John T. Baker has always pursued pop perfection

John T. Baker and Econopop is, from left, George Middlebrooks, Gray Comer, Baker and Bo Ratliff.

The opening track on John T. Baker’s new album, “Woodgrain,” is a pretty pop melody with lyrics that address how we all share each others’ pharmaceuticals through the water supply. It’s the sort of quirky creation that Baker has become known for over the past two decades.

Baker, who currently fronts the band Econopop, is a musical veteran. He gained a local following with the band the French Broads, performed in Angel and the Love Mongers, the Tim Lee Band and other acts, and he currently plays guitar in the Westside Daredevils and drums in Stolen Sheep. And he’s always been an improvisor.

“When I bought my first electric guitar I didn’t have enough money for an amplifier,” says Baker, “so I would plug my guitar into my cassette deck and hit ‘record’ and ‘pause’ and it would come out through the stereo speakers. And if you pushed the input level up it would distort, too.”

During the 1980s, Baker performed in the cover band the Unitz and made a pretty good living.

“I dropped out of college to do it,” he says. “For about two years we toured, basically playing fraternity parties and college bars, formals all around the Southeast.”

Baker, though, became frustrated. He was writing and recording his own music, but the band he was playing with couldn’t be an outlet for it.

“Cover bands can make $1,500 to $2,000 a night, but that’s because you’re hiring a jukebox. They’re not going to pay $2,000 to hear music they’ve never heard before.”

There was also the view that his peers had of cover bands.

“Amongst local original music people here in Knoxville I got no respect at all,” he says. “I understand why because now that I play original music when I think of somebody in a cover band I kind of dismiss that. I don’t take that experience for granted. ... But it took a long time to get the stink of cover band off me.”

In the 1990s, Baker and his wife, Leslie, moved to Memphis so that Leslie could attend medical school.

“She actually decided what she wanted to do when she grew up — and I have yet to do that.”

In Memphis, he reconnected with fellow Knoxvillian Jim Rivers (who was also studying to be a doctor). The two started the original-material band Martini Age and recorded an album on Baker’s 4-track recorder.

In 1997, Baker moved back to Knoxville. When Rivers returned as well the two formed the French Broads and toured regionally.

Baker says the band ran its course and he recorded a series of solo albums (most of which are now available for free at www.baker-acres.com). “Woodgrain,” in fact, is a Baker solo album, because he recorded most of the instruments himself, although Econopop will be the band that performs at the CD release show.

On “Woodgrain,” Baker says he wanted to create an album that focused as much on the songs as possible.

“I’m constantly chasing the perfect pop song. I don’t think you can ever get there, but more recently I’ve decided if the creative juices are flowing, the best thing I can do is just get out of the way. If I try to force it to be something then I’m going to screw it up. I just kind of let the song come out like it is.”

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