Minneapolis singer-songwriter Jake Allan has a bare bones, straight-to-the-heart-of-matters, lived in quality to his voice and lyrics, after all, he says, it is simplicity and truth that make songs a bit more steady on their feet. "Many people try to make things harder than they need to be. I’m certainly guilty of this too" Allan says, adding "don't get ahead of yourself and don't look back. Just be." Citing Steve Earle and Bob Dylan as abiding influences, one can also hear a bit of John Mellencamp breaking through, "Just because you're alive doesn't mean you know who you are" he sings on Wherever You Are, cutting away the lyrical fat and getting down to the bone of truth. On Somewhere to Somewhere and Everywhere in Between, Allan's latest record, we find a songwriter who has, as he puts it, "set out to create sources of love, danger, and truth for the listener," while also sifting through what Jake calls a "general unknowingness. Not knowing much about living, or being a son, or being a man, but trying to figure it out." When music asks these questions we can't help but pay attention, these are, after all, the kind of things we all find ourselves wondering and wanting to know about our own lives. How to be honest, true and better at all the things we continually have to learn along the way, never quite getting it right but aiming to come in as close as we can every time. AHC: What has this journey in music, so far, been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way? Jake: The journey, so far, feels short. Important life lessons that I’ve learned from being a musician and songwriter are to be honest, hard working, and kind. AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them? Jake: Music was always present in my life. At the age of six my dad bought my brother and I a drum set. He had been a fantastic drummer all his life and wanted to pass on the gift on to us. So my earliest memories would be pounding on the drums way to hard but innately understanding rhythm and time. As far as music that floored me the first time I heard it… I couldn't get over the magic of The White Stripes the first time I heard them. The tone, the songs, the power. The White Stripes were kind of unbelievable to me. The Ramones were another band that blew my mind at a young age. The first song, however, that floored me in the most unique way was “Christmas in Washington” By Steve Earle. The first time I heard it I felt that it had been written immediately, right then and there for me to have. That song truly changed the direction of my life and I still don’t exactly know why. AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote or played? Or that first moment when you picked up a pen and realized that you could create whole worlds just by putting it to paper? Jake: I remember writing my first complete song. I was probably thirteen or fourteen years old. I finished it and thought I was going to take over the world. I immediately ran out of my room to play it for my Dad and he told me it was awful. Which it was. I went back into my room and kept writing. I haven't really stopped since. AHC: Which musicians have you learned the most from? Or writers, artists, filmmakers, teachers/mentors etc Jake: From Steve Earle I learned the importance, in songwriting, of honesty and heart. From Bob Dylan I learned the importance of poeticism and style, in songwriting. From artists like Hank Williams I learned the importance of translating the overcoming of pain. From bands like Cheap Trick I learned the importance of melodies and hooks. The list goes on and on. I also learn a lot from my songwriter friends who I see here in Minneapolis. We support each other and critique each other’s work honestly. AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, that perfect angle of light, so to speak? Jake: The most important things that make a good song, in my opinion, are simplicity and truth. Many people try to make things harder than they need to be. I’m certainly guilty of this too. It’s important, however, to stay in the current moment while writing. Not to get ahead of yourself and not to look back. Just to be. When I am able to convey a true message simply and with a strong melody I feel I’ve found the perfect angle of light. AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, the perfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, a state of rupture/rapture, hope lost and regained? Does the writing and creating of the song save you in the kinds of ways that it saves us, the listener? Jake: When I’m not creating music I feel an odd kind of overlying misery. Creating music temporarily saves me from that feeling, as does hearing a great song. AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road? Jake: My fondest musical memories are those shared with my Dad who passed away last year. We would talk, deeply, about rock and roll for hours. He also took my Brother and I to many concerts. I inherited, from him, a love for live performance and a love for songs. AHC: When you set out to write a song, how much does 'where the world is' in its current moment, culturally, politically, otherwise, influence the kinds of stories you set out to tell? Jake: I try not to write political songs. Things that inspire me the most are very menial interactions that I have with my surroundings. I try to effectively convey my experiences with those interactions in song. AHC: Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for other musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this world? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process? Or what kinds of things have others told you that have helped push you past moments of self doubt/creative blocks? Jake: If you are just beginning then my advice is this: Take the energy that you would use on creating art and focus it on a degree in accounting or starting a small business or something. However, if you need to create because something is always forcing it’s way out then do it. Create always. Everyday. You will be faced with self doubt countless times on your creative journey. Always know what your cause is for creating art and keep creating. Work powerfully through the joy and the misery. Work powerfully through the loneliness. Know what you love and always set out to create sources of love, danger, and truth for the listener. AHC: You just released your album Somewhere to Somewhere and Everywhere in Between this February, could you talk some about this record, what the binding themes of this work are for you personally? Do you have any new projects moving forward or ideas that are percolating for the future? Jake: The songs on this record were only a few of the songs that I had written during a five or six year period. They aren't necessarily the best songs from that time period but they made the most sense to me for some reason. They were written in a few different areas of the United States, (Mostly the midwest.) Some were written during periods of incredible joy. Some were written in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Some were written in Minneapolis. Some in Michigan. The binding theme of this record is general unknowingness. Not knowing much about living, or being a son, or being a man, but trying to figure it out. I’m currently writing songs for my third solo record which is going to be a very concise album lyrically and stylistically. Im also writing for a new album with my other band, Buffalo Fuzz. Jake Allan's latest record can be purchased at jakeallan.bandcamp.com/releases Follow Jake on FB, Twitter & Instagram Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2024
Categories |