Interview: Jordan McGraw in a pop-punk state of mind on solo LP ‘Bort’

Jordan McGraw

Jordan McGraw, courtesy.

The son of TV’s Dr. Phil may be the last person you expect to drop a great pop-punk album. Yet this is exactly the case with Jordan McGraw.

Bort
Jordan McGraw

May 5
Get the album on Amazon Music.

The 36-year-old musician, formerly singer-guitarist in L.A. band Hundred Handed, looked to some of his earliest musical memories to draw inspiration for his solo full-length album Bort, out Friday.

“I bought the Tom DeLonge edition Strat when I was 15 and just locked myself in room and learned all the Blink and Weezer, and Green Day, and Nirvana songs as I could,” McGraw said in a recent call. Even in Hundred Handed, he’d sometimes break out a cover of “What’s My Age Again” (check out the clip above). “I kinda lost that along the way, I don’t know why. I was just kinda throwing shit at all the wall.”

In the midst of making the record, he ended up writing a song in that same vein, unlocking an epiphany and leading to rediscovery.

“It felt fucking great and I decided to keep going down that road,” he said. “So I kinda did what I did when I first learned guitar and locked myself in a room and figured stuff out.”



While pop-punk didn’t really go anywhere, McGraw said he’s thrilled to see its current renaissance. Now, new kids are hearing these songs for the first time, while 30- and 40-somethings are getting back into it after having moved on, and he’s here for it. Younger artists are putting their spin on the genre while keeping the genuine aesthetic, he said. But late ’90s and early aughts artists like Blink-182 and Avril Lavigne are experiencing new attention.

“I’m baffled it took people this long to come around and realize that these stupid songs are kind of awesome,” he said.

It’s also part of the reason he was initially apprehensive to dig into a pop-punk-centric record; he didn’t want to seem like he was riding the bandwagon. But it’s been a blast once he got going.



Earlier in his music career, playing for bands like The Upside and Stars in Stereo, Jordan McGraw actually refused to sing, sticking to the guitar until a moment of desperation after which he decided to try his hand at fronting a band.

“To just be frank about it, I was in a band with a a singer that wasn’t a very nice person,” he said. “After one too many fights, I thought ‘fuck it, I’ll try this.'”

There were some growing pains, but after taking some lessons and getting some of the coordination down, things began to fall into place. He said he remembers listening back to a recording of his first show as a singer that “didn’t suck,” and realizing he had more work to do but that he could make it happen.

McGraw recruited some friends for his latest album, including All Time Low bassist Zack Merrick, Jonas Brothers drummer Jack Lawless and producer Mike Green, who’s worked with Paramore and New Found Glory. He considered coming up with a new moniker for his solo music, but in the end settled for using his name to decrease confusion.

“I still wanted to keep the feel of having a band so I asked those guys if they’d essentially pretend to be my band and it essentially turned into the most fun process ever,” he said. It was fruitful, with none of the common drawbacks of being in a band. “None of the fighting and none of the pissing contests,” he said, laughing.

McGraw has toured with his friends The Jonas Brothers, and now he’s eager to get back out on the road to try out the new material.

“What other situation do you get to go out on the road with a bunch of friends and play for thousands of people?” he said of his time with the Jo Bros.



The album title, Bort, is a reference to “The Simpsons” episode where Bart visits Itchy and Scratchy Land and tries to buy a personalized souvenir license plate only to find there are no Barts—only Borts—and they’re big sellers.

“It … felt like the most me way of saying that nobody’s seen my name enough yet, just almost. That, and it’s just a cheesy ‘Simpsons’ reference. I don’t want to paint it too much deeper than it is.”

A name people likely have seen is McGraw’s famous father, TV psychologist Dr. Phil.

“I always say that his tricks don’t work on me, and I think that the ultimate trick is that they all kinda worked on me,” he said.

While millions would tune in to watch Dr. Phil on TV, McGraw said his role as dad was much more important to him.

“He took me to get my first guitar and used to sit outside the room when I was rehearsing with my terrible, terrible band, and just kinda listened in on the progress,” he said. “He’s always been my biggest fan.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.

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