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Interview: Jameson Burt
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What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
My Dad played guitar and sang as a hobby and was always offering to teach me from an early age, but at that time I was more into skateboarding and going to the beach with my friends. I loved listening to music but I didn’t think I’d pick it up for myself. Then when I was 12 these two brothers moved into my neighborhood and they were both musicians. One played guitar and one played drums, and their parents let them play in the spare bedroom of their house. I went over to hang out one day while they were playing and it was so fantastically loud, I was blown away. That day I went home and asked my dad to teach me to play guitar. So really, it started with me wanting to be in a band and make loud noises. Once I got decent on the guitar and could play a song for the first time I was absolutely hooked. I played guitar in my room for hours and hours a day all through my teenage years and I never looked back from there. If I hadn’t picked it up I’d probably just still be going to the beach, surfing, tending bar somewhere. Or working in archaeology, who knows.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I love to spend time with my friends and my family, of course, I like to go out, I like to meet new people. Which right now is possible for the first time in over a year, which is nice. I like to run and I like to cook. I do a lot of thinking while I’m running, thinking about music, what I’m working on. It’s really time for me to clear my mind and refocus. That actually gives me a lot of energy for my creative work. The cooking doesn’t necessarily influence my musical creativity, but I like it because it’s similar. Starting with a few ingredients and then making something new and beautiful out of them, it’s very similar to making music. Last year cooking has been very interesting and therapeutic for me.
How long has music been your career?
I started playing music when I was 12. By the time I was 16 I was fronting a band that was playing local bars, underage. So I got started working in music and making money early, even though it was barely any money at the time, but music became work very early on for me and I’ve been lucky to make a living doing something I love since then. I always loved playing music so much that I knew I would keep doing it whether it was a career or not; It’s always been my greatest passion and what I spend my time thinking about even when I’m not actually doing it. I can’t imagine a time coming where I wouldn’t feel driven to create and share music with people.
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
I grew up in Orange County, California. I spent about seven years living in LA, making that my home base and traveling a lot in Europe; Milan, Rome, London, Brighton, Paris, Berlin. About a year ago I moved back to Orange County and it’s feeling good to be home. Throughout all that time I’ve had a studio in Santa Ana, which is north Orange County, that I share with some friends and collaborators. The main one is my creative partner Andrew Wesley Carter. We’ve co-produced all of my music over the last few years, and it’s been an amazing partnership. So really that is the home base, the studio in Santa Ana with Andy, where we can create freely as much as we want without anyone looking over our shoulder. That place has been so critical for me to make my music the way I want to do it, with my talented friends close by.
Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.
The best show, one comes to mind immediately. It was a show in Paris at Le Trianon - I was on tour through Europe opening for my friends the Rival Sons for about 6 weeks. That entire tour was an incredible experience for me, I was playing solo in front of bigger crowds than I had ever experienced and I was getting a really warm reception. But the night in Paris stands out for me. I released a record that day called Carnivore and was playing songs from that record, and there was just an incredible energy in the room, I felt a deep connection to the audience and felt very free and expressive on stage. On top of that, the venue was so, so beautiful, and it was my first time in Paris which now I would say is probably my favorite city in the world. I’ll always be thankful to the Rival Sons for bringing me with them and giving me such unforgettable experiences.
The worst show was in Fresno, California. But it was also one of the best in a strange way. This was several years ago.I was traveling the West Coast alone, This tour that I had strung together for a couple weeks playing mostly dive bars and staying in motels. I rolled up to this venue, biker bar, and it was in a rougher part of town than I had realized. I went in and talked to the manager and he had forgotten that I was even booked, and he said I didn’t have to play unless I wanted to. There was a bartender and three tough biker-looking guys sitting at the bar, and then an empty room. I told him that I had driven a long way so I wanted to play. After the first song they clapped. After the second song, they actually cheered a little bit. And at the end of the night, they all bought CDs and T-shirts, including the bartender. That was a huge lesson for me; no matter what the gig is, you have to show up and give everything to it, whatever you have to give, to whoever is there. One person or a thousand people. Whether it goes well or not, that’s where you earn your keep.
Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
In 2019 I was on tour in Italy opening for Vasco Rossi, the Italian rock legend. I played six shows at Stadio San Siro - it’s the soccer stadium in Milan. I performed alone just with my guitar in front of 60,000 people each night. That one is pretty fucking hard to beat! As far as places I want to play that I haven’t yet, the Hollywood bowl. I’ve seen so many amazing shows there and it’s so iconic, I suppose that’s always been a big dream.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
That’s a fun question! I like a lot of different kinds of music, so I think the bill would be something that no one would actually ever put together! Rival Sons (because they’re good buddies and I love watching them perform), Radiohead, Björk, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Annie Lennox, Sting, Kendrick Lamar, Nick Cave, Kate Bush, Daft Punk….I could keep going. David Bowie & Prince & MJ, but they’re gone now.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music?
