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The first song a 7-year-old Chris LeBlanc played on stage with his dad and uncles was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Needle In The Spoon.” It hasn’t slowed down since. Now 37, LeBlanc goes on record with what inspires him, the importance of The Police, spending time with his son and blasting classic rock in crowded bars.

You came from a musical family, right? What did your dad do for a living?

Mom was a stay-at-home mom, which was awesome. My dad was a machinist working at the plant. He’d come home, and it would be motorcycles and music. He played in lots of bands with his brothers. One of them was called Sugar Cane. And he built and raced motorcycles in the shop out back.

How old were you when you first got on a bike?

I got my first motorcycle, a little Honda XR75, when I was four years old, dude.

And you’re still alive! What music did your parents expose you to as a kid?

It was a trip. My dad really liked Creedence Clearwater Rival a lot and The Band. My mom was a complete Beatles fan. And she would also play stuff like The Carpenters, you know, which was more soft rock. One cool thing was that she was pregnant with me when they saw Jimi Hendrix at Independence Hall. So I got experienced prenatally!

Was there one song that made you begin dissecting music as a musician?

I tell you, that started happening when I got into The Police because even as a teenager I always found myself in a trio setting. That music was simply put together and simply cool.

How did you think about music as a kid?

I remember music really affecting my mood. I remember being really sort of scared listening to “Come Together.” You hear that “Shuga-doom-da-doom-dum.” It has that mystic vibe to it, and then John Lennon’s voice comes in, and wow! Another one was B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” which had a great minor vibe to it. It sticks. It’s just a minor blues song, but Phil Spector put these strings on it that made it larger than life, larger than a blues song. It was like a movement of sadness, just powerfully huge. Yeah, listen to “The Thrill Is Gone,” bro. It’s got a vibe.

Do some people hassle you about playing cover songs?

Sure. But I play other people’s music because that’s what inspired me to play. And I do ones that no one else does, like “A Day in the Life” and “I Am the Walrus.” Most younger people have never heard those songs played in a live setting by anyone. Hearing a rock band play these songs and jamming, that’s such an important experience.

What new music are you into now?

I saw John Mayer play. He comes out in a black T-shirt and jeans and just kills everybody. Just unpretentious, and for real. You can really hear Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton, all those guys in his playing. I bought Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere. It’s got that DJ vibe in a way, but there’s a lot of melody in it. It’s musically big.

Are you recording now?

I’m renovating our house. Once that’s done, I’ll be ready for the next record. Lately, I’ve been pretty unselfish with my time. The last record I put out, Starshine, was in 2004. You know, any song I write is not going to be as cool as an extra hour hanging out with my son, Seth. I get up with him every morning at 6:30, whether I had a gig till 2 a.m. the night before or not.

Reminds me of John Lennon’s househusband years from ’75 to ’80.

Man, yeah. He quit completely, but he was Sean’s dad. He wasn’t there so much for [his first son] Julian. That’s what was missing in his life, and he wanted it so bad, and he became that. That’s huge. The most important thing I am is a dad and a husband. Just because I’m not writing regularly right now—I’ll have more time for that later when Seth is doing his own thing. And then I’ll have something to say.

chrisleblancband.com.