Jay Arnst is joining us and we're looking forward to Church of Cass coming to Richland Center on the 25th of September.
Jay, can you tell us a little bit about where all of the guys are from that are in the band?
Of course, we have
A couple of Minnesota guys, but what's most importantly, I have a Wisconsin guy in the band and he is an incredible player.
His name is Bronson Bergeson.
He comes from Colfax, Wisconsin.
And I tell you, he's one of the best guitar pickers in all the land.
Awesome.
That's good.
So we've got one Packer fan and three Vikings fans or something like
that.
Yeah, it's a little bit lopsided, but you guys have more rings than we do.
That's
all right.
Let's talk about the band instead.
How about, uh, how long have you guys been together?
The Church of Cash has been together for 16 years now.
We started in Hawaii.
I used to live in Hawaii and I started the band there.
And that's when I first realized that people love and want to hear the music of Johnny Cash.
They don't just want to put on his records.
They don't want to just listen to him on the side.
They want to celebrate his music.
So I started the band The Church of Cash in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2000.
and 10 and then I moved back to Minnesota, my, my original land.
And then I started here and we've been growing it ever since.
And now we tour all over the United States and abroad.
We tour Europe and we're very excited to bring the acts back into Wisconsin.
Over the years, have you kind of changed the playlist up a little bit?
Or you do, you always have to play, you know, some of the standards for Johnny Cash.
Well, Johnny Cash has written 1500 songs.
So that's a lot of songs for me to learn.
With that being said, we know over 200 songs right now, which is still a lot of songs.
That's 17 hours straight, Johnny Cash means it's way too long.
Of course, there's the standard songs that you pretty much have to play every night.
They got your Folsom Prison, your Ring of Fire, Ghost Riders, Jackson, Sunday morning coming down one piece at a time, Boy Names Suit, you know, the big, big hits.
But we also pepper in some of the lesser known songs, some songs that Johnny Cash covered from other artists that maybe people didn't realize that Johnny Cash did.
But our main point is that we're celebrating Johnny Cash music together and that we make it a great time.
It's not a history time.
This is time for us all to come together and celebrate Johnny Cash's music.
I cannot think of another artist that crosses all genres and also all ages, Jay.
I'm sure you see all ages at your shows, don't you?
Absolutely.
I'll see some seven-year-old kid singing every single lyric with me and on the same time I'll meet somebody's grandma and they're saying she's celebrating her 97th birthday today and has it and all in everywhere in between people are fans of Johnny Cascio because of the message that he had and the lyrics that that stays with you for your whole life that you could pretty much sing today.
so take us back to your youth and when did you first realize uh... you know the music of johnny cash
well my old man is a huge johnny cash and i grew up in on a farm southern minnesota and it was always playing in the tractors those always playing in the shop and my old man has a low voice kind of like i do and he would sing the ring of fire the ring of fire which is even lower than johnny cash does so i was always listening to his music since i i could remember
To me, he was the soundtrack of my life.
And you've played all over the world.
Is there a more popular cash song overseas, so to speak, than there is here in the U.S.?
Yeah, it was a funny story.
You know, when you play Ring of Fire in the States, people go bananas.
People love the Ring of Fire.
I remember playing in Belgium and we played the Ring of Fire and we got a golf clap, like a participation clap, if you will.
And I didn't really know how to take that.
I guess it just was not a hit.
over there, but there are other songs that were hits over there that weren't hits in the United States.
For example, the songs San Quentin from his 1969 record live at San Quentin, and also Green Green Grass a Home, which Johnny didn't write, but he also did perform it, but that's such a gigantic hit across the sea.
A funny story for me growing up, I had the prison albums, you know, San Quentin and Falsum Prison when I was a kid.
And I always thought, wow, would it be really cool to be in that audience?
And I realized I would have been in prison if I was in that audience, you know?
But those albums really catapulted him into superstardom, didn't
they?
It was controversial at the time.
