Joe Barksdale – Black Majik

By starrymag | July 6, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I would describe it as something that you’ve never heard before, but have always wanted to hear.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Sly and The Family Stone, Metro Boomin, Drake, The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys just to name a few

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Black Majik.”

A) I was in the process of putting together the Sincerely album and I needed a song that was in a minor key. I started to think about the blues and what I thought that it would sound like and be about today and that’s where the main riff came from. From there the words and music just kind of fell into place and, before you know it, I had the rough draft for the song. After playing through it and singing it a few times, I tightened up the lyrics and added some chord progressions so that the song wouldn’t just be one long riff.

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

A) I’d say that everyone can relate to the story of the song. We have all had temptations that we have faced and overcome and other temptations that we have faced and succumb to. It’s a constant battle that we all fight on a daily basis. I’ve also gotten a lot of great feedback about the solo at the end, so maybe that’s part of the reason that it connects to some folks, too. [laughs]

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

A) The video plays into the mystique of temptation by calling it “Black Majik.” There is a secret society involved, which is a personification for temptation and how one minute you cannot even know it’s there and then the next minute you are blindsided and consumed by it. I think that the video does a great job of showing how sudden things can change when temptation is involved.

Q) What is your song writing process?

A) My writing process is pretty fluid. I don’t believe in doing it the same way every time. I want all of my music to be honest and I write it the same way that someone would write an honest letter. You don’t write letters the same way every time. Sometimes you have a bunch to say and so you make an outline and other times you are making it up as you go and doing/saying what feels good to you at the time and other times inspiration just strikes you and you let your heart write the words and the list goes on…

Q) Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) No!

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

A) I’m very involved in the production process. The more that I have learned while being in the studio, the easier that it has been to give the producer a clear picture of the vision/sound that is in my head. Like I said before, I always want my music to be honest and I feel that it’s not as honest if I am not involved in the production process at all. So, I have a hand in the production, but am still open to the ideas of those around me because some of the best things can come from collaboration.

Q) How do you shake off a long day in the studio?

A) I don’t really have long days in the studio. I love making music and I always go into the studio with a plan and always over budget for time. I find that the more relaxed that people can be in the studio, the more fun that you have whether it’s a one day recording session or a week long session and everything in between.

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) I will be dropping three albums between the months of July and December, so stay tuned!

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) My favorite place to perform is in my living room in front of my daughters. Nothing makes you feel better than having your own child clap and smile at you when you are finished playing a song and the “good job dad!” It is just icing on the cake. My second favorite place to perform is definitely Wembley Stadium in London, England. I have only performed there twice and both times have been as a football player. But I love the energy and history of the place and plan to be headlining a show there one day in the near future.

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

A) I’m going to try to keep this list short: Drake, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, The Strokes, Gary Clark Jr., BADBADNOTGOOD, Anderson.Paak, J. Cole, Thundercat, The Arctic Monkeys, Jennifer Hudson, Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, Bruno Mars, The Weekend, Paul McCartney and the list goes on and on forever.

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

A) I’ve been listening to a lot of Miles Davis lately. What can be said about Miles that hasn’t already? I’m learning a lot of jazz standards and diving deeper into Jazz theory, so I’ve been learning a lot of his stuff and listening to a lot of his stuff as well. The man was a visionary and I hope to be seen the same way one day.

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

A) I think that the ease of using social media makes it easy to connect with fans by just being yourself and letting them know who you are. Showing people different dimensions of yourself as a person can endear you to them in ways that listening to your music cannot. It’s important because people want to know more about me than just the music that I play and social media gives me a platform to let people know more.

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

A) Thank you and I really appreciate you and in the words of Chic-fil-A it’s “my pleasure” to serve you great music.

 

 

Watch The Video For “Black Majik”