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Search forSinger's stripped down solo show
Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 12:46
Your Time spoke to Jack to find out more:
Your Time: How would you describe your music?
Jack: That's always a difficult one, but some recent reviews by other people probably put it better than I can. For instance, I was recently described as being bar room brawls, smoky pool rooms, dusty highways and full of whisky aching songs.
Live, I perform solo, just me and a guitar or two. I chose to deliberately have such a stripped down approach so that the performances are centred on the songs themselves.
As a solo singer and songwriter, do you find it tougher not being part of a band?
There is a difference and the whole show is carried by me and my music, but at the moment that is the way I want it.
I set myself a challenge, to create a set of songs I can perform that are strong enough that I can perform them solo and get people's spines tingling.
Which vocalists and musicians do you admire?
I love exploring music so my range of influences is huge. But in terms of the songs and performances I am doing right now, then people like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey (in her quieter moods) are all influences.
I guess I try to create songs with meaningful words and with some atmosphere.
Can you tell us a little about the Love Songs For The Revolution CD?
I love the recording process and I am nearly always working on some recording project or other.
As well as my own songs and musical sketches, I also work with a spoken word collective called Wollstoncraft and a number of other musicians.
I also run a small record label that in the next year will be bringing a couple of new bands to the airwaves.
With the Love Songs For The Revolution CD, I was really interested at that time in the Cuban revolution and the relationship between Latin America and the USA.
Although some of my songs are, I guess, politically motivated, I found actually that what was coming to the fore at this point was more emotional and hence the title – Love Songs For The Revolution.
I kind of imagine the songs to be written for the front line guerrillas and freedom fighters to listen to when they are having brief recuperation periods.
What did you hope to achieve when you first started out?
I have always had an intense interest in music. I was one of those geeky types that would spend hours going through people's record collections digging out anything unusual or that I hadn't heard before.
For me, music really became my lifeline after a traffic accident I was involved in. I had back problems afterwards and was in constant pain.
The only way through was to virtually comatose myself with painkillers and sedatives. My way out was through starting to write and perform my own music.
What can people expect at Old Bath Arms?
A Jack Bird gig is always different. I try and respond to the place and the people there at that moment.
So sometimes it can have quite a rock feel while other times it's a much mellower and relaxed feeling.
Again, others may say it better than me and I have been told that my performances are like a force of nature, lush and earthy.
The other two acts on that night are also solo songwriters who, from what I have heard, are very good artists.
Do you think more could/should be done for young acts in the region?
I don't know about the need for more to be done. I have found that if you get out there and start asking people and looking on the internet and making contacts, there are plenty of people out there who want to help.
What are your plans for 2009?
Plans include playing some festivals in America and the UK; to get my CD out on internet download sites; to get a management and record deal and perhaps starting work on the next album ... also to play live as much as possible.
Music starts from 8.30pm and entry is free. Support comes from Al O Kane and Ali George.
For more information visit www.myspace.com/jackbirdjackbird jackbird.
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