By ANDREW SPIESS
BG Independent News
For years, Perrysburg’s John Salvage has embraced and emanated the sounds and sensibilities of heartland rock through songwriting and performance. Salvage’s integrity comes clear through the longevity of his musical endeavors, writing original music since his mid-adolescent years and beginning to perform in bands earlier than that.
Since moving to the Greater Detroit area 15 years ago, Salvage has immersed himself in the ruddled, humbling cityscape that influenced the same experiences and sentiments that informed iconic songwriters like Bob Seger, a legendary rock musician and one of the pillars of heartland rock. Folk, blues, and garage rock fed through the blue-collar lifestyle of the Midwest may be best absorbed in a city like Detroit, but Salvage hasn’t, and will never forget, home.
“Ohio” is John Salvage’s latest project, a collection of 12 tracks exploring his downtrodden yet modest existence in the Midwest through complicated relationships—romantic and platonic—and examinations of his inner self, all illustrated through images that define the Rust Belt. The lyrics of “Ohio” are peppered with concrete details including trains, roads, alcohol, smoke, nighttime, and downtown sceneries, painting a familiar landscape for many people who reside in this region.
“I had had the idea for the album (the title and most of the songs) for a year or two before starting work on it. I wanted to make as big of a personal statement as I could,” Salvage professed. “It’s not a concept album by any means, but it’s definitely conceptual as it’s a reflection on my life for the past 15 years living in Detroit. The songs are by far the most personal I’ve ever written. Musically, I wanted to make it an album with a lot of variety while still holding to a core sound. It took about two and a half years to finish, the longest I’ve ever taken on a project. My mindset while making it was always to assume it would be the last thing I would ever put out, so I should take as much time as needed before calling it done.”
“Ohio” certainly feels meticulously crafted and well thought-out. The album carries the familiar comfort of night, of coming home changed, for better or worse, from burdensome experiences collected since he left. The dense, oppressive weight of it is cultivated from his life struggles, from wrestling with himself internally night after night. Moreover, Salvage’s sentimental echoes about his home state ring through his melodies and mid-tempo progressions, often with ponderous nonchalance. As troublesome as life can be, Salvage’s music never sounds exasperated.
Instead, the album is imbued with vital energy, an urgency to tell his story as well as a sense of patience with himself. “Reaper Came Calling” is about casually halting death’s approach, toying with and making it wait until he’s finished. “A Letter” looks at the repetitive nature of habitually making the same mistakes and learning the same lessons. With sparse yet playful percussion, “Canyon Call’’ shows Salvage going home to relocate his identity, to remind himself of who he is, what he loves, and what fills his void. Like a diary, “Ohio” exhibits Salvage meditating on his sorrows, drawing conclusions from his experiences and bearing wisdom and relatability.
Salvage has a way of gradually increasing zeal throughout his songs, like a flame that slowly grows into a blazing bonfire, as heard on “Come Back Home,” the second track that sets the album’s fervent atmosphere. Harmonica solos ride the passionate intensity of songs like “A Letter” and “New Brothers.” “Torn and Crooked” is a slower, folksy ballad accented by the sounds of keys and string instruments. The most tearful track on the album, the song reveals Salvage coping with emptiness as it bleeds with sincerity.
Woeful, yet vibrant, “Ohio” is the result of John Salvage opening himself up and exploring his inner strife, casually identifying his emotional nuances and everything that shapes him. It’s his attempt to make sense of his regrets and contemplate how things could have been better, more consummated, more fulfilling.
You can listen to “Ohio” on Spotify, as well as his previous records, or visit his Bandcamp page to find his music: https://johnsalvage.bandcamp.com/album/ohio.
