Jameson Burt – One More

By starrymag | December 6, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I think my sound really boils down to my guitar style and my voice, that’s my sound. I think my music strives to be emotive and melodic. But I like to play around with different sounds of instruments, different moods and band arrangements, different genres really. So, what my sound is depends on what record we’re talking about. The latest stuff is more stripped down and natural sounding, mainly focusing on my voice and the guitar.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My earliest influences were the great singers and songwriters of the 60s and 70s: Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison. But I love a wide range of music: Tom Waits, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Bjork, Kendrick Lamar and Bon Iver. I just love music that makes me feel something and has great lyrics, whatever the genre is. Lately I’ve gotten super into Nick Cave – I’ve liked him for a long time but I’m diving deeper now and he’s blowing my mind. The lyrics and the space they arrange around his voice, it’s magic.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your song “One More.”

 

A) At the time I wrote that song I was right in the middle of a breakup with someone who was very important to me. I had been trying to save it and really waking up every morning in disbelief that it wasn’t working, that it actually was falling apart, and I couldn’t control it. Carrying that weight around was exhausting me. Finally, I wrote this song from a place of exasperation and acceptance. I had that feeling of, “Well, another person I’ll just be moving on from and trying to forget ever existed.” It’s a dark spot to get to, but at the time I needed to go there in order to feel free and move on with my life, to stay alive really.

 

Q) How did you come to work on the song?

 

A) I went into the studio and recorded it just as soon as it was written, which I think is usually the best way. There wasn’t really any overthinking. I just went in and recorded it while it was fresh, just the voice and acoustic guitar. I thought I might add a band arrangement to it, but I liked how it felt really stripped down and decided it was done. Andrew Wesley Carter (who co-produces everything with me) agreed that the simple arrangement was the right way to go, so he mixed it and that was it.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think people connect to music that feels “true” to them, that has some emotional or spiritual resonance, that feels honest. So, I’m happy that in the moment I wrote it I was able to speak some truth, first to myself, and hopefully that connects with people who hear it. I also think simplicity is powerful. The more time I spend writing songs and also listening to music I love, the more I appreciate the really simple ideas. It’s hard to find a simple idea that works and feels satisfying, in the words and the music. So, I’m thankful when those songs come along.

 

Q) How does the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) Again, I think simplicity is really important. I felt like for this song and what I was trying to communicate, the music behind it had to be really sparse so that the words and the feeling could be revealed properly. That feeling of being alone and coming to terms with it, driving through the desert by yourself. So, on the recording just having that acoustic guitar quietly but relentlessly strumming through, I think it accomplishes that feeling.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) It can work either way for me; words and then music, or music and then words. But either way it goes, one informs the other. Most of the time I’m stockpiling a lot of lyric ideas and a lot of music ideas, and then when the time is right, I link them up. For me it can be limiting and make it harder for me to be productive if I need the music and words to be perfect right from the start, so I just keep writing lyrics even if I don’t have the music for them just yet. When the right piece of music comes along it’s better to have to rewrite some lyrics then it is to have to start from scratch.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I’m very involved with the production and writing of all the music and everything that gets recorded. It starts with me. When I think a piece of music, or a song is ready I bring it in to Andy. Andrew Wesley Carter it’s been my creative partner for several years now. We share a studio together in Santa Ana called echo studio. We co-produce everything together and usually play most of the instruments between the two of us. He also plays keyboards and sings backups in my live band.

I’m fortunate to have an incredible group of musicians around me that want to work with me on music. I’m really fortunate. In my band Devin Beaman and Greg Velasquez have been playing with me live for a few years, and sometimes record in the studio as well. And then other collaborators jump in occasionally: David Beste, Justin Burrow and Dallas Kruse. They’re all amazing and I feel lucky to work with them any time the opportunity arises.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future after the success of “Right Time” and “One More?”

 

A) Well, we released the Right Time full length album in July 2021. It’s a ten-song record that was about a year and a half in the making. I’m really proud of it! Also, happy that “Right Time” (the title track) got some attention as a single as well, and the first single from the album, “Somebody Wants Me.” It’s been a good, productive year and now I’m really excited about the new single “One More.” So, for the moment I’m focused on supporting the music that’s brand new and touring with that under my belt. But there’s always more in the works! Looking at a single and possible EP early in 2022.

 

Q) Concerts are starting to return and you’re opening for Rival Sons! Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I’m so honored to get to tour with Rival Sons again. I respect them so much and their fans are fantastic. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to get to share their stage! Honestly, I’m really looking forward to this first show in Nashville – it’s at the Ryman Auditorium which I’ve heard so much about, it’s a really legendary, beautiful venue that so many legendary artists have played at. It’s pretty wild having that one be the first night of the tour for me, but I can’t wait. But really, I do look forward to every show, every venue no matter what. And this tour we’re playing in a whole bunch of cities I’ve never been to – Chicago, Salt Lake City, Denver, a bunch of new places for me. It’s gonna be a great ride.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Wow, there’s so many people that would be on my dream list. First thing that comes to mind is a duet with a female artist & there are so many I love. I’m a huge fan of Bjork, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox. I love Lana Del Rey. It would be incredible to do something with her. But I’ll get in line! As far as producers I’ve always loved Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, also T Bone Burnett. For me and my team to get to work with any of them would be incredible.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Right now I’ve been listening to this Ray Charles compilation of all his country/western tracks. Incredible. He’s got one of my favorite voices ever, and his delivery breaks my heart. It’s so beautiful. He’s so powerful and so vulnerable at the same time, I just love listening to him. I feel like he can take a song you’ve heard a hundred times and deliver it in a way that feels like he’s inventing it on the spot.

 

You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

That’s just it – it’s a direct connection between me and them, with no one in between us. It’s a great and immediate way for me to share what I’m up to in my life and with my music, and to have instant connection to and feedback from people who follow me. Last year in 2020 it became an even more valuable aspect of my life and work because we were so isolated from each other and I was unable to perform live for so long. It was great to be able to use Instagram as a way to keep performing, to show up for people and still share my “live” music remotely and to stay connected with so many people who love to listen. The give and take of that exchange was really valuable during that time period and kept me going in a lot of ways.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thanks for listening! Thanks for watching. Thanks for showing up for me over and over. And I’m so excited to see you in person again soon! I just hope I add something beautiful and valuable to people’s lives when they need it. The music means so much to me and I hope it touches people’s hearts. Thank you.