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Tuesday Aug 19, 2008
Joe Jack Wagner | Interview
The band Joe Jack Wagner best describes themselves as a do it yourself band. Getting their modest start in high-school art class in 1997 by exchanging hand made noise collage tapes, this band has a solid set of priorities. Not interested in the stardom that a touring band might receive, Joe Jack Wagner is more interested in creating an amazing sounding record without the unneeded filler.
But what does do it yourself really mean? Well as for creating new music JJW is not a band with a scheduled outline. There seems to be no particular rhyme or rhythm to their creative process. David Leblanc explains that it can start out with a few chords on the guitar or some meaningful lyrics that they feel like singing a tune too. Anyone who has tried to write music before knows this is not an easy feat, but combine that with self recording and you get a new level of devotion to the music. Joe Jack Wagner describes the recording process as both scary and fun, having spent a lot of time creating their unique sound.
When the band was asked about how they feel about music piracy they responded with an optimistic approach. They believe that any music that is listened to online can be beneficial for the bigger bands with nation wide tours. But what about the little guy? For a band that is trying to get their name out there, a few honest music lovers wouldn't hurt.
As for what else we can expect from Joe Jack Wagner in the future? They have just finished a lo-fi soundtrack for a movieless script project called Les Absents. As well, they are hoping to finish their third LP due out sometime in 2010.Though this band may be one without widespread tours, their sound is not little and should not be overlooked. The music is easy to listen to and the instrumentals are always enjoyable.
Sarah Anderton
Associate Editor
Aralie.com
JOE JACK WAGNER Q&A
1. First off, when did you guys first get together to jam? Do you remember it at all? Was there any particular moment you knew you had a sound that was unique?
DAVID: I started this thing that eventually became Joe Jack Wagner by exchanging homemade noise collage tapes with Charles during high school art classes back in 1997. Charles had a 4-track tape recorder we experimented with until he got a digital 8-track in 1998. All the music JJW has released so far has been recorded on this trusty old 8-track, so basically, our idea of songwriting was really a recording driven process from the start. We never wanted to tour the world like your everyday rock stars; we just wanted to make the most amazing records a fully committed non-touring extravaganza could. “Why didn’t anyone realise,” we would ask ourselves, “Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper were the groundbreaking albums they were precisely because Brian Wilson and The Beatles both had to let go of touring before they could even dream of making such records?” Fact is you can probably count on one hand and a half the album-filler-free albums recorded since 1967.
2. As many musicians know, spending time in a recording studio for any period of time can be a strenuous experience. Explain the recording process and how it affected the band.
DAVID: Until he left, Charles was doing most of the recording by himself. I just came over and taped my vocals and instrumental parts in a few days. Now I’m basically doing it all by myself, which is both scary and fun.
3. How would you explain your writing process? Some bands take the communal route while others find it better to have an individual bring tunes to the table. What do you find easiest in the grand scheme of writing a song?
DAVID: Sometimes it starts with a guitar and a handful of chords, sometimes it starts with a few lines I feel like singing a tune to—except for instrumentals, which come up whenever I don’t wanna talk about it.
4. Have you seen your music change; mature if you will, as your band has grown?
DAVID: JJW’s all-out eclecticism makes it hard to find one’s bearings, but I’ve heard comments about JJW’s evolution, so yeah, I guess there’s hope for a more mature JJW.
5. Any other favorite local artists we should know about?
DAVID: Antoine Dufour. Do Make Say Think. Karkwa.
6. What are you feelings about music piracy? How would you feel if you clicked on to Limewire, Kazaa, Bittorrent, pick your poison, and found thousands of people downloading your music for free? Do you think your position on the issue will change as you become more popular?
DAVID: I think successful touring bands can turn it to their advantage, since most freeloaders will still pay big bucks to catch a live show. On the other side, I doubt free concert goers will one day turn out to pay for my production fees.
7. What do you think about bands like Radiohead and NIN allowing fans to pay what they want for their music? Do you think that model will be the future of music? Or, where do you see the music industry in 20 years?
DAVID: Like I said, touring bands can get a lot of new fans to want to see them live with a model like that. Now, if we can just get more people to realise the real do-it-yourself artists still need some kind of financial support to keep releasing exciting new music, the music business will actually work, be it for minimum wage.
8. What, in your opinion, are the most prevalent struggles of an independent musician in today’s music industry? Any advice to aspiring artists who find it troublesome to ‘pay the bills’ doing what they’re most passionate about?
DAVID: Well, I’m still trying to break even with my first (and to this day only) self-released CD, so I guess my advice is: Avoid bills!
9. How do you think the pay-what-you-want model fits into the enormous and continually growing independent music scene? Would you recommend an independent musician to try it out?
DAVID: It’s definitely worth a try.
10. What was it like first starting out? Any good stories from those days?
DAVID: Back in 1999, we actually got an e-mail from Ipecac (Mike Patton’s label) referring to our second demo CD as “weird”. That was hilarious!
11. Who are some of your influences? What do you think best describes your sound? Who are some of your favorite artists?
DAVID: When I started as a vocalist with other bands, my main influence was Mike Patton’s work with Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. As a musician, I think Nirvana’s Polly and Radiohead’s Karma Police were the first two songs I learned when I picked up guitar in 1997. My current favourite has to be Menomena (for obvious reasons), but my all time favourite remains Pavement.
14. What’s coming up next for you guys? Any big shows, album releases?
DAVID: I just did a lo-fi soundtrack for a movieless script project called Les Absents. I’ll probably release it on Aralie. I’m also working on a third LP with new contributors. 2010. Maybe.