Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with J.A.M
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest memory with music is of my dad. He was a teacher at the school I went to and every day after school, I would go to his classroom and he would be playing records on his giant stereo system. Everything from Phil Collins to Led Zeppelin. You could hear the music echo through the halls of the school.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Very slowly and painfully. I was quite bad at it at first. I started learning various DAWs when I was in middle school and I made a bunch of really bad beats. But it was fun. I took lessons on piano and bass as a kid but didn’t realize that practice was necessary to be somewhat ok at it. So I was not good at playing music at all, then I picked up guitar as a young adult and played for several hours every day. It wasn’t until after many many painful hours of being garbage when I actually found the passion and excitement for it.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My next project is in the conceptual stage right now. I am coming up with musical pieces and deciding the main themes. No lyrics have been written yet, but they will be soon. The story is a science fiction story of an alien AI that has been watching humanity for thousands of years and wants to become a human with thoughts, emotions, ect.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Psychedelic and funky hopefully. I can play a variety of music. Christiania is reggae.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music? Music has to breathe. It is very easy to overdo it in compositions. Too many layers, too
much going on, not enough variation, not enough space between lyrics. Give a song some space and it will do wonders. I still fail at this constantly though HAHA.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? FL Studio is my main instrument. The synth pads are a go to for creating an intriguing
sound. I also play Guitar, Drums, bass and keys. Guitar is what I am most proficient at, it you could even call me proficient.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I love a band called Men I Trust. I don’t know if they’re indie, but they feel indie. Also my friend Eric is in a band called Alpine Deco which has some bangers.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Yes. Everything I have written so far has been directly inspired by a place or at least with a specific geographic place in mind. Christiania is about a neighborhood in Copenhagen that I loved. My album Pine Canyon Asylum is set in the pacific northwest of the United States. The setting is hugely important to me inspirationally, even if the setting doesn’t come through the music. Places I visit tend to have that effect on me.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work? I don’t know, ultimately I just hope someone feels the groove first and foremost. Outside
of that, maybe just being curious about the world in all its ups and downs.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
I think it is that work comes before passion. Not the other way around. Passion will come, but work comes first. Secondly, it is ok to suck really bad at something and make an effort to be better.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I have never played a show ever in my life so I can’t even begin to think about this.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? Pharrell, David Gilmour, Tupac, Billy Strings
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links) Insta
Youtube
Spotify
Apple Music
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I just like jamming with others, so I would like to start playing live shows, that would be cool.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? I don’t take myself too seriously.
