Brooklyn based indie folk-rock outfit Common Jack was formed by singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist John Gardner during a two and a half year world tour with the actor-musician Broadway show, Once. Based on the indie film of the same name, starring Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova of The Frames / Swell Season, Gardner spent those years playing Hansard & Irglova’s music for sold out houses in America, Canada, and Japan while gigging with his own material during his free time.
While many of the early recordings consisted of Gardner playing every instrument in a more traditional folk set up, Common Jack has come to include a rotation of other musicians on fiddle, electric guitar, drums, and synths/organs.
In this interview, we discuss influences, surviving as an indie muso in a digital era, and the new single coming out August 9th.
Full Q&A and a stream is available below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I grew up in the southern states surrounded by folk music. My father is a huge folk lover so there were always instruments laying around our house, you know, guitars, banjo, mandolin, and piano. Growing up, I would pick one them up and just try to figure it out. It wasn’t limited to that genre, though. My parents had a really eclectic taste in music. My mom was an opera singer so a lot of my childhood was spent listening to her sing all those monolithic classical composers as well as a lot of jazz stuff; Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, great composers like that. It was between those styles that I found my own love of rock music. All of it. Everything from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to Patti Smith to ACDC to Jeff Buckley to My Chemical Romance. I couldn’t get enough of it. This is all a long way of saying I love a lot of different genres but there’s something about the traditions of folk music that are the most evocative and accessible to me, the timelessness of that music is really appealing. Odetta’s voice will always cut straight through you. That’s why Common Jack leans towards the folk side of everything, even when we’re trying to be a rock band. It’s just what I know best.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I’ve been writing songs and poetry for about ten years but I didn’t start showing my stuff to others until about three years ago. I guess they felt a little too personal and I felt a too guarded but at some point I realized they weren’t doing anybody any good by not being shared. I’m also an actor by trade and I found myself doing a two and a half year world tour of a cool actor/musician Broadway show called Once, which is based on a movie of the same name that stars Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova. They’re both massive inspirations to me and it was during that tour that I found some time in the different cities we stopped at to play in bars and venues with my own music. That’s when the bug bit me, I guess you could say.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I’ve been reading a lot of Kate Tempest lately. Her poetry is gripping & always leaves me feeling more inspired to write if I’m feeling stuck. You know, songwriting can be the most boring, mundane thing in the world but the feeling I get when I finish a song I’m proud of is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s not about phony accolades or pats on the back you get from friends or people at shows, that’s all fleeting. It’s about making something I would want to hear. Something that changes me, challenges me, or just feels damn good to listen to. That’s when I know I’ve succeeded. If it speaks to me then there’s got to be someone else out there who will also connect with it. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Building bridges to each other is what art is for.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Yeah. In a lot of ways, Harper James, my co-producer, and I were trying to simplify things. We wanted to do away with any tricks or gimmicks and let the songs speak for themselves. I also pushed against my own boundaries in writing a lot of these tunes. I wanted to say things that I feel are important to me and to my generation’s experience in life. It would be easy to write 12 tracks of “hey I just met you” love songs and stomping folk anthems but that felt fake because there’s just so much more going on. In a way, I wanted to go a step further and pull the scope back to look at how our relationships with each other work in the bigger picture of our time here on Earth. It’s about where we each fit in this life we’ve created, whatever that means to you, and putting all of that into music that feels good to listen to. That’s the most important part.
What was the last song you listened to?
Look Out Mama by Hurray for the Riff Raff. Love them!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl. And vinyl album art. It makes me feel so much more connected to what I’m listening to. In today’s digital age, it almost seems like more of a novelty at times, doesn’t it? But I don’t care, my vinyl copy of Blonde on Blonde is one of my favorite things I own.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify. Okay, bring on the protests of “but they barely pay the artist!” or “it’s all for corporate profit!” I get it. I hate the exposure-in-place-of-money narrative that’s hurled at so many young artists too but there’s something valuable in Spotify to emerging songwriters. You suddenly have a global audience at your fingertips. And yeah, it’s up to you to be creative in how you funnel those listeners to your page & Spotify is pretty saturated but ultimately I think it’s useful for those who aren’t major label artists. The mistake some people make is thinking Spotify is the end-all-be-all. It’s not. It’s just a tool. A stepping stone to help you across the river.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
To me, it’s the balancing act of staying true to yourself while trying to find ways to separate your sound from the pack. There’s a lot of really good music out there that sadly won’t get heard because it sounds too much like other bands or it’s chasing a fad or something like that. Not only in music but also in life, it’s super easy for all of us to adhere to what we think we should be doing, right? ‘Should’ is a terrible word. I hate it.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
Yep! My band and I gig as much as we can here in New York. We love venues like Rockwood Music Hall & The Bowery Electric. We’re also gearing up for our record release party at Piano’s on September 9! Very excited for that.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
We’ve got social media pages that are easy to remember. We’re commonjackmusic on Facebook or @commonjackmusic on Twitter and Instagram. We’re on Spotify, Bandcamp, & Soundcloud too but we prefer to connect with people live at shows. So if you’re in the NYC area, follow us on Bandsintown and come on out! If you’re not in the area, social media is good too. We’re working on some bigger touring plans too so maybe we’ll see you in your town soon!
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
If you feel it, you better do it.
