Blue October falling into place on tour

Justin Furstenfeld can’t sit still. Even during the pandemic lockdown, the vocalist/guitarist was hyped, writing and recording a plethora of songs for Blue October, which is coming to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday night, March 6, 2024.

“I had no choice, since there is only so much true crime television and ‘Seinfeld’ that you can watch,” Furstenfeld said by phone from Anaheim, Calif. “When COVID happened, we decided to write and record as many songs as possible so when it all ended, we could drop so many new songs on people and they would be like, ‘Dude, what? A double album.’ ”

“Spinning the Truth Around” is actually a triple album, released in three parts. The initial album was released in October 2022. Part two dropped in October 2023 and the last of the trifecta will see the light of day at some point in 2024.

“I don’t mean to discount the final part of this project, but that will be a combination of remixes and covers,” Furstenfeld said. “I had an amazing time working on this album.”

Part of why Furstenfeld is so enthused is due to his collaboration with one of his heroes, Billy Corgan. The Smashing Pumpkins singer/songwriter wrote 11 songs with Furstenfeld. Corgan came up with the melodies, which blew away Furstenfeld.

“I had the opportunity to work with a rock god, who is one of the kindest and most passionate guys you’ll ever meet,” Furstenfeld said. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”

It’s no coincidence that Blue October’s latest is filled with some of the catchiest songs the band has recorded during its three-decade run. “Magic Isn’t Real” has a big hook and “Down Here Waiting” is anthemic.

“We had a great time making this album,” Furstenfeld said. “There were no disturbances. Working with Billy is something I’ll never forget.”

Furstenfeld, 47, is an inveterate rock fan, who grew up a devotee of Peter Gabriel, Morrissey and Jane’s Addiction.

“Gabriel is who I want to be like,” he said. “Gabriel is a wordsmith who paints amazing sonic pictures. That’s what I always wanted to do with Blue October. What I like about Morrissey and the Smiths and Jane’s Addiction is that they all can go from very hard to very soft just like that. I like that variety. That’s part of what has kept this band alive for so long.”

Furstenfeld formed the band with his drummer brother Jeremy Furstenfeld and their friend, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Delahoussaye, in Houston in 1995. Unlike many brothers in bands, the Furstenfelds have been fairly harmonious after all these years.

“That’s pretty incredible, since my brother had to deal with my issues,” Furstenfeld said. “I did a lot of drugs and that didn’t help us or the band. I wouldn’t have made it, and this band would no longer be in existence, if I didn’t change.”

Furstenfeld has been sober since May 10, 2012.

“I’ll never forget that date,” he said. “I was a desperate person and my life has changed so much since then. That’s why I feel the way I do. I know it’s not the usual rock 'n' roll story.”

The blunt and amusing entertainer shoots a hole in the theory that drugs and alcohol fuel creativity.

“Have you ever met a successful meth head or heroin addict,” he said. “What ultimately happens to those people is they either end up in jail, in an institution, or are dead. There is nothing as awful as being messed up on some horrific substances.”

After abusing his body with drugs since he was a teenager, Furstenfeld cleaned up for his family, music and his health.

“I want to be around for my kids,” he said. “They need a responsible father. And then there is my music. I’m a much better writer now, and it makes sense, because I’m not dealing with depression and addiction, like I was. If you listen to what I wrote and recorded after I became sober, you can hear the difference.”

"Sway,“ released in 2013, features catchy, moving rock songs, and was the first step in the right direction for Furstenfeld. Those cuts are a far cry from the band’s predictable post-grunge music recorded after 2000.

“I Hope You’re Happy” contains anthemic, baroque rock, which is more complex and provocative than what Furstenfeld composed earlier in his career.

“I completely believe that the straighter you are, the better you can be as a songwriter,” he said. “I've never been happier than I am now as a songwriter. I’ve experienced so much in my life, that I can write about it and I think what I do sonically is better since I’m in a good space.

“It’s not about living out of my ego. Those days are long gone. I realize this band would not exist if it weren’t for my bandmates who ... have helped keep this group alive.”

Furstenfeld is lucid, energetic and inspired at midlife.

“I’m in a good place and I’m trying to do what my heroes have done, like Morrissey, which is to write about obscure things and make them beautiful.”