Tag: accordion

(Main image photo by @facialcavity)

Welcome to the latest in the series of weekly blog posts about songwriting, which includes interviews with composers and artists about their views and experiences in this field. This week’s interview is with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jack Ferry.

Matt:

What is your background in songwriting and performing?

Jack:

Well, I’ve been playing in bands for ages now, since I was about 11 now, I think? I started playing keyboards for a band called “No Tributes” that basically did nothing, before playing with a load of other bands with terrible names. Here are my favourite terrible names:

• To Kill A Thunderbird
• Shatter Resistant
• 60 Decisions
• Coldshoulder
• Blunderbuss
• The Restless Kings
• Jessica Rabbit and The Hillbillies

I think the first song I ever wrote was a song called “Mr. E”, which I still think was a very clever name for a song, even if the execution wasn’t as good as I’d like. I’d always made up songs and little poems and ditties and things like that, but when I was 13 or 14 I got really serious about it. I wrote a couple of songs back then that are still in my set to this day, but my first big and good song was my song “I Don’t Know What I’m Doing With My Life”, which I eventually recorded. I’ve rewritten it since, but it still rings true to me. Since then, I’ve written loads and loads of songs; some good, quite a few stinkers, but I’ve always got something to say when it’s put to a tune.

Matt:

Everyone has different reasons for writing songs, sometimes to express themselves, to tell a story etc. What drives you to write a song and where do you get your inspiration from?

Jack:

Honestly, it just sort of happens? If I’m angry about something, or I need to say something, a song helps. But you know, crying publicly is something I’m not very good at, which is where a song comes in. It’s really just an excuse for me to be upset or angry or happy or wistful or whatever really, but very loudly.

Honestly, I think I just like shouting but I’m very shy. Most of my songs come from relationships with people, I don’t really write about things in the news or current events or anything. I think the closest I’ve ever come to that is a song I wrote called “2012” about the idea of the Mayan Apocalypse and how the end of the world didn’t really change anything about the way we interact with each other. But even then, that was very internal and about regrets. I think that if you’re writing about someone or something else, you really are writing about yourself – or how that reflects on yourself

(photo by Denise Ashwin)

Matt:

One thing that has been mentioned by songwriters since this blog series has started has been that they use writing songs to express feelings and emotions that they would struggle to otherwise, so your comments on this are really interesting. I know you play several different instruments, which one(s) do you particularly like writing songs with and what do you think makes them so effective?

Jack:

They all kind of make me write in different ways, I kind of am drawn to the stereotypical songs that you associate with the instruments when I write. When I write on the banjo or the accordion, they always come out more folky. I always seem to talk about nature on the songs I play banjo on, like in my song “Thirty One-Years”, I start talking about yew trees and poison ivy, and using old fashioned words like “sepulchre” and “mausoleum”. Piano gets me all sad and wistful and emotional. Guitar is a wildcard – could be a folky ballad, could be a mid-tempo rocker. Bass always ends up funky. Saxophone always goes ballady and jazzy.

You know, the banjo is actually an instrument from West Africa. But because of the contexts we hear the banjo in, it’s always a southern American folk instrument to us. It’s really difficult to unlearn this and loads of bands I love have managed to do it – They Might Be Giants with the accordion, and X-Ray Spex with the sax – but I’m still working on it. All my accordion songs are probably going to sound like depressing sea shanties for a while.

Matt:

There are often differing views about songs, both on what the most important aspect is and what the most difficult element of a song to compose is. What do you think is the most important part of a song and do you struggle with a particular stage of composing?

Jack:

I struggle with the whole thing! It’s proper difficult! The hardest part when you’re a songwriter is just getting started really. There’s always a worry that I’m not going to write anything as good as I have done in the past. That it’s going to be hacky and not as clever as the stuff I’ve written before. How can I say what I want to say, without just SAYING it? And then outside of just writing lyrics, I always betray myself by not letting myself just pick easy chords. It’s like, there’s millions of FANTASTIC songs that are just I-VI-IV-V, it’s not giving up to just do that, but obviously after you go through three years of music school and learning about arrangements, re-harmonisation, and how to step out of your comfort zone, and all of a sudden I-VI-IV-V is a cowards way out! But really it isn’t. Chords are really just the bones of the songs – as long as they aren’t broken, the song’s going to be fine.

I find the feeling of the song is the most important thing to capture, and it’s the hardest as well. This is why I find myself writing sad lyrics to really upbeat melodies and chord sequences, it’s almost like saying “I’m only pretending to be happy, this is how I feel, but I’m an adult and I have to lie!!!” But then you can’t write a love song to a funeral march and mean it – unless you’re really trying to say that your love is dead. Maybe someone else could. I really just try to create the right ambience, like a host at the w****est dinner party of all time.

(photo by Izaak Spencer)

Matt:

You’ve not only formed several bands, you’ve also played in other musician’s bands as well. Having experience of both “worlds”, what do you enjoy and dislike about both and what projects are you currently working on?

Jack:

Oh, I love being a side-man, y’know? I love having the opportunity to play around in someone else’s world, step into somewhere I normally wouldn’t. Last year, I played bass for a country band called Jasper and The Island and it just gave me a whole new understanding of the bass and how I interact with it, and how I interact with a band setting. It’s nice to not have to be the most entertaining person on stage as well, just for a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I need the attention, but stepping back from time to time is very much needed.

At the moment, I’m working on my first solo album with my brilliant band. I’m also playing keyboards, accordion, saxophone, penny whistle, and backing vocals for William Grant. I’m trying to keep as busy as I can with music at the moment, graduate life is a killer.

You can learn more about Jack and his music by visiting his website at www.jackferrythemusician.com/music and Facebook page. His EP “Polite Pop” is available to listen to and purchase on many digital music platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, iTunes and Bandcamp