Sven Jørgensen embraced the guitar at age 17 when he first started writing songs. Five years later he began playing the piano. Struck by Seattle’s music scene, he formed a band with a few friends (Mind Riot (2001-2005) as a grunge-rock trio in which he served as singer and guitarist. Also struck by Brit-pop and alt-country, he formed another project called Silent Street (2006-2010), a band with sounds similar to artists such as Ryan Adams, Wilco and Oasis. His one rule: eliminate every kind of stereotype and label and simply make music.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sven Jørgensen about his latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I come from a tiny village located in the North of Italy, called Remedello. The music I create has been defined folk-rock / alt-pop so far. It wasn’t really my intention to give my music a genre direction, it just resulted this way because most songs I’ve written came out of a lazy random strumming, and because I love choruses.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Back to my teenage years, spending entire afternoons listening to a lot of Nirvana and other punk-rock/grunge bands was quite normal. This led me and other folks of my generation to believe that with a guitar and some distortion everything was possible and anyone could become a musician. That brought me to start playing guitar first, and piano a few years later.
What motivates me to keep going? Well, composing, creating, playing loud, being appreciated are all things I could never do without in my life.
How is this new release different than previous/other projects? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
For what my music experience is, being in a band means first of all one thing: compromises. Each time it comes to do artistic choices it’s a struggle! Even though I still play in another band, Il Paradiso degli Orchi (progressive rock – you can check them out here www.soundcloud.com/ipdo) and it’s really fun and I enjoy it, growing up I started to feel the need of a personal space, where I could be the only one in charge of everything: composing, arranging, playing (except for drums, I recorded all instruments in my EP, btw). So I did it. It’s very different compared to being a member of a group, especially because I don’t share the costs with anyone [laughs]. But it’s just me and I don’t have to account for anyone, “it’s my party and I cry if I want to”, do you know what I mean? Artistic freedom is what I was trying to accomplish.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The everyday challenge is, and I think all musicians can confirm this, the difficulty to reach the audience. We are too many by now, this might sound like a cliché but it’s the truth. As you said, music industry is oversaturated and the choice is deeply various. Why should someone listen to my album rather than somebody else’s? Being interesting and renovating oneself day by day has become an essential quality.
What can I say about technology? Fifteen years ago this interview wouldn’t have been possible, at least not so easily. Also, I can make high-quality pre-productions down in my basement (where I set my music room). This aspect of technology is part of the artistic freedom I told you about previously, too.
What is the band/artist you have been listening to lately?
Queens of the Stone Age. Josh Homme is a genius and I love every thing he creates. The guitar and synth sounds they use are something that deserves a special mention.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Definitely Cds. Vinyls have the best sound quality but they’re too bulky to carry around. MP3s are easily usable but the quality is very poor. Considering that I listen to music mostly when I drive, Cds are for me the best deal.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? BandCamp? Or something else? Why?
Good question. I’d say BandCamp. In this stage of my path I prefer using a basic platform with an easy design and which is very simple to be understood, as BandCamp is.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
For streaming and buying, BandCamp.
For streaming only, Soundcloud.
And of course I’m on all the main social medias. I’m very active on my facebook page, where I frequently post news and updates.
Anything else before we sign off?
Yes, I hope to play my own songs in the US soon. With my other project, Il Paradiso degli Orchi, we played at Terra Incognita Festival in Quebec City in May 2017 and we’ll take part to an important prog festival in Chicago in October 2019, but I’ve never brought my personal project overseas and I hope to do it soon!
