Jimbo Mathus talks family and musical roots – The Mississippi musician visits Baton Rouge Friday

Jimbo Mathus performs Friday at 9 p.m. at Mud and Water. Kevin Gordon and The Deslondes will open. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased here.

When Jimbo Mathus speaks, he sounds like he ought to write a philosophy book. He’s like Rust Cohle, Matthew McConaughey’s character from the HBO show True Detective. Only Mathus is less cynical and more musically inclined.

“I’m a link in the chain in my family on this planet,” he says. “Knowing that can give a person intelligence. There’s a certain power that comes from what you’ve seen and what you’ve learned from your family. To me, family is one of the most important things in my life. The strongest emotions people have are tied to family.”

With that sense of family comes a personal history soaked in music. Born in Oxford, Miss., he grew up in a household full of musicians, where old songs and stories were in constant rotation. At the age of six, he learned the harmonica and mandolin. By the 10th grade, he took his punk band to Memphis to cut a record. Since then, he’s been playing music full-time, everything from swamp pop and rock ‘n’ roll to blues and folk music. In every stage of his career, his roots have always been the most important aspect of his tunes.

“I’m about the idea of clinging to my roots so I don’t wash away,” he says. “You hang on to the culture you know best. For me, it’s Mississippi. That’s my soul. It just makes sense to me personally to have that grounded feeling while I’m here on Earth.”

Looking at his résumé, it’s surprising how humble Mathus is. In 1993, he formed Squirrel Nut Zippers with then-wife Katharine Whalen. The band gained popularity for its 1996 hit “Hell,” off the major label album Hot. Though the band and his marriage dissolved, Mathus has been releasing solo material as well as recording and playing with legends like Elvis Costello and Buddy Guy.

The latter taught Mathus how to play fearlessly, he says.

“He taught me how to put 100 percent of passion in my performance and how to be cool during the day,” Mathus says. “I got to see him on and off the stage. It was funny because he would just get on stage and explode. Hearing his guitar playing every night was pretty intense.”

In mid-February, Mathus released his ninth solo album, Dark Night of the Soul on Fat Possum Records. Bruce Watson, the general manager of the label, personally selected the record’s 12 tracks from 40 that Mathus had recorded. The songs shine a light on a musician who has a newfound sense of urgency.

“What I’m doing now is from my soul,” he says. “This music I’ve been creating with my band, the Tri-State Coalition, is heavy rocking stuff. I’m trying to reflect what’s going on in the world. The world is in a critical place. I’m just trying to put out something that’s powerful, but has a good vibe.”

Mathus admits some of the new record might seem dark, but he’s all about positivity. His attitude, sound and need to keep pursuing music are all influenced by the non-stop love from his personal and musical family.

“You know it always seems like there’s another hill to climb and just when I think I’m over it and don’t want to mess with music anymore, something happens to spur me on,” he says. “Right now, it’s my wife. She believes in what’s happening now. It’s my mom, my family, my band and my band’s family. They’re all like, ‘Hey, let’s go do this.’ So now, I’m on the road, and I’ll be on the road for a while just trying to take this music to the people.”

For more information on Mathus, click here.

Listen to Dark Night of the Soul below.