I’ll quote something Van Morrison said, “If you love music keep doing it.” That’s it. If you really love it then you don’t need to be told that, but just the idea of always developing yourself, always pushing yourself into new territory, always trying to get better and experiment and keep swirling in towards the center. I peaked as a guitar player probably at age 17, but for me, the chase since then has been the writing. The songwriting. And if you have that fire inside you, you can be proud of what you’ve done and at the same time never feel like you’ve done enough. Other than that I would just say it’s good to work hard, but never lose sight of the initial love and enjoyment of just creation. The fun of it. Whatever is happening in your career, as long as you really love to create, you can push through anything.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Whoever you’re working with, don’t be afraid to ask them for what you want or what you need. Don’t waste time with people who are not on your level or aligned with where you want to go. And when you do meet people that you genuinely connect with in that way, remember your worth and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Actually, I think that probably applies to any relationship, whether it’s personal or professional.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Right now, it’s a song called “Fall Out.” It’s on my new record, “Right Time.” Track three. I love the whole record, but that song just feels like it encapsulates such a critical moment in my life and such a critical moment musically that helped define what this album was going to be about, on an emotional and sonic level. When I listen to that song now, I feel like I’m watching a movie of my own life, a snapshot of that moment, and the sound of the music and the strings and everything is like a little film score behind it.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Right now I’m really loving playing the songs from the new record, which at the moment are just in rehearsals because we haven’t performed them for a live audience yet. They’re feeling emotionally powerful and they’re taking a slightly different character than they have on the record, which is exciting. Also, I love playing a song called “Secret” from the Chloe EP I put out in October 2020. We’re doing a live version of that one now that’s totally different from the recorded version but really energetic. To be honest the songs that get requested the most are from long-time fans - some of my really early, really sad stuff. But I get it! There’s power in those really sad moments, and people like to relive it. So do I. Also get requests for some of my more rock ‘n’ roll material, which has been and always will be a part of who I am. “I Don’t Love You,” “Gun Full of Bullets.” Any request is a good request; I just appreciate that people enjoy my music.
What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music?
The songwriting process almost always starts sitting with the guitar or sitting at the piano and waiting for something unexpected to arrive. From there a musical idea can happen very quickly and be the foundation for a song. I occasionally will start with a groove idea by itself, something I want a song to feel like on the drum kit or a beatbox idea, and then write music to that. Either way, from start to finish the most time-consuming part is writing lyrics. The words and ideas will come fast occasionally, but usually, I have to spend a lot of time writing before I’m happy with the mood in the message of what I’m saying. As far as inspiration, my life is the inspiration. Maybe that sounds like a really obvious answer. It's whatever I’m going through emotionally at the time, or what I have been through and now can look back at. Usually not the day-to-day aspects of life, but the things that really shake me up and light a fire inside of me. More often than not it has to do with romance, for better or for worse. Romance.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
I’m a human being going through the ups and downs of life doing my best to feel it all deeply and then communicate it back through the music. I guess one message is that we have one life to live, as far as we know, and the only way to do it is to be willing to feel at all, deeply, and not turn away from the pleasure or the pain. Loving someone or something as fully as you possibly can is worth it, whether it crushes you in the end, or you live happily ever after. Either way, it goes, in any aspect of your life, you can sleep at night because you know you gave it everything.
Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?
I only like to work with nice people! Kind, understanding, respectful people. That’s the only people I like to be around in general. So real “fights” are very rare, but differences of opinion certainly come up and that’s a good thing. In the studio with Andrew for example, we always know we’re both going after the same goal, to make something good and communicative and beautiful. So if we have a disagreement about how to get there, whether it’s a groove or a guitar sound or an arrangement that doesn’t feel right to one of us, we can disagree but it’s rarely a heated disagreement because we’re both conscious that we’re going to end up where we both want to be no matter what. So the best-case scenario is for disagreements to be an opportunity to improve the work in a way that you hadn’t thought of and the other person had. Also, I think it’s really critical for everybody, either in the studio or in rehearsals for a live gig, to have the mindset of “let’s try it!” If you’re open to trying any idea, the worst thing that can happen is it doesn’t work and you move on. The best idea wins and everyone agrees. But I’m lucky to be working with people that are like-minded, it’s not always that way.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
We are so excited right now because we’re releasing this new album, “Right Time.” We’ve been working on it for quite some time, and over the past year we put out a lot of other singles and an EP in the process, but the release of this album is something we’ve been looking forward to for a while. I’m just really excited for people to finally get to hear it, and to perform it live in front of an audience now that we're able to do that again! The most important thing right now is that July 15the album comes out and we’re throwing a release party at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa. We’ve also planned the show as a masquerade party, which is going to be so much fun. We’ve been starving to play, and I think a lot of people have been starving for the live music experience, and we want to make this one really special. So aside from all the music and special guests and excitement from the stage, we want people to participate in the evening in a fun and kind of sexy way. Dress up and come on down! Think of Eyes Wide Shut but minus the fear and a lot more romance. Oh, and there’s a really good live band playing! Show up early for Steve Carson at 8 and Doll Knight & her band at 8:45. My band will come on at 9:45. Cheers!
Social Media Links:
Instagram.com/Jamesonmakesmusic
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5e8he197rEEzTwncwmNOxt?si=RKHKUpG6QbCEF3RniI-PtQ&dl_branch=1