What is your name? JJ
What is the bands name?
Juxta
How did you come up with the name?
I am fascinated by the juxtapositions that occur in every day life but “Juxta” just sounds better!
What is your genre of music?
It’s pretty mixed but if you had to pigeon hole it I like to think of it as “Industrial Post-Punk” 😛
Give us a little bio about you as a band and indiviuals.
Well the band is really me as the main singer/songwriter/guitarist with guest musicians from time to time.
I actually only started recording in 2016 even though I am nearly 50! I think this gives me a very unique perspective on life as I have had nearly half a century on this planet. You won’t find any songs about breaking up with girls on my albums 😛
Are you a signed?
Nope.
Your set to release a brand new album ‘Welcome To Your Life’ tell us the meaning behind the title.
You know it’s taken me a LONG time to realise that virtually everything you hear in the media, on the TV and even from the people you meet on a daily basis is primarily lies and deceipt. I used to go around blisfully unaware of this fact and it’s taken me plenty of decades of life experience to finally figure this out. So the title is aimed at myself.
I know that sounds a bit negative (OK a LOT negative!) but actually once you realise this fact it’s quite liberating as you care less about other people’s opinions of you!
Tell us more about some of the tracks on the Album.
The brain fascinates me especially the way we get hung up on irrational things and how experiences affect us in profound ways, either consciously or subconsciously. Most of the songs on the album explore this.
The Beautiful Ones for example is about those groups of extremely confident people you see at cafes and other social gatherings who seem to be having the time of their lives. I often wonder if they have struggles like the rest of us.
A few of the tracks towards the end of the album were written with live gigs in mind to add some serious energy to our shows. I like to jump around a lot!
what was the writing process like?
When I started writing last year I found I had this untapped reservoir of songs that seemed to just flow out of me. The way I write is this:
Get the session drummer in Logic Pro doing something that sounds like the kind of music I fancy recording
Jam away on the guitar until I get a riff I like the sound of
Get the basic structure of a song down
Then I usually leave it for a day or 2 and then come back to it and write the lyrics and record them.
What was the recording process like?
I must have decades of experiences just waiting to come out as I have found the whole process quite easy. I’m just hoping that doesn’t change anytime soon because I absolutely love writing and recording songs. I got so carried away when I first started and I have ended up with over 100 originals, collaborations and covers on my SoundCloud accouny already!
Are you heading out on tour with the Album?
That was the plan but unfortunately my band members couldn’t commit to gigging due to their jobs. I’ve started doing some open mic nights and I am thinking about doing some alternative arrangements of the songs that I can play either acoustically or maybe with one other person using a drum machine and synth. I’m exploring these ideas at the moment.
If so which cities will you be going?
Obviously if I get the opportunity to play live it will be in the local area initially. So around the south east of the UK.
What made you go in to music?
I grew up in the 70s and was a “headbanger” but was also influenced by the punk movement. My dream was to be in a band but firstly I didn’t have the confidence and secondly the sensible part of me decided that actually having some money might be good so I concentrated on my career instead.
I’m about to turn 50 and I have more time on my hands as my kids have got to that age where they don’t need something every 5 seconds now. Also I got hold of a new Macbook last year and in the past I really struggled to try and make music on my own as I found the technology too limiting and time consuming. The “session drummer” in GarageBand is absolutely amazing though and after half an hour of playing with that I realised I could record easily.
Do you have any festivals you wil be playing this year?
I wish!
Do you play any instruments?
I play all the guitar parts on my songs and I program the drums. The only instrument I don’t play is the bass.
Who are your influences?
I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to music. As well as the classic heavy metal bands like AC/DC, Motothead & Black Sabbath I also love Trance music and have spent a lot of time clubbing. So nowadays the fusion of those two that you find with bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead really influence me. I still love the raw energy and “just give it a go” attitude of the original punk bands too so I think of my music as “Industrial Post-Punk”!
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Normally I just think about something that is pissing me off and there’s enough material there for several songs! Other times I can almost hear the words come out when I am listening to the music. Quite often I’ll just start singing gobbledy gook until some words form.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
My dream would be to have enough of a following to be able to play live shows reguarly. I’m not look at this being a career. It’s all about the enjoyment of the creative process and the buzz of playling live.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Think about doing music!!! I have a bit of an absessive personality so when I start doing something that’s pretty much all I think about 24/7.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
My tastes change all the time so I don’t have one song that inspires me. All I can say is that anything that is a little different from the norm will usually grab my attention and give me ideas.
If your music got played on a TV show or Film/ which one would you want it to be?
I think it would be fun to hear Growing Old Disgracefully used in a comedy film about some old codgers doing something outrageous!
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
To just go for it! You may think that you are not good enough but I am telling you that with all the technology available nowadays ANYONE can make music and there will always be someone out there that will like it!
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Be kind, have fun
You are coming back off tour
1/first place you visit – home
2/first person you see – family
3first thing you eat – baked sweet potato wedges, fried eggs & salmon drenched in apple cider vinegar (bet you never had that answer before!)
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
As I haven’t gigged yet I can’t really answer that one.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Just a few 😛
Tweets by JUXTAmusicUK
http://www.facebook.com/JuxtaMusicUK/
https://juxta.bandcamp.com/
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswj61cXCRLAnvU8VYE2s6g
http://www.instagram.com/juxta_uk/