And when, when they pitched it to the record label, he's on Columbia records at the time.
Columbia Records was not behind it at all, but it took Johnny Cash and all of his musical weight and which he had a ton.
He was one of the best-selling artists of all time during the 60s there.
He said, like, this is what we're going to do, and you guys are going to have to be aboard with it.
And they were.
And I think everybody was surprised, maybe including Johnny, how successful that record actually was.
Have you ever had any contact with the Cash family or been on the same stage with some people that knew him?
Oh, yeah, I'm I'm good friends with Cindy cash.
It's Johnny cash's daughter from his wife Vivian So everybody knows Roseanne cash and then there was Kathy Cindy and then there was Tara those four girls that Johnny had with a Vivian and Her and I became good friends.
I was just on the phone with her yesterday by the way We've been on stage a handful of times what I love about Cindy is she's a storyteller She's not she's not I guess a singer She can sing some songs but her real talent is storytelling and the wonderful thing about her is she was
tell stories of who Johnny Cash was through the eyes of a daughter, which is a different perspective than I've ever seen when it comes to documentaries or people writing books about him.
It gives a whole different light of who the man was.
And to hear who he was through the eyes of a daughter, I think is the most insightful way you can find out about a person.
From what you've heard and some of the stories you've been told, anything that you've learned that you didn't know, maybe you were kind of surprised about concerning the life of Johnny Cash.
Well, I guess to tie it in with Cindy, we all remember the famous photo of Johnny Cash given the middle finger.
It's everywhere.
It's on the billboards, it's on t-shirts.
Everybody's seen it on a poster.
Now,
how that story came along.
This is deep inside baseball here.
This is not even written down anywhere.
So Johnny Cash was at his home.
Cindy was hanging out.
Rick Rubin, who went on to produce Johnny Cash's last records, his famous producer, he was appalled by the record label's decision to drop Johnny Cash after 30 years of playing music on their record label.
I guess it was some young record executive that wanted to make some kind of impression, but you don't fire Johnny Cash from a record.
Are you kidding me?
So Rick Rubin called up Johnny Cash said, Johnny, I can't believe this is what they did to you.
I found this picture that you did during the San Quentin photo shoot backstage.
And so you given the middle finger, I'm thinking about taking a, the fold out of the billboard magazine and having, you know, that's what.
two-and-a-half feet tall of you doing that middle finger and on the top it'll say thank you Nashville music industry for all the support and Johnny Cash given the finger which is a big middle finger to the whole Nashville music machine Johnny Cash was on the phone he's he said I don't know I don't know Rick I don't know I don't know I just don't know what to think how about I'll let you talk to my daughter Cindy so Cindy picks up the phone and she says yes Rick
Oh, really?
Okay.
Yes, Rick, run it.
And it was Cindy's decision to let Rick run it in that paper.
And after that, that photo became so famous with Johnny Cash.
Almost part of his, almost identity is wrapped up in that photo too.
And it was at the behest, the decision of Cindy Cash, cause she happened to be in the office that day with her dad.
Tell us about the fact that you're a part of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.
Oh, very much.
Yes.
I feel very honored to be part of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.
I toured all over the world for many years, but made a lot of records, and I finally got recognized for the efforts I've put forward to create effects in this music industry.
I remember being inducted.
It was just three years ago.
It was very much an honor to be read off some of the accomplishments I have, but I think the biggest honor is to be
on a same piece of paper as Bob Dylan and Prince, some of my hometown polka heroes like the Six Fat Dutchman and Whoopi John Wilford, some of these guys that I've known my whole life, let alone the replacements and all these other wonderful, fantastic and iconic Minnesota artists.
I guess it's a real pleasure and it's something that I feel like I still owe too.
The, uh, the club, the agency is to keep producing music and keep entertaining because, um, that's what I got recognized for.
And so I'm going to continue to do till I fall off that stage.
Well, Jake, tell us about the rest of the band, uh, church of Christ.
