Molland, Solem & Miller’s
In this interview, Phil Solem and Jeff Miller discuss Molland, Solem & Miller’s heartfelt Chuck Berry tribute album, celebrating rock and roll’s legacy while honoring their late friend Joey Molland.
1. The idea for this Chuck Berry tribute began around 15 years ago, growing out of your friendship and musical chemistry in Minneapolis. Do you remember the moment when you realized this collaboration could become something special?
Jeff Miller: From my first meeting with Joey, and years later meeting Phil when the two of them were asked to perform their hits as a duo at a music store party in Minneapolis, I could see the great chemistry between us. I recommended we take this combination out on the road as The Driftbenders, with myself as the opening act, booking agent, road manager, and driver!
The friendship and vibe just grew from those days. We realized we had a lot in common, and the biggest connection for all three of us was Chuck Berry. This project became a labor of love that we wanted to accomplish together, not as a solo effort.
Phil Solem: We weren’t particularly aware that Chuck’s centennial birthday was something to aim for. It was just a dream idea Joey had mentioned over the years. Turns out Joe and Jeff had been talking about it even longer, so when I came into the picture, it started getting more serious.
Joey had asked me to produce something for him, and when we’d go out for strolls, he became more focused on the idea that this was what we should work on.
What makes it special now is the birthday factor and the unfortunate fact that Joey isn’t with us anymore. So it became a kind of double tribute, as Jeff and I felt we had to bring this music to listeners’ attention. Thanks to Hygh Tension Records, we made that happen.
2. Chuck Berry’s influence on rock and roll is immeasurable. What is it about his songwriting, guitar playing, and musical personality that continues to inspire you, even after decades in the music industry?
Phil Solem: What isn’t? He created the defining style of his generation, and fortunately, it’s timeless music that can be interpreted in almost every other style. His lyrics are poetic, maybe street poetry, but they have a depth that’s almost visual.
Jeff Miller: All three of us grew up listening to and playing Chuck Berry. Sure, there were other influences, but most of those were influenced by Chuck anyway!
I was personally fascinated by Chuck’s songwriting and the way he delivered his lyrics in that syncopated, rhythmic style that only he could pull off. It took all these years to get that right on this record.
Joey was especially into Chuck’s guitar work and literally played some of the intros and solos note for note on this record.
All three of us were still being inspired as we made the album. We’d played this music all our lives, and this was our chance to pay homage to a true rock and roll hero.
3. Your version of “Johnny B. Goode” features Joey Molland on lead vocals. What made this song the right choice for the first single, and how did you approach bringing your own identity to such an iconic rock and roll classic?
Phil Solem: We left it to the record company to pick the singles. I think they made the right choice, as “Johnny” is probably the world’s most recognizable rock and roll song of all time.
Joey sings it with passion, and he arranged it differently from the original. He wanted space between every phrase so the audience could absorb the lyrics. I think it helps tell the story at a pace where you can find yourself forming mental images of each line in the song. It’s a bit dreamier, to me.
Jeff Miller: “Johnny B. Goode” was a song Joey had very much made his own. Badfinger used to play it as an encore, and Joey would always say that you have to have your own take on the song rather than just covering it in a standard fashion.
Joey melded a bridge from another Chuck Berry song, “Bye Bye Johnny,” into “Johnny B. Goode,” masterfully connecting the two.
I’m proud to say I’ve never heard anyone do this song the way Joey did on this record. We thought it would make a great single because it gives listeners a real flavor of what the entire album is about.
4. Joey Molland’s passing in 2025 gives this 12-song tribute album an especially personal significance. How does it feel to share these recordings with the world, knowing they preserve some of Joey’s final musical performances?
Jeff Miller: It’s very gratifying knowing that we completed all 12 tracks together. We would have released the album almost two years ago, but with Joey’s passing, Phil and I were very sad and felt it wasn’t appropriate to release the record while we were mourning the loss of our dear friend and musical compatriot.
We waited, and thanks to Hygh Tension Records, a newer record label in Minneapolis that knew we had this album finished and waiting for the right time, everything came together around Chuck’s 100th birthday.
It gave us an opportunity to celebrate both Chuck and Joey with this record.
All the tracks are great, but I happen to think Joey’s performances on “Let It Rock” and “Memphis” are outstanding.
There’s also a bittersweet aspect to releasing this album. We had so much fun recording it, and we certainly would have loved to have Joey here to promote it and enjoy the release with us.
Phil Solem: It’s an honor to share this stuff that we had so much fun making. We weren’t trying to be all “pro” about it. It was a labor-of-love kind of thing, and we really cut loose while tracking it.
I hope that vibe comes through when people hear it. Joey has always been an inspiration to me, and it’s fantastic that this music is now actually available to his fans.
5. The album features classics such as “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Nadine,” “Carol,” and “You Never Can Tell.” Were there particular Chuck Berry songs you were especially eager to record, and what can listeners expect from your interpretations of these timeless tracks?
Jeff Miller: We started with a list of around 40 of our favorite Chuck Berry songs, tunes each of us had played going all the way back to our early days in bands.
As we worked through them, we narrowed the list down to 12 that we all agreed represented some of Chuck’s best and most recognizable songs, and that each of us could put our own personal spin on.
Since all the tracks were recorded live, the joy was simply playing and singing our favorite Chuck Berry songs together. We hope that comes across.
We would have done all 40, but we couldn’t fit them all on the record! We felt these 12 were the best choices and would stand the test of the next 100 years.
Phil Solem: I didn’t have any particular song I was especially eager to record. Joey and Jeff had their favorites.
But all these songs have their own charm, and there were a lot of places where I got to experiment sonically as the producer.
It’s not your normal cover-song kind of record. You’ll probably want to be sitting down when you hear “Around and Around,” for instance.
Chances were taken!
6. With “Johnny B. Goode” arriving just before what would have been Chuck Berry’s 100th birthday, and the full album scheduled for 2027, what do you hope this project will mean to longtime fans of classic rock and to younger generations discovering Chuck Berry’s music for the first time?
Phil Solem: I think it will reinforce the fact that great songs are just that, and they can be done in any number of ways.
We didn’t set out to replicate Chuck’s music. Only he could do that, even though he himself did all kinds of versions of his own stuff.
I suppose there are musician fans out there who’ve done carbon copies of his music, but the three of us just went for whatever came out of us, in the spirit of Chuck.
I hope everyone who hears this record can get into the headspace we were in when we made it. Pure fun, for fun’s sake.
Jeff Miller: We started out with the pure intention of paying tribute to Chuck Berry and satisfying our own desire to accomplish this goal together.
We knew Chuck Berry fans wouldn’t necessarily want to hear us do straight cover versions, and we were determined to give our own interpretations of these classics while remaining true to the songs and the spirit in which Chuck wrote them.
Originally, we were going to call the album That’s What Chuck Said, because only Chuck could say it the way he did!
With Joey’s passing, we were looking for a better time to share the music. When Chuck’s upcoming 100th birthday came into focus, Phil and I felt it was the right moment to pay tribute to both Joey and Chuck.
We’re incredibly grateful that everything came together and that we can finally share this music with the world, especially with younger generations who can look back at the originator of rock and roll and understand the massive influence he had on Joey, Phil, and me as singers, songwriters, and, of course, guitar players.
God bless Chuck Berry!