Assuming that a pedigree in such things has any relevance at all, which is certainly unclear, Henry Jamison was perhaps predisposed to songwriting. His great-great-great-great-great-great-great (etc.) grandfather was the 14th century poet John Gower (friend to Chaucer and Richard II) and his great-great-great-great grandfather was George Frederick Root, the most popular songwriter of the Civil War era. Probably more relevant is that his mother is an English professor and his father a classical composer, who gave him a Korg 8-track recorder and his first guitar.
In this interview, we speak with Henry about influences, the new project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Real Peach below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
My music has always been rooted in the singer-songwriter tradition, though it took me some time to come to terms with that. My production is beat-heavy and the acoustic textures warm it up, so that’s the basic idea: folk music that embraces beats and synths because they’re powerful.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I was making recordings on a tape deck when I was 5. I always knew I had to do it, but I had to figure out a lot of stuff before I felt ready. As far as what makes me want to put it out so publicly, it’s just the only way to make a career out of it. It’s a sensitive subject, because it’s hard to tell sometimes if you’re doing something like this for the right reasons, for your own glory or because sharing music can be helpful to people.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
My tastes have changed a little, but not too much since I was 19 or so. I’ve loved Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell and Arvo Pärt since then. I also read a lot of philosophy and psychology and that’s a big influence. Some directors like Tarkovsky and Bergman have been a big deal for me, but it’s hard to say how they’ve influenced my music. I’ve also listened to a lot of pretty mainstream hip-hop. I think that people will be able to see each of these influences at play to some degree in my EP, which also of course features a dose of straight folk-pop.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
I was trying to focus on a sound and really make it manifest itself in the world. I have a history of being scattered, genre-wise certainly. So this was kind of like building a portal into professional musicianship.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Streets of Derry” by Sam Amidon
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I don’t have an aux jack in my car, so I use CDs and they just pile up and get horribly scratched until they’re unusable. That’s how I do things. Maybe I’ll have a record player when I settle down more. Records are nice, but require a degree of care and connoisseur-ship that I just can’t muster. MP3s are just characterless ciphers; they’re impossible to like or dislike.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
www.facebook.com/henrymosesjamison is the hub of activities right now.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Really happy we got to talk. My EP The Rains comes October 14th but I’ll have some more singles out before, so keep checking in.
