Guitarist reflects on 40 years with John Mellencamp
Posted Sep 29, 2018 09:50:00 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mike Wanchic has been providing riffs for John Mellencamp's most popular songs since 1975, and he has no plans to slow down.
The band is now preparing for back-to-back shows in Halifax. One was added recently to satisfy demand in the area.
“I love it down here. The Maritimes is similar to where we live. That whole idea of small town, and my family born out of the rust belt,” said Wanchic.
“We're working class people, that's who we were and who we are. This feels like home. This is our heart and soul.”
He can't believe himself, Mellencamp and the band have been going for so long, but he thanks God.
“At this stage, to be able to still go out and sell out rooms is the biggest blessing. Music now is healthier and easier to participate in, but we're happy with how things have gone for us,” he said.
“We recognize how lucky we are, and we get to stand and sing with a smile. By golly, that's how we love it.”
He laughs when discussing seminal hit Jack & Diane, a song Mellencamp didn't initially take seriously.
“When we made the record, we were oblivious to how it would go. We were shooting from the hip with a silly, little drum machine,” he said.
“As it turns out, it became iconic for us. You never know just how people are going to react.”
He remembers when they began in the 1970s, it was them against the world.
“We came at it as 'we're going to make you love us,' and we were built on hard work, sweat, and toiling. It was so long going from empty clubs to half-filled clubs. Even when we hit a zenith with American Fool in 1982, we still weren't believing it,” he said.
“Now, we still haven't gotten tired of this. We're still making music, and we're getting richer in thought. Our record sales aren't what they used to be, but it's the crowd we care about. They keep us connected to our roots.”