Yes.
Well, the rest of the band, they're, um, we got Jonathan to beast on drums.
Him and I have been playing music.
27, 28 years.
We're like brothers.
We've been playing music forever and he also sings back up.
So we're,
Utterly locked in as anybody that hangs out with each other for 30 years.
Of course, we have Bronson Burgesson, as I mentioned earlier, one of your Wisconsin-owned on-guitar.
He's an excellent picker.
He toured all around the nation, lived in Texas for a long time.
On many country records, this guy is a country picker.
Unreal, probably the best in my opinion, one of the best.
Not only in Wisconsin, but in the upper Midwest.
Hands down, fantastic player.
and then on the base i got my good friend eric strew from rochester i'd like to say he's a test tube baby from the mayo clinic but in actuality he is born of flesh and blood to a mother and father and uh... he holds down the band on the base and together we form church of cash johnny cash tribute show can't wait to play some music
awesome and the base uh... drums pretty important in those johnny cash songs right
well you know that it not not only do they support
supply the music underneath Johnny Cash, but the whole band supplies that boom chicka boom sound, which is what the Johnny Cash band discovered and maintained through his career.
And before you even hear Johnny Cash play after the song is starting to roll, you might just might think, hey, isn't this a Johnny Cash song because you understand and can recognize those tones coming from the band.
And that's what this band is
can faithfully recreate.
Before I even start singing Johnny Cash, you know that is the music of Johnny Cash.
What song, uh, do you never get tired of singing from the repertoire that you guys play?
Oh, that's a good question.
There's a song called the highway men.
And if you remember in like 1985, 1986, Johnny Cash got together with his good buddies, Whalen Jennings, Chris Christopherson, Willie Nelson, and they created a super group that called the high women and they,
Sing the song aptly named the highwayman and all four of them sing it and Every night when I get to sing that song it's it's just a thrill for me I think it's got wonderful lyrics The music is comforting and wonderful and my favorite part is when I look out in the audience and I start singing these songs and I can start I see people from time to time basically singing along with me that just means that
These songs mean something very very special to them and we're having a moment together.
When Johnny Cash sings the part I fly starship I still get chills when I hear that one.
I know it just, it just feel like he's going on into the incident and that he'll be with us forever.
Well his music certainly is.
Anything else you want to add about the show here in Richland Center Jay?
We put a lot of time and effort
to make these songs sound good.
And not only that, but we want to make this show entertaining.
Some folks might be thinking, well, I only know two Johnny Cash songs.
Well, realistically, when you come and hear it, you're going to know 10.
And I'm going to play 20.
And the rest of those 10 that you don't know, I'm going to make so dang fun that you're going to walk away saying, hey, that was a great concert.
We've been doing this forever.
And we are considered the best Johnny Cash tribute show in the world.
So I'm happy to bring it to you.
and we can celebrate his music together.
And all ages, as you said, bring the family, bring the kids, right?
Bring the family, bring the kid.
There's nothing more wholesome than a Johnny Cash show.
So I hope to bring the whole family, bring Grandma and Grandpa, bring the kids, bring the nieces and nephews.
We're gonna have a great time together.
Well, I don't know if they've told you, but it's the oldest auditorium in the state of Wisconsin.
Now they've done a restoration.
They've done amazing things with it.
And I think the music of Cash is gonna be pretty fitting in that, that old venue.
I think it's going to resonate alongside all the music that's ever been played there for over a hundred years.
So I'm excited.
All right, Jay, we'll see you soon.
Thanks a lot for joining us.
Thanks Phil.
Appreciate it.
You bet Jay earns representing Church of Cash.
Again the show comes up at the City Auditorium in Richland Center September 25th.
It starts at seven o'clock.
Tickets $25 again all ages and you can find that more ticket info at the Richland City Auditorium website through Eventbrite and you can also contact Mick Cosgrove at AmeriPrize locally for more information.