it coming down in a downpour out of nowhere and packing up all that PA equipment in the rain. We were in Duane Walker's cow pasture.
Duane Walker also plays in 5ive O’clock Charlie. I met Duane at a Blackberry Smoke concert before I knew he was joining 5ive O’clock Charlie. We started a conversation and became friends, as if we’d known each other for a long time.
OTC: What are your long-term goals for the band, and what are you most excited about in the future of your music?
Dylan: To go on tour. I mean to live that tour life and play music. We could have shows like we do back home, but out on the road. The main goal is to play our music to people who want to listen to original music. Make them dance. You know, make them cry. It's a compliment to make somebody cry with your song because it means they're living it. You know what I mean? I'm not afraid to listen to music and cry. Because, I mean, that shows its authenticity. You know what I mean? For the long term, man, I'd love to get an album, a couple of albums under our belt, and eventually be headlining shows instead of opening them. Our brand can sell, make people happy, and have a promising career.
OTC: The headline shows are going to come. Trust me, it's coming. How do you define success as a musician?
Jude: Playing something new every night that makes you happy. And if it gets you off, then great. If it gets the crowd off, too, then that’s what you're looking for. Being a musician, you're never going to be satisfied because you're always going to be working to be better or working to do something differently. So, having shows and getting paid for what you're doing is the goal: I'm happy if I can pay my bills by playing my guitar. But if I can be creative and expand my knowledge as a human being and musician, that's what you want.
OTC: What's the most important thing you want people to take away from your music?
Jude: I want people to know who I am and what I've been through by listening to my notes, lyrics, and everything I put forward. I want people to feel like I did when I heard Jimi Hendrix or Derek Trucks for the first time. I want people to have an excitement for life that drugs can't give you. The enthusiasm that only music and God can give you.
Dylan: I want somebody to be able to listen to our music and relate to the hurt, the heartache, and even the good times of it. You know what I mean? I would hope that when people hear us, they don't think that we're just some other, you know, local band that's trying to do it. I mean, this is our full-time gig. This is full-time for me, and it is for Jude. I know that we put our heart and soul into this: traveling, playing, and riding. The writing is about things that we know. We're not trying to be somebody we're not, which happens often in this business because you get offered all this stuff, and then you buy into it. But I don't think we've ever settled for mediocrity either. I don't ever want to do that. And I want people to know that and keep on listening.
OTC: If you could perform anywhere worldwide, where would it be and why?
Dylan: Veterans Park in Priceville, AL.
(laughs)
Dylan: My first thought was the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The history there! I got to see Jason Isbell for my first show ever at the Ryman. He's one of my all-time favorites. Who wouldn't want to play at Red Rocks? I guess it would be the Ryman, just because it's the Mother Church! Everyone sits on church pews, and all eyes are on you.
Jude: Well, it would not be Veterans Park in Priceville, Alabama.
(laughter)
Jude: I also want to say the Ryman because my father has played there, and I feel I owe it to myself to have two Roberts play at the Ryman instead of just one. That would be cool! I would also love to play at one of the Fillmores or the Apollo Theater in New York. I’m a big fan of old R&B, blues, and soul music. Man, the Apollo is where all those guys were at. B.B. King, James Brown, and you know all those greats. So, that'd be cool to play that room.
OTC: What's a fun fact about yourself that your fans may not know?
Jude: Musically or not, musically?
OTC: It can be either—just a fun fact about yourself.
Jude: I've pissed on an Irish castle, and I found out later that it's a felony. I don't know if you can publish that, but you can. I'll give you permission.
(laughter)
OTC: As long as we don't say which one, they can't press charges, right?
Jude: I reckon. I'll tell you which one.
OTC: Let’s not invite the law into this.
Jude: I was walking around, and I, you know, I had to go. It's really beautiful in Ireland! It's beautiful with a lot of places to go to take a piss.
(laughter)
Dylan: I used to be on a pool team. I love to shoot pool. I love playing golf when I'm not working. I have several hobbies. I love the gym. I try to eat clean. I don't eat the best, but I like physically caring for myself. I do kickboxing and boxing and run and all that. I enjoy that kind of stuff. I don't know if that's a fun fact. But that's what I'm doing when I’m not playing music. I'm either shooting pool, playing golf, or boxing.
OTC: One last question. If you had the chance to meet your favorite rock star and ask him or her one question. Who would you want to meet, and what would you ask them?
Jude: I have two answers. Do I only have to give one?
OTC: Two will be fine.
Jude: My first one is Jimi Hendrix. He was always creating and on the forefront of just new shit and pushing everything to its boundary and to its edge and making new boundaries. And how did you do that? That'd be my question. How did you consistently break boundaries?
OTC: Ok, number two?
Jude: The second would be Gregg Allman. I would like to ask Gregg Allman what microphone he used on Eat a Peach. I've been wondering about that for the past month.
Dylan: I mean, if I can meet anybody and ask anything, it would probably be Neil Young, honestly. How did you produce an album like Harvest? You know, where does that sound come from? Who writes that? It's kind of the same with Bob Dylan. How does somebody write that kind of music and continue to write that kind of music in their late 70s? I would ask how they have made it this far. Being on the road and not losing their minds. I'm sure they're crazy, but you must be crazy to do what we're doing anyway.
OTC: Do you have anything else to add for your fans, listeners, and new potential fans?
Dylan: Man, come out and see us! Come talk to us. Buy a T-shirt and ask for a sticker. We'll give you a sticker. Follow us and like our music. We love y'all! We want to meet y'all and create a family, you know, that wants to support us. And we want to hear from you. You know what I mean? Just let us know if there's a certain song or anything you want to hear.
Jude: Rock 'n' Roll isn’t dead, so come out and fucking rock with us!
You heard Jude! Get up and get to a show to rock with this band. By all means, catch them between sets or after the show and introduce yourself. You will not meet a more sociable bunch of young men.
Until next time,
Keep your diamond down in the groove!
*All photos by Bud Gambrell Photography
Where to find Bud:
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the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com
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Bud Gambrell Photography by Bud Gambrell | Blurb Books
Where to find the Alabama Heathens:
YouTube:
Alabama Heathens - Topic - YouTube
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Instagram:
The Alabama Heathens (@thealabamaheathens) • Instagram photos and videos
Where to find Dylan Johnson:
Facebook:
X:
Dylan Johnson (@D_JohnsonMusic) / X
Where to find Jude Roberts:
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Do you have something that Bud should check out? Email him at the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com.